You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December 2009.
Now comes the special time of year where I look back and recollect all the things that happened and dream about the next year. In short, this past year was rather lackluster. Sure, good things happened such as deepening new friendships and making new memories (especially during a snow storm), taking part in two weddings, finishing my first year of college (and another novel), winning a songwriting contest (kinda), and etc….but on the whole, this year leaves no real strong impression on my mind. The first few months kinda mesh with 2008 and then the rest sorta disappears into a haze.
But I have a theory on why this year did not really impress. You read, every other year, particularly the even years, are the ones that stand out. It started in ’04. That was the year God got a complete hold on me and I started living like one following Him. ’05 was bleh, but ’06 was mostly spectacular thanks to things that happened during my sophomore days in high school. ’07 fairs slightly better, but ’08 is where it’s at with many memories rushing to mind. That year was like “a dream within a dream.” And now ’09 has lived up to its expectations;simply,there were none. So a down year is not very surprising to me. Obviously I’m looking forward to ’010 as a year of promise.
So far, though, first glances aren’t too bright. I’ll be taking a semester of online classes at home (which could fail miserably) and thus I’ll be away from dear friends and church members down in Louisville. But let’s look to the bright side. I have a shot at taking the gold in the aforementioned songwriting competition, I plan on submitting a novel to publishers and could (Lord willing) have my first book published, maybe I could start something musically…Maybe I’ll get a girlfriend..ahahaha!..hm.
So I bid adieu to 2009 with little hesitation. Certainly ’010 can be a better year than this?
Haha,just looked up my “reflections” post from last year on my original blog. Check it out if you have the time and interest: http://schooltimemysteries.freewebspace.com/blog/500533/Reflections
Yes, I just used “ain’t” as a word in my title. Put that in your proverbial pipe and smoke it over a glass of chai latte tea buiscuits.
Right now it’s a little after midnight and Christmas Day 2009 is yawning awake to a glorious dawn…in a few hours (days enjoy hitting the snooze button as much as I do). Who knows, maybe at this moment 2000 years ago shepherds were skipping around a Christmas tree just before the angels showed up and scared the wits out of them. They then sheepishly (haha!get it?you don’t?just smile and nod..) made their way to a straw-ruffed barn/cave/thing where Baby Jesus was lying in His manger under the luminous glow of Mary’s halo (Joseph just had a staff)…and then I realize, Jesus wasn’t born in December! It was probably springtime! Boy, am I an idiot!
But I digress from the true point here. My real thought goes back to the fact that I’m up past midnight on Christmas day. Believe it or not, my parents beat me to bed, the stockings aren’t stuffed yet, Santa is a no-show, and there are clean dishes in the dishwarsher!
Maybe I’m growing up, but Christmas just doesn’t feel the same this season. I just don’t have the “holiday cheer” anymore. Not even all the Bing Crosby Christmas covers can ignite a spark in me. I’m not as excitable as I used to be. There’s no special “feeling” to it anymore. It’s simply become a day where I wake up, exchange presents and then float around the house (for me,the “Christmas miracle” is the ability to levitate).
I guess when I boil it down–when I boil the whole season down for that matter–it comes to a realization of the superficiality of this time of the year. This is the one time when most people are happy, giving, church-going, caring, kinding, etcing..and that’s great and all..but why can’t this last the whole year round? Why is that once the lights go down, the decorations disappear, and Santa goes on vacation that we have to return to “normalcy”? For the world, this superficiality is surprising,and yet expected. For Christians, it’s uncalled for. The Bible doesn’t say to have the “holiday spirit” only around Christmas, but to be “Spirit-filled” year round (see Ephesians 5:15-21 for an example). Chew on that while you chew on your honey-baked ham.
I’ve noticed quite a few Christian music sites giving their choices of the best music from the past decade (2000-2009). I may be no connoisewer, but I sure have my opinions and that’s all that lists are,right? So what I will do is go through my personal CD collection and note what I think is the best from this past decade in no particular order..
Petra–Jekyll & Hyde (2003)
This classic band bowed out halfway through the decade, but they left off with one of their best studio albums. This album can rock with the best of the modern day acts, and even better (these songs actually rhyme)..If you enjoy classic rock, pick this bad boy up (it’s also a quick, 31 minute listen).
Stryper–Murder By Pride (2009)
Okay, this may not be the best album of the decade, in fact, it sounds exactly like the band just picked up where they left off in the 80′s…mainly because they did..But nevertheless, there’s a little more meat on album lyrically and it was very pleasant to listen to a Christian album that was straight-up gospel and didn’t bother meandering into to social justice issues.
Jars of Clay–Good Monsters (2006)
Pretty much every album they’ve released this decade could go on this list but the Jars’ subtle commentary on Christians’ obsessions with “junk”(or sin) is the best of the bunch (in my opinion, of course). The cover art of the band being “filled” with said junk adds to the weight of this clever album.
Seabird–‘Til We See the Shore (2008)
I still can’t get over this album. I was seriously spinning this disc constantly for nearly a year before I wore it out. The mature messages of transitioning into life were exactly what I needed as I headed into college. Even though I may not keep the CD constantly in my player like before, i still turn to some of these songs for comfort.
Jon Foreman–Fall and Winter EPs (2007-2008)
Really his entire EP set (from Fall to Summer) should be here, but the Fall and Winter collection stands out the most in my mind. It’s dark and realistic, but being realistic allows it to offer more realistic hope. The music is seemingly simplistic, yet charming and the biblical messages run deeper than I had expected.
David Crowder Band–A Collision (2005)
I must admit I’m not a huge DCB fan. But I have to give credit to good, clever, and creative music when I hear. This album is certainly creative, clever, and even intriguing. The music’s not much to my test, but I can’t turn down most of the lyrics and smile at the ingenuity and insanity of this group.
Runner’s Up (in other words, they’re good, but not the best)…
II Guys from Petra–Vertical Expressions (2007)
First, you have to admit the cleverness of the name..this group is Petra founder Bob Hartman and Petra’s last lead singer John Schlitt giving fresh takes on classic modern worship songs. They decided to just call themselves that since that’s what everyone would call them anyway. Humorous and witty. The musical arrangements are just as clever. Their version of “God of Wonders” blows that Third Day corroboration thing version clear out of the water–this version has a real solo. The other arrangements are just as good and fresh. If you’re looking to buy this album (and if you love the praise and worship genre,you should), you can buy it online at Petra’s merch store.
John Schlitt–The Grafting (2008)
What’s striking about this album is how mature it sounds, simply because it tackles issues from a biblical perspective (why don’t more Christian groups do that?). What this album could’ve used was some guitar solos (or any solos) and a break from a lyrical pattern that grew redundant. It also had a sort of low-quality feel to it which is a shame, cause this album has a lot of potential.
Chris Tomlin–Arriving (2004)
It made him popular and for good reason. The worship songs are stellar and the feel is perfect for a modern church atmosphere.
Kutless–Sea of Faces (2004)
In my mind, this is Kutless’ best. They were driving their points home with the gospel and not much else. They became a little more ambiguous on Hearts of the Innocent, but avoid that on this album. Instrumentation is lacking on this disc though.
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So that’s it! Whew! What do ya think?
So last week I had a CT scan (commonly known as a “cat” scan even though cats have nothing to do with it), and I will give a brief story behind that because while that isn’t the point of this post, I know if i continue on all 2 of you will be like “why’d he have a cat scan ‘im, again?” Basically I was having headaches and I wanted to get it checked out…that’s a very summed up version. Nothing was wrong..nothing was there. My head feels lighter and cleaner already.
Anyways,the day before the cat scan I went into Wendy’s to tell them the news and mainly inform them to not call me in that day. The main person who works front counter on weekdays is a sweet,little old lady named Granny (that’s not her real name,mind you,but she is like a Granny to the store,not just because of her age but because she’s been there basically since the store opened…she coulda been Dave Thomas’ mother..besides this she reminds me of a snapping turtle..but don’t let that deter the kind,benevolent, grandmotherly image in your mind..she is kind;she just happens to remind me of a snapping turtle,that’s all). As I was leaving, Granny said to me, “My thoughts will be with ya.” And suddenly it occured to me what a stupid phrase that was.
I mean,think about it. My thoughts will be with you? What does that mean? What good can that possibly do unless you have telekinesis? Okay, I’ll be on her mind so I have her love, but how is that comforting? Again, what good will her thoughts do?
See the stupidity of that? Yet this is basically the atheist’s version of prayer. They don’t have a higher, Supreme, ultimately Sovereign Being to turn to and so the best offering they can give is their “thoughts.” It’s nice to know that as a child of God I don’t have this problem. When someone needs help, I don’t just devote a moment of thought to ‘em, I can boldly approach God’s throne where Christ intercedes on my behalf with the assurance of the Spirit that my prayers will be heard. I’m not merely looking to myself to try and comfort the person in need, I’m looking to God to care for a person I care about…and that’s much smarter and comforting.
What you are about to read (or “see” depending on if you believe in reading or not) is what I consider a “classic” blog post from my first blog at http://schooltimemysteries.freewebspace.com. I wrote it last December when I noticed something and started theorizing. I did add some material to it to tweak my theory,but this is basically the original post. It’s somewhat serious, mostly satirical..but enjoy it anyway and tell me what you think:
Permit me to philosophically muse for a moment here and put forth a theory I’ve been developing lately. Recently I’ve felt that winter is the best time to fall in love with someone and begin a relationship. Why? Think about it. It’s colder. We want to get closer to each other and feel warmth,like holding someone’s hand as opposed to sticking yours into your pocket(as opposed to someone else’s). Next,the trees shed their leaves completely…they’re so barren..we feel that barreness in our hearts. It makes us feel alone and we long for human companionship. On top of this,note the romantic holidays and practices associated with this season…
Thanksgiving. A time for rest and families…okay not so romantic..unless you’re showing your family your new boy/girl friend! Then Christmas. Giving presents to people you care about. Romantic conotations are written all over that! And what about the mistletoe? “Kiss me if we happen to meet under this twig” was obviously established by a couple in love around the holidays. Now New Years. What happens when the ball drops and the clock strikes midnight?What are you supposed to do? Kiss someone close to you…as long as you know and love them..(I want to be clear here that I’ve never actually kissed anyone at midnight on new years except my mom and sister…but immediate family doesn’t count).
Then in February you have Valentine’s Day. Originally that holiday was all about bunnies. But Cupid’s really a jerk and he booted them to Easter. So now the day is dedicated to showing that special someone how special you think they are (I want to be clear here that I’ve never had a “special someone” on that day to show how special they are…I had a guinea pig once..but family pets don’t count). We could even dare stretch it to St. Patrick’s Day. Other than annoyingly pinching people who forget to wear green, what do we say? “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” Key word there is “kiss.” And need I mention walks in the woods, ice skating, looking at Christmas lights, snowball fights, building snowmen, climbing trees, and warming up by the fire with some hot chocolate and peppy background music? No, I don’t need to mention those…but I did anyway.
So I think my case for falling in love during winter is pretty solid from a certain point of view. Maybe it’s just me. I know what you’re thinking, “Are you hinting at something here?” Nope,I’m just putting forth a crazy hypothesis. To a point I’m joking,to a point I’m not. The practical outcome? Well,understand,that going through loneliness at this time of the year is probably natural thanks to the holidays and all the activities those entail. You’re not alone….so you know,start a club or something…but be sure you invite me.
