the world is bright and beautiful

So, last night me and Teresa rocked the house yet again for our main service. Worship was really powerful, and my new Time Factor sounded incredible. But things were a little different last night. As worship was wrapping up, Pastor Reece looked over at me and started telling me that I was moving the right direction, to stay faithful and not worry, and to keep following the “pull” I was feeling. This is almost a direct quote from one of my journals, but thats neither here nor there. Then during the altar call, Pastor Sarah also turned to me and began to prophecy into my life that God has seen me be obedient and that I’m moving deeper into his calling for me. Then she turned to her dad, Wally Hickey. Wally had a microphone. Wally prophesied into my life. I was not ready for this. I almost passed out under the weight of his words. You may not know Wally, but just know that this man is more full of the Holy Spirit than anyone I’ve ever met. When he speaks to you, it is almost overwhelming. I think that if Pastor Marilyn hand been in the house, I would’ve just been chariot-of-fired up into the skies, Elijah style. It was a good night.

• I’m very, very sorry for not blogging in several days. Been super busy.
• I lead worship for main service last wendesday with Mama T. It was amazing. Wonder Twin powers activate. Shape of Gorilla with Jet Pack. Shape of puddle.
• Memorial day was…memorious.
• Cook-out food has an unfortunate vocabulary. Grip it. Corn juice.
• I’m comfortable not having to have alcohol in every beverage. I like Kool-Aid, I like Sprite. You can shove your Vodka. You are a loser.
• Mark and I got Time Factors. Mark and I got Time Factors. Mark and I got Time Factors.
• I have a temp job. It is so boring, my brain has tried several times (unsucessfully so far, fingers crossed) to crawl out of my ear canal. I have taped the exits shut. That is a lie.
• 3 pieces beef brisket, 5 ribs, 2 ears of corn. Ouch.
• Josh is all but completely moved in now. *insert celbratory minstrel music and dancing of peasants.*
• Clarity on vinyl.
• Boston on vinyl.
• Thriller on vinyl.
• Listening room.
• Appletini.

Today, I tried chicken curry for the first time ever. Wonderful. We sang songs from “That Thing You Do” in the Elevate office and had a re-rendition of “The Hoshi USA” song. I’m on my way to Enchanted Grounds for coffee and Mac talk. I’ll be driving with the windows down singing Colplay, Hot Hot Heat, and Jimmy Eat World. In other words, it is summer.

• I look good in track jackets.
• I love good fiction.
• The Harry Potter series are some of the greatest works of fiction I’ve ever read. They may also be the most dangerous.
• I will never read a Chuck Palahniuk book. He is an amazing talent. He is also gross.
• Watchmen movie next year. Um, incredible.
• The first chapter of “The City of Ember” is enough for me to think it is fantastic.
• Movie version of the same looks to be equally fantastic.
• Moving through the mall on a saturday reminds me of plowing through the gophers on Moo Moo Farm. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re a terrible friend and I pity you.
• “Prince Caspian” was really, really, really super good. And that’s not an exaggeration.
• Working retail sucks. Today it was 75 degrees outside. I was inside Park Meadows from 2 until 9.
• I’m not terribly lonely anymore. I have amazing friends, and I’m beginning to feel complete inside. This is very new to me.
• Why my brain sometimes functions as a list and other times as prose will never fully make sense, although I’m certain it makes perfect sense in some strange way I don’t understand. Yet.
• The ability to write and express creatively is an astonishing endowment upon humanity.
• God is moving. God is moving. God is moving.
• God is moving.

So, if you’ve been watching Office season 4, it’s pretty easy to tell that, well…season 4 sucks. It started out kind of strong and quickly went downhill, sort of dwindling between halfway decent episodes and really crappy episodes. I understand the writers have wanted to explore new territory, but come one. The dinner party? Really? The Michael and Jan awkward show? BUT. I must say that the past few episodes have tickled me shades of chartreuse, and last night’s season finale was the icing on the cake. I was cracking up through most of it, but if you want my highlights (and I know you do.)

• They FINALLY opened with a Dwight prank!!! They have strayed so far from the reasons we tune in, and they finally got back to the basics. “Pam! That is not Dwight you’re talking to! Pam! I’m over here!”
  “Oh, and I forwarded his desk phone over here, too.”
• Michael’s “shoe money.” Come on.
• Dwight telling Holly that Kevin is mentally challenged. Because after careful observance, he pretty much is. “I do the numbers. Do you want a M&M? I keep them over here so that everybody can’t get them.”
• Jim tells Ryan off over the phone. Finally Jim isn’t just our lovable homeboy. He’s a man.
• Pam. Pam, Pam, Pam.

Of course, it had its low moments. I’m not sure I buy Jim calling Ryan to rub in his “misfortune.” And WTH happened to Tobe? Dude is crazy. But funny crazy. “Does anyone here have a camera?!?! No…nobody here has one.” But I think that the jury could return with favorable news for Holly, who would be an interesting tension as both Michael’s crush and arch-nemesis. I won’t give spoilers for those who DVR or watch online, but I think the finale packed a wallop.

Today, following some inspiration from Stuff Christians Like, I scrounged up some change and trudged up to Albertson’s for some Apple Jacks. Lets face it: Apple Jacks are amazing. More amazing, even, than getting to use the words “scrounge” and “trudge” in the same sentence. I’ve been pretty down on my writing lately, feeling like there’s no point and like I’m forcing everything. So getting outside and walking helped tremendously. I at least feel somewhat creative again, though I’m still not sure what I’m supposed to do with it. What do you do when your strongest desire is to be creative but you feel like you’re missing an outlet?

Last night saw the first “official” meeting of our new society (blog will be up shortly.) We got to watch one of my all-time favorite movies and proved that our group is one to be reckoned with. Now, at the end of said meeting, we all took a trip to indulge in one of the wonders of the modern world: the Vanilla Frosty. Yes, I called it a Frosty. I must disagree very highly with Shelley’s feelings and comments about this wondrous delight. The Vanilla Frosty is smooth and delectable. And while I appreciate and respect the original Frosty as the patriarch of the fast-food dessert family,the Vanilla Frosty is to me a welcome addition. It is like finding out we’ve had a long-lost twin brother all these years, only he’s rich, creamy, and delicious. And also white. But so what? Have we forgotten a little piece of our world’s history? Have we forgotten the black-and-white cookie? Or worse, have we forgotten about this:

That’s right. We’ve got Classic Frosty on the left, embodied by our beloved Stevie Wonder. And to the right, his brother and friend Paul McCartney: the Vanilla Frosty of music. Happy to be together, healing wounds and filling spoons. I think this pretty well sums up the relationship between our 2 Frosty varieties, as well as encapsulates my emotions for said Frosty.

Yesterday was mother’s day. Just so you all know, my mom is amazing. She has a sweet blog. And I would say that she:

• Is the reason I’m so musically inclined. (She’s an awesome singer and piano player.)
• Is the reason I’m a good writer and the reason I love to write. (She is a fabulous writer and it is her passion.)
• Is the reason my brain is a razor-sharp beartrap ready to clamp down and lay waste. (She is brilliant, sharp, quick, and at times wonderfully ferocious.)
• Has probably prayed me into and out of everywhere I’ve ever been.
• Has gotten me to where I am.
• Has made my life extremely fun, full, and adventurous. Happy mother’s day.

Amazing quote from Stuff Christians Like:

I want to do the robot in heaven and ride dirt bikes and have firework fights with CS Lewis. What, you’ve never thought it would be cool to shoot a Roman Candle at CS Lewis?

I love this blog.

Here is my awesome day: Work a full shift for once. Be incredible at my job. Find a ride home (anybody?) Clean my house for Midnight Society meeting tonight. Engage in said meeting. Have tons of fun, be really, really nerdy. Square-frames and Heineken nerdy. Scary movies and over-analysis nerdy. Which season of Futurama was the superior nerdy. Awesome.

Wow. That’s the first post title to not have a song lyric in months. I feel a little discarded, like a pity prom date or Gary Coleman.

Last night we had band practice for Elevate. Kind of. The band was really coming together, but then for some reason as soon as the singers showed up we took a collective poop and basically hacked our way through the rest of rehearsal. Maybe it was the lack of PA to guide us (the lack of a link here is intentional) but we were on a collaborative brain fart for most of practice. Here’s the part I love, however. The “point,” if you will: practice was awesome. I don’t feel like we wasted any time or beat any dead horses, I feel like not having PA (linkless) there challenged us to get things done without needing someone to wipe our hieneys , plus having Mark run rehearsals is always a blast (partly because he’s a genius, partly because he’s a fun guy.) And most of all, I had a great time being there. It was fun. Playing on the same team as Mark and Josh = good times + a whole lot of good-natured ribbing (that’s church-speak for mercilessly mocking someone for playing a bad chord. It’s fantastic.) It reminded me that worship isn’t just something I do out of obligation, nor is it this solemn religious undertaking. It is the thing that, to quote from Hoshi, “makes me pound my fist on the table.” It is the calling on my life, and it’s also my passion. I love doing it. I love being a part of it. It’s my favorite, favorite thing in the world. To answer Judi, it’s the thing I couldn’t go a week without. I’m a worship junkie. Now, I imagine this post could bring about lots of negativity: “Why do you need the band/music to worship?” Well, I suppose to a narrow mind that would ask such questions, I don’t. But God has given us the gift of music and commanded us to worship Him with it, so call it my obedient response. “I think you take worship far too lightly, what with all your joshing (seaning?) around and horseplay.” Nowhere in the bible does it tell us to worship with fallen heads gazing at our sad shoes, or that having fun and worship are to be kept at all times separate. To me, joy and worship are mutually inclusive. When the presence of God meets our humanity like a sloppy wet kiss, joy can be the only genuine response. I take worship more seriously than anything in  my life, probably to a fault at times (case in point: my bedroom.) But getting to sing songs and have God himself come and dance with us in our midst? Why wouldn’t that make me feel and act happier than any human before me? All this to say that band practice was awesome. Thanks for your time.