Simpsonized

I can't get enough of this. I don't know why, but I think this is so cool. If you are bored and need something to do, I challenge you to Simpsonize yourself and loved ones. Unfortunately, they do not Simpsonize pets, so Titan could not be included in this process.

National Worship Leaders Conference

I'm in the airport right now waiting to go home. I attended this conference in Austin, Texas this week. It was very good, and a time to refresh and refuel. It was challenging as well. I feel challenged to live a more selfless life as Jesus did. I'm challenged to keep Christ at the center of the worship at our church. I'm excited to get back and lead our people in praise to our God this Sunday. I learned some things, and was able to get to know new people from California, Missouri, Florida, and even a couple guys from Uganda. They were representing 56 churches that they are accountable to. It was very cool to talk to them. They even taught us a worship song they sing in their churches. It also made me appreciate that I live in the states. Even though our country is not really a God-fearing country anymore, we have a very comfortable way of life. I heard speakers like Scotty Smith, David Nasser, Marcos Witt, and Francis Chan. All very annointed speakers and leaders. I feel that guys like Francis Chan and David Nasser are definitely modern day prophets warning us of our idolatry and lack reverence for the living God. Very challenging. The highlight of the week for me was getting my song "My Peace" selected as the overall winner of the Song Discovery search. I will hopefully see that selected for one of the editions of Song Discovery CD, which goes to about 20,000 worship leaders all over the country. I give God the glory for all of this. He is the one that is our peace, and he came up with the whole idea and principle. I am feeling very privileged and undeserving to be able to serve in the capacity I do in the local church, and to have the freedom to attend these conferences. I'm feeling ridiculously undeserving of writing a song that is getting the attention it's gotten. There is definitely a God.

Texas

I am in Austin, Texas as I write this. So far, I can tell you that this the most weird road system ever I've driven on. I've pretty much got my way around figured out, but it took me a day and a half. This will make me appreciate the rest of the country more I guess.

Live Free or Die Hard

My Dad, my brother, and I decided to go and have a boys night out tonight. My brother's getting married and we don't get to hang out a lot with just the guys, so what better way to spend the night than to go see one of the ultimate guy movies: Die Hard. I haven't heard a lot about this movie, but I've seen the other Die Hard's, so I thought I had an idea about what to expect. I figured you'd see near death sequences that would end with Bruce Willis smirking and saying some funny, witty remark with cuts and scrapes and blood. This movie definitely delivered my expectations and some to say the least. I will say that a part of me enjoyed it, but a bigger part of me started to wonder if the screenwriter(s) was drunk or high when writing this. My other theory is that maybe they wanted to make it so over the top that the previous Die Hard movies suddenly seemed believable. I would definitely categorize this as more of a rental, but my Dad paid for my ticket, so no loss there. Plus, my brother and I laughed a lot, so it was worth seeing Bruce Willis divert the enemy helicopter with a burst fire hydrant. Need I say more?

Blue Like Jazz

I just got finished reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I really think this is a very important book for Christians and for skeptics of Christianity. I would definitely not recommend this to all Christians, because not all Christians are ready for this kind of honesty when speaking about faith. I would say that if you're a very conservative church goer, and not too into the changes that are taking place, you probably aren't ready for this book. If you are a ultra-Bush fan, I definitely wouldn't read this, because it just doesn't pull any punches. Like I said, it's very honest.
The beauty of Donald Miller's writing is that he is inspiring the reader to follow Jesus, as he tells you about all his short-comings. This book will inspire those that are ready to forget about materialism and your wants. Every person I've talked to that has read this says the same thing. The confession booth. When and if you read this book, you will always remember the chapter about the confession booth.
When I mention "those that are ready", I am simply talking about those that have figured out that we don't have it all figured out. You will strongly relate to Donald Miller. You will find his thoughts very humorous and compelling at the same time. This book is just very real, and we need more honesty like this from our authors and leaders, because no one has it all figured out just yet.