Ahhhhh....

Okay i'm on vacation this week long time coming with all the stress it is a quite anticipated relief that I have needed.
The bumps in the road.
Yeah it seems there are more these days but I should be used to them.For example,
My parents road before the township paved it, was all dirt and gravel.
Once in awhile,the township would spray them to keep the dust down and maybe grade it so it wouldn't be so washed out-mostly dirt,a little gravel.
After a while, the road would get to a condition where the surface would be like those old washboard like the ones my grandma had.It you weren't careful you could end up off the road or every part in your vehicle would fall from the eratic vibration.A pregnant woman could easily break her water on this road.
Life is like that in you have to be aware what's going on so you know how to maneuver andmake it to the other side.

One addition,I was so torked at one of the retailer's commercials I heard on the radio at work the other day saying that "this holiday,before you spend your money on your loved ones check out these deals here at such and such a place and give something to yourself..." I am so sick of the commercialization of Christmas-BARF!!

something to gnaw on...

"He who has knowledge spares his words...
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit..." Proverbs 17:27
I read that today in the Word and it struck me because that is an area I need to be much better at... coming from a family that prides itself in being high strung in certain circumstances.

Done...

Today the house is done and was ready for inspection down to the minutes! Thank you God!!!!

Alot of stuff...

Yeah, I haven't been blogging because alot of stuff has been going on in my life.


Sorry.

Papa Palpatine

"YOU mean you have been flying around for two weeks just to find a signal?-Ugghh you must smell like feet wrapped in burnt leathery bacon..."

-Palpatine in his discourse to Darth Vader after the Death Star explosion-ala "Robot Chicken"

CLONE WARS !

We went to see "Clone Wars" last night and I must say it was AWESOME!
Once again,Lucasfilm has done it again.
The animation was good-some of it at certain frame shots gave the character or the object a"paint-brushed"appeal which was nice-digital is awesome!
The battle droids had more funny lines -like in EP.3-that was fun!
The action like a good Star Wars book, was fast paced.
All in all, the movie regained confidence that Star Wars is still fun and fun to watch.

GRRRRRRRRRRR....

A slight mishap occured last night at church.You see,we are having special services with an evangelist.He's cool .He's been here before.Probally the best around at least I know because he is so down to earth and laid back.I think his one flaw is that since he has been back so many times, you can almost anticipate what he is going to preach about the next three days he's here.Don't get me wrong-what he preaches on is awesome -this is the guy that left a cushy job as theologan/professor to become a evangelist to India and Tanzania. God has done some mighty things through him.He's the real deal.But it can get boring when you know what he's going to preach about.I would have rather expected a fresh revelation from the Lord but anyhow that is not why I was p.o.'ed last night.
Now everybody turn to your neughbor and say what is he so pissed about?
I got at church five minutes before service started.I helped with worship on our "team" so i could gear up with my bass.
As I was approaching the sanctuary,a deacon,with good intentions came up to me and promptly said that we were going to have the youth group drummer play with us tonight since Jim our current percussionist couldn't make it.
Fine,I know Brandon I know he could pull it off-but it was last minute,thrown together as usual and unrehearsed and said deacon asked me if it was okay.
Flustered at what was thrown at me, i told them that it was up to pastor and my father in law who is "in charge" of the worship team ministry.
Then two minutes before the meeting,our pastor tried to contact our drummer to see if it was okay for this person to play on HIS set-I know Brandon would not have trashed it-okay.
No answer.He was at work.Brandon didn't play cuz we couldn't obtain permission to play on Jim's kit.
All of this two minutes before service.
What riles me is that there is and always been a meddling around and disrespect for other peoples equipment in our church.
I was shocked they didn't let Brandon play and that pastor actually tried to call Jim to get his okay-but it is the principle of the matter that has really torked me.

Life is a Barnyard

Another cg movie I like is Barnyard.Okay if you have seen it, try to overlook the fact that the male cows have udders.I don't know why but there are weirder things in this world to ponder.
Otis,has issues of growing up and leading the barnyard after his dad is killed by coyotes.He would rather play and goof off than take up his father's example.Out of fear,he is forced to lead and then realizes he can do it-then with the help of all of his barnyard friends he triumphs over the coyotes.
Sometimes I feel like Otis.There are days I would rather goof off than step up to the plate.
God has given me three reasons to not back down-Leah, Keller,and Ikey.
No matter how sorry i feel for myself,God always has my back and He has given me family to support me.
I think we all go through this dilemma.The cares of this world and all of the stress keeps us down and then instead of looking up,we look down and pity ourselves and not consider others as well.
I am always reminded that someone out there has it worse than I do.
I don't face my coyote's alone I have God and my family.
Philipians 4:13

One old cartoon I adore is "RoadRunner vs Wile E.Coyoye".
An endless quest of one beast seeking after a road runner for dinner.
I think sometimes in life we pursue elusive "roadrunners".
We use all of the latest "Acme gadgets" to help us achieve the goal.
What are they ? self help, attitude, or faith?
We usually end up like the coyote falling headlong down the cliff-and we never accomplish our goal.
Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding...
Commit your ways unto the Lord and He will direct your paths...
Acme can't guarantee that.

Backtracking...

Now with the deck finished and Leah wrapping school up I want to try to get back into a positive regime in life.
In this house you have to be FLEXABLE.
It's time to catch up on things that I have kept on the backburner.
It's easy to say it,it's easy to point out those things that have been neglected.
It's another to put feet to flight.
That is my challenge.
God help me do it.

Sigh...relief

Alright! We finished the deck.It passed inspection. Leah is done except for discussion boards and such.
It was a somewhat busy summer.
I am proud of my wife-trying to juggle for the last two years school,job,life and all that comes with it-she finally did it!
It's been hard but we trudged through it.I can think of worse case scenarios we could be in so I am thankful it was just this.
On to Kel's room.
On to Clone Wars!

What a life

It's been quite interesting you know
coping with this roller coaster ride we call life.
I am a survivor of extreme downsizing at work now,for the last year and a half I have been floated back and forth to the sanding dept.In a word it sucks-but at least I have a job thank God. Now since May 19th, I have become assigned to the dept. indefinitely-YUK!
I still have a job though and have survived several layoffs and the atmosphere is chaotic-one week you you believe they are going belly-up and the next there is work-it's crazy I tell you-CRAZY!
Last year we bought a swimming pool.A big 27'radius pool. this past month,my father -in-law and I have been working on a deck for it and I cannot wait to finish it!AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!
Next is Keller's room. This past year, he has expressed interest in having his own room.That's fine because he would occupy what was the playroom. but he wants to design it to look like the interior of the Millenium Falcon or something of that close proximity so we'll have our hands full in that to.
I really need to trim my trees real bad.
I am happy to know that Leah is almost done with school and I can't wait and I know that she can't wait either.
I am getting jazzed up to see the "Clone Wars" movie in August.

A Long Time...

Wow it has been a while since I have blogged.
I hope I can remember how it goes.
You know alot of it has to do with the business of life.

Up,up and away

Leah and I are going away this weekend.I can't wait.
I think we both definitely need this time away.

Can't Wait...

Eagerly awaiting Star Wars-The Force Unleashed, I found out yesterday that Keller, my oldest bought two action figures based on the game.
They're cool!
It's funny how although "Force Unleashed" is not a movie but a video game yet because we SW fans have been deprived in that area of SW media so that something like this comes along, its exciting.
Read the Darth Bane series to get a better understanding of "Unleashed",s plot about Vader having a apprentice.

P.S. Hasbro has a cool new action figure packs out that are totally the bomb also!

Books

I have just finished reading "The Children of Hurin" by J.R. Tolkein and finished by his grandson.The book is quite a tragedy-one family in Middle Earth that probally should have stayed home but as fate would have it,they all were part of a drama that humans and elves were pitted against Morgoth-predecessor to Sauron and an evil dragon that could cast spells-Glaurung.Quite the sad book.
The other book I just completed is one of historical fiction by Bernard Cornwell.
"Stonehenge" a fictious account of the famed site of stones mysteriously placed for pagan practices-very interesting.That took a awhile to read.

Goodbye

I just found out on reign radio today that Larry Norman, one of christian rock's pioneer died last month. I remember seeing him live at Cornerstone several years ago. He still had it.We'll miss you for the moment Larry until we meet again.

Why I Love...

One thing I can say in the last few years I have had a steady dose of prog metal.
I love prog metal.
Think about it-a combination of classical and heavy metal music-my two favorites!
Just like Reses peanut butter cups-chocolate and peanut butter!
Rock on freaky bro!

Boring

I have been involved in worship/music ministry for at the least fifteen years.
My tour of duty at CLA has been the roughest and most trying in any church so far.
Our pastor leads worship-if you want to say that.We have been doing the same songs in the same manner for ages and it is getting boring.It is getting frustrating.
I'm contemplating a sabattical for awhile what is the purpose if my heart is not in it and it is a constant fight to maintain the proper attitude.
This is supposed to be a ministry and yet we are not . We are supposed to be a team yet it is the musicians versus the pastor because he HAS NO SENSE OF TIMING!
He doesn't know how to start a song,or finish it.He even struggles at knowing what to do when the Spirit takes over-like that bird dog in the cartoons-"Which way did they go,which way did they go duhh..."
Kind of cruel aren't I? I know.It just is frustrating because I look for leadership in this ministry and we don't really have it.As a pastor he can't invest the time necessary to develop the ministry to that which God desires it to be-he's filling a crack that needs to be filled by a leader designated for this position.
Week after week it is the same we work on the songs-yeah okay. and belt them out and butcher them-chaos.Is God the author of chaos or are we?If so,we have a responsibility to lead people into the presence of God.I fell the leadership is thinks that is important but it gets lost in the deluge of church stuff.
I desire to serve under a leader that invests time and careful prayer in the music-(worship compliments the preaching of the Word.)
I long for a leader who takes the time in encouraging and instructing us in new things and making time to mentor us in the Lord.
Our youth leader makes time with her leaders almost every week to discuss matters go over upcoming events and disciplining and praying.
Things need to change and maybe it starts with me.I feel as if we are spinning our wheels up there and just"getting the job done".
I think that if this is a waste of time I would be better off in a band than play at church.Yet I believe that leading worship in music is a high calling that must be handled with utter fear and care.I want to see in the end,that people's lives were touched.People's hearts were encouraged to go forth and experience God and walk away never the same person but changed from the inside out.
But in the meantime...

Forty

Okay i am not going to spend alot of time on this subject because I had a birthday this month.
I turned forty.(insert ominous music blurb)
Yeah,yeah okay I am forty now.A lot of people are forty now-and now I am.
So big deal.If you are busy and content in living your life to its fullest,you won't have to worry about your age.
There I said it.Can we move on?