Music

The Magical Music/Movie Tour

VinceLeave a comment

I gave my music-savant friend Ryan a challenge the other day, and that in turn led him to a post on fandom. The circle must be unbroken, so these are some musings on his musings inspired by my question. (We have Dramamine available in the lobby.)

The (Not So) Sure Thing

Back before anyone knew who John Cusack and Nicolette Sheridan were, they made a movie called The Sure Thing (how could that possibly be thirty years ago!). In it, Sheridan played the title character (and that title is how she’s credited) who was the object of desire of every boy in school for obvious reasons.

Family

Meet Ten of Our Kids

VinceLeave a comment

That title might come as a surprise to our daughter, who for twenty-nine years has thought she was an only child. (She’s really thirty-two, but children aren’t really cognizant of much those first three years, right?)

John and Ashley

Ashley is the one whose birth certificate has our names on it, but John got here as soon as he could. The most important person in this picture, however, is the little guy on the lower left. He is known to all who know me as the WCG, the World’s Cutest Grandkid, for obvious reasons.

The Phifers are currently phollowing the Lord twelve timezones away in Cambodia.

Music

And the Award for Dumbest Voters Goes to …

Vince2 Comments

I had a random stream of consciousness conversation on Twitter the other day that ended with me mentioning Grammy stupidities. My friend Ryan Brymer was curious what my top 5 were, and here we are. (Ryan has more knowledge about music in his thumbnail than I have in my whole body, so I’m expecting him to reciprocate when we’re done here.)

The Grammy’s have a long history of stupidity, but this list is limited to what I consider to be the most egregious in the timeframe that I have been paying attention to music, which goes back to around the invention of the treble clef.

Church

Not Not Letting Go

Vince4 Comments

My friend Ryan Brymer wrote a really good piece on Faith Village a week or so ago, and then he and I and another friend of ours had a lively Twitter discussion about it the next day. Since 140 characters isn’t conducive to a very good conversation, I decided to put my thoughts down here.

First, you should go read his piece. Actually, you should read all of his pieces (except the ones where he goes on and on about Charlotte Church, don’t read those, it just encourages him in his obsession for bad pop music). For now, though, read just the one.

Random

Ordinary Superheroes

VinceLeave a comment

You can’t throw a piece of popcorn anymore and not hit a superhero movie. One or two of them are even good. Most of them are not (I’m looking at you, Amazing Superman, all volumes). Almost all of them involve a person or persons with one or more superhuman capabilities, who can consequently do extraordinary things.

I’m more interested in ordinary people who do extraordinary things.

The Invincibles

The husband of this couple went in for “simple” gall bladder surgery several years ago, developed pancreatitis and a host of other complications, and has spent the intervening years in and out of hospitals, with and without PICC lines, feeding tubes, and having at least one very near death experience.

Music

What If?

VinceLeave a comment

What If?

What if church really was like family.
What if we pretended the “brother and sister, son and daughter,” stuff was real.
What if relationships were thought to be rare and valuable things.
What if it was just a bunch of people that loved each other and were simply trying their best to follow this Jesus we read of in scripture.
What if we pretended the “love your neighbor as yourself,” thing was a better way to live.
What if we got in the mud for each other at two in the morning.
What if the cow dies and it’s ok because we are there, in it together.