These kids made me smile. I came across this on digg.com this afternoon. I sure could have used a pair of these growing up.
Moving Music
So I’m stealing this from Amy, check out her blog for the original post.
Music can have a strong emotional pull on me – invoking happiness or sadness, and not always related to a past experience. As I thought over my favorite artists I realized the ones a top the list have the strongest grip over me – Derek Webb, Counting Crows, Damien Rice, Ray LaMontagne, to name a few.
Sometimes a song in it’s completeness – music, lyrics, vocals – draws out a feeling of joy. For me, worship music often follows this line, but as my previous post showed, fun ska or punk music can do it too. Other songs just make me want to cry. Here are a couple of those types:
“Fix You” by Coldplay – Coldplay is an interesting band for me, the vocals usually pull me down but the guitar and drums make me want to move and sway which makes me smile. This song though just makes me teary.
“Colorblind” by Counting Crows – I’m a sap for a sad piano song, well any piano song I guess, but the start to this song causes emotion to well up and my eyes to fill. Then the violin sets in and I’m gone. This song is probably the most consistent tear invoker on the list.
“The Blowers Daughter” by Damien Rice – Soaked in pain, you can hear the hurt in Damien’s voice and it moves my heart to morn with him.
“Black eye” by Jeff Tweedy – This one doesn’t always get me, but on days when I feel alone and distant from God, forgetting his grace and love, this song reminds me of all the walls I’ve constructed and how good they are at isolating me.
“Let that be enough” by Switchfoot – So worshipful, so prayerful, it centers me on God and illuminates ways I’ve chosen my way instead of His. It strips me down to a simple child like faith and puts me back together.
This was a lot of fun for me, what songs make you want to cry. Or if you like, what songs make you joyful?
Just For Fun – Lots of Music
Last night Josh put on some Five Iron Frenzy songs at the haus – I haven’t listened to FIF in like a thousand yesterdays. Reese Rooper has been tickling my ears as I smile remembering concerts of the high school and
early college years.
Tonight I’m going to hear my roommate and good friend Matt Wondra play some sweet tunes at a coffee house near ISU. Ben, Amy and I are driving over together. Check out Matt’s MySpace page to get some samples of his superpowers.
I used my emusic monthly quota to download Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (because I’ve respected Spoon for a while but don’t own any of their stuff) and Josh Garrels – Over Oceans (under Josh’s recommendation). Both albums are super sweet.
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Now playing: Five Iron Frenzy – Dandelions
via FoxyTunes
Halloween funness
So yesterday was Halloween. Ben Chase, Matt Wondra and I had initially planned on doing a group costume for a party a couple friends were hosting, Matt had to cancel do to some prior commitments though. Ben and I almost didn’t go to the party cause our costume wouldn’t quite work-out, also because neither of us really felt in the party mood. I’m glad I went though, it was a lot of fun.
Here is a picture of Ben and I. Ben was Shadrack, Matt was gonna be Meshack and I was One Bad Amigo. So we were Shadrack, Meshack and One Bad Amigo 🙂 We thought that was clever and pretty funny.
New Nooma – 018 Name
Posted 31 Oct 2007 — by nick
Category Jesus, Light, Ministry, Spirituality, Technology, Videos
Category Jesus, Light, Ministry, Spirituality, Technology, Videos
A new Nooma was released today, the eighteenth in the series. Those of you that heard me speak at Illini Life Summer Church or at the Fall Retreat might find some of the material familiar. This Nooma is a bit of a summary of a couple of life changing teachings I’ve listened to frequently by Rob Bell.
For the next 48 hours you can watch the NOOMA for free on their MySpace page.
It was good to be reminded of these truths today.
I Shall Not Walk Alone
Posted 27 Oct 2007 — by nick
Category Light, music, Poetry, Spirituality
Category Light, music, Poetry, Spirituality
“I Shall Not Walk Alone”
By Ben Harper
Battered and torn
still I can see the light
tattered and worn
but I must kneel to fightFriend of mine
what can’t you spare
I know some times
it gets cold in thereWhen my legs no longer carry
and the warm wind chills my bones
I reach for Mother Mary
and I shall not walk aloneHope is alive
while we’re apart
only tears
speak from my heart
break the chains
that hold us down
and we shall be
forever boundWhen I’m tired and weary
and a long way from home
I reach for Mother Mary
and I shall not walk aloneBeauty that
we left behind
how shall we
tomorrow findSet aside
our weight in sin
so that we
can live againWhen my legs no longer carry
and the warm wind chills my bones
I reach for Mother Mary
and I shall not walk alone
I’ve recently gotten into Ben Harper. He’s an artist I’ve heard a lot about and respect simply because friends I respect like him. Matt Wondra’s brother moved in with us a couple weeks back and loaned me one of Ben Harper’s Albums “Will To Live”. After listening through a couple of times I’ve come to really love this album. It’s beautiful and this track is pure poetry in it’s simplicity.
We shall not walk alone for the God of all creation walks beside us.
Retreating to the Wilderness
Illinois has mountains too… well sorta. This is Camel Rock in the Garden of the Gods, part of Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois.
In a few short minutes I’ll be on the road with my twin brother Chris headed for Harrisburg, IL. We’ll be spending the next 3 1/2 days hiking a small section of the River to River trail – specifically we are destined for The Garden of the Gods.
I’m excited to have a chance to retreat and spend some refreshing simplistic time with God. I pray He meets with me as I walk through creation and communions with me as I drink deep of His beauty.
See you in a few days.
Sunlight
Typically after a marathon I tend to struggle more with feeling down and emotional – some runners have a term for this, Post Marathon Depression. While I’m not sure I’d call it depression – certainly there is a great feeling of lose and emptiness. In one respect you reached the goal through months of training, uplifting. Then there is the emptiness of not having a goal to strive for, not having a motivation to get back on the road and put in the miles. In addition you have the physical limitation; your body simply needs to recover and your legs can be mad at you for sometime. Typically my body needs about 2 weeks to recover and feel up to pounding the road again.
Reviewing previous years it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the past weeks have been pretty tough emotionally and felt so exhausting. Periodically I’ve felt overwhelmed with emotion – making it hard to be around friends or even complete my work.
Yesterday I noticed the hours of sunlight dwindling, like they do each fall, and that made me sad. Soon it’ll be dark when I go to work in the morning and dark when I get off. Over the years I’ve heard claims that sunlight helps fight depression, so I’ve made it a point to get outside today – visiting some of the buildings I’m networking. Surprising how much better I feel just from getting to see the sun a bit – how much more hopeful life seems. It excites me and reminds me of this idea of God being light and us as followers being salt and light.
I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. ~ Jesus (John 12:46)
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Now playing: Derek Webb – This Too Shall Be Made Right
via FoxyTunes
Fall Retreat Reflections: Part 1 The Intro
Posted 25 Sep 2007 — by nick
Category Jesus, Ministry, Scripture, Spirituality
Category Jesus, Ministry, Scripture, Spirituality
This weekend marked our annual Fall Retreat. Each year Illini Life heads off to a little camp near Peoria to get away from the busyness of campus and the chaos of year’s beginning. In the past we’ve brought in a speaker to teach the 4 or so main sessions – this year our teachers were all in-house which aided a more family centric feel to the retreat.
The topic of focus: Insecurities – Physical, Emotional and Social.
I felt the weekend was very accessible and left me with a great deal of hope. Sharing honestly about our insecurities – what is really going on behind tearful eyes, or a joyous smile – breaks down walls and makes me feel less alone. Sharing in others insecurities removes the isolating and crippling power they have over us.
I’d like to try and write a series of posts on this weekend, reflecting on each of the teachings and the things God has shown me through them. I say try because we all know I’m not so consistent with posting.
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Now playing: Iron & Wine – Resurrection Fern
via FoxyTunes
