I’ve been playing this song a lot lately.
Lifehouse - Easier To Be

You make it easier to be
Easier to be me
It’s hard to believe
You make it easy

I went to see Lifehouse in concert earlier this month, and really enjoyed the show. Before the concert, I never really got into Lifehouse much. I do like the song they have out now, “Whatever It Takes”. But, before that song, a few of their songs have been overplayed in my mind, and thus I kinda tuned them out.

But, I gotta say, after the concert I went out and purchased both their old and new album. The new album is really great, and substantially better than the first IMHO.

But Lifehouse is not really the point of this post. The other night at CharlotteOne Dave turned on the house lights and asked people in attendance to stand up and speak about what CharlotteOne has meant to them. I’m not a good public speaker, and I’m definitely not good at speaking on my feet, so I didn’t volunteer to speak. But, after thinking about it for a moment, I realize what this year has done for me.

About 9 months ago I was introduced to a group of Christian friends. Christian friends are ones that I never had much of in the past. I always seemed to have one foot in church life and one foot out. But, these past 9 months have been different. I now have more christian friends than I know what to do with. At first I found this so overwhelming. Being the new kid in the group, I was constantly getting questions about myself, my personal life, my friends, my struggles, and daily life issues. I didn’t know how to adjust to all of this genuine interest. But, over time I did, thankfully.

Looking back over the past years of my life and comparing them to the past few months, I must say that living a better christian life is an EASIER life than before. The support group, the community, the friendships, the mutual desires and aspirations, and the diversity among my new friends are all things that really make a life full. Never having this, you really are unaware of what you are missing. But, now having it, I can’t imagine living without it. It truly is an easier life. The stress is less. The frustrations are less. Your friends, your community, and your confidants are there to support you and most importanly are there to reinforce the great promises and blessing of our God. Thanks be to Him!

Lifehouse - Storm

how long have I
been in this storm
so overwhelmed by the ocean’s shapeless form
water’s getting harder to tread
with these waves crashing over my head

if I could just see you
everything will be alright
if I’d see you
the storminess will turn to light

and I will walk on water
and you will catch me if I fall
and I will get lost into your eyes
and everything will be alright
and everything will be alright

I’ve written about Blue Merle before. It’s about time I gave you some samples…

Blue Merle - Places

And this bartender is selling a lie
That all of these travelers are buying
Cause everyone’s looking for something to find
But bars, they ain’t nothing but places you hide
They ain’t nothing but places to hide

Blue Merle - Part of Your History

I always knew that you do great things
I didn’t ever want to slow you down
I was there when you learned to use your wings
And I saw you leave the ground
The time spent in your sweet arms
Was the best time that I’ve known
Maybe the reason I was here at all was to see you carry on

I went to see the band Angels & Airwaves play last week at a local club. If you don’t know anything about them, it’s a band led by the former front man of Blink 182, Tom Delong. I’m not saying Angels & Airwaves (AVA, for short) is a christian band by any means. But, if you know anything about the roots of Blink or Tom Delong, you know he has a Christian background and is clearly trying to let this good influence rub off in his AVA music.

In fact, Tom says this specifically in a few of his interviews.

“I was born and raised Christian. My mom was an extremely conservative Christian and I very much have those roots in my life. “I’m extremely spiritual and I have my own ideas of what happens when you die and how we’re all connected. “I think that will play some part in what this band’s about.”

(Continue reading…)

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, my brother Noah and I went to see the movie “Into the Wild“. I had given the book to Noah for Christmas a few years ago, so going to see the movie was a natural transition. The movie, although slow at times, was a great story. I felt that Sean Penn as the director missed providing a much more cinematic experience by not showing as much scenic landsapes and such. But, nonetheless, the story was powerful. For those of you who don’t know about the story, it depicts a recent college graduate who didn’t have the best family life growing up. After graduating college, he basically attempts to flee society and ‘fall off the grid’ sort of speak. In this, he’s a constant vagabond traveling the country side and stopping only to commune with like-spirited friends. I don’t think I’m ruining the movie for you when I say that in the end, the kid basically learns the hard way that happiness is only real when it is shared.

(Continue reading…)

The song is currently on repeat in my music player.

Mute Math - Progress

Pulling your confidence through
Some courage is well overdue
I believe solely in all your promise
Why waste a second in doubt
You could be helping you out
Keeping your head in the clear

Like an instrument for a song
Like the sun for tomorrow’s dawn
Every moment of time’s just an answer to find
What you’re here for, what you breathe for
What you wake for, what you bleed for

Everyone’s counting on you
Save for yourself what to do
Life is a card that you lay down sometimes
To search for the best way of all
Is finding the best way to fall
Keeping your head in the clear

Every moment of time’s just an answer to find
What you’re here for, what you breathe for
What you wake for, what you bleed for
What you hope for, what you live for
What you’re here for, what you breathe for, what you live for
What you’re here for, what you bleed for, what you live for

I’ve been addicted to Blue Merle lately. They sound basically like a poor-man’s Coldplay. But, they are better than that. Unfortunately, after recording a successful album in 2005, the band broke just a year later.

Lucas Reynolds, the genius behind Blue Merle, is now out on his own and is writing songs in a frenzy.

I’ve spent the past 2 years writing now over 115 new songs and have really grown as a writer.

A soon-to-be-released movie called August Rush will feature Lucas’s music. The movie looks awesome. It features a great cast, including Keri Russell (Felicity), Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting), Terrance Howard (Hustle & Flow), and Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland).

Be sure to check out Blue Merle, Lucas Reynolds, and August Rush.

Andy Samberg is getting better and better. If he keeps this up, he’ll be mentioned in the same breath as other SNL greats such as Adam Sandler, Chevy Chase, and Chris Rock.

Andy also brought us Lazy Sunday and D@#k In a Box.

Grab the “Iran So Far” MP3 here.
Grab the “Lazy Sunday” MP3 here.

“Iran So Far”
They say true love comes only once in a lifetime
And even though we’re from opposite ends of the earth
My heart tells me you’re the one for me

Mahmoud, I remember when it started, saw you on the news
You hating gays, I was eating food
I was feeling you, and even though I disagree with almost everything you said
You ain’t wrong to me, so strong to me, you belong to me
Like a very hairy Jake Gyllenhaal to me
Mahmoud, make my heart beating out of my chest
my mind says no but my body says yes
You ain’t no threat, the only threat I see, is the threat of you not coming home to me
Our love for each other is like when atoms collide
Can’t express how I feel, and yo Adam let’s ride

And Iran, Iran so far away is your home, but in my heart you’ll stay

He ran, for the president of Iran
We ran together to a tropical island
My man, Mahmoud is known for violence
Smiling, if he can still do it then I can
They call you weasel, they say your methods are medieval
You can play the Jews, I can be your Jim Caviezel

S&M, (?) when we’re wrestlin’
You can be the port that I put my vessel in
So I try to (?) but you can still see me
With your sleepy brown eyes, butter pecan thighs
And your hairy butt… Yeah.

And Iran, Iran so far away
Come home, and in my arms you’ll stay
Used to look at the stars and dream
Around the world the same stars we’re seeing
And a twinkle in your eyes Mahmoud

Talk smooth to me, in the night sky
With you pants high waisted, damn so fly
We can take a trip to the animal zoo
And laugh at all the funny things that animals do
Like Eugene, you got me straight trippin’ boo
Hope you look at my eyes and say I’m trippin’ too
You say (?) but they already do
You should know by now, it’s you

You crazy for this world Mahmoud
You can deny the Holocaust all you want
But you can’t deny that there’s something between us
I know you say there’s no gays in Iran
But you’re in New York now baby
So time to stop hating and start living

This isn’t necessarily new. But, I like this song by Jason Mraz.

Jason Mraz - I’m Yours

I started going to a new church this month. Warehouse 242. I can’t say that the church service is better than that of my home church at Central Church of God. But, the fact that I’ve found a church which focuses on community, activities, laid back atmosphere, support, and plays music that I know is incredibly awesome. So far I’ve heard Mute Math, Muse, Coldplay, and Silversun Pickups played there. That rules! Plus, the church is chocked full of young, single professionals. That right there is an answer to prayer.

Mute Math doesn’t seem to stop touring. They have already begun another fall concert series. And yet again, they will be stopping thru Charlotte. I can’t wait to check them out again. (The Charlotte show is October 26th).

If you haven’t heard of Mute Math before, you are really missing out. Check their PureVolume page, or Myspace page to sample some of their music.

If you haven’t seen them in concert yet, then this show is a must see! Seriously. You have to go! You won’t be disappointed. Go to the Amos’s Southend website now and buy your tickets.

The opening band, Eisley, looks interesting as well - and should be a hit with the ladies. They sound so much like Sixpence None the Richer that I could have sworn that the lead singer was the same from Sixpence. But, apparently not.