If you know me at all, you know I really, really love music. The songs that seem to stick with me and have a lasting impression offer something more than a nice melody. It’s about the lyrics, but it’s also about the whole presentation. But mostly, it’s the lyrics. Two bands at the top of my list have been there for a while, it’s Muse and Zac Brown Band. Couldn’t be more different in their styles, but it’s the words that stop me in my tracks; they write songs I wish I wrote. If breakups are a black cloud, songs like these are the silver lining. Here’s “Goodbye In Her Eyes” from Zac Brown Band and “Madness” from Muse. Be sure to check out the Misa Digital Kitara, which is the instrument making the synth sound in Muse’s video. It’s kinda awesome.
Easy Decisions on Election Tuesday
It’s 2012 and you know what that means, we elect a president for the next 4 years! For most, the decision on who to vote for is easy because you either like this guy: 
or this guy: 
But for those who are still undecided, perhaps these easy choices will help you have enough confidence to pick a President, also.
Decision #1: Wearing a pair of brown shoes. Obviously, choosing a pair should be easy… unless you’re me. I realized during a Sunday church sermon that I wore 1 shoe from 2 different pairs. Was God laughing? Probably.
Decision #2: This is an easy one. Of course you want to wash all your clothes at the Jumbo Washette! But, isn’t a jumbo washette just a normal-sized wash? You can’t have a large miniature pincher. It’s simply a doberman pincher then.
Decision #3: Stay one more year, kid.
Decision #4: When it’s hailing outside, do you: A. drive in it, or B. not drive in it…?
Now go out there and vote, you can do it!
Betty White on Facebook
“Now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it seems like a huge waste of time.”
–Betty White about Facebook, May 2010
So recently a friend of mine challenged me to get my Facebook friends down to 13. To give you some context… I’ve chatted quite a bit with him about the pros and cons of Facebook, he’s never been on Facebook, and he knows I’m competitive. I’ve come down to 40 38 32 31 13 14 18 friends so far and I’m thinking Betty White was right. Trust me, I can waste my time doing much more productive things than Facebook!
I Don’t Know What the Future Holds
…but I know who holds the future. Have you ever heard that before? It’s a catchy, thoughtful little quote that Christians like to say when things are uncertain. I’ve certainly used it for comfort at various points in my life and when I say various points, I mean when I wonder who I’ll marry or if all my mistakes have lead me miles away from where I should be or could be. Earlier this week I thought more about the word ‘trust’ and how it connects to faith. Because that ‘holds the future’ thing is really all about trust. If we really believed, like if we really, really believed, knowing that God is in control, that He really “holds the future,” that we can really trust Him completely, believing that everything that happens, happens for a reason, and even beyond that, He knows about everything that happens and that nothing happens that He hasn’t accounted for or planned on, if we believed that even with the chaos we see every single minute in our hometowns, in our states, in our country, in the world, in our heads, that He is actually in control, that He actually has a plan, that He actually isn’t surprised by anything ever, that nothing happens beyond what He allows, that there is an end goal and a finish line for all of us, that the world, as in the actual earth, is longing for Him, too, that as society crumbles and people act more and more crazy, act more and more selfish, less and less tolerant to Him and what he brings, less tolerant to those they call intolerant, even through all that, He counts the hairs on our head, He’s still got compassion for those that love him and those that hate him, He reaches out to hug us, to protect us, He loves us and even likes us, His angels are entertained by watching His creation (us) like I’m entertained watching His creation (dolphins and horses, more specifically), to really believe he can hold all the love and all the hate and all the greatness and sadness, all the victories and defeats that every one of us face, all the disappointment and all the success, all the governments that may or may not acknowledge Him, he can hold all of that in a balance that allows us to still live even when we don’t deserve it, to love even though we don’t really know how, to laugh even when we might be suffering… well, if we really believe He’s actually in control, as if He’s actually got a plan for the big future (mankind) and the little future (mine and yours)…
I don’t see how that wouldn’t change everything about everything.
It Must Be That Time of the Month
I seem to be suffering from monthly “man stuff” today, but it’s definitely from unnatural causes—ahem, fantasy football. It’s funny and slightly disturbing that the start of the week can be so negatively affected by something this trivial—ahem, losing at fantasy football. Like, if I won this week’s matchup, all would be right in the world; I have a good job, good friends, two fun dogs, a couple of dates lined up, and an exciting week ahead. But when I lose, it’s just icing on the cake wreck; the world is falling apart, my job is difficult, my friends are lame, my dogs disobey and so do my dates, and this week’s outlook is boring with a chance of heavy disappointment. All because I didn’t start Dwayne Bowe and now—ahem, I’ve lost 4 games in a row.
This “man stuff” stinks sometimes. Period.
Out of the Wilderness 