A week from today, I predict the Gamecocks will embark on another average season. My prediction is 6-6. I’m a Gamecock fan, and always will be, but I really just don’t any high hopes at all for this season. I also predict this will be Spurrier’s last season.
I think a 8-4 season is possible, but I think it’s very possible to be 4-8 with wins only against Vandy, Kentucky, SC State and Florida Atlantic.
What is your prediction?
NC State – L
Georgia – L
Florida Atlantic – W
Ole Miss – L
SC State – W
Kentucky – W
Alabama – L
Vandy – W
Tennessee – W
Arkansas – W
Florida – L
Clemson – L
Filed under: Christianity, Religion, church | Tags: corporate worship, mark driscoll, religion saves
What is corporate worship? Mark Driscoll in his book Religion Saves has one of the best answers that I’ve ever read. I thought it was worth sharing here.
“Corporate worship is not about hearing a message that tells us what we can do to improve ourselves, singing songs about what we are going to do for God, and judging the quality of the meeting by how it feels to us. Rather, God-centered worship is about hearing a message that reveals from the Bible, who God is and what he has done and is doing for and with us; singing songs about who God is and what he does; and judging the quality of worship based upon whether it accords with the Scriptures.” (p. 248)
A few pages before this, Driscoll has a strong critique of the “contemporary church.” He says,
“In it’s most extreme version, the contemporary church inverted the gospel – that we exist to glorify God – into a false gospel – that God exists to glorify us by helping us achieve our potential, experience our joy, enable our health, and expand our wealth.”
Both of these quotes really got my mind going in a 100 different places. I could comment away on it, but I think I’ll let you take it for what it’s worth. I will say this though, I do NOT think that the “contemporary church” is at all a bad thing. Driscoll is not saying the contemporary church is at all bad. Unfortunately though for some, the “contemporary church” in the MOST EXTREME instances has become a “feel good service” that is more centered on man than God. Also, for the record one more time, I am not a big fan of the term “contemporary service.” Your idea of contemporary and my idea of contemporary are most likely different.
Thanks Mark Driscoll.
I can’t take credit for anything I’ve ever done in the past or will do in the future. I have nothing that is my own. I’ve achieved nothing on my own. There is absolutley nothing in my life that I can take credit for.
Too bad I often try to take credit -
- for bringing in big $$$$ to the bank at work
- for coming up with a neat new arrangement for a song
- for being able to play multiple instruments
- for having a job that pays well
- for having a house to live in
and the list goes on and on. you probably have a list that could go on and on as well.
The problem is that we can’t take credit for anything. Everything in the heavens and earth is God’s. We own nothing. It is only by His grace that we have anything at all.
Hallelujah to My King is a new song that we sang this week at Midtown. I have been wanting to use this song for a LONG time because it is such an amazing song lyrically (the music is also just as good). Here are the words to the chorus:
Hallelujah, what a Savior. I owe everything to Him.
Hallelujah, what a Savior. Hallelujah to my King.
If you’d like to listen to the song, here is a youtube video to check out. If I were you, I’d click play, and then do something else on your computer because the video is not exactly the best you’ve ever seen.
Filed under: Sunday Night Music | Tags: midtown fellowship, Sunday Night Music
This Sunday marked the beginning of a new era for Midtown Fellowship. We now have 2 different campuses. Midtown Earlewood meets at Earlewood Baptist Church (5:30) and Midtown Vista meets at the State Museum (5:30, 7:15, 9:00). For those of you who read this and don’t go to Midtown, there is a live preacher and band at each campus. It is not a video campus!
Tons of people put in a whole lot of hours of extra work over the last few weeks to pull this off, and I can’t thank everyone enough!
Here were the songs that were used during the service at both campuses.
Our King – Tree 63
From The Inside Out – Hillsong
The Stand – Hillsong
Hallelujah To My King – Paul Baloche
Majesty – Charlie Hall
Romans 12:3
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Filed under: music | Tags: long island shores, mindy smith, one moment more, stupid love
I first started listening to Mindy Smith my senior year of college (2004) when her album One Moment More came out. Back then, her video of the Dolly Parton cover “Jolene” was on CMT about 10 times a day. Soon after the song “Come To Jesus” came out. That last semester of school wasn’ t the best, but one of the highlights was listening to that CD way way way too much.
The summer after I graduated in 2004, I met my awesome wife Ashley. The 2nd or 3rd time I ever saw Ashleyshe was singing some songs at the bottom of this outside staircase. Long story short, a guy had a guitar and I took it from him and Ashley and I started singing Mindy Smith songs. I’ll never forget it. We shared a love for listening to Mindy Smith and enjoyed playing and singing her songs together a ton. Mindy Smith sings almost as beautifully as Ashley does.
That same year (or maybe in 2005) we saw her in concert in Atlanta, and it was one of those experiences that you just want to bottle up and save forever. A lot of times, concert experiences aren’t much better than the CD, but this musically, this concert was 10 times better than the CD. It truly was an amazing concert with an incredible display of musicianship.
So with all of that said, Mindy Smith just put out a new CD last week (Stupid Love) and I bought it when I got home from vacation. After previewing it on iTunes, it sounded very different and I was very hesitant to buy it, but Ashley ended up buying it and I have really enjoyed it. If you like Mindy Smith, it is different. It’s more produced and it definitely has more of a “pop” sound to it and is much less country/folk than her 1st or 2nd album.
If I were you, I’d buy all 3 of her albums. You won’t be disappointed. These are some of my favorite songs, along with some YouTube videos to get you started.
- Hurricane (One Moment More)
- Down In Flames (OMM)
- It’s Amazing (OMM)
- Falling (OMM)
- Out Loud (Long Island Shores)
- Please Stay (LIS)
- Tennessee (LIS)
- You Just Forgot (LIS)
- Long Island Shores (LIS)
- What Went Wrong (Stupid Love)
- Love Lost (SL)
- Dissapointed (SL)
- True Love of Mine (SL)
- If I Didn’t Know Any Better (SL)
Filed under: The Great Outdoors, family | Tags: cherry grove beach, vacation
I love vacation more than just about anything else. I highly value a week where I can disconnect from work and anything else that is going on in Columbia. I love to sit on the beach for hours with NOTHING to do and a great book to read.
Ashley and I, Mom and Dad, the grandparents, and my brother Matt and his wife Libby all went to Cherry Grove Beach (just north of N. Myrtle Beach) last week, and we had a blast. I feel very refreshed and ready to go again!
- I read the 1st 3 Harry Potter books and would have read the 4th if I had it with me.
- We ate. A Lot.
- My favorite meal of the week was a dinner date on Friday night at Bonefish Grill. I know they have these in Columbia, but we don’t normally go out to places this expensive, so this was a treat for us. I had the Chilean Sea Bass with the Pan Asian sauce, and Ashley had the Lily’s Chicken which is also awesome. My only regret is that I didn’t get the Bang Bang shrimp. The only reason I didn’t get it is because Ashley is allergic to shrimp.
- 2nd favorite dinner was at the Dockside restaurant in Calabash, NC. Good fried seafood and a great view of the marsh and river/inlets.
- Carraba’s was just as good as the seafood. I love the chicken marsala best. Yes, normally steak is better than chicken, but the chicken marsala is better than the steak. Trust me.
- Ashley and Libby got their noses pierced.
- Surprisingly, I didn’t fish at all.
- My brother fried up almost 100 wings one night with some awesome homemade sauces.
- Dad took us all to the Alabama Theatre. It’s a very good production, but there was some serious cheese at times.
- Played lots of XBox.
- Ashley is addicted to Boggle. She practices by herself. I can’t beat her.
Here are some pics from the week.
One of my favorites
the view and inlet from the back of the house
kayaking in the ocean
hotness
3 years ago at the beach
And last week at the beach.
I think Ashley misses it more than me.
Tomorrow I’ll have a little bullet point post of our week at the beach. I’m sure you can’t wait.
Filed under: Sunday Night Music | Tags: midtown fellowship, Sunday Night Music
Beautiful The Blood – Fee
Till I See You – Hillsong
Lift High – Fee
How He Loves – Kim Walker
Glory To God – Fee
In Christ Alone – Campus Praise Band
What Have We Done – The Northern Conspiracy
Come Ye Sinners – Robbie Seay Band
Mystery – Charlie Hall
In Christ Alone – Campus Praise Band
Jesus Paid It All – Kristian Stanfill
Fire Fall Down – Hillsong
To Know Your Name – Hillsong
This happened to one of my good friends named Daniel Miles. Daniel is an awesome guy, awesome musician, and awesome friend that I don’t see nearly enough of. However, Daniel has not learned the lesson about pulling too hard on a topwater lure when it is stuck in a tree. You can read his post here. If you can’t tell, the treble hook has gone all the way through his ear, and he had to have it cut out.
