Good Words from Les Miserables

"Ecclesiastes calls you the All-powerful; the Maccabees call you the Creator; the Epistle to the Ephesians calls you liberty; Baruch calls you Immensity; the Psalms call you Wisdom and Truth; John calls you Light; the Books of Kings call you Lord; Exodus calls you Providence; Leviticus, Sanctity; Esdras, Justice; the creation calls you God; man calls you Father; but Solomon calls you Compassion, and that is the most beautiful of all your names." Victor Hugo

An Advent Prayer

by Henri Nouwen
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do, seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy, seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking light.
To you we say, Come Lord Jesus....
Amen.

A Moment with Joshua

So, I was spending some time with Joshua from the Bible this week and felt I had to share a thought with you all.

Read: Joshua 5:13-15

These few verses are literally the defining moments in Joshua's journey with Christ.

He is on the verge of going to battle with Jericho. They are getting ready to take over the Promised Land. Joshua is a newly appointed leader of Israel. And then out of nowhere comes this man with a sword drawn ready for action. Joshua walks up to him (notice how Joshua has no fear of a man with a sword drawn?) and asks him: "Are you for US or for our enemies?"

Check out what happens next.

The man replies, "Neither".

Now if you are Joshua, you have to be thinking..."Um...wait...what? Neither? Who else is there?" Joshua had it all wrong.

The man also says, "but as commander of the Lord I have now come."

Joshua falls down on his face, prostrate on the ground, as low as he can get. And Joshua asks what message the Lord has for his servant. You see Joshua realizes he has made a near fatal mistake. He hasn't put himself on the Lords side. He hasn't aligned himself with God. He has Israel against everyone else. He falls down to the ground in reverence and then sees what the Lord has for him.

The man of God replies, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is Holy". Joshua immediately takes off his sandals, again out of reverence.

We all know the rest of the story. God helps Israel defeat Jericho because they align themselves with Him.

My question is this. Where have you placed your allegiance this week? Have you put yourself in the position to be on the Lords side or your own? So often we say, we have the Lord on our side, when we need to be saying, I have chosen to choose what is right, by following the Lord and what he has for me.

So, what will you choose this week?

Benjamin

"All of life comes down to one thing: to know HIM and make HIM known."

Sketch of me done in 2003 by a student

The Digital Age

           

Four of the dudes from the David Crowder Band have teamed up to create The Digital Age. Hear is a little session from the studio they just put up. Good stuff! Can not wait to hear more from these outstanding men. 

special goodness below!

Leonard the Lonely Astronaut: A Review

Over a year ago I supported, on Kickstarter, an Artist that I have enjoyed listening to since my time in India almost 7 years ago. His name is Andrew Osenga and let me say this now, if you haven't found Andy's music yet, you need to find it now! I really can't begin to compare him to many artists, but one that comes to mind is Josh Ritter. Andy has a wonderful story telling writing style and plays a mean guitar. I know this. I saw him play once here in Portland. (Still waiting to go out for burgers and beers Andy! Oh the places I could show you.) Andy is the driving force behind most of his recordings. He plays just about everything on them. I envy the mans talent as well as his heart for creating beautiful music.

Andy just put the finishing touches on his latest album Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut. The album doesn't officially release until this coming Fall, when the trees turn orange, yellow, and brown, yes, that Fall. So why a review so early? So that when the album does come to a record store near you, you go and pick it up so your ears and heart can be in wonderment and joy.

Leonard, is about an astronaut. Actually a single and very lonely astronaut.He is leaving Earth and wont come back for a very long time. So long in fact that all the people he knows on Earth now will be dead upon his return. Leonard is all alone. Bursting out into space,into that great vast expanse that we all look up at night with awe and wonder, with stars, planets, air, blackness, and of course his space craft. The story is full and precise, it aches, breaks, overflows and like aloe stings a little then feels real good on our burned skin. No notes or words are lost in this album. Andy gets everything out on the table with Leonard. And when I say everything, I mean everything. When you are all alone in space, you have a great deal of things to think about, miss, hope for, and try to reconcile. Leonard does it all.

This is not going to be a track by track summary, you don't need it, because you can't hear it yet, so why on Earth, or the Heavens for that matter,would I try and cause you to long for something you can't have?

Here is what you do need to know. Andy recorded this album in a spaceship built just for the process. He made this music in a custom made spacesuit. He played all the music on this album. He has accomplished with this album, brilliance in every essence of the word. From the first note to the final silence of the last track you will be strung out on the epic story of Leonard. This is the ultimate concept album. An album that is messy. An album about a lonely man after the death of his wife, who he was planning on divorcing, and then he is thrust into space. The album is a healing album, but like any album that helps you heal, wounds have to be opened and then over time they heal. Leonard hurts and it also redeems. You will immediately press play again and fly back into space with Leonard.

Also, if you can get your hands on the B-sides, do it. Totally worth it and will further your experience into space with Andy and his companion Leonard.

Six years of my Lady Friend!

Beach fascination-A re-post for six years together.

On mothers day...after the ritual dinner at the Speghetti Factory...My sister, Brother-in-law to be, Lady friend, and I went to the beach spur of the moment. We left at about 8 and got to the beach at 9ish.

There is something about the ride to the beach that pulls me in and takes not only my breath but my wonder as well. Hugging curves as the car pointedly makes split decisions on how and when to turn. Embracing trees right and left. Noticing certain things that I havent noticed before and I have gone to the beach a lot. Thanking God for a beautiful day. Wondering what the sunset will hold in store...and if we will get to see it on beach front property or somewhere between the trees and coast line.

I enjoy the beach. And at the same time, I wouldn't want to the explore it alone. I have much respect for the most untamable thing on this planet. I have awe for what the horizon brings and what those crashing waves mean. I am afraid of the depths of the ocean, but the reason is because it is so unpredictable.

This evenings trip would not be too unpredictable. In fact, it would be one of the better moments I have had in worship in a long time.

The night was clear. Stars were blanketing the sky and illuminating the shoreline perfectly. The moon was a understandable size. The waves were crashing. The air was brisk and cool. Thermal underwear long sleeve would be fine.

The four of us ventured out across the cool sand. No one going anywhere in particular. Just wandering and being. And then we saw it. We ran to it. We hoped we could salvage it.

So far upon our journey there were freckles of fires scattered across the entrance to the open waves.

We had just found a flame that had recently been covered with sand, but some of the hot coles were still burning. We huffed and puffed. Found twigs. Threw in a few old reciepts.Found copius amounts of kindling. The girls discovered and recovered a few hefty logs to stoke the flames. We blew...we breathed...we inhaled smoke...we burned our eyes...we burned our hands...we re-created fire. Fire!!!

You wouldn't think that four people huddled around a small fire would be beautiful. But to me it was. To us we were in our own little world and even more so individual worlds. We gazed at God's creation as if we had never seen the burning specks that lit the night sky before. We breathed in the cool air as if it were more refreshing than it really was.

As we sat there talking. Being. Listening. Thinking. Playing old games such as I never. I found myself thinking of about a fire that started years ago. And how only weeks before, I had been working at rekindling that fire and giving it life again.

I was in eigth grade, she was in seventh. I didn't know her or even notice her until she was pointed out to me by my middle school director. I was captivated. I was stung. I was feeling weird. I was speechless.

I remember her grey sweatshirt that she was wearing. Her brown hair fairly long. Her fragile hands. Her smile that could disarm and entire task force. HER.

It took me a month before I asked her out. I was young and stupid. I was crazy. She was crazy enough to say yes. We were funny.

Nine months later I got disctracted and ended it.

I never forgave myself. I could never really talk to her. I was afraid. But the crazy thing was I noticed her. I knew her moves. I knew what she was doing and who she was dating. I recorded every memory. I can recall most even today. I was jealous and I was full of loss. But I was a boy and chased other people. But a certain song would come on the radio and I was back, she was back. I would get tingles. Still do get tingles. I actually really don't know if I like the song anymore. I might have ruined it. Not that I can ruin a song when I didn't compose it.

Anyway.

I began trying to make contact again. About 6 years later. I began to check up on her more often. I began to care more. But I still felt sorry for leaving her way back then.

Then I left for India. There were other crushes and so forth. There were close calls. There was life.

But I knew I would pursue that flame again when I came home. I knew I would try to figure things out. I knew I had questions. I knew.

And about a month ago today...her and I drove to the beach in the middle of the night. Frosty's in hand. Talking.

I had to apologize. She forgave me...before I even finished. I finished though. I wasn't sure what to say. I never planned anything. I hand't planned on having the talk this soon. I thought I would ask her to dinner and a movie...but the opportunity never came. So here we were racing to the beach in the middle of the night. We re-stoked the fire that night. We decided to say yes to a journey...although we don't know where it will lead. We are excited. We are scared. WE ARE.

Sitting next to her on mothers day. Moon in sky. Fire in sight. Dreams of what may come. Holding her hand. Wondering. I realized that the fire the four of us had just brought back to life. Was not much different than the one that Her and I had just started again after seven years.

I have a fascination with the beach. Fascination with stars. Fascination with fire...now. And a fascination with HER.

New Andrew Osenga Song!

New album coming this fall. I am lucky enough to have supported the album through Kickstarter. So I will be listening to it soon. Of course an album review will be coming.

Matthew 25:31-46 (Part 3)

Another perspective on the passage. Very catchy tune, try not singing it for days after you hear it. Come to your own conclusions in the comment section.

Matthew 25:31-46 (Part 2)

When did we feed you?

"I think that every prayer which is sincerely made even to a false god or to a imperfectly conceived true God, is accepted by the true God and that Christ saves many who do not think they know Him. For he is (dimly) present in the good side of the inferior teachers they follow. In the parable of the Sheep and the Goats those who are saved do not seem to know that they have served Christ. But of course our anxiety about unbelievers is most usefully employed when it leads us not to speculation but to earnest prayer for them and the attempt to be in our own lives such good advertisements for Christianity as will make it attractive."

C.S. Lewis-from a letter to Mrs. Johnson, November 8th, 1952

Matthew 25:31-46 (Part 1)

New International Version

The Sheep and the Goats

    ³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.    ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
   ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
   ⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
   ⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
   ⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Whispers of Your Glory (Song)

I find you in the sunrise
I see you in the night skies
Flowing with the rivers stream
Creator of all living things

I felt you in the snowfall
I heard you in the birds call
Cleansing with the rains pour
Voice behind the thunders roar

Pre-Chorus
In ev-ery-thing You're shining through
All these things are whispers of YOU

Chorus
I will awe who You are
And all of Your glory
You have spoken your heart
In all that you've shown me

I know you in the silence
I fear you in the violence
Breathing a breeze through the trees
Composer of ev-ery heart beat

I taste you in the fountains
I read you in the mountains
Receding with the oceans flow
Author of all I know

Pre-Chorus
In ev-ery-thing You're shining through
All these things are whispers of YOU

Chorus
I will awe who You are
And all of Your glory
You have spoken your heart
In all that you've shown me

Bridge
You wove it all together
In all things a trace of you
You are the great I AM
And I worship you

Holy Holy Lord God almighty
You are Holy Lord God almighty

My Birthday Pipe...Thanks Wife!

Audrey Assad (For your listening pleasure)

If you are a fan of Ingrid Michaelson or Sara Bareilles you need to be listening to Audrey Assad. The young woman has got talent folks. Now with two albums under her belt it seems as if Audrey is here to stay. Her debut album "The House You're Building" caught my eye in late 2010 and I was immediately hooked. From her soothing, I could drink tea and read by a fire, voice, to the well thought out lyrics and moving music, Audrey catches your attention from the very first note. Her message is hope filled and that is why your are immediately drawn in. Just take a listen to Show Me.

Her latest album "Heart" (currently on Amazon for $6) is just as stunning as her first album. The home run song, for me, is No Turning Back. The song was on repeat for an hour at least. From beginning to end this is a record you can spin without pressing the skip button. For those of you who are fans of Nichole Nordeman you will love Audrey. Do yourself a favor and go buy at least one or both of her albums. If I could I would buy them for you, but I can't so please do it for the elation of your ears.

India: An Encouragement

One of the Pastors at my church walked up to me this past Sunday and shared some pretty cool news with me. A team was recently in India doing some social work and my name came up. For those of you that don't know, I lived in India for a little over a year.

The pastor had attended a few training sessions and started asking a few questions to the men there. One of the questions he asked was how did you get involved in ministry? And the answer from one of the men was, "I am hear  because of Youth Conference held by your church years ago."

Pastor, "Really?"

Man, "Yea!"

Pastor, "Anyone in particular that stuck out to you?"

Man, "Ben Christensen"

At this point in the conversation I am beaming. Not because of my name being mentioned, although pretty cool, but because our youth conference impacted this guy so much that he is now in ministry. How cool is God???

It is moments like this that I love. I can not wait to get back to India. 2009 seems so long ago and the conference mentioned above was from 2005.

EGGs and Worship

 While working at Starbucks this morning, taking orders in the drive through I had to make numerous breakfast sandwiches. Yes, this is a post about breakfast sandwiches, actually it is about a key ingredient in each and every one of our little on the go greasy heart attack waiting to happen biscuits of yuck.

Eggs.
 
 Every so often a customer gets this wonderful idea that they really don't like eggs and wish them to not be on our breakfast goodies. So I painstakingly pry the flat yellow orb off of the biscuit and toss it into the nearest trash receptacle. 

Let us take a little journey back in time. Whoosh Whisk Beep Boop Bop Sploosh! (Those are time traveling sound effects. They should not be read to oneself in silence, the must be said out loud. Go ahead and do that now.)

We are now back in a very small green house. I am laying on the bottom portion of my bunk bed. You are hovering somewhere, because you really don't exist in this moment, I am just sharing it with you. It is probably 8:37 P.M. or so. I am in red Winnie the Pooh pajamas. Livingston Taylor has just sung his pajama song on my favorite vinyl record a few minutes ago. I now have my red tape recorder/tape player in bed with me. The red bundle of joy and the pride of my life, to this point, is pressed as close to my right ear as possible. Inside of the tape player is my favorite tape. I listened to the same tape over and over again. That is until I discovered Doug Hanks and then a steady rotation of both were played to death. Side A and Side B, I knew them by heart. The tape you ask? None other than Living Water. Who are they? Only the greatest band I knew at the time. My father's band. No joke! I listened to that album over and over and over again. I thought it was the best thing ever! Part of me still believes this.

Future tense...Whoosh Pop Ping Zing Blip

Starbucks. Prying eggs off of biscuits. And my mind all of a sudden races back to a little boy and his red tape recorder. A Living Water song pops into my head. One about EGGs. I begin to sing the song over and over again. The song becomes the soundtrack to the day. You say, "Eggs? Really?" Yes eggs. No Living Water was not some skinnamarinkadink children's bonanza band. They were a rock and roll band. I was once got my hands on a demo tape from before the album was actually made. Only one song that I can remember was on the tape. The title? The EGG Song. From then on the song was known as a the EGG song to me. The actual title is Every Good Gift. One moment I am ringing up customers and really not even focusing in on God, Who He is and What He has done for me and a few de-egged biscuits later I am full on worshiping God. Once again a little kid with his red tape recorder singing his heart out to Jesus. I love these moments. I love how a song can connect us to memories of our past or like today a simple egg can take me back to the past and then immediately into a state of all out worship.

I am not smart enough to figure out how to post the song on here, so I will just leave you with the lyrics. Hopefully Doug and dad are alright with this.

Every Good Gift-Doug Hanks
At the time we took our first breath
We came naked to this planet
When our breath is gone
Then it will die

Between the time that we arrive
And the that we must leave
All that we have
Has been given from on high

Every good gift is from the Lord of love 2x Woa Woa
With whom their is no changing
No constant rearranging
There's no shifting shadows with the Lord

Many are his treasures
And He gives them for our pleasure
Look around and see the Lord is good

Though we are enchanted
We take them all for granted
And never stop to thank Him like we should


Every good gift is from the Lord of love 2x Woa Woa

With whom their is no changing
No constant rearranging
There's no shifting shadows with the Lord

All that we have has been freely given by the Father
And all that He asks is that we love Him in return  Oh Yea

Every good gift is from the Lord of love 2x Woa Woa

With whom their is no changing
No constant rearranging
There's no shifting shadows with the Lord

He cares for His children, Yahweh loves His little children

Geocache of the week

This is up off of Rocky Point, Oregon. Overlooking the valley towards Scappoose. I believe that is Mt. Rainier just above the cache.

A Prophecy in Tongues. (repost for Chinese New Year)

In the year 2005 I found myself in India for a year. Throughout that year I saw, experienced, and learned many things that helped nourish my faith in Christ, but at the same time helped me question what I actually believed.

One of the adventures that I went on was a month long journey with a group of students from the college I worked at. This was a time for the students to put into action what they had been learning for the past few months, we called it Practical Training. Basically a hands on experiment to see if the students could put into motion what they had been learning over the past few months.

We stayed on a church compound that was right next to a temple. Many strange things happened while on the property of the church. One of these things was a visit from some foreigners all the way from New Zealand. They were quite eccentric and even for me a little over the top. The church however was packed with villagers from all over the area, many were gathered outside peering in open windows. During this, I was somehow offered a short opportunity to share my "story" and sing a song I had recently written on guitar.

The guitar was new for me. I picked one up in India and began plunking out tunes. And soon was writing my own. I played the first song I ever wrote with a guitar that night. Later in the session, one of the New Zealand folk gave a main sermon and then the pastor of the compound also shared a few opinions he had on the topic as well. Towards the end of the evening, there was to be a time of "prayer" and healing. The healing wasn't what I was worried about. I had seen a good portion of this already happening in my travels. It was the "prayer" part that was a little iffy to me.

You see, it was more like praying over people in tongues. I was a little insecure and unsure about the whole speaking and praying in tongues situation. So, I lowered my head and began praying for my own peace and God would be glorified that evening. I prayed for everyone in the room. I prayed for spiritual healing. I prayed for my students that they would be used somehow that evening. And then I felt this hand on my shoulder, a woman's hand, a New Zealand hand.

The two of us began talking about the situation. We talked about speaking in tongues. then she asked if I had ever been prayed for in tongues? I said, "No...not that I am aware of."

"Would you like to be prayed for?" nudged the woman.

Some small voice inside of me said, "Just go with it Ben." I really didn't want to offend her and really did not see any harm in her gentle gesture.

"Sure?" I offered. And then she began to pray in a "language" that I didn't understand. (this being funny as I was in a country where I didn't understand the language and needed a translator already. She may have been speaking Greek for all I know.) However, every few moments she would say a random phrase or a few words as if in translation. For the most part, she was hitting home on some of the things she was saying. Then out of the blue she says something about China and me involved someway with it. I immediately brushed it off and thought I don't have a desire for that...ever. I don't want to go to China. I shrugged off the situation and actually called my father a few hours later. Dad and I talked through the situation and I had some peace after our conversation ended.

I had forgotten about this experience and and the specific things said until just recently. I was sitting in church when a connection was made that goes back to that New Zealand woman with the thick accent and I believe "good" intentions. You see, in the end of September of 2010 I took a job working with Chinese Youth here in Oregon. I was slow to believe that the woman praying over me was telling the truth, today I think she was partially right. Although I do not live in China, and have never been, I am currently working with the Chinese people group, especially the youth.

For me it is a constant reminder that God is always laying the ground work of our current stories and our future ones. I didn't understand it back then, but today, I realize how God is constantly (even though it feels so slow sometimes) working in our lives. All in His time of course. Funny how HE reveals himself to us and we don't understand it until later. I love that about this adventure we are on!

Somebody that I used to know-Walk off the Earh-Cover

This may be one of the coolest things on YouTube right now!

MLK Day

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening-Robert Frost

 

 

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake 

To ask if there is some mistake.   

   The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost-1923

"God gives where He finds empty hands." - St. Augustine

I recently came across this quote and quickly fell in love with it. The thought of us having to empty ourselves to receive what God has to offer us is quite compelling really.

I think of a party I'm at and I am holding a glass of half drunk OJ that the host has so graciously given to me, it being a breakfast party after all, and then this Jesus fellow comes along and says "Hey Ben, you want a sample of this Living Water that I am giving away for free?" I look down at my glass and hold it up for him to fill. Jesus just shakes his head and produces another glass from somewhere inside his many pocketed robe. "Here," he says to me as he fills the glass, "drink this". I look at my glass and then to his. "Shiny" I think to myself. "I really want a drink of that, but I haven't finished my OJ yet. What would the host think if I didn't finish his juice? I mean he must have freshly squeezed the oranges this morning, right?" It takes everything in me to set down the glass of OJ and accept the glass of water that Jesus is offering to me.

OJ analogy aside. I think we as humans carry around this heavy weight of what we think matters in life. We walk around with all of this junk and the crazy thing is, we keep it close to us. We hold on to every little thing, every little word spoken, every moment, every stupid memento from our lives, and the truth is that it really doesn't matter. We are like the raccoon who gets his paws stuck in the trap because he is unwilling to let go of the food inside, but his paws are too big to get out of the trap and he will eventually die holding onto something that he will never be able to have in the end. We as humans hold onto stuff that we should just let go of as well.

Just like the OJ above, we like drinking it, but the matter of the fact is; Living Water trumps everything! We have to set aside the OJ to enjoy it though. Same thing with God's provision, we have to set aside our goals, thoughts, dreams, and short comings to then receive God's blessings and gifts for us.

Christmas was just a few weeks ago, so let me go with this thought. Many of us receive multiple presents at Christmastime. We hold it up for everyone to see, (like Ralphie is holding up his gift to the left) we wear it, use it, play with it, (sometimes just to make others happy) and overall just try to show others how happy we are with our shiny junk. And yet, the whole point of Christmas is Christ's presence here on earth. How can one receive or be in His presence with our hands full? I know that I should drop everything to commune with Him. I am not saying gifts are bad, I am saying how we carry them in our lives can potentially be harmful to what God has for us. Often times when our hands are full and we meet someone for the first time we just smile and give a nod and say "hello." We should be shaking hands. We should be embracing them. Same thing with Christ. Are we embracing Him or are we smiling and nodding and looking utterly stupid while trying to fool Him into thinking we are interested in what He has for us?

Emptying my hands has been on my mind a lot lately. I am no master at it and most certainly will not ever perfect it.  I do however want to be ready to receive what God has to offer me. I will try and set down my OJ and engage more, not just with God, but with the people around me as well. I want to live a life filled with presence not presents. A life filled with open arms to help others and receive others around me. A life filled with opportunities and absolutely no barriers. A life where I let the ultimate guide lead me up the mountain to the wide open vista and wonderful view He has for me.

For now I find it in little snapshots of open handedness. Little jogs up the mountain side. Small adventures into His vast wilderness. My hope is that I will walk hand in hand with Him up there where the air is thin and very few have been, one day. Not empty handed, but hand in hand with Him.

"God gives where He finds empty hands." - St. Augustine

The Adventures of Tin Tin A Bember Review

 Bember Stars 3.5 of 5
 The Adventures of Tin Tin  PG
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Produced by: Peter Jackson and Weta Digital

Amber and I were excited to see this movie. From the moment we saw the preview in the theater we knew this would be a must see for the two of us. So, this past Sunday we splurged and used a Christmas gift card to go see Tin Tin.

From beginning to exciting finish Tin Tin does not disappoint in the departments of action and peril. I found myself enthralled in the story that was being told. The animation was brilliant and had both of us at moments asking ourselves if we were watching a real life action film or the handiwork of an artist.

I honestly had moments where I was thinking to myself no way that this could happen. Then it would click in again that I was watching a cartoon and not a live action film.

Bit of Story: 

We are taken on a crazy world spanning journey with Tin Tin (Voiced by Jamie Bell) a young Belgian reporter and his dog Snowy. The two comrades are trying to solve a mystery involving Captain Haddock (Voiced by the incredible Andy Serkis) and three strange model ships. These ships hold a secret from Captain Haddock's past and Tin Tin is trying to help him figure out just what the importance of these ships are. In waltz's the bad guy Rackham (Voiced by Daniel Craig) who is determined to find, gasp, a great treasure that has something to do with these three ships. Duels, escapes, chase scenes, plane rides, crashes, deserts, pirates, ships, and more trace the story to the final scene where we the audience are left with a slight cliff hanger, where we ask ourselves could a sequel be involved?

Overall the film is highly enjoyable. Your children may not follow along with the story. Multiple chase scenes, flashbacks, fighting, gun shooting, swashbuckling, and a few key moments that help the story along will not make sense for a child or really are not appropriate for someone under 10.

You as the adult will surely be smiling towards the end of this flick.  You will enjoy how our beloved Tin Tin has been brought to life and the amazing adventure that ensues.


The Critic Speaks:
I only had two issues with this film-

One of the reasons for the rating is the lack of humor in this film. I came in expecting the characters of Thomson and Thompson (voiced by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) to bring a bit of comic relief. I was left disappointed however. The two actually come of as dull and rather idiotic. I know this is how the original characters were written, but these two actors are truly funny men. These men are not funny in the movie.

Second thing of note, is the fact that from the start to finish, this movie does not stop with Tin Tin being in some sort of peril. I mean honestly how much can one Belgian reporter take? How much can the audience take for that matter before we are left thinking, "Really? You went that direction with this? Oh, gee look Tinny Tin is in trouble again!" I know this is nit picky, but as I felt so strongly about how realistic the animation was in this film, the overdone action sequences almost become boorish.

Credits: 
A few highlights of the film are of course are Peter Jackson's and Weta Digital's amazing technology that brought the whole film to the screen.

Snowy the dog is an adventure to watch for the entire movie. I laughed more at the dog than any other character. I also felt more emotion from the dog than any other person in the film. Pretty darn good for a pup.

All in all, go see this film, or rent it when it comes out on DVD you will be in for a great 2 hours of fun.

11 best albums of 2011

2011 Gave us some great new artists to begin new love affairs with, it also yielded some comebacks by some well known powerhouses in the industry. The list below is a fresh blend of the new and the old. Some of you may get on my case for not mentioning the new Coldplay album. In all honesty I am not a fan of the album, perhaps a few more spins and it might bump something off this list. Go ahead and give me your top 11 or fewer for the year in the comment section.
-Ben

In no particular order-click the links to get good music. Some of the deals wont last long.

1. Bon Iver -Bon Iver ($4.99 on Amazon as of this post)
2. The Civil Wars-Barton Hallow ($5.49)
3. Josh Garrels-Love & War & The Sea In Between ($Free at Josh's website)
4. Sleeping At Last-Yearbook ($25.49 for 36 songs)
5. The Lonely Forest-Arrows ($11.99)
6. Elbow-Build A Rocket Boys ($5.00)
7. The Head And The Heart-The Head And The Heart ($5.00)
8. The Belle Brigade-The Belle Brigade ($7.99)
9. Fleet Foxes-Helplessness Blues ($5.00)
10. The Hawk in Paris-His +Hers EP ($6.23)
11. Switchfoot-Vice Verses ($14.99)

Bonus:

12. Paul Simon-So Beautiful Or So What ($9.49)
13. Ryan Adams-Ashes & Fire ($8.99)
14. Foo Fighters-Wasting Light ($9.99)
15. The Wilderness Of Manitoba-When You Left The Fire ($7.99)

It has been a great year of music folks...

Cache of the week #1

We took our good friends Josh and Maddy Geocaching for the first time today. I was explaining to them how much fun this sport can actually be and in the process found a cache fairly close to their home. So we went out into the woods located near their home and proceeded to go on the adventure of finding the cache.

A quarter of a mile later we found the cache inside an old tree stump and plundered to our hearts content. We signed the log and soon were walking out of the woods with that amazing rush you get when one feels as if they have accomplished something wonderful.

Both Josh and Maddy will be Geocaching again soon!

Check out the photo taken by the wife as the two of them were escaping out of the woods.