Christmas Favorite

I thought I'd share my favorite Christmas album with you. That is my favorite album after the mix CD I recieved this year (shout out!).
Several years back I picked up Your King Has Come, a compilation including Derek Webb, Sandra McCraken, Matthew Smith, Andrew Osenga, Jill Philips and others.
You can actually listen to some by clicking HERE.
I have to play and listen to it beginning to end several times throughout the holidays.
There is a version of O Come All Ye Faithful by Mandy Ihrig (now Mann) that continues to reign towards the top of my list of favorite Christmas songs recorded ever.

Partnership

By way of Aaron Chambers' blog. I met Aaron several years back when I was interning for CIY and have always loved his teaching and preaching.

Kingdom Come

This is partly why I dispise musicians.
Shaun Groves posted the following video on his blog today. He's calling it a draft. I think it's amazing already...print it. I wish I had any musical talent.
Here's the video and lyrics below. Visit his site and offer any suggestions to the song if you have any.


Kingdom Come (First Draft in C)
Words & Music by Shaun Groves

Verse 1:
Oh, God what do we see and hear
Your kingdom coming
Oh, God why do we bleed and fear
Your kingdom coming

Let it come in us
Let it come through us-

Chorus:
‘Til the sword is spared
And the bread is shared
‘Til the dying’s done
Let your kingdom come
‘Til the rich ones give
And the poor ones live
‘Til the weak are strong
Let your kingdom come

Verse 2:
Oh, God what do we pray down here
Your kingdom coming
Oh, God why do we slave through tears
Your kingdom coming

Let it come in us
Let it come through us-

(Repeat Chorus)

Bridge:
Your mercy come
Your justice come
Your will be done through us on earth
Your healing come
Your peace will come
Your will be done through us on earth

(Repeat 1/2 Verse 2)

(Repeat Chorus)

Favorite

I saw this by way of Stevan, by way of this website.

Coincidence

So tonight The Deuce invited me to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets. By the way, speaking of the movie, talk about way too many coincidences. And does anyone other than me think that this movie was supposed to have a spring release? What was with the Easter egg roll in December. Bad planning major movie studio people.
Back to what I was originally talking about.
So after my brother, Todd, and I did some Christmas shopping we met up with The Deuce. By the way, two grown men shopping and picking out children's clothes gets a lot of strange looks from other shoppers. Now I don't claim to be much of a fashion icon, personally I just don't care, but I think my sisters will be proud of the outfits we picked out for my nieces and nephew. We only called our mom for advice three times.
Again back to what I was originally talking about.
So while standing in line to buy my ticket I was tapped on my shoulder by Amber Renes (whose last name I struggle to pronounce no matter how many times it's corrected for me). By the way it doesn't take much to qualify for the military discount at the local cinema. While I have a card that has been issued by the U.S. Air Force, it doesn't necessarily qualify for the military discount. I hardly flashed it before the young man charged me the discounted rate. Is my integrity now in question?
Once more back to what I was originally talking about.
So apparently Amber and her husband Nate were just happening to see the same movie as us at the same time. By the way I just love serving our church's students with Nate and Amber. I am not looking forward to the day when Nate gets new orders and the Air Force relocates these two. I love laughing with them.
Okay, back to what I was originally talking about for the last time.
So after the movie we all, The Deuce, Nate, Amber, Todd and myself, exited the theater. We stood outside and said our goodbyes and then began walking to our vehicles...in the same direction. Isn't that always awkward? We'll we laughed and then continued to walk in the same direction down the same lane...continued awkwardness. Then we laughed as we realized that we not only parked down the same lane, but as far out in the parking lot as possible. Finally we were all in awe as we realized that we had unknowingly parked right by each other.
Seriously how weird is that?

The Short End...

My Community Group had a White Elephant book exchange tonight. I assumed it was to exchange good books, so I took my new copy of Soul Cravings by Erwin Raphael McManus. I was hoping to use it as a daily devotional in the next few weeks. However I didn't know tonight was the book exchange and quickly ran home and grabbed the first book I saw.
Surely I would receive a book worth reading in return, right?
Wrong.
Apparently we were supposed to exchange gag books that have been buried at the bottom of our bookshelves.
I ended up with The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
Damn.
Now I'll never know what my soul craves, instead I can have an unhealthy fear that the meat I purchase at the local HEB is going to kill me.

Second Gift

Here is my second Christmas gift received this year.

I'm really excited because my sport trivia one from this year was reminding me daily that I had nothing to look forward too come Jan. 1st.

Thanks Shayla

Pretty Cool

FARGO, North Dakota (AP) -- A bank is giving its full-time employees $1,000 each and part-time employees $500 each. There's one condition -- use it for people in need.

Finish the story HERE.

Question

Is there a manly method to applying lip balm?

Confession

I like more of Fergie’s songs than I should.

Had To Post

I had this e-mailed to me.

It shocked me.
It make me laugh.
It had to be posted.

[Beware - Unsightly Viewing ahead]

I read this today

Unable to keep up with consumer demand for the Wii this holiday season, Nintendo could be losing approximately $1 billion in potential sales, according to analysts.

I finally played on of these this past Saturday...yeah I have got to get one. Total fun.
-T-

Fractals

I found this 16min 51sec video lecture to be incredibly fascinating. If you have any passion for Africa and global causes and math I think you'll agree with me.
-tsh-

"I am a mathematician, and I would like to stand on your roof." This is how Ron Eglash greeted many African families while researching the intriguing fractal patterns he noticed in villages across the continent. He talks about his work exploring the rigorous fractal math underpinning African architecture, art and even hair braiding.

Katie Howell

I sneaked out of the the high school Christmas party a little early tonight, because I double booked myself. I also committed to joining some friends and going to see the new I Am Legend movie as well.
The Christmas party was going well. We have such a unique gathering of students that I find funny to watch them interact. But all of them are very casual and relaxed people that I really believe that anyone can walk though our doors and feel the warmth of community and acceptance and grace.
So anyways I went to meet up with William, who forever more will be referred to as "The Deuce" or "Bartender [spoken slowly with your deepest voice possible]. I arrived at his apartment complex and we waited to leave because some friends who serve as care residents within their apartment complex (they schedule activities and create community - very cool) had invited a former student in their youth ministry to come play music.
Her name was Katie Howell and because I love independent artist I want to share her with you. Visit her myspace HERE. A beautiful young woman with a great tone in her voice, that can move between fragility and power. She sang several song she had written as well as some Christmas songs. She also played the guitar impressively and she later told me she first learned to play the piano. But most impressive was her ability to entertain and interact with the audience. I barely met her, but I feel pretty comfortable recommending her to anyone who needs an artist or a worship leader for some kind of retreat. I don't even know if she does events like those, but I'm planning on finding out.

Butter LOVE

I went to Austin tonight/last night with some friends, which included several great stories that I will share in the morning because I'm tired and I'm going to bed after this post.
But we ate at a restuarant called Magnolias. We were seated on the heated patie, except that the heat lamps were not lit. But a Texas winter doesn't get that cold and I thought it actually felt really good.

Anyways on the menu, please pardon my more than typical crappy phone (time for a new non-scratched phone with somewhat quality camera capabilities), William's Veggie Plate was cooked with spicy LOVE butter.

Boy that's a really bad photo. Where is the focus feature on my phone? Anyways you should be able to make out enough to know that I'm not lying.

Does anyone know what spicy LOVE butter that is?
Does it have lingering effects?

Question

Does anyone look cool sneezing?

Pro Marriage

Suggesting that the Bible can serve as a moral compass can be offensive to some.
If this is the case of a couple you are counseling who are considering divorce maybe you can refer instead to the great god of today…Mother Nature. (Is it me or does environmentalism seem to be reaching religious status?)
Anyways according to this story a married households uses energy resources more efficiently than divorce households.

Leniency

Someone posted the request for leniency by Michael Vick and others on behalf of MV onto the internet. I found them pretty interesting. There is a five page hand written letter by Michael himself. A letter from Hank Aaron. The mayor of Atlanta. The president of the Give Life foundation. But the one I found most interesting (well after Michael’s) is the request by George Foreman. I copied the letter and provided them below.




































What do you think?

Speak Intelligently

For those of you who love TV (I’m in this crowd, but am struggling with a big decision that I’ll let you know about in a post to come) I would like to recommend a recent post by Tim Stevens on his blog Leading Smart. In the post Tim provided a recent article he wrote for Collide Magazine entitled Find God on TV.

It’s a very brief article so it won’t take you long to read it. Trust me I was able to read it in about a two minutes, you should be able to in about half a minute.

In the article he quotes Richard Leonard, a Jesuit priest from Australia who wrote Movies that Matter: Reading Film through the Lens of Faith. I like the quote:

“We cannot speak to a culture we do not know or one we despise…we have to learn its language and discover how Christ has already gone ahead of us, inculturated in some of medias values, stories and style.”

One Knight?

I get e-mail offers from Grassroots Music (which used to be a great website, until they were bought out or restructured. Now it kind of sucks, cluttered with Christian cheese and religious crap.)
Anyways today I opened their e-mail and say this:











I then scrolled down a bit and saw this:











My eyes then were drawn to the DVD/VIDEO offers.










Now I’m not sure, but I don’t think they meant to advertise One Knight With A King. I think it was supposed to be One Night With A King. One Knight With A King seems like a whole other movie that would upset a lot of right-wingers.