Left Behind (The Rapture Song)

as someone who didn't sleep for 12 days straight after seeing A Thief in the Night as a 5th grader,

debated pre-trib vs post-trib as a college junior,

converted to pre-wrath as a thirty-something,

and now holds strong to the apathetic eschatological view - i know its going to happen, i know i'm going, i just don't care about the when, where, and how - and i'm much happier for it. . .

as that "someone" - i found closure in the five minutes and sixteen seconds of this video.

comic books and church music part I

i work for a toy distributor. i was only there to help out before the holidays and ended up staying a bit longer than planned. it has been cooler than cool for one specific reason and it has nothing to do with the toys. . . i work with people who love sci-fi and comic books.

it is great to be able to talk about this stuff with other people. dave is ecstatic that i have found some "Trekkie" friends to play with. . . . he thinks all sci-fi fans are created equal - he doesn't understand that you can be a sci-fi affectionado without being a Captain Kirk fan - but i digress.

one of my co-workers loaned me "the watchmen" - a graphic novel in which the 12 individual series comics that make up the novel were released 20 years ago and is finally making it to the big screen this week. i don't want to do a review here but i do want to touch on one of the themes - what do super heroes do when they are forced into retirement? (you will have to read it or watch it to find out or you could email me and ask me and i might tell you).

do they fade gracefully into the night and make new lives for themselves in a world that no longer needs or remembers them? or do they they fade gracefully into the night allowing bitterness and anger to hijack their moral compasses and end up planning the destruction of said ungrateful world?

ok, i was reading the watchmen during the time i was talking with someone about the church music's evolution/revolution the last 30 years - organists, pianists, choirs, music directors, Hymns (spelled with a CAPITAL "H"), choruses and cantatas to guitarists, keyboardists, drummers, praise teams, worship pastors, worship songs and choruses, and hymns (spelled with a little "h").

what do organists and pianists and choir members and choir directors do when they are forced into retirement?

do they fade gracefully into the night and make new lives for themselves in a church that no longer needs or remembers them? or do they fade gracefully into the night, leaving that church to search for one with a pipe organ and robes?

part II tomorrow. . .

time for the current reading list

ok, here is what i happen to be reading at the moment. . .

Joe Carter and John Coleman's How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion From History's Greatest Communicator
i literally just started this one today. . .

a friend sent me a copy of the purse-driven life: It really is all about me by Anita Renfroe - i sorely needed a good laugh and i got one - haven't finished it yet. . . and thanks a lot Joy!!!!

D.L. Moody on Spiritual Leadership by Steve Miller - found this on a bookshelf in our family room - odd really, have no pickin' idea where it came from - i'm a Moody grad so i've read a bit about the school's founder but not necessarily from a spiritual leadership point of reference. . . i'll let you know.

my boss knows i like sci-fi and handed me a copy of C.S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet which i haven't read since my senior year in college back in the 80's. . . it is as good as i remembered. and no, we're not in Kansas or Narnia anymore. . .

and lastly, thanks to a co-workers lending library of great stuff i am in the midst of numerous comic books and graphic novels. . . and the really truly big book of Marvel: the Characters and Their Universe. hey, i work for a toy distributor and the office i share with Sales is done in Super Heroes and Super Villians. . . the Villians ended up on my side of the office. . . hmmmmmm, i wonder what that means?

Calgon, take me away!

when my kids were small i contemplated how my life would change when they grew up and moved out and on.

i could take a bath with no one banging on the door needing to use the bathroom. we only had one bathroom for about a third of their lives - it just seemed like an eternity.

i could take a bath with no one banging on the door demanding the whereabouts of his/her favorite toy. scary thing is i usually knew the answer.

i could take a bath with no one calling from 911 asking if our house was really on fire and should they send help. that one was exciting - but i'm really glad they called first.

i could eat hot foods hot and cold foods cold. actually, i kinda like everything room temperature these days.

i could drink my drink without sharing it and getting those "floaters" that magically appeared. now i have four legged beasts that will lap up anything in a cup without the benefit of "the magic word."

i could watch TV that was geared towards minds that dealt with mortgages, grocery lists, and budgets that didn't budget. in other words - NO PUPPETS!

i could actually find a pen, a stapler, my keys, the bottle of crazy glue, and BOTH of any pair of my shoes without holding The Inquisition.

i could plan a week's menu that didn't include macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese toasties, or string cheese. the latter which was invented by a desperate soccer mom who was hungry from all that car-pooling and tired of eating little graham crackers shaped like cuddly teddy bears.

all that contemplation got me nowhere. . .

i used to think my bath time was too short unless i started to wrinkle. but at my age, well, let's just say i don't need any help in the wrinkle department.

i used to think food served at the perfect temperature ensured perfect enjoyment and a drink without floaters would be heaven. not so much. . .

i used to think TV could stimulate my intellect - well, yeah, no. . . yeah, i'm pretty sure, no. . .

i used to think the kids were the reason i couldn't find anything around the house. hmm, still looking for one of my boots. . .

i used to think menu planning was mindless. i realize i just eat yogurt for breakfast and lunch only having to worry about what's for dinner these days.

now i know that i sorta miss some of the above mentioned schtuff and am looking forward to another generation of Corlew's running around wrecking havoc and fun and leaving handprints and hugs every time they leave the room. . .just not anytime real soon.

silence may not be golden but it is quiet

the last two weeks have been quiet.

internet and networking issues have been plaguing our home. (we will be switching internet and phone and tv provider next month. . . there were so many people jumping ship that the install dates are 5 weeks out. so the next 4 weeks will be interesting fighting to get and maintain a connection. . . i think i will be spending a lot of time at the library.)

and i dropped my cell phone in a cup of coffee. . . yeah, i know. . . i was on a land line and my cell rang so i picked it up to see who it was, looked, and then dropped it my into my cup o' java while attempting to answer a caller's question, grab a copy off the printer and place my cell back on my desk. . .

note - out of desperation, i got on youtube and followed somebody's directions on how to "save" a submerged cell . . . my cell works. . . kinda. . .

so, the last two weeks have been very quiet.
and the weird part is. . . after the first week of panic, nausea, frustration, and incessant talking to myself - i was ok with it being so quiet.
i wasn't lonely.
i wasn't frazzled.
i wasn't grumpy.

i think i might have been suffering from a case of a severe, self-imposed "online-itis." you know, the disease where you try to stay connected with at least 97.3% of the people who facebook, email, and text message you while attempting to stay well-read on today's current events, world-wide current events. . . AND live your life in the face-to-face world of family, work, friends, and more work. . .

i think i'll pencil in a couple of weeks for an off-line vacation come August. . .

I Love Jesus but I Drink A Little - the song

i hate country music - but i think this was a product of divine inspiration. . .
i wonder if if we can sing this at church. . .

Ellen DeGeneres ~ I Love Jesus But I Drink A Little (HQ)

ok, i know it's a little long - but i had to post this. . .