This is what makes the nowGen band awesome. We will be doing a cover of this song (below) during our Friday night set this week.
It'll be epic. You should come.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Moderately Conservative or Conservatively Moderate?
Politically, I feel like I'm in a weird spot right now.
In college, I was super right wing on every issue. I was a political science major, I was interning for a Republican NY Assembly member, Bush was in office, they were good times. But after I graduated from college, I find myself going through a change.
One thing is for certain, I'm not leaning left. No way. I am very much conservative on virtually all issues. I still disagree with Obama, Pelosi, Reid, etc. I'm still a fan of Rush (more of a fan of Hannity). Additionally, I'm still staying current with the issues. I still care about politics. I vote in every election and Republican primary (I did not vote for Paladino - what's up with that???).
I think the best word that describes me is...tired. Things are happening in America, both good and bad, and the one trend I have noticed is that is doesn't matter who's in office, what issue was won by which party, whether or not the Tea Party is gaining ground, etc. The economy is improving, but I don't credit Obama for that. I just think America has a way of righting itself. We're pulling out of Iraq - I see the good and bad of that. The U.S. is plodding along, despite the debates and arguments. And the fighting? I just want it to stop. It doesn't matter who I agree with. Quite frankly, I like Obama. I don't agree with his policies but generally, I think he's a good man. I think Bush is a good man too. Rush Limbaugh gets on my nerves sometimes, but so does Bill Maher.
I think that's why this clip from the Daily Show (below) appealed to me so much. I think it fits me to a T. Watch and enjoy!
In college, I was super right wing on every issue. I was a political science major, I was interning for a Republican NY Assembly member, Bush was in office, they were good times. But after I graduated from college, I find myself going through a change.
One thing is for certain, I'm not leaning left. No way. I am very much conservative on virtually all issues. I still disagree with Obama, Pelosi, Reid, etc. I'm still a fan of Rush (more of a fan of Hannity). Additionally, I'm still staying current with the issues. I still care about politics. I vote in every election and Republican primary (I did not vote for Paladino - what's up with that???).
I think the best word that describes me is...tired. Things are happening in America, both good and bad, and the one trend I have noticed is that is doesn't matter who's in office, what issue was won by which party, whether or not the Tea Party is gaining ground, etc. The economy is improving, but I don't credit Obama for that. I just think America has a way of righting itself. We're pulling out of Iraq - I see the good and bad of that. The U.S. is plodding along, despite the debates and arguments. And the fighting? I just want it to stop. It doesn't matter who I agree with. Quite frankly, I like Obama. I don't agree with his policies but generally, I think he's a good man. I think Bush is a good man too. Rush Limbaugh gets on my nerves sometimes, but so does Bill Maher.
I think that's why this clip from the Daily Show (below) appealed to me so much. I think it fits me to a T. Watch and enjoy!
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Rally to Restore Sanity | ||||
| ||||
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Living a life of integrity
If you really think about it, integrity is a really intense word. This is how Dictionary.com defines it:
"1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty."
Whoa. It's hard to find another word that describes that as well as the word "integrity" does. The problem is that it's a $65,000 word. It's not part of the everyday vocabulary. Not everyone truly knows what it means. In fact, I believe very few people do. But they should.
In everything we do, we should have integrity. It should be at the very core of our attitude, our actions, and our words. Integrity goes beyond being real, truth, having morals, etc. It encompasses all of those. It's living a life without reproach.
The funny thing is, nowhere in that definition does it say anything about perfection. Integrity isn't about being perfect, or even striving for perfection. Having integrity is saying, "Regardless of my faults and my struggles, I am going to live a life that can be used as an example to others." It's saying, "I want to influence people to live with purpose, truth, and diligence."
What makes living with integrity so difficult is the fact that each one of us needs to remain honest with ourselves. We need to check ourselves, hold ourselves accountable. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone screws up, but it's the one with integrity that takes responsibility, owns up to that error, and fixes it.
This word goes beyond religion. I'm a Christian and believe me, I think Christians need to abide by this more than the rest of the world. Christianity leaves a bad taste in many mouths and it's because so many have lacked integrity. But this is something everyone needs to live by.
This is one of those topics that could be discussed forever, but I'll quit while I'm ahead. Only you can decide how to live your life as one with integrity!
"1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty."
Whoa. It's hard to find another word that describes that as well as the word "integrity" does. The problem is that it's a $65,000 word. It's not part of the everyday vocabulary. Not everyone truly knows what it means. In fact, I believe very few people do. But they should.
In everything we do, we should have integrity. It should be at the very core of our attitude, our actions, and our words. Integrity goes beyond being real, truth, having morals, etc. It encompasses all of those. It's living a life without reproach.
The funny thing is, nowhere in that definition does it say anything about perfection. Integrity isn't about being perfect, or even striving for perfection. Having integrity is saying, "Regardless of my faults and my struggles, I am going to live a life that can be used as an example to others." It's saying, "I want to influence people to live with purpose, truth, and diligence."
What makes living with integrity so difficult is the fact that each one of us needs to remain honest with ourselves. We need to check ourselves, hold ourselves accountable. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone screws up, but it's the one with integrity that takes responsibility, owns up to that error, and fixes it.
This word goes beyond religion. I'm a Christian and believe me, I think Christians need to abide by this more than the rest of the world. Christianity leaves a bad taste in many mouths and it's because so many have lacked integrity. But this is something everyone needs to live by.This is one of those topics that could be discussed forever, but I'll quit while I'm ahead. Only you can decide how to live your life as one with integrity!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Back to School
I went back to college yesterday! I even had a new notebook and pens. I was invited to take a class through Elim Bible Institute - Buffalo titled "Worship Leadership" (Why on earth would they ask me????) taught by none other than Bill Lambert. I have huge expectations for this class. I don't care that I've been on at least one worship team for almost 10 years and I've been worship leading for about 3. I'll be the first to admit that I still have so much to learn. And Bill is perfect to teach it. He's old school which is unfortunately underestimated too often by today's generation. And he's got 30+ years of experience to give us a practical understanding of worship leadership. It's going to be a good class.
I'm personally looking forward to the fact that of the 15 or so attendees, I'm one of two young people. The dichotomy of musical preference between the generations will be funny to see play out. This will definitely be a learning experience!
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