Probably so you can get a little hint of my world, and especially where I've come from, I'll tell you some of the stuff I've come across while packing to move:
BOOKS! Lots of books, including:
--The Five Points of Calvinism
--Paul: An Outline of his Theology by Herman Ridderbos
--The (Westminster) Shorter Catechism explained from Scripture by Thomas Vincent
--Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington
--Many, many more, mostly on theology, church, and commentaries on Bible books
CD's: Between Anne and I, I'm sure we have close to 1000 CD's. I've been looking online at the cost of a big CD shelf for all of them, but it's not a priority purchase. The thing about it though, I would say 95% of the CD's are pre-2004, and probably 80% of our CD's are from before 2000. Thanks to iTunes, we no longer have to buy whole CD's for the few songs that we like!
I shredded a lot of old paperwork tonight too, old bills, credit card offers, etc. I also threw away a lot of old papers and misc stuff from my seminary days, papers I'd written, things I'd printed off, handouts, notes, stuff like that. I get a lot of enjoyment out of shedding clutter, it really makes me feel good!
I packed up a few things that I had outside on this little fenced in patio we have at our apartment--hoses, extension cords, tools...and I came across a box of miscellaneous PVC fittings, mostly for 3/4 PVC. Anyone need a bunch of plumbing parts?
Who knows what else will turn up as I pack. Even now there is $25 Canadian that is leftover from our honeymoon that we need to find a foreign exchange and get US cash for...
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Bluegrass Prodigy
Anne and I have always loved the music of Alison Krauss and Union Station. I came across this on youtube, and I've never heard of this little girl, who appears to be about 11 or 12 in this video. For a 12 year old, she can really tickle that mandolin! There's many more clips on youtube of her appearing with bluegrass artists.
I'm amazed at all three of these vids, but that last one is the most insane one of all. All of them are playing insanely fast...how does one play an acoustic guitar that fast? Absolutely astounding. I think I'm officially in a bluegrass music phase, where I'm listening to it in my new 4Runner's CD player (so great to not have to listen to the stupid radio!) and while I'm working. It's fun, especially with stuff like this!
I'm amazed at all three of these vids, but that last one is the most insane one of all. All of them are playing insanely fast...how does one play an acoustic guitar that fast? Absolutely astounding. I think I'm officially in a bluegrass music phase, where I'm listening to it in my new 4Runner's CD player (so great to not have to listen to the stupid radio!) and while I'm working. It's fun, especially with stuff like this!
Friday, April 18, 2008
About as Honest as a Pastor Gets
If you've never heard of Perry Noble, you've got to check this guy out! The dude is totally hardcore, he pastors an awesome church of now about 7000 in Anderson, S.C., called Newspring. You can watch flash videos of their services archived back to 2006. A couple sermons/services from 2008 I recommend:
Jan 13--watch the worship set for a great rendition of "Say" by John Mayer including the hammer dulcimer.
Feb 3--If you think you are pleasing God by walking in the door halfway through the worship set and walking out for the week as soon as the pastor says "Amen"...you need to listen to this sermon, called "Cranking it Up: Making a Difference."
April 13--yes, last week's sermon, it's on sexual temptation and as I say, it's about as real as I've ever heard a pastor get. Of course, our pastor Mike is pretty honest and straightforward too. I think it's one of the things that makes an effective preacher.
A word of caution... pretty much everyone that listens to Perry at one point or another will be challenged, offended, and laughing, sometimes all at the same time. Perry does not mince words, he just brings it. He's in the middle of the Bible belt up there near Greenville, and he's stirring it up in a big way. I went there for a conference recently and got to hear even more of his heart and loved it. You'll see that pretty clearly in his blog--even just the two posts from today are both thoughtful and challenging. Perry, keep bringing God's Word, brother!
Jan 13--watch the worship set for a great rendition of "Say" by John Mayer including the hammer dulcimer.
Feb 3--If you think you are pleasing God by walking in the door halfway through the worship set and walking out for the week as soon as the pastor says "Amen"...you need to listen to this sermon, called "Cranking it Up: Making a Difference."
April 13--yes, last week's sermon, it's on sexual temptation and as I say, it's about as real as I've ever heard a pastor get. Of course, our pastor Mike is pretty honest and straightforward too. I think it's one of the things that makes an effective preacher.
A word of caution... pretty much everyone that listens to Perry at one point or another will be challenged, offended, and laughing, sometimes all at the same time. Perry does not mince words, he just brings it. He's in the middle of the Bible belt up there near Greenville, and he's stirring it up in a big way. I went there for a conference recently and got to hear even more of his heart and loved it. You'll see that pretty clearly in his blog--even just the two posts from today are both thoughtful and challenging. Perry, keep bringing God's Word, brother!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Thoughts while watching Biggest Loser Finale
I wrote this all down while watching last night but haven't gotten a chance to post it until now.
--Dang America! Why did you vote Mark to be eliminated?
--Most guys probably think I’m a bit of a wuss for watching this show and being so into it. The emotional aspect of it draws me in. So to you I say…William Wallace was emotional. Jesus was emotional. So there…put that in your back pocket!
--I didn’t think that guy Lynn was going to really put in the work and lose weight, but…weigh to go old man—lost 80 LBS. Can’t complain.
--Dude! Curtis—150 LBS! That’s insane.
--Bernie, you have an unfortunate name, but dude, you rock! I have to confess that while I have a lot of respect for Mark and all that he accomplished, I like you Bernie. Congrats on the $100K, you deserve it.
--Your teammate was pretty awesome too. Brittany brought it all the way; she is totally hardcore, gave it up in the challenges every week.
--Ali!!! This chick deserves to win it. She fought hard all the way, she’s got a great heart, and beat all the men! Congrats on the $250K. Anne commented on my last post and said the thing I meant to say regarding her.
--I’ve heard there’s been a special following up with all the past contestants from previous seasons to see where they are at. I’d love to know—did any of them put it all back on and return to their old lifestyle? Without Bob or Jillian to kick your butt, I can see how life would make you want to return to it.
--Sometimes I wish I had four months to do nothing but get in shape. But 4 months of investing in the kingdom of God is way more worth it.
--While a ton of lifestyle change has happened, and these people have chosen a different path for themselves, it is not their salvation from sin. Only in a life surrendered to Jesus Christ is all this lifestyle change ultimately beneficial for eternity.
--Dang America! Why did you vote Mark to be eliminated?
--Most guys probably think I’m a bit of a wuss for watching this show and being so into it. The emotional aspect of it draws me in. So to you I say…William Wallace was emotional. Jesus was emotional. So there…put that in your back pocket!
--I didn’t think that guy Lynn was going to really put in the work and lose weight, but…weigh to go old man—lost 80 LBS. Can’t complain.
--Dude! Curtis—150 LBS! That’s insane.
--Bernie, you have an unfortunate name, but dude, you rock! I have to confess that while I have a lot of respect for Mark and all that he accomplished, I like you Bernie. Congrats on the $100K, you deserve it.
--Your teammate was pretty awesome too. Brittany brought it all the way; she is totally hardcore, gave it up in the challenges every week.
--Ali!!! This chick deserves to win it. She fought hard all the way, she’s got a great heart, and beat all the men! Congrats on the $250K. Anne commented on my last post and said the thing I meant to say regarding her.
--I’ve heard there’s been a special following up with all the past contestants from previous seasons to see where they are at. I’d love to know—did any of them put it all back on and return to their old lifestyle? Without Bob or Jillian to kick your butt, I can see how life would make you want to return to it.
--Sometimes I wish I had four months to do nothing but get in shape. But 4 months of investing in the kingdom of God is way more worth it.
--While a ton of lifestyle change has happened, and these people have chosen a different path for themselves, it is not their salvation from sin. Only in a life surrendered to Jesus Christ is all this lifestyle change ultimately beneficial for eternity.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The Biggest Loser Finale
Every year I get sucked into one or two TV shows that I end up watching for the season, and this spring Biggest Loser on NBC has been that show for me. There's a lot of cool stuff, hard stuff, funny stuff, and annoying stuff that you see on the show. It's just so fun to watch people's lives change as they reorient themselves to healthy living, it's fun to watch the transformation. It's also fun to watch people that need their butts kicked get voted off. It was a happy week for me when Danny got voted off--I liked him at first, and there are some things I still like about him, but he got sucked into trying to be cool with the other guys and eventually became a little jerk.
Two women have beat out ALL of the men in the show and are now safe from elimination, and either Roger or Mark will remain to compete against them. My vote is for Mark--to stay, that is. Roger was a big part of Danny's issues, and Mark just has more heart. Anne teased me because I liked it when Mark bawled his eyes out and hugged everyone when he first left the show, and again when his brother Jay left. He just has heart, and he's stuck it out.
But the two women are awesome. Last week when Kelly lost 13 LBS it was an awesome moment. You could just read the ecstasy and victory all over her. She kept more composed than I would have thought. It was a fun moment. As for Ali-- I say this with the deepest love and attraction to my wife--Ali looks good! Any one of those three deserves to win it, but personally I'd like to see Ali get it. And as for those already voted off who are coming back, I'd like to see Britney or Bernie get a reward.
So tune in tonight with me and watch and see what happens!
Two women have beat out ALL of the men in the show and are now safe from elimination, and either Roger or Mark will remain to compete against them. My vote is for Mark--to stay, that is. Roger was a big part of Danny's issues, and Mark just has more heart. Anne teased me because I liked it when Mark bawled his eyes out and hugged everyone when he first left the show, and again when his brother Jay left. He just has heart, and he's stuck it out.
But the two women are awesome. Last week when Kelly lost 13 LBS it was an awesome moment. You could just read the ecstasy and victory all over her. She kept more composed than I would have thought. It was a fun moment. As for Ali-- I say this with the deepest love and attraction to my wife--Ali looks good! Any one of those three deserves to win it, but personally I'd like to see Ali get it. And as for those already voted off who are coming back, I'd like to see Britney or Bernie get a reward.
So tune in tonight with me and watch and see what happens!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Thoughts from the Week
First of all, read my blog entry on Graceology entitled "The Basin and the Towel," and then take a breather and check this out:
Secondly, Phil Keaggy is a freakin' awesome guitarist! I wish I could play half as good as this:
Get past the outdated-ness and listen to the lyrics. You've got to appreciate the thoughfulness of the lyrics and the talent of the musicians. I've always enjoyed Michael Card, not everything he's done, but some of it.
Back to 2008. So much has happened this week!! Barring we find a major plumbing problem, or an electrical fire waiting to happen when we get an inspection done next week, it appears we have BOUGHT A HOUSE!!
I also officially picked up my new ride, the Toyota 4Runner pictured below. We took it to Disney today. It was so fun to just sit back and drive in the A/C, listening to CD's in the CD player (!!) and setting the cruise control. So great. God has been so good to us. He's so faithful!
We're getting more and more geared up for the entrance of our little boy, and we seem to be narrowing down our choices on our names, which I won't share yet because we're still mulling it over. Babies-R-Us was a bit overwhelming this week, but I definitely felt tears well up as I walked through the little boys outfits and realized we're going to have a little person fitting in those really soon. I'm so proud we're going to have a son. It blows me away.
Secondly, Phil Keaggy is a freakin' awesome guitarist! I wish I could play half as good as this:
Get past the outdated-ness and listen to the lyrics. You've got to appreciate the thoughfulness of the lyrics and the talent of the musicians. I've always enjoyed Michael Card, not everything he's done, but some of it.
Back to 2008. So much has happened this week!! Barring we find a major plumbing problem, or an electrical fire waiting to happen when we get an inspection done next week, it appears we have BOUGHT A HOUSE!!
I also officially picked up my new ride, the Toyota 4Runner pictured below. We took it to Disney today. It was so fun to just sit back and drive in the A/C, listening to CD's in the CD player (!!) and setting the cruise control. So great. God has been so good to us. He's so faithful!
We're getting more and more geared up for the entrance of our little boy, and we seem to be narrowing down our choices on our names, which I won't share yet because we're still mulling it over. Babies-R-Us was a bit overwhelming this week, but I definitely felt tears well up as I walked through the little boys outfits and realized we're going to have a little person fitting in those really soon. I'm so proud we're going to have a son. It blows me away.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Car Buying Ain't What it Used to Be
Last week I finally rid myself of my little Ford Ranger. I was a little tiny bit sad to say goodbye to it just because you connect with a vehicle at least a little, and it was such a convenient little truck. It also was good on gas mileage. But as I said it's now sold, in fact probably already in use by someone in the D.C. area, the owner was shipping it up there.
So I've been on the market for a vehicle this week, and had a pretty good experience. I have to say thanks to my good friend Anthony of Bronco John's Auto (and of Grace Fellowship!) for really helping me along in this pursuit. He referred me to a dealer, one of those good relationship kind of things. Eddie from Just Trucks (DBA Diamond II Auto Sales) on West Colonial was great at not pressuring me and allowing me to drive two vehicles he had. Huge props to Eddie, if he had the vehicle I chose I would have been proud to have done business with him. But I didn't walk off the lot totally pumped about what was there.
I drove around town last night stopping at a couple places, and ended up at Thurston's Auto Center in Maitland by referral from my friend Chad. I found a Toyota 4Runner, test drove it and liked it. They lowered the price significantly from the internet price, and said I could borrow it overnight. I took them up on it and drove around town a bit, drove to Longwood and back on I-4 and then to Anthony this morning. Anthony showed me a few minor things on it, so this afternoon I went back and bought it. It's currently there for a transmission flush they agreed to do, as well as a cleanup job and hopefully some deodorizing since the previous owner was a smoker.
This and a couple of other situations have been proof to us of God's faithfulness and love. He cares! He blesses us when we follow him, seek his face, and live for others. Baby on the way, possible new house in a killer location, new car for me, trip to Colorado coming up soon, and more. And that's NOTHING compared to the stuff going on at Grace. Well, our baby certainly is. But my point is that when we really started to honor God with our tithe, we've seen God give us better opportunities than we had dreamed of. And when as a church we really worked hard to see lives changed and people taking steps this spring, God has brought many new people and there is so much excitement. It's not a formula, I know, you don't have to remind me of Job and the tens of thousands of martyrs, etc. But Anne and I are excited about the good things God is doing in our lives and are so very thankful, grateful, for his blessing. God is GOOD!
So I've been on the market for a vehicle this week, and had a pretty good experience. I have to say thanks to my good friend Anthony of Bronco John's Auto (and of Grace Fellowship!) for really helping me along in this pursuit. He referred me to a dealer, one of those good relationship kind of things. Eddie from Just Trucks (DBA Diamond II Auto Sales) on West Colonial was great at not pressuring me and allowing me to drive two vehicles he had. Huge props to Eddie, if he had the vehicle I chose I would have been proud to have done business with him. But I didn't walk off the lot totally pumped about what was there.
I drove around town last night stopping at a couple places, and ended up at Thurston's Auto Center in Maitland by referral from my friend Chad. I found a Toyota 4Runner, test drove it and liked it. They lowered the price significantly from the internet price, and said I could borrow it overnight. I took them up on it and drove around town a bit, drove to Longwood and back on I-4 and then to Anthony this morning. Anthony showed me a few minor things on it, so this afternoon I went back and bought it. It's currently there for a transmission flush they agreed to do, as well as a cleanup job and hopefully some deodorizing since the previous owner was a smoker.
This and a couple of other situations have been proof to us of God's faithfulness and love. He cares! He blesses us when we follow him, seek his face, and live for others. Baby on the way, possible new house in a killer location, new car for me, trip to Colorado coming up soon, and more. And that's NOTHING compared to the stuff going on at Grace. Well, our baby certainly is. But my point is that when we really started to honor God with our tithe, we've seen God give us better opportunities than we had dreamed of. And when as a church we really worked hard to see lives changed and people taking steps this spring, God has brought many new people and there is so much excitement. It's not a formula, I know, you don't have to remind me of Job and the tens of thousands of martyrs, etc. But Anne and I are excited about the good things God is doing in our lives and are so very thankful, grateful, for his blessing. God is GOOD!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Must Read!
No real answers on the new vehicle or new house front yet, still in negotiation on the house and took a break from the vehicle search for today. I mainly am writing now to plug AGAIN for the Graceology blog (link to the right). If you are a family member, friend or regular reader who doesn't go to Grace, I still encourage you to read it. You'll learn a lot, be challenged, and be inspired! It's so great that I get to work side by side with these people!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Ch-ch-ch-changes!
I sold my truck yesterday for $5000. The guy got a good deal on a truck, just didn't have A/C and it was time for me to upgrade and get a kid-friendly vehicle. We'll see what that vehicle is...meanwhile, an AWESOME friend of mine let me borrow one of his company trucks, and let me tell you, it's a blast. It has A/C so that's a plus. 96 Ford F150 no power anything, stick shift (FUN!).
Meanwhile, we are putting an offer in on a house! Please pray that the seller accepts our first offer, which would help us breathe a little easier. We know our max but our first offer would be great. If we get it, it would be a direct answer to prayer, and a clear response from God that I would understand as a huge blessing. I've personally been witnessing God's answer to obedience in the area of financial stewardship and tithing. More to come, but perhaps next post we'll have a new house and a new car! Pray, Pray, pray that the deals we make are God-honoring and wise.
Meanwhile, we are putting an offer in on a house! Please pray that the seller accepts our first offer, which would help us breathe a little easier. We know our max but our first offer would be great. If we get it, it would be a direct answer to prayer, and a clear response from God that I would understand as a huge blessing. I've personally been witnessing God's answer to obedience in the area of financial stewardship and tithing. More to come, but perhaps next post we'll have a new house and a new car! Pray, Pray, pray that the deals we make are God-honoring and wise.
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