The New Year

Ok. I have a confession to make. I think New Year's Day is the lamest holiday ever. Seriously. How many times do we have to see the ball drop and some cheesy bands lip-sync until 3am? With that said, I know we are approaching that time when people make ca-ray-see New Year's resolutions like, "I'm going to eat more lima beans" or something silly like that but I'd like to make a proposal for everyone to consider.

Matthew 5:37 says "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No';"

This verse is saying we should simply do what we say we're going to do. It seems to be more about being a person of good character or maybe just being a person who sticks to their word. I realized that I try harder to keep my word when it comes to others but drop the ball (no pun intended) when it comes to myself. In both cases I think my motivation should be to do what's pleasing to the Lord which is letting my 'yes' be 'yes' and my 'no' be 'no.' In short, keeping my word.

The New Year's resolution thing is probably more about doing one thing well and then moving on to something else instead of doing many thing half-heartedly. So, whether you decide that this year you need to lose weight, focus on friendships, spend more time reading, or eat more lima beans we should do what we set out to do.

Muse sick

I realized that a funny thing has been happening to me over the past few years. As I grow older (I'm currently 31) it seems that I keep reaching back in time regarding music. For example, I purchased Ken Burn's: Ella Fitzgerald jazz collection off iTunes a few weeks ago and it's smooth like butter and sweet like... Jolt Cola. Does anyone actually drink Jolt Cola? If you do, REPENT!!!!!... and then continue reading.

For Christmas my sister and brother-in-law bought their 3 1/2 year old daughter a child karaoke machine that plugs into their tv. It's pretty cool especially since their daughter loves to sing. The karaoke machine came with 3 or 4 popular songs pre-programmed on it. One of those songs was "Who let the dogs out?" Hearing just a snippet of that song made me beat my head against the wall several times. After I regained consciousness, I stopped and asked myself "Why does it seem that it takes less and less talent to produce a "hit" song?

I guess reaching back in time to find, in this case, Ella Fitzgerald is just a reminder that everything has already been done so we can learn from the people who perfected it first... and I'm not even a singer. I highly recommend Ella Fitzgerald's Cd. I know I'm going to buy more of her Cd's in the future but I realized that there are so many other greats that I need to re-discover as well.

I realize music is a matter of taste but I constantly force myself to define what I call music worthy of my time. Feel free to post your thoughts on the blog.

The doors of the church

Christmas is just around the corner. Just hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing ring ting tingle-ing too. This is the time we celebrate the birth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ... not necessarily that he was born on December 25th... just an fyi. Anyway, for one reason or another many people who do not normally go to church will venture out into the cold December air to attend a Christmas service.

I know that it's easy to make assumptions of what God will do either at Christmas services or Easter services for that matter but we must remind ourselves that God is God, and we are not. So, I would like to encourage you to pray each day this week that the people walking through the doors of your church will have a real encounter with Christ this Christmas season.

Blessings.

Practice, painting, and prayer

I'm sure you've heard as much as I have that practice makes perfect. It's easy to think about performance artists when it comes to practice. Singers, musicians, and actors oh my! Singers, musicians, and actors oh my! Singers, musicians, and actors oh my! They practice until they have mastered their craft... and then they practice more. Even before a performance, they practice.

If you're a performance artist stop reading this; you should be practicing. Now that I've taken care of them what about practicing if you aren't a performance artist? Think about the last time you intentionally practiced whatever it is you do creatively. I know I'm addressing a wide scope of talents so bear... bare... behr with me.

For many, practicing might simply just mean consistently doing. For others it means returning to the basics. I guess it boils down to the fact that we all need practice if we want to grow which includes everything from painting to prayer. Sometimes the thought of practicing isn't always fun but you can find ways to make it interesting. Practicing could be as complex as giving yourself an assignment to complete and as simple as going to the museum just to observe.

I'd like to encourage you to take some time, choose an aspect of your life (profession, hobby, whatever) and think of how you can begin to practice.

Popular Culture

Lately, I've been checking out a site Shaun pointed me to. The site is Relevant Magazine. If you're interested in a Christian spin on popular culture check it out.

Actually, check it out even if you aren't interested.

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... Why haven't you clicked the link? Why are you still here?!?!? Click it. Peer pressure. All the cool kids are doing it.

You know you want to.

Awww, c'mon... I'll be your best friend if you do.