Divine Day

Here's another new band I just heard of. Divine Day is a young band based out of the Cincinnati area. Their self-proclaimed influences are the likes of John Mayer and Maroon 5 and I have to say I can hear a similar sound. Check them out on MySpace and go see them compete in the finals of the Battle of the Bands at the Underground on March 8th.
Divine Day on Myspace

OneRepublic

I recently discovered a young band... OneRepubic.  They have a really cool unique sound.  They are probably most known for their song "Apologize" that they recorded with Timbaland.  Check them out:
onerepublic.net
Myspace

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Cloverfield

-SPOILER WARNING-

Ok so... I know I told some people that I was going to write a review on this movie a long time ago... and I didn't lie... it just took me a while.  Sorry about that.  Anyway...
So I went to see "Cloverfield" shortly after it opened.  I'd seen the previews for this movie and I was really excited about it!  It looked sweet.  The CGI looked amazing and the movie just looked like it was going to be sweet!  I heard some different rumors about what the monster was leading up to the movie... and I was almost hoping that if it was simply just a monster, that it was going to a new Godzilla flick.  All that to say, I walked into the theater with pretty high expectations for this movie.  After about the first ten minutes I began to have doubts, and by the end I was extremely disappointed in this movie.  First of all, the back story of the movie is that the government has found a tape recording the incident of the attack and is playing it for the public.  The video the government supposedly found was there because a guy was videotaping his friends going away party while the attack happened and he left the camera on.  All that to say, the entire movie was filmed from a single hand held camera.  As the characters run, jump, hide, and climb throughout NYC one of them is holding this camera.  There were literally times I had to look away from the screen to avoid getting motion sickness...  I really liked the idea of the single hand held camera but it was simply too much.
My second beef with this movie was the motive of the monster... Why was it attacking?  Why then?  Why NYC?  To may loose ends.
Third, what was it?  It wasn't Godzilla.  It kinda looked like an alien lobster... anybody know what it was supposed to be?
Fourth... the ending was terrible... those of you who've seen it know what I'm saying, maybe you disagree, but I think it was terrible.  I'll just say it was kinda like "A Perfect Storm" on steroids.
In summary, it seemed to me that "Cloverfield" was basically people who had this good, original idea, and rushed to get it out there without really thinking about it and developing a good story.
 

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To read more reviews on "Cloverfield" follow these links:
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes
PluggedIn

Catching Up

Wow... It's been a while since I've written anything.  I've missed it.  A lot has happened since then, so I thought I'd take a couple minutes and catch up.  First, in reference to my last blog, I got the August Rush soundtrack and it's excellent.  I never found that iTunes gift card though... that's disappointing.  Anyway, the cd is great. It's everything I expected.  Also in the way of music, Passion and Six Step Records released a new album live from the regional tours.  I bought it as soon as I found out about it and it's great, everything I would expect from the Six Step guys.  It includes six never before heard (as far as I know) songs by Tomlin, Redman, Hall, and Stanfill, as well as 8 other new live versions of some of the greatest praise and worship songs of our day.  These are two albums to definitely check out.

A lot more has been happening in my life than just new cd's, however.  My dad has been selected as the chaplain of the year for the entire US Air Force Reserve!  This is a huge honor for him!  I will be in DC the first part of next week with him and my mom for him to receive his award.  He is also going to be the first chaplain of the year to receive the honor of opening the United States House of Representatives in prayer.  On Tuesday at 2:00 PM  he will be live on C-SPAN presenting the opening prayer at congress.

Winter Advance is coming up for our high school youth group and the prep is going well for that.  I'm so excited about this weekend.  I have literally been looking forward to these three days for about three years.  Since my first Winter Advance (Sacred), I have been looking forward to the opportunity to lead the music at a Winter Advance.  Also, the praise band found out that we will be taking a trip to PA over the summer to lead the music at a camp for teenage missionary kids.  God is giving us amazing opportunities and I would ask for your prayers in these things. (Also, those of you coming to Winter Advance... be ready to sing.)

I've applied and am hoping to take a trip to Brazil this summer with my youth group.  I love traveling, but most importantly I'm excited about the opportunities that wait there where we can serve.  So, if you would, pray for me in that as well.

A couple more prayer requests... please pray for my family in the loss of a close family friend to cancer.  The layout was today and the funeral will be tomorrow.  Also, as many of you may already know, please pray for the Smith's.  Mr. Smith passed away earlier this week and I'd love it if you all would pray for that family.  One last request... a friend of mine, Abby Samples, is having some very serious surgery due to fluid on her brain tomorrow.  Please lift her up, that her surgery would go well and that her recovery will be smooth.  Most importantly, pray that the Lord's will would be done in all these situations.

Hope to write again much sooner than later...

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August Rush Movie Review

I saw August Rush Friday night and I was extremely impressed.  This movie is great!  Freddie Highmore (The Golden Compass & HBO's "A Good Year") was excellent as the star of the film.  On top of the solid storyline and excellent acting (also Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, & Terrence Howard) the music in this film floored me.  Grant it, the boy music prodigy August Rush wasn't actually playing the  music... but someone was... and it was excellent.  Being a guitar player, I very much respected the music in this film, and wish I could play like that.  I'm currently waiting to find my $25 iTunes card I got for Christmas so I can buy the soundtrack... It'll be well worth the money.  August Rush was excellent, family friendly, and definitely a must see for all you moviegoers.



To read more reviews on August Rush, follow these links:
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes
PluggedIn

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Craziness...

Life's seemed kinda weird lately.  I don't really know why.  It's been great... things have been going really well... but it's just been kinda confusing... mixed emotions and stuff.  It's been a while since I've written about something serious and I've missed it.  I've realized that it really helps me to write out my thoughts, to "think out loud" if you will.  It helps me sort things out and figure out what I'm really thinking.  Anyway, things are just weird...  It seems like there's something I'm missing, some target that I'm flying right past without even noticing it.  It just seems like I'm not doing enough... like it's time, in the midst of the daily step by step life, to jump... to reach out... to change a life (maybe mine) somehow.  Even as I write this I think... in the past month or so has my life been outstanding for Christ, or have I simply been cruising along?  I'm afraid the answer is that I've been cruising.  I think that's where this confusion is coming from.  I feel like I need to jump but I don't know where or how high.  I want to see lives changed, people touched, Christ simply working through me, but I feel like I'm just taking one step after another without any thought or action.  I feel lazy by just sitting around and waiting, but waiting isn't always easy.  I believe the Bible and I believe that sometimes that's what you have to do.  So I guess right now all I can do is pray, study, get to know my Savior more and more... and wait.

Isaiah 40:31

"but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
   they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
   they shall walk and not faint."

It's time to wait.  To pray.  To say, "Here am I, send me" and see where I go.

All this so that, "All the earth will sing Your praise, the moon and stars, the sun and rain..."

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