"Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Writing Well"
Another audio post about what’s on my mind. RSS readers, the audio file should be located at the end of the post. (Thank you for subscribing!)
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Howdy ho, neighbors!
It’s Monday once again and hello?! Where did the weekend go?
I spent the majority of Saturday walking around in a dead zone – have you ever been so tired you felt like you were living in a dream world? Only it’s reality? And you’re hoping that whatever you said won’t be held against you because you can’t remember what it was that you said??
Did that make sense?
I spent the majority of Sunday first crying my eyes out, then angrily tossing out nearly every article of clothing in my closet, then spending an insane amount of time online trying to find t-shirts that would actually flatter my football shoulders.
It wasn’t easy.
But I’ll talk a bit more about that tomorrow.
In the meantime, I’d like to share two videos that I took of Kevin’s band, Midnite Thunder, at their performance at The Outland Friday night.
(Kevin is the cutie on the left in the blue t-shirt. He’s the guitar player in the below videos).
The guys sounded great and The Outland people liked them, so hopefully, this means they’ll be able to play there again.
Here’s a video of their song Keep Your Hands to Yourself.
I thought the older couple dancing were too cute. And I thought the girls doing their dance thing was also pretty cool.
This video is their song On the Dark Side. It was getting pretty late about this time (midnight) and the people dancing were drunk, but they were fun to watch. The part where the guy stands in front of Kevin and does the whole WOO-HOO bit was really funny. It also gave Kevin a HUGE ego boost.
I honestly didn’t want to go to this. It’s been YEARS since I’ve set foot in a bar and I wasn’t exactly looking forward to sitting out in the audience, by myself, and breathing second-hand smoke, but it actually turned out to be okay because I got to talking to the drummer’s wife (really nice woman – we could be friends!) and then my in-laws, and my sister and brother-in-law showed up (which was weird, but whatever), so I had other people to talk to.
They played on the square, which is in the oldest part of town and I was SHOCKED to see it was PACKED. Not the place they played, but the square in general. I had no idea the square was such a party place.
I ended up leaving around midnight (they played until 1:00) and my in-laws walked me back to my car (which I’m sort of glad they did – there were a lot of weird/drunk people milling around by that time). Kevin made it home about 2ish and we stayed up until 2:30 a.m. rehashing the night together.
I could tell, by his sparkling eyes, that he LOVED playing in front of people and has really missed doing that over the years. I have a feeling this is the tip of the iceberg for him and I see many more late nights for me.
I didn’t drink anything. I was going to get a vodka collins but I decided against it when my in-laws showed up – that just would have been too weird. But if he continues to land these gigs, then all bets are off.
The only part I didn’t really like was staying out that late and breathing all of that smoke. I actually had a smoker’s cough all-day Saturday and I’m not used to staying out that late so I was pretty much a zombie all day Saturday.
But it was fun and Kevin really enjoyed himself so it was worth it.
All you have to do is answer the questions below either in the comment section, or on your blog. And elaborate! Make these questions show your unique and special personalities. This meme entry will post at 12:01 every Monday morning and will be the first postentry listed on WFK all day Monday. (This is an all-day Monday meme, so please, play all day!)
April 27th Questions:
1. What are the warning signs that you should leave a party? List the things that might make you head for the door.
2. You’re stuck on an island with plenty of food, a companion, and a relatively stress-free lifestyle. What do you say when the rescue ship comes? Explain your choice.
3. Whom do you admire the most? In what way does that person inspire you?
4. If, at birth, you could select the profession your child would eventually pursue, would you do so? Why or why not? If so, what profession would you choose? If not, what profession do you think your child might choose based on his/her current interests/personality? (If you don’t have children of your own, pick a child close to you, like a niece/nephew, for example).
Monday Morning Meme Participants
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T minus 36 hours until the next In My Opinion!
Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.
If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.
Let’s get started:
When I was first witnessed to about Jesus Christ in 1971, I was so ignorant about the Bible and the Christian faith that I did not know that Christians claimed that Jesus had been physically resurrected. I have yet to meet anyone else who is that ignorant of the resurrection as an historical event, but we could all better understand the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to our daily lives. As the Apostle Paul wrote, experientially knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection was one of the focal points of his life:
Philippians 3:10a
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings…Paul’s desire was to know intimately the Lord Jesus Christ, especially the power of his resurrection. Note that this power is connected to “…the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings….” That means that Paul saw a connection between the power of resurrection and his facing various kinds of “death” in his life. Without a death of some kind, there is no need for, or value in, a resurrection.
The pattern that Jesus lived in the days of his “passion” (i.e., suffering and death) is one that he invites us to follow and to model our lives after. Thankfully, in this day and time we will not have to be crucified, tortured for 40 hours, and humiliated publicly in every way imaginable, but we are going to have to follow this pattern in the footsteps of our Master if we want to grow to our full spiritual potential. Here is the progression:
a) A struggle in our own personal Garden of Gethsemane that invites us to relinquish our will in favor of accepting God’s purposes in our lives.
b) A period of suffering and trial that will lead to
c) the death of something in us that we have held as dear or necessary so that we can
d) experience the power of his resurrection and
e) live in “newness of life” under the authority and Lordship of the resurrected Savior.Let us examine each of these in turn.
“…not my will but thine…”In every life that is devoted to God, there are times when one must decide whose will is going to be decisive. Jesus modeled complete trust in God, which included the belief that God’s purposes for his life were superior to his own. This truth, by the way, cannot be embraced from a Trinitarian perspective, which sees Jesus as God instead of as a man having a God and having to trust Him. Clearly the latter view gives us a better opportunity to see ourselves doing what Jesus did.
Jesus’ trust in God his Father was not something that always came easily, as in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed intensely into the night, hearing God’s “No” the first and second times he asked, but continuing to pray for other alternatives. Finally, he was able to embrace the death that was ahead of him, and go to the Cross with the joyful expectation of resurrection and eternal rewards (Heb. 12:3). Did not God reward Jesus abundantly for his faith? Will He not do this for us as well?
Will God sometimes ask us to do things that we don’t want to do? Most definitely. Just ask Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Paul, et al. When what He wants is very different from what we want, this can be a struggle. Too often we will not give up our self-centered perspective without the Lord having to wrestle us to the mat! As we grow in faith (trust) by obeying him, we see that the Lord’s ways are the better ways, and we learn to trust him more and more.
There are many examples of this clash of wills that we have encountered through the years. Maybe you can relate to one or more of these:
*God convicts a husband to stop his angry outbursts against his wife and kids that he has used to keep them from annoying and frustrating him—and concentrate on loving and accepting them instead.
*God asks a wife to stop criticizing her husband for his apparent lack of interest in spiritual things and learn to respect him just the way he is—to be thankful instead for all that her husband does to serve her and their kids.
*God wants a teenager to call her parents to come pick her up from a party where the liquor and drugs were brought out after the host parents went to bed, risking being thought of as “uncool.”
*God wants a man to accept a lower paying job with another, newer company in order to have more time with his family—risking both his job security and the comfortable lifestyle made possible by the higher income—not to mention the wounding of his pride.
*God calls an “empty nest” couple to sell their house and belongings and become missionaries in Africa.
*God asks a mature minister to step aside so that others can have an opportunity to minister and learn. She is asked to take on a mentoring more than a performing role.In each of these situations, God asks someone to give up something they value in order for Him to enrich their lives in other and new ways. Is this not an invitation to “die” to something? Of course we are not going to want that, and will typically resist it as long as we can, but when we finally understand that God’s purpose is to free us from bondage and fear, we can learn to embrace this “death.”
The husband fears losing control and being humiliated. The wife stands to lose her sense of spiritual superiority over her husband. The teenager risks losing social standing. The employee risks financial deprivation. The older couple must face their fears of not being taken care of in their old age. And the minister will lose whatever boost to her self-esteem she gained in performing as an effective minister.
But in every one of these cases, can we not see that the resurrection power of God could bring much deliverance? The husband could find less control but more love and acceptance. The wife could find more joy, peace, and personal fulfillment. The teenager could find better friends with similar values and less pressure to conform to what is considered “cool.” The employee is freed from the need to keep climbing the corporate ladder and finds satisfaction in reasonable job expectations and a richer family life. The older couple finds greater satisfaction in living a life of serving and loving that completely trumps their fears. And the minister discovers to her delight that she derives more pleasure from seeing others succeed with her help than from performing herself.
Read the rest of the article here.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page.
Truth or Tradition now has a YouTube Channel!
Thanks for reading.
Welcome! Take a load off. It’s Saturday and you have my permission (as if you need it!) to be lazy. Here are some delicious rice cakes (is that an oxymoron?) to go with your green tea. Hey! Spring is nearly here, it’s time to slim down for those revealing spring fashions, right? Get ready to click on some really great articles. Thanks for dropping by and Happy Reading!
ø Erin Pavlina presents The Death of My Ex-Boyfriend posted at Erin Pavlina’s Blog, saying, “In past blog entries I’ve alluded to and mentioned an abusive relationship I was in during my late teen years. Today I’m going to share the entire story of that relationship because it has reached its conclusion.”
ø Ralph Sparkson presents Why I Love My Dog posted at Best Funny Dog Pictures, saying, “We got another dog about two years ago. It had been over ten years since our last dog, who died just before our daughter was born. With our new dog, we were lucky because our daughter has a small neighborhood business of caring for pets and that is how we found the dog we now love so much.”
ø Paula Kawal presents Depression: A Spiritual Awakening posted at Journey Inward Productions, saying, “Like many people (it might even be safe to say most people) I haven’t gotten this far in life without traversing a few bouts of depression. My first was in late childhood, my second was in my teen years and my third was alcohol related in my early twenties.”
ø Diana Hall presents Stop the world: resting easy. posted at damascusmoments.
ø Oregon Sunshine presents Training Thursday-Pet Adoption posted at Oregon Sunshine.
ø Sidhusaaheb presents My Memories of 1984 (Part 2) posted at I, Me, Myself.
ø Lori DiPatri presents Vacuuming the car posted at Where in the world is….Deerwood Drive.
ø Scott Allen presents People Used to Stand for Something posted at Scott “Social Media” Allen, saying, “My son, who has been homeschooled all his life until this year, wrote an amazing first essay for school about Sierra Leone. I cried.”
(Essay)
ø Shiv Dravid presents Shine On posted at The Viewspaper.
(Poetry)
ø Gal Josefsberg presents STORY – Reaper, Prologue posted at Gal Josefsberg, saying, “My newest attempt at writing a short story. Would love to hear feedback.”
(Fiction)
Ordinary News: After the News With with Your Socks Off Only
Life Just Keeps Getting Weirder: Curb Appeal
Diary of a Mad, Mad Housewife: How to Get Through a PTO Meeting
Barefoot Foodie: Sometimes Life Only Figuratively Stinks
Rough Draft: Compromise, Reunions, Bows & Arrows
Suburban Turmoil: Why Does Writing About Religion Always Make Me Feel Naked?
Chefdruck Musings” I Only Ate Half and I Melted Away
Miss Britt: On Choosing and Being Chosen
It’s My Life: The Dirty Truths No One Likes to Share with New Moms
Momo Fali’s: Jogging My Memory
Laughing Through the Chaos: I’ve Come a Long Way, Baby
Mommy’s Martini: Being of Two Minds
Mother Goose Mouse: What’s the Difference Between Love and Hemorrhoids?
To Thither and Whither: Understanding Sexy
Bad Mommy: Bank Robberies and Funshine
Chicky Chicky Baby: Let sleeping dogs lie. But if you insist on poking one with a stick be prepared for the dog to write about you on the internet
This concludes the April 2009 edition of the Blogger’s Best Carnival. THANK YOU for submitting your links! If you would like to see your work showcased in the May 2009 edition, please submit your links here. (Please, one link per blog. If you submit more than one link per blog, I will only use the first link submitted.)
If you submitted your link and don’t see it here, that probably means I received it after the deadline or you didn’t follow the guidelines.
If you’ve read an outstanding article on another blog and would like to add it to the “Reader’s Choice” section of the next carnival, please let me know by using my contact form.
Thanks for visiting the carnival participants and don’t forget to check back May 30th for the next Blogger’s Best Carnival!
I have nervous knots of anxiety in my stomach right now.
And I can’t wait for tonight to be over with.
Can. Not. Wait.
Kevin has a gig tonight. He’s playing at a bar and is scheduled to perform with his band, Midnite Thunder, at 10:30.
Which is WAAAY past our bedtime. (But we’re old geezers, after all).
AND, the bar is downtown, which is not the safest place to be late at night ON a Friday night.
I’m going, even though he says I don’t have to.
I’m tempted to take his excuse as my way out. But I’ll go. And I’ll cheer him on and take pictures/video of his performance.
Because that’s what you do when you love someone.
I’m nervous for him, not me. He hasn’t played in front of a live audience in 18 months. He’s rusty and HE’S nervous, which makes ME nervous.
What if they don’t like the band?
What if they don’t like HIM?
How will I react to that?
How will he handle it?
He’s very sensitive. Especially when it comes to his music. And though he claims he can handle the criticism, I know better. It really bothers him when he thinks people don’t:
A. like him.
or
B. think he’s less than he is.
I blame his upbringing for his insecure nature. And it makes me angry with certain people in his family for these hurtful lessons, but it also makes me more determined than ever to BE there for him and help him through not only this gig, but future gigs as well.
Break a leg, darling.
Update: We arrived at the venue on time, unfortunately, their sound guy didn’t show up until after 10:00 p.m. …
and they were scheduled to play at 10:00.
After running through the tests, they finally started playing at 10:30.
The musicians did great, the singer … well, she was a bit shrill at times. In fact, I can recall two different occasions that my brain actually rattled in my skull. But overall, the guys sounded tight and right on key.
I ended up talking to the drummer’s wife until my in-laws arrived. I was a bit apprehensive about them showing up, this was downtown on a Friday night after all (think mini-Mardi Gras) so there were some, um, interesting characters running around and the lead singer was a bit, um, risque in her act so there were uncomfortable moments, but overall, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
The place wasn’t busy, in fact, it downright thinned out at midnight when they took their break. But Kevin told me this morning that after we left, the place filled up (of course) and there was quite a bit of dancing.
He said the owner of the bar liked them and they actually made some pretty decent money when it was said and done (Kevin refuses to take any money – he gives it back to the band leader to he.p pay for the cost of equipment) and it’s likely they will play there again.
My sister and brother-in-law showed up later, which I thought was really nice of them. I think the support really helped boost Kevin’s performance and there was only one time I thought his rhythm was off, but his solos were spot on and I could tell he was having a blast.
Which is really WHY he’s doing this – because he enjoys playing music.
I’ll share a few videos and pictures soon.
LAST CHANCE to submit a blog post (new or from archives) to the Blogger’s Best Carnival for April!
What is the Blogger’s Best Carnival? It’s a chance to showcase the posts that you’re most proud of, to share the best of YOU with the rest of the blog-o-sphere.
It’s also a chance to find, and keep track of, some really GREAT bloggers.
Have you read a blog post that touched your heart? Tell me and I’ll include it in the “Reader’s Choice” section of the carnival!
monday morning meme
Write From Karen 