New Crowded House

I love Crowded House. I was pleasantly surprised to discover they have a new album. Here is the first single from it.

A Good Start

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Ephesians 5:22-32 (ESV)

Today marks the 19th anniversary of my marriage. Honestly…it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. I don’t feel like I’m old enough to be married that long. I got married when I was 21 so that means I have been married for nearly half of my life. I started dating my wife in 1989 so that means I have been with her for 21 years. That IS over half of my life. I have heard people make jokes about marriage and if the truth be told…I am sure have made my fair share of them as well. But here’s the deal…I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything because I have been with the same woman for half of my life. I wish I could honestly say that she is the only one that I have been with. That isn’t the punchline to a joke…it’s something to be admired. It’s something to be held up and celebrated. It seems like staying with someone is the exception these days…instead of the norm. 19 years have gone by way too quickly. I feel like my wife and I have just started to figure this whole thing out. Sometimes I feel like we're newlyweds and that we have a whole lifetime ahead of us. I truly hope that we live to be 80 or 90 and can look back on 60 + years of being together. I can honestly say that I am married to my best friend. We’ve gotten off to a pretty good start and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead.

Protect Your Chicken From Dokken

This may be one of the funniest commercials I have seen in years.

Protect your chicken people.

Metal Church...Literally

This would be awesome.

Black & Milds...Deadly Addiction?

I love watching homemade documentaries. This is a good one I ran across recently.

Covered In Bees!!!!

Sometimes it is good just to be silly.

Happy Birthday Jamie...Tennis...Wow!

First of all...happy birthday to my little girl. She turns five today. Boy how time flies.

Secondly...the longest tennis match ever has just ended. John Isner (from my home state of North Carolina) defeated Nicolas Mahut from France. The match began on Tuesday afternoon and had to be stopped twice as night fell on Tuesday evening and Wednesday evening. They played for eleven hours over the course of three days...including Wednesday's seven hour marathon.

Even though I am not a fan of tennis...I enjoyed the drama. It made for good television.

This Is Interesting

I like a good conspiracy theory. In fact...one of my hobbies is reading about them. Today was the first time I heard this one.

Koreans Bombed Gulf Oil Rig

Christopher Walken...Poker Face. 'Nuff Said.

I Could Learn from… Donald Miller

I Could Learn from… Donald Miller

I Will Vote For Him If He Is On The Ballot

A Tale of Two Magicians

I have been watching the America's Got Talent auditions and these two guys were on last night. I am glad that they both got through.

Conspiracy?

THIS guy seems to be suggesting that BP and the U.S. government planned the oil spill in the Gulf.

Starbucks Wi-Fi Signals End of Reliance on 3G - PCWorld Business Center

I think it is really interesting that McDonald's coffee rates higher than Starbucks. That should tell people something.

Starbucks Wi-Fi Signals End of Reliance on 3G - PCWorld Business Center

BP Coffee Spill

I have seen this one two or three times now and still laugh.

This Is Why I Am A Fan

Here are a few selected moments that I use to remind myself why I am still a UNC fan after all of these years. No matter how disappointing a season ends (and we have had our fair share) these clips remind me that it is worth it to pull for the boys in baby blue. The last two are out of sheer spite.

Rudy Can't Fail & Other Summer Songs

I love these songs. I really do. They make me want to hit the beach.

I And Love And You

I really like this song. They are from North Carolina and used to play in this area quite a bit. That is not the only reason I like them...in fact...I had never heard of them until the night they played this song on Letterman. Now I wish I had been around when they used to play at Chico's over by City Lake.

I especially love the following lyric:

When at first I learned to speak
I used all my words to fight
With him and her and you and me
But it's just a waste of time
It's such a waste of time

Kicking It Seriously Old School

A lot of people would be surprised to discover that I absolutely love old Southern Gospel Music. Even though my preference is guitar-driven hard rock...I have a very fond place in my heart reserved for groups like The Inspirations. I guess that I heard enough of this music as a young child that it made some sort of lasting impression on me. For that...I am truly thankful.

Caffeine: Yes or No?

I find the article linked in the title very interesting. I have recently removed all soft drinks from my life in an effort to start a journey of healthier living. I know that will only be the first small step of many steps...but it is one that I have failed many times before. I know that I am a caffeine addict. The headaches I experienced after two days without the drug in my system pretty much proved it.

The article mentions a study that suggests that caffeine addicts build up a tolerance to it and that the positive affects (if any) eventually go away. The supposed alertness that comes with caffeine decreases and users must ingest it just to reach a level of normalcy. So...what that means is that your morning cup of coffee is not really helping you...you are just getting your fix so that your body does not rebel.

Do you know what that means? All of you ritual coffee drinkers out there are a bunch of addicts. And I am too.

Ron Paul: U.S. Shouldn't Support Israel's Gaza Blockade

I Post This Cautiously...

This is not so much an indictment against President Obama as it is an endorsement of Ron Paul. I was not able to vote for him in the last election because the media destroyed any chance of him being on the ballot. I have pretty much stayed out of politics for years because I do not trust any of them. However...I think it may be time for people like me to stand up and let our voices be heard. The Democrats and the Republicans are both corrupt and I cannot support either one. Here is hoping that Dr. Paul decides to enter the race in 2012.

The Day After

Well...I've had some time to process things and I have come to the following conclusion...turning 40 isn't that big of a deal. It's not like I really expected it to be some life-changing experience anyway. I didn't believe that I was going to wake up and finally "get it" or that life was going to finally make sense. If anything...it has only reinforced my belief that I've got to live every day to the fullest and do my best to be the man God wants me to be. I need to be a good husband and a good father. If I manage to do those two things...then I think I will be okay.

My new life verse is Matthew 22:34-40 (ESV)

34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."


On a slightly different note...I've been thinking...do you think we ignore/quench/silence the Holy Spirit out of fear? Are we afraid to really give in and let Him take control of our lives?

I think that may be part of my problem. I am afraid of what He might inspire me to do. What sacrifices and changes would have to take place if I truly surrendered to His will?

To me...that is a frightening question.

By the way...happy birthday Mom. Thanks for having me forty years ago yesterday.
__________________

Turning Thirty (Although I Am Turning Forty)

This is the great Randy Stonehill...doing Turning Thirty. I think the lyrics are still relevant at forty.

WELL, NOW THIRTY AIN'T LIKE FIFTEEN
AND IT'S NOT LIKE TWENTY-FIVE
MY BACK'S A LITTLE STIFF
AND THERE'RE SOME LINES AROUND MY EYES
BUT I'VE STILL GOT MY ENERGY
AND I'VE GOT MOST OF MY HAIR
AND I'M NOT TOO OLD TO ROCK 'N ROLL
AND I'M NOT REALLY SCARED
OF TURNING THIRTY
I WROTE THIS SONG EIGHT YEARS AGO
MY, HOW TIME FLIES AND SO DO I

New Rush Single

Rush have been one of my favorite bands for years. A good friend gave me a copy of Hold Your Fire for Christmas when I was a senior in high school and they have been at/near the top of my list ever since.

I admit that they occasionally put out a song or two that I do not really care for...but for the most part...they consistently release interesting music. They have had a minor resurgence in their career over the past four or five years. For long-time fans like me...it has been nice. I knew that they were working on new material and touring but I did not realize that today was the official release of their new single Caravan. It is up on iTunes with a second song called BU2B.

It made a nice early birthday present.