God's Country...Tomorrow

I am heading back to Texas tomorrow morning for a week.

Finally, I will be back in the land of good BBQ and Mexican Food.

Is it bad that I am more excited about the food than seeing family?

Last Thursday's review...almost a week later.

I have been reviewing to many books lately I though I would shift gears a bit. I recently got the new CD from The Myriad called "With Arrows, With Poise".

The Myriad is the band that won the MTV contest for the next big artist out there. It is cool that they won, since most Christians do not make creative music that is still easily listened to by a large number of people.

So on to the review. I love this album. That is about as easy of a review I can think of. It is a great album that does not sound like every other Christian musician (that being a Eddie Veder sound-a-like voice over the top of Nickleback-esque music...see Todd Agnew).

This album opens with the track "You Waste Time Like A Grandfather Clock" which is a great track that makes me think of playing spades, only due the line "that when we start counting sandbags". This is followed by the track "Get On The Plan" which is slightly more upbeat but still in the same vain as "You Waste Time..."

The third song "Forget What You Came For" starts with a simple piano riff that remind me of Ben Folds...except better. It is a more mellow song that sounds almost like a b-side from Radiohead's The Bends album. This track is followed by the first single "Clean Shot" which has a bass head that defies you to bob your head up and down. This is a fun song that deserves to be played loudly in your car while driving around this summer. I am also partial to this song because it is my ring tone.

"The Accident" begins with a driving guitar which is a little bit different than the majority of these songs. After the first few seconds this songs begins to take shape into a song that is more similar with the others on the album.

"Holiest of Thieves" is a slightly slower track which is also very beautiful. This is a track that can sing you to sleep and also get stuck in your head...which is not good for narcoleptic people...they have enough problems already. The next track "A Thousand Winters Melting" might be my favorite all around track. It is catchy and also recalls images of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardro

"Polar Bears And Shark Fins" is a mix of industrial and piano, which might sound weird, but it is a good song.

The album closes out in a fairly solid format. I could highly recommend this album, it does not disappoint. FYI: If it does not sound great the first time, give it a couple of listens, it is a grower.

For fans of:
Radiohead
Midlake
Pilotdrift
Pedro The Lion

Tracks to hear:
"Clean Shot"
"A Thousand Winter Melting"
'Stuck In A Glass Elevator"

Track to skip:
"Don't Let Them See You"

so true...so, so true

Time Killer

I think today you should send an email to your co-workers asking them if they feel they are prepared to respond to an unsolicited email, even if they think it is a total waste of their time.

Ice Blocking

Yesterday I went Ice Blacking for the first time ever.

Ice Blocking is when you sit on a block of ice and then slide down a hill and try to stay balanced.

It was a great time and I wish I had head of this before...but I grew up in Lubbock, Tx so there was not point in doing that...because there are no hills...it would have just been sitting on a black of ice.

Anyway, if you are bored this weekend then give it a shot. Also, if you are bored this weekend and in the Denver area you can always help us with our CREW Garage Sale for students who are trying to raise money to go to camp.

Review Thursday-The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies

I recently finished this book by Tim Challies who is a web designer who hails from the Great White North. Although I have had my difference with Canadians over the years (they try to pawn of ham as "Canadian Bacon"...I'm not buying it...it is to different parts of pig) I was still very fond of this book.

This book does not have a misleading title...it is about the act of discernment which is a discipline that has not been the focus of much attention in recent years.

Challies attempts to engage the reader and spur them on to making discernment a daily part of their lives.

He also corrects the thinking that discerning is a spiritual gift that is given to some but not to all. It is clear throughout scripture that we are to discern what is right and pleasing to God. It is much like the spiritual gift of worship. Some might have been given a musical ability to lead other in worship, but that does not replace the fact that all Christians are called to be worshipers of God in spirit and truth.

In this book the comparison is made between discerning good and evil with discerning counterfeit currency. Apparently Canada is known for three things...1. Maple Syrup 2. Funny comedians (Mike Myers, Martin Short, The Kids in the Hall 3. Counterfeit Money. Sorry, Alanis Morrisette did not make the list.

Although this analogy wears thin at times it still makes a valid point. Sometimes Satan will try to trick us with something that looks and sounds good, but upon closer inspection and comparing it with scripture we see that there may be no good in it at all.

The book is nothing new...but still worth looking into.

sleep

I need some sleep. For some reason I woke up last night and could not go to sleep.

Maybe it was sugar. Maybe it was bad sushi. Maybe it was a bad dream. Maybe it was the drunk monkey in the corner yelling at me in Spanish (which might be a side effect of bad sushi)/