Christmas Mix 2007.

so here is the order to the Christmas Mix that has been going over and over in my playlist... getting me fully ready for the travels and time with family and friends ahead. Merry Christmas.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Coldplay
Winter Wonderland - Jason Mraz
Angels We Have Heard on High - Chris Tomlin
Baby, It's Cold Outside - James Taylor
I'll Be Home for Christmas - Tony Bennett
Silent Night - Sanctus Real
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Bethany Dillon
Let It Snow - Michael Buble
O Holy Night - The New Orleans Horns
O Come, All Ye Faithful - Starfield
What Child Is This? - ZOEgirl
Go Tell It On The Mountain - James Taylor
Santa Clause is Coming to Town - Ray Charles
Carol of the Bells - Harlem Boys Choir
Jingle Bells - James Taylor
My Favorite Things - Tony Bennett
O Holy Night - Shawn McDonald

you can check out some of the tracks thru i-tunes by clicking on them.. you can actually download for free the New Orleans Horns - O Holy Night ... by clicking on it. Enjoy.

you got a song worth adding?? let me know.. even if it's that great old school n*sync christmas.

Foy getting some love..

so the great info line at Foy Student Union of Auburn University with the classic phone number >> eight.foy.foy - foy.two.foy.foy .. is getting some Today show attention. Pretty cool. War Eagle.

Mr. Football nominations.

The Alabama Sports Writers Association has just released its list of nominees for the 2007 Mr. Football Award. Check it out... in the 5A Offensive listing there is a name that you might recognize.

Birmingham News article

Way to go, Bro.. but remember, I can still take you!

The Bible Experience

so I think I'm sold! With a cast like that... and the power in those words... yeah, it's going onto this year's Christmas list. You can check out more at InspiredBy.com.

around the world... on your own strength.

So how long do you think it would take you to travel all the way around the world by your own power?? -- not with a motor, not with a sail, but moving by your own strength -- pedaling a bike, padling a boat, even rollerblading like its the 90's. well these folks did it.. and it only took 13 years!!!

check out their story.. it is amazing and crazy all at the same time!

the ESPN article and the Expedition 360 website

60-year-old with no shame..

so as I was taking a break from working on a paper this morning on Church Leadership, I came across this article on Reuters. The dude is just wrong, but very bold in his actions...

check it out >> no shame "art"

The boldness connected with this guy's wrong decision-making reminded me of a quote from Calvin Miller's book The Empowered Leader. In it a fictional letter is written to a pastor with the following words expressed, “Anyway, Pastor, make a decision and take off. I’ll follow you even if your decision is wrong. I’d just as soon go the wrong direction now and then, as never go anywhere.”

interesting words... interesting thoughts. I'm okay with bold... not so much wrong.

now thats what i'm talking about...

this little "princess" has got it.. she knows her King.. well done. Psalm 23.

just a little bit of what i'm feeling..

When the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh went to work for three months at "the house of the dying" in Calcutta, he was seeking a clear answer as to how best to spend the rest of his life. On the first morning there he met Mother Tersa. She asked, "And what can I do for you?" Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him.

"What do you want me to pray for?" she asked. He voiced the request that he had borne thousands of miles from the United States: "Pray that I have clarity."

She said firmly, "No, I will not do that." When he asked her why, she said, "Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of." When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, "I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God."

- from Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning

So as another semester comes to a close, I start to hear the question put before me more and more... "What are you going to do after seminary?"

My response is simple >> Continue to Trust.

you need to read this..

someone helped ashley home.

you just really need to read it. thanks b for sharing it.

words from the psalmist...

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;
He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to Him,
for God is our refuge.

these were words that were shared with me by a dear friend three years ago in encouragement, and they still ring so true in my heart today.

give some help..

so how about helping some friends win a trip to LA. Check out the Sephora.com/smashbox .. and check out video #1 and #2.. they are solid displays of creativity. then VOTE for #1!!! both of them will go if #1 wins.. so take a second and Vote.. come on.. all the fun kids are doing it.

so we have all seen them. the bumper stickers that have spread like wildfire. a very simple and clean design that started with W.. representing the Presidential candidate, who would of course win (twice). but now.. i've got a problem. because you see, individuals (who usually mean well) have taken this great design and have ruined the appealing aspect of it. They are everywhere. There is just about every letter out there representing so many different things :: C - the River, D - the Party, J - the Messiah, even with two letters :: BR - the Governor, Al - the University.

I know that the creators of these stickers wanted to provide a cool and trendy emblem for their vehicles that made a statement, but they have forgotten the key aspect to the design.. the W is what the President is known by!! No one calls Bob Riley - BR. No one calls the Cahaba River the C. and yes, I'm ALL about my boy JC.. but still.. can we as Christians not get original in our designs for our Savior.

Elections are on the horizon. Individuals are looking for new ways to advertise their candidates.. all I'm asking is please, let us lay to rest these design. It has had its run. Lets call it The End. other than one using the letter F, there was nothing close to the original.

.: invisible children :.

the World Tour is rolling. these are some cool peeps.. leading a powerful world-changing movement. "Thirteen black vans, filled with teams of four, are driving an uprising across America for the next three and a half months. More than 1,300 high schools, universities, religious institutions, and other venues will see the “Invisible Children: Rough Cut” documentary and learn about the situation in Northern Uganda." If you get a chance to catch it in a town near you.. don't pass it up!! check out the new World Tour video below..



>> it comes with a special cameo that many of you will enjoy!!
www.InvisibleChildren.com

after the super bowl..

just a cool and respectful side to this year's super bowl.

representin'

so my boy Ryan Mims is representing AL right on this season of American Idol. Hopefully you'll all get to enjoy his tunes on the show. So be on the look out. You can check out a video from Fox6 here about him.. or give him a listen at www.RyanMims.com

classes back in full swing..

So after taking two highly intense Jan Term classes, I have now settled back into a full, yet managable class load. I'm taking 6 classes plus an internship at Redstone Church this semester.

My classes are completely solid. I mean, my profs have really just been blowing me away with their words and wisdom. So.. I thought I'd share some of my notes.. just part of the introduction to my class.. but it has some powerful words that could be great to chew on.. so I hope you enjoy.. they are just my flow of thought from Biblical Theology..

"The Word of God >> it’s His Word.. not our own.. we cannot have Word without the full experience of the Spirit. We must rely on the same Spirit that drew us to belief in Christ, to give us the ability to read meaning from Scripture.

For true understanding we must turn to the Spirit.. it is more excellent than all reason. The same Spirit that moved through the inspiring of writers of the text must penetrate our hearts to allow us to understand them.

“Without the Spirit, the Scriptures would be a dead letter to us – just words on a page.” – John Frame

Westminster Confessions >> the Holy Spirit can move through, with, beyond, or even against our best abilities with the Scriptures.

Karl Barth – Only by prayer will we grasp that it is God’s Word.. not our own. We must be in the posture of prayer when we read Scripture.. we cannot get to base one without Him. Ora et Labora >> Prayer and Works."

Well i guess its a little late to say it.. but it doesn't need to go unsaid.. Happy New Years.

I hope yours has started off smoothly.

We have traveled all over during the holiday season, enjoying the wide spectrum of family and friends. One good thing of all that driving is playing through all those lost tunes stored deep in the ipod. I've been rolling in the new year with a great old folk mix. I've forgotten how much I enjoy the true talent of story-teller musicians.

Wilcox, Edwin, and Shawn Mullins are some of my favorites.. but what about the newbies out there.. you know any great folk musicians that are worth giving a listen??