Currently Listening II By Maylene & The Sons of Disaster see related

MuteMath Show

Well, as was mentioned in the previous post, I was able to make it to the MuteMath show.  It was quite possibly the best concert I've been too in terms of interaction with the bands and being up close and personal.  My friend Jordan and his fiance, as well as my friend Anthony went up to Boulder early and we were able to make it to the very front of the stage, which meant that we were resting our hands on the stage.  Yeah, very close up.  There were two groups that played; the Cinematics which reminded me of The Killers along with Franz Ferdinand.  They were pretty cool and had a good sound.  The second group was called Somebody Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin.  Yeah, if the name is an indication of how they were, no more questions are necessary.  They opened with a couple of songs that seriously sounded like Weezer covers.  During one of the lulls in music, I yelled to the lead singer (who was about five feet away from me on the stage) "Play The Sweater Song!"  He didn't think that was all that funny but everyone else laughed.  Glorious. :p  One of the guitarists tossed me a tamborine to play during a song, so that was very groove. 

MuteMath was incredible in their set list and energy they brought.  I almost got hit in the head with the keytair a couple times, but remained unscathed.  During the last song, Paul Meaney passed around an atari which I got to play for a bit.  Oh yes, you know I got a pic with it.  

Jordan, Me, and Anthony

Paul Meaney, front man.

Me with the Atari.  The guy in the background is getting ready to hit me on the back of my head and give me a disapproving look.  The kind that a mom would give a 2 year old.  Yeah, we all know that he would have gotten a pic with it if he had the chance. :)

Jordan, Bex, Anthony and I

Currently Listening The Inside By Moses Mayfield A Cycle see related

Brief Respite

Well, finals are over, and I am happy.  Time will tell if I saw the issues the way the Prof's wanted us to see them.  I came out feeling pretty good, but, that's never been a good indication of the final outcome.  Does anyone else agree that the worse you feel coming out of an exam, the better you usually do; and conversely, the better you feel, the worse you end up doing?

Picked up a couple new albums after the exams that I thought I'd recommend to you all. The first is Moses Mayfield whose debut CD was released a couple of weeks ago.  I've really come to identify with the soulful and emotive sound of this CD.  They sound like a harder Coldplay, but with more discernable depth to their lyrics.  I saw Moses tour with Switchfoot a while back.  I got to speak to all of the band members and was really impressed with their humility and personableness. 

The second CD is from Aaron Gillespie's band, The Almost.  You might know him as the drummer for Underoath.  He put out a solo project entitled Southern Weather, which, in keeping with the name, has a lot of souther influences.  It is definitely catchy and with some great drum lead ins as well as hooks.  He does a remake of Amazing Grace, as well as a few other old spiritual songs. What is even more amazing is that he plays all of the instruments on the CD, as well as sings. 

The third album I've been listening to quite a bit is from Mat Kearney.  His ability to string together lyrics and deliver them in a package that is extremely original in style has him at the top of my iTunes play list.  He speaks of life and love and the losing of those things which are dearest to us, to regain That which is truly important.  I wholeheartedly recommend this guy.

I know I've talked about these guys in the past, but, Mute Math continues to amaze me with their originality and spiritual content.  If you've never checked these guys out, please do.  I'm hoping to go to their show in Boulder, so, I'll let you know how that goes.

One of the things that God really impressed upon my heart before finals this semester was that He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)  So often I go into exams, business situations, conversations, confrontations and interactions with a spirit of fear of failure.  I've come to realize that this feeling is founded upon a hubris based identity which tells us that if we do not measure up to earthly standards, then we are failing as a Christian.  When Christ states that He has come to give us life, and life more abundantly (John 10:10), that life has got to be more than what is sold to us by this culture.  Ultimately, I believe that this life is found in John 15 where we are lovingly taught to be engrafted into His vine, and to bear the fruit of the Spirit through His grace, and His sustaining power.  Anything outside of that grace becomes an exercise in futility based on our own misconceptions of what a Spirit filled believer looks like, and an ultimate failing of expectations that we and others place upon our backs.  Again, we must take the yoke that is easy, and the burden that is light and continue to press forward, not in glory of our own name, but in the power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  My prayer for each one of you, and especially me, is that the power of fear is conquered by the power of Christ's love in our hearts, shown forth through all that we do.

Currently Listening Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing By Keith Urban see related

Bracketology: an uncomfortable science

Ok, raise your hand if your bracket is shot to purgatory.  And yes, my hand is waving around like Oden rejecting Tennessee's last ditch attempt to win a game that was there for the taking.  Oh well, at least Kansas and Ohio State are still there.  I won't even humor myself in sharing my two other failed choices, as well as the ultimate winner of the tourney.  At least it's fun and a chance to ask yourself "what was I thinking."  Anyway, on to other things...

I'd appreciate your prayers over the next couple of weeks.  I have finals and am currently preparing for them like a man prepares for his wedding: you know that the day is approaching, but you really don't know what to expect.

Favorite analogy of the week: "Explaining the body of the law is like explaining all the elements of a snowball.  It is difficult to do so because there are so many elements and principles just as the snowball is comprised of millions of flakes.  It's better to explain the law through the act of throwing a snowball up against a wall.  The wall is the scenario, and the snow that sticks to the wall is the applicable law.  Not all of the law will apply to the fact pattern, as such, the explanation of the body of the law would result in the listener going into coma before the relevant issues could be addressed." 

In other news, the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.  For a first born over-acheiver, that stinks.

Sorry, my realism side is weighing heavy on me today.

Currently Listening Cities By Anberlin Inevitable see related

"My flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land..."

This post has been been in the crockpot of my mind for the past couple of weeks, so, I thought I'd update you all on a few things that have been going on in my heart.

Psalms 63 says: "O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see they power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.  Because they lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.  Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.  My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness: and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips."

The message of this verse goes against much of evangelical movement and current cultural progression in the way that it tells us that there will times of thirsting, that there will be times of longing without satiation.  The notion that His lovingkindness is better than life goes against the materiality of our western culture.  Our flesh would have us believe that the moment that we get our spiritual passport stamped for heaven, that we can continue to press forward in what our mind tells us is good.  It is in this day that we forget that God's ways are not man's ways, and that we cannot know the mind of God.  Why then would He tell us that our desires become his desires if we cannot even understand His heart?  Why would King David be called a man after God's heart when David went against almost every single commandment that God gave Israel?  Why does God give us grace to pick ourselves up after a battle and press onto the higher calling? 

I believe the answer lies in the judgement seat of Christ and our continual sitting before it.  If we allow our hearts to be consumed with comparison with other Christians or to this world, we circumvent the glorious purpose that Christ has set up for those who submit themselves to His judgement and to the gaze of His holy eyes.  How often do we choose a path that leads us around His seat, in favor of the easier answer of:  "well, grace covers me" approach and continue in our own flesh?

Lately, I've been convicted that I have chose the easy path of acceptance of my shortcomings, rather than to sit before the awesomeness of who Christ is to those who have a relationship with Him.  Instead of repentance, I want to choose to believe the lie that we all fail and that we all fall short.  Not only is this a global copout, but a denial of the power of Christ's power in our life as we yield to His spirit in our life.  Only as we repent and turn our heart toward His love and glory, do we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us and allow ourselves to raise our hands and say "Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, I will praise thee." 

In my personal life, this has been a super tough month.  The hardest circumstance has been that of my grandma dying on February 15th.  She lived here in town and has always been close to us, so, we had a good relationship.  She had macular degeneration, could not move real well, and was 86 years old.  When she died, I could truly lift my hands up to God and thank Him for His plan for her life.  She was a spiritual pioneer in our family.  She was saved at the age of 30 and out of that relationship, my dad accepted Christ at an early age.  My whole family owes so much to her for all that she did to break free from the darkness of the depression and the stark outlook on religion that this era fostered.  I am so grateful to her for the spiritual heritage that she gave my family, and therefore, am rejoicing that she is standing before her Savior, hearing "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." 

I ask the question: what will your judgement seat of Christ day bring for you?

Currently Listening The Question By Emery In a lose, lose, situation see related

The dichtomy of contentment

"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound, and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Philippians 4:12-13

Lately, I've come to a place in which I've had to decide in my own heart of whether to be satisfied with that which I "know," or to take what I "know" and keep progressing into the unknown of God's heart and the mysteries contained therein.  I believe that human beings are designed to what to know and to walk with God, just as Adam did in the garden.  However, the enemy continues to lie to us with "did He say that?" or "didn't He mean something else when He said that we were to be One with you and with His heart?"  We truly do no battle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against our own self that would rise up and tell us that we are to be content, because those who are not content are greedy and never satisfied.  I believe though in the dichotomy presented in Philippians.  To be both full and hungry.  Abased yet abounding.  To suffer need, but to abound in it.  Because, and only because of Christ is found the strength on which to press on.  To develop the tensile strength of the soul, and to continually ask the question, "who do you say that I am?" 

I've posted a lot of things in the past, so, as a monument to where I've been and what I want to press on toward, I'm posting this link in case anyone wants to read it.  I pray that the thoughts that God has laid on my heart will combine with the Holy Spirit to lead you paths of truth and righteousness.  I pray that I never lose my first love and that it is always fresh to me.  I confess that I have neither been hot nor cold, but have been a fencerider for too long.  My heart is not that, yet I know that I have been.  I pray that the grace that keeps each one of us will propel you and me to know the heart of the King and to experience intimacy with Him in fresh and new ways.  And that we too would understand the dichotomy of contentment.