Scarlet Tanager

Check out this new video from my friend's band. Very creative. Their new album is out on iTunes. Go and get it. You will really enjoy it.

Meditate Rightly On The Suffering

"Take this to heart and doubt not that you are the one who killed Christ. Your sins certainly did, and when you see the nails driven through his hands, be sure that you are pounding, and when the thorns pierce his brow, know that they are your evil thoughts. Consider that if one thorn pierced Christ you deserve one hundred thousand.

The whole value of the meditation of the suffering of Christ lies in this, that man should come to the knowledge of himself and sink and tremble. If you are so hardened that you do not tremble, then you have reason to tremble. Pray to God that he may soften your heart and make fruitful your meditation upon the suffering of Christ, for we of ourselves are incapable of proper reflection unless God instills it.

But if one does meditate rightly on the suffering of Christ for a day, an hour, or even a quarter of an hour, this we may confidently say is better than a whole year of fasting, days of psalm singing, yes, than even one hundred masses, because this reflection changes the whole man and makes him new, as once he was in baptism."

-Martin Luther

(HT: Zach)

Postmodern Architecture

From an address by Ravi Zacharias:

I remember lecturing at Ohio State University, one of the largest universities in this country. I was minutes away from beginning my lecture, and my host was driving me past a new building called the Wexner Center for the Performing Arts.

He said, “This is America’s first postmodern building.”

I was startled for a moment and I said, “What is a postmodern building?”

He said, “Well, the architect said that he designed this building with no design in mind. When the architect was asked, ‘Why?’ he said, ‘If life itself is capricious, why should our buildings have any design and any meaning?’ So he has pillars that have no purpose. He has stairways that go nowhere. He has a senseless building built and somebody has paid for it.”

I said, “So his argument was that if life has no purpose and design, why should the building have any design?”

He said, “That is correct.”

I said, “Did he do the same with the foundation?”

All of a sudden there was silence.

You see, you and I can fool with the infrastructure as much as we would like, but we dare not fool with the foundation because it will call our bluff in a hurry.

(HT: JT)

Love Story (Taylor Swift) meets Viva La Vida (Coldplay)

This for all you Coldplay fans.

My wife showed this to me the other day and I wanted to pass it along. It is very cool.

Enjoy.

The Happiest States

Here is a list of the Happiest U.S. States.

Where does your state fall?

Losin' With Loggy

Our staff just recently had our Christmas White Elephant Gift Exchange. It was a great time. There were some funny gifts given. I will have to post the one I received. It was hilarious.

However, our Director of Multimedia (Michael Logsdon) went above and beyond. I would say his gift was the gift of the year.

Check it out here.

Losin' With Loggy from Michael Logsdon on Vimeo.

I Am Sorry, But I Had To Post It

My buddy Pete posted this on Facebook. I remember seeing this clip a couple years ago, but it is still as funny. I am sorry if some of you think this is gross. It is funny to me. I am thankful for things that make me smile and laugh.

Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy.

Overcome

I pray that you are blessed by this.

Christianese

Here is something pretty funny.

(HT: Mustoe)

Charlie You Bit Me (Auto-Tuned)

Back in October I posted a clip of two adorable kids. In the clip, a little boy has his finger bitten by his little brother Charlie. He goes on to tell Charlie that it really hurt. Very cute clip. I would go back to my October archive and check it out.

However, my friend Zach posted up a new clip of the two adorable kids. This time someone had spent the time to use an auto-tune tool on it. Here is how it turned out. Too good.

The Gentlemen's League: Max vs Jerry

This goes out to all of my fellow fantasy football junkies.

Enjoy!!!

Happy Birthday Brittany

Today is my wife's 30th birthday. Today I celebrate her. She inspires me daily. Her belief in me means more to me than I could ever put into words. God has truly blessed me with a great wife in Brittany. She is an amazing mother. Her faith in the Lord is awesome. She has made me a better man.

Brittany I love you, and I look forward to many more years with you.

I Love You.

Take a walk with me
And let's go back in time
Do you remember
The heat of December
and the way we walked
through pouring rain and endless talk
and the way we laughed out loud

chorus:
there was something in your eyes
and now I see it was your love for me
there was something in your eyes
and what I saw still holds me in awe
in your eyes

Spend your life with me
until the end of time
We will make more memories
and we will share the stories
of the way we walked
through the pouring rain and endless talk
and the way we laughed out loud

Chorus

And I saw a million angels
I saw an endless sunrise
I saw an open heaven
In your eyes
I saw an ageless moment
I saw an endless love
I still see more than that through your eyes

Do you remember the way we danced
And the way we laughed out loud

Chorus

(Song by David Martin)

Veterans Day

A heart felt thank you goes out to all the men and women who have served this great country of ours.

Happy Veterans Day!

Sesame Street Is 40

One of my favorite shows as a young child was Sesame Street. The show is turning 40.

Read about it here.

Who were your favorite Sesame Street characters?

Who were your favorite Sesame Street guests?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

My Iowa Hawkeyes fell to Northwestern today.

I had a feeling they would overlook Northwestern. The good news is that if they win out they can still win the Big 10.

Beautiful Love

Here is my boy Z throwing it down on the keys. The title of the song is Beautiful Love.

Check him out.

Beautiful Love - Solo from Zach Nielsen on Vimeo.

Marks of Male Maturity

Marks of mature manhood by Al Mohler (read the whole thing):

1. Spiritual maturity sufficient to lead a wife and children.

2. Personal maturity sufficient to be a responsible husband and father.

3. Economic maturity sufficient to hold an adult job and handle money.

4. Physical maturity sufficient to work and protect a family.

5. Sexual maturity sufficient to marry and fulfill God’s purposes.

6. Moral maturity sufficient to lead as example of righteousness.

7. Ethical maturity sufficient to make responsible decisions.

8. Worldview maturity sufficient to understand what is really important.

9. Relational maturity sufficient to understand and respect others.

10. Social maturity sufficient to make a contribution to society.

11. Verbal maturity sufficient to communicate and articulate as a man.

12. Character maturity sufficient to demonstrate courage under fire.

13. Biblical maturity sufficient to lead at some level in the church.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Halloween 2009

Here are some pictures of my babies all dressed up for Halloween. They had a blast and scored some serious candy. London went as Minnie Mouse, Drake went as a monkey, and Tavery went as a football. They looked adorable. I love them so much.

My Son Is 2

My son (Drake Thomas) turned 2 today. We had a great day celebrating with family. His favorite present by far was the little acoustic guitar that his Grandma Mellott got him. He honestly carried it everywhere all day, and wanted to take it to bed.

Drake is a great boy. He is filled with joy and wonderment that I love to watch. His eyes sparkle, his laugh makes me smile, and his kisses and hugs melt me. I am proud to call him my son, and I look forward to watching him become the man God has designed him to be.

Thank you Lord, for my son Drake. I love him so much. Thank you for entrusting him to me.

Adrian Peterson Is A Dude

Adrian Peterson is by far the best running back in the NFL. The guy can just flat out play football. Not only is he strong and fast, but the way he finishes a run is amazing. He looks to punish the people trying to tackle him. For instance, check out this run he made today against the Steelers.

Notice he didn't just run over the guy. He then stepped on him as he took off down field. Adrian is very fun to watch. This guy is an awesome football player.