I first started playing an instrument in 10th grade. My friend Kevin wanted to start a band. He was learning the guitar so he told me I had to learn to play the bass and told his friend Shane he had to learn to play the drums. So we did. It was a blast and I enjoyed playing, but I never really fell in love with it. I honestly didn't even know the names of the notes I was playing for the longest time. I probably most enjoyed playing when I was playing worship music because my worship felt more active. In college I played the bass a little and picked up the cahone while doing percussion for our church's band. That was a lot fun (percussion is a blast), and it gave another way to being active in musical worship, but it never grabbed me so that I wanted to play when I was alone. I only played when with other people.
Over the last 4 or 5 years my little brother (who is a musical genius) has been playing the mandolin. I love the sound and would always ask him to teach me some when I visited. This May I finally bought a mandolin. I honestly only got to play it once between May and arriving here in Florida on July 18. While waiting to be picked up at the airport I started learning two Avett Brothers songs and it was like the gates opened. Everything started to click. Chords became easier to play, my fingers stretching farther and more accurately, my ear even seemed more adept at picking out melodies. Being able to play songs that I cared so much about changed everything. I have been playing a lot over the last week and a half. I have been learning so many new chords and songs. I am loving it.
Some of my favorite songs I have learned so far:
Joanna Newsom - Only Skin
Joanna Newsom - This side of the blue
Avett Brothers - Murder in the City
Avett Brothers - Head full of doubt
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Inception/Pslam 62
So I was reading Psalm 62 this morning and there was this line in the Message version:
"My help and glory are in God - granite strength and safe-harbor-God - So trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him. God is the safe place to be."
This is an important concept that is hard to live by. Being in God's will is the safest place you can ever be, even if it feels like you are in immense danger. When I read this, the image that popped into my head was one from the movie Inception, which Abby and I saw Saturday night. In the movie, at one point, there is a shot where Cobb and Mal are laying down on a train track with their heads on the tracks and a train is barreling down on them. This is an intense image of danger. It is laying your life "on the line" in a literal way. (I searched for a picture of this scene but could not find it.)
Pehaps God calls us to do something crazy and we think that if we follow him we will not be safe. He might call us to do somethign crazy with our money that seems as if he is calling us to finacial ruin. He might call us to move somewhere that, if we followed, we expect to lose all connection with family and friends. He might call us to something that involves physical danger. But this place, whatever place he calls us to, is SAFE. Safe in a different way. Who is more safe, the missionary who prays and hopes and trusts that the money will come even though he has not idea how or where? Or the trust fund baby who know exactly where his money comes from each month? Maybe better put like this: Aslan is not safe. But he is good. So are you more safe WITH Alsan or without him? With him of course. He may call you to do crazy things, but beacsue he is with you, you feel safe doing them.
One more note on Psalm 62: verse 11 says "One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you O Lord are loving." Jon Foreman is quoting this in his song "Your Love is Strong", a modern musical take on the Lord's prayer. Give it a listen. It is beautiful and perhaps my favorite modern worship song.
"My help and glory are in God - granite strength and safe-harbor-God - So trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him. God is the safe place to be."
This is an important concept that is hard to live by. Being in God's will is the safest place you can ever be, even if it feels like you are in immense danger. When I read this, the image that popped into my head was one from the movie Inception, which Abby and I saw Saturday night. In the movie, at one point, there is a shot where Cobb and Mal are laying down on a train track with their heads on the tracks and a train is barreling down on them. This is an intense image of danger. It is laying your life "on the line" in a literal way. (I searched for a picture of this scene but could not find it.)
Pehaps God calls us to do something crazy and we think that if we follow him we will not be safe. He might call us to do somethign crazy with our money that seems as if he is calling us to finacial ruin. He might call us to move somewhere that, if we followed, we expect to lose all connection with family and friends. He might call us to something that involves physical danger. But this place, whatever place he calls us to, is SAFE. Safe in a different way. Who is more safe, the missionary who prays and hopes and trusts that the money will come even though he has not idea how or where? Or the trust fund baby who know exactly where his money comes from each month? Maybe better put like this: Aslan is not safe. But he is good. So are you more safe WITH Alsan or without him? With him of course. He may call you to do crazy things, but beacsue he is with you, you feel safe doing them.
One more note on Psalm 62: verse 11 says "One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you O Lord are loving." Jon Foreman is quoting this in his song "Your Love is Strong", a modern musical take on the Lord's prayer. Give it a listen. It is beautiful and perhaps my favorite modern worship song.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Yesterday's Reading
I came across this line while reading Psalm 65 yesterday:
When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.
What a beautiful line. It brings out fully the situation we were all in before Jesus came and rescued us (and in truth the situation we are in everyday). Overwhelmed by sins. The image I see in my mind when I read that is a drowning man, with just a head and a desperate arm sticking out of the water. Or better yet, a man in muddy sinking sand, the clay kind of mud that sticks to you and weighs you down. (I experienced this recently when digging out the patch of land for our garden. The mud stuck to your shoes and would become inches thick. You had to constantly scrape it off and it always felt like you had weights on your legs.)
Praise God that he saw fit to save us from our overwhelming sins. Praise God for forgiving our transgressions. Praise God for rescuing us, for pulling us out of the sticky sinking pit and cleaning us off. Praise God.
When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.
What a beautiful line. It brings out fully the situation we were all in before Jesus came and rescued us (and in truth the situation we are in everyday). Overwhelmed by sins. The image I see in my mind when I read that is a drowning man, with just a head and a desperate arm sticking out of the water. Or better yet, a man in muddy sinking sand, the clay kind of mud that sticks to you and weighs you down. (I experienced this recently when digging out the patch of land for our garden. The mud stuck to your shoes and would become inches thick. You had to constantly scrape it off and it always felt like you had weights on your legs.)
Praise God that he saw fit to save us from our overwhelming sins. Praise God for forgiving our transgressions. Praise God for rescuing us, for pulling us out of the sticky sinking pit and cleaning us off. Praise God.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Uncle Aaron
In May of last year I became an uncle for the first time. That was when my older sister Jennifer gave birth to the beautiful Landry Lee Foote.
My older brother, Brian, married a wonderful woman named Annie back in October. She had an 8 year old daughter named Kelsey and so on that day in October Brian became a father and I got to add another kid to the list of people I get to be uncle to.
Yesterday I got to add another person to that list as Annie gave birth to my nephew, Tripp Joseph Peavey. He was 8.3 lbs and 20 in.
On Sunday Abby and I fly to Florida. I can not wait to see my nephew and two nieces.
My older brother, Brian, married a wonderful woman named Annie back in October. She had an 8 year old daughter named Kelsey and so on that day in October Brian became a father and I got to add another kid to the list of people I get to be uncle to.
Yesterday I got to add another person to that list as Annie gave birth to my nephew, Tripp Joseph Peavey. He was 8.3 lbs and 20 in.
On Sunday Abby and I fly to Florida. I can not wait to see my nephew and two nieces.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Impressed
Let me tell you something that has happened that does not usually happen in professional sports. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh each signed deals with the Miami Heat. Each one of them took less than the maximum deal that was possible for them. Now Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller have signed with the Heat, each taking less than the maximum available to them. As a whole, these 5 players have signed on for a total of 60 million dollars less than they could have made elsewhere because they want to be a part of something special. They want to win.
This is not normal in our culture. They are supposed to take the maximum deal available (like Joe Johnson did) and be the highest paid player on an average team. They are supposed to be "the man" and have everyone in the arena looking to them. These guys have decided to put that ego-driven, money-driven crap behind them. Haslem, who is a power forward, will be asked to play center, a position he is less comfortable with, because power forward is Bosh's position. His response, "We've already sacrificed," Haslem said. "Why stop sacrificing now? I'm committed to do what it takes to make this team successful." Amazing.
I respect this. I respect this team that will most likely be the most hated team in the league (if they are not they will only be second to the evil Lakers). I will root for this team every single night. I am a Magic fan, I am a Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen fan (which by default makes me a Celtic fan until they retire), but I will be rooting for the Heat. I want sacrifice, the shedding of ego, to be rewarded. If i was a Cav's fan I would be devastated. And LeBron having a TV special to announce his Decision was arrogant. Wade and Bosh having documentary crews follow them was a bit self centered. But in the end, these guys have set an example and I for one applaud them for it.
This is not normal in our culture. They are supposed to take the maximum deal available (like Joe Johnson did) and be the highest paid player on an average team. They are supposed to be "the man" and have everyone in the arena looking to them. These guys have decided to put that ego-driven, money-driven crap behind them. Haslem, who is a power forward, will be asked to play center, a position he is less comfortable with, because power forward is Bosh's position. His response, "We've already sacrificed," Haslem said. "Why stop sacrificing now? I'm committed to do what it takes to make this team successful." Amazing.
I respect this. I respect this team that will most likely be the most hated team in the league (if they are not they will only be second to the evil Lakers). I will root for this team every single night. I am a Magic fan, I am a Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen fan (which by default makes me a Celtic fan until they retire), but I will be rooting for the Heat. I want sacrifice, the shedding of ego, to be rewarded. If i was a Cav's fan I would be devastated. And LeBron having a TV special to announce his Decision was arrogant. Wade and Bosh having documentary crews follow them was a bit self centered. But in the end, these guys have set an example and I for one applaud them for it.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The Decision
Just watched The Decision special where LeBron James chose his new team. I have been excited about the summer free agency period for months. It has not disappointed.
The Bulls get better by adding Boozer, the Knicks continue to suck (I hate new York) and only get one big name guy who will look like a chump now that he is on terrible team. Joe Johnson gets over paid in a contract that will cripple the Hawks for years to come, david lee gets traded to the warriors (who saw that coming?), and Rudy gay gets over paid to stay in Memphis.
Then, of course, the biggest news of all is lebron, wade, and bosh all going to Miami to try and create a dynasty. I hope they succeed. I hope they really do take less money so that Miami can sign a quality supporting cast. I hope all 3 take identical deals so they all appear even.
It has been fun. Annoying at some points (such as when sportscenter became 42 minutes of lebron watch and 18 minutes of sports news) but mostly fun. I can't wait for the season to start.
The Bulls get better by adding Boozer, the Knicks continue to suck (I hate new York) and only get one big name guy who will look like a chump now that he is on terrible team. Joe Johnson gets over paid in a contract that will cripple the Hawks for years to come, david lee gets traded to the warriors (who saw that coming?), and Rudy gay gets over paid to stay in Memphis.
Then, of course, the biggest news of all is lebron, wade, and bosh all going to Miami to try and create a dynasty. I hope they succeed. I hope they really do take less money so that Miami can sign a quality supporting cast. I hope all 3 take identical deals so they all appear even.
It has been fun. Annoying at some points (such as when sportscenter became 42 minutes of lebron watch and 18 minutes of sports news) but mostly fun. I can't wait for the season to start.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Follow-up posts
Just 2 follow ups to previous posts:
Shampoo Detox: I used the baking-soda/water shampoo for 3 weeks. I have not had any crazy detox issues, have not had days where my hair is ridiculously oily. Again, I think that is because I had been using a natural, herbal shampoo bar for months beforehand, and that is what I have now gone back to. They are more convenient, because you do not have to make the mixture every day or so and they lather, which I like. I didn't hate the baking soda stuff, and I would go back to it if I ran out of shampoo bars before I used regular shampoo. However, i am loving the apple cider vinegar conditioner. I will continue to use it.
iPhone4: I posted about why I wanted an iPhone4 and how annoyed I would be if my delivery was super delayed. Here is my experience with the device so far:
Pros:
*It arrived a day early (so happy!) on June 23.
*It was easy to set up.
*I have been able to easily create custom ring-tones for it (I hate that everyone who has an iPhone uses the same couple of rings)
*I truly find apps to be useful tools to make the gathering of information quicker.
*I love using the free game apps to waste time when I am bored
Cons:
*I have not personally experienced the dropped calls thing everyone is talking about, but the fact that it exists bothers me.
*There are no good case options yet.
*When I hold the phone to my ear to talk, it often does not lock the way it is supposed to. My ear often taps the speakerphone option. It is very annoying.
Okay, so nothing that important but I wanted to follow up on those two posts.
Shampoo Detox: I used the baking-soda/water shampoo for 3 weeks. I have not had any crazy detox issues, have not had days where my hair is ridiculously oily. Again, I think that is because I had been using a natural, herbal shampoo bar for months beforehand, and that is what I have now gone back to. They are more convenient, because you do not have to make the mixture every day or so and they lather, which I like. I didn't hate the baking soda stuff, and I would go back to it if I ran out of shampoo bars before I used regular shampoo. However, i am loving the apple cider vinegar conditioner. I will continue to use it.
iPhone4: I posted about why I wanted an iPhone4 and how annoyed I would be if my delivery was super delayed. Here is my experience with the device so far:
Pros:
*It arrived a day early (so happy!) on June 23.
*It was easy to set up.
*I have been able to easily create custom ring-tones for it (I hate that everyone who has an iPhone uses the same couple of rings)
*I truly find apps to be useful tools to make the gathering of information quicker.
*I love using the free game apps to waste time when I am bored
Cons:
*I have not personally experienced the dropped calls thing everyone is talking about, but the fact that it exists bothers me.
*There are no good case options yet.
*When I hold the phone to my ear to talk, it often does not lock the way it is supposed to. My ear often taps the speakerphone option. It is very annoying.
Okay, so nothing that important but I wanted to follow up on those two posts.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Fun Money
Friday, July 2, 2010
Moving into Kresge
On Tuesday Abby and I will be moving from our house into Kresge dorm @ Asbury University. It is a large dorm that houses 250 female residents. Lots of people have joked with me saying stuff like, "isn't that every guy's dream?" and I respond with "every single guy's dream, every married man's nightmare." other people have joked saying "don't drown in all that estrogen." most of all I get asked "aren't you sad to leave your house?"
The answer is yes. I am sad. I worked hard on it. But I am also SUPER excited about moving into Kresge and living on a college campus again. Impromptu ultimate frisbee games, having hundreds of people to hang out with, campus events, and most of all, connecting with students. I have a strong passion to mentor students, to advise them and help them avoid the mistakes I made. Abby will be a great RD. I just hope I will be able to impact students in a similar way over the next 2 years.
The answer is yes. I am sad. I worked hard on it. But I am also SUPER excited about moving into Kresge and living on a college campus again. Impromptu ultimate frisbee games, having hundreds of people to hang out with, campus events, and most of all, connecting with students. I have a strong passion to mentor students, to advise them and help them avoid the mistakes I made. Abby will be a great RD. I just hope I will be able to impact students in a similar way over the next 2 years.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Matthew Wilkinson
Today is my brother's birthday. He turns 22 today! I can not believe that! I remember when he was this tiny, bright blond headed kid dancing around in spider-man pajamas. Now he is a college graduate.
I adore this kid. He is is a brilliant writer, an intensely deep thinker, and an amazing musician. I do not think anyone one earth can make me laugh as hard as he can. Best of all, he is one of the most moral people I have ever met and his self discipline is unbelievable.
So here's to you Matt. Happy Birthday! I love you!
I adore this kid. He is is a brilliant writer, an intensely deep thinker, and an amazing musician. I do not think anyone one earth can make me laugh as hard as he can. Best of all, he is one of the most moral people I have ever met and his self discipline is unbelievable.
So here's to you Matt. Happy Birthday! I love you!
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