10 days and counting

I'm pumped! Why? 'Cause in 10 days I'll get to see one of my favorite worship leaders. Tim Hughes will be in Washington state leading worship at the CMS, and I am super-excited!

I love his heart-felt lyrics and his willingness to ask the hard questions. Take his song "When the Tears Fall" for example:

I've had questions without answers
I've known sorrow, I have known pain
But there's one thing that I'll cling to:
You are faithful, Jesus, You're true

When hope is lost, I call You Savior
When pain surrounds, I call you Healer
When silence falls, You'll be the song within my heart

This has been one of the songs that has carried me through some of the tough times. Of course not all his songs are as heavy as this one (see the videos below), but some really great stuff - especially his last two albums.

On a slightly lighter note, check out these videos. For those humorously inclined, watch this one:


For those who take the slightly more serious route, you'll enjoy this one:

Do you know this man?

D.B. Cooper. Ever heard of him? Well, I hadn't until today, but apparently he's quite famous, or rather infamous.

His crime? Well, the only unsolved instance of a skyjacker in US history. And guess where he disappeared. That's right - Western Washington!

November 24, 1971. He actually makes reference to Tacoma as he passed over the area in the plane shortly before he jumped out.

As it turns out, he may not have traveled that far. Just drive East about 30 minutes from Tacoma and you will find yourself in the quaint town of Bonney Lake. This is where Kenny Christiansen (aka - D.B. Cooper) decided to make his home some 30 years ago, shortly after pulling off one of the most well known crimes in American history. This also happens to be the location for our new Church: Church on the Hill.

Click here to read the article.

The world's about to change

Saturday night was amazing! Unbelievable!

And what exactly happened on Saturday night? The David Crowder Band. @ the Moore Theater. In Seattle. One word. Amazing!

One minute were laughing & having a great time, the next moment were being challenged out of our socks (literally). Afterwards we headed over to Red Robin and shared some great burgers and fries with our friends Aaron & Amy. We couldn't stop talking about it. Man, what a great concert.

The best part, though, for me came at the end. They closed with their final song of their latest album - Remedy. It's been playing through my head ever since

Where there is pain
Let us bring grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Let us be brave
Where there is misery
Let us bring them relief

And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Oh, surely we can change
Something

Some Halloween Fun

In the past I have been accused of being slightly competitive. There may or may not be some element of truth in that statement. But just in case there was any doubt, here's an opportunity to for those who are competitively inclined.

Andy (Mike Brinkerhoff's son) has created a little Halloween game for our enjoyment. And like all good games, it has now become a competition - and like all great competitions there is a prize (something to do with candy corn I believe). Click here for the details. I've set the bar pretty high (in the nature of around 41,000 points). Go ahead, give it your best shot - but be warned, it is slightly addictive.

Update:
A new version of the game (slightly more difficult) has been posted here along with the official rules. Game On!!

Finally!!! Remedy is Here (for real this time)!

OK, so Remedy finally arrived on our doorstep on Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, we (specifically I) were very excited. I think I've listened to it about 10 times through now & I must say it was definitely worth the wait. Great stuff!

A few of my fav's:

The Glory of It All - a great song of redemption. This song captured me when I first heard it back in the Spring. In the midst of a dark time, the Lord speaks renewal.

After all our hands have wrought, he forgives...
...for the rescue of us all, that we may live.
After all falls apart, He is there

After night comes a light, dawn is here, dawn is here. It's a new day! Oh, everything will change, things will never be the same, we will never be the same, we will never be the same...

Can You Feel It? -

Can you feel it? The love in this place, can you feel it? The grace in this place, can you feel it?

Our God is here. Our God is here. Our God is here.

Never Let Go - Another great song! I first heard this at the Thirsty Conference in May of this year. The chorus has been playing in my head ever since. What an awesome reminder that even in the midst of the hard, ugly, trying times in life that there is a God who deeply cares about us. He has not forgotten us. He is right there. We just need to hold on. Hold on!

It reminds me of Psalm 23: "Even when I walk through the valley of deepest darkness, You are there."

When clouds veil sun, and disaster comes. Oh, my soul. Oh, my soul.
When waters rise and hope takes flight. Oh, my soul. Oh, my soul.
Ever faithful, ever true. You are known, You never let go.

You never let go, You never let go, You never let go.
You never let go, You never let go, You never let go.

Not to mention hearing the Nug tear it up on We Will Not Be Quiet. Good stuff all around! I think I could listen to this CD nonstop (oh, wait - that's what I have been doing...).

Did you feel that?

We were sitting in our house a little after 3 today when our whole house shook. Tina and I were both shocked, we thought maybe someone had crashed into our house. We looked around and saw that everything was fine, but when we looked outside we saw a huge plume of smoke.

Now we know why.

Check out this video of the explosion.

For an even bigger view, see this one (the big one happens at 4:15 on the video).

Unbelievable. It felt massive - and we live over a mile away!

Update to Remedy - still not quite here...

It's funny how the little things in life work out sometime (or don't work out). Here I was thinking I was being quite ahead of the game...it just sort of makes you laugh!

So as you remember from my previous post about the Crowder Band's latest record, I was looking forward to its arrival in my mail slot. Well, I'm still waiting - but at least I know now it is on it's way. All confusion has been remedied (no pun intended - okay, well, maybe a little one) & the album is on it's way. If you couldn't tell from the previous post, I'm joyously looking forward to its arrival.

In the meantime, I did find a much better way of listening (& quite enjoying) Remedy. Simply point your browser (internet explorer if you must, but Firefox for those who have seen the light) to Worship Together (you might have to join - no worries, it's free) and click on the New Song Jukebox in the upper left corner. You will find, to your listening pleasure, the entire Crowder Band CD with unlimited plays. It's quite beautiful!

Happy Remedying!

Once upon a hurricane

A while back I had promised a report from my parents' recent trip to Haiti (you might recall they had a close encounter with a hurricane). Well, as promised here is a write-up from their trip (complete with lots of pictures).

For those of you who prayed for their safety, we are extremely grateful. Thanks so much!