Madness! Who's got the Madness?

Well everyone, it's that time of the year again.  March Madness!  Where teams from across the country have played for this time of the year to play in the big dance.  Many fans across the nation are filling out brackets, making bets, listening to ESPN and their thoughts on which team has the best chance of winning the National Championship.  

Of course, I am definitely filling out a bracket this year.  Who wouldn't? Might as well and have some fun.  Go for the upsets! Yet, don't go crazy with just choosing upsets or you have no chance on doing the best on the bracket selection.  What do you think of the typical 12 seed upsetting the 5 seed this year?  Is it going to happen this year or not? Whoever you choose - have some fun!  Get some friends together and set up a bracket challenge and play for pride! (or money if you want)

-The Drummer

"I want to go while swinging a club"

My mom called me last night with some sad news, my great Uncle passed away yesterday afternoon.  He lived in Pensacola, Florida on the A.C. Read Naval Air Base with his wife.  He played golf every single day with some of his friends down there.  I have actually had the privilege to play golf with him as well.  I went down with my parents to visit them three Spring Breaks ago.  My dad, Great Uncle Mel, and I went out and played a few rounds of golf when we were down there.  Let me tell you, that is a wonderful course.  Right on the ocean with planes flying and practicing above you.  It was a great sight.  And I will probably never forget the moments we had while we played together.

However, this is what I wanted to focus on.  When I was down there, my Great Uncle Mel told us, "Whenever it is my time to go, I want to either be swinging a golf club or go by my wife's side."  It was true for him, he went the way he wanted to go.  He passed away while going to play a round of golf.  

After hearing that, I am wondering what I want to be doing when I die.  I haven't thought of it too much but I know that I want to be doing what I love the most, by the one I love the most, as well as serving the one I love the most - Jesus.  

How would you prefer to go?  With who?  What you are doing last?

- The Drummer

Think About It.

So I have applied to be my floors RA for next year, which I hope to get of course.  But now onto the more important thing I saw when I was waiting to be interviewed for my position.  

I was outside waiting to be called in, as I was looking around I saw this small bumper sticker on the door.  It said: "Never put a period where God has placed a comma."  I thought this was brilliant. So the next time you read God's Word, look at where He puts commas and make sure you read all the way through in order to get His point! And remember, don't replace that comma with a period! 

-The Drummer

"Christian" Lyrics or Chrisitans playing Music...

Yes I have not posted anything in awhile but I felt like writing about this.  About a week ago I was on the website of 'As I Lay Dying' and I wanted to find more about who they were.  I heard that they were "Christian" even though they are a screamo-band.  On their website, Tim Lambesis stated on the band's FAQ, 

"I'm not sure what the difference is between five Christians playing in a band and a Christian band. If you truly believe something, then it should affect every area of your life. All five of us are Christians. I believe that change should start with me first, and as a result, our lyrics do not come across very "preachy." Many of our songs are about life, struggles, mistakes, relationships and other issues that don't fit entirely in the spiritual category. However, all of these topics are written about through my perspective as a christian. (wikipedia.org)

After reading this I thought that this makes perfect sense! We don't just always need artists writing "Christian" lyrics, we need Christians to be playing the music!  The more bands and artists who write like this will attract people from all over and impact many.

What do you think?

-The Drummer.

The Life of a Vikings Fan...

You have a chance to go 9-7 some years but its usually 8-8.

You might make the playoffs but lose in the first round.

You will always be disappointed at the end of the season before the Super Bowl.

And of course... this happens every year.

This is why...

I AM A VIKINGS FAN!

What am I thankful for?

Every year at Thanksgiving my family goes around the table and says what we are thankful for. Usually in the past it has been: friends, family, God, health... you get it. So right now I am thinking... what am I thankful for?

Well this year is different for me; I will not be going home for Thanksgiving this year but I am staying in Texas and spending Thanksgiving with my other "family" (Adam, Heidi, and Matt Pautsch).

So as I look back at the question: "What am I thankful for?"

I am thankful for many things: Jesus dying on the cross for my sins, my family and Hooper, my best friends (Lancette, Ocho, Pautsch, Rahimi, Tim, Osh, BP), Adam and Heidi inviting me over for Thanksgiving, the college friends I have meet so far, LeTourneau University, the talents God has blessed me with... I could go on and on.

Now I want you to think... what are you thankful for?

Tell someone this Thanksgiving holiday that you are thankful for them.

From My View...

I have been drumming for eight years now and I have been playing with bands for four years. Let me tell you - the feeling is unbelievable when you are done with your gig.

Not many people know what it's like to perform in front of hundreds of people. People might think that it is nerve racking... sometimes it is. However, leading or performing is one of the best feelings in the world!

Before I get on stage, the first thing I do is pray to God that he will bless this time I have to lead. I remind myself that it doesn't matter if I mess up because God will always be there to pick me up.

Yes, it's true; most of the time when I go on stage, I am nervous. But as the lights dim and the spotlights shine, I feel as if there is no one else around but me and the band. As I begin to play, everything becomes real to me - the lights, the sounds, the people. I look around at others engaging in this harmony of music. It is a masterpiece, hundreds of people coming together as one huge band screaming their lungs out! This is when most musicians begin to be themselves on stage... where they start jumping around and start engaging the crowd. When everything becomes a little crazy - it ends up being fun for everyone! This is why I become emotional when I play the drums... I get crazy, I hit the drums with a passion - this all makes me wanting to play on forever!

You might not be able to fully understand what I described... but once you experience this for yourself - you will always understand why musicians love performing in front of others as well as being a little crazy. This isn't because they are weird or anything... it's because of their passion for creating music.

Finally, when the music comes to an end... I have to give all the glory to God for the amazing gift he has given me to play and lead with the drums.