Thanksgiving

Thursday was Thanksgiving and Beverly and I were able to spend time with both sides of our family. Lunch with her side and then dinner with my mother's family. It is great seeing family; it is just too bad that it is only a few times a year.

This year has been a good year, and here are some things I am thankful for:
1. My wife - She is so wonderful, and takes good care of me.
2. My family - I love having parents that love me, and extended family that also is looking out for me and that I can turn to with questions if I have them.
3. A job - I have two jobs that I love a lot. There are not too many people that can say that they even have one job hey like a lot, and I am blessed to have two.
4. Friends - I have grown closer to the people in my Bible study this year, and that is a great blessing. Also, being able to hang out and play games on the weekend with friends is always a good time.
5. President Bush - I know that God placed him in office so that the problems we are currently facing are working the best ways they can.
6. Freedom - A God given blessing that I know I take WAY too much advantage of.
7. God - He looks after me 24/7/365(6), and knowing that brings so much comfort to my life. I know that I am important to Him, and that He will take care of me. I can think of nothing better than to know that all my needs will be taken care of, because God has promised to take care of them for me. Not having to worry about the distant future, tomorrow, or even the rest of the day is so calming and joyful.

Well there you have it for this year. I am sure every year will be the same for the most part since it all is God given.

God Bless

Relient K, MXPX and Switchfoot Concerts

So, this last week has been eventful from a concert standpoint.  Petra was on the 6th, last Thursday Beverly and I saw Switchfoot, and last night we saw MXPX and Relient K.

First the Switchfoot concert.  This was the first concert I have been to where I had to take my shoes off and be patted down.  Everyone had to have the done.  I guess it just shows what kind of world we live in.  Switchfoot didn’t come onstage till almost 10:15pm, and that was already a little late for a Thursday night.  They played all their big hits from their current album and their last album.  Overall it was a good show.  They are fine performs live, and I would advise seeing them if you get the chance.

Last night was MXPX and Relient K.  It was at the Mesa Amphitheater, which meant it was outside.  That was really nice, because it wasn’t too loud, and the concert had to be done early because of the noise.  MXPX has been around a while (12 years about), and they are great on stage performers.  They knew how to engage the crowd, keep everyone in a good mood, and rock out at the same time.  I got to hear some stuff from their latest album, Panic, and it sounded pretty good.  I think I will pick up the vinyl version of the album when it comes out later this year (or early next year).  They played quite a bit of their older stuff as well, and hearing Chick Magnet, I’m OK, You’re OK, and Punk Rock Show live was great.  Then Relient K came on.  They played a lot of stuff from their latest album and their previous album.  They are not as good stage performers as MXPX, but they are relatively young compared the MXPX, so they have time to grow.  What I did like was that most of the songs they sung were songs that had God mentioned in them.  Relient K has a lot of songs that don’t mention God and are “fun” songs and I like them, but it was great that their choice of music focused on God.  It was especially nice since there is a good chance that there were non-Christians there.

So, the last week and a half have been filled with 3 concerts and 4 Christian bands that I really enjoy.  God is good!

Petra Says Goodbye

Sunday night my friend Josh and I went to a concert.  It was Petra, and it was their stop in the Phoenix area on their farewell tour.  Yes, as of the end of the year Petra will be no more.  After 33 years Petra is ending their long and great career.  The first Christian band I ever heard was Petra.  My friend Aaron had their “Beyond Belief” album that was back in 1991.  I was hooked on Christian music from then on.

Then in 1997 Josh and I went to a Petra concert.  It was my first concert without my parents.  That was also a lot of fun.  Because of that concert, Josh and I went to Spirit West Coast in 1998, where I was introduced to a lot more Christian bands.

The concert on Sunday was a lot of fun.  We were able to hear a large array of Petra’s music.  It brought back a lot of great memories from hanging out with friends, and times when I needed an uplifting song.  The band right before Petra was Farewell June.  They had an interesting sound.  The lead singer played guitar, harmonica, and fiddle.  I think they may be an up-and-coming band.  The concert had about 750 people at it, and most of them were older people and their children.  It is true that some of them are getting old.  When they came out on stage, I made the comment, “Man, they look old,” referring to  John Schlitt.  Josh replied, “It’s like watching our parents on stage.”  They all could still rock, and it was a great time.

Petra has always been a great band.  People nowadays think that Petra is just an old 80’s band.  Yes, they were at their best in mid 80’s to the early 90’s, but their music has had one big consistency since they started in the 70’s.  They have always kept God at the center of all their songs.  Some bands have songs that are “fun” and don’t mention God or relate to God at all, but Petra has never done this to my knowledge.  Rock and roll has remained a hit with them, and their latest album “Jekyll and Hyde” was a return to their height, it is a rock album.