Blog
Take A Look Again, I'm Running
Yesterday I was very glad to hear that a good friend of mine, Michael Z., is planning on going to the U of M (not Michigan, you sillies!). Oh wait, that is, if he doesn't join a Socialist friend in Uganda, apparently.
The reason I'm excited about it is because he will be living closer to my place of residence. Therefore, hopefully we can hang out and watch movies more often. He can come over for dinner more often too. That'll be awesome because I miss him. And he's had a hard year, so I'm glad he's feeling ready to go to college.
September is shaping up to be more and more exciting. Although I'm not looking forward to packing all my stuff up this summer in order to move 8 blocks....
When I'm Open Wide With Nothing Left To Cling To
This is killing me.
My iPod hasn't worked for the last two or three weeks and now my computer seems to be having problems now too.
What's going on? Please pray that things start working here soon or God tells me what he's trying to say. My time to work on projects such as inReview.net is limited enough without spending all that time on fixing my iPod.
Well, hopefully if I take it back to the Apple Store they'll replace it or let me buy a new one or something. That would be cool. Especially since Dad says I need to have the iPod working in a couple weeks for our trip to Indiana for Laura's graduation. So I better get it working.
You Never Know What Ya Got 'Til It's Gone
Some may wonder why my blogroll (that column to the right with all my favorite links) includes links to RadioU and TVU. That's a good question. And since it's Unleash The Music time, it's time to know why I would support a radio station.
I mean, seriously, have you ever listened to Christian radio? Who listens to that crap? Obviously, nobody under 40. John Rivers is pretty darn boring. Most Christian music radio DJs can only be described as cute. And Christian music videos? Who seriously wants to watch more MercyMe?
That's why I support the one station in the world that's targeted to people of my demographic. DJs on this station are fun to listen to. They make fun of people who call in. They prove that you don't have to be over 40 to be a Christian. And they have the only morning show that's about nothing and is funny.
But what's my favorite part? Well, unlike most other Christian ministries, they know that sounding professional is important. They don't sound like they're broadcasting out of your neighbor's basement. It sounds just as good as Clear Channel stations.
So what music do they play? As much as I like him, they don't play Steven Curtis Chapman. They played Third Day before they went sour. Of course, they play the best in rock, alternative, hip-hop, and metal. All the Tooth & Nail bands, Mute Math, etc. They play the stuff that no other Christian station will play. Does any other station play Andy Hunter? Copeland? No. It's basically the best place to find Christian music that rocks. Well, that is, besides inReview.net (shameless plug).
So that's why I give my cash to support them. Plus, they make the lobby of the Rennaisance Hotel rock for a week every year. ;-)
Talkin' To Myself 'Bout The Greatness Coming
Holy Crap!
Avid fans of The Elms, such as myself, know that their new CD is coming out a week from tomorrow. But I'm not waiting to run to the store, I just went and got it online.
Why now? Well, they've been telling us that Best Buy is going to have a couple bonus tracks on it, which is reason enough. But why else? Because they're giving this all away at the fire-sale price of $7.99! That's right, you can't beat that price for checkin' out a rockin' new disc! (I know I didn't miss out.) Go online and pick up The Chess Hotel today.
Not sure if you want to spend your hard-earned cents? Check out their MySpace page for some rock 'n' roll tracks.
After All This Has Passed, I Still Will Remain
Here's a quick blog post.
My iPod wasn't working all week. I don't know what was the problem, but I think Windows decided not to play nice with Apple this week.
In less than an hour last night I launched a website: aNewWayToLive.org. I got to go out for drinks afterward too. (It looked cooler, but we had to scale the site back a bit this morning.)
This weekend I'm going on a People of Praise retreat. It should be great, and I hope it gives perspective on the lifetime committment I may be making this fall to be a part of it. It's exciting.
And We Were So Sure We Would Change The World
Robin Parrish of Infuze Magazine is so darn good that finding great articles and news that sometimes borders on being geeky. But I got no problem with that.
In this Illinois webzine article, writer Steve Arney takes a look at the side of Christian music that is subconciously blocked out for most. Some might think of it as "the dark side" of Christian music, but many, including myself, find the artists mentioned in this article to be "the real side" of Christian music.
Why? Because, even as a Christian, I have struggles in life. I deal with the temptation of lust. One of my favorite songs of all time, "The Best I Can", admits that both Andrew Osenga and I are not living in the middle of paradise. But we're working to make it that way.
This may be the Gospel that non-believers need to hear. We're not perfect. But that's not something you'll hear in a top-selling Avalon song. That's rarely something you'll hear on any Christian station. Heck, it's probably not even something you hear at your church very often. I bet that's why most people don't think Christianity is for them -- they see those who have it all figured out (or those who pretend they have it all figured out) and don't identify with that.
Let's continue to build the Kingdom of God. But let's not pretend we're in paradise yet, because we all know we're not.
Lets Find Out The Beauty of Seeing Things Through
I recently picked up the latest from Sara Groves, and one line really struck me:
Loving a person just the way they are
It's no small thing
It really made me think. I'm thankful that God has given me the gift of loving people just as they are, imperfections and all, and not judging them. Also, I'm thankful to be surrounded with people who do likewise, for although we joke about our shortcomings and call each other on, there's no judgement or thinking less of someone for it. The hardest part of living with people is if there's an unresolvable issue between two of us, and I'm happy to say that, even in this huge house of guys, there's nobody that holds a grudge.
Thanks, Sara, for a great song. And, according to Shaun, that's a cue that Mute Math should take.
What Is Love?
Many people have been trying to figure out what the term "Web 2.0" really means. Some think it means nothing. Some thing it's the second Internet boom. Some think it's all about that clean, Google-ish look. And some think that anything with "Web 2.0" attached to it will get venture capital funding.
None of these are really true, although they are at least partly true. Yesterday I listened to the Inside The Net interview with the company Big In Japan. (Inside The Net, part of the TWiT network, is a weekly podcast that interviews major players in "Web 2.0".) One of the hosts on the show may have stumbled on the point of "Web 2.0" and/or Open Source.
Leo Laporte was commenting on how "Web 2.0" seems to be more about cooperating and working together than competition. Many things are open-sourced, much is done to ensure interoperability, etc. The guys from Big In Japan talk about how another company just gave them the code for part of their application, which is something that you'd never hear of otherwise. Leo even likened it to some Christian principles of helping out your neighbor and stuff.
It seems to me that this is at the heart of the new Internet revolution. But many don't get it yet. At work they were asking me if I could do a project, and I looked around and somebody was already working on implementing this add-on for a popular open-source software. My suggestion to work was to talk to this person, who had made similar add-ons before, to see if we could just pay him some cash to get it done by the time we needed it. That seems like a very Open Source, "Web 2.0" way to do it. If I owned my own company, that would at least be my first crack at it.
But, work said they'd rather have me do it and have me spend the extra time and (their) money to figure it out. I don't have a problem with that because I was happy to learn some new stuff. It seemed to me that it was more about not trusting somebody else on the Internet. Do I have too much trust in other developers? Is it better to go with somebody you know that someobdy who will do the job well? Is my employer missing the "Web 2.0" bandwagon?
The Factory Is Gonna Catch Fire
Some of my favorite things from GMA week so far have not been great events, but how God is working in the lives of close friends.
Melissa has always been a good friend and always a big heart for what God is doing and for music. But she's been sick almost all week, sometimes feeling sick and the other times feeling fine but having no voice to speak with. Despite that, though, God has worked in here life powerfully. From praying for her healing during the amazing Passion worship event to her hanging out with the biggest names in Christian music last night, God is providing her with a path to glorify him through her career.
The week hasn't been that important to me or furthered my career much (yet), but it has been great to see how God is blessing those around me. Thank you, Lord, for working in power this week.
Plane To The Down South
So, y'all, you won't see me the next week at my usual haunt here. That's because this week is GMA Music Week 2006. That's right, it's time for tons of interviews, showcases, and networking. For what? Of course, it's the impending release of inReview.net, which will probably be here anyday.
So, where will I be? I'll be in Nashville, and I'll be blogging at Infuze Live. Thanks to Robin Parrish and the crew for putting out a great online zine, and I can't wait to try out this concept of blogging about something....