Pampers Won Me Over With Their Commercial, So I Wrote About It

Hi there! I’ve been posting every day since January 1, 2020, which I can hardly believe myself. Back then, I had no idea the streak would go on for this long. I had no idea I’d be able to come up with enough things to write about. I write about relationships, movies, politics, current events, but I started gravitating towards TV/streaming commercials for two reasons: 1) The ads are good in one way or another and 2) the music. It turns out that people are as curious as I am about music that plays as the soundtrack for a commercial. For instance, one recent post is about baby diapers. I have very, very little experience with diapers but I watched the entire commercial because of the song. I liked the song enough to post about it that day.

That’s sort of the process for my posts, I guess. If it grabs my attention, I’ll write about it. When I woke up that one diaper-post morning, I had no idea I’d be writing about Pampers. I’ll be totally honest, there are a lot of days like that… where I wake up without any idea for what I’ll post. I like the challenge of posting every day because on those “unknown” days, I’m forced to think about what interests me or what I think might interest you. It’s a great way to keep from getting in a rut or a daily routine of going through the motions of being an adult. Work, groceries, chores, etc.

So I guess I’m thankful for diapers, but not in the same way at all as a parent whose baby just had a blowout.

-Out of the Wilderness

Why does God allow bad things to happen?

Forgive me, but when I hear this question my mind almost always goes to Ross in an episode of “Friends.”

That Ross, he’s so dramatic! But shampoo or moisturizer all over the inside of your suitcase IS annoying. Ross asks the question we’ve all asked at some point in our lives, I think, and it’s this: Why do bad things happen to good people? In other words, why does God allow it?

I’m not going to pretend like I’m wise enough to know the answer to that. But on a radio show the other day I heard an answer that helped put the question in perspective. The guy said that when the question is asked, it could be flipped just as easily: Why does God allow good things to happen?

That’s the first time I heard a response in that way… and all I could do was respond, “Hhhhmmm. Good point.” The ultimate answer is that God can do whatever He wants. He is all good but a lot of times people get in their own way. I can certainly attest to that (remember my goofball error earlier this year?). God has done Himself and us a big favor. He gave us free-will. Without it, we’re just robots. Without it, we can’t really show that we love Him. Think of a pet you love. If they were programmed to love us back, it wouldn’t mean anything. Not even close to how special it feels when a dog wags its tail at the sight of you, or a horse stands still so we can hug it.

Bad things happen and it sucks. This year has had more bad moments than I’d prefer but I’m going to try not blaming God for it. Instead, I want to go to Him as Jehovah Shalom, the Lord Our Peace. Immanuel, God With Us. Jehovah Rapha, the Lord Who Heals.

I’d love to get your thoughts on this topic. Comment below and subscribe if you have a second…

-Out of the Wilderness

T-Mobile and the Can of Whoop-Up?

I don’t think it means what they think it means. T-Mobile opted for the safe route (and maybe thought it was best to avoid a visit from the FCC?) by using a phrase no one has ever used– “a can of whoop-up”– instead of letting Billy Bob be Billy Bob. If they had used the phrase every knows and bleeped out the curse word, the commercial would be 139% better. Here’s the ad, the scroll down as I open a can of whoop-up on T-Mobile.

Not only did T-Mobile use an inferior version of the well-known phrase, they also didn’t even look up the definition of “whoop-up.” In other words, the monologue makes no sense when read in strictest interpretations. Each time I see this commercial on television, I hate it more.

“Instatalk” isn’t funny, nor is it funny when Billy Bob wonders where he is. It just makes him look like an out-of-touch boomer. I like Billy Bob Thornton. I making much ado about the script. At least partly to blame is Lucy McLellan, Chief Brand and Communications Officer at T-Mobile. She’s only been with T-Mobile for a couple of months but soon we will not cut her some slack. Get it together Lucy!

I was wondering when an ad would come along on par with this annoying Gillette commercial. Whoever wrote in the script, “It ain’t my dad’s razor, Dad!” needs to be slapped right in the face. Not as violence, but as discipline. T-Mobile, your slap is coming up next unless you admit what you’ve done.

-Out of the Wilderness

Lainey Wilson Living On Tulsa Time – The Dance Goes Live!

Lainey Wilson wins the weekend with a throwback to a song from the late 1970s. But that’s only part of what’s really cool about this new performance video. Starting her tour in Phoenix, Arizona, Lainey brought in dancers to boogie to the old song from Don Williams. Not just any dancers, though. The adorable and talented (and it makes my knees hurt just watching their fun, technical choreography) dancers from Impact Dance in Mesa, Arizona. Here’s the live Lainey video followed by a tutorial from the Christensen family.

Although the video just came out in the last day or so, the actual concert performance was last month. Here’s a news clip of some of the girls talking about the excitement of the moment a few weeks ago…

So cool! I hope those girls remember that moment and have tons of special memories throughout their childhood.

-Out of the Wilderness

Vince Gill Adds A Verse To “Go Rest High On That Mountain” and It’s Incredible

This song, as the popular phrase goes in 2025, is “one of one.” It reminds me of living in New York City, it was 1995 and I remember listening to this song on the Staten Island ferry after finishing basketball tryouts at Curtis High School, which was on Staten Island. Some people listen to rap, hip hop, rock, to get amped up. For me, it was always the deep emotional songs that inspired me before or after a competitive sports matchup. We didn’t stick around New York (my dad retired from the Coast Guard and we were in Florida a few weeks later), but the song has stuck with me all these years.

This week, Vince released what they’re calling an extended version of the wonderful song. In it, they add a new verse which goes like this: You’re safely home in the arms of Jesus. Eternal life, my brother’s found. A day will come, I know I’ll see him in that sacred place, on that Holy ground.

Originally it was written for people Vince Gill was close to (1990s) but since then it’s been performed countless times to memorialize special people in country music and beyond. One such moment is ingrained in my memory as Vince Gill performed at the funeral of George Jones. If you really want to be moved, watch this and notice Patty Loveless carrying the entire thing when Vince was so broken up and also listen to the passionate guitar solo about halfway through. Such a good song.

The verse isn’t new, per se. He has performed it for the last 5 or 6 years in live shows. It’s just that now it’s an official recording and the timing couldn’t be more significant with the passing of Charlie Kirk. Here’s a live version of the verse from a Vince Gill Christmas show a few years back.

-Out of the Wilderness