As the story goes...

With music you always have color...

and the colors seem to translate into a story all their own. Sometimes the story can be historic and have a tale of many miles traveled...

and sometimes that same music can put us into different states of mind.

One thing is for certain, the journey that music creates is never dull.

With the emotional connection to that certain song or that favorite musician we find ourselves screaming the words to songs that raise chill bumps on our arms.

With all of the glorious guitar riffs gone and the final note played we press rewind-repeat-replay and we beg.

Because there is nothing better in music than the encore.

What does your journey look like?

Blessings,

Nathan

"Wake up call"

Just as the alarm clock chimes in a new day, the "wake-up call" gives announcement to get up and get moving. In the trudge of life we often find ourselves needing a wake-up call back to what God wants us to do. It seems that as we work our way through the web of constant distraction that is life, sometimes our purpose in life becomes lost. God has called us into a relationship defined by love (Matthew 22:37-40) for Him and for our neighbor. The harsh reality is that life does not just happen to you and me. It happens to our neighbor down the street that may have some idea of God, but he/she chooses to think of themselves as simply spiritual. We, as Christians fall into the trap of thinking that we are the only people under spiritual attack. Often we think that Satan has singled us out and is "focus-firing" on our lives with the intent to destroy us. Make no mistake, Satan wants to destroy us, but I believe he uses self-centeredness and apathy as well. All to often we fail to see the larger picture, for instance the same snapshot that brings a beautiful child into our lives by adoption, also reveals a picture of pain and heartache in a decision to give up that same child. The wake-up call is not only a bell chiming in a new day, but it is an alarm that says something big is about to happen. "The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 'Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms, I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.' On that day, declares the Lord Almighty, 'I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,' declares the Lord, 'and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,' declares the Lord Almighty." (Haggai 2:20-23; NIV) As our lives reflect on the blessings that come from God, let us also be mindful that what can be a blessing to us can also be a heartache to our neighbor. That same neighbor will need you, during your rejoicing, to step out of your self-centeredness and love them with all that you have. Is God sending you a wake-up call today?

Blessings,

Nate

What is your "chocolate"?

Here is a short list of my favorite "chocolate" things that I like to indulge in: (Hobbies)

10. I love snowboarding. My board is always ready to cut an edge in beautiful mountain snow. It is breathtaking sitting at the top of the mountain looking out over what God has created. My equipment: Palmer snowboard; Burton Cartel Bindings; Northface Jacket; Red by Burton Helmet; Spyder gloves; Airwalk Boots. (Black Pants)

9. Reading. I love to read as well as write for that matter. It seems tough at times to read, but some of my favorite reads as of late have been, "Red Letters" by Tom Davis; "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan and I am currently reading about 10 different books.

8. I love music and I like to read about music and music culture. Spin magazine, Rolling Stone, Texas Music etc. all seem to find a place in my reading time.

7. Fishing. I stink at fishing, but there really is so much peace that comes from being beside a mountain stream trying to entice a rainbow to bite the end of your line. By the way, I am the self-proclaimed fish whisperer. Hey, he who begs and prays receives, right?

6. Sitting and playing guitar. I bug my wife because I am not very good and infact I play scales all the time with some blues bends and jazz tones. I truly enjoy the sound of the guitar and men that can really make it sing-- Frank Zappa and Jimi fall into this category. I have a Sigma Martin acoustic and a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic. Also I own a Squire Strat and a 212 Peavey Classic Tube Amp.

5. Video Games. I am currently not playing any major games. I did play this MMORPG World of Warcraft. I am a nerd, I know!!! My characters are resting in cyberspace retirement for a while and I honestly have not missed them. My main character is a Level 70 UD Rogue that is combat specced to maces with (at this point) out of date gear I am sure. I admit... GEEK, I am.

4. Sports Cards. This was a hobby of mine that I have done from my middle school days. I love the Cubs, Indians, and Raiders. My Favorite players include: Bill Bates, Micheal Jordan, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, Tim Brown, Randall Cunningham, Nolan Ryan, Wes Welker, Tom Brady, Kevin Garnett, Ivan Rodriguez, Joe Montana, Dennis Gentry, Neal Anderson, Kerry Wood, Alfonso Soriano, Paul Pierce, Hershcel Walker, Art Monk, Ryne Sandberg, Derrek Lee, Matt Holliday, Chris Paul, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Lebron James, Gilbert Arenas, Manny Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Rocco Baldelli, C.C. Sabathia, Brad Muster, Kenneth Gant, Jerry Rice, Shawn Kemp, Darvin Ham, John Lackey, Justin Verlander, Cody Ross, Hunter Pence, Eric Byrnes, Reggie Bush, Cornelius Bennett, Steve Smith, Steve Nash, Freddy Adu, Thierry Henry, Lawrence Taylor, Ronnie Lott, Chuck Cecil, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen... to name a few. But my two all time favorite players are Bo Jackson and George Herman "Babe" Ruth.

There will, in my honest opinion, never be another athlete like Bo Jackson. I could watch a replay of him running over "the Boz" all day!

Babe Ruth was and will always be baseball. From Boston to New York, he was a boy among men, that became a giant. 714 lifetime homeruns.

4. Shoes. I am a shoe nut, and for a time I went through a phase of buying Air Jordan's. The best pair of shoes in my collection are a pair of 1985 original "AJKO" Jordan's. They are the coolest shoes on the planet.

3. As I mentioned earlier I like video games and I have a small video game collection that includes: Final Fantasy 1 for the nes, Chrono Trigger snes, Mega Man 7 snes, Mega Man X snes, Pirates Gold sega genesis, and some others. Old console games are the best-- with Tecmo Super Bowl nes and Contra nes being some of the best games made.

2. T-Shirts. I have always enjoyed wearing t-shirts and I love to collect them. My mom and I always enjoy going to secondhand stores and thrift stores and a lot of my t-shirts came from thrift stores. One of the best shirts I have ever owned was an Action Rent-to-own shirt from Abilene. The best shirt I own now is a Monks Coffee shirt from Abilene. My favorite shirt now is a shirt that I made for Mountain View Christian Camp.

1. My favorite hobby now is walking along the beach on Mustang Island with my family. We hunt for shells and avoid jelly fish as well as just relax and soak in the beauty that is God's work.
My Wife, Daughter, and pup Sophie are some great beach bums to hang out with.

My Top Ten Favorite television shows...

10. I must say that as my daughter is now 2, I have become acquainted with several new television programs. I must say that one of my new favorites is Max and Ruby. It is about the two rabbits and they are brother and sister... it is just a funny show, I am not going to go further, just check it out on noggin' :)

9. Entourage. This show comes on HBO and is probably the worst show you could possibly watch, but at the same time it is very entertaining and just funny. My buddy Thomas pointed me towards show and if you have a chance, check it out. It comes on Sunday evenings at 9pm cst on HBO.

8. Chelsea Lately. The Chelsea Handler show is way funny and you have gotta love a show with a fella named Chuy!!! It comes on E! every night.

7. America's Top Designer. This is a funny show filled with emotion and gay fellas!!! It is always worth a laugh to see what design will come up next and what gay excuse will be given to justify putting a leotard with raffia and silk.

6. Man vs. Wild. The adventures of Bear Grylls is one of the best shows out there, and obviously one of my favorites. There is nothing like hearing Bear say, "That is awful!" as he eats a grub insect for it's "nutritional value".

5. 30 Rock. This is a great show that is not only funny, but smart as well. Tina Faye, Tracy Morgan, Alec Baldwin and a host of others team up to make a very addicting comedy that is just a fun time.

4. The Hills. This is one of the worst shows ever created, but it is entertaining. I repeat, this show is so dumb but I enjoy the dumb humor it presents.

3. Grey's Anatomy. It has been bogged down a bit, but I do enjoy the drama that this show presents-- very addicting and after a break from it, I enjoy coming back to it.

2. ESPN Sportscenter. Just an informative sports wrap up of the days activities, a nice way to un-wind and de-stress.

1. Nothing-- I love to turn the television off and go to the beach with my family. Sit outside in the backyard on the swing or just play the guitar and listen to music. My favorite television show is when the TV is off. Nothing better than the entertainment that comes from your family.

Blessings,
Nathan

My Top Ten Favorite stop and eat places...

10. Well growing up in Abilene, TX. we used to always go to a hamburger place called "Mr. G's". The place was known for it's big messy burgers and the seasoned fries. The story goes (on the fries) that the owner of Mr. G's was at a hole-in-the-wall burger place and ordered a burger and fries and he received these amazing seasoned fries with his meal. He loved them so much that he asked them were they ordered the fries from and the waitress did not know so he went out to the dumpster and rummaged through it until he found a shipping label. And the rest is history as they say :)

9. Sticking with the Abilene feel, I will go with Crystal's Pizza. What a great place, you had several different rooms to dine in, one of which included all you can watch Three Stooges episodes. The restaurant also featured a live piano player, game room, and cartoon room. The pizza was great but the atmosphere was the big seller!

8. La Salsa in San Diego, Ca. (Coronado Island) has the best fish taco's. It is a little tiny fast food restaurant right down from the world famous Coronado Hotel and resort. If you have ever been to San Diego, you know what I am talking about when I say-- you must try the fish tacos! In the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, "You stay classy San Diego!"

7. The Dairy Land in Fort Summner, N.M. has the best milk shakes and burgers. It is like an oasis in the desert, literally. It is one of those places that if you hit town at 7pm they might be open, they might not :)

6. Leal's in Muleshoe, Tx. This is a mexican restaurant in a town with very little alternative or competition. The Carne Asada is one of the best plates, as well as the Joe Rhodes Special. We lived in Muleshoe for 3 and a half years and Leals still has the some of the best chips and salsa around, worth the drive!

5. The Red Chimney in Carlsbad, N.M. is a taxidermy house of BBQ. I love BBQ and to be quite honest, this is a great place for just such a meal. Living in Roswell, we would have monthly preacher meetings and often would have two different chances to be in Carlsbad and the Red Chimney was always my vote for lunch. Just a good place to eat,

4. In-n-Out Burger in San Diego, Ca. is... Well if you have had an in-n-out burger, then you know what I am talking about. The old styled hamburger stop with the old style hats for the workers and just a great burger experience.

3. Snoopy's in Corpus Christi, TX. is one of the best fried seafood joints I have ever been into. It is a cash only spot that is right past the inter coastal bridge on your way out to Padre Island. It is open air and right on the water with a nice outdoor seating area and view of the oso bay. Bring your cash and a hankerin' for fish :)

2. Ooy's Thai food in Roswell, N.M. is a come really hungry leave really full kinda place. I always order the combination fried rice and it is a heaping portion of food. They also have this Thai iced tea there that is good for a shot of energy :) If you like Thai food, Ooy's is one of the best "hole-in-the-wall" places around.

1t. Rudy's-- it really does not matter which Rudy's, the one in Lubbock, Corpus Christi, or Round Rock (although you do have to pay for your peppers at the Round Rock location) are all tops on my list. Pound of Brisket and half hottie with some good sweet tea = a great dinner :)

1t. P.F. Chang's in San Diego, Ca. and Alb. N.M. -- Lettuce wraps!!! Chang's Chicken (like a Gen. Tsao's) is the best.

1t. Poppideaux's in Alb. N.M. is a big favorite and the first place that Hadlea went for dinner after she was born. Great food and great memories. The seafood sampler!!!

1t. 4526 Dandridge Dr. Corpus Christi, TX. The meal is pasta or anything for that matter. Between the Barbie dolls and dancing we have a great atmosphere filled with love. Just a great place to eat and enjoy family. Kiss the cook, she is the best around!!!

1t. My Grand pa's knee--Ozark, Ala. This was the best place to have red rhine bologna and cheese while watching some old show on the black and white TV. The atmosphere was down home Alabama with Paul "Bear" Bryant glass bottles as door stops and red clay as a play ground. What a fun place, to bad it has been closed since 1979. Roll Tide!