Ok, I should admit it…I’ve got a bit of a crush on Rob.  I listen to all the podcasts, I watch the Nooma’s, I’ve seen him on both of his tours, and I’ve read his books.  When I was a kid, I watched Troy Aikman and dreamed of lighting up defensive backs the way he did.  These days, I listen to the way Rob communicates the Gospel, and I long to be that comfortable and articulate.

Here’s the link to the article in Time Magazine. 

Erin and I rented License to Wed from our local Redbox DVD rental mechanism last night, and I have to admit that i only rented it because they didn’t have Ocean’s 13 and I couldn’t convince myself to get Barbie and The Magical Marshmallow Land.

The movie turned out to be a pleasant surprise…we thouroughly enjoyed it.   You could see the ending coming a mile away(I called the sand part before it happened).  But there were plenty of funny parts, plus you get to see all of the characters from The Office throughout the movie.  I doubt I would buy it, but License To Wed is definitely worth the rental.

Daft Punk’s new live CD (1 of the top 25 live CD’s of all time according to Rolling Stone) is streaming online for free right now.  If you enjoy electronic music at all, this is worth a listen.

And if you haven’t seen the video for “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” you have to watch it.

That’s a misleading title.  I don’t want to review a person; rather, I promised a few notes from my recent visit to Dallas to hear Rob speak.  I enjoyed the talk, and Rob held my interest, but I found the entire thing a bit like Bell’s book “Sex God” in that Rob seemed to suffer a little from the sophomore slump.  ”Velvet Elvis” was an amazing book that was fun and different and helped to reform my beliefs; Rob’s first speaking tour “Everything is Spiritual” was likewise fun and different and radically changed some long-held beliefs.  ”The God’s Aren’t Angry” certainly had plenty of facts and great stories and the message (God loves you and He’s not angry with you) was well-stated, but I can’t say I enjoyed it as much.

For another review, read this entry on the Out of Ur blog at Christianity Today. 

Paste magazine has posted their top 100 albums from 2007.  You can find the list here.

I’m somewhat amazed by how many of these artists and albums I have never heard of.  This is the first year I haven’t had a subscription to Rolling Stone or Spin in a long time, and it has definitely skewed my music knowledge.  However, I do have 5 of the top 50 including Ryan Adams, The Perishers, Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, and Derek Webb. 

We crossed the Rio Grande around 11:00 AM today after spending 4 days in the Mexican desert.  Our crew (consisting of 13 students and 30 other volunteers) painted adobe houses, did medical and vision clinics, cut hair, served meals, and played with children in the villages of La Rosita, San Miguel, and Eutimias.  I got to sleep under the stars twice, and drive through a part of the world that very few people will ever see.  I had a much better time than I thought I would, and I’m so glad I got to serve alongside of everyone.

Only 1 more day until Rob Bell’s “The God’s Aren’t Angry” hits Dallas.  I’ve read reviews, and tried to keep tabs on newspaper articles, and the overall impression I’m getting is that the show should be great.  I don’t expect it to be anything like “Everything is Spiritual,” and that’s alright.

I’d love to post a review after the show tomorrow, but I’ve got to get some sleep.  Saturday morning I leave Athens at 6:30 bound for Mexico, and I won’t even be back in the land of Flush Toilets until Wednesday.  Sometime next week, I’ll post some impressions…it might be partly in Espanol, however.

This Saturday, I will load up into the church van and head to the desert in Mexico for 5 days on a mission trip with FBC Athens.  We are going to remote villages that have no electricity or running water, and not too much contact with urban civilization.  There aren’t really roads that lead to these places, it’s more like dry creek-beds, and the villages don’t really exist on maps (La Rosita…San Miguel…Las Eutamias…anyone?).

We have 12 students journeying with us and so my primary job will be spending time with them as they paint houses, play with the kids, and help serve food.  But my secondary job is the “Spiritual Leader” on the trip…I’m in charge of devotionals for our group, and possibly a sermon to the villagers via a translator.  The devotional part doesn’t frighten me too much, but I am petrified about trying to preach to a Mexican village.  What do I say?

I keep coming back to John 10:10 and John 13:35 and John 15:13.  In those 3 verses, we get a picture that Jesus has come to show us the best kind of life to live, and that love should be the foundation for that life, and that our love should be the kind of love that we would lay down our life for those around us.  Does that translate to people who live in the desert?  Will people whose primary means of transportation is a donkey hear something different than I do in those verses? 

Here is a link to an article in a Grand Rapids newspaper about Craig Gross, the co-founder of xxxchurch.com and Mars Hill Bible Church attendee.  (Rob Bell has a couple of quotations in the story)

It’s an interesting read about the Porn Pastor.  I’m pretty much in love with what they do, especially the x3 watch software that they have for free on their site.  Rather than blocking websites, the software just keeps a running tally of the websites you visit and then e-mails that list to someone that you choose.  So rather than limiting the internet, it promotes converstaion and honesty about where you choose to go on the internet.  Smart.

Three words - best show ever.  Period.  I’m not even sure how it could be topped.  Somehow I made it up to the rail right in front of Darren King on drums, and I even had a shot at catching a drum stick.  I caught the eye of Roy Mitchell-Cardenas (Bass), and I was only feet from King when he stood on top of his bass drum held up by the crowd.  The sound was blisteringly loud, but you could hear everything going on, including Paul Meany’s excellent vocals and keyboard/keytar work.  The crowd was totally into the show and had sold out the House of Blues.  And oh yeah, Eisley played too.  They sounded great, except the songs tended to sound a bit the same.  Here’s my best recollection of the MuteMath set list:

• Collapse >> Typical
• Chaos
• Plan B
• Clockwork (New)
• Stare at The Sun
• Control
• Noticed
• Break The Same
• Peculiar People
• You are Mine
• Reset

I don’t know if MuteMath will be playing small clubs like the House of Blues again, so I’m glad I got the chance to see them.  If you get the opportunity, make sure to catch them when they come to your town.