3/09/2008

If you know anything about me, I'm very into music. I'm a musician, singer, and self-made critic. I enjoy many types of music, but like everyone else, I have my limits. Country music is one of those personal limits, but this is not what today's topic is about.

Today, I want to just say a thing or two about a song that has come to grind my bones and make me want to break every nerve ending in my ears so I don't have to ever hear it again. (DISCLAIMER: If you like this song, that's fine, this is just my opinion -- don't take offense. If you do, I claim no blame.)

Before I reveal this song, I want to mention that I enjoy music that has heart, emotion, and meaning (no, Britney Spears doesn't count). The run-of-the-mill music and/or lyric combinations are very tired, and my lips actually curl downward when I hear such melancholic garbage. Maybe I'm too much of a music-snob, but I like to hear music that has passion, intensity, and movement, no matter how subtle or exaggerated.

The song that I has burdened my ears for so long and fuels my desire for its extinction is "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. If your'e not sure what song I mean, feel free to search for it on yahoo or rhapsody or itunes. Unfortunately, this ridiculous song hides behind the mask of emotion and passion, but if you listen to it (and I hope it doesn't burn your ears) you might understand that it is a ruse. Her lyrics are just as bubbly with repetition and lyrics that don't really go in any vague direction. Ugh, it's no wonder that her song was a one-hit wonder... or was it a hit at all? Who knows, who cares, the song just plain sucks. When I hear it, I don't necessarily want to barf, but my ears want to.

Thanks for reading!

1/14/2008

So far

January, 2008 marks the 8th month since my graduation. It's disappointing, I guess, for those of us who (are naive to) think that once we graduate from college, there will be a job lined up for us. That's where I am now. In my 8-month endeavor for a full-time ministry position, I've concluded that ministry positions are no different than a non-ministry position anywhere else when it comes to trying to get one: you put out your resume', you polish your cover letter, and make phone calls and sometimes do interviews.

I didn't expect for some ministry position to be handed to me like a reward for finishing school. As you may know, most paid ministry positions require graduate school or even doctorate work. So, I knew when I got my undergraduate, churches wouldn't be calling me up to snag me up before another church did.

I think I've just come to the realization that I should just let go of "trying to get a job at a church". My vocational goal now is to trust God to provide me with a place of ministry that I can be fruitful in. The truth is that He's done that since October 2006 when I started playing with Riverside Church in River Ridge. It's been fulfilling, especially in these last couple of months to be able to lead worship there.

The problem lies in supporting my family. Still, God has provided a place to stay, a place for full-time employment, and loving family/friends to support us. There's no room for complaint, and I know God will move us in the right direction -- spiritually, mentally, and physically.