In Rainbows

It's funny... There's nothing better than waking up to the smell of a fresh pot of coffee to start your day off right before that 8:00 AM class. BUT, I discovered today that, although you may put coffee in the filter, put the filter in the coffee maker, and press the button for "Delay Brew" and set the time for 7:15 AM, you'll be disappointed in the morning if you forget one important (dare I say the MOST important) element.

Water.

Yes, I'm an idiot.


New Radiohead album today. Pay whatever you want. Pretty good deal, I'd say. Get it HERE.

this too shall be made right

Ok, so I'm not doing the best job of keeping this thing updated. I'll be better. Promise.

First, music. Not a lot of detail, but check these artists/songs/albums/whatever out. And as always, trust me.

1) Red Mountain Music
-A church in Birmingham, they basically take old hymn texts and write new music for them. So me loving hymns like I do, this is good stuff for me, and for you too. Check it out.

2) Brooke Waggoner
-Listen to the song "Hush If You Must". Really cool song. I want to buy her EP, but I'm trying to be diligent about saving money. I probably will break soon though, because this song is really catchy and I've heard many good things.

Let's see...other albums I recommend that I didn't talk about last time:
Andrew Osenga: "Letters to the Editor, Vol. 1" (all of the songs came from ideas from people who read his blog...interesting idea)

Aqualung: "Memory Man"

Caedmon's Call: "Overdressed" (Derek Webb back with the band)

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds: "Live at Radio City"

Explosions in the Sky: "All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone" and "The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place"

Martin Sexton: "Seeds"

Patrick Park: "Everyone's in Everyone"

I'm also anxiously awaiting the purchase/release of albums on the horizon from Iron & Wine, Andrew Peterson, Andy Gullahorn, Ben Shive, Radiohead (cool story on their new album here), Bebo Norman (Christmas album), Jose Gonzalez, Josh Ritter, and Matt Pond PA.


My community group through Grace Campus has been such an encouragement to me this year. Mainly due to one guy, who I know will never read this, but I'll withhold his name anyway. The book we're reading is good, the fellowship with everyone is as well, but this one friend is the reason I continue to return each week. This guy is a super-nice guy; he's your typical college guy with the Polo hat, collared shirts, shorts that are ALMOST too short. He drives a truck, loves to hunt and fish, and has a wonderful Southern accent that would be impossible for me to duplicate. To be candid, on the surface, he's the kind of guy that I love to hate. Being the judgmental person that I often am, I came to many assumptions upon first seeing him/hearing him talk/hearing his story. Some of them right, some of them not. He was the first person to introduce himself to me as I awkwardly walked into the Gay Street House, late for my first week of community groups. But, as I often do, I overlooked that and didn't chalk one up in the "Good" column.

I see that I am rambling, so let me get to the point. After spending high school and the first part of college drinking a lot, he had, just a week or so before our first meeting, been convicted and started to read the Word, and was becoming a new creation. And even though it was a brand new thing, this guy was on fire. He had a passion for Christ...to know more about Him, to grow closer to Him, and to read His Word. I had never seen anything like this before in my life. The situation just seemed so opposite when I first walked into that group. My assumptions were completely off base, though. Each week, he has continued to grow and grow. He speaks of reading his Bible two or three times daily. He reads our chapters that we're assigned in our book multiple times. He comes with questions for those of us who have been believers longer. He underlines things in the book and is the first one to speak up. This guy is SEEKING and FINDING. I wish you could all see it. It's obvious that he is young in his faith, but his zeal and passion is something that I've never seen in myself. Ever. I don't know how he ended up at Encounter, or how I ended up in the same group as him, but I couldn't be more thankful.

Long story, I apologize.


I need the weather to stay cool, and not let this just be a tease. And also, please cool off just a little during the day. Thanks. I'll call Bob Jeswald and see if he can get on that immediately.

Fantasy Update: I'm 3-1. Not scoring many points, but somehow I'm still winning. I'm trusting that Marvin Harrison will be OK, that Adrian Peterson (from Oklahoma) will continue to get carries, that Anquan Boldin will come back from injury, and that I can find a tight end that's worth a crap.

My girlfriend is incredible. Have I told you about her? You should meet her...she's awesome. I find so much joy in her that it's crazy. She teaches me things every day, despite the miles between us. I'm sure she'll come up again very soon, but I just wanted to mention how thankful I am to have her in my life.

I want a camera. Really bad. Nikon D40, preferably. Make checks payable to me.



Grace and Peace.

feel smart again.

Check out this website. It's the site for a magazine that a guy named Will Pearson started a few years ago. Will was one of my brother's best friends in high school, and he also attends my church at home and was a mentor to me in when I was in high school. He was named one of the 30 coolest young entrepreneurs under 30 by INC. Magazine earlier this year.

Anyway, regardless of friendships, the magazine is really entertaining, and the website has some cool links and blog posts to keep you busy during times of boredom. Check it out.

Music Mondays

Monday Music Goodies::

First and foremost, let me introduce you to Matthew Perryman Jones. He's singer/songwriter from Nashville, and his album Throwing Punches in the Dark might be the best album I own. Which is saying a lot, with how much I love DMB and the old Bebo and Caedmon's albums. MPJ's music is honest, real, and somewhat raw, but his voice is awesome and something about this album just hooks you and reels you in. It's just incredible. He has two other old albums, but they're out of print, and I'm about ready to go up to Nashville to his doorstep and demand the recordings. Regardless, GET Throwing Punches in the Dark. It will be worth your while. (Hard to find info about him, but he's playing in B'ham twice in the next couple of months, including this Saturday at Workplay. Also, check out a fan site here.)

More reviews of stuff I've gotten since I returned (and right before I left):

1) Sara Bareilles (ba-rell-is) - Little Voice
Your basic girl-power piano-pop, but really good stuff. Hard to think of a comparison, though it should be really easy. Nothing too stellar on the piano, but has a really powerful, awesome voice that she highlights on "Gravity" and "Come Round Soon". 7.5/10

2) Jon McLaughlin - Indiana
Singer/songwriter in the mold of Dave Barnes, Matt Wertz, etc., except he plays piano. And he's really good at it. The album is almost too poppy for me, but there are some solid songs, including "Indiana", "Industry", and "Perfect". I think the record deal and over-production covers up the fact that Jon is a really talented guy. 8/10

3) Ari Hest - The Break-In
Ari's just incredible. Pretty low-key album, but much of that has to do with his voice. It's a real gravelly baritone that is one of the most unique voices out there today. Sure, D. Barnes and Wertz and Jon McL and whoever else are great, but it's nice to have a change-up sometimes, and Ari's voice is a perfect example of that. Great writing, basic but inspired production, and that voice make for a solid sophomore effort. Favorite song is "When and If". Also recommend his first album Someone to Tell. 8.5/10

4) Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
I don't pretend to be a huge Wilco fan, or to know a lot about them or about Jeff Tweedy or whatever else. I just like their originality, willingness to take chances, and interesting songwriting. Heard a lot of positives about this album before it's release, so I picked it up, and think it's pretty good. Definitely not "experimental" like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or A Ghost is Born were. It's hard for me to really classify it. To me, it's really basic stuff, but basic stuff done REALLY well. They obviously set out with a certain vision, and made it happen. Some great guitar solos, especially on "Impossible Germany". 8/10

5) Jeremy Casella - Rcvry (Recovery)
This guy is another Nashville singer/songwriter who is a member of the Square Peg Alliance (also here). The SPA is musician collective of Christian independent singer/songwriters from Nashville who often play together, play on each other's records, and just support each other. Some of my favorite artists are a part of SPA, but I had never really listened to Casella much. However, for the months leading up to its release, all I heard were GLOWING reviews of his newest album. So, being the music-buying fiend that I am, I picked it up from Itunes and was NOT disappointed. It's Nashville singer/songwriter with electronic, classical, and rock sounds thrown in. It makes for a really amazing mix of songs, the highlight for me being "The Space Between Living & Dying". This is another one of those that you really just need to get if you like to support good independent Christian artists and like great music. 9.5/10


I just realized that I have about 10 more that I've gotten recently, so I'll save those for another time.

daylight
your love is like daylight
your love is like a sharp knife
that cuts through all the pain
-Jeremy Casella

It's been a great day, by the way. The Lord is doing good work in me, and hopefully through me.

Driving a Land Rover around is really weird.

I have to start being nice and quiet in Singers...what a shame.

I love my roommates.

wcp

love, wash over a multitude of things...

Amazing the difference a little bit of time makes.

This may seem really silly to say, but it's still incredible to me how, if you earnestly ask the Lord for help, He doesn't really hesitate in giving it to you.

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and characters produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
-Romans 5:3-5

I just don't feel like the person that I was when I first got back. Those first couple of weeks, I felt...I guess "fresh" is the best word. It's not what I really mean, but after such a hard two months, it was great to be back in my old life, but CHANGED. I'm not living like that anymore. More than anything, I've been praying for the discernment and strength to figure out exactly what I was doing then, and get back to it. I'm beginning to figure it out.

Bebo Norman is probably my 3rd favorite artist of all time, and I'll always be a fan, regardless of how his music changes, just because he has "it". Or at least whatever "it" is that makes me a HUGE fan of someone's music. But, one cannot help but be a bit disappointed in him after Friday at Lakeview. I saw him play in Dothan last October with a couple of friends, and the setlist was exactly the same Friday as that show last year (besides one different song). AND, every single joke, story, speech, introduction, etc. was identical. So, I was hoping for more, and got the same. But, Monk and Neagle were not incredible, but entertaining. And Shane and Shane know how to lead some worship. Thought their band was impressive.

It's not good to be an Auburn Football fan today. But, commitment and NOT being a fair-weather fan is important. And don't boo Brandon Cox. (but hey, who wouldn't want to see Kodi run around for the rest of the year...?)

I'll have a music update soon...according to Austin, I add music on Facebook that nobody's ever heard of. And people NEED to, so I'll do some reviews.

wcp

First thing's first

My first blog...let's hope this thing gets kept up with.

I've been back in the States for 41 days. For some reason, that's insane to me. 41 days ago, I KNEW that my life was never going to be the same, and that I wasn't going to fall back into any old routines from before June 3rd. I was sure. It took about 2 days for me to start, and now, 41 days later, my life feels strangely like it did on June 2nd, without the excitement of an impending trip to Kenya. Not that my life wasn't pretty damn good before that. I was and still am blessed to have a wonderful family and girlfriend who mean absolutely everything to me. School is OK, everything else is OK. My relationship with Christ is OK... I believe a little more than I ever have, and I understand a little more than I ever have. But even writing that last sentence, I have a hard time describing in words my relationship with Him. That scares me a lot.

I have it really good, when I really think about it. Jennifer is INCREDIBLE to me, no matter whether I deserve it or not. My friends amaze me every day with their encouragement, cheerfulness, humor, and Godliness. I go to a great school and have opportunities every day that most people in the world will never have in a lifetime. I get to do what I love (sing) with people I respect and love, no matter how frustrating it is at times.

But I'm just really confused about the place I'm in right now. But, I know that all of the indecision and confusion comes down to me lacking the one and only Thing I need need. I think the main thing I'm missing is commitment. Commitment to the Word, to journaling, to learning, to praying, to just spending time with the One who deserves all my time. I am praying for guidance, direction, and strength to be committed. Your prayers are also appreciated.

I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed to be a witness

-wcp