Top 10: My Dream Music Festival

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Cross Movement, Dennis Agajanian, Flame, Flatfoot 56, Jars of Clay, John Williams, Josh Groban, LaCrae, music festivals, Phil Keaggy, Plumb, Scott Dente, star wars, Third Day, Tiffanny Arbuckle, Trip Lee, U2, Wes King

Regular readers have probably figured out that I love music. Over the years I have been able to attend several concerts. I  have often thought of bands/artists that would be included in my ideal music festival. The best word to describe my line up is eclectic.

#10: Dennis Agajanian – Not much of a country/bluegrass fan but this guy is an amazing guitarist. He actually plays the Hallelujah Chorus on the guitar.

Franklin Graham with Dennis Agajanian

#9: Need to Breathe – Just because every festival needs a good southern rock band. Also, they put on a good show.  Really enjoyed seeing them in concert.

Need to Breathe -- Sorry it is so dark.

#8: Josh Groban & John Williams – I’m pretty sure this pairing has never happened. It is the line up of my dream festival. Williams is one of my favorite modern composers/conductors and Groban is one of my favorite classical/pop singers.  Just think it would make for an amazing concert. Somehow the score from Star Wars would have to be included.

#7: Flame, LaCrae and others from Cross Movement - Yes, I know my last entry was classical. Why not throw in some rap for fun. The Cross Movement Guys are great in concert.  I like how they took time to hang out the masses.

Trip Lee from Cross Movement.

#6: Flatfoot 56 — Flatfoot 56 is a Celtic Punk Rock band based out of Chicago. They are actually pretty good. Doesn’t every festival need punk band. They are pretty cool guys as well.

Taken with half of the guys from Flatfoot 56.

#5:  Jars of Clay – I have actually seen Jars at a festival type event. I like their eclectic sound and use of unusual instruments.

#4: Plumb – Tiffany Arbuckle AKA Plumb can still rock although motherhood has mellowed her some. Never seen her in concert. She is one of the few artists on my must see list.  Hopefully, she would rock out some in a festival setting.

#3: Phil Keaggy – One of the best concerts I’ve ever attended was Keaggy and friends.  He is probably one of the best guitarist alive. It would make the concert a little sweeter through in Wes King and Scott Dente as backup.  Or maybe mix it up some have have Keaggy preform with Groban and Williams.  I also think it would be interesting to hear Keaggy and Agajanian together.

#2: Third Day – Third Day is amazing in concert. They are actually better live than on CD. It was a great concert and would like to see them again.

Third Day performing from the middle of the audience.

#1: U2 – U2 is at the top of my want to see list.  So, it is pretty much a no-brainer that they are the #1 band in my line-up.

Well, that is the line-up for my dream music festival. Yes, I know it is a little strange and probably unrealistic.

Worship Is Not a Spectator Event

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church services, Matt Redman, prayer, preaching, worship

It seems that sometimes in church we get in a routine where we come in sit down and wait for those on the stage to sing, teach, pray etc, while we sit in our comfy little pew and observe.  This really frustrates me because I think we have a misunderstanding of worship.  Matt Redman is right that at its very core worship is all about Jesus or at least it should be. Worship is not just a corporate service that we attend once a week to please God.

Further, I believe that true worship requires us to be an active participant not just a spectator.  No, I don’t mean that we all must preach or be on the platform to worship. Rather we need to be actively engaged in worship and not wondering whats for dinner or planning our week.  There are several ways we can be active participants.

First, be prepared.  Before arriving be ready to worship, enter with a mind and heart ready for worship. It helps me to listen to praise music as I’m getting ready for church.

Second, be focused.  During the prayers, songs etc don’t tune out. This can be hard for me. Having ADHD can make it hard for me to focus at times. I get frustrated when the service starts with a song or two  and then we have to a break for greetings (which in many churchs includes talking to those near us), announcements, maybe a presentation or something else. Then we are supposed to suddenly return to spirit of worship with at best two songs. I wish that all of the announcements and other stuff could be taken care of before the “worship” starts”. Mentally it is hard for me to switch back so fast and truly be focused.

Third, choose to be a participant. What I mean is to be actively engaged and interacting with what is going be it a singing, prayer or preaching. For me prayer and preaching times are when I tend to become a spectator and tune out.

During worship are you a spectator or participant? How do you prepare yourself for worship?

Top 10: Favorite Movies

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Alfred Hitchcock, Anne Hathaway, Candice Bergen, Christopher Plumber, Denzel Washington, favorite movies, Jerry Bruckheimer, Josh Lucas, Julie Andrews, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Nia Vardalos, Patrick Dempsey, Rear Window, Reese Witherspoon, Remember the Titans, star wars, Star Wars: A New Hope, Sweet Home Alabama, The American President, The Princess Bride, The Princess Diaries, The Sound of Music, White Christmas

#10 Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode 4): When it came out it was the most amazing movie I had ever seen. The special effects were  cutting edge at the time.  Watching Stars Wars movies became a tradition with my dad.  Yes, I have seen all 6 episodes and I think the Original Trilogy movies are the best ones.

#9 Sweet Home Alabama. Reese Witherspoon plays Melanie Carmichael from a small town in Alabama who has traded her humble beginnings for the big city. She has become a successful fashion designer in New York City. She becomes engaged to the mayor’s (Candice Bergen) son (Patrick Dempsey) but there is one catch. She is still married to Jake (Josh Lucas) who is back home in Alabama and has refused to sign the divorce papers.

#8 The Princess Bride: I love the humor. The movie is filled with quotable lines. It is a good movie to add to your collection. It is one of those movies you will want to watch over and over.

#7 My Big Fat Greek Wedding: I love the transformation of Toula Portokalos from a shy and dumpy girl to a beautiful and confident young woman. Toula is 30 something, single and working in her family’s Greek restaurant. Her dad Gus just wants her to marry a nice Greek boy. After convincing her dad to let her take some college classes the transformation begins. Toula meets and begins dating Ian Miller, a non-Greek. Nia Vardalos wrote and stars in the movie. It is loosely based on her life.

#6 Remember the Titans: A Jerry Bruckheimer movie that addresses with school integration in Alexandria, VA. Denzel Washington plays a coach charged with merging the football teams from the black and white high schools. The movie chronicles the team’s journey from a group of hostile strangers to a championship team.

#5 White Christmas: Growing up we watched the movie every year. I think I was about 10 or 11 the first time I saw or remember seeing White Christmas. My mom let me stay up late to watch the movie. Now that was a rare treat. My mom didn’t like me watching TV. She also was a stickler for following the schedule and routines.

#4: The Sound of Music: This classic stars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plumber as Captain and Maria Von Trapp. Sound of Music is the tale of the whirlwind romance between the Captain and new governess for his children. The movie is set in pre-World War II Salzburg, Austria. The movie was filmed in Austria and much of it was filmed at the Villa Von Trapp.

#3: The Princess  Diaries (I & II): Anne Hathaway plays an awkward teenager who discovers she is really a princess. Julie Andrews portrays her grandmother the Queen. When Princess Diaries first came out many critics panned it claiming that it was a waste of Andrews’s talent. To them it was a cheesy movie with little redeeming qualities. I disagree.  It is a sweet, feel-good movie with a positive message.
#2 The American President: Starring Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd and Annette Benning as lobbyist Syndey Ellen Wade. One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Shepherd tries to buy flowers for Syndey. He is amazed that the most powerful man in the world can’t do something as simple as buy flowers for his girl.

#1: Rear Window: In my opinion this Hitchcock classic is one of the bests ever made. It is suspenseful without all of the blood and guts of horror or slasher movies.

The American President. Starring Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd and Annette Benning as lobbyist Syndey Ellen Wade. One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Shepherd tries to buy flowers for Syndey. He is amazed that the most powerful man in the world can’t do something as simple as buy flowers for his girl.

Sky Watch Friday: Road Tripping

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Baton Rouge, Houston Texas, Louisiana, road trip, Texas

Started this one months ago but somehow it got lost in my Drafts folder. Hopefully, I will be back on SkyWatch now after taking a break for a few months.

The Big Guy got a new car shortly before we went home for Christmas. The new has a moon roof. I tend to get bored on road trips. So I decided to play with the camera as we were driving.

View from the moon roof.

Stuck in Houston traffic.

Reflection of the Big Guy

Baton Rouge, LA

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Lesson Learned (?)

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Colorado, documentary, HBO, National Association of Evangelicals, New Life Church, scandals, Ted Haggard

Last month I saw the documentary The Trials of Ted Haggard on HBO.  It chronicles the life of Ted Haggard since the scandal that forced him out of the pastorate at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Co and position his the president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Actually, it was interesting and thought provoking. First, I was struck my the dedication of Haggard’s family to stick with him. As a result of Haggard’s actions the entire family had to leave their home in Colorado. One of the conditions of Haggard’s resignation from the church was that he would  not be allowed in Colorado.  The Haggard family had to give up their home in Colorado and live in borrowed or rented places in another state.

A second observation I made was the far reaching effect of Haggard’s actions. His actions not only effected himself but his family. During their time of exile the family’s standard of living dropped significantly due to Haggard’s inability to get a job and housing situation. Our actions effect others around apparently, that is something that Haggard never thought about. The lives of his wife and children were devastated because of his actions.

Throughout the documentary it seemed as though Haggard was genuiely repentant. I mean he obvisously was sorry that he had to give up his nice home and lowered his standard of living. That really didn’t seem to be true remorse or desire to change. After the documentary was flimed Haggard was allowed to return to Colorado and apparently it didn’t take long for him to return to his old ways. True repetance involves a change of heart and actions not just words.

Wise Choice (?)

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Judge Sonia Sotomayor, supreme court

There as been a lot of media coverage about President Obama’s selection of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court.  While I do not necessarily agree with Sotomayor’s critics I do have some concerns.  I realize that they may just be sound bites taken out of context.

One of my biggest concerns is that she may be confused about the role of the Judaical branch. In one video I saw of Sotomayor included a “slip” where she noted that the role of a judge was to make law and then self-corrected with interpret law. It is the Legislative branch not the Judaical branch that makes laws. I do not want any judge, regardless of political leanings, attempting to make laws from the bench.

Another concern I have is the now infamous comment about Latina women being wiser than white males. Ok, that statement is racist. There is no direct correlation between race, gender and wisdom.  In my opinion that comment lacks wisdom.

Is Sotomayor a wise choice for the Supreme Court?