March 31, 2008

my son's big debut

Justin has been playing guitar and writing songs for awhile. Last week was his first time playing guitar in the band for the youth group.

Yesterday he was the worship leader (singing and playing guitar) for the service we have for 5th/6th graders. Here's one of the songs they did.




Here's an example of one of the songs he writes. He asked a friend for a song topic and he said, "The sky is falling." So he came up with this.

Look Up To The Sky

The world is getting smaller
theres nowhere left to go
You think that you've found something new
but they already know

It's all been done before
there's nothing left to find
But i'll continue searching
so i look up to the sky

And i see

The sky is falling down on me
it's getting hard to breathe
I look around, nowhere to hide
to hide from falling skies

Lets find somewhere where we can run
for if we dont we're surely done
Lets find somewhere, lets find some place
a place where we'll be safe

Lets find somewhere where we can hide
for if we don't we'll surely die
Dont ask me how, dont ask me why
just look up to the sky

And you'll see

The sky is falling down on me
its getting hard to breathe
I look around, nowhere to hide
to hide from falling skies

This is a link to his music myspace page where you can listen to several songs he has written and performed. justanacoustic


This is a video he made about his friends. It's mainly him and his sisters in the beginning, and then includes some other friends.




This is a video he made of his custodial job at the church. I encourage you to watch it. Particularly to the end.

March 10, 2008

is it ok to question evolution?


Ben Stein, who you may recognize from TV, has a documentary coming out in theaters on April 18th. It's called "expelled," and has to do with how scientists and teachers who question darwinism are silenced, fired, ridiculed, etc. It's kind of a "free speech" issue.

I watched the trailers on the site and it looks very provocative. I'm sure it will be a great conversation starter at school, home, and the workplace.

Here's some information about the web site.

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EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed
A quick guide to viewing the Website

The following links will help you understand the film at a glance. Included here are individual page links…or you can navigate the site directly from the Home Page. But be sure that you visit each of the six pages below, in order to get a feel for the project!

Go to the Home Page http://www.expelledthemovie.com/ watch the “Bad to the Bone” teaser trailer. Then enter the site.

From the Home Page…start with the Trailer…a clip from Ben Stein speaking to a college audience. It gives you an indication of the controversy surrounding the issues that the film addresses. Ben’s Trailer http://www.expelledthemovie.com/playground.php

Then go to the Movie Overview…a short synopsis of the film.
Movie Overview http://www.expelledthemovie.com/movie_overview.php

Next…go to the blog, and scroll down the page to Ben Stein’s Introductory Blog…nearly eighteen hundred people have responded already, since the site first launched August 22, 2007. Remember…the “responses” are all about a film that no one has even seen yet….so take them with a grain of salt!
The Blog http://www.expelledthemovie.com/blog/

Then…go to the News page. The film made the front page of the New York Times on September 27, 2007. A link to the story is the top article.
News Page http://www.expelledthemovie.com/news.php

Complete with all of the assets that you would find in a hard-copy press kit, this online press room was created specifically for your uses
Press Room http://www.expelledthemovie.com/press_room.php

Last, but not least…go to Big Science Academy parody Yearbook, and follow the links to the Class Officers, etcetera. The Playground is just that…a place on the site where the issues are treated with a decidedly tongue-in-cheek fashion.
Big Science Academy http://www.expelledthemovie.com/bigscienceacademy.php