thegreatknock

Okay, so I’m playing around with this blog to try putting music on it. I don’t understand HTML very well, so when I visit my template I am forced to experiment until it seems to do something close to what I’d like. For example, below to the right I have added a small box which allows you to play a song I wrote and recorded with a simple microphone in my living room (I hope you enjoy!). I rather wanted to put more space between it and the sidebar above it, but I couldn’t figure out how to do this without making blogger freak out and cast the song-box disdainfully to the floor of the webpage. Any hints from a more knowledgeable person?

Also, if you’ll notice, I added a link in the sidebar labeled “My Music”–this link should take you to my xanga page, where I have uploaded three songs altogether. I would have put all three in song-boxes below, but when I tried this, it crammed them all together in unappealing fashion. So I gave up that idea.

Hope you all like the musical sampling. I’m thinking more and more about the idea of making a CD and selling it with Music for Missions…

**Edit** Just today I downloaded the beta version of Blogger, and my oh my, how easy it is now to add things! Thanks, Blogger! I added all three songs below. Good times.

I’m playing around with how one embeds music on xanga, and I haven’t figured it out just yet.  Here’s the closest I’ve come:

Not My Self

when i think about you
wonder why
all i ever wanted
was to have you in my life
and then i cry

when i think about you
wonder when
all my tribulation will be coming ’round again
it’s sink or swim

and i used to take the blame–
it was my shame
but i am not my Self today
so find another heart to tear apart
’cause i am not my Self today

when i think about you
wonder how
with all the Newness in me
still you’re burying me now
you bring me down

but when i think about me
blown away
i see you start to shudder–
is there nothing left to say?
then go away, just go away

now i am a Lover
my heart is Another’s
now you belong to the past
Love knew you wouldn’t last…

–dd

p.s. This is a song written to my flesh, my sinfulness…

Verseleciel is right, we should be gracious toward typos.  But that we might avoid such typos, and for general help:

1. definite
2. separate
3. desperate
4. their = possessive, belonging to them
5. there = positional, as in, “not here”
6. they’re = they are
7. its = possessive, belonging to it
8. it’s = it is

Any others you guys can think of?

simply understanding
You see me when no
one’s around
frustration shows my patience
it seems i’ll never get
this right

to get to know You better

to love You more than myself

to give You everything

all of me, all of me


i am human
i borrow this excuse for
my pride
inconsistent, independent
it seems i’ll never make
this right

to get to know You better


to love You more than myself


to give You everything


all of me, all of me

waiting for a sign to fall
into my lap from the sky
pockets full of time
it seems I’ve waited
here forever

I don’t know why, but this song was in my head from the moment I woke up this morning.  I haven’t heard it in years, as far as I know, and I may be teased by my friend Matty for remembering it, but I have to say, it was a nice thought to begin the day with…

Wasn’t it yesterday I was eight years old
I had a pocket full of rocks
That I knew were made of solid gold–
There were girls to be hated
Trees to be climbed
Forts to be built, there was so much time–
It’s good to be alive, it’s good to be alive

There’s nothing in the world like being fifteen
Your pockets are empty, but your head is full of dreams
Of girls to be loved
Of places to see
It’s the best and the worst
Just my friends and me
And we’re anything we want to be

And it’s good to be alive!
To feel the wind in my face
See the blue in the sky–
It’s days like this I realize
What a gift it is…
It’s good to be alive!

Well I wonder what this day will see
Will I find my dreams or stare in the face of tragedy
Whatever may come
Whatever may be
Of this I am sure, I’m forgiven and free
And I will live like I believe

–Geoff Moore and the Distance (I know, I can’t believe I’m quoting them here, either.)

Yeah, I really wasn’t at all serious about that title.  Sorry, folks.  I typically shudder when people talk about dating Jesus, as it seems far too noncommittal and merely sentimental to describe our relationship with Christ.  Sorry my humour wasn’t more apparent (smile).

And no, I don’t usually entitle something before I write it.  The other night, though, Brooke and I worked together to write out a brief summary which will go on the mailer for this study.  Here’s a piece of what we came up with:

Relationships.
You already do them.
Learn to do them right.

Whatever your experience has been, this relationship stuff is hard.  You have questions now, and you’ll have more questions later.  But God’s Word will always have everything you need to do relationships the right way.  At the Transform Student Conference, you will gain the study skills you need to search the Scriptures for the truth.  Not our answers.  Not your answers.  His answers.

God’s Word will always have everything you need to do relationships the right way.

I think my favourite part is the last few lines–the purpose of this study is to help young people learn how to approach God’s Word with whatever questions they may have, both now and in the future (won’t we always have questions?).  Instead of attending conference after conference at which they hope someone else will give them the answers they need, the hope is that they will learn to go straight to God first for the answers.

Still, we have a lot of writing to do…hopefully I can start into it tomorrow!  As for tonight, I’m going camping, so blessings on you guys!  If you catch a whiff of North Sea pipe tobacco on the wind, it’ll probably be me (smile).

P.S. A rough Australian western, this “Proposition,” but really solid film.

Some friends of mine at Precept have asked me to try my hand at writing a Precept Inductive Bible study for teens.  It’s to be a six-week st udy in relationships.  I know, why on earth would they ask me, right?  Well, ours is not to question why, ours is but to write and pray really really hard (smile).  Anyway, tonight I’m brain-storming about it a bit.  Here’s one thought for a working title:

How to Date Jesus and See Other People Too.

What do you think?  This one would go out to all the homeschooling courtship folks out there (smile).

P.S. I’m trying out this audio thing on xanga.  Check out my audio page…
 

Yeahp. that’s what I’m listening to today.  And can I just say that I still enjoy me a little Supertones every once in awhile.  They made the leap to my iPod over the weekend, and that makes them and me happy.  Other ancient bands of note which were imported in the past few days: Reality Check (self-titled and only album…remember them?), Caedmon’s Call (self-titled, 40 Acres, and Back Home), and Third Day (Time).  So there.

Let me drown in an ocean of devotion
Let my joy be in service and love my emotion
Let me be closer that Your right hand
Tighter than Your left hand and let me be a Godly man
‘Til the day I die, ’til the fire’s just smoke
I will go for broke ’til my last word’s spoke
If I limp then I will run with a limp
I’ll win some and lose some, but I’ll make my attempt

Last breath before the candle flickers out
I will speak the name of Jesus!

I will keep fightin’ to the knockout, even if I’m knocked out
Hittin’ hard, I’m hittin’ for the belt
My soul will keep going ’til my body buckles under
Till my bloody knuckles carry us to heaven by the truckfulls
I will be as stubborn as a pitbull,
Neutral as a nazi, resolute like Ghandi
I will keep preachin’ ’til I’m took out,
‘Til I’m Heaven en route–
No sell out!

The Supertones always make me think of my friend who, with wife and daughter, are presently in another country.  This music reminds me of one crazy night driving down to Atlanta in my old Corsica, trying desperately to find the Gwinnett Civic Center with two great friend and two virtual strangers, a crazy Jamaican lady redirecting us, and finally, at long last, arriving at Ska-mania.  Five Iron, Insyderz, and Supertones all together.  Admit it, you’re jealous.

  

Yeah, Five Iron.  How late we learned that you guys were actually the best.

I have no idea why they did it, and what corporate or financial masters pulled puppet strings to bring it about, but the WB is now officially the CW.  Doesn’t really matter, I’m sure that they will mostly retain the ridiculous teen melodramas of years past (and the entire teenage girl population of Chattanooga breathes a collective happy sigh–“sooo good!” they scream).  But I just flipped past it and the are showing an episode of Star Trek, the original series, right now, and it just happens to be the one where this large, overgrown rug is shuffling through caverns underground, killing men indiscriminately, until Mr. Spock melds his mind to it and gains a heart of compassion for ugly ol’ Beastie. 

Yeah, classic.

Last night I took a few hours to thoroughly clean my bedroom, and in so doing decided that I would move this furniture here, place that lamp there, and reconstruct my room.  This will be the third arrangement this room has had since I moved here, but I think the transitions add a fresh perspective to things.  In fact, I’m looking longingly at the living room to do the same, but those bookshelves would be a beast to move around.  Hmmm.  But just to warn you all, the hideous green recliner from my college days is currently a new addition to the living room–we’ll see if she lasts out there.  Unsightly chair, it had previously been chained up in my bedroom where none should have the misfortune of looking upon it, and there it was sat in rarely and more often became simply another surface upon which to throw clothes which could be recycled.  And so, part of my reason for moving the chunky thing out of the bedroom was that I might not have such a place to throw clothing but instead learn to manage the wardrobe better. 

And sad that I should spend so many words on moving a recliner, eh? 

In other news, I recently finished London’s “The Sea Wolf,” and still have a small pile of books by my bed waiting to be turned through.  Thought I’d take a vote: which of the following books should be next on my list?

A. I, Claudius by Robert Graves
B. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
C. Rabbit Run by John Updike
D. some Chekhov short stories and a bit of collected poetry for a little while, in honour of coming autumn

Any recommendations?  I’m carrying poetry around everywhere anyway–it is fall, after all!  The season of creative sparks…