Chris Frank Leaves Ethan’s Well

Heard some depressing news today, at least for a lot of you Bethel people. Chris Frank, co-singer and guitarist for the band Ethan’s Well has left the band. I just received an e-mail about it, and personally, I’m kind of bummed. They had a really good sound and I’ve always thought they were going to go somewhere with it. The pressures of school, a new marriage, work, and the band were just too much for him. The three remaining members of the band are going to try and continue on, which is a pretty daunting task, considering they just lost half their songs and they’re down to one singer/guitarist. So you may want to keep Chris Frank and the remainder of Ethan’s Well (Matt, Mark, & Nate) in your prayers. Part of the difficulty of continuing on is the several shows they have booked in the coming months. In fact, they’re playing at the New Union this Saturday night, and have a February 6th show at Coffee Shock. So get out there and support this ministry if you can. These guys are talented musicians and deserve the recognition, especially right now when things can’t be easy for ’em. And just to encourage you, I think Mission Control (the famed radio show with which I am a co-host) is going to give away free tickets to the New Union show.

Seeing as I just gave myself some work to do, I better get on that. So that’s the end of my ponderings for today. If your brain is still thirsty, check out my inspiration. It’s my friend Ben Tramm’s page, the place I stole the idea of a daily thoughts page from.

Exhausted from Broomball

Whew. I’m exhausted right now. Probably not the best time to sit down and pen my pondering thoughts, but oh well, that’s what you’re stuck with. I just returned from another thrilling Broomball game. Unfortunately, my team lost their third straight game with a score 1-0. We played really good though, we just couldn’t get it in the net. But I had fun, and that’s all I care about.

Wisdom from The Tick

As was the case in my last entry, I’m lacking in intelligent thoughts. That seems rather odd, seeing as I’m taking a Christian Theology class right now. But to be honest, I don’t want to bore you with a bunch of hefty stuff I don’t quite understand, yet. I’ll fill my page with those ponderings soon enough. Until then, I’ll leave you with a few intellectually stimulating words from a book I’m currently reading, The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice.

“Remember, a true friend won’t try to kill you.”

“Random acts of injustice are right on the bottom of my list, let me tell you! Right down there with eating kittens.”

“Evil robots wear nothing but bad intentions.”

“Some people need to learn that there’s a time and a place for everything, and kissing has no time or place in a super heroic career.”

“He had a keen costume, and he gave me a wholesome glass of milk, so he’s okay in my book (that’s this book, in fact!)”

So until next time, in the immortal words of the Tick, “SPOON!”

Enjoying the Cold

I think today’s ponderings are going to be totally non-intellectual. It’s been a rather lazy Sunday, and I think I’d like to keep it that way.

Did you see the Vikings pound the Cardinals today? I’m not much of a football fan, but you have to respect a team that plays that well. They’re just entertaining to watch. I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun being in a city that wins the Superbowl.

Wow, it’s been pretty cold out there. But to everyone suffering from the frigid cold weather, I have some advice. It’s pretty good advice too, because Minnesota’s been below zero pretty much since I came back from Christmas break. It was -16 on Saturday. First of all, throw fashion out the window (which is good advice no matter the season). Sure, the nice warm hat will do some major static cling to your hair, but your ears will show no signs of frostbite. Secondly, keep your vehicle in good shape. Check those window wiper blades (I just put new ones in, and it was really easy and inexpensive), fill up on wiper fluid, and start your vehicle everyday and warm it up to keep it going in this extreme cold. Finally, don’t just huddle underneath your parka and shiver, complaining about how cold it is. Put on some long johns, and get out there and enjoy the weather! Am I nuts? No, just smart. Twice now I’ve been outside in sub-zero temperatures without a jacket. Crazy? Maybe. Just enjoying some Broomball. But no matter the sport, get out there and enjoy the weather. It may be cold, but once you move around you won’t even notice it. Cold weather is no reason to stay cooped up inside. I made that mistake last year and missed some great fun. (Mom’s Note: Just don’t be dumb about it. Be aware of frostbite and all that good stuff)

Return to Blogging

Never fear faithful readers, for I have returned! I do apologize greatly for the absence, but I’ve had a few computer problems. Last Monday I returned to school (which accounts for missing a few days), and I came back with a new computer. Unfortunately, that meant pure joy when I tried to hook up to the network at school. It’s taken a week, but I’m finally back on. Special thanks to Andy Fast, Mike Johnson and the rest of Bethel’s Computer Lab for getting me back online.

While going through pondering withdrawal, I’ve had a number of brilliant thoughts to share. But I had no way to share them, so I regret to admit that they’ve been lost. Doh! Give me a few days and I’ll see if I can recover them. Until then, here’s a cool quote from my Christian Theology class:

He died to take away your sins. Not your mind.

Snow, Canceled Church & Bill Murray

Snow. Ah the beautiful white fluff that covers everything and turns driving into the hobby for the desperate. We got the first big snow of the year today. Well, it’s probably the biggest snow storm we’ve had in a while. I love snow. Yeah, it’s cold. Yeah, it’s wet. Yeah, it makes the roads really slick so I can’t go see my girlfriend–but I still love it. I think tomorrow I’m gonna build me a snowman.

The only thing I don’t understand about the snow, is people’s panic. My church canceled all services tomorrow because of the weather. Who cancels church? You don’t cancel church. You can’t cancel church. You know people are going to show up at 10:30 tomorrow morning, wanting to worship God. But the doors will be locked, and we’ll all be snug in our nice warm homes. Cancel church? I thought church was like Meijer’s and 711–they never close.

Oh well. Just for kicks, I have to mention this: Tonight I watched one of the coolest movies ever. It hasn’t received much acclaim, and I think it probably got slammed at the Oscars. But that’s okay, all the good movies do. The Man Who Knew Too Little with Bill Murray. It has to be one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. If you haven’t seen it, go rent it now. You can’t write a better comic premise. Adam Sandler and the late Chris Farley can have their misplaced anger, profanity, and sex jokes–but they’ll never have anything as funny as the comic possibilities presented in “The Man Who Knew Too Little.” It’s even too cool to try and explain. Go watch it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a snowman to build.

The New Year & the New Millennium

1999. Wow. I had go back and fix the date. It certainly won’t be the last time. I guess I don’t have too much to say about the whole New Year’s thing. I don’t get into the resolutions, and the whole thing doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to me. It’s like getting excited about the odometer in your car turning over 100,000 miles. It’s kind of funny that we humans have to pause and celebrate, just because the numbers in our way of organizing things turn over. It’s not like today is any different from yesterday. The only thing different is that I’ll keep writing the wrong date. It seems the only thing this turning over of the calendar is good for is making money. Maybe I’m just a New Year’s Scrooge, but look at next year. Talk about a moneymaker. Hotels have been booked for years. M&M’s are sponsoring the new millennium. I’d wish I was the genius who came up with the idea of selling the Mars Candy Company those rights (anyone want to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?). Next year is just a really big turn over of the calendar. Sometimes I wonder if God looks down at us and laughs. Silly people, nothing’s changing.

I guess the only thing the New Year does do is make us stop and think for a moment. I suppose that’s good. I do advocate thinking. It is the one time of the year when people stop for a moment and reflect on what they’ve done and what they’re doing. Where they’re going. Hmm… where we’re going. That’s a frightening question sometimes. But for me anyway, it does bring some sense of hope. Because I know that the only hope in the future I have is that God is in control, and so I don’t have to worry. That’s always a good thing to know.

So Happy New Year, I guess. Although I don’t see what makes it any different. Unless you remember to write the correct year, which would make it a happy year.