Took in a couple of movies this week - 'Small Town Murder Songs' was a real disappointment, very amateurish, slow-moving, stilted acting. 'The Adjustment Bureau' was okay but seemed pretty weird and too mysterious, plus I didn't really care about the characters the way you should with a good movie. I'm almost halfway through reading Ken Follet's 'The Fall of Giants' - it's a well written fictionalized history of the WWI era but man that guy likes to write about sex (in just too much detail).
Went skating with our class on Wednesday, which was fun, and had music practice for Sunday morning service that night. Sometimes we go over the songs so many times that I get a blister under my callus on my little finger - ouch! It's great to be part of this though.
Today (Saturday) I started staining wood for a few house projects - trim under the living room windows, a shoe rack, trim for window frames (to be attached by window installers). The pieces needed to be sanded first and just setting everything up takes a lot of time. I'm working in mom and dad's basement while they're gone.
Followed a bit of the internet controversy about Rob Bell's upcoming book. Lots of people speaking out inappropriately, and I guess my problem is I kind of like the guy and really appreciated his first release 'Velvet Elvis'. A good point was made I think by Scot McKnight (another author I like, though I've only read his 'Blue Parakeet') when he said that Bell is to be commended for having the courage to wrestle with issues like heaven and hell (especially as they reflect how we view God). It really made me stop and think about the number of times I'm willing to let some theological issues remain a mystery. The problem with that approach is that there are many sincere seekers out there who really are looking for answers and we should be prepared to provide at least some guidance by coming to a personal conviction after careful and thorough study. I need to think more carefully about this concept.
Had a real musical treat this week as I was able to download a demo copy of some new songs by a favourite artist from California, Bob Bennett, who also became a friend when I drove him around southern Ontario to perform a few years ago. Listened some more to Josh Ritter's "The Animal Years" (I'm now a fan), Adam Again's "Ten Songs", and Leo Kottke's "One Guitar No Vocals". After our study of Ephesians 4 on Thursday I was inspired to pull out John Michael Talbot and Michael Card's "Brother to Brother", especially thinking of the song 'One Faith'. Man, that is some amazing music - John Michael is a phenomenal guitarist and the orchestration on these songs is beautiful. Pulled out Talbot's 2 early releases - his self-titled first album has always been a favourite of mine for its intricate guitar work.
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