Fix You.

Normally, if someone would tell me that there is a YouTube video of some senior citizens singing a Coldplay song, I would probably laugh like crazy at something that sounds so idiotic. However, if you go here, you will get the opportunity to see such a thing. There's a group out there called Young At Heart, and they learn all kinds of rather "modern" songs, from Sonic Youth to the Ramones, to...Coldplay.

The man who sings the song suffers from congestive heart failure. It was supposed to be a duet, but the man who was supposed to sing it with him passed away before this performance. The deceased man's family is in the audience. The words to the song take a somewhat different meaning for me now that I've experienced this.

I think it might be one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

Today.

Another Nooma video is coming out this week - if you go to nooma's myspace today, tomorrow, or Wednesday, you can preview it for free.

Of course, it's really good. As if any of them haven't been.

My favorite quote from this one:

"When we're still holding on to how things were, our arms aren't free to embrace today."

By the way, it's called Today. Hence the blog title, also called Today.

Perhaps The Most Bizarre Video I've Ever Seen...

And here you have it.

This is a video of inmates of a Phllipine prison reenacting Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. They did a great job in my opinion. Now if I can only reclaim the minutes I spent watching it...

"Thriller" as performed by inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center


p.s. - the girl is not a girl. :^)

The Risk Taker

On July 29th, I will be preaching my first message since Palm Sunday of last year. I've decided to preach on the life of Peter, because it's someone who I've been reading about (I'm reading through the book of Acts) and someone I haven't really focused on. I think it's because he has always reminded me of a manly man type of man, and I'm not sure I really relate to that. But the more I study Peter, the more I'm amazed at how gutsy he was and how he took risks, even looking like a fool at times. I'm excited to study more about him and to talk about him as the risk taker.

A Peaceful Night

I've been under a lot of stress in my life in the past six months or so, so a night like tonight was exactly what I needed.

First, a neighbor of mine let us borrow her Jeep Rubicon for the night and tomorrow. We've built a pretty good friendship with her, and tonight I guess she was feeling charitable! It looks like the below picture except it's black.



Then, as we were getting ready to go get ice cream in her Jeep, a young deer came through our back yard, through our side yard, walked about six feet by us, and then saw us and ran off. Unfortunately, I had no camera so this one will have to do.



Then, after our ice cream adventure in our borrowed Jeep with the top off (a beautiful night to do this by the way), my daughter and I went out looking for fireflies (or lightning bugs, as you will see makes more sense), and we caught one. Noelle named him "McQueen" after Lightning McQueen from the movie cars. (I'm letting him go after she goes to sleep).

A very peaceful night. Thanks, God!

Re:Unite - July 29th

The Shame Of Widows In India

I read this article on the CNN website today, and it really disturbed me. I knew about the oppressive caste system in India, where 250 million people live as "untouchables", but I had no idea that the Indian culture treats the widows of their society in this way.

It breaks my heart to think of all these mothers who are shunned by their children because they are considered bad luck. After all these women have done for their children, you would think that some compassion would come into play.

I don't know what else to say, other than a few verses:

Deuteronomy 27:19
19 "Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"

Psalm 68:5
5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.

Isaiah 1:17
17 learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.

1 Timothy 5:4
4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.

James 1:27
27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.