Although it is in my collection I haven't really listened very much to the newest Ben Folds album 'Songs for Silverman'. When I have listened to it a song entitled 'Jesusland' has caught my attention a couple of times...
Today I discovered an interview with Ben Folds in which he explains a little bit of his thinking behind 'Jesusland':
'...but you see the name 'Jesusland' and you think “wow, this is going to be a heavy song” but it’s just a little bit sad. The crux of it is that if Jesus were around now he wouldn’t have much stuff. And that’s a problem in today’s ‘amusement park’ version of Jesusland; you can’t walk around with no stuff, or you’re homeless, you’re walking around on the street. So he’d be walking around homeless on the street with long hair, and I don’t really think that the people that make lots of money off of his name would do much to help him.'
Ouch!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
An article to comment on...
If you get a chance please check this out; you might find it interesting?
You may or may not remember that I once had a little moan about this magazine - he even mentions it in the interview!
There's opportunity to leave a comment at the bottom of the article too - hint hint! :D
You may or may not remember that I once had a little moan about this magazine - he even mentions it in the interview!
There's opportunity to leave a comment at the bottom of the article too - hint hint! :D
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Chris Spring Gig - Leicester Sqr - 29th June
If you can make it it would be great to see you at the Chris Spring gig tomorrow night. As I've blogged before (Thurs May 11th) Chris Spring is a genius singer / songwriter. If you managed to make it to the engagement party then it's likely you will have Chris perform a few of his songs there.
Well, this is your chance to hear him play his songs with a full band (featuring Electralyte's very own awesome drum meister - big Jon Mitson)
Just print out the ticket below and you'll get in for £5 instead of £6! I look forward to seeing you there...
Well, this is your chance to hear him play his songs with a full band (featuring Electralyte's very own awesome drum meister - big Jon Mitson)
Just print out the ticket below and you'll get in for £5 instead of £6! I look forward to seeing you there...
Monday, June 26, 2006
Spiritual home; where are yooooou?
Chell and I are asking a lot of questions regarding church at the moment; more specifically which church should we go to?
Yesterday we attended the Oasis church in Chelmsford, part of the New Frontiers church network. We’ve been to Oasis once before and both times we’ve found it to be a really friendly church experience…which was helped on our first visit because we had friends there in the congregation. Yesterday was slightly different because we didn’t know as many people – but still, the reception we received was warm and the church meeting was cool. The speaker (church leader, Phil) spoke on their mission as a church. He referred to Acts 1 where Jesus says ‘you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth’ and related this to local, cross-cultural, and long-distance (missionary type) mission.
We left the meeting happy – but still keen to hear God more; especially with regard to where he wants us to be!?
So, the day continued and we found ourselves at Chelmsford Citadel Salvation Army where we sat down with the corps to watch the football – followed by which Matt (White) led the meeting – with a special focus on the youth of the corps. I know its passé but it really is amazing how much more passionate everyone was about the football! If I was to speak bluntly and impartially I would say that it even appears that nobody really believes that strongly in God at all (obviously I’m sure this isn’t the case – it’s just how it comes across).
After that we packed up and went to Carus. Carus is a tiny little congregation that meets once a month (which you’re welcome to come along to by the way – then it won’t be so tiny) – we sing songs and talk about God. Last night was different because we prayed for each other too! ;-) Ok, so it’s fledgling; and it’s tiny; and it’s designed and run by Matt and myself (so I’d always look for the best in it) but last night was cool – we sang to God, he met with us, we all had a chat, and a drink then we came home.
So that was the day – and we’re still searching. I’ll leave you with a few questions – as well as my up-til-now conclusions; but please feel free to chip in some wisdom…we need it!
Q1: Should we go to Oasis? We could do – it’s a nice place but… we both feel (probably more myself than Chell) that our place is in The Salvation Army; especially when most of the worship leading I do is in an ‘Army’ context. I believe it is my responsibility to stick with it. After all, 90% of the time I still believe that God has a plan for the SA all the time. :-)
Q2: Should we go to Chelmsford Citadel? It will be hard work, I’m sure of that. But it’s local and it’s the Salvation Army, and lots of our friends go there…
Q3: Should we start our own church? Or ask if we can plant a new congregation within Chelmsford Cit? Or move and spend our lives church hopping – trying every week to find the perfect church, and every other week discovering that it doesn’t exist?
Q4: Should we say stuff it all – come out of the church (not God, just the church - it never really works anyway does it?) We’ll both move to Italy where we will renovate dilapidated property and grow olives and grapes for the rest of our lives.
Yesterday we attended the Oasis church in Chelmsford, part of the New Frontiers church network. We’ve been to Oasis once before and both times we’ve found it to be a really friendly church experience…which was helped on our first visit because we had friends there in the congregation. Yesterday was slightly different because we didn’t know as many people – but still, the reception we received was warm and the church meeting was cool. The speaker (church leader, Phil) spoke on their mission as a church. He referred to Acts 1 where Jesus says ‘you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth’ and related this to local, cross-cultural, and long-distance (missionary type) mission.
We left the meeting happy – but still keen to hear God more; especially with regard to where he wants us to be!?
So, the day continued and we found ourselves at Chelmsford Citadel Salvation Army where we sat down with the corps to watch the football – followed by which Matt (White) led the meeting – with a special focus on the youth of the corps. I know its passé but it really is amazing how much more passionate everyone was about the football! If I was to speak bluntly and impartially I would say that it even appears that nobody really believes that strongly in God at all (obviously I’m sure this isn’t the case – it’s just how it comes across).
After that we packed up and went to Carus. Carus is a tiny little congregation that meets once a month (which you’re welcome to come along to by the way – then it won’t be so tiny) – we sing songs and talk about God. Last night was different because we prayed for each other too! ;-) Ok, so it’s fledgling; and it’s tiny; and it’s designed and run by Matt and myself (so I’d always look for the best in it) but last night was cool – we sang to God, he met with us, we all had a chat, and a drink then we came home.
So that was the day – and we’re still searching. I’ll leave you with a few questions – as well as my up-til-now conclusions; but please feel free to chip in some wisdom…we need it!
Q1: Should we go to Oasis? We could do – it’s a nice place but… we both feel (probably more myself than Chell) that our place is in The Salvation Army; especially when most of the worship leading I do is in an ‘Army’ context. I believe it is my responsibility to stick with it. After all, 90% of the time I still believe that God has a plan for the SA all the time. :-)
Q2: Should we go to Chelmsford Citadel? It will be hard work, I’m sure of that. But it’s local and it’s the Salvation Army, and lots of our friends go there…
Q3: Should we start our own church? Or ask if we can plant a new congregation within Chelmsford Cit? Or move and spend our lives church hopping – trying every week to find the perfect church, and every other week discovering that it doesn’t exist?
Q4: Should we say stuff it all – come out of the church (not God, just the church - it never really works anyway does it?) We’ll both move to Italy where we will renovate dilapidated property and grow olives and grapes for the rest of our lives.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Matt & Chell's Engagement Party - 17th June 06
I've posted a few photos from the engagement party - thank you to everyone who came along and made the day so much fun. Didn't really mean to take so long to blog about it but unfortunately I kept putting it off. Sorry.
I thought this would be a good starting shot - it is a bit of a taster shot of quite a lot of people all at once...can you spot yourself?
I thought this would be a good starting shot - it is a bit of a taster shot of quite a lot of people all at once...can you spot yourself?
"As long as I gaze on waterloo sunset...do doo doo"
He you can clearly see Ben Jackson distracting Glyn, Mike and Dave and attempting to start a rival sing along. Dave seems to be catching on but Glyn is clearly much more interested in the camera...
Fight fight fight!
Here we see a few moments before it all kicked off... Nik has just said a few very unkind remarks about gingers. Obviously Debbie thinks it's all just a big joke but Will knows it's no laughing matter...
Music on a Summer's Evening
The audience enjoying the dulcet tones of Chris Spring and The Resonance
Ladies
Here are some of the lovely female guests all stuck together. Someone mentioned 'Glastonbury' and they brought their favourite tent - complete with sunroof! Lovely!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Grape Expectations: the Friday (aka Sunday) Vine Check - wk 3
Sorry for the late Grape Expectations vino fans - Chell and I were busy preparing for our Engagement party (which I'll blog about tomorrow)...so please be assured that these photos were taken on Friday but I've only just got round to actually writing the blog 'bit'.
As you can see the vine is growing up big and strong...in fact it's probably a little too big and stong, and will need pruning in the very near future if I'm going to get grapes of a decent girth! Also, upon close inspection it would seem that the Mashbury phantom rose bush eater has also been taking chunks out of my grape vine - I think it's a herd of deer who hang around these parts - bunch of local yobs! They keep seeing my vine and obviously think it's a tasty, tasty treat...
So all in all the vine is growing from strength to strength but if I ever get my hands on those pesky deer then there'll be a bit more rib for the BBQ!
Remember: Meat is murder... tasty, tasty murder (kudos Lard ;)
As you can see the vine is growing up big and strong...in fact it's probably a little too big and stong, and will need pruning in the very near future if I'm going to get grapes of a decent girth! Also, upon close inspection it would seem that the Mashbury phantom rose bush eater has also been taking chunks out of my grape vine - I think it's a herd of deer who hang around these parts - bunch of local yobs! They keep seeing my vine and obviously think it's a tasty, tasty treat...
So all in all the vine is growing from strength to strength but if I ever get my hands on those pesky deer then there'll be a bit more rib for the BBQ!
Remember: Meat is murder... tasty, tasty murder (kudos Lard ;)
Monday, June 12, 2006
*flap *flap *flap
I currently have two pigeons trying to mate outside my window - it is very off putting
Dominos Pizza
So Chell and I decided to have pizza last night. As we were round at hers we decided to go online and visit the Dominos website (a fantastic invention if you ask me)
We ordered our pizza: a medium double decadance Cheese and Tomato, medium Ham and Pineapple and Chicken Strippers side... then we sat down to wait. For all you fans of other Pizza places I would like to state that the reason I like Dominos so much is because of their cool little pots of gak that you dip into - a most excellent addition to any meal!
Now Dominos pizza doesn't normally take much time but this one seemed to take an age. We must have waited a good 45 minutes but when we had nearly given up hope (and our movie was nearly over) there was a sudden ring on the door bell.
I collected my wallet and upon opening the door I met a smiley little Dominos guy with his bag of yummy goodness. I promptly took the bag and handed over the money. At this point I need to say that our pizza came to the grand sum of £23.97 - a meal fit for a king!
Here's the crazy bit - I handed over £30: a £20 and a £10. He handed me back a £5 and a £1 coin, smiled at me and said "I don't have the '3', sorry" then he turned heal and walked off! He didn't even wait for my blessing upon his lack of funds! He just left me standing there! Madness.
My question is this... what if he hadn't of had the £1 or the fiver? Would he have just walked off then? Who draws the line under this kind of cheekiness? When does it stop? How much does he make in these 'special gratuities' each week? How long is it going to be before we have pizza guys turning up on our doorsteps and saying: "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't bring your pizza, but can you pay me double anyway?"
And the funniest thing is - I still like Dominos pizza!
We ordered our pizza: a medium double decadance Cheese and Tomato, medium Ham and Pineapple and Chicken Strippers side... then we sat down to wait. For all you fans of other Pizza places I would like to state that the reason I like Dominos so much is because of their cool little pots of gak that you dip into - a most excellent addition to any meal!
Now Dominos pizza doesn't normally take much time but this one seemed to take an age. We must have waited a good 45 minutes but when we had nearly given up hope (and our movie was nearly over) there was a sudden ring on the door bell.
I collected my wallet and upon opening the door I met a smiley little Dominos guy with his bag of yummy goodness. I promptly took the bag and handed over the money. At this point I need to say that our pizza came to the grand sum of £23.97 - a meal fit for a king!
Here's the crazy bit - I handed over £30: a £20 and a £10. He handed me back a £5 and a £1 coin, smiled at me and said "I don't have the '3', sorry" then he turned heal and walked off! He didn't even wait for my blessing upon his lack of funds! He just left me standing there! Madness.
My question is this... what if he hadn't of had the £1 or the fiver? Would he have just walked off then? Who draws the line under this kind of cheekiness? When does it stop? How much does he make in these 'special gratuities' each week? How long is it going to be before we have pizza guys turning up on our doorsteps and saying: "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't bring your pizza, but can you pay me double anyway?"
And the funniest thing is - I still like Dominos pizza!
Friday, June 09, 2006
Grape Expectations: the Friday Vine Check - wk 2
Vine Check week 2.
The vine is still growing well - it seems to be enjoying the sunshine and I watered it a bit the other day.
Something very exciting has started to happen over the past two weeks; tiny little bunches of grapes have start to form all over the vine. It's kind of strange that I'm surprised by this - I guess I just expected the grapes just to appear! How wrong I was! In the photo I have tried to capture a couple of these mini bunches of grapes. Bear in mind that they are very small, about the size of your thumbnail. Just in case it's not very clear there is a bunch in focus in the middle and below and to the right there is another bunch which is slightly out of focus...
Next week on Friday vine check I will check for signs of pests and see if I can catch any of them hard at work...then I shall punish them
The vine is still growing well - it seems to be enjoying the sunshine and I watered it a bit the other day.
Something very exciting has started to happen over the past two weeks; tiny little bunches of grapes have start to form all over the vine. It's kind of strange that I'm surprised by this - I guess I just expected the grapes just to appear! How wrong I was! In the photo I have tried to capture a couple of these mini bunches of grapes. Bear in mind that they are very small, about the size of your thumbnail. Just in case it's not very clear there is a bunch in focus in the middle and below and to the right there is another bunch which is slightly out of focus...
Next week on Friday vine check I will check for signs of pests and see if I can catch any of them hard at work...then I shall punish them
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Adiemus
If you haven't already delved into the Adiemus music composed by Karl Jenkins then I suggest you do. I was inspired to post a 'call to Jenkins' whilst listening to the second album (he's done four). It is truely incredible music!
A good place to start is the first album(!): Adiemus I - Songs of Sanctuary. The first track is the original Adiemus composition - quite a famous piece of music. However, the final track is slightly less mainstream. Entitled 'Hymn'; it is possibly one the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. Simply lush!
A good place to start is the first album(!): Adiemus I - Songs of Sanctuary. The first track is the original Adiemus composition - quite a famous piece of music. However, the final track is slightly less mainstream. Entitled 'Hymn'; it is possibly one the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. Simply lush!
Monday, June 05, 2006
Ciao ciao!
Today in preparation for our holiday to the Italian Lakes in September Mr White and I went to Waterstones. (Let me add at this point that Matt’s wife Christina and my fiancé Chell will be coming with us - prompted by a healthy fear of the rumour mill’s well-oiled cogs)!
So with heads held aloft we proudly walked to the languages section in order to search for a ‘Learn Italian’ course…and what a selection there was to sift through! The shelves bowed at the weight of row upon row of Italian workbooks, phrase books, audio CDs, interactive PC programs and even tapes! Tapes for goodness sake! Now that’s old school!
After much deliberation we decided to purchase two sets – one an early learning set…to learn a few phrases and the other an Italian conversation set…both with CDs and little books.
On the journey back to the office we popped the CD in the player and entered a time warp: Ooo, those close-miked, breathy vocals… Eeek, the dodgy BBC effect library sounds… Alas, a weak attempt at some kind of plot (you’d rather they hadn’t bothered at all!)… and the final straw, characters which are far too easy to hate! It’s amazing how quickly you can be transported back to GCSE language classes!!
I wonder if all Italians talk to you in such close proximity that it feels like your ear drums are being polished by their teeth? I know for certain that I can’t wait to find out…
So with heads held aloft we proudly walked to the languages section in order to search for a ‘Learn Italian’ course…and what a selection there was to sift through! The shelves bowed at the weight of row upon row of Italian workbooks, phrase books, audio CDs, interactive PC programs and even tapes! Tapes for goodness sake! Now that’s old school!
After much deliberation we decided to purchase two sets – one an early learning set…to learn a few phrases and the other an Italian conversation set…both with CDs and little books.
On the journey back to the office we popped the CD in the player and entered a time warp: Ooo, those close-miked, breathy vocals… Eeek, the dodgy BBC effect library sounds… Alas, a weak attempt at some kind of plot (you’d rather they hadn’t bothered at all!)… and the final straw, characters which are far too easy to hate! It’s amazing how quickly you can be transported back to GCSE language classes!!
I wonder if all Italians talk to you in such close proximity that it feels like your ear drums are being polished by their teeth? I know for certain that I can’t wait to find out…
Friday, June 02, 2006
Grape Expectations: the Friday Vine Check - wk 1
The first in a fascinating series! As you will see below our first visit to the grape vine at Mashbury is a brief overview of the vine itself. I pruned it viciously at the end of February and now I am happy to report (and you will see quite clearly) that it is covered in lovely green leaves!
There are the first signs of little bunches of grapes forming in patches but I have been reliably informed that I need to thin the patches out if I am going to have a good healthy crop come late summer. In coming episodes of grape expectations I intend to show close ups of the grapes themselves and also feature any visitors to my plant. Fantastic eh?
I am fairly convinced that there isn't a more creative bloggist in the whole of Mashbury!
There are the first signs of little bunches of grapes forming in patches but I have been reliably informed that I need to thin the patches out if I am going to have a good healthy crop come late summer. In coming episodes of grape expectations I intend to show close ups of the grapes themselves and also feature any visitors to my plant. Fantastic eh?
I am fairly convinced that there isn't a more creative bloggist in the whole of Mashbury!
Just grape
Time goes fast in the world of Blog. It seems like only yesterday that I was writing my blog from Sweden but it turns out it was almost a week ago!
A few thoughts from today... the 1st of June! Sunshine a plenty! Not a cloud in the sky! Pimms in the garden! Or alternatively... erm, where's the summer? I would like to pose that question - and I don't really need an answer I just need results! ...because one day soon I would like it to get hot.
I (possibly more than anyone else in the world) have good cause to see the sun to shine forth in power. Today marks the beginning of an exciting new series on my blog - Grape Expectations: the Friday Vine Check. As a new feature, each Friday from now until October I will post a photograph of the grape vine in my garden. Of course it will only grow if the sun gets his hat on! During the check I will draw attention to the garden parasites which my vine has hosted that week, the colour and health of the leaves and the increasing girth of my grapes! Roll on haemorrhoid jokes aplenty! Ha ha ha!
In conclusion I have added a picture of the finished product - just so we all know what we're striving for...
A few thoughts from today... the 1st of June! Sunshine a plenty! Not a cloud in the sky! Pimms in the garden! Or alternatively... erm, where's the summer? I would like to pose that question - and I don't really need an answer I just need results! ...because one day soon I would like it to get hot.
I (possibly more than anyone else in the world) have good cause to see the sun to shine forth in power. Today marks the beginning of an exciting new series on my blog - Grape Expectations: the Friday Vine Check. As a new feature, each Friday from now until October I will post a photograph of the grape vine in my garden. Of course it will only grow if the sun gets his hat on! During the check I will draw attention to the garden parasites which my vine has hosted that week, the colour and health of the leaves and the increasing girth of my grapes! Roll on haemorrhoid jokes aplenty! Ha ha ha!
In conclusion I have added a picture of the finished product - just so we all know what we're striving for...
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