Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
I’m basically in constant search mode for songs to add to my summer playlist… which actually is called “Beach Beats” (click here on Spotify). I didn’t expect to find one today but here we are about to listen to a new song together. Check out “Day One” by Childlike CiCi and Lecrae.
Something about her stage name is already my favorite thing. Childlike CiCi. So cool and unique. Her story is encouraging, too. Click here for a bit of her bio.
My journey took a turn when I tried making secular music publicly, but this path ultimately led me back to Christ. Raised in a faith-based family, life challenges led me to temporarily drift away from my faith. Despite gaining attention from a secular artist, labels and teams, God intervened in my life in 2019, showing me that my lifestyle and music were doing the enemy’s work. I realized I couldn’t serve two masters, so I deleted my social media and wholeheartedly surrendered my life to Christ.
Carrie Underwood told John Foster that if he keeps fooling around he might just win this thing. A comment reminiscent of Lionel Richie’s words last season to a contestant that, a few minutes later, was eliminated. But John Foster is happy he didn’t follow in those footsteps. He made it to the top 3 which isn’t surprising since he was the only country singer in the top 5. Country singers tend to do well on Idol. It’s a solid lane to be in. I’m about to give away who else made the top 3 so if that’s a spoiler for you, skip down to the section called “The Judges Really Stink”. Breanna also advanced and I think it’s because she knows her lane, Christian music. Jamal also made it into the top 3 because, just like the other 2, he has a lane: R&B, soul, gospel.
So that leaves two contestants out: Slater Nalley and Thunderstorm Artis. Coincidentally, my favorite (Slater) and my dad and sister’s favorite (Thunderstorm). I think they lost out partly because of a little bit of ambiguity on what genre of music they’ll making. They’re not country, soul, pop, rock, etc. Where would they fit in the music industry? It’s not that voters necessarily think about that and choose to vote or withhold their votes, but I’m sure there are producers behind the scenes wondering about such things. Money. Who’s going to bring in the dollars? While Slater and Thunderstorm are incredible, if they were to be cast as the singer/songwriter type… well, there’s just not as big of an audience for that as country, R&B, Christian, gospel. So if there’s any influence coming from the people pulling the strings, this is where their opinion would hold a lot of weight– having a say in who comes out as the winner of Idol.
With all that said, I’m not totally shocked about the final 3. Jamal’s YouTube views are booming. John’s are high, too. Breanna is a little perplexing but the numbers for Slater and Thunderstorm (at least according to YouTube views) just weren’t there. Of course, it could be that a performer is liked by a lot of people but those people didn’t vote. So among voters, Jamal and John and Breanna are the most popular. Plus, who in their right mind can dislike Jamal? His story is incredible, his heart is big, and his voice is smooth. He’s got the right ingredients to become the next American Idol, and I predict he will be.
The Judges Really Stink. OK, that’s a bit harsh. The judges are fine people. They are kind, joyful, happy, positive, pleasers. But a “judge” in almost every sense of the word absolutely cannot be all of those things. There were singers that stank to high heaven and the judges praised them. Singers who had no business advancing and yet, nothing but roses from the judge panel. No constructive criticism, no criticism at all. During this last two-night round, I decided I’d had my fill of all the positivity. It’s just annoying now.
Once this season is over, I’ll need a break from this trio. They’re cool and all, but I wish they cared less about preserving their own careers and ripped on some contestants. You might disagree with me about that and that’s OK, but I bet we agree that Jamal will be the 2025 American Idol, right?
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This isn’t a TikTok story. It’s not about a clock either. You have one more guess.
Now I’m sorry I even included that GIF. Ticks are pretty gross but if you guessed correctly, you win! Or lose? Well, I think we all lose when it comes to ticks. Maybe that’s why I like possums as much as I do. Studies show that possums eat a lot of ticks, but then I just read that possums don’t eat ticks as much as we’ve been lead to believe. Whatever the truth is, the weather’s warming up and I’ve already noticed more ticks than usual. Like, just walking from my camper door to the edge of the awning. Walking on a camping mat, just dirt underneath that. I return to the camper and feel *something* on my leg. How in the world did that tick get there!? What’s your experience with ticks been in 2025 so far?
I had another encounter last night.
I can think of a few things I’d want in my bed and a tick is not on that list! It was sometime in the early hours, maybe 4am? I was laying in bed and there was a sensation on my arm. I waited. Surely it can’t be what I suspect. There it is again. I turn on a light. Sure enough, the little booger was crawling up my forearm. How and when it got into my bed, I don’t even want to consider! If they’re already this active, I foresee a summer of being ticked off… a lot.
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Thunderstorm’s at it again with an original song that propelled him to the Top 5 of American Idol. Here are the lyrics of his original song called “Out of the Blue” and if you have a moment, like this post and leave a comment!
Thunderstorm Artis “Out of the Blue”
There’s not enough hours in a day but if there were I’d spend all 25 with you Sit and watch them all fade But I wouldn’t have a clue
There’s no words I can write No song I could sing Count the ways you saved my life You are the reason I believe
Your green eyes are soft like the summer and your touch can put out the embers of my burning heart from that gray December
When it’s dark you are the sunshine breaking through Yeah you, said you brought me out of the blue
brought me out, brought me out Out of the blue
Brought me out, brought me out Out of the blue
Out of the blue
Your green are soft like the summer and your touch can put out the embers of my burning heart from that gray December
When it’s dark, you are the sunshine breaking through Yeah you, said you brought me out of the blue
There’s this new music video from Ed Sheeran and I definitely wasn’t ready to feel this deeply just from a song about a phone. Plus, I had no idea they had cell phones in Ipswich (somewhere in England?) but I guess the people in Ipswich might wonder about people having phones somewhere in backwoods Alabama. Touché. And yes I just touchéd my own sentence. Take a look at the video, listen to the song, try to keep from being led astray by nostalgia…
Nostalgia: 1
Me: 0
I was immediately transported back to my earliest cell phone (it’s so old it didn’t even have a camera!). College shenanigans (recorded on an 8mm video camera to give you an idea how far back those videos go). Then to my early years living in Nashville. I watched old videos I’d uploaded to YouTube over 15 years ago. My beagle puppy Piper running and jumping, two things she can’t do anymore. The voice of an ex-girlfriend still as familiar as the day the video was recorded.
Looking back isn’t a bad thing to do, but like the lyrics of the song recommend, “I put it back inside there from whence it came, nothing good will come from regretting.” Leave the past right where it is because, just like in another song about the past…
“Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth. But trust me on the sunscreen.”
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Out of the Wilderness 