daylight is coming.....

i just got back from district blitz in duluth this weekend and a group called remedy drive led worship and played their music. i have to admit i didn't like them at first but they grew on me. they kind of sound like coldplay or keane. the lead singer really enjoyed jumping off of the piano live as well. hope you enjoy!

runnin' down a dream

i've been running. the snow is off the ground... well mostly. for the past four days i have gone on a run. it's been great. each day i am running further (or farther? i never know) and longer. to track my progress i have been using a new iPhone app that i found called RunKeeper. It used the iPhones GPS to calculate how fast you are running as well as how far you ran. it can do all that while still playing your tunes. And the great thing is it's free. Well, the version that has ads. you can pay 9.99 for an ad free app with some more features. for the most part it is pretty accurate. my signal is not the best where i live so it was a little off during my walk today.

another free resource i have been using is called gyminee. you can track your nutrition, weight and your workouts. the program tells you how many calories you should eat and keeps track of it. set a goal and go. it's that's easy. again, this is free! of course, you can buy the pro with more features but it's unnecessary for me. if you have friends, they can send you motivational messages.

maundy thursday

isaiah 53 from the message

Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?
The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.
He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.
Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.
Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

despite.....

despite the bad wrap snail mail gets, I am fascinated by it. living a life full of instant emails and text messages, there is something about getting something that's physical and not electronic. something that is so good that you have to wait for it. maybe that's why i enjoy tracking my shipments online. especially when it's something i'm eagerly awaiting.

down by the bayou!

this is a short little song by dmb. i just wanted to give you a little taste of my favorite band. i will have the honor to see them again this summer. they will even be with robert randolph. around 5:30 it gets really good, but i beg you, please watch the whole thing. it's great.

recently,

i have thoroughly enjoyed splashing up water from my tires while driving. especially if it goes onto my windshield.

yesterday i realized,

I can sometimes tell by the tone of Alex Trebeck's voice that it's a daily double before he announces it.