Hey everyone,
This post is really for those who get this blog through RSS (all 2 or so of you :-P). Tomorrow morning, I'll be switching hosts for this blog and moving it to Weebly (where I currently host my web-site), so your RSS feeds will need to be updated. The web address will be the same... so head over there sometime in the next couple of days and update your records. Just wanted to keep everybody posted. Thanks!
Eric
Friday, November 7, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Day After Election Day
Good morning, America. I thought I was done posting about politics (in fact I think I even said I was), but I'm inclined to write a bit this morning, nevertheless. I awoke to a very interesting internet today, including: 1.) TONS of news coverage (both unbiased and otherwise), 2.) Quite a few blog posts (some insightful and fair and some... well... not), and 3.) A flurry of facebook statuses and Twitter posts (which were mostly pretty offensive from both sides. As much as I know that nobody needs to read another writing this morning, I feel the need to address this just a bit anyways.
The truth is, I think most people are just looking for something to fight about. We like to have conflict in our lives somewhere, and elections tend to set themselves up as prime opportunities. Give it a couple days or weeks, and we'll all be back to fighting about something else My candidate didn't win, and I'd be lying it I said I wasn't disappointed by that (ooh, did you all just read into that!? I actually told you who I voted for!). I also think that a lot of the people who voted for the victor didn't fully understand all of his policies and ideas, but the process worked, and worked better than it has the last two elections. I'll take it. For good or for bad, the next four years will be what the majority of Americans voted for... which is the whole point. I will be praying for President-Elect Obama, and for a smooth transition from the Bush administration to his own. I will pray that he will seek God's guidance as he governs, and that he would follow that guidance when he receives it. I will pray (or rather continue to pray) for success and prosperity and (most of all) peace for our nation. I hope that others will join me in this prayer, regardless of their political affiliation, regardless of who your candidate was, and regardless of how happy or angry you might be this morning. If your candidate won, please accept victory graciously. If your candidate lost, please concede defeat graciously. Above all else, please remember that the people who voted for the other candidate are just that... PEOPLE. They voted according to their own moral and political compass, and just because it is slightly different than yours doesn't mean that you are right and they are wrong. It just means you look at the world slightly differently. It's the way we were created. It's what makes our system work in the first place. Be respectful.
Having said that, this election isn't over. "President" was not the only race or isssue on the ballot yesterday. Both cnn.com and dispatch.com remain open on my screen this morning. I'm largely pleased with the results on Ohio's statewide issues. I'm pleased with the majority of the outcomes in local races, both here in Columbus and in St. Clairsville and Tiffin. I'm watching the final numbers come in on California's Proposition 8 with great interest, and I'm keeping an eye on the 4 Senate seats that are still undecided. The process isn't over yet. I'm also watching what's happening on Capitol Hill today, as the FCC has just voted to reallocate some frequency bands in a way that could cause major headaches for a lot of wireless microphone users in this country, including Centerpoint and me personally.
It's an interesting day. People feel many different ways about it, but no matter what, we move forward, not back. We have no choice.
Thanks for reading.
The truth is, I think most people are just looking for something to fight about. We like to have conflict in our lives somewhere, and elections tend to set themselves up as prime opportunities. Give it a couple days or weeks, and we'll all be back to fighting about something else My candidate didn't win, and I'd be lying it I said I wasn't disappointed by that (ooh, did you all just read into that!? I actually told you who I voted for!). I also think that a lot of the people who voted for the victor didn't fully understand all of his policies and ideas, but the process worked, and worked better than it has the last two elections. I'll take it. For good or for bad, the next four years will be what the majority of Americans voted for... which is the whole point. I will be praying for President-Elect Obama, and for a smooth transition from the Bush administration to his own. I will pray that he will seek God's guidance as he governs, and that he would follow that guidance when he receives it. I will pray (or rather continue to pray) for success and prosperity and (most of all) peace for our nation. I hope that others will join me in this prayer, regardless of their political affiliation, regardless of who your candidate was, and regardless of how happy or angry you might be this morning. If your candidate won, please accept victory graciously. If your candidate lost, please concede defeat graciously. Above all else, please remember that the people who voted for the other candidate are just that... PEOPLE. They voted according to their own moral and political compass, and just because it is slightly different than yours doesn't mean that you are right and they are wrong. It just means you look at the world slightly differently. It's the way we were created. It's what makes our system work in the first place. Be respectful.
Having said that, this election isn't over. "President" was not the only race or isssue on the ballot yesterday. Both cnn.com and dispatch.com remain open on my screen this morning. I'm largely pleased with the results on Ohio's statewide issues. I'm pleased with the majority of the outcomes in local races, both here in Columbus and in St. Clairsville and Tiffin. I'm watching the final numbers come in on California's Proposition 8 with great interest, and I'm keeping an eye on the 4 Senate seats that are still undecided. The process isn't over yet. I'm also watching what's happening on Capitol Hill today, as the FCC has just voted to reallocate some frequency bands in a way that could cause major headaches for a lot of wireless microphone users in this country, including Centerpoint and me personally.
It's an interesting day. People feel many different ways about it, but no matter what, we move forward, not back. We have no choice.
Thanks for reading.
Friday, October 24, 2008
A New Community
Those who have read this blog for any period of time know that I'm all about community. Not the cheesy, church manufactured kind, either. I'm talking about REAL community - the chance to really start to get to know some other people, to share life with each other. I've always felt that Centerpoint was this kind of community to an extent, but the truth is, my demographic has never been very well represented there (not that that's unlike the other churches I've been in). So when we started talking last Spring about starting a new small group for 20-somethings, I got very excited, to say the least. It took us quite a while to get it going, but we finally did. We met for the fourth time tonight, and I hosted it here for the first time. Definitely what I needed this week (it's been a long one). The thing is, I don't even think that this group compares to many other "small groups" in the traditional sense. It's just different. It's a very laid back group of people, and not "religious" in any sense. The only things assured at our gatherings are that there will be good food, good beer, and good conversation. I couldn't think of any better setting to sit and discuss God's word. After all, most of Jesus' ministry happened in homes, usually around a meal. I'm definitely appreciative for these people and the time we have together... looking forward to getting into things deeper over the next weeks and months.
And now... bedtime!
And now... bedtime!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
More Than Enough
A good portion of this afternoon and evening will be devoted to preparing for the annual 4th-6th grade retreat that I co-direct at Kirkmont. This year our theme is "More Than Enough", so that's what I'll be pondering on and working with today. I think there are TONS of things in the world that we already have "more than enough" of, yet we still long for more. We've gotten really materialistic (at least in this country). I'm just as guilty. I find myself wanting things that I definitely don't need, and wanting even more of the things I already have. And in the midst of all of this, we miss the simple call: to forget all of it, and turn our needs over entirely to God. That's tough. We're not conditioned for that. We don't like to rely on others for our needs, and definitely not for our wants (because then we might not get them), but that's the goal that God has placed before us. And yes, the world would probably have a pretty major problem with us if we ever truly achieved that goal. But isn't that kind of the point?
Today I'll be working on relating this idea... this big, huge, almost incomprehensible idea... to a bunch of middle-school aged kids. Somehow I don't think they'll have as much trouble understanding it as I do.
So what do you think? What are some things that we have "more than enough" of?
Today I'll be working on relating this idea... this big, huge, almost incomprehensible idea... to a bunch of middle-school aged kids. Somehow I don't think they'll have as much trouble understanding it as I do.
So what do you think? What are some things that we have "more than enough" of?
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
My New Toy (AKA The Steal Of The Century)
Ok, so this is admittedly a really nerdy gear-related thing. I'm going to talk about it anyways. I'm that excited. Introducing the Stompbox:
What is it, you ask? Essentially, it's an electronic bass drum effect. You tap your foot on it (as you might do on the floor anyways), and it sends a low frequency "thump" through the amp or sound system it's connected to. There are other products out there that do this, and I've known about several for some time. The most notable is the Porchboard Bass (which I've seen Christopher Williams use), but with prices starting around $250, it's way out of my price range. Ellis Guitars also makes one, but it's also $150 in it's lowest configuration. Again, out of my league, but I've really been wanting this effect for my solo shows and coffeehouse percussion set-ups...
...so imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon the Stompbox for less than $50! Now, I'll be the first to admit that it falls short of the others in some areas. It's metal, so it's sound doesn't quite have that "woody" sound that the others boast, and it takes some pretty hefty EQ adjustments, but it's totally worth it to get the sound at this price. No more lugging my big bass drum across town to play a stage it barely fits on anyways. This will also be a great addition to my solo guitar and ukulele stuff. All in all, a GREAT deal! The documentation that came with it implied that there are only 100 of these things out there, and they're handmade by the creator, so I feel very lucky to have tracked it down when I did. I couldn't help but share :-)
What is it, you ask? Essentially, it's an electronic bass drum effect. You tap your foot on it (as you might do on the floor anyways), and it sends a low frequency "thump" through the amp or sound system it's connected to. There are other products out there that do this, and I've known about several for some time. The most notable is the Porchboard Bass (which I've seen Christopher Williams use), but with prices starting around $250, it's way out of my price range. Ellis Guitars also makes one, but it's also $150 in it's lowest configuration. Again, out of my league, but I've really been wanting this effect for my solo shows and coffeehouse percussion set-ups...
...so imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon the Stompbox for less than $50! Now, I'll be the first to admit that it falls short of the others in some areas. It's metal, so it's sound doesn't quite have that "woody" sound that the others boast, and it takes some pretty hefty EQ adjustments, but it's totally worth it to get the sound at this price. No more lugging my big bass drum across town to play a stage it barely fits on anyways. This will also be a great addition to my solo guitar and ukulele stuff. All in all, a GREAT deal! The documentation that came with it implied that there are only 100 of these things out there, and they're handmade by the creator, so I feel very lucky to have tracked it down when I did. I couldn't help but share :-)
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