*Sigh*

Ever have one of those days? One of those days where you can't seem to get caught up, get ahead of things?

Well, I've had one of those every day for the past two weeks! I feel like Hillary looks in the picture - worn out!

I'm not complaining, just stating facts... Work has been busy: deadlines, meetings, rush rush items, French visitors, etc. Home has been busy: doing taxes, recording studio session with my band, planning for our next backyard project, etc. And, church has been busy: well, just trust me on that one...!

Besides sapping the energy our of me, the busy schedule has seemed to sap the creativity out of me as well. Thus, no blog posts for the past couple weeks. :(

Hopefully, things will settle down fairly soon, and I'll be back to my normal blogging self. Until then, I'll leave you with this video of our band in the recording studio...

Starbucks

Sorry I haven't posted in a while!

I've been busy with:

- Bluegrass gigs. My band's schedule is finally kicking off, and we had two gigs this weekend. Both were churches, and both were a blessing.

- Backyard project. Cathy and I have been talking a lot about making some improvements to the backyard, near our "parking pad". We are weighing a number of options (re-pave driveway and parking pad, or just parking pad) and materials (asphalt vs. concrete vs. brick pavers vs. pea gravel). Unfortunately, costs will be a driving factor, so we may have to do some things on the cheap, or wait until later. We'll keep you posted.

I'm not really sure what else has been keeping me busy, but I seem to be busy nonetheless!

One cool anecdote... I now know why Starbucks is the phenomenon it is, and I don't even drink coffee. Check this out.

This weekend, I was in Target, and I stopped by their Starbucks coffee bar to get Cathy a Grande Vanilla Latte. Some loud woman was in front of me, with an even louder, obnoxious pre-teen daughter. The daughter was spoiled beyond belief, and the two of them were loudly arguing with each other for all the world to hear. All the while, I'm waiting for them to actually order and move along, so I can make my order.

Finally I order, and to try and get away from the mother-daughter spectacle, I go and sit down at a table. Well, the barista girl ends up making their coffees, and forgets that I'm sitting there waiting for my order. No big deal. When she sees me maybe 10 seconds later, she says "Oh, I'm so sorry!" and hands me two of these:

That's right, two free "any drink you want" coupons. All because she caused me an extra few seconds wait, which was not even her fault (it was more the blabbing customers before me, not her). So Starbucks made $5 off me, and sent me out with $10 of free drinks, for a net loss of $5. The company was willing to take a loss to ensure that we remain happy customers into the future.

Now THAT's what customer service is all about. All other companies in the world should take notes on this one...

Wonka

Do you love movies as much as I do? If you're like me, there's nothing like escaping reality for a couple hours, and immersing yourself in someone else's adventure. This post is about my favorite children's movie of all time...

That's right, the 1971 classic "Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory", starring Gene Wilder.

I absolutely love this movie, and have since I was a kid. Although I own the DVD, it was on TV this past weekend, and I watched it (of course). As I watched, it occurred to me that the story is a metaphor for the Christian gospel. After doing some googling, I discovered that other folks (like this guy and this guy) feel the same way. See what you think of these parallels:

• Willie Wonka = God. Wonka, the ultimate "candy man", controls the one thing all the world wants: candy. Consider these lines from the song at the beginning of the movie: “The candy man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good. And the world tastes good 'cause the candy man thinks it should."”
  
  
• The Chocolate Factory = Heaven. The Wonka factory is an mysterious idyllic wonderland, a land flowing with milk and honey (and chocolate!) Also, only a select few will be allowed in its gates, and entry is considered a great reward.
  
  
• Slugworth = Satan. Slugworth tries to temp the ticket holders into betraying Wonka, by selling him an Everlasting Gobstopper. Satan tries to tempt us to betray our Lord, and "sell" our souls to him.
  
  
• Spoiled children = unrepentant sinners. Augustus Gloop represents gluttony, and his fate is to be sucked up a tube and sent to the boiler room (a metaphor for hell). Veruca Salt ("Daddy, I want an Oompa Loompa NOW!) is the personification of greed. She is put on the egg scale, found to be a "bad egg", and sent to the trash (another hell analogy). The other two kids also have bad behavior, although they are not considered "sins". Mike Teevee watches too much violent TV, and Violet Beauregard chews gum 24/7. Both meet bizarre fates in the movie...
  
  
• Charlie = repentant sinner. Although Charlie only broke one of Wonka's rules (yes, he drank the Fizzy Lifting drink without permission), he is still guilty and unable to inherit the factory. In my favorite scene of the movie, Wonka confronts Charlie with his "sin", informs him that he now cannot win the contest, and orders him to leave. Charlie has a repentant heart, and demonstrates this by returning his Gobstopper (instead of giving it to Slugworth, as his grandfather tempts him to do...). Based on this act of repentance, Wonka forgives Charlie, and announces that Charlie will be allowed to inherit not only the chocolate, but the whole factory. This is a picture of Christian salvation, in which we are made "heirs to the Kingdom" and are allowed to be with God in heaven forever.
  

Now, granted, there are a lot of things in the movie that don't seem to fit the Christian analogy... Maybe you can help me out with these:

• Oompa Loompas? (Angels?)
• Wonka's dark, disturbing side (remember the freaky ferry ride? "There's no way of knowing, which way we are going, or where the river is flowing...")
• Golden tickets?
• Charlie's family getting invited to live in the factory too (based on Charlie's repentance...)?
• Wonkavator?
  

Anyhow, its a great movie with a great message for kids for adults as well. A true classic.

Drop me a comment if you're a Wonka fan too!

Takamine

Ever see God turn a bad thing into a good thing?

Yesterday, my bandmates and I travelled to Hartsville SC to enter the 2008 Renofest bluegrass band contest. There were six bands that entered - mostly from SC and NC, with one as far away as Pennsylvania. In this contest, the winning band takes home $1500 (but the other five bands get $0...not even gas money!) To make a long story short, we didn't win. Actually, we didn't even make the first cut. Very humbling!

We were pretty bummed driving home - it was a long way to travel to lose that badly. We decided to stop by a music store in Columbia that has a Friday night bluegrass jam session. We had a good time jamming, and played a few tunes onstage during an open-mike time. We were very well received, so that helped us feel a little better!

In the lobby of the store, our guitar player Benji and I got to chatting with a stocky 12-yr old boy. He was a neat kid - he told us he LOVES bluegrass, especially gospel bluegrass. He said he loves singing songs about the Lord (and he even sang us a few...good voice!) I asked him what instrument he plays, and he said guitar.

He went on to tell us that he had recently broken his only guitar, a Takamine cutaway acoustic. We asked him how that happened. He said an older lady had lost her husband of many years, and had asked him to sing a gospel tune during the funeral service. At the funeral, the boy accidentally tipped over his guitar, and the headstock broke off of the neck. He even showed me pictures on his cell phone!

I asked him if he was going to get it repaired, and he said he had taken it to the shop, but the repairman said the repairs would cost more than the guitar was worth. When I asked him if he was going to buy a new guitar, he said he didn't have enough money, and that he and his Dad had been praying about getting a new guitar.

Here's the cool part.

Benji tells the kid that the first guitar he ever got was a Takamine cutaway acoustic, and that he still has it, but never plays it now that he has two Martins. Benji tells the kid to call him tomorrow, and he'll meet him in Laurens and give him the guitar...sort of a gift from God.

Isn't that how God works? This kid and his Dad have been praying that God would help them find a new guitar, and Benji (who has been growing a lot in his Christian faith over the last couple years) makes himself available to God to unselfishly answer the need. The boy learns that God answers his prayers, and Benji experiences the joy of selfless giving and the thrill of obedience to the Lord.

Who knows, maybe the whole reason our band went to Hartsville and lost the contest was so that, on the way back, God could match up Benji's unused Takamine cutaway acoustic (and his generous heart) with a young boy's need (expressed to God in prayer).

Well, my all-time favorite movie is on TV (Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the original 1971 version), and I must go watch it. Hope you have a great Easter...

He is risen!

Roadtrip

Well, this weekend I get to take a little break from the usual work week, and go on a roadtrip.

My bluegrass band is going to compete in a bluegrass band contest at "Renofest" in Hartsville SC. I'm not too sure where Hartsville is, but I think it's about 3+ hrs away, northeast of Columbia.

Seven bands will be competing for the first prize of $1500. Actually, that's the only prize, so if we don't win we're out a few bucks for gas. But, it should be fun anyway. I think its a big "town festival" type atmosphere, so it should be a good time.

Also, I'm looking forward to the Easter services at Crossroads -- should be an awesome celebration.

Peace out!

Tree

I saw something sad today.

One of the things Cathy and I like best about our old house is its location. Our house sits directly across the street from a wonderful park, namely Simpsonville City Park. When we sit on our front porch, we have a great view of the entire park. But my favorite part of the view is an incredible decades-old oak tree, which sits front-and-center across from our house.

Ever seen the movie "Shawshank Redemption"? You know the huge old tree under which Morgan Freeman finds the hidden package? Well, the tree across from our house looks like that one.

At least, it did until this morning.

Today, a tree crew performed a "pruning" on this incredible old tree. To me, it was more of a hack job, a butchery, a defacing of public property. They took something beautiful that took years to develop its shape and size, and reduced it to a mockery of its former self, all in just a few short hours.

Now, I don't mean to get overly dramatic about a tree. Perhaps I have exaggerated a bit. But I suppose its just one more reminder of how rapidly things change. Since we moved to our house about three years ago, I've witnessed the destruction of five historic houses within a quarter mile (the Cannon house, where part of the disc golf course has now moved, and a whole street of pre-1910 houses across from First Baptist). Now it seems the old trees are next in line for destruction.

I realize change is inevitable, but it carries a certain sadness with it. Cathy and I love old things: old furniture, old cars, old light fixtures, old houses, old fountain pens, etc. I guess we're intrigued by things that were around long before we were ever born. There's something nostalgic about antiques, something that speaks to times and ways of life long forgotten. As time passes, though, items which were once loved fall into disrepair, and are eventually thrown away or destroyed. I guess that's why Matthew 6:19 says this.

In any case, I hope the old tree will bounce back from its rather severe pruning. I hope it will soon regain its former size and stature. I hope that until then, I'll learn to appreciate its new look. Who knows, maybe the pruning is just what it needed. But deep down, I really wish the City had just left the tree alone.

Sigh.

Sorry

Sorry I haven't posted for so long...

The last couple weeks have been really busy, both at work at at home. Tonight I took a quick power nap that turned out two be a couple hours long! Didn't realize I was that tired.

Now it's 9:41, and I gotta be in bed by 10 (to get up at 5:45, my "new" schedule...)

Hope to post tomorrow...thanks for checking back!