Happy Halloween!

This year we ran out and spent Halloween with some very grrrreat friends of ours and their kids rather than go to Chloe’s school’s carnival. 

I hope you had as much fun as we did! Happy Halloween!

The Office Employee Transfer

Another episode proving again what I love SO MUCH about this show! It was hilarious! heartwarming! awkward! Briefly, because there’s a bit to talk about here, some overall thoughts I had go like this: the physical comedy stuff was hilarious! We have a hysterical opener! We have a hysterically provocative Dwight and everything with Cornell was just hilarious. I seriously thought when Bobble-head Bear was brought out that Dwight had ‘broken Andy’s brain’ again! Haha.  
We have the most uncomfortable TWSS ever with Holly and Michael.
We have again seen how supporting characters make this show! Darrell is golden! I love that guy.

Recap: 

1) Holly and Michael are busted by corporate and she’s moving back to New Hampshire. Sad turns to funny turns to awful feeling in the pit of my stomach turns to heartbreak. I will be seriously heart broken if this is for real. The vulnerability we see in Michael is…terrible. From the picture perfect Bed & Breakfast that didn’t exist to his admission of girlfriends over the past 10 years to his true feelings about Jan. It was sad

2) Jim heads up to New York for dinner with Pam and his brothers. I remember the ‘office’ I used to work in and seriously, when does the Manager AND Assistant Manager take off on the same day? Otherwise, I loved it! For so long Jim and Pam were ‘will they won’t they?’ and for so long we weren’t sure of their relationship. I enjoy seeing stuff like this solidifies that they are in it now! It gives you the warm tinglies in your belly  

3) Dwight vs. Andy! The spurned lover now goes on the offensive and it couldn’t have been funnier. What I thought was awful…awfully funny was when Meredith and Creed joined in! Anyone want to declare a winner? I say Dwight! 

Thoughts and Quotes:

Shh! He wears it so he can sleep at his desk. – Phyllis

Dwight still calling Ryan ‘Temp!’

I meant that as a compliment to you Phyllis as well as a slight to Andy. – Dwight

THEY ARE SO CUTE SINGING LIFE IS A HIGHWAY TOGETHER! Sing it Darrell! 

Here we go, fourth time’s a charm. – Michael

Did Darrell touch you? – Michael
WHAT? – Darrell

It’s pronounced “ker-nel“, it’s the highest rank in the military. – Creed 

Please call me back, please! – Darrell

I’m not strong. I’ll go back to Jan and I hate Jan! OH GOD! – Michael 

Applicant has a head shaped like a trapezoid! – Andy

Crucial Website Info

We’re in the process of giving our church website a complete overhaul. I’ve been dragging my feet on my student pages.

SO, here’s what may be of interest to you: 

1. Link me your church’s site and/or student page and what you think is crucial to have on there.
2. Check back b/c I’ll be compiling a giant list of my observations on what I’ve found.

I’ve already spent over an hour pouring over various student sites! 

FYI, here’s ours right now: www.rivercommunity.org

Thanks in advance!

Pumpkin Carving Fun

Tonight we carved a Jack ‘o Lantern and made Rice Crispy Treats! The TV turned stayed off until 10pm. I’m a little pissed because TiVo said that Fringe didn’t come on and isn’t coming on again however, it lists that it came on tonight in the guide. Doesn’t matter because pumpkin carving and Rice Crispy Treats could happen EVERY night rather than watching TV! 

Chloe said she wanted a ’scary pumpkin!’

Chloe started singing Happy Birthday when I lit up Jack  

I took Chloe outside to check out the view from the front yard She totally dug it!
Happy Halloween everyone!

Check out the skillz that Alex has here. If you get into the carving spirit then post it and link back!

ReVue: Hillsong London’s Hail to the King

Great things happening at The Worship Community! A new segment called The ReVue gets several bloggers opinion independently and then posts them for you to get multiple angles to decide whether or not you’d like the current project! Today you can see what we think of Hillsong London’s newest release Hail to the King! 

Head over and get a summary of the CD and thoughts on each track! I enclosed the video to their first single You are Here (The Same Power). The video is a live performance make sure you make it to around 4 mins! Otherwise you miss the spine tingliness of the tune

If you’re not participating in The Worship Community or with it’s forum and are working with a church then you’re missing out. I encourage you to go get involved. 

Psss…and BTW one of the reviewers this week is yours truly!
So go show some love  

Beyond the Pale Hotpocket Style

Jim Gaffigan was on TV the other day and I remembered how much he makes me laugh! I used to eat a Hotpocket for lunch nearly every day through college. I remember finally eating one and wanting to throw up one day and I’ve never had one since! I love this:

Max Payne Movie Review

For the most part, Max Payne delivered! The dark dreary city backdrop was almost Sin City like and felt alive with what they did with snow and rain. That effect was truly remarkable! The action sequences were killer! HA. Get it? Killer! Max Payne was incredibly terrible and Mark Wahlberg delivered! The actors driving this movie were really surprising. Mark Walhberg was obvious (thank goodness he didn’t play a scientist trying to figure out why trees want to kill humankind!) but every time you turned around it seemed someone else was popping up and helping drive the story along! Meg Griffin as a leading lady? Serious? Wow. 

My complaint is that the movie needed to figure out what they wanted to do. 1/2 the movie was story telling and 1/2 the movie was destruction and mayhem. I think we wanted a bit more destruction and mayhem! And with that much time devoted to story telling, the story wasn’t all that well thought through. I think nearly all of us have seen Gladiator and The Punisher, we didn’t need that much time devoted to what we already knew Then they just seemed to make it more complicated than it needed to be.

I also think they should have stuck with Hitman and Doom’s precedence and just gone with the R rating and made the movie the way it should have been. Towing the PG-13 rating on a movie like this either waters down what it should have been or makes an extremely racy movie for 13 year olds. Even with the PG-13 rating, I’d suggest you treat it as R if you have kids.  

If anything, Max Payne suffers from an identity crises. Otherwise, it gives you basically what you’re looking for: angry, bad to the bone cop looking for justice putting the hurt on bad guys, big guns, hot chicks, nasty big bad guy, SWAT teams, explosions, crazy fights, and shoot outs! There are some tremendously terrible scenes near the end that are a-mazing! What they do visually and with the score is frightening and it’s great!

While you’re deciding whether or not to see it, definitely check out their site and see the full trailer and what’s it all about. Awesome!

My Worst Nightmare

This dude can calmly take pictures of a mammoth spider eating a bird in his backyard! Sweet Jesus, I would be screaming like an 8 year old girl running around with my arm cut off! 

I only thought I knew of my worst nightmare. Thanks Paul, I just got a new one.

Check it out here and here and here.

Sunday Setlist Oct. 26th – I’m baaaack!

Yesterday was my first time back in the saddle leading worship for our adult service and it was the first time it was awkward! For the first time it felt like I was in someone else’s living room rearranging the furniture. Haha. Regardless of that, it was great being back with the team and playing with everyone and engaging in worship with them! Here’s what we did: 

• Prelude- Worship segment from With Hearts as One DVD from United
• Blessed Be Your Name ala With or Without You – Matt Redman/U2 – A
• God of Wonders – Tomlin style – G
• Cannons – Phil Wickham – G
• O, for 1,000 Tongues to Sing – Crowder – G
• Offering- Grace Like Rain – Todd Agnew – E
• Closing- Jesus Paid it All – Kristian Stanfill – B

So, it appears my affection for the Passion crew stood out here Hey, I only get to do this so often! Everything went real smooth so I’d like to just highlight a few points so I don’t bore you going wildly longwinded: 

1. Blessed Be Your Name ala With or Without You – If you’re not doing this then you’re truly missing out! The chord progression is the same and having the bass and drums start out the W/or W/O You groove that becomes the backbone of the song is incredible! 
2. The Call to Worship – Our worship leader loves starting with a ‘Call to Worship.’ I think this is pretty cool but we’re constantly trying to make it more effective because it’s like pulling teeth to get people in the sanctuary on time. This week I tried the Worship segment from United’s new DVD and tying it in with Blessed Be Your Name hopefully encouraging everyone to an atmosphere of worship regardless of how they’re feeling: tired, distracted, restless, etc. 
3. Introducing new songs – This will be a post all in itself but I intro-ed Cannons this week by introducing the chorus and then starting in with the whole band. I LOVE this song! 
4. College football affects church - There was a night and day difference between our 9am and 10:45 service’s reaction. I’m pretty aware already that it is the 10:45 service that is much more receptive to songs like we played today but this was probably the most drastic difference in participation that I’ve seen. AND it was probably the most consistent the band has played between the 2 services as well. I think the 9am crew were still asleep and grumpy from yesterday’s debilitating loss.
5. Use YOUTH – I used a high school student from our youth group to play bass with me this morning! IT WAS AWESOME! We’ve played together for various camps and at youth group now for about 2 years but it was just awesome to see this student showing up early for practice on Thurs. and Sun. and to have him learning the music, and to have him KILLING IT! I’m scared for what he’s going to be like in 5 years! 

Join in with Fred’s Blog Carnival for more!

16 Random Things

Jeff over at Consuming Worship hit me up for this fun little post!

1. I’ve lived in the same state ALL my life. Within this great state of Louisiana, I’ve only lived in Baton Rouge and Lafayette. I think I might be a lifer here, the next 5 years will determine that.

2. I hate pickles. My Mom says I shouldn’t use ‘hate’ for anything…but I hate pickles.

3. I think musical style matters in worship through music. I know it shouldn’t but I can’t explain my musical taste and neither can I explain why simply the intro to a certain worship song can draw me to a song where as another song can be sung for ten minutes and I have to want to try to worship before anything happens.

4. My wife and I have been together for 10 years. Married for 5 and dated for 5. I am her High School Sweetheart. She’s not mine though I was in college at the time!

5. I’m a Christian cynic. I think that means that I initially don’t like anything with the label of “Christian” in the cultural environment. That’s usually a big turn-off for me.

6. My Gram is from Puerto Rico and her cooking is so incredible it’s just not fair.

7. I struggle with being a parent and a friend to my daughter and she’s only 3.

8. Donald Miller is currently rocking my world! I have about a dozen podcasts of his that I listen to over and over and over again. I talk about him like we hang out.

9. Once a week I hear: “You know, you remind me of Jesus!” but it’s because of the long hair.

10. I played in a “Christian” Rock Band in College called Soapbox and was an awful front man.

11. I grew up Southern Baptist, went to a Non-Denominational church, helped plant an Episcopalian church, visited my Maw Maw’s Methodist Church, and am now on staff at a Presbyterian church.

12. I used to have a problem with pornography but the love of my wife and daughter have made that intolerable in my life.

13. I am a gear snob. Don’t come to me with a solid state amp or anything with First Act on it!

14. I prefer Chuck’s over Vans.

15. I’m a newly converted Apple Addict! I’ve tasted the Kool Aid. Once you go Mac, never got back!

16. I have a crazy philosophy on the subject of Deja Vu. I don’t remember if I truly made it up or if there is actual scientific data backing it! I should research it more…wait a minute…I remember wanting to do that once before…wait a minute…

You’re next Donna, Aaron, Klampert, Justin, Ginger, Jonathan, Alex, Austin, Mud, Chad, Jason