mountain bikes...revisited

alrighty gang. the bike situation has changed a bit. we actually got bikes last night. I actually put mine on layaway, and when the bike that jess wants gets to the shop, we will likely put that one on hold as well. needless to say, buying two high quality mountain bikes at once is a task - hence layaway. we are absolutely excited about getting on some trails and enjoying being Gods creation together.

the 2008 GT Avalanche 3.0
amazing. I cannot wait to start riding.

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jess got the same bike, save for the fact it is the girl version, slightly different in color and smaller.

on a different note, I just want to take a second and put something out there. it is from a blog that I read daily called "Of First Importance" If you are a believer in christ, listen to these words from Dr. Timothy Keller and I will leave on that note.

Gospel humility and confidence

“The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to died for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.”

- Timothy Keller, The Reason For God (New York, NY: Dutton, 2008), 181.

mountains + bikes = greatness

jess and I have talked for a while about getting some mountain bikes. not only would it be amazing exercise, it would be great fun for the whole family, i.e. Me and her. She was also perusing the internet and found some mini adventure races that would consist of a 5K run, 14 Mile Ride and a section in a canoe. now, I am not in that great of shape, but that looks like a total blast. take a look at the bikes...

this is the KHS Alite 3000. The one I want. May be a bit on the pricey side, so the Alite 1000 may be the one for me.


this is the Diamondback Response. the one Jess wants, except, we may need to get the 2007 Model. It came in Green. Her favorite color.

for more, go over to www.diamondback.com
and www.khsbicycles.com

Ill keep you guys posted on the bikes.

on Saturday we are heading out to the Dallas Symphony to enjoy Verdi's Requiem, so I am positive I will have plenty to blog about. the next day, I will be joining the men at the EDS Byron Nelson to watch some golf. it will be a fantastic weekend. lets pray for beautiful weather.

the stolen child

eric whitacre is my favorite composer of choral music - his music has in every way changed the way I view the human voice and furthermore, it has shown the inextricable bonds between heart, voice and spirit. his latest piece, entitled "the stolen child," is an absolutely haunting arrangement of an already haunting poem by one of my favorite poets believe it or not - William Butler Yeats. Please follow this link http://ericwhitacre.wordpress.com/ to listen to the piece. also, take a look around. do some homework. his music is going to be, if not already is, legendary.

the stolen child
by: w.b yeats


WHERE dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water rats;
There we've hid our faery vats,
Full of berrys
And of reddest stolen cherries.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wave of moonlight glosses
The dim gray sands with light,
Far off by furthest Rosses
We foot it all the night,
Weaving olden dances
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight;
To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glen-Car,
In pools among the rushes
That scare could bathe a star,
We seek for slumbering trout
And whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams;
Leaning softly out
From ferns that drop their tears
Over the young streams.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.


Away with us he's going,
The solemn-eyed:
He'll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast,
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal chest.
For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than he can understand.

I would love to know what everyone thinks. really. take a second to listen. turn up the speakers and go for it.

the gospel makes able,

clay

urban fishing

just as the title implies, I did a little urban fishing tonight. my buddy Daniel Fears and I went out to a little rag tag lake over on Belt Line in between Luna and Fairway to try our luck. he is quite the fisherman, so I followed his lead. it was a little breezy and the water was somewhat shallow - the jig I was using kept on getting hung up. at any rate, I snagged a little bass really close to shore. It was a good time. I love you guys.

the rest of god

over the course of the past four months, my pastor at the branch has been leading us through an exposition of the first 3 chapters of genesis. entitled "blueprint," this sermon series has outlined gods original plan and design for the way the universe is supposed to function. yes, many of the sermons have been uplifting, encouraging, even some that make us question the way we live, but recently, he hit the nerve.

Genesis 2:1-3

1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

weve all read this a million times, and we get that God does not need rest. if our God got tired after merely speaking our world into existence, then I would be sorry to say that He would not be a God worthy of our worship, affections and prayers. so with this example, he lays out the blueprint of rest. work and toil through the week, and rest on the seventh day. Chris Seidman made another conclusion about this truth that the Father displays. When we as people rest, it shows to some degree our ability to feel accomplished, able to trust that our deeds can merit a time of rest. But really, our ability to rest should be tied to our trust that God's work is done - in us, in the Gospel.

I really feel that these series of sermons have hit us at the very core. dallas, american living takes place at Mach 3. from work alone, to home upkeep, school activities, church activities, children (although we do not have any) not to mention the tireless pursuit to "look the part, appear to have it all figured out" - - everyone is wore out - absolutely depleted of all resources. to some degree, I think people are becoming unaware of the person that they are becoming - simple due to not actively partaking in rest. hear me. not sleep, not lounging around, but rest. sleeping and lounging play an integral role, but the kind of rest that Seidman is referring to is not merely an action of the body, it is a disposition of the Spirit - an act of worship - a way for the spirit, mind and body to be in agreement that Christ and Christ alone is enough.

we are trying to see what this looks like and how it takes place, but to encourage any of you who are reading this, rest is a mandate from God. It lets us slow down for for a while and just simply enjoy who He is, but more importantly, we can actively enjoy what He accomplished on the Cross, making us able to just . . . rest.

2008 Dallas International Car Show

Many of you know, I am quite the car guy. I love cars. I like learning about cars. I like talking about cars. I love driving cars. Now, all this to say, if the Lord were to bless me financially, I sincerely doubt that I would run off and buy an Aston Martin - the weight would be too much to bear. At any rate, I have the affection for all things autosport design and technology.

Whenever the Dallas International Auto Show is in full swing, I always make an attempt to get out there - this was my fourth year. It is always a fun morning and afternoon. Please enjoy some photos...

Like last year, Toyota was hosting the Toyota Off Road Adventure - it gives everyone the opportunity to drive all of the new Toyota trucks on a pretty challenging off road course. This picture shows Blue Sky Hill. It doesn't look that steep, but 25 degrees up shows you only sky, no road, at all.

The Aston Martin DBS.
V-12. 510 horsepower. All in the best looking exterior I can imagine. This exhibit was beautiful, and crawling with many "prospective buyers."
Right.

The Audi R8. This car debuted at the 2007 Dallas International Auto show, so seeing it last year was awesome - it was one of the sharpest vehicles on display, people were swarming it. This year however, people were not swarming the Audi, they were gathering around something different...

The 2009 Nissan GT-R
This is car that in my opinion, was the center of all the buzz. It really was one of the only cars that I could not leave without seeing. It is the long awaited, long anticipated response and successor to the Nissan Skyline GT-R - an icon in automotive history. Many of the design cues were taken directly from the Skyline - it paid off. With gorgeous looks comes quite the performance.
3.8L Twin Turbo V6, 480 bhp. All Wheel Drive. I can leave the rest of the specs up to Nissan. Get over to www.gtrnissan.com if you are interested.
For a mere $70,000, you can own one of these bad boys.

Overall, the afternoon was great. This weekend ushered in the Spring and Summer weather in grand fashion - I can hardly wait for the long, hot days, golf, grilling, laying out by the pool with my beautiful bride. I feel more myself during this time of year. I dont know if it is the weather, the trees, the grass or something else, but when the plants and earth come alive again after a long reprieve, I feel as if I am awakening again myself.

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I want to leave you with something that was presented to me this morning on my drive into work.
Preface: I have given up morning radio for sermons. Trying to keep my mind and soul trained on the gospel takes effort, and beginning the day with garbage morning radio was instantly setting my mind in the trash can. So, I have replaced those messages with messages of truth - Gods word.

Well this morning, the subject of the sermon was more or less, false teaching. It was a weighty sermon. I will leave you with one verse, because it has been ringing in my mind today.

2 Peter 2:1

1But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

Its startling to think about false teaching and how similar it can look to the truth. I pray that my spirit can be quickened to know the difference. Love you guys.

easter wrap up

a couple of days ago I eluded to how wonderful easter was. I thought I would share some pictures - partly to just brag on how beautiful my wife is. deal with it.

Beautiful - The girl, not the egg. Well, both, but the girl more.

We like our self portraits.

My computer is acting strange ths morning, so I will make this a short post. We are trying to plan some trips out of here - Edmond - Lubbock - Austin - Houston. I should have some pictures and many funny stories once we get those shows on the road.

I will leave you with something. About three weeks ago, Jess and I went down to Deep Ellum with Casey and the guys to see some music, well, the venue and the scene werent that great, but the music was amazing. Do yourself a favor and go to www.myspace.com/rocketboys and listen to Homer Hiccolm and the Rocket Boys. They are from Abilene and are hugely talented. And for those who live in the Metroplex, they are playing at the Door in Deep Ellum tonight at 7:00pm.

I'll talk to you guys soon.