Feelings On Philadelphia Lately

Beatdown In The Key Of Happy by Four Year Strong

Hit the pavement and drive for the first time in a long time
And pray that everything works out fine
She said try to have a good time
And get your fill of cheap thrills
And try anything to save a dime
So lets get moving, and lets get grooving
To every single word we’ve grown to know
Until we get car sick, play our hands quick
And try to save ourselves along the way

You’re a gamble
You’ve got nothing left to lose (or prove)
You think you got me in the back of you pocket and you do
So take a breath and try to keep it down
Cause I love these girls but I hate this town
But I’m positive that theres nothing about you to get to know

Hit the lights and get down for the best time in a long time
And try to think of every last line
She said, Try to have a good time,
Don’t put up with the hard hits,
They’ll just hit you harder every time
That you get moving, you’ll just keep losing
What little but of mind that you have left.
So try and please me, and take it easy
And try to keep your thoughts above the belt.

You’re a gamble
And You’ve got nothing left to lose (or prove)
You think you got me in the back of you pocket and you do
So take a breath and try to keep it down
Cause I love these girls but I hate this town
But I’m positive that theres nothing about you to get to know

Ohh!

You’re a gamble
And You’ve got nothing left to lose
You think you got me in the back of you pocket and you do
So take a breath and try to keep it down
Cause I love these girls but I hate this town
But I’m positive that theres nothing about you… TO GET TO KNOW!

Phone Calls And Memories

Honestly, who accidentally calls me, not meaning to, when their phone is in their pocket?

That just seems really weird and then you sing a band i love and a song i love too.

WEIRD!

It makes it hard to forget you.

Why I Celebrate Christmas – Through A Song

“I Celebrate The Day” by Relient K

And with this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let You know how much You’ve touched my life
Because here is where You’re finding me, in the exact same place as New Year’s eve
And from a lack of my persistency
We’re less than half as close as I want to be

And the first time
That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I’ll compare the things I felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That You have come to meet me here

And the first time
That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me
In the hope that what You did
That you were born so I might live
To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me

And the first time
That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

And I, I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day pray for You to save my life

Jesus is the reason for this day. Happy Birthday Jesus and Thank You!

Things That Make You Go Hmm

Ok, so this is actually about things that make you happy. or make me happy. because i was told i need to write a happy blog. which in reality isn’t all that hard. i just don’t get a lot of reminders. so here we go.

Laughing makes me happy. “well larry, that’s an obvious statement.” i agree. i wonder if there are people out there who actually hate laughter, maybe Osama Bin Laden. maybe Scrooge, but he changed. maybe the guy who crapped his pants when he laughed really hard while watching the Jeff Dunham special and has bad memories of people harassing him because of his bad smell and has thus sworn off laughter entirely. i digress! i love laughing. i love people who make me laugh. i love being a dork, which makes me and others laugh. when you take pictures and you both make weird faces and it just doesn’t come out perfect and one of you looks like a monkey and the other like a scared wombat. when you tend to sing to someone but don’t really try and you sound like a complete doofus. or you try to sound as weird as possible just to make the other person smile.or tickling someone to make them laugh and then they gouge you with their extremely deadly fingernails. all these things make me laugh. oh theres more. when people repeatedly hit you with a towel or stress ball and then when you try to attack them with tongs and they almost fall over. or accordion farts in walmart. oh how my life would be incomplete and utterly sucky without laughter. and here is a few of those people that make me laugh:

Smitty, Jessica, Mallory J, Rand, Devon, myself.

Music makes me happy. there is not a day that goes by that i do not listen to music. it makes the day go faster, it makes the day more entertaining. it gets me through tough times. it makes for good background noise. it’s also funny(see above). it is fun to dance to, it is fun to sing along to. it is fun to make up motions to. it is also awesome to praise Jesus/God to. imagine if we had to praise God without music, i think it would be quite boring. music reminds me of good times, even if those good times are gone. it teaches us lessons. it inspires us. that is one of the many reasons it makes me happy. here are some of my fav music for making me happy:

Jimmy Eat World, Hillsong United, Reel Big Fish, Mates Of State, Richard Cheese, Five Iron Frenzy, Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer, and Death Cab For Cutie

Hugs make me happy! who doesn’t love a good hug. they just make things better. whether you lost a loved one/friend. or if you are having a bad day. or just because someone loves you/appreciates you/cares about you. they are just awesome. and i guess i’m gonna throw kisses in there too. because come. DUH! unless it’s from your least favorite uncle huey or aunt ruth, who happens to have a beard, or you don’t like the person. but besides that, kisses make people happy.

Sleep makes me happy. this is obvious. lack of sleep usually means crankiness and attitude. and when you get ENOUGH sleep, things are just wonderful. and when you sleep, you have a chance of dreaming. dreams are good.

A combo of these two previous things is snuggling, pretty much the BEST THING in the entire world.

and last but not least:

FOOD makes me happy!!! i love eating yummy, delicious food. it makes my mood better, it helps me do things, it makes a party better. beef, chicken, ice cream, and fruit. all good things to fill my belly.

Here’s some verses about happiness:

Psalm 68:3
But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

Proverbs 15:13
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

Ecclesiastes 3:12
I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

Ecclesiastes 7:14
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.

James 5:13
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

Relient K Writes Songs I Need To Hear

“When I Go Down”

I’ll tell you flat out
It hurts so much to think of this
So from my thoughts I will exclude
The very thing that
I hate more than everything is
The way I’m powerless
To dictate my own moods

I’ve thrown away
So many things that could’ve been much more
And I just pray
My problems go away if they’re ignored
But that’s not the way it works
No that’s not the way it works

When I go down
I go down hard
And I take everything I’ve learned
And teach myself some disregard
When I go down
It hurts to hit the bottom
And of the things that got me there
I think, if only I had fought them

If and when I can
Clear myself of this clouded mind
I’ll watch myself settle down
Into a place where
Peace can search me out and find
That I’m so ready to be found

I’ve thrown away
The hope I had in friendships
I’ve thrown away
So many things that could have been much more
I’ve thrown away
The secret to find an end to this
And I just pray
My problems go away if they’re ignored
But that’s not the way it works
No that’s not the way it works

Any control I thought I had just slips right through my hands
While my ever-present conscience shakes its head and reprimands me
Reprimands me
Then and there
I confess
I’ll blame all this on my selfishness
Yet you love me
And that consumes me
And I’ll stand up again
And do so willingly

You give me hope, and hope it gives me life
You touch my heavy heart, and when you do you make it light
As I exhale I hear your voice
And I answer you, though I hardly make a noise
And from my lips the words I choose to say
Seem pathetic, but it’s fallen man’s praise
Because I love you
Oh God, I love you
And life is now worth living
If only because of you
And when they say that I’m dead and gone
It won’t be further from the truth

When I go down
I lift my eyes to you
I won’t look very far
Cause you’ll be there
With open arms
To lift me up again
To lift me up again

I Thought I Had A Position…VENTING

i play bass guitar. i enjoy it.

i also play on the worship team at my church. or so i thought.

you know when you get really excited about doing something but then you never end up getting to do it? well that’s how i feel right now.

i went on a 2 week missions trip so i said i was unavailable. and i have been back for almost 3 weeks now and haven’t played at all. i don’t understand this. i’ve only actually played 2 times in the last….3 months. i don’t even feel part of the team.

playing worship music is a passion of mine. i LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE doing it. so why if you have a talented musician who loves playing and is available most of the time, would you not have them play?

i’m really bummed out. i just wanna stop going. because i just get pissed off all the time.

i would really hate that it’s because someone wants a “supergroup” worship team. i don’t think thats right.

i would hope that it’s not because i’m not good friends with the leader. that i’m not in the “in crowd”.

i would hope that it’s a giant mistake. a mental error. something that can be fixed and maybe an apology given.

i just don’t mean to sound selfish. i just want things to be fair. especially in this setting.

God Is Freaking Awesome!!!!

simple post:

4 hrs.

(50+) 9-17 year olds worshiping God.

redemption, forgiveness, personal communion.

this is the best thing ever. EVER!!!! 

who knew kids would inspire ME!?!?!

When Things Go Good…Part 1

i got a job. and boy is it a boring one. but i get paid and that’s a good thing. i also work nights, which is nice when its freaking hot out. i’m the only Christian there, the only one that doesn’t smoke. i work about 6.5 hours out of the 8 i’m there. i get to listen to my iPod while working. i work with 3 other guys, 4 counting the supervisor. it’s pretty chill.

i have a quasi type dinner date on Wednesday. i don’t know if it’s a real date or not because i haven’t been on one in over 3 and a half years. but it’s food, conversation and enjoyable company. close enough to a date. it involves a girl, and her parents (who happen to be very cool). i am actually quite nervous. this happens to me when i think there’s potential for something good, because a lot of times it tends not to work out well. ESPECIALLY with girls.

i am moving out of my current residence in about 3 weeks. at first i didn’t have a place to stay, but now i do. God is pretty awesome as of late. He’s answered my prayers in the ways i didn’t expect Him to. but that’s OK. a good answer is always a welcome answer.

i’m still not sure about whether or not i’m going to Bridge Builders or not. it would be nice but the time for planning is getting super tight and everything would be last minute. If God wants me to go then He will provide a way.

ok so here’s a song i listened to a lot in the last few days that kinda goes along with this blog.

“Up And Up” by Relient K

Yesterday
Is not quite what it could’ve been
As were most of all the days before
But I swear today
With every breath I’m breathing in
I’ll be trying to make it so much more

Cause it seems I get so hung up on
The history and what’s gone wrong
And the hope of a new day
Is sometimes hard to see (what you see)
And though I’m finally catching onto it
And now the past is just a conduit
And the light there at the end is
Where I’ll be

Cause I’m on the up and up
I’m on the up and up
And I haven’t given up
Given up on what
I know I’m capable of
And I’m on the up and up
I’m on the up and up
Yeah there’s nothing left to prove
Cause I’m just trying to be
A better version of me
For You
A better version of me
For You

To be prosperous
Would not require much of me
You see contentment is the one thing
It entails
To be content with where I am
And getting where I need to be
I’m moving past the past
Where I have failed

But I’m finally catching onto it
And now the past is just a conduit
Right there at the end
Is where I’ll be
Oh

You never cease
To supply me with
What I need
For a good life
So when I’m down
I’ll hold my head up high
Cause You’re the reason why

God Bless.

Are P.O.D. Christians or Rastafarians?

I found this article and even though the guy goes way overboard at some points, it brings up and interesting fact.

but I’ll let you decide for yourself.

it’s a bit lengthy, so give yourself some time.

here it is:

P.O.D & Christianity