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.”

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Our best works on earth are filthy rags before Christ. We are saved by His grace. We can not earn our way into heaven. Our salvation is a gift that we accept. And if we truly believe in Christ and accept him as our saving grace, then our lives will be transformed because of it.

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

A good friend forwarded me this email. I thought it was good enough to post. If only I did 3 of these regularly, my life would be much better!

CHRISTIAN WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line….or something to entertain your mind - eliminates impatience!
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don’t wait until it’s time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good ‘Thank you Jesus.’
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most.
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36 Every night before bed, think of one thing you’re grateful for that you’ve never been grateful for before.

GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31)

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.

A friend of mine showed me this video yesterday. Apparently this skit is making the rounds in churches these days - and rightfully so. It’s a great depiction of life today, and of God’s love for us. It reminded me of this video I found over a year ago.

Here’s the video…

This video got me thinking about the importance of a father’s love. It can break you if you don’t have it, and it can make you do anything and everything if you do have it. I’m so blessed to have the unconditional love of not only my Heavenly Father, but my real life father as well. Some aren’t so lucky.

The above video shows everything that God does for us in our everyday life. And the videos below demonstrate how real fathers properly emulate God’s love toward their family. It’s time to give thanks to the strong men in your life.

I love this movie. A great metaphor.

Acts 20:32

Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Isaiah 54:10

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

I stumbled across this video on YouTube. It’s from the DVD documentary called “Gotta Serve Somebody“, an in depth film on the gospel songs written by Bob Dylan. Many may know that Bob’s birth name was Robert Zimmerman (a Jewish name). I’m not sure how much of this film details exactly how Bob was converted to Christianity. But it is clear that his spirit was changed - as evident by the songs which he wrote.

Bob Dylan, one of the greatest gospel composers ever! — Who knew? But, praise God for it!

It’s December 26th, the day after Christmas, and I’m just getting over a massive head cold which limited my cheeriness over the holiday weekend. I’m so glad I made it to my parent’s house to see my family, visit with my baby neice, and spend time with aunts, uncles, and cousins which I rarely get to see.

But, this illness was certainly no fun. I retreated to a back bedroom most of the weekend trying not to spread my bug throughout the family. (I think I succeeded). But, if you’ve ever had a head cold, you know how hard it is to breathe at night. I slept horribly the first few nights.

Christmas Eve night was tough. I probably only slept 3 or 4 hours. While I couldn’t sleep, I tried my hand at video editing. In the wee hours of Christmas morning, I propped open my laptop and compiled this little video which has already garnered some good praise over on YouTube on my brother’s re-post.

God bless you all this holiday season, and may this year bring you your heart’s desire.

Song - Be Still, by Steven Curtis Chapman

Can you believe it’s been over 13 years since Jim Valvano’s untimely death? For those of you who don’t know, Jim Valvano was a well known and respected college basketball coach. He was most known for leading NC State to the national title in 1983. After his retirement from coaching, he became an incredible sportscaster. He, teamed with Dick Vitale, made for some of the best color commentary during a basketball game. (I even remember Jim and Dick appearing on an episode of the Cosby Show.)

As I was peering in my “blog this” file, I realized that these Jim Valvano videos have been stuck at the bottom of my list for sometime now. Nothing against Jim. But, a while ago I made a pretty hefty list of inspirational video’s I found sprinkled across the internet YouTube. As I began blogging about them, I didn’t want to overload everyone on video after video. So, I have tried to space them out. (sprinkle in a little real estate here, a little photo show there, some cool website announcements… You get the idea!).

As Jim battled cancer, (Continue reading…)