My Top 10 Moments in Music

This list just happened out of thin air. Drew and I were just discussing incredible music and it prompted me to think of my all time favorites (in the form of a top 10 and some honorable mentions) moments in music history.

First I will start with the Honorable Mentions:
- The first HM is sharing the song "Should Have Been a Cowboy" by Toby Keith with Troy Woodyard. Not only have we played this song together for fun, but when we hear it on the radio, we call and leave it as a voicemail. It's fun!

- Second HM; During the miraculous UK - Arkansas football game from this past 2008 season, where UK came from behind to win in the last four minutes....Kate and I shared a spirited song and dance to (believe it or not) the UK Marching Band's timely rendition of "Hey Baby". Now forever making me smile when the song plays, and also thinking of Kate!

- Third and final HM; also related to UK Sports....post tornado and post the ridiculous loss to Georgia at the Georgia Tech campus at the 2008 SEC Tournament, the group in the car was a little down in the dumps. Miles began with the first line from "Build Me Up, Buttercup" and the rest of the car began with the echo ('Build me up'). Before long the whole car was singing it acapella as we ventured through Atlanta. Simply amazing! A special hats off to Ryan, Jay, Matt, Miles....and I suppose myself.

Now onto the list.....

10. "Bubbly" I would have never thought that Colbie Caillat would have cracked my Top 10, but indeed she has. Not too long ago, Brandon Hall, Robbie Gray, and myself performed somewhat impromptu at Common Grounds Coffee House at their Monday open-mic night. We wanted to end with a tongue in cheek "bang" but have some fun...so what better to cover than "Bubbly"? Not only was it a blast to play, but the crowd, which was once consumed with coffee and conversation, gave us their full attention and ultimately their voices as they sang along. It was awesome. Their may be a video floating around facebook of it if you can find it ; ).

9. "Vultures" by John Mayer Trio, live in Nashville. In the fall of 2005 I witnessed my first Mayer show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN as he played with just two other amazing muscians in forming the John Mayer Trio. It was a night full of blues and rock and blew my mind...starting my fandom of JM. Vultures was the highlight of my night, and something I will always remember, no matter how many times I see him live, which if we are keeping count is now at 5. John, you had me from "hello".

8. "This is it" by Kenny Loggins. Every single high school golf match had it's traditions; we warmed up with putting, we heeded the pre-round meeting from our coach, but more than anything, the members of the 2002 ACHS Golf Team sang as loud as we could to this Kenny Loggins hit. Rooted in classic 80's style this record now holds a special, special place in the hearts of each member of that golf team. "STAND UP AND FIGHT....THIS IS IT!"

7. "Strawberry Fields Forever" & "Imagine" by the Beatles/John Lennon. This past April I had the privilege of traveling to New York City as an adult chaperon with Anderson County High School and my sister, Laura's, senior class for their year-end trip. The first ipod moment on the countdown, this little ditty happened while standing over the Imagine memorial in Central Park. It just felt surreal to be there and be alive inside the music in my head, and the music that was his life. Neato.

6. "How Great Thou Art" - Christy Nockels/Matt Redman at Passion 06. After the final conference session of the night, all the attendees of Passion 06 were invited to attend one of many late night events. In the home of the Grand Ole Opry, and a former church, The Ryman Auditorium, it was an incredible night of worship capped off by singing this song of worship and praise.

5. "Everything In It's Right Place" by Radiohead, live in Indianapolis. Widely known as one of the best and most inspirational bands in music history, Radiohead puts on quite a show. Attending with Drew, Joe, RJ, and my boy Mike, we were wowed by a musical performance of the ages. Even though I sat in the grass I was blown away by the feel, movement, and momentum of the music. It was so intense it felt like a workout. I could have probably chosen any song, but this was the one for me....one of my faves, plus the light show was crazy good.

4. "The Music of the Night" by Phantom of the Opera, live on Broadway NYC (April 2003/April 2008). This is the only song on the list that I have had the chance to experience in the same way twice. Little known fact about Andrew: he loves musicals, especially the Phantom. I believe I have seen the Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber four times, but the two times on Broadway were especially memorable. The first time I set by my gal Elizabeth Ingram, and the second time, and on the seventh row (wow), I was blessed to share the song with my sister. This is my favorite song from the musical, so this moment took the cake. Hearing it so close gave me goose bumbs both times!

3. "Worship in Espanol". I'm going to credit this song to Julian Mejia. If you don't know about Julian, I suggest you click the link or read my older post from November 2007. Sadly I do not know the title of the songs that played over my cd player, but with Julian riding shotgun on our way to a worksite in New Orleans we jammed to spanish praise and worship. Meredyth, Laura, and I listened as Julian sang, and sang proudly. We switched to an English cd a bit later and her heard us sing. He told us, in Spanish, that our worship, while he couldn't understand the words, smelled as if it were a "fragrant flower". I love this man with all my heart, and for this small moment in my life, it was awesome to share a moment of worship with this Saint in NOLA.

2. "Covered in Rain" by John Mayer. Surprisingly, JM only made it on my list twice, and this one is by far the best moment. You may not be familiar with this song since it has never been recorded in the studio by John. At a recent concert, Mayer told the story behind the song. Shortly following the events of September 11th, the Mayer tour bus was scheduled to roll into NYC. This event had been scheduled far before the catastrophic events that had taken place. In an effort to propose a tribute to the city, Mayer took a bridge from his hit "City Love" that says...."the day she called up and came to me, covered in rain...." and formed it into a sequel to the song...about how the characters in "City Love" (a man and a woman) lived in reaction to the tragic events of 9/11. That is a pretty cool idea in and of itself. What makes this song special to me, is that it was roaring through the ipod as I stood at the Eleven Tears Memorial at Ground Zero. It was a very gripping moment for me that followed up an emotional story that had just told by our tour guide. I stood there, watching the water drip, and listening to this song, I, for a moment, did not feel like a tourist....I felt like an American, not one dripping with patriotism, but one wrapped up in the burden, the struggles, and the hopes of my fellow citizens. It was a heavy and profound moment; and music just happened to be involved.

and finally....

1. "Amazing Grace" by the attendees of Passion 05. As a Sophomore in college this was one of my first conference events that I felt like I participated in, not really attended to learn something or be motivated. For it's first conference since the mid 90's, the Passion group put on a week long conference event as opposed to a concert/message event. Over 15,000 college students descended upon Nashville, TN to ring in the New Year with Louie and the boys of Passion (Dave Crowder, Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, etc). On the next to last session together, the David Crowder Band was leading the group in worship. Worship was awesome in and of itself, but what happened next is the most overwhelmed I have ever been by the Spirit of my Lord. DCB led us in "Come Thou Fount" leading into Louie's teaching time. As the band ended, they tagged "Amazing Grace" and were going to let the chorus ring out as Louie transitioned on the stage. However, we, the crowd, were not finished. As Louie walked out for his turn, we were firing up for the second verse. He stood there dumbfounded, in front of this mass of thousands, screaming at the top of their lungs this heralded anthem of our faith. The was no music, no sing along track, no words on the screens; just us, as a mass of 15,000, crying out in worship. Louie walked back off the stage and let the crowd participate in it's worship as it finished out the entire song. The moment was absolutely breathtaking...and a small glimpse of what I can envision in Heaven. When it came to my number 1, it was a no brainer....it was this.

So there you have it...the current journey through my musical Top 10 moments. Please, feel free to make a list of your own...I would love to read about your moments. If I left any moments off, I'll edit them in a later post.

Question #1

Alright, alright...it's time to tackle one of the questions. Here we go...

"Why do we always want what we can't have?"

This is a fun question to start with. I don't think my answer or any possible answer will necessarily conjure up a huge theological discussion, but hey...you never know. As always your thoughts and comments are more than welcome! So, without further adieu...let's have at it.

In looking at these questions, I think it is important that we determine the heart in which the question is asked, and deal with it accordingly.

To me, this question is speaking directly toward feelings that we may have in our heart. Feelings of greed, feelings of jealousy, and the like.

This question has probably been asked for thousands of years; just think, even the first couple dealt with this issue...wanting what they were told not to partake of...and they were consequently dealt a punishment for their actions. A punishment that we, and all of creation, are still paying today; namely, absent from the perfect state in which creation was made.

Therefore, we need to determine WHAT made Adam and Eve desire that fruit in the garden. The answer: Their lust for more. But wait...this wasn't about sex. I know that...and lust isn't always about sex either. Lust is the belief that something BETTER than our current situation is available to us and should be pursued by us.

The lie of lust tells us that the desire for MORE outweighs the cost and risk....and it promises us something that we feel like we don't already have. And sometimes, it's even about sex.

You can lust for power. You can lust for love. You can lust for acceptance. You can lust for money. You can lust for lots of things...and ultimately the lie of lust hits us square in our independent and jealous hearts. How's that? Meaning, that lust would tell us that WE, as individuals, know more of what we need and want than God does for us. And WE have a RESPONSIBILITY to pursue that and capture what God has been keeping from us. WE DESERVE MORE! That is the heartbeat of lust, and it speaks directly to the jealousy and anger in our hearts.

Jealousy and anger?? Toward who...jealous about what?

Wait...we aren't jealous are we? Are we? Are you? Have you ever wanted what someone else has? Their possessions, background, status, spouse, kids, opportunity, etc?

Have you ever felt inadequate by comparison to them?

Have you ever celebrated a bit when someone who had more/better than you failed?

If so, then you are jealous. You are. The only thing that makes a jealous heart feel any better is by seeing someone else fail. But it doesn't last. And really, it only PROVES the fact that you are indeed jealous. If you have ever snickered when someone got a fender bender in their new car, got reprimanded at their incredible job, had a fight in their unbelievable relationship, or looked a little worse this year at the beach than last year - then YOU ARE JEALOUS!

You may say, I'm not jealous. I only want what is fair. But you don't want what is fair...you really just want MORE. If everyone was fair then everyone would be incredibly average. The things in which you excel would be only normal. Fair doesn't help your jealously. Only more does.

Unless we realize the heart of our jealousy is really something else. It's really anger. Anger? Yep...anger.

If I were to tell you and someone else that I was giving away a new car, and gave the car to the other person, while giving you a matchbox Hot Wheels car, then, you would be upset.

You would say...

"It isn't FAIR that they got the car and I didn't. "
"What did I do to deserve the toy car?"
"Why did THEY get picked"

But you wouldn't be mad at them. They just got a car. Who would you be mad at? You would be mad at ME! Because it was ME that gave away the car at my discretion and I chose to give it to them. They didn't deserve it more. I just gave it to them because I wanted to.

Your anger would be directed at ME if you had a problem with anyone, because it was ME that seemingly ignored you with my gift. Right?

So when we are jealous of what others have, is our anger really at them or someone bigger than them? I believe our anger is directed at God.

I think we feel that God OWES us. That He has dropped the ball when it came to blessing us. We get mad at Him because He obviously ignored our requests, our desires, our needs, etc. We feel like He has picked others over us...and we are angry about it.

But we rarely admit that. Not sure why, if we really feel that way - He already knows...and we are still alive to read this. But maybe, maybe this unspoken and perhaps unnoticed anger or disappointment in God is a good place for you to start.

What? You want me to tell God I'm mad at Him? That I feel ignored and left out?

Yep - I sure do! And I want you to get out any and every frustration you may have with Him. Guess what...He can take it. And if He hasn't hit you with lightning yet, He probably won't for this admittance either.

Well what does this accomplish?

The admittance to being angry with God, feeling left out, ignored, marginalized, or punished by Him really gives Him a big opportunity. It becomes His turn to talk.

And what will He say?

Something like this....(A paraphrase of numerous scriptures/truths concerning God's heartbeat for His children....as imagined by me)

You weren't ignored by me. I LOVE you. I love you so much that I withstood all the pain and suffering and disgrace imaginable so that I could once again, for now and eternity have a way to CONNECT with you! You were not left out by me....I fearfully and wonderfully MADE you to be exactly the person that you are, and I want you to TRUST me with what is best for your future. After all, who knows your abilities and talents better than I....don't you think I may have placed those within you for the story that is still unfolding out of your life? You may think I could have done things better and blessed you more, but the biggest blessing in your life is really ME anyway. If I get to hold you and embrace you even while you are crying, that is so very special for me. I have given you all you need to make it...because I have given you myself! And I did all that because I believe in the power of ME living in YOU. Thanks for letting me say this!

(Maybe, in looking at the truth of scripture, it would sound a little like that.)

Still angry at that God?

Give Him more opportunity to talk....it's a great conversation!

Why do we want what we can't have? Because we believe that lie that it will bring MORE to our lives, when in reality, we have all we could possibly want, hope for, and dream of already within our grasp. Thanks be to God for being the biggest dreamer and provider for us imaginable. And even when I want MORE....I am thankful to have all that I could possibly want!

Blessings,
Andrew






**Some content concerning jealously/anger was pulled from Andy Stanley's book/sermon series "It Came From Within" concerning issues of our hearts.**

Excited About This New Read

So, I rarely get this excited about reading a book, but just from reading the back of Rob Bell's new book, "Jesus Wants to Save Christians", I have to admit I am a little jazzed.

As many of you know, I am a Rob Bell fan, but his author-ship is not what excites me about this book...and for all I know, I could be disappointed once the reading starts....I guess we'll find out.

Here is the summary from the back of the book.

"There is a church in our area that recently added an addition to their building which cost more than $20 million. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty.

This book is about those two numbers.

It's a book about faith and fear, wealth and war, poverty, power, safety, terror, Bibles, bombs, and homeland insecurity; it's about empty empires and the truth that everybody's a priest; it's about oppression, occupation, and what happens when Christians support, animate, and participate in the very things Jesus came to set people free from.

It's about what it means to be a part of the church of Jesus in a world where some people fly planes into buildings while others pick up groceries in Hummers."

Wow. That really resonates with me. Should be interesting....I'll keep ya updated. ; )

Questions Aplenty

Over the past few weeks, the students at Hope have berated the student team and me with a ton of difficult life questions.

We were unable to get to all of those, so, for the next few weeks, I will be attempting to unpack them on here. Some have a quick, biblical response....others will be more of mine (and hopefully your) opinions. So, I will notate those opinion questions. I realize, as humbly as I can, that I am not always right and/or true. So...if we can provide scripture to the matter...let's let it win out!

Here is a peek into some of these questions. (in reading these questions, if you would like to submit some anonymously, then do so in the comment section!)

- Why do we always want what we can't have?

- What do you say to someone who says they are a Christian, but Church is not really important to them?

- Why do we see people suffer, even if they don't deserve it?

- Were dinosaurs real?

-How do you know when you love someone?

- Why does God say He is in control, but bad things still happen?

- Will you recognize people when you get to heaven?

- What sin(s) leads to death, and why?

- Why is Israel God's chosen people?

- How do you argue the "Big Bang Theory" to a very smart science teacher?

- How do you know what the right religion is? Why are there so many?

- Why can we feel God, but can't always see God?

- How do you know you have found the right person God has planned for you?

- What is love?

He is like a mounty...he always gets his man...

Wow.

Please Watch.

an end to the awkward conversation

I am a fairly outgoing and independent individual, however; there is one thing that absolutely drives me crazy. As Drew, Meredyth, and I discussed last night, one of the most awkward things in the world is the "catch up" conversation. You know what I am talking about....the conversation that goes like this...

You run into a friend that you have not seen in years....

Friend: What's going on?

You: (chuckle) Oh, you know...not much....(awkward)

Friend: Yeah, same here.

and there you have it.

In thinking about this, I have determined that the awkwardness lies much more with me than with the friend. The problem is I never know what to say, and if I do, I fear that the friend will not find it interesting.

For example, I coach golf at Anderson County High School. I take a lot of pride in what that handful of high schoolers do on a daily basis. I practically love them and consider them a family, at least for three solid months. But how many 'long, lost friends' would find my golf stories intriguing and exciting....I doubt that many would. Therefore, the awkwardness.

And that is why it needs to end.

I am going to try to put an end to the awkward conversation and always have an up to date answer on my life, but in order to do so, I have to be clued into exactly what I am doing! haha. Many times I cannot even keep up with myself.

Using today as the week starter, I am going to be visiting a morning wi-fi spot, blogging, drinking coffee, and catching myself up on me, on what the Lord is doing in me, and where he is leading me. I need a little discipline in my life. So a few days a week - it's going to happen!

I hope this blog reflects that....here's to hoping...and here's to once and for all ending the awkwardness!

A New Song You Need To Hear

I have a lot on my mind tonight....good things, one of which was the incredible night of worship with the Stewart Home Students. Wow....what an amazing group of individuals.

But anywho...here is a song you need to hear. My good ole buddy drew really turned me onto it. It's a song called "Love Is Strong" by Jon Foreman of the band Switchfoot. It is available on his acoustic solo work named "Spring" on itunes. Also, I will include a video clip for all who want to see. (if you are reading this on facebook you have to visit my actual blog site to see the clip.)

Here are the lyrics....

Heavenly Father
You always amaze me
Let your kingdom come
In my world and in my life
You give me the food I need
To live through the day
And forgive me as I forgive
The people that wronged me
Lead me far from temptation
Deliver me from the evil one

I look out the window
The birds are composing
Not a note is out of tune
Or out of place
I look at the meadow
And stare at the flowers
Better dressed than any girl
On her wedding day

So why do I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need

Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens
Is now advancing
Invade my heart
Invade this broken town
The kingdom of the heavens
Is buried treasure
Will you sell yourself
To buy the one you've found?

Two things you told me
That you are strong
And you love me
Yes, you love me


Our God in heaven
Hallowed be
Thy name above all names
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us wicked sinners
Lead us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons


and here is the video clip. enjoy!

A Little Lesson on Heaven

On Saturday, I had the amazing blessing of taking some of our students and leadership at Hope to the Stewart Home in Frankfort. From their website the Stewart Home is, "a beautiful loving environment for intellectually disabled people of all ages. We offer education, vocational training and placement, an incredible variety of recreational activities and a wide choice of friends from all across the country and the world."

If you would like to know more about them visit their website.

If you have never worked with special needs individuals, then you absolutely should! It is such an amazing blessing and actually teaches you quite a lot. It can be a little uncomfortable at times, but if you push through it you can really see the sincerity and love shining very brightly. As soon as I got there I was introduced to a man named Jeff, and wow, did he ever teach me a thing or two.

Jeff is a very friendly individual. He is oozing with personality and is very extroverted. As soon as we met he asked me if I worked there. Then he asked me if I was going to be here for "parent's weekend".

Remember when you were little and you counted down from December 26th to the next Christmas. I swear, toy companies need to make kid calendars that start on December 26th...just so Christmas is always on the horizon. That is exactly how Jeff was, except not for Christmas, but for "parent's weekend".

He was so excited about "parent's weekend" that he could not stop talking about it. Literally. His reason for the excitement was not what you would expect; that he was going to get to see his family - rather - it was that his family was coming up and then taking him home for a little visit! He was absolutely jazzed about this. In the 3+ hours we were there I probably had 15 different conversations with Jeff, and every single one had to do with going home. He was looking so forward to just being home.

Here was a normal conversation...

Jeff: "How many days til parent's weekend?"
Me: "when is parent's weekend"
Jeff: "may 15th"
Me: "well it's only 19 days away. Are you excited!?!?"
Jeff: "yes!!!!! is it too early to pack?"
Me: "are you ready to go"
Jeff: "I already have my clothes packed. Is it too early? Only 19 days til parent's weekend!"
Me: "where are you from"
Jeff: "only 19 days til parent's weekend and I get to go to Nashville! I want to be home!"
Me: "you should start getting ready"
Jeff: "I am ready! I am packed! I need to have Miss Amy (his correspondent) get my list (his list of necessities from Wal Mart)
Jeff: "how long til parent's weekend? I get to go to Nashville! I am packed!"

And this happened about 15 times.

You would think that would get old, hearing and participating in the same old conversation...but in reality it did not. What I could not re-enact in this blog was the passion and desire Jeff had when talking about home. It was the absolute fuel to his life. When he brought up going home and preparing for parent's weekend it looked like he was about to explode! His eyes would fill with wonderment, he would begin to physically shake, and his face would light up and he would laugh...oh would he laugh. He was so overjoyed at the thought of going home he could hardly stand it.

And then it hit me....

Is that not how we should view heaven?

woah. think about that.

Should Heaven not completely fill our thoughts and be our absolute fuel to living? That one day...very soon...God will reunite us with Himself and take us away from this painful, crippling, disabled body and earth and bring us wholly and completely home...FOREVER!

When I saw Jeff's excitement for his home I longed for my home. Even though he had no idea how much he was teaching me or that I was on the verge of tears literally all morning, Jeff showed me how to live with an excitement and awareness for Heaven. And he did it absolutely right. So many times people long so much for Heaven that they miss living here...and Jeff did not do that. He loves his home at the Stewart Home. He loves the people and his friends. And he lets them share in his excitement. Numerous peers of his at Stewart Home actually congratulated him on being able to go home. And it's still almost a month away!

Jeff thanks for showing me how to let my home fill my thoughts. How to fully embrace Heaven, and while doing so impact earth. Have a good trip friend....I hope to see you again soon!

"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God."
- Colossians 3:1-3

and the trumpet sounds....

Because believe it or not, my graduation is nearing. I never thought that phrase would be a reality. haha.

Yesterday was my last day of class as an undergraduate. To be honest, it was a little bittersweet. I have given five years now to the University of Kentucky, and could not have loved it more, but now...what do I do?

I was just thinking about my new and improved flexibility....what now shall I do. One thing I would like to spend time doing more of is blogging...but what about. I want to read more...but what shall I read. And naturally....I want to play golf more.

So, my question to you all is this....

Is there any topic I should think about/blog about?

Is there any book that I need to read?

Please....flood me with advice! Thanks.

The Knee Saga (Part 2)

I guess it is time to catch up on the ongoing knee saga...

I had an MRI last Friday and today went back to the orthopedic surgeon to have it evaluated. I have to admit, I was pretty nervous. Thanks to wikipedia, google, and other valuable internet sources, I was convinced I had torn a knee ligament. Did you know there are even message boards set up for discussion on knee injuries....crazy.

I had read many a testimonial on how easy it is to tear a ligament, and was certain I had done so.

However, the MRI showed no conclusive tears in any of my four ligaments, and only a partial tear (if at all) in my meniscus. What the Doc concluded was that my kneecap (patella) had dislocated and relocated as my knee twisted. This accounts for the audible "pop pop" that was heard....it was the sounds of the dislocation, relocation.

When it did said dislocation, it bruised my patella, and my tibia and fibula on the edges. I was actually very lucky that I did not chip any of those bones. Also, as it dislocated it tore tissue (I assume skin and muscle tissue) that surrounds the knee.

The good news is none of this requires surgery. So, that makes it great news. It sounds like it is just going to be a slow catch-up process but hopefully softball, basketball, and most importantly GOLF here I come! My left quadricep is very weak....I was told that I have already lost 30% of its muscle mass...so objective one is to build it back up. Doc told me that could take up to a couple months. Interesting fact...if you isolate and rest a knee for 24-72 hours you could lose up to 40% of your quad strength in that time frame...crazy that it happens so fast.

So...I guess it's off to some physical therapy for me, and hope I am back in action soon.

Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers, concerns, supports, laughs and such. Much appreciated. Now we can all just celebrate that I am a wuss. haha. Praise God for that!

Sign of the Apocalypse?

The following video is a true speech delivered on the house floor. (I received this from Kentucky Sports Radio)

You can be assured that I would have applauded as well! ; )

check it out...

The Knee Saga (part 1)

I know many of you have heard about my weekend knee saga. To those of you that encouraged, prayed for, and thought of me...thanks a ton. I hardly deserve it. And to those that thought I was a big baby (which I am) thanks as well. haha. And for those that have no earthly idea what I am talking about...well, here's for you...

Thursday night I was playing basketball with my boys. I went up hard for a rebound over some guys and came down and pivoted to shoot the ball back up. However, when I pivoted, my knee buckled and I heard the 'pop, pop, pop' sound. One of the scariest sounds you will ever hear is the 'pop pop' of a knee. It was so audibly loud that the players guarding me heard it as well. I hobbled off the court sure I had ruptured my Anterior Cruciate Ligament or other knee ligament.

I have spent the last three days doing literally nothing. Taking maybe 30 steps in that time period. While boring as it has been, it was best of me to keep off the knee and let the swelling go down. If I had a picture of it I would post it...but just imagine placing a grapefruit inside your leg and you have my left knee.

This morning at 7:00am I went in to the orthopedic surgeon. As many of you know, I was nervous about this. I didn't want to look forward to a knee surgery that could put me out for months. The OS did all the tests but said he couldn't completely tell due to the swelling. X-rays were negative. He said that he assumed I dislocated my patella (kneecap) and it sliding in and out of place was the 'pop pop'. It is also very likely and probable that I tore my meniscus. That is very good news...at least for now. Do those injuries have pain, sure...but they are not as severe as a torn ligament. However, I am not completely out of the dark. I go in for an MRI this weekend and have it evaluated next Wednesday...so there will be a part two to the saga. Could the MRI show up with a partially torn or fully torn ligament...sure. But hopefully not. I guess we'll see.

I know a lot of people have called, emailed, and asked about my knee...so this is the story thus far. Thanks again for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers...it is much appreciated. Hopefully by next Wednesday I will be fully out of the dark and in the know on where to go from here. Later........

Easter in the Cancer Ward

Drew and Jon have introduced me to my new favorite thing....a poetry workshop at Asbury Seminary. Sadly, tonight is the last night of the formal workshop, so in honor of it I shall post the poem that impacted me the most. Take time to read this poem by Nicholas Samaras, "Easter in the Cancer Ward". Enjoy


Easter in the Cancer Ward

Because it has been years since my hands
have dyed an egg or I've remembered
my father with color in his beard,
because my fingers have forgotten
the feel of wax melting on my skin,
the heat of paraffin warping air,
because I prefer to view death politely from afar,
I agree to visit the children's cancer ward.

In her ballet-like butterfly slippers, Elaine pad-pads
down the carpeted hall. I bring the bright bags,
press down packets of powdered dye, repress my slight unease.
She sweeps her hair from her volunteer's badge, leaves
behind her own residents' ward for a few hours' release.
The new wing's doors glide open onto great light. Everything is
vibrant and clattered with color. Racing
up, children converge, their green voices rising.

What does one do with the embarrassment of staring
at sickness? Suddenly, I don't know where to place
my hands. Children with radiant faces
reach out thinly, clamor for the expected bags, lead
us to the Nurses' kitchen. Elaine introduces me and reads
out a litany of names. Some of the youngest wear
old expressions. The bald little boy loves Elaine's long mane of hair
and holds the healthy thickness to his face, hearing

her laugh as she pulls him close. "I'm dying,"
he says, and Elaine tells him she is, too: too
much iron silting her veins. I can never accept that truth
yet, in five months, she'll slip away in a September
night - leaving her parents and me to bow our heads, bury her
in a white wedding gown, our people's custom.
But right now, I don't know this. Right now, we are young,
still immortal, and the kids fidget, crying

out for their eggs. Elaine divides them into teams;
I lay out the tools for the operation.
I tell them all how painting Easter eggs used to be done
in the Old Country. Before easy dyes were common,
villagers boiled onion peels, ladled eggs
into pots so the shells wouldn't break.
They'd scoop them out, flushed a brownish-
red, and the elders would polish and polish

them with olive oil, singing hymns for the Holy Thursday hours.
The children laugh and boo when I try to sing. The boys swirl
speckles of color into hot water, while the girls
time the eggs. When a white-faced boy asks from nowhere
if I believe in Christ and living forever,
I stop stirring the mix, answer,"Yes, I do." I answer slowly
and when I speak, my own voice deafens me.
The simple truth blooms like these painted flowers

riding up the bright kitchen walls. I come
to belief. I know that much. Still, what a man may
do with belief demands more than what he says.
Now, the hot waters are a stained, rich red. The eggs have
boiled and cooled. To each set of hands, Elaine gives
one towel, three eggs. I pass the pot of melted paraffin,
show these children how to take the eggs and dip them in
and out. While the wax hardens to an opaque film, we hum

Christos Aneste and the room bustles, ajabber
with speech. Holding pins firmly, we scratch out mad
designs where the color will fill. Small, flurried hands
etch and scrim the shells. Everyone's fingers whorl
and scratch in names, delicate and final.
Edging the hall's threshold, an April's allow-
ance of sun filters through tinted windows. Faces furrow
in solemn concentration. Looking to Elaine, my thoughts clamor

for what is redemptive in illness, for having
a Credo to hold these people to me. Etchings
done, everyone immerses the waxy eggs in the pooled
dye. We ooh together when transfigured eggs are spooned
out, wiped and dried on the counters. Soft wax
is peeled gingerly, flecked away; more oohs for the tracks
of limned lines, testimonial names.
We burnish the shells with olive oil for a fine sheen

For a moment, the cultivated, finished eggs hush
the room. Then, every child goes wild in a rush
to compare, they show the nurses, each
other. The bald boy taps my waist, Lined up and speech-
less, they present me with a bright, autographed
egg, communally done. Elaine makes me close my eyes and laughs
when small limbs push at my back to follow
her. They shove my hand in the cool, wet, red dye. The hollow-

eyed girl squeals till tears streak from her laughing.
Another child cries, "You'll never get it off!"
And today, I don't want to. Today,
we've painted eggs a lively color, not caring
about the body's cells and the cells' incarceration.
I lift my arms to embrace Elaine and dab her nose and chin.
And my hands are vivid red. My hands
are bloody with resurrection.

and we are laughing.

Thank You Ladies....

Because believe it or not, you are always teaching us fellas something.

I was having the discussion just the other day how mysterious girls can be; that to us guys, their very nature and way of interacting is an absolute enigma at times. For example, and one of my favorite examples, is the situation that takes place when riding in a car.

First I will begin with the guy version of this situation. (NOTE: This is a car full of guys)

Guy A (to driver; Guy B): Man, turn down the heat...it's running me outta here!

Guy B (turns down heat): ok.

Now let's insert a to this car two girls....

Girl A (very ambiguously to Girl B): Do you think it's hot in here?

Girl B (in response to Girl A): Yeah it may be a little hot....

5 minutes later....

Girl A (this time speaking louder so the driver, Guy B, gets the point): So, do you still think it's hot in here?

Guy B (speaking to the car): Is it too hot?

Girls A and B (looking at each other): It's whatever....but it's a little warm.


And there you have it. Complete mystery. This situation cracks me up every time I see it (especially as the bonehead driver out of touch with the subtle hints from you ladies). But this situation can also be a great instructor. It opens up the very reason that guys sometimes fail to understand their female counterparts...they aren't clued into the mystery.

In reading the book of Proverbs you stumble across a lot of verses concerning wisdom, many of which refer to wisdom as a person - and surprisingly enough that person being female. Now, I am not attempting to hold a spiritual women's equality seminary here, but if you know anything about the timeframe and culture from which the book of Proverbs arises, then you know that women were not looked at like men were. Considering that the Jewish culture was a very patriarchal one it is quite surprising to see Wisdom, referred to as a trait from the Lord, to be given a female quality.

In researching the Hebrew language, the word for wisdom is "hochmah". This word holds only a God-like quality, and is different, not a synonym for the word knowledge or "Yad" - which is acquired human knowledge, from experience - even experiences with God. "Hochmah" is an innate God knowledge, understandings of His plans, His will, and His purpose. And interestingly enough, "Hochmah", a central trait to God is female (complete with an 'ah' ending).

Why is God's wisdom female? Simple, because it is mysterious. To a culture that lived, breathed, and moved within a male-driven society, the wisdom of the Lord was and is strangely mysterious. And even still to us, there is this mystery and beauty about God's way that just perplexes us...just like as a guy, so do my female friends confuse me. There is such beauty and wonder in the mystery! So again I say to you ladies...thanks for the insight. And much like I would like God to tell me just how to do things (the same as I would prefer a girl to just instruct me to turn the heat down) there is such an amazing beauty in the fact that he gives little insights and hints to see if I am paying attention, if I am connecting to Him, and if I can respond in a way that pleases Him. Thanks for the mystery - it makes her...and HIM so much more beautiful!

Friday Funnies....

with Ron Burgundy. Check out these clips.....

Life According to Bo

My roommate Ryan has a boxer that makes a nice addition to our house. His name is BoJangles, or Bo for short.

It's funny how God uses little things to teach us big things. In lieu of yesterdays all-night-guy-a-thon at the house, I spent a bulk of my time at home with Bo. I was watching him as he reacted to food that I was eating. He is an excellent beggar. I realized something. Anything I give Bo is better than his current situation. Piece of chicken vs. dog bone, or, roast beef vs. pedigree. It's really a no brainer.

However,Bo's ability to reason is not excellent. He is content with what he has in his mouth. If I give Bo a cheap hot dog, and then hold up a steak - he will continue to eat his hot dog, even though I promise the steak is better. He will, no doubt, get around to the steak - but on his time, after he finished what is currently in his mouth.

Aren't we the same? Think about it. Think of what God has in store for us, yet sometimes we are so preoccupied with what we are currently doing we can't see it. We hold onto our bare rib bone instead of embracing the glorious meal He has for us. It's so easy for us to just get along with what tastes comfortable, not what is best. We even deceive ourselves and think what we have in our mouths is best. I can see Bo thinking to himself, "Man, it doesn't get better than this hot dog".

Yes it does Bo, I promise.

Lord, may you continually bring me nourishment and food, as well as treats and blessings, and if I do not move onto what is best, rip it out of my mouth! Even if you take my teeth with it! I trust you in that balance.

Funniest Commercial Ever

This is seriously the funniest, most creative commercial I have ever seen. I have laughed for hours. Amazing. I wish Burger King lived closer....haha.

Whatever it takes; what is the world coming to?

I am currently sitting in the green-room off of our church stage during our 8:30 service this morning and just finished doing a little news surfing. I came across a story on cnn.com about a young six year old girl who won Hannah Montana tickets for writing the winning essay. However, the essay, which stated that her dad had recently died in Iraq was a lie. Haven't heard of this story...you should check it out.

The most unbelievable part of the story is the comment from the mom...."We did whatever we could do to win." Wow. What example does this set for your children; that you can lie and cheat to get ahead. Remember, this was not the essay of a 20 year old, but a SIX year old.

What is a bigger shame is that Hannah Montana (nothing against her) has such an influence that she is worth "whatever it takes."

My question to us as Christians is simple...does Hannah Montana, or sports tickets, or the newest movie or whatever have a bigger draw to our life than Christ? Would we do whatever it takes to champion Him? (note: I do not mean lying on an essay).

This thought takes me to a story in Mark 2 about four guys that literally did whatever they could to gain access to Jesus, even if that mean coming through a roof. They knew that their hope lied solely in Him. Do we feel the same? If it is sad that the example of lying and deceit is being shown to this young girl, then isn't it even more disturbing to know that Hannah Montana is worth that pursuit, and that this young girl, and maybe youngsters everywhere have more influence on the pursuit of unimportant things and they have no example of what it means in our culture to pursue and chase after our only Hope, namely, Jesus. We as Christians could perhaps learn something from this....do we do "whatever it takes"?

Resolutions

It's that time of year again. Resolution time!

What is it going to be this year? Workout more, spend less, save more, lose weight, find that relationship, eat healthier?

Which one are you choosing? I have not completely decided on mine yet, and will inform the blog-nation of my decision (do not judge if it is cliche).

This resolution stuff got me to thinking. Why exactly do we make these yearly resolutions? Are we just following tradition, or is their something about our lives that needs changing?

I looked up resolution in the dictionary and stumbled upon this; 1. that a resolution is a firm decision to do or not do something, and 2. that it is the action of solving a problem.

I found the pairing of these definitions pretty cool. We are faced with all kinds of problems; some may be situations we allow ourselves to be in, mindsets and attitudes we hold, habits we continually participate in, and grudges we hold to name a few. So this year, what are you going to do about it? Who do you need to forgive, what grudge do you need to let go of? What attitude do you need to change? What habit needs to stop? You decide - it's your resolution.

If you are making any New Year's Resolutions or have any cool resolution stories please share them in the comment section. It would be fun!

And Now he is in TIME

that's right ladies and gents...Rob Bell has hit TIME magazine.

Not a bad read - you should check it out. Rob Bell in TIME