Saw this movie last night^ and I actually enjoyed it. I think people my parents age would too, with the whole young vs. old thing…but I’ve got to tell you, that this has been the 4th or 5th movie I’ve seen in the past year that has to do with community: people longing to belong. You can see it in the previews even (don’t worry NO SPOILERS HERE) that Topher Grace’s character longs for family…reminds me of the really bad Ben Affleck movie that came out in Oct “Surviving Christmas”-which btw, is now available on DVD. I think it’s the fastest movie to make it to DVD EVER! Obviously, IGC was much better than the Ben Affleck flick.

*Ben! Ben! I’m a faaan!*

sorry, inside joke…

I was skimming the Psalms for a verse for Christy’s song today…and I came across this one…

Psalm 119:10
I seek you with all my heart;
    do not let me stray from your commands.

She’s singing, “Stir My Heart” by Sara Groves. It’s an older one, but quite pretty…she’ll be GREAT!

Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
—————–
I wonder how exactly this verse would translate to today’s society. “Some trust in SUV’s…” no
another version says
—————–
“Some nations boast of their armies and weapons,
       but we boast in the LORD our God.”
—————–
There could be many things said about our nation…none of which I really care to talk about. I’m not a political commentator, no do I wish to dilude myself and others by drawing strange and abstract similarities between Bible verses and current events to predict that we are living in the “end times”. Ya know the apostles said the same thing??? Every time I hear someone predict that stuff, I just think of the Bible verse that says no one knows the hour…NO ONE!

I’d much rather focus on my own personal worship of our Holy Savior. I think if everyone stopped concerning themselves with the condition of the spirituality of others and worked on their own walk with Christ, and changed the things in themselves that God would have them change, we would be better off. Take the plank…before you look at the speck….(Daniel’s paraphrase) you know the rest…

btw, no eprops to a certain stubborn Nertz winner last night who REFUSED to try the new flavor of Doritos AND didn’t finish the Mocha I made him. What a loser.

Christy went to the DMV this morning…I guess I’ll see her around dinner time…and with the kids all to myself??!?

Baby Noah! Please use words and stop screaming at me! WORDS!!! WORDS!!!

Going to transcribe a Sara Groves song for Christy to sing this Sunday. We’ve been debating the time signature…it is one of those ones that could go either way…maybe it’s two 5/4 bars and a 2/4. Or maybe its three 3/4 bars with the first note being a pickup…oh well, I’m going to do it MY WAY!! It’s MY Transcription!! HAAHAHAHAHAAHA!

Derek says I should write a book about the Year of Balance…with Jim Baize and Chuck Rheam wiriting the forward…Then he says I should hold a 2-day seminar about the YOB, and give out my new book there—OH, and the best part, he designed the cover….

B-Noah- I DON”T KNOW WHY You”RE SCREAMING!!!

YOU GUYS HAVE GOT TO CHECK OUT THE NEW mac mini. IT IS AWESOME!!!
Perhaps the coolest computer ever made…just be sheer design!

Check it out here

Psalm 19:14
“May the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O Lord, my Rock, and my
Redeemer.”

Lord, let everything I say AND think be an act of worship to you. Help me.

(btw, great episode of LOST!-that show is so confusing and exhilarating! I LOVE IT!)

Seemed to be a GREAT choir practice last night!
I can’t wait to start Alive Forever (Easter Musical)…I mean, we’ve already begun singing songs from it, but I can’t wait to get the books/CDs/Tapes….EXCITING!!!!

Some highlights of the 18th Psalm:

1 I love you, O LORD , my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
    He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold
3 I call to the LORD , who is worthy of praise,
    and I am saved from my enemies.
———-
30 As for God, his way is perfect;
    the word of the LORD is flawless.
    He is a shield
    for all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD ?
    And who is the Rock except our God?
———-
46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted be God my Savior!
———-
49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD ;
    I will sing praises to your name.
———-

What a beautiful Psalm this whole thing is! I really think anyone who wants to learn about worship can start in the Psalms. The heartfelt cries of King David are a great model for how to express ourselves to our Master. David is open and honest before the Lord. He knows God’s place, and continually exalts God–and he knows his own place, and often wallows in his despair, crying out to God for help. Incredible…
read the Psalms, NOW!

btw- this soundtrack is great! Props to Edward Shearmur for a great score!

WOah-
So I looked at the new iPod Shuffle. It’s this little tiny iPod that is really cool and smaller than a pack of gum (shows the iPod S next to a pack of Trident)…anyway, at the bottom of the page there is a footnote that says “Don’t eat the iPod Shuffle”.

HAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!

Ohhh, dude, that’s HILARIOUS!
Check it out for yourself at http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/

OK-so I tried one of those ads that you may see before you even now at the top of the screen, (do ____ ___ ____ _____ and get a free iPod). I was thinking, what the heck?? I can shoot the bug, or whatever…and it took me to a place where it said to participate in two of the offers below and get the iPod…one was the Columbia House DVD club, and another was the BMG music club-OK, No prob! BUT it turns out that you have to sign up for SIX offers altogether to get the iPod…bummer. I may still investigate…it IS a 40GB, 4-G iPod…

It was absolutely a treat to hear the rainfall like this-I am loving this weather…sorry about all the folks who are troubled by the landslide in LA, and flooding in different places. It is just a beautiful sound…I love to hear the rainfall…(am I sooo girly right now??)

For some reason I am finding the Psalms to be so much more poetic and beautiful this time through. I’ve read the Psalms before, but there is something different this time…it’s cool.

There was a really cool moment on LOST last week. There was a guy struggling with depression about losing a friend who was kidnapped, and this lady was talking to him, trying to cheer him up or give him some support as a friend, she said that he needed help-he wasn’t quite ready…but near the end of the episode there was this touching moment when he came back to talk to her, and said he was ready for her help now. She told him, “Oh, dear, I’m not the one who can help you” and put her arm around him and started praying so sincerely, “Heavenly Father…” and the camera panned away to another couple of people…I thought that was REALLY cool, and like, the coolest way to minister to someone…maybe you had to see it…

Props to the writers/producers/creators of shows like LOST and 24 who dazzle and captivate us with their amazing storytelling. I used to be a big fan of Reality TV, and mocked those who turned their noses up at it saying that they preferred the art of storytelling to stupid reality TV. My feeling was that at the time RTV was the best stuff out there to watch–but that certainly is not the case anymore.

and props to you, who have finished this incredibly long blog entry. I dunno why I’m writing so much today…

Psalm 16:7-8
“I will praise the LORD , who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me.
    Because he is at my right hand,
    I will not be shaken.”

I have started a blog entry a few times in the past few days, but never been able to finish it-for one reason or another. I keep coming back to this Psalm, because of these two verses (above).
“I have set the Lord always before me”–this is pretty incredible task for anyone. To think…setting the Lord before you no matter what you are doing-this automatically would irradicate all selfishness and pride becuase you would be running your every thought through the filter of Jesus Christ before you. When I see this verse I actually picture myself looking to Christ who I imagine is actually in front of me…kinda a weird thought, but if I actually PUT CHRIST BEFORE ME like that, I am sure I would be a different person. It actually is blowing my mind…right now…
David says, “even at NIGHT my heart instructs me” (emphasis mine).
Even in his sleep…

wow

Psalm 13: 5-6
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord
for he has been good to me.

Good choir practice last night.

Amazing Race is starting to really annoy me. I cannot stand watching Jonathan and Victoria. That team makes me sick–and frankly, makes me not want to watch the show. Yuck. Most of the teams this season are pitiful. It is not fun to watch. The only team worth rooting for is the Kris and Jon. They are always upbeat, always positive, and respectful and polite to the people around them. They have never complained or ignorantly put down people from other countries…I LOVE those guys. Everyone else is just too much. We’ll see if I finish out the season-I seriously am getting tired of the yelling and screaming from Jonathan and Victoria. It’s hard to believe that people like that really exist!