We had the privilege of going to the first show for the Christmas Offerings tour with Third Day and Jars of Clay last night in Rome, GA. It was a blast (of course) and we met up some friends from TN to make it even more fun! 6th row on stage left was perfect - Rachel had the aisle in case she started going into contractions; thankfully that didn't happen and we got to see the whole show. The baby did get pretty excited, especially with the bass drum the JoC lead singer bangs like its nobody's business!
OK, it seems important to provide a more critical review than just "It rocked!", especially considering this was our fifth full-fledged Third Day concert. So here it is: All in all, the audience was deeply ministered to - as is the case at every Third Day event. It is impossible to walk away from these guys, whether they are singing or playing or just chilling by the pool and not be ministered to. I've had more time with them than most fans (in and out of the concert hall) and I can speak of this as fact. The concert on Thursday night, though had some glitches. I believe that they were almost completely due to two factors: 1. it was the first night of the show 2. the Forum in Rome, GA looks older than me. Number 1 seemed to be the apparent reason for most of the problems. For instance, the words during one of the songs were completely out of synch after the first couple verses. The soundguy, to his credit, worked feverishly to get the right words up on the screen, however it was at times a little distracting. Additionally, Brad Avery's awesome story about the adoption of their fourth daughter was followed by a complete darkout that seemed to contribute to an out-of-synch intro between him and the keyboardist. During Little Drummer Boy, by Jars of Clay (and this may be my own audible deficiency), the lead singer took to the xylaphone like it was nobody's business, yet for some reason, I couldn't hear it save my life! Nonetheless, the crowd loved the song and got to its feet by the end. I think the oddest flub of the evening was when Mac tried to direct the follow spot over to Mark Lee so that he could be introduced. Instead of following the lead's directions, the spot stayed focused (I think on Brad) and just sat there. Mac had to tell the dude about four times before he started pointing to the operator and waving the light over to Mark. It definitely disrupted a bit of the concert flow.
You know what, though, most of these issues really pointed to one thing: This was a live show! It was not Milli Vanilli and things happen when musicians actually peform rather than pretend. I hope that noone gets too offended by this post, as it is written, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Prov. 27:17). The concert definitely rocked, regardless, and I'm anxiously awaiting the Spring tour dates so I can scoop up some tix for a few close by shows. God Bless!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Guitar Hero
Just like the real thing - only completely different! On my business trip to TN, I became wonderfully familiar with Guitar Hero, for Playstation. In short, It ROCKED!! I've got to say though, the "expert" level is totally beyond me! We unlocked all of the 40 songs in Guitar Hero - 2 (I think) on the "medium" level and that was still pretty difficult. Anyway, it can be quite a workout, though not as much as the Nintendo WII seems to be. It's really more of a workout for the fingers on the frets - those buttons can build up some serious callouses. Anyway, I would not recommend buying a PS-2 just to get this game, but I'd definitely recommend hanging out with friends who've already got it!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Bee Movie
Bee Movie, 2007 - PG
Hmm. On a whim, I went by myself to the local cineplex for an offering of dynamic digital artwork. I remember when the first previews came out for this movie, with Jerry Seinfeld dressed up in a massive bee costume, being flung around a soundstage with gigantic flowers and a massive mock window. I remember thinking, the same thing: hmm.
In short, I give it a 4. It really wasn't funny enough to be enjoyed by adults and yet the plot seemed a little too complex for younger children to "get". The graphics was terrific (of course) and the soundtrack was pretty good and the theme was a fairly new concept, it just lacked spunk! There were very few folks in the theater with me and I think that three folks walked out about after the first 20 minutes (presumably to see a different movie). I sat through, though, and it did get a little better. Have you seen it? What do you think? If you haven't seen it - wait for it to come out as a rental. $8.25 was too much!
Best character: Mooseblood, played by Chris Rock
Hmm. On a whim, I went by myself to the local cineplex for an offering of dynamic digital artwork. I remember when the first previews came out for this movie, with Jerry Seinfeld dressed up in a massive bee costume, being flung around a soundstage with gigantic flowers and a massive mock window. I remember thinking, the same thing: hmm.
In short, I give it a 4. It really wasn't funny enough to be enjoyed by adults and yet the plot seemed a little too complex for younger children to "get". The graphics was terrific (of course) and the soundtrack was pretty good and the theme was a fairly new concept, it just lacked spunk! There were very few folks in the theater with me and I think that three folks walked out about after the first 20 minutes (presumably to see a different movie). I sat through, though, and it did get a little better. Have you seen it? What do you think? If you haven't seen it - wait for it to come out as a rental. $8.25 was too much!
Best character: Mooseblood, played by Chris Rock
The Holy Bible: New International Version
The Holy Bible: New International Version, GodFirst, the confession - I haven't read it, cover to cover. I'm closer now than I ever have been, though. I started about two years ago reading all the way through the New Testament, for a lot of reasons. I'm sure I've read everything in there at least once, just never in order. So, that took a while - too long, honestly, and when I got to the last word of Revelation ("Amen"), I thought, "hm, maybe I should just try to finish this whole thing out." So, I turned to Genesis 1:1, the beginning of a book I've read many many times and started reading it, once again. This time, however I was intent on finishing. For whatever selfish reasons, I got all the way to 1 Chronicles and hit a brick wall. (This was probably six months ago) Last night,God gave me the strenth to climb the wall and now He's pacing me through all these really weird names.
God loves us, a whole lot. I know it's easy not to see that, what with all the war that the Bible mentions and the plagues and the anihilation of those who turned from Him. But, at the end - He did everything because we are his most prized creation. We are the only thing on this earth that received his spirit to wake up. Whether we acknowledge it or not - He is in all of us. The Bible is not full of heroes or saints, as some may believe. Rather, it is overflowing with common folk, like ourselves, who only see face value. Person after person, people group after people group, the Bible shows that a moment of humility and an ounce of faith in His plan, rather than our own flimsy ambitions, equate to mountains of blessings that are heaped upon us like burning coals!
That's what I've gotten out of the Bible so far. Maybe it will change. If so, I'll keep you posted.
God loves us, a whole lot. I know it's easy not to see that, what with all the war that the Bible mentions and the plagues and the anihilation of those who turned from Him. But, at the end - He did everything because we are his most prized creation. We are the only thing on this earth that received his spirit to wake up. Whether we acknowledge it or not - He is in all of us. The Bible is not full of heroes or saints, as some may believe. Rather, it is overflowing with common folk, like ourselves, who only see face value. Person after person, people group after people group, the Bible shows that a moment of humility and an ounce of faith in His plan, rather than our own flimsy ambitions, equate to mountains of blessings that are heaped upon us like burning coals!
That's what I've gotten out of the Bible so far. Maybe it will change. If so, I'll keep you posted.
University of Tennessee Hodges Library
University of Tennessee Hodges Library
Praise the Lord for free public internet access at the UT Hodges Library! The hardest part of the visit is finding parking, and that too has proven to be fairly easy. Basically, if you get there after 5:00 PM on a weekday (except Fridays before Saturday football games) you can park in the lot right across the street from the massive 6-story library filled with computers, books (hello), a Starbucks and students. Students EVERYWHERE! I don't think I ever saw this many students at a Georgia Tech Homecoming Parade, much less the Tech library! The library has a plethora of quiet reading and group study rooms and has a pretty liberal food/drink policy that is pretty clearly posted.
Next time you are in Knoxville, and you are in the need of two hours of internet access a day, you can find it here - and a latte' to boot!
Praise the Lord for free public internet access at the UT Hodges Library! The hardest part of the visit is finding parking, and that too has proven to be fairly easy. Basically, if you get there after 5:00 PM on a weekday (except Fridays before Saturday football games) you can park in the lot right across the street from the massive 6-story library filled with computers, books (hello), a Starbucks and students. Students EVERYWHERE! I don't think I ever saw this many students at a Georgia Tech Homecoming Parade, much less the Tech library! The library has a plethora of quiet reading and group study rooms and has a pretty liberal food/drink policy that is pretty clearly posted.
Next time you are in Knoxville, and you are in the need of two hours of internet access a day, you can find it here - and a latte' to boot!
The Genesis Question
The Genesis Question, Hugh Ross, PhD
Very interesting. I find it very sad that there is almost a bigger debate going on between Christians who believe in a really old earth and Christians who believe in a really young earth than there is between those who believe in some intelligent design model and those who think it was all odds.
Well, this work focuses on the theories posed by Dr. Hugh Ross, founder of Reasons to Believe, an organization that focuses attention on capturing scientific data that support the Bible, and specifically, the first 11 chapters of Genesis. For example, the Hebrew word for day, "yom", can actually mean many different things. Dr. Ross asserts that it's use in the first chapter of Genesis is in reference to "a very long period of time" versus a 24-hour period. By making this hypotheses, he claims to support everything written from the Bible using a scientific and historical critical approach.
I think that his work lacked some substance. It seemed like a plausible hypotheses, however there wasn't enough meat to support his skeleton of a theory. I wrote a critical book review that was not graded very high, but you are welcome to peruse, if it piques your interest.
Regardless, if creation science is your "bag", this book needs to be on your list, as his hypotheses will undoubtedly come up in conversation at some point
Very interesting. I find it very sad that there is almost a bigger debate going on between Christians who believe in a really old earth and Christians who believe in a really young earth than there is between those who believe in some intelligent design model and those who think it was all odds.
Well, this work focuses on the theories posed by Dr. Hugh Ross, founder of Reasons to Believe, an organization that focuses attention on capturing scientific data that support the Bible, and specifically, the first 11 chapters of Genesis. For example, the Hebrew word for day, "yom", can actually mean many different things. Dr. Ross asserts that it's use in the first chapter of Genesis is in reference to "a very long period of time" versus a 24-hour period. By making this hypotheses, he claims to support everything written from the Bible using a scientific and historical critical approach.
I think that his work lacked some substance. It seemed like a plausible hypotheses, however there wasn't enough meat to support his skeleton of a theory. I wrote a critical book review that was not graded very high, but you are welcome to peruse, if it piques your interest.
Regardless, if creation science is your "bag", this book needs to be on your list, as his hypotheses will undoubtedly come up in conversation at some point
Chronology: Volume One
Chronology: Volume One, Third Day
If you have never listened to Third Day before, this is a great starter disc - especially, if you don't care about buying out their entire collection. Some of it is terrific! The best aspect, hands down, is the fact that both Volume One and Volume Two come with a DVD of early performances and shows when they were just out of high school! It's pretty crazy to see how they've changed! It's also amazing to see that God never has changed - the music they made then was incredible! Sure, they've gotten better as artists, but the painting hasn't changed much. This is a great thing, as a lot of artists try to "paint" different images in the hopes of reaching a different crowd (or a different wallet). Third Day has never seemed to do this. God is using them in some mighty ways and I look forward to Chronology Volume Three to come out in another ten years! Thanks, Brad, David, Mac, Mark, Tai, and everyone else who makes their ministry possible!
If you have never listened to Third Day before, this is a great starter disc - especially, if you don't care about buying out their entire collection. Some of it is terrific! The best aspect, hands down, is the fact that both Volume One and Volume Two come with a DVD of early performances and shows when they were just out of high school! It's pretty crazy to see how they've changed! It's also amazing to see that God never has changed - the music they made then was incredible! Sure, they've gotten better as artists, but the painting hasn't changed much. This is a great thing, as a lot of artists try to "paint" different images in the hopes of reaching a different crowd (or a different wallet). Third Day has never seemed to do this. God is using them in some mighty ways and I look forward to Chronology Volume Three to come out in another ten years! Thanks, Brad, David, Mac, Mark, Tai, and everyone else who makes their ministry possible!
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