Video - All I Can Say

I've been going through my computer this week, cleaning out old files and such, and ran across some videos that I had shot while down at Riverside Church in the New Orleans area.  So over the next few days I'll be putting them up here for your enjoyment.
This first video is a solo of me playing David Crowder's "All I Can Say"

Here are the lyrics to this wonderful song

Verse 1:
Lord I'm tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I'll stop
Rest here a while

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give

Verse 2:
And didn't You see me cry'n?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember
Where you sat it down

Verse 3:

I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that
That was You holding me
I didn't notice You were cry'n too
I didn't know that
That was You washing my feet

Power in the small things

So while my wife and I have been living with her sister here in the lovely Shreveport area we were given the option to help out with some landscaping around the house.  Since they have been so generous as to let us stay with them without really asking for anything in return we had no problem helping out.  (I must say, before I get in trouble,  that my wife is the one who has been doing most of the work!)  But anyway... 


We got to a point a couple of weeks ago where we needed to cut down a bunch of old, dead bushes so I borrowed a chainsaw from good ole Dad.  Well when I went to get the saw, I thought I was getting the big one, you know, the big Stihl Farm Boss.  But instead he gave the his smaller chainsaw.  Now I actually forgot about this one because as a guy, I like power tools to be big and loud! Needless to say, when I opened the case I was a little disappointed.


After getting started cutting and chopping down bushes, vines, and trees, I was really amazed at the usefulness and power of this small saw.  See, had he given me the big powerful one, it would have been overly heavy and difficult to maneuver in the small places I needed to be.  The little one wound up being perfect for the job at hand.  


When I finished cutting I stopped and looked at everything laying on the ground and in that quick moment God reminded me of the parable of the mustard seed from Matthew 13:31-32.  In this parable Jesus says, "... The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches." Here's a couple of pictures.





This is great because Jesus is telling us that he can use the smallest of things, and make really big things.  I mean think about it, the first thing we know about God was that he created everything out of nothing.  It should be no surprise that he can use the small things to make big things.  


All this makes me think, what are the small things in my life that have grown into big things?  Are all of these things truth, or lies?  Yes, the devil can speak little bitty lies into our lives that have the power to send us down a path filled with bigger lies that we never would have believed without that first, very small lie.  What starts out as a small white lie or half truth can turn into a massive destructive force in our lives.  


But what about the things God has done in our lives? What are the small steps you've taken in faith that have led you down a path you never would have imagined?  I'm sure that looking back you can see exactly how God worked in your life.  At least I know I can.  I can see exactly where he worked in my life to get me where I am today.  

Don't get me wrong though, I mess up all the time.  I usually don't include God in the small decisions of life.  I forget this principle: small things will grow into big things.  Nevertheless, I'm on a journey to include God in every arena of my life, even in the smallest of thoughts and decisions.  


David

Build Your Own Clone

Ok, so maybe the title got your attention or maybe it didn't.  Anyway, this post is about a website I found that sells kits for one to build a clone of a popular guitar effect.  Well, since I like to play around with electronic stuff I really wanted to give this a try, so I bought a clone of a popular distortion pedal.  The company said this was their easiest pedal to assemble but the real reason I got it was the fact that it was the cheapest!

I had a lot of fun putting it together over the course of a couple of days and it turned out to work pretty nicely.  It's also something that I will most likely use in my pedal chain, maybe not what it was designed for, but what would work best for me, a boost pedal.  Below are some pictures of the progress.  I hope to be able to get some audio/video clips soon so you can hear the magic!

Here's the kit all together straight out of the box

Work station.  Notice the necessities, Dr.Pepper and the MacBook

Circuit board assembled.

Insides assembled

Outside view.

Guts fully assembled.

Final.  One of the changes I made that you won't normally see in guitar effects is the green LED.  I had a few extra from an old project and figured I give it a little bit of a different color.  It works nicely. 

If you would like to get your own clone, go to www.buildyourownclone.com. They have tons of great guitar effects to build for any guitar enthusiast.

Summer's a comin'

Well, the summer's only a month away and we are really excited about what God has in store.  We have gotten to know some amazing, Christ-centered people with a deep desire to share the love of Jesus with others.  Even though it's coming fast, everyone is believing that God will provide a harvest this summer.


The team Bethany and I are on will be traveling to Chicago, Houston, Shreveport doing mission work, putting on a VBS and helping with a Youth Camp in East Texas.  Needless to say we are thrilled and expecting to see what God is going to do in our lives, the lives of our team, and the lives of the people we get to work with all summer long.  I hope to be able to keep everyone updated as the summer progresses.  


If you would like to know anymore info about Clear, go to the website here: www.clearcamps.com 


That's all I have for now, 
David

Book Review: How Good is Good Enough?

So my last blog was a book review on the topic of Hell.  This time I chose a book viewing life-after-death from the other side, Heaven.  So here is my review of Andy Stanley’s take on what it takes to get to heaven titled How Good is Good Enough?

In his book How Good is Good Enough, Andy Stanley discusses a popular view of what it takes for people to get into heaven, being good enough.  Throughout this small book he considers the pros and cons of the good enough theory. It is throughout his discussion that the reader learns of many of the holes in this extremely popular theory on what it takes to get to heaven. 

Here is a small taste of Stanley’s recap of problems that arise in the good people go to heaven theory: from page 61

• We don’t know exactly what good is. Even our religious leaders can’t agree on the subject. 
• We have no clear indication from God how the scoring system for good deeds works. 
• We can’t use the Bible as a gauge to measure how close we are to getting in.  The Bible doesn’t claim to offer a way to heaven through good works.  Besides, the catalog of good works listen in the Old Testament is culturally irrelevant and physically impossible to keep.

After logically and theologically debunking many of the good enough myth, Stanley offers a great discuss on the relevance of fairness vs. truth.  In this he describes that just because something is true does not make it fair.  Many people find this to be the case when discovering Christianity.  Yes, it is exclusive.  That may not seem to be fair to us, but that doesn’t make it untrue.  Stanley suggests that after reading this book, if one still has reservations, to continue to investigate Christianity.  

I would definitely recommend this book if you are unsure of what it takes to get to heaven or if you just want to explore a different route give it a shot.  

I received a free copy of Andy Stanley’s book How Good is Good Enough? from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers to review. If you would like a copy of this book I suggest buying it from Amazon.com here.