This is probably going to sound odd, but I love a really sad song. There is something deep about sadness in a song that sticks with me. I have tagged to download/buy many a sad song.
Today's choice is- Arlington by Trace Adkins
I love Trace Adkins (especially recently) specifically for lyrical talent. (and he puts on a pretty good show live!)
This song reminds me of what it costs to some for me to be able to enjoy life in this great country, and how well that parallels with what Christ did for me. Both of which died for me to be free. Over the 200+ years we have been a country, countless men have decided their life is worth the freedom America represents.
I truly believe God gives a special kind of attention to the soldiers who sacrificed their life for people they don't even know.
If I had to use one word for this song it would be sacrifice.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Day 03 - A Song That Makes You Happy
The Legend of Quilting Day by Holiday Hipsters
If you have the slightest interest in being entertained, click play in their playlist :)
A band formed (but no longer active?) by a few guys from my former church.
If you have the slightest interest in being entertained, click play in their playlist :)
A band formed (but no longer active?) by a few guys from my former church.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Day 02 - Your Least Favorite Song
This is a tie between 2 songs. Ultimately I'm going with Barbie Girl by Aqua
This song is so annoying to me, I would possibly consider turning my radio dial to the nearest 80's pop hits station to somehow try and shift my bothered factor from one horrendous collection of sounds to another. (music would be a strong word description...)
A close second (maybe even first if I felt comfortable linking it to my blog) is My Humps by Black Eyed Peas. Ugh...
Oddly enough, they themselves are not a fan of it either!
This song is so annoying to me, I would possibly consider turning my radio dial to the nearest 80's pop hits station to somehow try and shift my bothered factor from one horrendous collection of sounds to another. (music would be a strong word description...)
A close second (maybe even first if I felt comfortable linking it to my blog) is My Humps by Black Eyed Peas. Ugh...
Oddly enough, they themselves are not a fan of it either!
Monday, June 20, 2011
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 01 - Your Favorite Song
I dare not say I love music. Mainly because people who I hear use that phrase are one minute listening to Disney's Arabian Nights, and the very next listening to 12 after. Never heard of them? My point exactly.
But I am very passionate about the music I listen to, and am very intrigued by this 30 day song challenge...So here we go.
Day 01 - Your Favorite Song
An interesting question. One that probably fluctuates with time and places in life...But my overall favorite song of all time would have to be Deathbed by Relient K
This is a song I have tried for sometime to learn on piano. (the chords used sound very well just by themselves)
I love the lyrics used, the instruments, and the overall meaning. Redemption and the transition of earthly life to heaven being a massive celebration. Not normally a fan of 11 minute long songs, but the story has captivated me. (also- Jon Foreman makes a guest appearance as Jesus in the end...pretty awesome.)
This challenge has been first noticed (then fallen victim to interwebual thievery) by me on this blog. Definitely worth a read.
But I am very passionate about the music I listen to, and am very intrigued by this 30 day song challenge...So here we go.
Day 01 - Your Favorite Song
An interesting question. One that probably fluctuates with time and places in life...But my overall favorite song of all time would have to be Deathbed by Relient K
This is a song I have tried for sometime to learn on piano. (the chords used sound very well just by themselves)
I love the lyrics used, the instruments, and the overall meaning. Redemption and the transition of earthly life to heaven being a massive celebration. Not normally a fan of 11 minute long songs, but the story has captivated me. (also- Jon Foreman makes a guest appearance as Jesus in the end...pretty awesome.)
This challenge has been first noticed (then fallen victim to interwebual thievery) by me on this blog. Definitely worth a read.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
All Things New
It's about time I took one of the many nonsensical whimsies of my mind that Blogger has labeled a draft and formed it into a comprehensible opinion!
Life has been pretty crazy so far this year. Our life is overflowing with a type of newness that I praise God's name for!
A New Car.
For those of you who have known me for quite some time, you might question my vehicle trend in life...I do. God has recently allowed me to have the Fiat 500. It's comparable to a smart car but bigger and slightly more powerful.
Fiat claims to rival the Cooper, and I am totally behind this claim for the following reason...
Yes. The Italian Job Claims the Cooper can carry 1 and a 1/2 times it's own weight in gold while still out-preforming its pursuer in true Jason Statham fashion. While I would possibly consider this car for a 2300lb gold heist, the fact that all of it's gauges are in the middle of the dash as opposed to above the wheel (talk about your sight-line deficiency) makes this vehicle inferior to the Fiat in every way.
A New House.
THIS has been an interesting endeavor to say the least. I start by saying despite common belief, rarely do I ever rush into giant decisions. But we found a house by missing a turn on an interstate. (literally- saw the sign for the homes after missing a turn...lol)
After much deliberation and outside advice on the subject, we decided to move forward with the purchase. The entire process has been surprisingly smooth (maybe because we're buying directly from the builder) and straight-forward. The location is amazing and central to our lives, the price for what we are getting is very good...The consensus of me and Jen is that God has dropped this opportunity into our lap.
I originally did not want to buy a house for a couple of years, but the housing market suggests otherwise. With rates that allow for a monthly payment to be slightly higher then rent, we figure now is the time to buy.
A New Church.
We have recently decided to switch churches. We actually made the decision quite some time ago, but decided recently to actively look.
Church shopping makes it onto my top 50 hated activities of life. Scoring right along side cooking, decorating, dancing, and running into the person from my past who is really happy to see me, but for the first 5 seconds of our interaction I have no clue who they are.
I don't know about you, but I have never found a church on my own accord. Ever. I believe God is all about making it very clear that HE is the one who will supply the church in my life that is solely focused on Him and His word. Google, while great at finding many other things in life, has been severely lacking in the godly church department. It's not how I found Mclean, WEC, Crossroads (our current church- http://www.crcnorfolk.com/page/home) or any church that will significantly impact me spiritually. Nope. Our church was suggested to us by a good friend. (which is how God operates in this department)
There are two surprising factors about this church..
1. Its small. About 150 people. Me and Jen are used to the mega church scene. But in the church searching process I made myself a disclaimer that size, although a preferable trait, would not dissuade us from a decision. While our area is sort of known as being a spiritual desert, (eh...) Crossroads has stood out to me as being the only church I have visited in the area (out of many) that emphasizes God's word as being it's primary rudder and guiding light for direction.
2. It's only service is Sunday morning. And while getting up early also scores on the list of hated activities of life, I told myself that an evening service rates in the preferred but not required category. And God called me on it...:)
A New Marriage.
Been getting alot of questions about how married life is going. My response has been that marriage so far has been one of the very few things in life that has exceeded my expectations of it. God has blessed this union immensely, and me with an amazing woman to go through life with. Sadly, we have gotten a few "well it's great NOW." responses. And maybe surprisingly, I would agree that marriage without any sort of conscious effort to combat my sinful nature to only focus on what I can get out of it- will indeed lead to an unpleasant place no couple WANTS or foresees themselves ever being, but sadly end up.
The frame of behavior that the bible teaches on marriage (and relationships) is that of a constant pouring out to your spouse. In return, God pours into you. Both through your spouse and other avenues. This is what was emphasized to us through premarriage counseling. The biggest and most tragic misinterpretations I have witnessed of marriage and the christian life is that both are motivated out of obligation...Nothing could be further from the truth!
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:1)
Life has been pretty crazy so far this year. Our life is overflowing with a type of newness that I praise God's name for!
A New Car.
For those of you who have known me for quite some time, you might question my vehicle trend in life...I do. God has recently allowed me to have the Fiat 500. It's comparable to a smart car but bigger and slightly more powerful.
Fiat claims to rival the Cooper, and I am totally behind this claim for the following reason...
Yes. The Italian Job Claims the Cooper can carry 1 and a 1/2 times it's own weight in gold while still out-preforming its pursuer in true Jason Statham fashion. While I would possibly consider this car for a 2300lb gold heist, the fact that all of it's gauges are in the middle of the dash as opposed to above the wheel (talk about your sight-line deficiency) makes this vehicle inferior to the Fiat in every way.
A New House.
THIS has been an interesting endeavor to say the least. I start by saying despite common belief, rarely do I ever rush into giant decisions. But we found a house by missing a turn on an interstate. (literally- saw the sign for the homes after missing a turn...lol)
After much deliberation and outside advice on the subject, we decided to move forward with the purchase. The entire process has been surprisingly smooth (maybe because we're buying directly from the builder) and straight-forward. The location is amazing and central to our lives, the price for what we are getting is very good...The consensus of me and Jen is that God has dropped this opportunity into our lap.
I originally did not want to buy a house for a couple of years, but the housing market suggests otherwise. With rates that allow for a monthly payment to be slightly higher then rent, we figure now is the time to buy.
A New Church.
We have recently decided to switch churches. We actually made the decision quite some time ago, but decided recently to actively look.
Church shopping makes it onto my top 50 hated activities of life. Scoring right along side cooking, decorating, dancing, and running into the person from my past who is really happy to see me, but for the first 5 seconds of our interaction I have no clue who they are.
I don't know about you, but I have never found a church on my own accord. Ever. I believe God is all about making it very clear that HE is the one who will supply the church in my life that is solely focused on Him and His word. Google, while great at finding many other things in life, has been severely lacking in the godly church department. It's not how I found Mclean, WEC, Crossroads (our current church- http://www.crcnorfolk.com/page/home) or any church that will significantly impact me spiritually. Nope. Our church was suggested to us by a good friend. (which is how God operates in this department)
There are two surprising factors about this church..
1. Its small. About 150 people. Me and Jen are used to the mega church scene. But in the church searching process I made myself a disclaimer that size, although a preferable trait, would not dissuade us from a decision. While our area is sort of known as being a spiritual desert, (eh...) Crossroads has stood out to me as being the only church I have visited in the area (out of many) that emphasizes God's word as being it's primary rudder and guiding light for direction.
2. It's only service is Sunday morning. And while getting up early also scores on the list of hated activities of life, I told myself that an evening service rates in the preferred but not required category. And God called me on it...:)
A New Marriage.
Been getting alot of questions about how married life is going. My response has been that marriage so far has been one of the very few things in life that has exceeded my expectations of it. God has blessed this union immensely, and me with an amazing woman to go through life with. Sadly, we have gotten a few "well it's great NOW." responses. And maybe surprisingly, I would agree that marriage without any sort of conscious effort to combat my sinful nature to only focus on what I can get out of it- will indeed lead to an unpleasant place no couple WANTS or foresees themselves ever being, but sadly end up.
The frame of behavior that the bible teaches on marriage (and relationships) is that of a constant pouring out to your spouse. In return, God pours into you. Both through your spouse and other avenues. This is what was emphasized to us through premarriage counseling. The biggest and most tragic misinterpretations I have witnessed of marriage and the christian life is that both are motivated out of obligation...Nothing could be further from the truth!
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:1)
Monday, May 23, 2011
Writers Block...(?)
For some reason I am having problems thinking of a solid subject to write on since being married. Maybe it's because that is indeed what I want to write about and I feel people are probably over our wedding and tired of hearing about it. Maybe I shouldn't care and write something that I want to because it's my blog...
In anycase...I have decided to write about smaller things going on in my life instead.
-As before mentioned, I am now married. This has pretty much permeated my thought life. While I love being married, I can't help but to recall a tweet from one of our pastor's at Mclean Bible Church..."I don't love my marriage; I love Ashley." Every so often I remember this to remind myself of who I truly love...(Not Ashley- my wife!)
-I was reading a box of Cheerio's today and thought to myself- there's alot of friggin Cheerio flavors. I then began to wonder what flavors were up for review, but ultimately got rejected. Ice cream Cheerio's? Pepsi Cheerio's? Cantaloupe Cheerio's? I would eat all of these.
-This past Sunday we believe to have found a new church. In true God fashion, it was not church we found via Google, or even on our own accord. God likes to teach me that He will be the one who puts His church into my life. It's a very small church compared to what we have been attending, but passionate about God and His word...I am very excited about the potential witnessed this past Sunday.
-Been playing tennis alot this season with Michael Harper I love tennis with a fiery white-hot passion. It takes just about everything I have to compete with this dude, and a tremendous amount of soreness and suffering afterward...Which then results in a conviction to hit the gym. Thanks Mike...
-We went out to grill some chicken this past weekend on what we thought were our complex's grill. Turns out it was not, as a not so neighborly neighbor informed us. This guy was mad. And not mad like "Hey, why are you inadvertently using my grill that's located next to a public bench, in a public area, and has no lock or any indication otherwise that it's privately owned" mad. More mad like "Hey, you have about 10 seconds to step away from the grill you assumed was public before I grill your face" mad. I was upset at first- until I thought back on the situation and realized that if someone gets that upset over a mistake a stranger makes, clearly some bigger issues must be going on in his life...It made me reflect on the importance of not responding rashly in a situation.
Proverbs 12:18
The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
-We are going up to NoVa for the first time since being married this weekend. I couldn't be more excited to see friends, new family, and of course my second home in general :)
In anycase...I have decided to write about smaller things going on in my life instead.
-As before mentioned, I am now married. This has pretty much permeated my thought life. While I love being married, I can't help but to recall a tweet from one of our pastor's at Mclean Bible Church..."I don't love my marriage; I love Ashley." Every so often I remember this to remind myself of who I truly love...(Not Ashley- my wife!)
-I was reading a box of Cheerio's today and thought to myself- there's alot of friggin Cheerio flavors. I then began to wonder what flavors were up for review, but ultimately got rejected. Ice cream Cheerio's? Pepsi Cheerio's? Cantaloupe Cheerio's? I would eat all of these.
-This past Sunday we believe to have found a new church. In true God fashion, it was not church we found via Google, or even on our own accord. God likes to teach me that He will be the one who puts His church into my life. It's a very small church compared to what we have been attending, but passionate about God and His word...I am very excited about the potential witnessed this past Sunday.
-Been playing tennis alot this season with Michael Harper I love tennis with a fiery white-hot passion. It takes just about everything I have to compete with this dude, and a tremendous amount of soreness and suffering afterward...Which then results in a conviction to hit the gym. Thanks Mike...
-We went out to grill some chicken this past weekend on what we thought were our complex's grill. Turns out it was not, as a not so neighborly neighbor informed us. This guy was mad. And not mad like "Hey, why are you inadvertently using my grill that's located next to a public bench, in a public area, and has no lock or any indication otherwise that it's privately owned" mad. More mad like "Hey, you have about 10 seconds to step away from the grill you assumed was public before I grill your face" mad. I was upset at first- until I thought back on the situation and realized that if someone gets that upset over a mistake a stranger makes, clearly some bigger issues must be going on in his life...It made me reflect on the importance of not responding rashly in a situation.
Proverbs 12:18
The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
-We are going up to NoVa for the first time since being married this weekend. I couldn't be more excited to see friends, new family, and of course my second home in general :)
Monday, May 16, 2011
Thankfulness
Being recently married to my beautiful wife-I have much to be thankful for. Infact, from now and forever more, I don't believe a word or collection of words exist to describe April 29th, 2011. The day was more epic then the dreams I have been having about it beforehand.
Looking back, it is abundantly clear how much God will make His name justifiably glorified through those who desire to do so. How things fall into place for that to happen.
I am very thankful beyond comprehension for the effort of all involved! (family, friends, wedding party)
Not much else to say really...:)
-Lucky Man
P.S. Link to pics (not in order) http://photobucket.com/JenandSean
Looking back, it is abundantly clear how much God will make His name justifiably glorified through those who desire to do so. How things fall into place for that to happen.
I am very thankful beyond comprehension for the effort of all involved! (family, friends, wedding party)
Not much else to say really...:)
-Lucky Man
P.S. Link to pics (not in order) http://photobucket.com/JenandSean
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