If you grew up Baptist…

There are a bazillion ways to prove you grew up Baptist, like if you went to church Sunday nights and only sang verses 1,2, and 4 of every hymn. Not verse 3. Never verse 3.

As a child, I’ll admit I wasn’t into the traditional hymns at all. I think it was because they took too long and I really, really wanted to be home playing Nintendo or street hockey or whatever else a pre-teen did in the early 90s.

At some point I became mature/ wise/ not a sinner and started to love the old hymns. Imagine all those years of rebellion, even locked in my room wondering what the words to verse 3 were. Sinner. But as I’ve grown into an adult, I’ve realized how poetic, personal, and Scriptural the words of many old hymns are. Modern songs rarely ever get there. Of course, there’s one hymn that sparked this post. At a church we attended in St. Petersburg, Florida, we’d all hold hands and sing the same song to conclude each Sunday service. It’s called “Because He Lives.” I think the best version I can include in this post features a few current bands and singers. The video below was recorded in 2020 when everyone was locked down, so they each performed their part in whichever city they lived in at the time, instead of singing it together in-person. Hope this brightens your day a bit! We can face uncertain days because He lives.

-Out of the Wilderness

Post Malone and I probably have little in common

I watched Post Malone’s video “Mourning” and then sort of went down a rabbit hole, watching videos of him with fans, at concerts, etc. One of the videos was a favorite of mine from a few years ago when he was part of an Elvis Presley tribute on TV.

You know, I can’t find any videos or pissed off people complaining about how rude Post Malone is. Why is that? Well, it’s because even with his fame and fortune, he really seems like one of the nicest dudes. It’s so easy to hope and wish that kind, humble, not to mention talented, find success in whatever they do. For what it’s worth, since Keith Urban is in the video, too, he’s one of the best people in country music. Such noble qualities I’ve observed over the years as I worked in country music and around town in Nashville.

Post Malone is a great example that you can’t judge a book by its cover. He’s covered in tattoos, a guy some of us wouldn’t want to be alone with in a dark alley as they say. But that’s based only on what our eyes see. It appears as though, under the surface, he’s a man of humility, kindness, and has a genuine appreciation for his fans. 

I love that.

-Out of the Wilderness

The Weather Channel is dead to me

I don’t think I’ve ever laughed at something as serious as a hurricane, but The Weather Channel MUST be getting into satire. Watch out Babylon Bee and The Onion! Take a look at a bizarre headline from TWC website yesterday, the day before Hurricane Idalia made landfall in northwest Florida. And for satire that’s not quite as funny, check out my Original Satire page.

Has there ever been a more sensationalized headline than “…results we haven’t seen in modern times”? Who the heck do they think they are? They should be beyond embarrassed to post stories like that. Do they not remember Andrew, Michael, and Katrina? Because of that, The Weather Channel is dead to me. What should we expect though, they even claim that they’re the best at providing weather. Goofballs.

Outside of radars and factual weather data, I will be treating The Weather Channel strictly as satire henceforth and forevermore.

-Out of the Wilderness

Ten things that are more believable than Fyre Festival 2

The festival that became famous for its lousy, embarrassing failure is allegedly back for round 2. This time they’ll have pb&j sandwiches instead of ham and cheese, get your tickets now! But seriously, I *did* put my name on the waiting list, because apparently it’s already sold out at $500/ticket, hmmmm OK that’s believable. It’s so believable that I’ve put together a list of 10 things that are even more believable than Fyre Festival 2 ever happening. Here we go!

10. The health benefits of Spam.

9. Life Insurance Agent of the Year, Hillary Clinton.

8. Hiring David Duke as your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) supervisor.

7. A man dating a transwoman but says he’s not gay.

6. Calling Mariah Carey the Queen of Christmas (when we all know it’s Darlene Love).

5. Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize.

4. Men love women wearing high-waisted jeans.

3. The United States’ noble involvement in the Ukraine/Russia war.

2. Going on a reality show and finding true love.

1. Being adopted by the Tuohys.

Bonus: A vegan thinking it’s OK that you’re not vegan.

-Out of the Wilderness

Tom MacDonald – Black & White, Eminem Shirt, and Other Colorful Thoughts

Leave it to this diverse trio to deliver a song that kicks my week off with a bang! I’m not talking about 90s Christian rappers DCTalk with their satirical song, “Two Honks and a Negro.” Instead of Toby, Mike, and Kevin, it’s Tom, Adam, and Dax. They’re so much more than just a demographic, so who cares what color their skin is? That’s the sentiment behind the new track called “Black & White.” Take a look then scroll down for more info…

The editing. Nova Rockafeller is responsible for the video production and this might very well be her best yet. Heavy on the graphics and effects but not once does that distract from the main characters, of course that’s Tom, Adam, and Dax. The effects I loved the most are in the screen grabs below.

Slim Shady Shirt. Tom is wearing an Eminem shirt throughout the music video. It’s not the first nod to the iconic rapper, he’s referenced Eminem in previous songs. This shirt is from The Slim Shady Tour back in 1999. Has Eminem really been around for almost 25 years already?? Soon the real Slim Shady is going to need assistance to please stand up. You can find the shirt on Etsy or eBay, then cut the sleeves off yourself making you that much closer to being as cool as Tom.

-Out of the Wilderness