All I can Say

It's been a rough one today and I really don't have anything nice to say, so I thought that I would post these lyrics.

Lord I'm tired, so tired from walking

And Lord, I'm so alone

And Lord, the dark is creeping in, creeping up to swallow me

I think I'll stop, rest here awhile.

This is all that I can say right now and this is all that I can give.

And didn't you see me crying?

And didn't You hear me call Your name?

Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?I wish You'd remember where You sat it down,

I didn't notice You were standing here,

I didn't know that that was You holding me.

I didn't notice You were crying too,

I didn't know that that was You washing my feet,

©1998, Inot Music
Words and Music by David Crowder

In other news, the author

of this song came out with

a new album today.

It should be a good one

Reflections of a Longer Day Weekend

1. It was nice to see some old college friends
2. Loneliness is a nasty word
3. I don't do well sitting still for 6 straight hours
4. Lunch was good though
5. I like getting out into nature
6. It's never good to have a bad Monday, starting the week off on a downer
7. Messiah men are 7-0
8. 'Millions' is a good movie
9. If you like quirky, British films, which I love
10. I like picnics
11. Football
12. I miss sports
13. I miss my guitar
14. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't
15. I got punched very, very hard
16. It hurt
17. RK felt bad because I deserved the punch, but not the ferocity
18. I encountered one of the most annoying fans at Saturday night's game
19. She never stopped saying 'Go Dave, go Dave' in her high pitched whiny voice
20. This day sucks
21. I got free stuff at a new Sheetz
22. I am happy that it is finally starting to feel like fall

The Great Outdoors

I know that this is unusual to blog over the weekend, but I sit here in Larsen waiting for the soccer game to start. I just got done touring the great outdoors. I love nature. I went for a hike over at the White Rocks Trail. It was a much more challenging trail then I expected, but I enjoyed it. It was a hard trip up to the top, but once I got up there it was well worth. To sit up on some rocks and just look out is beautiful. It is also cloudy today so when I was up there, it felt like I just might be able to reach out and touch the clouds. Very cool.

I just really enjoyed getting out in nature and getting some exercise. Especially since I was on my butt all day. Well, off to the soccer game...

Is It Worth Its Number 3 Billboard Spot?

So here I go for 2 music posts in a row. As I promised last week, I would review the album. After listening to it off and on for a week or so, I am prepared. Let me first say this. The copy protection on this cd is not the band's fault. They have no choice. The label puts it on the cd. So don't get ticked off at the band.

Now on to my thoughts. I wasn't sure what would happen after their first major label which was a smashing success. A lot of bands when they hit the big time have a let down on the next album. I do not feel that this happened for Switchfoot. What they released was a good, solid rock album with a couple, intriguing, good quirks.

They get started off rocking away with 'Lonely Nation'. It is a good solid rock song to start off the album. 'The Shadow proves the Sunshine' is quickly becoming my favorite song on this cd with some interesting vocal sounds that were obtained by singing into a grand piano. 'The Blues' is a wonderfully raw sounding ballad where the vocal track is actually from the first demo made of the song. 'The Fatal Wound' uses the harmonica and is a darkly beautiful song. 'Daisy' proves that this album is different from all the others. Although it starts off nice and calm, it ends the album on a rocking note.

For this album, the lyrics were pretty much standard fare for the band. The sound did not stray too far from what they know. That being said, there were differences in this album. Each song had a slightly different feel which was nice. Especially the last half of the album where you aren't really sure what will come next. Another good thing is that it is excellently produced. This is the first thing that hit me. Now I know that I am a sound engineer type dork, but I believe everybody will be able to appreciate the production quality.

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Go buy the cd. It will be worth your time and money.

A Man and His Guitar

Last night this wonderful man played a show at Messiah. It was free and from 10-12 in the student union. I greatly enjoyed this performance. I am the first person to love a good rock and roll band, but there is just something really neat about a man(or woman) and his guitar. It is clean. It is relaxing. It is beautiful. It takes talent for an artist to keep a crowd with just a guitar. He did an amazing job of this. A great simple show. If you get a chance and he is in your area, go check out Derek Webb.

At one point in the evening, he took a break and talked about an organization that is trying to get clean blood and water to the most impoverished. It is the blood:water mission. They are doing something incredible in that their goal is to build 1000 clean water wells in the poverty stricken areas. They do this by hiring local people to build the well. Not only is it giving clean water, but also creating jobs. That's a great organization making an impact.

Another thing that he mentioned was that he was not going to explain any more what his songs mean. I totally agree with him. We tend to like when song are spelled out for us clearly, but I actually think that it is a cheap form of art. The beauty of all kinds of art is that it means different things to different people. When we have to think and pull our own meaning out of art is when we can truly appreciate it. Enough of these self explanatory lyrics. Let's try to bring the poetry back into songwriting. One person that is incredibly gifted is Derek Webb.

What an Amazing Concept

"...the difference between Grace and Karma. ...Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,... It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions,...I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge...It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace."

--from the book "Bono: In Conversation"

It's been said that the difference between Christianity and all other faiths is grace--the idea that we won't get what we deserve. This amazes me when I think about it. I screw up a lot. The amount that I mess up, I don't know if I ever would deserve ANYTHING good happening to me. But right in the middle of that, God steps in. He chooses to. He could have left the entire human race, but He sends grace, love and redemption instead. He wants us.

Change of Lifestyle

So, two Sundays I was walking down a nice country lane. As I saw a couple of kids playing, their ball suddenly went into the road. Now as it is a kid's responsibility not to be responsible, one of them ran to get the ball without looking out for traffic. His sibling, though, heard a vehicle coming which the first juvenile didn't hear. The tension was building, for the second kid went to rescue his sibling. Now we have two youngens in the road with their ball and an F150 barreling down the road at them.

I see this and react immediately. In a flurry of an action, I sprint for the remaining distance between me and the kids. As I get to them, I can feel the F150 breathing down my neck. THERE JUST ISN'T ENOUGH TIME!!!!

I dive into the road and grab kid number one and fling him to safety. The truck is getting closer and closer. I get two fingers on the second kid and manage to just get him off of the road. But there is a problem. The driver is oblivious and is not slowing down. With a mighty leap I knock the ball out of the way as I try to escape the lumbering vehicle. I feel myself escape the path and think that I am okay. But alas, since I knocked the ball out of the way, my left arm is behind the rest of my body. It gets clipped by the vehicle and I drop to the ground in pain, clutching my wrist.

That is how I broke my wrist.



Okay, maybe not actually, it might have been done in the midst of playing goalie in pick up game of soccer. I just may have been trying to save a point blank shot. I may also have succeeded although not without the casualty of my wrist. The wonderful high schoolers that I hang out with at my church assisted me with the creation of this much more benevolent way of how I broke my wrist. Good idea, guys and gals.

So what does this have to do with the title of my post? Because I broke my wrist, my many forms of exercise have ceased. This stinks because I like playing various sports and with a broken wrist cannot play any of them. Even the simple act of running for exercise is too high of an impact and I like to exercise.

So what do I do? Walking is an option. But there is another option that I believe I will like better. That would be hiking. In this beautiful state of Pennsylvania, there are many places to hike. Not only that, but to get out into nature in the middle of nowhere is completely awesome. So hike I shall. I love nature and to hike is low impact exercise. Therefore for the next 6ish weeks I hope to become a hiking and walking fiend. One problem, I don't really know where to take on such a wonderful challenge. I know a couple of places, but any suggestions are more than welcome.

Reflections of a Rough Weekend

1. It's hard to type one-handed
2. So much for Busch Gardens
3. Friday was a very long day
4. The doctor's were very nice
5. One of them sent me to the wrong place which didn't do me much but cost me some money
6. My wrist is waaay broke
7. I hope that I don't need surgery
8. Northern HS kicked Mechanicsburg HS butt in football
9. Big screen video games are real cool
10. It was nice to watch some college football
11. Messiah men's soccer won quite easily
12. The benefit that Jazz at Lincoln Center put on was awesome
13. Norah Jones is very talented...and purty
14. So is the entire Marsalis family
15. It's been a rough go at it over the past week or so
16. DB, thanks for thinking of me
17. The Ravens really stink
18. I hope they win a couple of games
19. Thanks for the gift, DK, SM and ST
20. My youth small group is a real goog bunch of guys
21. Brewster's makes good milkshakes
22. It was nice to see the Patriots lose
23. Showering with one arm in a bag is very interesting
24. Will I ever get a job?

Under God

So this happened today.

I don't get it. I don't see what the big deal is. I personally enjoyed saying the word God in the pledge of allegiance, but I have been thinking about this recently and this is my question. Why does Newdow have a problem?

Even when I was in school, there wasn't a pledge nazi going around making sure that every student was saying the pledge. I am trying to figure this out, but I believe that the parents do not like this because it is teaching their kids that there is a sovereign being. Now I don't want to get into this discussion right now. I happen to believe that there does exist a sovereign and supreme being who I tend to call God.

That is not my point. This is. There were many things that I was told in school that my parents did not agree with. How did I know this? My parents talked to me about the things that I was being taught. They taught me to think for myself and not necessarily agree with anything that was said. So these parents that are suing are lazy. They don't actually want to have to teach their kids how to think for themsleves. They want their kids to not have any other opinions thrown at them by the schools that contradict their beliefs. I can't believe that somebody would be seriously scarred for life because they heard the word God everyday. How many people walk around saying 'Oh my God'? Those kids hear that word all the time.

Nothing is Sound

In other news, Switchfoot's album came out today.

Review coming soon...

An Incredibly Crappy Day

What a day. Ever have a day that you wish would be over. Today is that day for me.

Where's God in all of this?

Reflections of a Painful Weekend

1. My wrist really hurts
2. I hope it's not broken
3. JK is good man
4. It is nice to see people that you don't see all the time, but get along well with
5. ST rocks
6. The Germanfest over-cooked my bratwurst
7. Penn State won, Maryland should have won
8. It's funny what mental blocks will do in sports
9. Tennis is fun
10. The driving range was really annoying
11. Some pranks that kids pull are really funny
12. Jimmy's has good food
13. Texas beat Ohio State, WOOHOO
14. It was a great game
15. Pro football started
16. It is so nice to know what to do on Sundays now
17. Soccer was fun, I almost had a beautiful goal.
18. My wrist hurts and I hope it is just sprained
19. Women are such caring spirits
20. There is something that they have that men just don't have
21. Another year of youth group has officially started
22. The Ravens lost, daggummitt
23. I like watching football
24. Messiah men are 3-0
26. I love sports
27. I love music
28. I love women
29. I love God
30. The last four were not in a particular order
31. Try not to make too much fun of me
32. I don't think I'll be playing guitar for a while
33. Some injuries are very fluke, that doesn't mean they hurt less
34. I'm getting out of the way next time
35. I'm too competitive to
37. My wrist hurts

Guess What?!?

It's my birthday. Yes, today is the 28th anniversary of my birth. Proteinstar, do your magic and find out who was born on this fine day. I could, but nah, I don't want to take it away from you. So, what feels different? Nothing. I was 27 years old, I am now 28. Whoop dee doo. I should sound more excited, but oh well.

One thing of note. I am now above the average age that men get married in the United States. Does this really mean anything to me? No, but it was an interesting stat so I thought I would post it.

Birthdays aren't a big deal to me. I guess it is because I have gone for so long without anything being done for my birthday. In no way is this a pity party, I am just trying to figure out why they aren't that big a deal for me. I guess if you always have something happen then you come to expect and look forward to it. I know that a couple things will probably happen around this time. I'll get some cards, maybe even some gifts. Somebody will take me out to dinner. People will ask me how old I am. The game night crew will probably do something. These are the usuals. But hey, maybe this stuff won't happen this year. That would be okay because I shouldn't live my life expecting people to do stuff for me.

What will I enjoy. I saw my family last weekend, I saw some friends last night. I will see different friends tonight. That will be great. Relationships are where it's at for me. That's what I treasure.

So go out and enjoy the day. You can. It's my birthday and I said so.

Honesty is the Best Policy...

...unless you are a Christian.

Have you ever noticed that you can't be completely honest with Christians? We judge each other so easily. I have been going through a rough patch recently and was journaling about my feelings last night. I realized as I was reading my writing that I would never say a good bit of it to Christians. If I did, it would mean bad things. People would think that I had abandoned my faith. If not, that they would assume that I was not serious about my faith anyway.

Why can't we just go through times of questioning and wondering where God is, why He isn't there? It is not a bad thing. It just means that we are human. Those are usually my most honest times. It doesn't make me a bad Christian to go through these things.

I hate rejection. I really, really hate rejection. I have been dealing with it for the last 15 months while looking for a job. I deal with it with friends, with women, with jobs, with God. it is everywhere and I truly hate it. It is hard to keep fighting when you are just beat down.

I give up.

All I Want for Christmas

Ah, the disappointment that we encounter in life. It stinks. I don't like disappointment. It brings us down a little bit, it doesn't let us rejoice for a bit. It is the antithesis of happiness. It comes when you want something, need something or are waiting for something and it doesn't come or you don't get it. Sometimes disappointment lasts days, months, or into the year-type timeframe. The short term disappointments are easier to handle than the longer ones, but they are no less enjoyable.

I have encountered some disappointment today. The type that is difficult to handle. The type that makes you think and ask questions like why. You don't know where to turn or what to do. There seem to be no answers anywhere. It makes it hard to concentrate. I will be fine, but today is a bit rough.

What will I do? I will go to where I feel most comfortable. First I must get outside because I love nature so much and it always comforts me. Then I shall journal and read some. It is always good to get your thoughts out, whether it is to someone or just to the air or a piece of paper. Will I find answers? No, I very much doubt that I will. Will I be soothed a bit afterwards? Yes.

Reflections of a Labor Weekend

1. Tennis can be very frustrating
2. Sports many times seem to be the last bastion for my temper to show itself
3. 'The Fellowship of the Ring' is a very good movie
4. I am looking forward to playing Heroes 5
5. I watched 'College Gameday' on Saturday
6. I love to learn
7. The chicken quesadilla at the Larson Student Union at Messiah College is good
8. I like walking around outside
9. It was good to go to the soccer game
10. Messiah should have won by a lot more than 1-nil
11. The girl that was sitting in the next row lower and a few seats away was really cute
12. Messiah College has lots of honnies
13. Is it wrong for a person in their upper twenties to date a college student?
14. It was great to see some of the youth from church
15. 6:30 am is early
16. My church doesn't know how to worship
17. They also have ridiculous rules about what is too loud
18. Sooo frustrating
19. It is always nice to see the fam
20. Sis, thanks for kayaking with me
21. I like to talk with my family
22. My dad is such an intelligent man
23. My mom is so sweet
24. I really really enjoyed sleeping in till 11:00 am on Monday morning
25. Penn State and Maryland won
26. The Kipona festival was enjoyable to walk around
27. Even better was to sit by the Susquehanna river, chat and watch the sunset with some friends
28. Darn mini-golf
29. I am glad that women aren't as oblivious as men
30. Ruby Tuesday's cheese fries are good
31. So are their flavored teas
32. Especially if you combine their strawberry and kiwi flavors
33. ST and SM, it was great to chat about many things with y'all
34. I had an extremely enjoyable Monday evening
35. I didn't want to go to work today
36. It is always harder after a long weekend
37. AAAHHHHH!!!

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Yes, ladeez and germs, football season is upon us. College started last night with one game and its full slate starts tomorrow. Pro football is finishing up its preseason and starts next Sunday with the exception of the kickoff game on Thursday. This also means that the B-E-A-Utiful weather of fall is coming.

I am very excited about all of this. I love this season of the year. I like to watch football and even more than that, I love to fall asleep for a nice afternoon nap while watching football. It means that there is now something to watch on Monday nights. But it also means that the best television show will now be on. College Gameday with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herstreit and Lee Corso. So from now till December I will wake up by 10:30 on Saturday mornings to tune into ESPN and watch this great show.

Plus the weather gets cooler and the women get warmer.

This is how you should pray

In small group, we are studying a book called 'The Life You've Always Wanted'. This weeks chapter is about prayer which we shall discuss tonight. This got me thinking about prayer. I am not very good at it. My mind goes everywhere and I have much trouble trying to concentrate on God. Not only that, but most of the time it feels like I talking to the ceiling. In the book, Ortberg never really addressed that issue, but he did address the wandering mind issue.

Many times when our mind wanders, it wanders to the same place. This is usually something that is going on in our lives that we are concerned with. Rather than trying to pray for the 'right' thing, maybe we should just try to pray for the thing that is on our mind. I might try this one.

Also prayer was meant to be relational. It should not be just a laundry list type thing. You don't talk to friends or family in a formula or list way. It is very conversational. Maybe this is more how we should approach God. I don't know, just some things to think about.

The Greatest Ever...

at least in my opinion.

I have a couple of favorite speakers that I like to listen to. I thought that I would bring them to your attention so that if you hear that they are going to be around, you can go to listen to them based on my recommendation. The first is David Nasser. He immigrated from Iran and became a Christian in high school. Beyond having a very interesting story, he is funny and at the same time, very serious about the sacrifice that we should make as Christians. He has a couple of books out including 'A Call to Die' which is a 40 day journey and 'A Call to Grace'. I have read the first one and it was well worth it. The second one was released recently. Check him out. He is my favorite

Close behind is Rob Bell. He is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan. It is a very progressive seeker oriented church. He is great at taking normal things of life and applying them to God. He also has helped write short videos about fundamental points of the Christian faith called NOOMAs. These are fantastic and really minister to you. I own the first one and it definitely helps me through the harder times. he has a new book out called 'Velvet Elvis'.

Anyway, that is just some information on people that I believe are making a difference for God in this crazy, upside-down world.

The Perfect Storm

So let me get this straight. A 300 hundred mile wide hurricane with 175 mph sustained winds is heading straight for you and you are mandatorily told to evacuate. What do you do? You stay. Why? Why? I don't get it. Why are some people so stupid sometimes? I am not talking about the people that didn't have a choice. I am talking about those others that chose to stay. I have heard the crying wolf scenario. Well let's put it this way. This thing was not just going to disappear. I heard Katrina described as this: A 100 mile wide F3 tornado headed for you. Now is that a little scarier? Yep.

Why don't we always respect nature? It is like we don't really believe the power that nature possesses. And it is just a micro-comparison of God's power. It is said that the creation screams the glory of God. I believe that this is in the beauty and the terror of nature. God is a gracious God but also a terrible God that is to be feared. I don't think that I do this enough. I think that I look at God too many times as my little friend to store in my back pocket until I need Him.

Another thing about this whole storm. Governor Haley Barbour was quoted as saying. "This is our tsunami." What an incredibly stupid and egoist thing to say. The death toll for the tsunami was approximately 226, 000. That doesn't include the complete destruction of the whole area over there either. This destruction is bad, but cannot be compared. The death toll here may hit the low thousands, but nothing even remotely close to 226, 000 people. Maybe we should stop thinking that we are the center of the world. Maybe I should stop thinking that.

Maybe this small tragedy will help us though. I have seen pictures and video of horrible devastation. If I connect that with the knowledge that this is a small fraction of what damage was done by the tsunami, it hits home to me much more than it did before.

Also New Orleans was not a direct hit which is a relief for those that live in and around that city. But since they were not a direct hit, somewhere else was, the damage in Mississippi is much worst. I saw a water tower that was built to be able to withstand 200 mph winds on the ground. Wow. The awesome power of this thing.

Keep this area in your prayers. It will be a long process to begin the recovery from this horribly powerful storm.

Relflections of a Very Enjoyable Weekend

1. I like poker
2. I won
3. My final hand was quad 5's, AWESOME!
4. I had a very enjoyable time talking with MF
5. It was cloudy on Saturday, but I am glad it didn't rain in the afternoon
6. I wish I had played flag football
7. I had fun dropping RK in the dunk tank
8. Chicken BBQ is good
9. It is nice to chill
10. I like rain
11. Saturday night I could have just stayed out for hours in the rain
12. Spanglish is a great movie
13. It is a quirky movie that many of my friends probably wouldn't like, but I loved it
14. Tea Leoni is a very good actress
15. Naps are great
16. Pray for the people affected by Hurricane Katrina
17. The youth kickoff was awesome
18. Memphis Blues BBQ makes really good ribs
19. The dunk tank was really cold
20. Really, really cold
21. She's hot
22. It was really fun to taunt people that missed the target
23. The kids are awesome
24. I am still enjoying the read of 'Searching for God Knows What'
25. Who needs sleep when you have fun
26. Hu-min-ah

I like to talk

I like having small group at my place. I don't have to go anywhere and it makes me clean. Last night we had a grilling party at my abode. The burgers and corn on the cob were delicious. A member that shall remain nameless puts mayonnaise on the corn on the cob. It looks really disgusting and seems like it would taste equally disgusting, but whatever floats said person's boat.

Throughout this time we talked about a gammit of topics. Music, sports, relationships, differences between men and women, swearing, things we look for in the opposite sex, sex. It was rivoting conversation. Fun, too. Peeps didn't leave my place till after 11 with one individual staying till 12. It was great.

There wasn't a lot of debating or arguing, but just discussing. Some of us decided that it is better to be a man than a woman. (Okay that's not exactly true, but I can pretend it is) It is great to talk about issues that we all deal with.

Why am I saying this? I don't really know, but it was what I wanted to write about and I just came up with a kernel to chew on. I/we don't always take the time to talk with each other. As Americans, we always are solidly on the go and don't stop. Well, take the time to stop, listen and then talk to your friends, family, acquaintances, or that guy on the street. We should invest in people. Then they will invest in us and that would make anybody feel good.

I'm P.O.'d

I don't know why but I am in a general statement of discontent and annoyance today. It's not the best thing. Here are a couple of things that have encouraged the feeling.

- It's beautiful outside and I am inside at work
- Some legalistic fundamentalist "Christian" site talked about Donald Miller and how he is going to burn in hell for using a mild swear word. Maybe they will burn in hell for judging. The Bible comes down a lot harder on judging people than potentially coarse language.
- A blog posted some asinine article from some more fundamentalist crap about singleness and it not being okay for people to be single. Don't read the article. It is the biggest waste of time.
- I don't like fundamentalism. (Could you guess?)

Pat Robertson does some really stupid things. Why doesn't he just keep his trap shut rather than continuing to give Christ a bad name for his ridiculous comments? And then he apologizes and lies about what he was recorded saying. A good example of Jesus right there. NOT!! Maybe we should keep Jesus out of politics or at least try not to throw around His name for leverage. That's a worse case of taking the Lord's name in vain than somebody saying 'O my God'.

In a totally unrelated topic, Athlete is playing a show at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia on Wednesday, October 5 at 7:30. Tickets are $19. Anybody want to go. I am looking for a partner in crime to hear some fantastic music.

Tis a Gift to be Simple

It's the simple things like the robots Stevie G draws
And the ease with which you seem to pull those tricks
There are moments of escape for every one of us
And a beauty in the times that we create
I saw you smiling

And I need my vehicles and animals
Then I will be alright
Take me back to 1979 so I can find my open eyes

He can play all by himself for many hours
I have never seen a kid who's so content
There is nothing from the outside that can touch him
'Cos he's just learning how to be alone with one
I saw you smiling

And I need my vehicles and animals
Then I will be alright
Take me back to 1979 so I can find my open eyes

Lying down on my bed
I just got another kick to the head
Oh yeah, you're a part of me
Yet another branch on the family tree
Salt on my fingers, salt in my cuts
Salt on my face and salt in my guts
It's been a battle but we've come through OK
Stop what you're doing and play...

'Cos we've got our vehicles and animals
So we're gonna be alright
And there's no need for us to go back in time
Because we've found our open eyes

-Athlete

Try to enjoy the simple things of life like we did as kids. That can be hard sometimes, but I think we would be better off for it. I know that I used to love playing with my matchbox cars. Life was so simple then. We need to capture that childlike joy.

Broccoli or Cauliflower

Why do people make snap judgments? Here is the scenario. I go somewhere and have a bad experience there, or I play something and do bad so I decide that I don't like it. Not only that an instant hatred seems to develop. Why? Then if we don't like something, that means there is something wrong with it. It becomes dumb or stupid or maybe it is snooty. Either way, we come up with reasons why no one should like it. In fact, if you like it, you become dumb, stupid, snooty, etc. And when we don't like something we become grumpy anytime we have to do that activity.

I think it comes back to selfishness. I think it is natural for us to be selfish. We want it our way and I think that we struggle to think about things without considering there effect on us. Sometimes this can be good, because it means self-preservation, but far too often we become very selfish people.

So I encourage you to do something that you don't necessarily like to do because a friend of yours likes it. You may have to struggle through it, but you will make your friend happy for doing something for them. Maybe they feel often that they are always yielding to you in activities. All this will make you less selfish and you may even find that you like something that you thought you hated. Like Cauliflower.

Reflections of a Walking Weekend

1. It was beautiful Friday night
2. StormRunner is a fun ride, especially in the front row
3. That was the fastest Wildcat ride I have ever been on
4. I couldn't find my t-shirt
5. I was surprisingly awake at 8:30 on a Saturday morn
6. Washington Metro kicks New York subway's butt
7. Madison Square Garden doesn't look like much from the outside
8. Old theatres are cool
9. There is a Concorde on a pier in NYC
10. There are a lot of movable bridges in NYC
11. That definitely allowed Ellie to geek out
12. Yankee Stadium looks boring from the outside
13. I was not impressed and I don't think it has anything to do with my hatred for the Yankees
14. The UN buildings look old and run down
15. I really like Central Park
16. If I lived in NYC, I would spend so much money
17. There are so many performing arts things that happen there
18. MOBIA was boring
19. Lincoln Center is cool
20. I would have loved to stay to see a performance, even if it included ballet and disco
21. There aren't any sheep in the sheep meadow
22. Donald Trump looks for approval through trying to show he is more extravagant than everyone else
23. That is a pretty shallow way of living
24. Jekyll and Hyde is neat to eat at once
25. Broadway is crowded on a Saturday night
26. I would like to see a broadway show
27. I am such a music geek
28. I got to see 2 of my small group guys get baptised, very cool
29. I like being outside so much better than being inside
30. I hate sweating
31. It is nice to relax
32. I like to talk
33. Especially to friends that I don't always get a chance to talk to
34. It is beautiful outside and I am stuck in here at work

Hee Hee

I have nothing to say...

Why Should the Fire Die?

Recently, Nickel Creek released their third studio album. It has taken some interesting turns away from their old sound and is in some ways a gutsy album. They have always had very melodic somgs with tight harmonies and excellent musicianship. Chris Thile is in many ways, their weakest vocalist yet is their primary vocalist. This is disappointing to me because his voice is very brash, but it is their choice and since he writes most of the music, he sings it too.

They start off pretty upbeat with 'When in Rome'. They used more processing on this cd and it is more evident on this first song. The song is solid though, with quite the catchy melody. 'Scotch and Chocolate' is an instrumental that they have been doing in concert for years now. They finally recorded it in the contrast of the song recorded well. 'Tomorrow is a Long Time' is a cover of the Bob Dylan original that Sara Watkins pulls off lightly and refreshingly. 'Doubting Thomas' and 'Why Should the Fire Die' are nicer ballads that sooth the soul. On the other hand, 'Helena' is a song that grows in intensity that ends with the full band including drums. This is the first time in their recordings that they have used drums. It came as a shock to me, but comes off very well.

I could write about each song but that would bring a long and boring review. This album is darker and deeper than previous offerings. They aren't afraid to especially go to the dark side of relationships. The album is overall different. It is good and risky for them, but don't necessarily expect it to be a carbon copy of previous works. For that I applaud them. Bands don't do that enough these days.

What's the meaning in a phrase?

Since the beginning, under my blog title has been this phrase. "Where phrases like'Seeing God in a cup of coffee' come alive." Although I am slowly getting tire of seeing this phrase and am looking to change to something different, I noticed something. I have never talked about the phrase 'seeing God in a cup of coffee.' Oops, so I shall use today to discuss this phrase.

For many people, coffee is a very normal, very regular thing. They get up in the morning and put that coffee on to brew and have a cup of coffee. It is as routine for many as brushing their teeth, maybe ever more. It is a little thing. Nobody, when asked what they did that day, says that they had a cup of coffee along with the other things they list. It is just too common.

I think this is how we look at God. When something big happens, like a person being miraculously healed or a prayer request being answered, we say "Wow, God was really in that." But God is here always, even and especially in the mundane things. We need to look for God in these things that we often just do out of habit. Who knows what we might see.

A wise person once told me that you should thank God for something that happens to us everyday because He is always working in our lives. That can be hard to do when you have a normal, boring day though. This is when you start looking for God in the small, mundane things. Like a cup of coffee. So I encourage you today. Look for God in those things. You'll be surprised where He turns up.

Where was she then?

Natalee Holloway has been all over the news for the last two months. She is the teenager that disappeared in Aruba a couple of months ago and it seems that every cable news channel has nothing better to report on than her disappearance and every detail contained in the story. I usually don't comment on big news, but something is particularly disturbing me in this whole saga.

The mother. It is amazing how much of a strong hero figure her mother has turned into. I rarely watch the news about it, but whenever I see her or hear about her she is always fighting for truth and not accepting anything except the truth. Whatever. I have a question for her.

Where was she before now? I think that she is getting off way too easy. Where was she when her daughter was learning to drink alcohol? Where was she when her daughter was learning to take drugs? Why did she let her daughter go on this trip? A trip to a foreign country with no chaperon or adult figure. Just four teenage girls.

She was absent. She seemed to not be involved in her daughters life or care about her actions. Now I admit that there are many things that teenagers can do without their parents having any idea, but I think that the parents do have a lot of say in their children's lives. The last question is the biggest one for me, because this is one that the mom had complete control over. She could have said that her daughter couldn't go on the trip. She could have said that she would go or make sure another parent was going. But she didn't.

I work with the youth at my church and I have seen many of them do stupid things because their parents don't care. Their parents are absent. They may live with them, but never bother doing anything to control them or punish them or even talk to them. The teens with their parents involved in their lives are much better off. They feel the love even though it restricts them sometimes. Teens need that restriction, we all do. We are apt to make many stupid mistakes without loving people in our lives telling us not to.

So Natalee's mother plays a big part in the fault of this and will never accept. Did something horrible most likely happen in Aruba that some monster of a human did? Yes. Should whoever did this be punished for it? Yes. Should the girl have ever been in the places she was for something horrible to happen to her. No. Who was a big part of that fault? Her mother.

Reflections of a Weekend #23

Title..props to cb
1. It was hot
2. There is nothing as purely enjoyable as worshipping God
3. A nite off is good
4. Fresco cafe makes good Cobb salad
5. It is nice to sleep
6. It was really hot
7. I like camping, but not when it is hot
8. Bacteria, yuk
9. I hate sleeping when I am sweaty
10. A heat index of 104 and a air temperature of 96 is crazy
11. I am really enjoying reading
12. Nickelcreek released a new album that shall get reviewed sometime soon
13. I hope I get the job at Messiah
14. It's up to God
15. I'm okay with anything
16. I like talking
17. There is so much love in my family and that is awesome
18. I got hit in the head with a cookie
19. You shouldn't throw rocks even if you aren't in a glass house
20. It's fun to dunk people
21. Fresh grown string beans are good
22. Doh!
23. I wish I was spending a week at the beach
24. If you're sweaty and you know it take a shower
25. It was really quite warm this past weekend

Do you have some Relevant rocks?

Today finally after months of waiting, RelevantMagazine.com is updating their website to include all kinds of cool things. It is very exciting. They are a great magazine because, as their name states, they want to be relevant Christians in the world. They don't try to make Christians feel all nice and warm. They don't care about that. They ask the hard questions and then make you think about it. They aren't going to give you the answers, because that is the easy way out. We need to learn to actually think on our own rather than being told what to do.

They also have many articles about how Christians are impacting the world, whether it be music, movies, books, etc... Very cool. So go check it out when you get a chance. Currently the website is down for the upgrade but when it's up it will be worth your while.

CLICK HERE!!!

A Pleasant Surprise

For those of you that know me, you know that I am a pretty big fan of the David Crowder Band. Heck, for those of you that read my blog, you could probably figure it out too. Anyway, on to point. I was under the impression that the aforementioned band was coming to the Camp Hill, PA area to play a show in October. I then found out that they were no longer playing that show. I was a little confused about it and a little bothered because I thought that the band had backed out. For others of you that know me, you know that I am huge on commitment. If you commit to something, you need to do it, no matter what.

So, I decided to send Mr. David Crowder an email about all of this and my feelings to the subject. I sent this email to his website email address at 12:30 this afternoon. They have some shows over the next couple of days so I figured that I may get a response in a couple of weeks. That is, if I did get a response. Imagine my surprise when at 3:00 this afternoon, there was a response in my box from a certain Mr. David Crowder.

HOLY COW!! That's impressive. Not only that, but it was a couple line response. It was a good half page. That's cool. It was a very thoughtful response and explained some things for me. I greatly appreciated it and it made me feel happy. For an extremely busy guy to give people the time of day is really nice. It shows that there is a respect for people that not everybody has. It was even an email from a dude far away that he didn't even know.

I just had to blog about this. So I now like the David Crowder Band even more than I did before, and have improved my day because of one man's consideration. So think about it. It is amazing what your simple respect and love for people can do. Even for a complete stranger. Next you are rushed or not and somebody needs something. Give them the time of day. It is worth it for you and it will make them feel better.

I Give Up!

Disclaimer: Half of the population will get annoyed with me over this post, but I will try my best to not have that happen and to be misunderstood. Now that that is over, let me get to the subject at hand.

Women! Grrrr. I don't understand them. I never have. I have tried desperately at times and still get nowhere. They confound me, they can annoy me, they amaze me, they can be wonderful, but still the communication gap is incredible. It is like me trying talk with an: (I don't know what to put here without getting in trouble).

Why you ask? They are emotional, things offend them that don't offend guys. They think different. They're random. I don't know. The weird thing about this. Men and women. We are meant to be together. That's the way God designed it. We help each other. We fill each others holes. That's the cool thing. God willing, I'll meet someone someday and marry them and it will feel right.

I will go on the rest of my life not understanding them, yet loving them. I want to say that men also have many faults and probably appear as odd to women sometimes as women appear to men. I think this is part of God's sense of humor.

Fade to Grey

Recently I asked a question about whether or not we are supposed to be friends with everybody. Many responses wer in the vein of 'No'. That is all well and good, but questions like these usually are not simply answered. What if I expanded the question to 'How do I love somebody that I don't want to be friends with, but I run into a lot?" The question just got a whole lot trickier and the answers a whole lot harder. You can't really love somebody practically that you see all the time and not become friends with them. So maybe a whole in the opining of some.

This got me thinking about how most questions that seem simple, but deal with humans rarely are. Everybody would agree that you are to love your neighbor, but what if your neighbor destroyed your yard? Is turning him into the police still considered loving your neighbor? Suing him for expenses? I don't know. Things are rarely just simple.

This can be applied to topics ranging all over the board from loving each other to the war. We want to believe that things are black and white, but many times they are not. I guess this is what I am trying to say in this whole rambling. There are definitely things that are black and white, but there are so many more things where conditions muddle the line. And we seem to want to solve things in our minds without muddling it up. It won't work.

This may be my most disorganized post yet. Congrats to me.

Reflections of an August Weekend

1. VBS is over, it was good, but I'm glad it's over
2. Bookstore, book, drink...AAH
3. I like sleeping in
4. Rudy is a good yet emotional movie
5. I won 7-5 in tennis after I lost 6-0 to a guy that I never beat
6. It's nice to get exercise
7. Hersheypark was really crowded
8. It was still fun
9. Roller coasters are better at night
10. It's nice to be surprised
11. Naps that end at 6:44 are a little too late
12. Zoolander is a funny movie
13. It's the start of another work week
14. I like the tv show MASH
15. The X games were neat to watch
16. Doing a 100 foot backflip on a motorcross bike is sick
17. Landing that backflip with no hands is even sicker
18. I hate paying bills
19. I don't like to break guitar strings
20. Michael Vick isn't THAT good
21. Real Salt Lake vs Chivas USA was a pretty bad soccer match
22. Pro Football is about to start...WOOHOO!!
23. College football is about to start
24. Premier league is about to start
25. I really like sports
26. Could you guess?
27. What should be number 28?

What do you see yourself doing in 15 years?

Interesting question. It is definitely different from what is your dream. Sadly enough we do not usually try to obtain our dreams. We just talk about them. Maybe we should do more. I don't really know what I see myself doing in 15 years. I have my dreams and have yet to pursue them. I can make all kinds of excuses, but when it comes down to it, I can't give a good answer as to why I have not pursued them more strongly. I may not know right now what I will be doing, but this I know for sure. In the meantime, I want to live for God and love people.

Rafael Palmeiro was found steroid positive. I don't know what to think. I have always liked him as a ballplayer. It is a shame that he also plays for my team. I can't win. Not only have we lost 16 of 18, but we fired our manager and the first baseman was found to have taken steroids. Could the test be wrong? Yes. Is it probably wrong? No. Should Congress be getting involved? NO! Why not worry about our deficit or the AIDS problem or the many other things that they could better accomplish, than a sport with a drug problem.

I have this weekend free. It is wonderful. I think that I will head over to Hersheypark for a bit. Maybe play some tennis. Take a nice nap Sunday afternoon. Develop some deeper relationships with friends. Start reading another book. So many choices and I can do what I want. Yippee! I shall definitely relax. That is for sure.

I've been jazzified!

As I have talked about twice this week, I am reading a book. Correction: I was reading a book entitled 'Blue like Jazz'. I loved this book. I loved this book so much that when I finished reading it last night around 1:00 am, I wanted to start over and read it through again. There are so many points and principles to read about. It is crazy. I know that I missed some of them. Not only that but I wanted to reread all the principles that I took from the book. I don't think that I have ever felt this way about a book. Sadly I can't because I have a list of people that want to borrow it from me.

One of the things that Miller talked about was love. When we intereact with people whose lifestyles we don't agree with, we can tend to withhold love. We do this because we don't want to seem like we are endorsing their lifestyle. There is a funny thing about that, though. Nowhere in the Bible does God put that pre-requisite on love. We are called to love everyone no matter what. It is our responsibility to show everyone love. It is God's responsibility to change them. We should quit worrying about them trying to change. That is for God to be concerned about. We need to accept and love everybody.

Another thing that we need to stop doing is beating up ourselves. The Bible says to 'love your neighbor as yourself'. Here's a question for you. Would you go up to your neighbor and tell him how much of a jerk he is? How ugly she is? How stupid they are? I don't think so. So why is it okay when we tell ourselves that. Just something to think about.

So I loved this book. It was awesome. All I can say to you is go and get it. It will be worth the read and it may even change your life. But God will decide that one.

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't

Isn't it interesting how some things strike a note with you. Specifically comments. Many times people say something and you listen and talk about it, but afterwards, mostly forget about it. But every once in a while somebody will say something, that resonates in you and you will think about for the next few weeks.

This happened to me recently. I was talking to my mom a couple of weeks ago and commented about how I was going to enjoy seeing Chelsea FC play. She said that because I enjoyed them and countless other British things, that I should just go to England. For some reason that hit me. I currently don't really have a job, am a bit unhappy with my church and am single. I don't have anything tying my down, so why not go?

Sometimes simple comments or actions just hit us harder than others. I ran into a friend of the female persuasion a little while back and it got me thinking about relationships for a while. Amazing how our brains work. So the result of all this. I am looking into moving to England. It wouldn't be forever, but maybe for a little while. We will see what happens. I really have no idea how to do this, but it can't hurt to look into. Nothing may happen, but again something may.

Peace and love, y'all

Grace, it's the name of a girl

I am currently reading a book entitled 'Blue like Jazz'. I have already stated my enjoyment of the book, but I thought that I would go more in-depth. The book is organized in such a way that each chapter centers around a story and tied into that story is a concept of God. The book does not beat you over the head with spirituality or anything. It just gives you something to think about.

The last chapter I read was about grace. When we try to be strict, fundamentalist Christians, we get caught up in all the rules that supposedly go with God. When we try following these rules, we mess up and think that we have failed. This is such a backwards way of thinking. God loves us. He gives His grace freely to us. No matter what we do, He still loves us and is gracious towards us.

This is something that I have trouble with. The unendingness of His love and grace. If I don't do this or that, I feel like I am being bad and not deserving of His grace. That is not true. What we do doesn't change what He gives us. Isn't that incredible? Guilt does not come from Him. Why do I feel guilty and try to live by these rules that are put out by mainstream fundmentalist Christianity. Maybe I should just try to love God. When we really love somebody, we want to do the things that make them happy. Maybe then living for God will be easier and more enjoyable with less guilt.

Just some thoughts.

Relfections of a Weekend of busyness

1. I hate stress
2. It is great to see family when you haven't seen them in a while
3. I like giving gifts
4. I like potato salad
5. It was nice to sleep in on Saturday
6. I am so happy that I bought this and for cheaper than I thought I could
7. Rehearsals can last really long when people are tired
8. Croquet is okay
9. Playing games sillily can irritate other people
10. 'Some Like it Hot' is a funny movie
11. It is important to do things that please others for only that reason
12. 'Blue like Jazz' is an awesome book
13. If I didn't say it before, 'Blue like Jazz' is an awesome book
14. I hope that I don't get grumpy and stuck in my ways when I get old
15. These guys did a good job Sunday morning
16. Naps are great
17. People should know what they are doing when they run sound
18. Musicians are allowed to be anal
19. I hate feedback
20. I can't wait for football to start
21. This steriod stuff is so cloudy and unintelligable
22. I don't know why I don't post pictures on my blog
23. Does God call us to be friends with everybody?
24. Wherever you want me, God, put me

Where Football is Soccer

Last evening I journeyed down to Fedex Field to watch DC United take on Chelsea FC. It was greatly enjoyable. Outside of the weather being B-E-A-U-tiful, the game was good. You could tell which team was better. The match started with DCU trying to keep pace and tire Chelsea. It was working and DCU looked good while Chelsea looked flat. Until DCU scored. I have never seen a team turn it on that quickly. Within four minutes it was tied up on a WOW goal. Chelsea ended up winning the game, but that is not why I am blogging about it.

In the second half something very interesting happened. I thought that I was just dreaming or seeing things until some articles that I read said the same thing. It looked like Chelsea was running a practice with a reserve team. It was incredible. They just ran passing drills all second half. They enjoyed controlling the ball and never really gave the ball away unless they got cute. This was a match up between two major league soccer teams. Different leagues but still pros. DC United looked like pawns in Chelsea's game of chess. It was pretty cool to watch.

On a different topic, Freddy Adu looks like he is the real deal. Although at times he looked to be 16, there were many flashes of brilliance and things to come. It was cool to watch. Maybe the US will produce a good soccer star, not some lame washout like Landon Donovan. That was exciting to see as an American.

Have a great weekend.

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning

I walked outside this morning and WOW. For those of you not in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast areas of the United States except for a couple of days the last month and so has been HOT and HUMID. I am betting that 25 days of the last month were in the 90s. That is crazy. It is crazy even for this area. We will usually have a weeklong stretch or so in the 90s, but not a month.

Anyway back to my point. A couple of days ago they started forecasting that today would be in the high 70s and not humid. I was, like, 'No Way!' This morning I forgot about my previous thoughts but was looking forward to a little cooler bit of weather. Imagine my surprise when I walked out of the door and the weatherpeeps were right. I left the door and what hit me was cool and crisp air. It was so shocking to my system that I let out a verbal 'Aah'. I didn't mean to be so verbal about it, but as to not fear, no one was around and would be the wiser.

It was beautiful and is beautiful. The weather is so refreshing. There is no humidity and temps in the 70s. We might hit 80 but it really doesn't matter. It is beautiful. It is so nice after the hot and humid weather. It actually started my day off on a great foot. I came in to my very dull temp job happy, very happy. And you know what? I am still happy. Part of that is that I am going to see Chelsea Football Club take on DC United tonight in a grand soccer match, but the biggest reason is that the weather was so nice.

THANK YOU, GOD!

Like searching for a needle in a haystack

Job searching can be depressing. Over the past 14 months I have been looking for a job. Outside of a 3 month project that I had, I have not found anything. I have gone on multiple interviews and sent out scores of resumes and cover letters to companies. I still have gotten nowhere. So why is the process so horrible? It is failure after failure. It already is deemed a failure to not be carrying a job and then to get constantly rejected for jobs just piles up on that.

Another annoying thing of the job search is the 'Thank you for applying, but you stink and why in the world would you have even thought about applying for this position. Oh, and we found someboyd way better than you , so leave us alone.' I used to think that these letters were a polite way of saying 'Thanks, but no thanks'. I have now seen the light though after getting so many of these letters. They really just want you to know that you failed again, you're not good enough, and 'They found somebody who better match the skillset they were looking for.' Crap again, I tell you, crap again.

So this whole process is full of one rejection after another. I shall triumph over it one day though. Yesterday I sent out two more resumes and cover letters. They will probably lead to poop, but I shall continue to fight the good fight. Thanks for letting me release some pressure.

Do you want some Cheese with that Whine?

Why do people complain? It is annoying. I know that I do it sometimes, but some people are chronic complainers. I don't like to be around these people because all I hear is griping. They need to cheer up. Life is not that bad. Why bring down your mood along with everybody else's.

What is the purpose of complaining anyway? Nothing will get accomplished by it. If the person can control the thing you are complaining about then maybe, but still. Why can't people look on the bright side of life.

So what is my point. Be happy. You can't do much about the crappy things that happen to you anyway. You might as well look at the positive things and make the best out of any situation.

Another topic that may spawn a discussion. The Bible says 'Do not murder', not 'Do not kill'. Is there a difference?

Reflections of a Ecletic Weekend

1. I had a great weekend
2. I had two choices that would have resulted in great weekends
3. I can only be in one place at one time
4. Did you know that a dust cloud can cross the ocean
5. I like playing softball
6. 3 for 5 with a walk is good
7. 'Bewitched' is a good movie
8. Nicole Kidman is cute
9. Will Ferrel is funny
10. I like sleeping in
11. I got to play golf
12. That was great
13. I kicked Mr Shoop's butt
14. It was a beautiful weekend
15. God's creation is awesome
16. I love being outside
17. I needed a break
18. It is hard to be honest with people when you know their feelings will be hurt
19. Hot tubs are awesome
20. A hot tub in the winter, when the snow falling, with a woman would be most awesomest
21. Pool parties are fun
22. Try jumping off of a diving board and landing on a boogy board
23. Congrats to Lance Armstrong who won his 7th straight Tour de France
24. I'm a sap
25. Tennis is fun
26. God blesses me

$49 million is not enough

Terrell Owens is a jerk. Many have known that for years due to his incredibly cocky style and antics on and off the field. He also has a mouth that may just be bigger than Warren Sapp's. Now he has proven that he is a greedy jerk. After last season where he spent 6 weeks on the disabled list, but came back to play in the Super Bowl, he has decided that he is not being compensated enough for his services. Before last season he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles for $49 million over 7 years.

Over this offseason he has fired his agent and signed with even-bigger jerk, Drew Rosenhaus. This guy has more clients of his holdout than probably anybody else. Anyway, back to T.O. He was perfectly happy with his contract last year, but now it is not enough. And evidently his family is suffering with the timy contract he has now. A quote from him: "What it all boils down to is I'm going to do what's best for my family." I guess that his family cannot live on $7 million a year.

Can you believe that his ideals are that out of wack? $49 million is a lot of money and could be used to help a lot of impoverished nations, but it is not enough money to feed his family. He really needs a wake call.

So what is going to be his response to this? He is throwing a big temper tantrum. If they don't pay him, he's not coming to work. I hope that they don't trade him. I hope they fine his happy butt and sit him for his contract until he's old and slow. Maybe then he might learn to reset his priorities and ideals.

Burnout

What are the warning signs for burnout? I don't know. I probably am showing some of them too. I have been extremely busy this month. To be exact, 1 free night total. That's crazy busy. There are many days that I go to work in the morning and don't get home till after 10 pm. It is starting to wear on me. But if I can just get through this month it will get better. Will it though? I always seem to pack my schedule. I have a definite trouble saying 'no'. I am always willing to do what people want. So much so that I can't even return a phone call in a good amount of time.

I am trying my hardest not to get burned out. I try hard, but I never seem to get anywhere. Maybe it's because I am trying and not training. In small group, we are reading this book called "The Life You've Always Wanted" by John Ortberg. He is a fantastic applicational writer and I would recommend any of his books. Anyway, the chapter this week talks about training versus trying. There aer some things that we try to do that we never will accomplish by trying. The training is the necessary part. His example is a marathon. We have to train for that, we just can't try to do it. If we were to try, we would go out, start running and depending on how bad a shape your in, would drop after a few miles. Unless we get out and train we won't acomplish. Every day, running farther and farther and being dedicated to it, that is what will allow us to run the marathon. That is so true for so many things in life. We need to discipline ourselves.

So what things do you do that you try hard for but never really accomplish? Maybe it's not a lack of trying, but training. Maybe I have to practice and train myself to say no and be less busy. Then the next time I need to slow down I will be able to because I have trained myself too; not just try and fail.

What a statement

A second post to focus on an incredible statement. I like it so much I have placed it at the bottom of my blog. 'You have a footer?', you ask. Yes I do.

when our depravity meets His divinity it is a beautiful collision

God bless

I'm thankful for...

Friends: Most every Tuesday night there is a group of people that get together in a house somewhere in the world. We are apt to play a game, watch a movie or just talk. Last night we just talked. It is a very cool thing. We have added people to this group which have been great to know. Some people a few months ago, some people many years ago, but there are four of us that have known each other for 10 years. We met in our freshman year of college at good ol' Messiah College.

It's great to have people that have known you for that long. We have basically stayed in close contact fot all ten of those years. What an awesome blessing. It is comfortable. These people know me. They have seen my ups and downs. They know my good parts and my bad parts. I know theirs. We are always there for each other. I am so grateful for this blessing and will enjoy it as long as it lasts.

I am not typing this to exclude any one of my friends or those who game with us. You guys are awesome too. I just want to acknowledge a great thing that I have.

Who wants to tour France?

Evidently 100s of bicycle riders want to. This year's Tour de France is coming to a close in 5 days. Again as like the last six years, Lance Armstrong is in charge. Is this good for the sport? I doubt it. Is it good for the sport in America? Yes. Americans love Armstrong. I am glad that he conquered cancer and came back to be one of the best bike riders ever, but I am ready to see someone else win. I am glad that he is retiring after this Tour. It will be nice to follow others. Can Basso win it? Can fellow Americans, Landis or Leipheimer win it? It is time for the Tour to have some drama.

This is where I stand. Lance, I hope you win it this year. I can't wait till next year's Tour where there will be more suspense. And I also wish I hadn't lost my yellow band. DOH!

As an aside, I would like to tour France, just not on a bike.

Reflections of a bit more than a weekend

Since I haven't seen a computer since last Tuesday, this will encompass from then to now.

1. Nitetime, Ocean Waves, Standing on beach---AWESOME
2. My church youth group is awesome
3. So much love for each other
4. I don't like driving through thunderstorms
5. Especially when lightning hits 20 feet away from you
6. I didn't get thrown in the ocean
7. I did get thrown in the pool
8. I don't like beer
9. If I did, it would be the darker beers
10. The Market Cross Pub in Carlisle, PA is okay
11. It is nice to sleep in when tired
12. The Tour de France is fun to follow
13. I don't know who I want to win
14. I've seen high school relationships change the people involved in them for the worse.
15. I am glad RK jumped in after I got thrown in - it would have just been a matter of time.
16. I hate mosquitoes
17. People from Mass talk funny
18. AC seems really nice
19. It's fun to hang out with friends
20. I hate the Yankees
21. They got beat 17-1
22. It's hot
23. It's humid
24. I am still thinking
25. We have a new victim to the world of blogging
26. When you are saying nice things about many people in the room, it is nice to include everyone rather than exclude one person
27. I want to go back to the beach

Emotive Ramblings

This weekend brought back a lot of emotional feelings as I returned to my former place of residence after three years. I am glad I went but was surprised at my reactions. Also there was a lot of love in between everybody. That was great. It is something that I don't notice or get as much up here. As a commenter pointed out, even up here is more friendly than the ice-cold New England states. I notice that I don't always show many outward signs of love to my friends. I need to get better at it. I really enjoyed the love we expressed to each other on Sunday though.

Last night was VBS practice for church. It brought a question to my mind. Why as Christians do we sacrifice music because it has a good message? Shouldn't we strive to make excellent music too? Too many times in the Christian music world, somebody might write some "Godly" lyrics but the music is pure crap. That is not the way to do it. So for VBS we are doing some songs that don't sound very good just because they have a good message.

I shall take my leave from you all for a while. I am leaving tomorrow morning to drive to NJ to the beach. The youth group that I am helping with has there beach retreat there until Saturday. I hope it is much fun. I shall be back early next week.

I forgot: Congrats to those ubiquitous friends of mine who had a bouncing baby girl this morning. That's awesome.

Reflections of a Weekend in my life

1. WOW
2. Fantastic Four - good action, bad story, bad acting
3. The waitress that served me at Damon's wasn't very good
4. I got my haircut
5. The catering at Hersheypark doesn't really serve food
6. I am not sure if it was even meat
7. It's fun to take a person that is scared on a roller coaster
8. I wish Stormrunner was up more
9. It is too crowded on weekends in July at Hersheypark
10. Why did I go to church in the morning?
11. Why do I still go to my church?
12. I enjoyed going back to the DC area
13. The Sweetwater Tavern is really really good
14. It was nice to see JP again
15. Frontline was awesome
16. I miss it
17. I wish there was a good church in the Harrisburg area
18. Central Pennsylvania is too conservative for me when it comes to church
19. The music was awesome
20. The new auditorium is cool
21. It is good to worship God
22. I got to see some really good friends from down there
23. There is a lot of love between us
24. KA, you're awesome
25. A love for God is a very attractive thing
26. I am glad to see that my friends are doing well
27. I need to be more thankful for what I have been given
28. I like hugs
29. I bet I'll like kissing the right woman, too
30. The Silver Diner makes good malts
31. I wish people in the central PA were more outwardly loving and caring
32. It was a beautiful night last night
33. I am in a very pensive mood
34. I am also very relaxed
35. God is great
36. I think this is my longest reflections ever
37. God, please use me
38. I want a woman
39. SM is a good friend - he listens well
40. Honesty is the best policy
41. I am content with where God has me
42. I want more, but I am content
43. There are so many thoughts running through my head
44. I need to stop
45. It is good to reflect
46. ...

Uuuugggghhh!

Ever had a rough week and didn't really know why. This is one for me. Nothing really bad has happened. Overall many good things have happened compared to only a few irking things, yet it has still been rough. Is it because I expected too much of the week? I don't know. Small group last night didn't help. The discussion lead to some hard things and made it tought to get through. By the end of the night I was emotionally drained.

But today dawns the beginning of the weekend where I get to do many fun things like see a movie, go to Hersheypark, and visit my old church. And next week in the second half, the beach shall call my name. Woohoo.

So have a great weekend and remember to pray for your friends even if they haven't asked for it. They need it.

Why are west shore people such snots?

Here in Harrisburg, Pa we have an interesting phenomenon of being right on a river with substantial pieces of the population being on both sides. Well, there is a definite sentiment among west shore people that they are better than east shore people and therefore they don't cross the river. I myself live on the east shore and find it very annoying that people I know from the west shore won't come over to the east shore to do something. I have to go over to their side to do something. Now let me state that I don't not mind at all driving over to the west shore and enjoy it many times. BUT it does get old when I drive over to the west shore 80% of the time and west shore people come over 20% of the time.

Where does this rant come from you ask? For years the east shore had the best movie theatre in the area. Recently one that is comparable has opened up on the west shore. Suddenly, west shore people want to go to the movie theatre over there and won't come to the movie theatre on the east shore. This is an outrage I tell you. Will I give in to their demands? Probably. Should I? NO!! This will just be another activity where they refuse to drive 20 minutes over to here. Goodness sakes, I can't imagine asking those people to drive to Palmyra. That might be a 35 minute trip. Oh no.

When will the west shore people stop thinking about themselves and being selfish? When pigs fly is my guess.

What an evil Witch!

I read 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' over the weekend. More specifically on Saturday. Since the movie is coming out in December and I hadn't read the book in 20ish years, I thought it would be a good idea to read about it. I remembered very little about it.

It was good. It was an easy read but a good read. Coming in at 186 pages means that it won't take you long. It is nowhere near as complicated as Tolkien's famous writings. You can easily remember who everyone is. I am not saying that either is bad, just different. Although an easy read, it was completely enthralling. I had trouble putting it down because I wanted to know what happened next. It is a very well written fairy tale. For grown-ups and kids alike.

I encourage you to read it. Books are better than movies anyway and this will give you a great background for when the movie arrives. I need to read the rest. Maybe I will set a goal to do that by the end of the year.

Reflections of a Weekend et al.

1. Stupid rock
2. Camping is awesome
3. It was beautiful outside all weekend
4. JS is a very gifted speaker
5. 'Meet the Fockers' is okay (worth a rental)
6. 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' is a good book
7. It's great to have time to chill
8. Ouch
9. I am very glad that my mother isn't one of those overprotective types
10. Mountain pies are good
11. I had a butterscotch malt, caramel would have been better
12. I had a bbq on July 4, so cliche
13. It is nice to talk to friends about what is going on in their lives
14. It was nice not shaving since Friday although now it is starting to annoy me
15. Friday night was hot and humid
16. I love the water
17. Go sis, do that mission trip thang
18. I am well-rested
19. I like hammocks
20. The Relevant Magazine article on premarital sex is a good one
21. Bottles of beer on the wall
22. I have a busy week ahead

O the beauty of the earth

Have you noticed how beautiful the creation is? How brilliant the colors. It's been hitting me recently how intricate and colorful things are. A line of grass with a couple orange flowers sticking up. The beauty of it. Wow.

Also the sounds are incredible. Have you ever just closed your eyes to listen to ocean waves crashing on the beach? They sound so full and wonderful.

So this holiday weekend, get outside and enjoy the wonderful creation. It's awesome.

Also be thankful for the freedom we have been given.

Hector and Achilles

Yesterday I had my first free night in about 3.5 weeks. It was so nice. I didn't have to go anywhere. Do you know how relaxing it is to just sit and veg? Wow. I had forgotten. I can honestly say that I feel better today after resting. Maybe resting is a good thing. I guess I should do more of it.

This weekend is a long one and will be nice. I don't have to go back to work till Wednesday. More resting is on par I believe.

I have a question for you all. Do you have any idea how to quicken the healing process for a strained Achilles tendon. It been hurting for about 2 months and is slowing me down. Any ideas are welcome.

Multiplicity

The Orioles beat the Yankees last night. Yeah!. Also our softball team won a game.

I really don't have much to say today. Here is something though. Stick up for people. When you see somebody being mistreated say something. Even if it is a little thing it can help that person know that somebody else noticed. That happened to me on Friday and it made a difference. I was in the middle of a crummy situation and somebody noticed and said something. It did not change the situation, but it improve my mood because of a guy sticking up for me in a way. Just because we grow up doesn't mean that we don't need anyone anymore. We still function best with people.

So if you see someone being treated crummily, stick up for them. You may not change the situation, but at the very least the person knows that someone cared enough to say something.

What Dreams May Come

Here is an article that I read and it hit. It is from my favorite magazine, Relevant Magazine.

What are your dreams? Have you given up on them? I currently am in the midst of finding a job and wondering what I should try to do. I have my dreams, everybody does, but how do I go about obtaining them. I want to be a musician full-time. Specifically, I want to be a worship leader. I have a fair voice and am not too bad at the guitar, so I have the ability. I love progressive worship. An example, check these guys out. Anyway, back to topic. Should I try hard to pursue this? Is it something I am destined for? I don't know. All I know is that I love to play and sing. I am in my zone when I am doing music. I feel closer to God when I play. So I don't know.

I don't know where I will end up. I don't know what I will be doing. All I can do is hope and pray it is where God wants me. I would love for it to be my dream.

Reflections of a Weekend that was

1. It was hot.
2. Especially in a suit.
3. D.C. has a great metro system.
4. I wish I had driven into DC on Saturday.
5. It's nice to see friends get married.
6. It's awesome to see friends you haven't seen in a while.
7. It's got to stink when you break your leg.
8. Church softball shouldn't be so competitive that when you have 11 spots and 11 people you don't bench somebody because they aren't that good.
9. I hate technical difficulties.
10. I am a technical difficulty.
11. Shakespeare was a very talented playwright.
12. Henry IV is an interesting play.
13. Cracker Barrel is good.
14. Sunday I was home for 1/2 hour from 6:30 am to 12:30 am
15. The Washington National Cathedral is a beautiful place to have a wedding.
16. The problem with going to a friend's wedding when you haven't seen him in a while is that you don't really get to see him.
17. The two weekends in the 90's in June have been my two wedding weekends.
18. Playing PIG in a pool with a pool basketball hoop and a diving board creates for some interesting shots.

A New Way to be Human

Yesterday was a very frustrating day for me. Part of the issue was that for a few hours last night I was around somebody that seemed to want to tell the correct way to do everything that I was doing. The problem was that I was doing fine with no problems and his suggestions were actually the wrong way to do things. Why do some people seem very critical and eager to give you their opinion even if they don't know what they are talking about?

In my own usual way, I started to think about this and wonder if I do it to people. I am sure that there are times that I do although I don't mean to. If you see me doing this, let me know.

I think that this speaks to a larger issue of how we treat people. What is our intent when talking to people is it to uplift them and help them or is it to make ourselves look better. I need to be more careful of this. Looking out for others is a much better way to go about life than trying boost yourself up. Not only that, but it is what God calls us to do. So next time don't criticize, be kind and loving in your words. They mean a lot to people.

Back, Back, Back and it's not Playable

I have not talked sports in a while so I will take today to do so.

The Spurs and Pistons NBA Finals series has gone to a game 7. The Pistons have fought hard and have a chance to win. Not a great one, but a chance. A couple of the games have even been very enjoyable to watch. Anyway, GO PISTONS!! I hope that they repeat this year.

In baseball, my lowly Baltimore Orioles are still in first place in the American League east. They lose a little of their lead bit by bit, but have manage to hold on to a small lead. This is way better than I have expected them to do. Hopefully when some of the guys come off of injuries, the O's will pick it back up. Props to the Nationals for being in first place in their division. Give them some fans and look what they can do.

Football is only a couple of months away and shall be greatly enjoyable to watch. This is the last year that Monday Night Football is on network television. That is horrible. I can't believe it and don't know why ABC gave it up since it was one of their highest rated shows. In College Football the question will be whether or not anyone can beat USC. We shall see.

What are your gifts?

I have been thinking lately about talents that we as individuals have and what we do with them. How do we use our gifts that we have been given? Do we use them for our own glory or to help others? I have talents in many different things and I try not to use them do make myself feel better. Sometimes I do though. One of those 'Look at me!, Look at me!' Whether it is something as simple as enjoying talking to people or something that takes a lot of skill, we need to be thinking about how to help others even if we have to diminish ourselves to do it.

This past weekend I worked on the sound team at my church. Usually when I do this, I am in charge or working alone. This weekend I was the helper. This was an adjustment for me and I wasn't real thrilled with it because I thought I knew better. Then I realized something. It didn't matter whether or not I knew better, that wasn't why I was supposed to be there. I was there to simply help. I had to adjust my attitude and just help. Luckily I was able to, but it could have been very miserable if I had chosen not to. Sometimes I don't and it's not good. So, help other people with your gifts, not just yourself.


In other completely other direction, these are some groups I have been listening to lately. Check them out if you want: Travis, U2, Taylor Sorensen, Athlete, the Beatles, Jeremy Camp, the Desperation band, David Crowder Band. Just some ideas.

Reflections of a Weekend 8

1. Who needs sleep?
2. 'Batman Begins' was awesome (multiple watches in the theatre awesome)
3. 'The Longest Yard' was entertaining, rental worthy, yet entertaining
4. Mr and Mrs. Smith was disappointing, still worth the rental though
5. If you get the chance, go visit Gettysburg, PA
6. I like my dad
7. You would think that in a large, new church building, I would be able to find a 9 volt battery.
8. I won a bet I thought for sure that I would lose
9. Drive-ins are a novelty, but what's the big deal?
10. Gifford Pinchot state park is better than Codorus state park
11. 'Batman Begins' was awesome
12. I drink a LOT of water
13. I am glad that I have yet to lock my keys in my car
14. I got a hit in softball and played in the field, WOW
15. Church softball is about building relationships, not winning, losing or playing
16. I wish I was going to California this week
17. People will let you down sometimes, they're human
18. Is a bag of chips free when you paid for the meal that it came with?
19. Sweet misery of love

A plethera of items

It's Father's Day this Sunday. Don't forget.

I saw 'Hitch' last night. It was pretty good. I am glad that I watched it. Will Smith was his usual very entertaining self. They wrote his character really well. Kevin James was also quite funny. I am glad that I did not see it in the theater though. It wouldn't have been worth the $8. Still I would recommend it to anyone.

Andy Hunter is coming out with a new album soon. It is already out in England but will be here on the 28th.

How well do your friends know you? Do they understand the different levels of you? If you disguise something a bit, do they still understand? Mine don't always. I have noticed this recently. Oh well, we can't expect our friends to be perfect. We should just be glad that they are there for us.

Here is something to chew on from Phillipians 2:3: ...in humility consider others better than yourselves. Do you do this? I know I don't. I am many times to concerned with making myself look good. Something I need to work on.

The x's and y's of 'X & Y'

Well, here it is. After three years Coldplay has decided to release another album. This time it is produced by Brian Eno of U2 fame. Let me start by saying this is a very good album. I like it from beginning to end. I didn't need it to grow on me, but liked it from the start. In fact, I have liked it more the more I have listened to it.

A question you may ask is if it sounds like their other ones. The answer is yes, although I will say that the whole album doesn't sound as much like their old stuff as the current single 'Speed of Sound' does. Speed of Sound seems like it came right out of "Rush of Blood to the Head". This is why the album is not great, but just very good. The drummer is as solid as ever with his what seem to be simple but complex drum beats. He has a great ear for different. The guitar is much more interesting on this album as opposed to the last two. It seems like as a band they have really grown musically. The song styles are much the same a lyrically don't stray far from their usual. They did some great things with some off key fighting chords that just work beautifully together. The oddest song for me was 'The Hardest Part'. It is a very poppy song towards the end of the album. It just caught me off guard with its American Pop feel.

I did not like the synths that Brian Eno used. He has done it with U2 also. I don't understand why they don't actually use an orchestra. It would sound so much better. But with that being one of my few complaints for this album, I shall be happy.

The pearl on this album is the 'Hidden Song', track 13. 'Til Kingdom Come' was a song that was written for Johny Cash. When he passed away, it never got recorded. Coldplay decided that they would record it for this album. It is nothing like they have ever done which is great. It has a folksy acoustic feel. A beautifully simple song. Wow. So I encourage you to buy this if you have liked Coldplay's previous efforts. It will not disappoint. A solid record from a solid band.

Here I am again, In this place again...

Well, it has been a while. It has become much harder to blog due to my lack of a computer at work. I have moved on to some temp grunt work. I need a job. But, anyway, I am still very busy, but must find the time to get to the library or somewhere to write. I made it today and I am here to pose a question. Is it wrong to be lonely? Is it an ungodly feeling?

I say NO. When we are lonely we are usually aching for human companionship. This is not something everyone helps. Anybody can be lonely in any situation. I know I am sometimes. I also believe that it can be viewed as wrong to think such things. But I propose that you can still be fine with God and be lonely. We don't always have close human companionship like we need and like God created us for. To feel incomplete because of this is not a bad thing, just a natural reaction. If it leads us to being angry at God, then we have a problem but to simply be feeling an emotion is not. Just something that I have been thinking about. An offshoot of this is that I believe that one can be content and lonely at the same time. Just something to think about.

Also, spend some time with God today. It will do you good.

Reflections of a Weekend Again

This past weekend was four days long and spent in New York, here are some thoughts.

1. I don't like summer.
2. I hate sweating.
3. Summer in a tux is even worse.
4. It's nice to see friends get married.
5. Golf is fun.
6. I like Cracker Barrel.
7. I like air conditioning.
8. I don't get the party scene.
9. I hate cigarette smoke.
10. Smokers can be really rude sometimes.
11. I like New York City and wish I went there more often.
12. It's nice to see friends happy.
13. I have no problem whatsoever making a fool out of myself.
14. God puts us in situations for a reason.
15. I need a job.
16. I like women.
17. If you are ever in Albany, NY, go to Smokey Bones BBQ; It is awesome.
18. I am not good at video games.

Another pathetic copycat joins the fold

Well, another person has decided to join the world of blogging. He really doesn't know what a blog is, but has decided to make one. We shall see how it turns out. Alas, since I know him, I shall post his link. HERE!

It's in the 90s in Albany and the 70s in Harrisburg

So it's been a couple of days. I am currently up in New York, getting ready to be in a friend's wedding. It has been a most fun couple of days. We went out golfing yesterday and I did the best I ever have done. Props to BD for getting us on a country club course. It is nice to be outside.

Have you ever noticed how beautiful nature is? God is amazing in what He has created. From luscious green trees to all different typed of flowers. The blue sky and just everything around. It is just so beautiful. I love the outdoors. Less when it is 90 but still like them.

Coldplay review will be coming next week.

On Tuesday our softball team lost both games again. I went one for three.

Prayer is good when?

I was in Sunday School on Sunday and they talked about prayer. It was a guest guy doing the talking. One of his points was that it is better to pray in the morning. I know a lot of people say this and say it is more spiritual to do so. That is a bunch of bunk. Prove it to me. There isn't anywhere in the Bible where it says so.

First off you should pray always (I Thess. 5). Secondly, if you are notawake in the morning it is not a good time to devote to God. Give Him yourself when you are at your best. Maybe we should all spend time in the middle of the day when we are starting to stress out. That would recenter us. Oh well. Just some opining and annoyance at the whole pray in the morning thing.

Peace

Reflections of a weekend (whatever number)

1. I am way too busy
2. Saturday at church, 9-5:30 then home for an hour then to a friends till 12:30
3. Sunday at church from 8-9 except from 12:30-3
4. "Phantom of the Opera" is a decent movie, not as good as the show, but still decent
5. I like pizza
6. Athlete is a good band
7. I like acoustic guitars
8. I don't really like church organs
9. Homemade lasagna is really good
10. I won 'War of the Ring', and I was the GOOD people
11. Props to CB whos strategy worked although I didn't always trust him
12. My mom is awesome
13. I can't wait to run the Yamaha PM-1D
14. I like playing percussion
15. It's nice to meet nice strangers
16. I am not perfect (I knew this already, I am just constantly reminded of it)
17. "I am sixteen, going on seventeen." :-)

Time of life is change

Well, last night our softball team played again and won both of our games. Yippee! I did okay. For a definition, go to a dictionary. I did not play as well as I would like, but I did not play poorly either.

Today is the last day of my project. I have worked on a project for the last three months. Now I get to go back to being unemployed. That is not fun. Hopefully this time will be shorter. I don't know why it has been a struggle for me to get a permanent job, but for some reason God has deemed it acceptable for me to go through this trial. I just need to trust Him better than I have in the past.

Nice weekend ahead, I believe. Sunday is very busy, but tomorrow will be relaxing. Monday I can sleep in for a long time, due to my unemployment.

Go get a doughnut

Hey here you go for a free doughnut. Krispy Kreme.


"Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. is celebrating National Doughnut Day today by offering customers a free doughnut of their choice in participating stores throughout the U.S. Hmm, glazed Krispy Kreme."

I don't like Ed Rendell

I don't like him. I can't believe that my state voted him in as governor. I really hope he loses in the next election. I will try my darndest to that end. He has raised taxes significantly and is doing nothing to help this state's economy. He wants to give the schools gambling money that may not be there, IF they raise local taxes. Mean person he is.

What is the state of your garden?

Like I discussed yesterday, I am reviewing 'Garden State'. This is a movie that is written, directed and acted in by Zach Braff of 'Scrubs' fame. It is a strange movie. Unlike any movie that I have ever really seen. It has a very indy film feel. It is also a very melancholy movie. Don't expect to be on the edge of your seat and excited for this film. It is not that kind of movie.

Now that I have given up trying to describe the film, I will go on. Overall this was a very good film. The story was well written. The directing was well done and the acting superb. The story is about a guy who comes back home for his mom's funeral after being gone for nine years. The movie follows the days right after. The story goes some places that you don't expect it to. It starts off darkly and like I said before, melancholy. It ends very warmly and satisfyingly though. It is a very good story about life and its turns.

The directing has a very simple feel, but is done well. The camera angles and shots are superb. It gives a little bit of an old-fashioned feel to it. The directing is there just to support the actors and story. Some movies try to make the movie through direction. This directing in the movie just adds nice touches to a good movie.

The acting on the other hand is simply great. Zach Braff does well as the melancholy lead. He doesn't try to overact, but simply play the character as written. Since he wrote the movie, he probably has a good idea. Natalie Portman plays a loveable yet quirky girl. She adds so much to the film and shows that she can act when allowed to. Padme in Star Wars is not who she is. It is amazing the differences between her acting in those two. The other actors play their parts well.

The movie does contain things that were less than enjoyable. The language is overkill. No need to go there. There was one short scene of sexuality that had nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Why is it there? Ridiculous. Oh well. Also, if drug use is an issue, this movie is full of it.

So there you go. An odd review for an odd film.