a couple of thoughts i had

1. I’ve been a member of two young churches–my Waco church is about 10 years old and Kaleo is only about 4 years old. Most of the people are pretty young, too; even the oldest people aren’t old old. I had a crazy thought the other day: What are all these young churches going to be like when they’re not so young anymore, when we’re all grandparents? What about when we’re all dead and gone? Will they still be faithful to the Gospel? How will they have grown and changed? How will they be reaching out to the community around them? Something to pray for. “One generation will tell of your works to another…”

2. Here’s a question: We talk a lot about how the fellowship between the Father and the Son was interrupted at the cross–what was the Spirit doing at this point? Do we really know, or can we just come up with conjecture? Was the fellowship between the Son and the Spirit interrupted as well? (This is the fun part of being Trinitarian, isn’t it?)

t13

This week: 13 ways you stay cool, especially if you live below the Mason-Dixon line.

1. Shorts and skirts, preferably of the cotton variety.
2. Popsicles! (My parents, when they were first married, did some random thing with their church’s youth group that involved a [clean] trash can, a bunch of Kool-Aid, and a McDonald’s freezer. Somehow, I think this is brilliant.)
3. Cold shower.
4. Driving with the windows down (which is more fuel-efficient at high speeds…).
5. Drinking a lot of water…and sweet tea…and lemonade…
6. Eating ice cubes.
7. Staying inside with the air conditioning on.
8. Sleeping in my room (my room, for some reason, is always freezing).
9. Listening to Christmas music and envisioning snow. (I’m serious. This totally works.)
10. I don’t actually have one of these, but I want one of those cheap little fold-out paper fans you can get for cheap in Chinatown, the ones with the metal handles (you know what I mean, right?).
11. Playing my guitar on our (shaded) front walkway.
12. Reading “cold” books–stuff that takes place in northern Europe in the winter or something.
13. Washing the car. If I’m gonna be outside when it’s 100+ degrees outside, I need to be doing something that gets water on me, or I’ll probably disintegrate.

a couple of songs

mix tape monday

This week: Songs that make you think of summer.

1. Zwan - Lyric
2. The Decemberists - The Perfect Crime #2
3. Counting Crows - Hanginaround
4. U2 - I Threw A Brick Through A Window
5. Bruce Springsteen - Worlds Apart
6. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
7. Waterdeep - Stay In Touch
8. Beck - Que Ondo Guero?
9. Derek Webb - Name
10. Jimmy Eat World - Futures
11. Ethan Durelle - Benioff
12. 13th Floor Elevators - You’re Gonna Miss Me
13. Wilco - I’m The Man Who Loves You
14. Judy Garland - Get Happy
15. The Eisley Brothers - Shout (Parts 1 and 2)

because i can’t believe i posted a post about why i’m not posting…

…you guys get a real post.

(starting music: Shaded Red - Revolution)

1. ^ That song is so great. If you were listening to a lot of CCM in the late ’90s, like I was, you probably recognize it. Too bad the band broke up and the CD’s out of print…

2. So, something I was convicted about last week at church is that repentance doesn’t just consist in mourning about our sin, but turning out of our sorrow to the joy that is Christ. My tendency is to walk around miserable about my sin for a while and then forget to come out of my darkness into His light–and that’s the only way real change comes about. Otherwise, it’d be about my efforts and feelings, and that’d be missing the point altogether, wouldn’t it?

3. I’ve recently become addicted to a site called Sporcle. Check it out, unless you have a lot to do, in which case I really don’t recommend it.

4. I have a couple of things in the works…I might share them with you, I might not. Currently reading through all the Narnia books (and by the way, Prince Caspian is a pretty decent flick…it doesn’t hurt that Ben Barnes is pretty easy on the eyes, ahem). Gonna start Zadie Smith’s White Teeth soon. Not that this is really important or anything. Isn’t blogging great for making the mundane suddenly interesting?

5. I feel like I should be saying something a lot better than this. But I’m sleep-deprived, and haven’t really been thinking or doing anything interesting lately. Just life as normal. Work, home, out with friends on occasion, church, that’s it. The ordinary. But that’s where we all live, isn’t it? So, there it is. But if my blog ever turns into a record of what I had for lunch, please kick me in the shins. Thanks.

It’s two in the morning and I feel as though I should be writing something profound, which is probably a good sign that I shouldn’t. I also have this need to give you guys a real post, but again–two a.m. Something good to come soon, I hope.

pray.

Steven Curtis Chapman’s 5-year-old daughter was hit by a car and died yesterday evening.

t13

This week: The last 13 albums you bought (or otherwise obtained).

1. Foy Vance, Hope.
2. Paste Sampler #42.
3. Bruce Springsteen, The Rising.
4. Paste Sampler #41.
5. Josh Ritter, Golden Age of Radio.
6. Anthony Rapp, Look Around.
7. Radiohead, In Rainbows.
8. Sufjan Stevens, Greetings From Michigan.
9. Shane & Shane, Psalms.
10. Bruce Springsteen, Magic.
11. Andrew Osenga, Photographs.
12. Patty Griffin, Impossible Dream.
13. Andrew Peterson, Carried Along.

mix tape monday

This week: Guitars and vocals only. No harmonica, no percussion, no bass or accordion or piano or anything. Just a human being and a guitar.

1. Andrew Osenga - Anna and the aliens
2. Sandra McCracken - Springtime Indiana
3. Christian Kane - LA Song
4. Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
5. Bob Dylan - Mr. Tambourine Man
6. Dave Matthews - Christmas Song
7. Iron & Wine - Naked As We Came
8. Caedmon’s Call - Center Aisle
9. Lori McKenna - Fake Plastic Trees
10. Glen Hansard - Say It To Me Now
11. The Decemberists - Of Angels and Angles
12. Foy Vance - Indiscriminate Act of Kindness
13. The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers - Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy

(run time: 61:50)

t13

This week: 13 features of your dream house (thanks, Joel).

1. A front porch with a swing.
2. Azalea bushes with white flowers.
3. A library/study.
4. Lots of counter space in the kitchen.
5. Built-in surround sound connected to both the TV and the stereo system.
6. Wood floors.
7. A window seat.
8. A solarium.
9. A walk-in closet big enough to stick a chair in (don’t ask).
10. Above-ground hot tub.
11. A really big dining room.
12. A covered deck.
13. Space to put up multiple guests.