TNL Fillers!

I know I've been slacking off on the blogging lately... but I wanted to get a quick post out to let everyone know that the TNL Fillers will be uploaded to my YouTube channel every week (hopefully by Wednesday night.)  So... head on over and check them out and leave comments!  Comments are always good!  

For those of you who don't know what a TNL is or what a Filler is... here's a quick synopsis.  TNL stands for Tuesday Night Live.  It is an outreach we do at our BCM every Tuesday night.  It's basically our own version of Saturday Night Live only on Tuesday's.  In a typical week for TNL, or crew writes three sketch comedy skits, casts them,  rehearses them... writes, records, edits, and produces two fillers (basically our own version of SNL's Digital Shorts)... and our band selects and rehearses two songs (usually covers of popular rock songs.)  Then, on Tuesday Night, it all hits the stage at 9 o'clock.  So... if you go to MSU or happen to be in Morehead on a Tuesday Night for some reason, head on over to the BCM/342 and check out TNL... you won't be disappionted.

Valkyrie

I saw Valkyrie tonight.  Excellent movie, both film making quality and story.  A definite “purchaser” for me.  For those of you who don’t know… Valkyrie is a new film staring Tom Cruise.  It’s a true story about an uprising and assassination attempt by high-ranking soldiers against Adolf Hitler.  Now if you know your history, you know that this uprising obviously did not succeed and that Hitler was not assassinated.  There… I just ruined the end of the movie. Now many of you may know… or at least assume what I’m about to tell you, but incase not, I’m going to throw in a quick SPOILER WARNING! DON”T READ ON IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE STORY AND PLAN ON SEEING THE MOVIE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.  ONCE YOU SEE IT FINISH THIS POST.  Anyway, at the end of the movie, Nazi soldiers execute many of the men who were involved in this attempt by firing squad or hanging.  This prompted a thought in my head that I’ve had before about both soldiers and radicals.  It may seem simple but I hope you’ll see the truth in it.  Everyday, people are willing to give their lives for different causes.  Some noble, some not so much.  Take for example: soldiers, police officers, suicide bombers, the 9/11 hijackers, firemen, search and rescue teams, drug dealers.  Get the idea?

Take this for what you want… we, as followers of Christ, live for the most noble cause in the history of the world.  Matter of fact… our “cause” is the whole reason the world exists.  Early followers of Christ risked their lives daily just by unashamedly living for that cause.  People in 51 countries around the world today live a life committed to Christ despite their nation’s commands.  We as American’s have been blessed with such a great freedom to be able to worship and make our Savior famous… yet how often do we do it?  How often do we tell our friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. about the cause we’re living for. 

We won’t even speak… they were willing to die. 

Now I realize this may seem to you to be hypocritical, judgmental, and one of those plank in my eye speck in yours situations… and I agree.  So I write this not to judge… but to get all of us thinking for the edification of the body of Christ.

the old has gone, and the new has come

2008 is officially over.  I challenged the play, but the officials said that the memories of 08 are memories for good and it's time to move on.  Let's talk a minute about these memories...

This time a year ago I was probably getting ready to start my second semester of my Senior year.  Oh what a year that was! By far, the best year of high school.  So many friendships and memories.  The CCS class of 2008 was by far the best graduating class on the face of the Blue Planet.  I say that with no hesitation.  In 2008 we saw our last Spirit Week, our last high school Spring Break (during which I went to New York... awesome!), Senior Trip (best week of high school), and Graduation.  There was possibly no better feeling than walking across that stage and realizing I had completed my 13 years spent at CCS.  At the same time, it was a very sobering feeling, because I knew that while I would hold on to my best of friendships for the years to come, many of those other relationships would be severed and forgotten, and while I would joyfully move on to an exciting new future, some things that I loved would never be the same.

I've always said that my youth group at Calvary Baptist Church has played one of the most significant roles in my life.  It is part of my past now.  I was both ministered to, and had great opportunities to minister to others.  Mr. Dunlap, Pastor Mark, Pastor Jeff, and all my youth leaders: I would like to say thank you so much for encouraging me to living a life closer to Jesus and for giving me the opportunity to discover my passion in worshiping the Great I AM.  All six years that I was involved in youth groups at Calvary, I was in some fashion involved in the "praise band".  Some of my most precious memories have come from the times we've played music together... from the three Winter Advances, to Trunk-O-Treat, to Christmas chapel '07 and Senior Chapel (that was the school band... but still... music.)  The capstone of my years in praise band came just 6 months ago in a small town in Pennsylvania.  We (the Vertical Praise Band) were asked to go along with Pastor Jeff to play at the youth division of the ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism) Missionary Enrichment Conference.  We were able to play several sessions for these missionary kids from all around the world.  This week blessed our lives so much as we were able to worship with people from many different countries... some who were even risking their very lives for the advancement of the Gospel.  Not to mention English accents at Hershey Park and our encounter with a certain electric guitarist.  This was by far the best experience I've ever had in a "worship leading" capacity.

The summer also included possibly the best event of my life, and I mean that with all sincerity.  Along with 15 other students and 3 leaders, our youth group went to Porto Alegre, Brasil to minister to and with Jon and Jen Trott and family.  The stories and "God moments" of this trip could go on forever, and I've written a previous entry about this trip... so I'll keep this short.  Basically on this trip, I realized why I was alive, why I breathe each breath I breathe.  My mission in life is to see the hurting healed, the broken restored, to bring the glory of the Gospel of God to lost people.  God showed me this on that trip and I will never forget it.

"Where there is pain

Let there be grace

Where there is suffering

Bring serenity

For those afraid

Help them be brave

Where there is misery

Bring expectancy

And surely we can change

Surely we can change

Something"

-DC*B

After the awesome summer that 2008 brought I experienced probably the biggest change to this point in my life... I went to college.  On August 15th I moved into Butler 304 at Morehead State University.  The first couple weeks were somewhat rough, but I've come to love my Eastern Kentucky city and all of the people I've met there.  I thank God so much for the great friends, encouragers, and mentors he's put in my life in Morehead.  I've made a lot of great new friends and I'm looking forward to the next 4... well 3.5 (hopefully) years I'll spend there.  I'm currently double-majoring in Production and Business Management... I'm not sure if it's going to stay like that, but that's the plan for now.  

Well, that pretty much wraps up the great year that 2008 was and now as I look forward to '09 I want to briefly mention some goals for the new year.  I gave up on "New Year's Resolutions" a while ago because I always seemed to give up on them by the end of January.  However, looking into the new year there are some general things I would like to see happen in my life.  First, and most importantly, I pray that when I look back at 2009 this time next year, I will have a deeper, more real, more personal, and still growing relationship with my Savior than I have today.  I would also like to read a lot more.  I think I'm starting to develop a new love for books (something I may write about later)  and I would like to see that love grow and begin to read more.  I would like to keep writing music and possibly get some recording done (of myself and others) and search for opportunities to play.  And lastly, I want to simply grow and mature as a human being and continue to develop my own convictions and beliefs based on God's Word.

I apologize for the length of this article, but if you've made it this far, thanks so much for reading, and I'd love to hear any feedback you have!  Happy New Year!

I figured I should fall in line with the rest of the blogging world and end the year with a December 31st post.  I have so much I could say about the past year but I will keep it very brief, for if I began to explore the details of the last year this post may never end.  When I think over the past year there are two things that stand out far above all else in my mind. One, graduating high school and moving on to the exciting new world of studying at Morehead State University, and two, my outstanding summer mission trip to Porto Alegre, Brasil.  It was on this trip that I realized my life calling into some form of foreign missions.

It has been extremely exciting to meet several new great friends at Morehead and also to come home and share my new experiences with my best friends from high school.  I am so blessed.  2008 has, by far, been the most exciting year of my life.  I've learned and grown more than I could've imagined and I am so thankful to my family, my friends, and mostly my God for this year and all the experiences I have had.  I'd love to touch some more on some of these events in a, soon to come, future post.  But for now, I say, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

It's probably about time that I tell you all about this... so here goes...  

As you can probably tell from my previous posts, I've become very involved at the BCM (Baptist Campus Ministry) at Morehead.  For those of you who may not know BCM's are organizations on college campuses that provide a place for believers to socialize, attend Bible studies, do fun activities, reach out to the campus, etc.  They are sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC.)  So... this year, through our BCM and the Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC-a division of the SBC) I have been provided the opportunity to spend 8 weeks of my summer participating in something called the Acts 1:8 Leadership Experience.  This summer I will spend 6 weeks in Louisville, 5 of which I will be attending leadership training classes and helping with a vast variety of local mission projects, and the 6th I will be working with the SBC's Crossover Outreach.  Following these 6 weeks, my team of 18-20 will be heading to the Dominican Republic for 2 weeks to minister there and work with Pure Water for Pure Life (a division of EDGE Outreach) to install water purifying systems for people without the luxury of pure water.

Needless to say I am very excited about the summer.  I have already met everyone that will be on the team, and I think we will all get along great!  Two of my very good friends from Morehead were also accepted so I think it will be great to spend the summer with them as well!  I know that God will be glorified this summer and I can't wait to have a part in that.  However, there are several things that need to happen to make this summer possible.  First of all, I have to raise $2500.  Thankfully, that covers everything for the 2 months I will be gone.  Also, several of my teammates have to get Passports.  Thankfully I've already been through the process and my passport is good for another couple years, but that can always be a troublesome process, especially the first time you do it.  Most importantly though, we all need to be focused through the upcoming semester and make sure that God is on the throne in all of our lives and that we are seeking Him above all else.  So I would ask you... please join in on this ministry.  Become a part of what God is doing now and what He will do this summer.  Please pray...

     -for my team and I and our leaders as we prepare for this summer.

     -for everyone we will come in contact with.

     -for the hand of God to guide us and lead us through this time in our lives.

     -for us to grow closer to our Savior through it all.  

I'll do my best to keep you all updated through the blog and I'd love it if you would stay connected with me on this journey. So if you haven't already, sign up up there at the top right of the page.  Just enter your email address and you'll get an email whenever I add a new post.  Thanks so much for your prayers!

"...everything will change, things will never be the same, for the glory of it all" -DC*B

It's been a couple weeks since the last post... the semester ended, I'm home on break, and the Christmas hustle and bustle is in full swing.  Today I'd like to touch on a topic I haven't visited in a while: the tech world.  There's lots of news swirling around with Macworld coming up in just a couple weeks, and the Christmas wishlists are full of the latest gadgets on the market. 

First of all, last night I was out with the family doing some last minute Christmas shopping when I saw possibly the most pointless new piece of technology on the market.  I walked in the Sony Style store at Kenwood Town Centre and saw a flat circle table with a capsule shaped invention on it.  I was intrigued so I walked over.  Turns out, what I saw was a dancing speaker system called the Sony Rolly.  The Rolly is simply a mp3 player with 2 wheels around it and 2 flaps over the speakers that work together to make the Rolly dance to the music it plays.  I took a short video on my cell phone...

Interesting and entertaining, yes, worth the starting price of $399, not at all.  The Rolly houses only 2GB of memory (Apple's smallest iPod Shuffle is 1GB and costs only $49 and the 2GB model is available for only $20 more-Not to mention, infinitely more practical.), its sound quality is good, typical of Sony audio products, but it is nothing to rave about, it is far to big and heavy to carry in a pocket and doesn't even offer a headphone output.  On top of all that, in order to actually make the Rolly "dance" you have to download "motion files" from Sony's website. Sony's "ultimate conversation peice", while entertaining, is not anywhere close to being worth the pretty penny you'll pay.

Next on my list... Twitter.  I'd gotten out of the habit of using Twitter for a while because I got frustrated that nearly none of my friends used it.  It felt like a waste of time.  I found out at a birthday dinner last week that one of my cousins tweets.  I decided to get back on Twitter and follow him.  I've realized since that Twitter is good for so much more than simply keeping up with friends.  Find people that talk about stuff that interests you, follow them, and a wealth of resources and knowledge will be at your fingertips in minutes... and better yet... it's constantly being updated.  I even downloaded a new Twitter client.  Tweeter is a basic desktop client that allows for posting and uploading and gives a few other options for viewing your tweets.  Combine it with Growl and it works great.  It's options are limited and I'm not sure if it's the client I'll stick with, but it's worth a try.

Lastly, with Macworld just days away, the rumor season is in full swing.   Personally I don't think there's gong to be an announcement anywhere near as big and "tide-changing" as there has been the past couple years, one, because of the announcement that this will be Apple's last year at Macworld, and two, because Steve Jobs is not giving the keynote himself.  I think if anything huge was going to be announced, Jobs would break the news.  Now, despite my personal opinions, there are some somewhat interesting rumors roaming around about what might be announced at the Macworld conference.  In my opinion, the most likely of these rumors is that of an iPhone nano.  However, this leads me to ask, what would be the difference between the current iPhone and it's nano version?  Would it simply be smaller?  Would it have less memory? (the largest now is only 16GB which isn't that big, considering the iPod Nano is also offered in a 16GB model.)  Less Features?  On a smaller iPhone, how would one type?  The on-screen keyboard is already small enough.  So iPhone nano... maybe... but I've got a lot of questions.  Another rumor thats swirling is that of a new Mac Mini.  This based on a photo seen at Macenstein.  It looks nice.  Some believe however, based on an earlier photo on the same site that resembles the side of the new macbook, that this is simply a typical case of deceptive photoshopping.  Others have suggested that instead, these pictures could be of some sort of Mac server with a mini display or maybe even a small Netbook sort of Mac.  Possibly my favorite, but also one of the most farfetched rumors I've heard is that of a 3 screen fold out Macbook: a TriBook.  This Macbook would open and then two screens (each half the size of the main center display) would fold out on each side giving the user twice the viewing area.  I love the idea of more built in display space, however, there is an aspect of this concept I don't think will ever happen.  It is suggested that the touchpad on this TriBook would be the entire length of the keyboard leaving no where to rest your hands while typing.  That is unnecessary and it won't happen.  Regardless of all this... My friend Josh, author of the Updates in the Life of blog which is linked on the side of this page will be at the Macworld conference.  He'll be blogging and possibly even streaming live from the conference, and I'll do my best to keep you updated.

Well, that's all I've got for now in the tech world... comments? news? rumors of your own?

We made a decision yesterday that we were going to climb the three mountain peaks across the street from campus before the end of the spring semester.  Today was peak number one.  We set off at about three this afternoon... we drove to the park and began the climb.  Now if you look at my last post, you'll see that yesterday there was snow on the ground here in Morehead... that snow was still on the ground.  The climb up was a little difficult and cold... but we made it!  When we got to the top... we tried to make a fire, but that didn't work out to well... apparently snow and fire don't mix.  We did have another surprise waiting for us... we stubbled upon a geocache.  For those who may not know... a geocache is some sort of container someone places out in the wilderness... geocachers then find the GPS co-ordinance of the cache and go hiking and searching for it.  Well we found it by accident.  Once you find said cache you are supposed to sign and date a notebook that will be inside, take one item from the cache, and leave one item of your own.  We took a ball with an elastic string on it... ya know... one of those that you can throw and it bounces back.  We didn't come prepared with anything cool to leave... so we left a picture of one of our friends with her number on the back and another friends cigar.

Anyway... the view was great and we had a great time, but the trek back down was the best.  We got in a line and slid almost the whole way down.  So... one down, two to go. 

Here's some pics from the trip...

snow in morehead!

well, i woke up this morning and there was snow on the ground here in morehead!  this is the first real snowfall of the year!  i might be back later tonight with another post... but i'm not promising anything... so for now... enjoy the snow!

I've mentioned this before... but this past summer I had the privilege of leading the music along with my youth groups praise band at the youth section of ABWE's Missionary Enrichment Conference.  Our electric guitar player was unable to go, and through a few phone conversations, my youth pastor, who was speaking at the Conference, found out that one of the counselors, Mykal Bradley, played guitar.  The counselors for this conference are college age ABWE "missionary kids" from all around the world.  So anyway, Mykal played with us that week and we had a great time.   We found out that he was in a band back home in Coventry, England called Being Jo Fracis.  Well, they just finished recording their first EP and have three songs up on their Myspace.  I really like their sound... check them out.  The EP will be up on iTunes very soon and I encourage you to buy it and support these guys!

from my friends at the Remedies blog

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Last night in Bible study we were talking about Philippians 2:12 where Paul tells the Philippians to "work out their salvation with fear and trembling." We were discussing exactly what Paul meant by "with fear and trembling." We all agreed that he didn't mean to literally be shaking with fear our whole lives as we live as Christians or that we have to work to attain and maintain salvation, but rather to have a sort of reverence and respect for the Author of our Salvation. Another person in my group gave this analogy... She said it's kind of like when, as children, we break something, we aren't afraid that our parents are going to disown us or hurt us, rather we are afraid that they will be disappointed or hurt by our actions. This analogy had so much truth and conviction in it for me...

When I sin against God many times I simply come proudly before Him knowing he'll forgive my sin, I ask for that forgiveness and give myself a renewed, forgiven feeling.  This can no longer be the case, my sin must break me.  I have committed an act of rebellion and disrespect toward my perfect, completely holy Creator.  I must be broken over my sin.  I must feel the pain that I have caused my Father and see the depth of the eternal consequences of those actions.  Don't get me wrong, God does forgive and wash white the slate of our sin, but in order to be truly transformed from the flesh, I must come to that point where I feel the depth of my sin, where I see those actions as a complete disgrace to God.

I pray that I would come to that point where I am completely broken of my pride and I desire a life above reproach before the throne of God.  I pray God that You would show me the depth of my sin and reduce me to nothing so that my everything can be in you.

"reduce me to ashes

let me feel the depth of my sin

reduce me to ashes

undo my heart once again

I need a fresh view of you, Jesus

expose me in your holiness

a fresh view of you, Jesus

drown me in this hallowed place... reduce me to ashes

reduce me to ashes

rend my soul to see who I really am

reduce me to ashes

then put me back together again"

-Mark Jones

this is what happens when it's two hours before the halloween dance and your walking through goodwill with some friends with no idea what you're going to be.

I was talking with one of my friends yesterday through text about a band… Manchester Orchestra… they’re good. Check ‘em out if you haven’t already heard them… and if you have, listen to them some more. Anyway… so we we’re going back and forth about this band and maybe trying to see them in concert and out of no where my friend asks me this question. He says, “When you were dating (previous girlfriend) did you ever like another girl besides her?” This question kinda startled me because it literally came out of nowhere I mean it went straight from Manchester Orchestra in one message to this question in the next. But… he is one of my best friends so… I answered. I said, with complete honesty, that admittedly at times during our relationship other girls had caught my attention as attractive but none of them ever made me want to break up with her. Then, of course, I asked him why he asked me that. His reply hit me in the face because it was so full of truth. He said that he’d been thinking a lot about how a relationship between a man and a woman so closely resembles how our relationship with God usually works. This is so true. I mean, I know that marriage is supposed to be a picture of God’s intimate relationship with his church, but I’d never thought much more of it than that. Think about it! In our relationships with our Savior, many times throughout our lives, throughout our days, sin seems desirable. Temptation creeps up and grabs us. It looks so beautiful, attractive and enticing. Sometimes we even want to dive in headfirst. Sometimes we loose all sight of our current commitments. However, in the end, in a true growing relationship with our Savior we never leave Him, or should I say, He never leaves us. At least in my own life, in every circumstance, every temptation, and every sin, God never leaves and eventually I realize my need for Him. Eventually, every time, I realize that nothing else satisfies, that He is the only One. Just a thought… kinda scattered…

so this morning i was doing my devotions for my discipleship program here at the BCM and part of the days devotion had me reading I Corinthians 13:4-6. i saw this and automatically had the typical thought of any 'christian school/grown up in church' kid. this thought went something like this, "oh, I Corinthians 13, that's the love chapter. i've read this hundreds of times, why am i turning here again?" but despite the thought, i turned there anyway because i had to list the characteristics of love. so i journeyed through the pages and arrived at my destination. i started in verse 4 and as i read something awesome hit me. at the end of verse 5 in my new american standard bible it says that love 'does not take into account a wrong suffered.' now you may be thinking... "ok, so what the point? why is this so cool?' well think about it... we all know that the Bible says God is Love (I John 4:8) and if 'not taking into account a wrong suffered' is a characteristic of love, then it must be a characteristic of God. do you see what i'm saying? here is another proof that God hold nothing against us! if we come with humbled repentant hearts God forgives unconditionally. our slate is wiped clean, white as snow. just another evidence of the great grace and forgiveness of our God...

this is ridiculous

i’ve realized i need to amend my previous entry. my last post had an underlying suggestion that i need to correct. just a few minutes ago i was reading chapter 8 in the book Blue Like Jazz by donald miller. it was a great chapter. he discussed the reasons people tend to stray from christianity to other ‘religions’ or away from spirituality all together. he talked about how people try to mold God into their own wants or needs… to fit the TREND... and when God doesn’t fit into their little designer box, they give up all together. appropriate timing right? i think my previous post had the underlying suggestion that “everything is a trend.” i just want to make it clear that my Jesus is not a trend… my faith is not a trend… our relationship is not a trend. My God always has been and always will be consistent and true to His Word and my life. He is NOT a trend.

this week the trend

trends are something that very much interest me. we all follow them, whether we like it or not. maybe not the most popular one, but a trend none the less. what do you think when you hear the word 'trend'? the first thing that pops into my head is clothes... fashion trends. from bellbottoms to ripped jeans, trends come and go. now, right now you may be thinking i don't wear abacrombie or pop my collar, i'm breaking the trend... are you really, or are you just following another less popular trend? another thing that has the tendency to be very trend-ish is television. 'reality' tv... need i say more? one other thing that seems to be trendy... the thing i was thinking about that made me write this post... is words. especially slang words... 'cool, groovy, tight, far out, keen, awesome, boss, etc.' get the point? as time passes trends change... these words all basically mean the same thing, but did the people of the 50's say the same things as we do today? no! why... the trend. two other words pop into my head are... 'random' and 'awkward'. seriously, how many times did you hear those words today? someone does something just slightly weird and you say, 'that was awkward!' or something unexpected happens and no sooner do you blink than you hear someone exclaim 'random!'
now i'm not at all one of these anti trend people, and i'm sorry if this post seems that way... it's not at all. in fact, i enjoy trends... maybe not the most popular, but as i said, a trend none the less. i mean when it comes to clothes... i'm not the kind thats going to spend $40 on a t-shirt or $100 on a pair of ripped jeans... but to each his own. i mean i'm sure lots of people would think i'm ridiculous for taking the time to write about this... but hey, its just how i am. well there you have it... just another RANDOM thought from my RANDOM mind.

the awkward message

well i've been in college for almost two months now and i'm loving every minute of it. i've made lots of great friends and done a lot of fun stuff already... but that's not the point of this post....
i've found a church down here i really like called Crosspoint Church and our pastor, Daniel Lucas, is the man. he's funny and easy to listen to, but most importantly, he preaches the truth. he's so real with his church. this past sunday he started a new series called "hostage." unfortunately i'm going to miss the majority of the series due to 'circumstances beyond my control' :) but again, not the point. the point of this series is to talk about different current issues that hold christians 'hostage' from truly living the free, joyful life Christ has designed for us. the topic form this past week was money. financial difficulty is one of the most common struggles among people today, and christians are not excluded from this statistic. now we all know that the Bible commands tithing... and that brings me to the point. a good pastor preaches the truth right? and the truth about christians and money is that we need to tithe... i've always felt sorry for good truth preaching pastors when they have to talk about tithing. you can tell it feels awkward for them, and i think that's a good thing. you can tell they are struggling so much because they don't want it to seem like they're asking for money, but, to a point they are (for their church)... and it's the right thing to do. now understand, i'm not talking about these televangelists who ask for money and say that all your wildest dreams will come true if you give to them. i'm talking about humble pastors who simply want to preach the truth. and again, don't get me wrong, it's true, God will bless those who give as he commands, but those blessings may not be returned financially and they may not be immediate...
so i really have no solution to this... i don't even know if it requires a solution... those we're just some thoughts that came to me and i thought i'd share.