A random post on a song I have had stuck in my head

Any readers ever heard of Barry Louis Polisar or listened to his music? He has a definite folkish indie type style that usually has a simple repetitive melody pared with some just killer cheesy lyrics. ("I Need You Like a Donut Needs a Hole" :D it makes me smile just typing it out) Anyway in the absence of something more worthy to blog on, he has a song called All I Want is You" that has been making the rounds in my brain for several weeks. The way the simple acoustic rhythm just flows along is very catchy. Plus the lyrics make me laugh every time I hear them, and they just get better as the song moves along. :p

If I was a flower growing wild and free
All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee.
And if I was a tree growing tall and green
All I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves

chorus:
All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

If you were a river in the mountains tall,
The rumble of your water would be my call.
If you were the winter, I know I'd be the snow
Just as long as you were with me, let the cold winds blow

chorus

If you were a wink, I'd be a nod
If you were a seed, well I'd be a pod.
If you were the floor, I'd wanna be the rug
And if you were a kiss, I know I'd be a hug

chorus

If you were the wood, I'd be the fire.
If you were the love, I'd be the desire.
If you were a castle, I'd be your moat,
And if you were an ocean, I'd learn to float.

chorus

If this post were an animal it would be a frog
hopping along through my blog
If this post were a season it would be the spring
a cool simple breeze merrily billowing

Yeah I will admit it I am a sucker for cheesy lyrics :p

Without effort, victory is meaningless

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

That is one of my favorite quotes, it popped into my head today and I once again realized how I love being that man in the arena. I love the effort you have to put in as you push for something. For me a battle is almost more fun than a victory and a loss only makes me want to try harder the next time. I know the enthusiasm, the rush, you get when you are devoted to a cause or task that is worthy, it is one of the greatest feelings on earth.

More and more the world is becoming a place of "cold timid souls" who do not understand the thrill of doing something great even if it ends in defeat. The lion chasers are scarce and becoming more so. I know this is a common theme in my "thought" posts and that is probably because it is an ever pressing thought in my mind. How do you show or express to someone the greatness of something if they have never done it and have no desire to? It is a quandary for us humans which has been around since the earth was created.

God loves us, wholly, unconditionally, regardless of the fact that we tend to be ridiculously selfish and sinful beings. He knows what is best for us in our lives and wants us to follow Him, yet so often we don't recognize the amazing potential we could have if we just surrender. We live our lives having never fully surrendered with no real desire to and that causes us to be "cold and timid souls" spiritually. This is going to sound harsh but that is what I feel has happened to a lot of churches today.

There is no more worthy cause than to be enthusiastically dedicated to being a shining light for God in this world. Yet how can churches be so timid about proclaiming the Gospel and Biblical viewpoints in our society? Because they have not experienced the joy and thrill that comes from being in that arena, they would rather sit back with their 501c3 status and build their church membership.

Somehow this post has gone way off topic, all I wanted to do was post the quote and say I love it and somehow it has bounced around to churches building their membership! So I end it now with another quote:

"There is not in all America a more dangerous trait than the deification of mere smartness unaccompanied by any sense of moral responsibility."

I'm sticking with you, 'Cause I'm made out of glue....

Pretty catchy little line eh? It's been in my head all day :p Last Wednesday afternoon I climbed in my car and headed south to help my dad with some work. If you have been reading the blog for a while, you know I love driving, especially with the music cranked up and the windows down. It being a beautiful spring day, perfect for driving, I was happy to spend several hours with the wind whipping my hair as I sang along with my music.

I arrived at my destination roughly two and half hours later, met my dad and we got checked into the place we were staying. No sooner had we parked the cars when his phone rings and he gets a call requesting us to do an interior shot. This requires lights, which are at home several hours back up the interstate.

Being the crazy always willing to drive person I am, five minutes later I was back in my car, windows rolled down retracing my steps. Fortunately the lights were not needed until the next day so I arrived home, put them in my car and got to sleep in my own bed Wednesday night before I was back on the road early the next morning.

Several hours later back on site, we set the lights up for one shot, ate some lunch and headed outside to do another shot. It was then realized that one of our lenses had some serious issues, as in, it was not working at all. What do you suppose happened? I got back in my car and drove yet again back in the direction of home.

Except this trip I stopped before I got all the way home to pick up the replacement lens from a friend. Then I reversed course for the 4th time and headed back down south! I arrived back around 9pm and was just getting ready to park (literally feet away from the parking space) and grab something to eat when the lovely sound of a police siren filled my ears followed by the flashing of bright multi-colored lights. "Rats!" was my only thought as I pulled over and waited for the officer to come to my window.

No, I was not speeding, my passenger tail light was out so I spent 20 minutes out in front of the restaurant waiting on the officer. Finally he comes back and tells me the reason for such a long wait is because his printer is on the blink and he was having issues printing off the warning he wanted to give me. :p Friday was downright slow in comparison to Wednesday and Thursday, the only driving I accomplished was the few hours return trip.

Overall though, I drove 590 odd miles in three days which is not much by my standards, a little more than driving to New York City and a little less than getting to Boston. Unlike a drive up the east coast though, it was the same stretch of road just repeated over and over and over again. It is a good thing I have my ipod in my car, because by the sixth time driving on the same part of the interstate it was getting pretty boring and I could probably have driven it with my eyes closed. I did come up with a cheesy song though and since it has been a while since I posted any seriously crazy stuff I thought I would share:

Well I hopped in my car
for a little drive
a two hour tour
that got multiplied

With the windows rolled down
I'm zipping along
the music blaring
'an I'm singing a song

Pulled by the police
but not for burning rubber
seems my taillight
had gone undercover

With the windows rolled down
I'm zipping along
the music blaring
'an I'm singing a song

Drove the same stretch
of road six times
you can bet by now
I've got it memorized

With the windows rolled down
I'm zipping along
the music blaring
'an I'm singing a song!

Nothing

is more valuable, not your dvds, your cds, your TV,
not your computer, your vehicle, your pets,
not your house, your job, your friends,
not power, position, fame, money,
not your reputation not your
family, kids, husband/wife,
not even your very life,
is more important
than the God
who gave
his life
for it
all.

Daylight savings yet again steals my sleep

People who know me may or may not have heard me give my little rant on springing forward or falling back with our clocks. I will save everyone's ears from hearing the whole thing but the point of it is, DST has really no purpose and should be done away with. The popular reasoning for it lately has been to save on energy but a recent study done by a professor of environmental economics at U.C. Santa Barbara has said it might actually cost us more when we reset our clocks... Sorry it is just one of those things that make me tick. :p

It is also slightly irritating because since we had concerts until late last night and also had some friends spend the night we did not get to bed exactly early if you know what I mean. :D That extra hour comes in handy....Nevertheless, I fought off Sleepy Rufus in time to get ready and arrive on time at church where we sang a song that I love, "There Is A Higher Throne"

There is a higher throne
Than all this world has known
Where faithful ones from every tongue
Will one day come
Before the Son we'll stand
Made faultless through the Lamb
Believing hearts find promised grace
Salvation comes

Hear heaven's voices sing
Their thunderous anthem rings
Through emerald courts and sapphire skies
Their praises rise
All glory, wisdom, power
Strength, thanks and honor are
To God our King who reigns on high
Forevermore

And there we'll find our home
Our life before the throne
We'll honour Him in perfect song
Where we belong
He'll wipe each tear-stained eye
As thirst and hunger die
The Lamb becomes our Shepherd King
We'll reign with him.

Hear heaven's voices sing
Their thunderous anthem rings
Through emerald courts and sapphire skies
Their praises rise
All glory, wisdom, power
Strength, thanks and honor are
To God our King who reigns on high
For evermore

The song is based on Revelation 7 and standing there singing made me think of Revelation, which is split into two parts, earthly scenes and heavenly scenes. There is somewhat of a debate on the earthly scenes and how they are going to happen, if they have already happened...etc which when you think about it is slightly silly. Yes the earthly scenes are worth reading and studying but they are not really important in comparison to the heavenly scenes of the exalted Christ on the throne! The throne, where all worship, all adoration, all praise goes in honor of The King.

If you have read the blog you probably know music is something I really enjoy. Those who know me personally know I play around on the piano and the guitar, neither of which sounds too hot and as for singing, an American Idol I am not. But you don't need to be a concert master or Pavarotti to worship God, no matter our talents, we are all made to praise The King and bring honor to the Lord. Isn't that wonderful? Even though my gift of worship is small, He finds it acceptable. Ah, it is hard for me to put words to my emotions and I know this blog post can never adequately convey my feelings on the subject. I will just say, for me, it is a feeling unlike any other worshiping our Creator. I hope everyone has a good week. Anna wants me to get a video up of her part in one of the concerts last night so be on a lookout for it sometime this week.

Thoughts...

Rain drops on the window pane

are like the thoughts in my brain

constantly dripping, always moving

sometimes I wish for wiper blades

to help rid my mind of the thoughts that weigh

have you ever been somewhere with so much to say

but you don't say a thing at least not like you wanted

the mind replays the event somehow you're haunted

or there is deafening silence the type that makes you want to shout

you open your mouth yet no words come out

drowning in our thoughts sounds impossible

there is no way that is remotely logical

yet the thoughts fall through your head as in a downpour

slipping and sliding they keep on coming

thoughts without voice there is always a choice

If you keep them inside will they just roll up and die

hardly, you will probably just end up feeling sorry

that you did not express what was burning on your chest

sometimes the greatest risk is the one not taken

we're too scared of a fall, not trusting the One above all

that opportunity before you has a purpose behind it

but maybe you will never see it unless you deny yourself

and take a leap and remember that you are one of His sheep

the Lord will protect you through every decision

and everything that ever happens has a reason

with that knowledge in your head the need for wiper blades is dead

so your brain may feel like a storm now and then

just remember to place your trust in Him

Notebook Blogging #5

I woke up this morning to a lovely Valentine's day surprise of about 3 inches of snow. Yes 3 inches is barely more than a dusting and most of it has already melted as I type this but hey, it is snow. I love snow, plus on the way to class I got to yell at people driving like we were in a blizzard or something that is always fun.

Something rather funny happened in class this week, or maybe I should say before class. Like I have said in past posts, even though I usually wake up when I need to, as a precaution when I need to be somewhere on time in the early morning I set my alarm. Sometimes because of Sleepy Rufus even that does not work. :p Well one day this week I woke up and rolled over to see what time it was. My brain, still in it's somewhat foggy state from the adventure I was having in one of the seven levels of the candy cane forest, only noticed the minute hands were at :49 and my alarm was set for :50. Choosing to avoid some needless noise I turned off the alarm and went about getting ready to leave.

I ate breakfast, looked at the temperature outside (26) grabbed a warm hat and headed out the door. When I arrived at class I noticed the parking lot was not as full as it usually is but I did not give it a second thought that was until I noticed that Mr. T.'s truck was also not parked near the shop. "Hmmm" I thought to myself, I hope we have class today. It was at that moment that I thought to check my phone to see if I had somehow set a new land speed record getting to class, to my surprise I was early. An hour early! I had to look at my phone twice just to make sure I was getting the correct time.

When I thought about it I realized I looked at clocks in the house as well as the clock in my car, all of which were displaying the correct time but my brain just did not process it. What made it worse was the fact that I had taken my Bible and the book I was reading out of my backpack so I had nothing to read. Fortunately I still had my notebook and pens so I just sat there and wrote this post up. Then, since I still had quite a bit more to wait, I decided to stick it to verse...The things we do when we have time on our hands....

The alarm did not sound
still my feet hit the ground
when I jumped out of bed
thoughts of getting ready in my head.
I had a bite to eat
I brushed my teeth
put on my socks then shoes
I was on the move.
Though I did not drive fast
I arrived early to class
with nothing much to occupy my time
except composing this cheesy rhyme.

Oh yeah pretty awful I have to admit. That may be due to the subject matter or maybe just because I stink at creating verse. Anyway even after writing the above in my notebook I still had some time on my hands which was spent praying about the day. Finally it got close enough to the time when class was to start that I headed that way. When I arrived at the shop, to my dismay I discovered that class had been canceled!!!! Mr. T. had hurt his back and was unable to get to class! I spend an hour waiting for class to start and then I discover it has been canceled, what fun!

Heh, the time was not all a waste, it gave me something to write about and I actually did not leave the campus for another hour because I somehow got involved in a conversation regarding the state of our country which I am always up for. :D Since today is Valentine's Day I do have one thing to say about it. Just because you don't have a "sweetheart" does not mean you don't have people around you who you can show your love for aka, parents, brothers and sisters. Don't let commercialization of the holiday and the heavy emphasis on "doing something for that special someone" make you feel like you can't celebrate it if you happen to not have a "special someone" ;)

It's late....

I was in bed
but all I did was toss and turn
I closed my eyes
but my brain still churned

I roam the halls
it's past midnight
my stomach growls
maybe it needs a bite

Weaving in and out of
furniture in the pitch black
a chair out of place gives
my shin a bruising whack

In the kitchen I arrive
and food I do find though
it does nothing to ease my
overly active mind

All I want to do is sleep in my bed
but there are so many thoughts
running..
through..
my head!

I sit down at the computer
stare blankly at the screen
that sounds so cliche if you
know what I mean

I type up the lines that
you have read above
my fingers tapping the
keys they are so fond of

I think I will go read a book
Somehow this post just lost it's rhyming
sorry for that I am sometimes not the best person with timing
If you ever awake and can't get to sleep
my advice would be just to get something to eat :)

The Remedy

Last week I was walking up and down my driveway listening to the new David Crowder Band cd - The Remedy. The Lord has been showing me some areas in my life that I need to give to Him and really opened my eyes to how fallen I am. How I can't do it myself, I can't change the way I respond to people or the way I view people ect... without God changing my heart. I was walking and thinking about this when these lyrics came on.....

He is the one
Who has saved us
He is the one
Who embraced us
He is the one who has come
And is coming again
He’s the remedy

It made is so clear that I have to rely on Him, there is nothing I can do to save myself. It just reiterated what I knew and that He wants to be the Remedy. He doesn't just offer Salvation and then sits back and says “Whatever... you have free will... you can do what you want.” He doesn't leave us to blindly find Him. God sends his Holy Spirit to draw us to Him. He desires to make us whole. And with all the issues that are surrounding us today we Have a remedy – that remedy is Jesus Christ.

Oh, I can’t comprehend
I can’t take it all in
Never understand
Such perfect love come
For the broken and beat
For the wounded and weak
Oh, come fall at His feet


He’s the remedy
He’s the remedy
You are the one
Who has saved us
You are the one
Who forgave us
You are the one who has come
And is coming again
To make it alright
Oh, to make it alright
You’re the remedy
Oh, in us
You’re the remedy

Let us be the remedy
Let us bring the remedy

"in Your sea of forgetfulness"

In the absence of Sarah's post about our weekend, I might as well post something I was thinking about....Sometimes we tend to listen to music without really hearing the lyrics, there is a great beat or rhythm and we just get carried away by that and forget to hear what the song is actually saying. I know I have done that, which is why recently when I am listening to music I have really tried to listen to the lyrics and see just what the singer is saying. I was listening to the radio a few days ago and "East To West" by Casting Crowns came on. I really like Casting Crowns and I have heard this song I don't know how many times since it came out but for some reason, in the first lines of the song I heard something that got me thinking...

Here I am Lord,
and I'm drowning
in Your sea of forgetfulness

"in Your sea of forgetfulness" At first when I heard that I was like, what? The Lord does not forget those who call on His name, how can the singer be drowning in a "sea of forgetfulness"? But then I started thinking about it and I realized the song is not meant to say the Lord has forgotten about this guy. I think it is more to say he has been forgiven of his sins, the sins themselves have been cast into the "sea of forgetfulness". And yet the singer still feels like he is chained to them, therefore being with his sins in that "forgetfulness" he feels like he is drowning in his sins.....

Thinking along those lines, I thought how true that song really is! When we are forgiven our sins are thrown into that "sea of forgetfulness" they are gone, God has forgiven them and they are forgotten. Sometimes though we don't forget about them, we go fishing in that "forgetfulness sea" and fish them back up. That is what I feel Casting Crowns is saying with the song, we should not be dwelling on past sins, drowning in that "sea of forgetfulness" Rather, we should remember that what God has forgiven should not remain a burden, we should forget the things which are in the past and be pressing forward to those things which are ahead. Because our sins truly are as far as the east is from the west....

Three smells.....

There are three things that smell so bad you want to gag,
yea, four things which make your nostrils flail in pain.

A rotting cantaloupe that has sat in the sun,
when fresh it has a wonderful aroma,
but one sniff after it has gone bad and you'll be in a coma!

A dead skunk that lies in the road,
bloated in the sun. the smell can erode,
it's defensive odor is meant to protect,
but once dead my nose it infects!

Mildew, such a small sounding thing
but when it is on clothing, what a smell it doth it bring,
musty and funky the smell makes you wheeze,
as it invades the nasal cavities!

Humans perspire when we get hot,
a sweet smelling scent it is not,
without deodorant, I fear gas masks would be our attire,
to help keep the smell absent or else we'd expire.

That's Amore!!

(In Napoli where love is King)
(When boy meets girl)
(Here's what they say)

When the moon hits your eye
Like a big-a pizza pie
That's amore
When the world seems to shine
Like you've had too much wine
That's amore

Bells'll ring
Ting-a-ling-a-ling
Ting-a-ling-a-ling
And you'll sing "Vita bella"
Hearts'll play
Tippi-tippi-tay
Tippi-tippi-tay
Like a gay tarantella

When the stars make you drool
Joost-a like pasta fazool
That's amore
When you dance down the street
With a cloud at your feet, you're in love
When you walk in a dream
But you know you're not dreamin', signore
'Scusami, but you see
Back in old Napoli, that's amore
That's amore!

Haha, I was listening to David Crowder and I had a crazy urge to play some Dean Martin and of course if you are going to listen to Martin, you have to listen to 'That's Amore"

The flame no longer burns

The flame of life, bright and cheery has been put out in a world that is weary

darkness clouds the heart and we longer sing how great Thou art
for we have turned away, the sense of right and wrong long gone
humanism has wrapped the soul in a chain and all it feels is pain

The hope we should have in You has been misled, we live among the spiritual dead,
who can not see their preoccupation with a perfect world
has overtaken the warning cry from an imperfect heart and soul.

Only you Lord can set us free, to shine again as witness to Your glory