Memorial Day

I have to make one more post and this is by far the most important.

Since it is now Memorial Day(and my birthday) I can't go to sleep without honoring our country's veterans and soldiers. I watched a program tonight honoring our nation's fallen soldiers on PBS with the National Symphony performing. I was truly touched by some of the war stories I heard. Gary Sinise, the famous actor, read a current Army officer's account of when a roadside bomb blew up the vehicle seven of his comrades were riding in. Right there in Iraq, this soldier lost seven men he grew to call brothers.

In addition to that, the country duo "Big and Rich" sang a song that they wrote in tribute to their local bartender who fought in Vietnam. Thank you to the men and women who have fought or are currently fighting to protect the citizens and values of the United States. I give greater thanks to God because I live in a country that is so blessed.

This Memorial Day, think about the freedoms you love. Think about the family and friends that you enjoy spending time with. Think about the places you love to go. Though we may never have to fight in a war, we can make little sacrifices to honor God and the men and women who died fighting for the United States. 3 p.m. on Memorial Day has been declared a moment of silence to remember those who fought for our country. Take a moment to remember them and say a prayer.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
-John 15:13

















Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
the hour I first believed.

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come.
T'was Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

When we've been here ten thousand years
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
then when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

For Your Information. . .

I bought a CD today with "Carnival of the Animals," along with a number of other selections by Camille Saint-Saens following a recommendation of a friend. Well, it so happens that one of the movements in, "Carnival of the Animals" is entitled, "Pianists." I suppose you can see where I'm going with this. Anyway, it features a pianist playing repeated scale patterns that are transposed into a new key every time. What I don't get is why is there a movement entitled, "Pianists," in the, "Carnival of the Animals?" If the suite is entitled, "Carnival of the Animals," and there is a movement titled, "Pianists," does this mean that pianists are animals? I thought I would bring that to eveyone's attention.

On another note(no pun intended), I still believe that the Ice Age II film score is awesome. It is my favorite film score for new movies this year. No wait, "Pride and Prejudice" is. But they have separate styles. One is more classical and the other resembles Aaron Copland's music in some spots.

I watched Leonard Bernstein's, "Young People's Concerts," and they are pretty cool. Even though they were designed for kids you still learn a lot and you hear a variety of music. In one episode he even had Aaron Copland conducting. That was cool.

Birthday

Hmmm...My birthday is tommorrow. Hmmm. My birthday is tommorrow. Woo hoo! It's funny because about a week ago I forgot my birthday was coming up. On a cool note, my brother came down and we celebrated my birthday early because he had to return to work and school. What was also cool was I got some books on the history of the United States written by my great-great uncle. I learned a few monthes ago that my great-great uncle was actually quite a big writer/author and he wrote about 64 books. A number of his books are on history or Christianity. So there you go. That's my claim to fame: I have a great-great uncle who was an author.

Also...

My other claim to fame: I was on TV last Wednesday at the Cubs v. Marlins game. Yea....

Music Stuff

Beethoven's 6th symphony is pretty sweet. Lots of clarinet solos. Most of it is actually sight-readable too.

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown has an awesome soundtrack with plenty of clarinet licks.

I got a DVD at the public library that is part of a set entitled, "Leonard Bernstein's, 'Young People's Concerts' with the New York Philharmonic." I haven't watched it yet but it was actually taken from a TV series years ago and put onto DVD. Apparently Leonard Bernstein had some type of TV program for young people and I figure I'm young so why not watch it.

Random Stuff

I went to a band concert for my former high school band tonight. I was pleasantly surprised by their performance. Considering the fact that a very strong senior class left last year(my class), a lot of people thought the band would go way downhill. They actually turned out a descent performance. The concert bands performed a number of band transcriptions of orchestral pieces. The jazz band also performed some good old classics. One of the pieces called, "Leap Frog," by Joe Garland(a famous jazz pianist) is actually played during pregame at FSU football games. I wanted to chant out "FSU" during the song.

After the concert I went out to eat with some of my friends from high school. They are all in college now like me. We were telling various stories from our respective schools and they told me all about the parties they went to. I am always amazed by how much time college students waste on partying. What surprises me more is how much money college students(and Americans for that matter) spend on alcohol. Billions of dollars are spent on alcohol every year in America. Plus some of my friends from high school love getting drunk and not knowing what they're doing. Blah. I am glad that I have made a commitment to stay away from that.

Tonight the Chicago Cubs won their second straight game! Hooray! Unfortunately, tommorrow Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood is pitching and the game is on national television. I say it's unfortunate because I'll be in summer school class during the game. B00. Maybe I'll record it. The only reason I said that was because I'm a huge Cubs fan. The great news is I get to see Greg Maddux pitch next Wednesday against the Marlins! Maddux is probably one of the most commanding pitchers in the major leagues and a future hall of famer. Yes...

Tonight the Da Vinci Code premiered in France. Sadly, the critics did not have good reviews for the movie. I'm depressed...

Not really. I heard on the news that the audience actually hissed during the credits. However, I am somewhat interested in seeing it because then I won't have to read the book and I'll understand what people are talking about. It may even give me a chance to witness to non-Christians who may misunderstand Christianity. One reminder for everyone, before you criticize the book or the movie, read the cover of the book and take a look at the small white print. It reads: A Novel. So don't take the book or movie too seriously because it's fictional. The author Dan Brown has even said it's fictional. One idea I liked from my pastor in Tally is to go watch the movie as a congregation and then discuss it afterwards. The important thing is to maintain a positive attitude about the whole thing. Thousands of people around the world are watching Christians to see how they react. We do not want to ruin our witness.

Ascension and Ascetics

How was your Mother's Day? You probably aren't a mother but you sure have one. Say hi to your mom(that was for you Amanda and never again will I say it).

My mother's day started off by attending church. The sermon I heard this morning was very enjoyable. I suppose a better way of putting it is that God spoke to me through the sermon. My pastor preached on the ascension of Jesus and the training of the twelve. Something that I really honed in on was truths my pastor made about Christ's ascension. One was that when Christ died, God sent the Holy Spirit and all Christians were henceforth gifted to worship God and proclaim his good news. To give a clearer description, here is Romans 12:4-8:

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Another truth that was mentioned in the sermon this morning had to do with the manner in which Jesus sought to reach the world. Jesus, in effect, reproduced his life in a few others. He never went to the large city centers where thousands of people dwelled. He seeked out individuals and taught them how to live faithfully. Those people he sought out went to others and taught them the same thing Jesus taught.

It doesn't really seem to make sense for Jesus to seek out individuals instead of large crowds, but consider this analogy: suppose Billy Graham preaches to 100,000 different people every day for a month and they all become Christians. He would reach 3 million people for Christ. Now suppose I go to my friend and genuinely reproduce my faith in that person. Then the next day the two of us each went to a different person and did the same thing. If that trend continued for a month with each additional Christian going to a new person, you would reach over 1 billion people for Christ in a month! Just think if we all lived with that attitude. Looking back at Jesus' ministry, it made a lot of sense for him to seek individuals.

Continuing with the book I have been reading, "Sacred Pathways," the chapter I read today focused on ascetics. The ascetic is a person who seeks to grow closer to God through three categories: solitude, austerity, and strictness. After reading the chapter I would somewhat consider myself an ascetic. I am a person who at times loves to live in austerity. Sometimes at home I find myself sitting on the couch or my bed deep in thought, thinking about everything from what I'm going to do later in the day or how to improve my relationship with Christ.

With solitude, I love getting up extremely early in the morning to read my Bible and sit outside(that's the naturalist in me coming out). Sometimes I feel closest to God when I can get up at 5 a.m.(a seemingly impossible task, especially during the summer) and sit outside before dawn has broke. One of the times when I felt closest to God was when I was in the mountains in Colorado during a sunrise peak climb. Although I was with other people, I loved standing on a mountainside with a full moon and magnificent stars above. Far to the south was a small town lit up in the night. If you have never gotten up at 5 a.m. to sit outside, it is definitely worth trying. Get up before sunrise and sit outside reading your Bible or praying with God. For me it is truly an uplifting experience.

Another aspect of ascetics that Thomas discusses is working. One thing he points out is that Jesus was a laborer for ninety percent of his life. An important Christian, Benedict, urged his monks to look at the tools of the monastery as if they were the vessels of the altar. Thomas says, "When we recognize that the strength and ability to work is God's gift to us to help us provide for our needs and the needs of our families, the use of that energy and skill becomes an affirmation of the God who created and sustains us." In addition to that, our work or anything we do in our lives should be an act of worship toward God(going back to what my pastor preached on).

One more thing that Thomas points out is how ascetics draw near to God through hardship. Doesn't it make sense that any hardships we go through should strengthen us? All too often, we want to be pampered(this is very easy for Americans to do in a culture filled with technology at our fingertips). I am not saying saying I am one who prospers in hardship but I have found at certain times in my life, I have grown the most in God when I experience hardships.

The second time I went to Colorado backpacking, I thought it would really be a breeze for me. Much to my surprise, it was not a breeze. The first day on the trail I was literally fighting an uphill battle with a 40 pound backpack on my back. The hike was on a trail that climbed about 1000-2000 vertical feet. About halfway through the day, I was ready to break down because my back was in so much pain. I truly had to rely on God to make it to camp that night.

Thomas puts it well when he says, "When sickness, heat, cold, hunger, or tiredness come -- and they will -- we can either adopt a demanding spirit and stunt our spiritual growth, or embrace them, learn form them, and mature in our faith. Our attitude will make all the difference." I encourage everyone to use trials that come your way to grow in your faith.

Looking ahead to tommorrow, I have my first lesson of the summer with my former teacher. I hope this summer I will be diligent enough to really hone in on the areas where I need to improve. I have ordered some new music recently which is very exciting. They include: the clarinet parts to Tschaikowsky's 4th symphony and Beethoven's 6th symphony and Clarinet Concerto No. 1 by Weber. For the two symphonies I will be studying the parts for the future. Later in the summer I hope to order the clarinet part for "Scheherezade." If you're looking for a great place to order complete orchestral parts, search, "Luck's Music Library," in Google.

The Weber concerto will definitely be a challenge to me this summer as it has many difficult runs. At the same time I am excited because it is very romantic(musically speaking). I love how Weber wrote clarinet solos that sound like opera arias and this concerto does not fall short of that.

Concert and Sacred Pathways

Tonight I went to see the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra play a variety of pieces. Their performance included: Variations on a Theme by Hadyn by Brahms (although it is debated as to whether or not it was really a theme by Hadyn or his pupil), Violin Concerto No. 1 by Prokofiev (performed by Frank Huang, a violin virtuoso), and Symphonic Dances by Rachmaninnoff. The orchestra was really quite fabulous along with guest soloist Huang. I heard some lovely clarinet parts played by my former teacher and also a pretty sweet saxophone solo in the Symphonic Dances. Also, if you're looking for a truly romantic piece, listen to the Prokofiev.

Before bed tonight(and this post) I read part of the book, "Sacred Pathways," by Gary Thomas. It is quite an extraordinary book that tackles a common misconception in Christianity: there is only one way to have a relationship with God. Many times, I think we Christians get the idea that there is only one way to draw closer to God. If you have a quiet time every morning and attend a "reverent" and quiet church service every Sunday then you'll draw closer to God. The thing that is wrong with this as Thomas points out in his book is that there are many pathways to God(he does not however condone not regularly attending church). What may be the correct pathway for one Christian may not be the correct pathway for another Christian. Throughout the book he focuses on many different pathways we take as Christians to worship and praise God using biblical support.

In one section of his book he focuses on the traditionalist. The traditionalist is a person who loves ritual, symbolism, and repitition. What I came to focus on was symbols. Sometimes in church I always felt that symbols could become distracting to me and the congregation. Thomas points out that they're really a great idea(God's idea; of course it is important not to idolize symbols). Something as simple as a cross can remind a person to abstain from a sin that has been troubling them. Everyone has of course seen "WWJD" on bracelets, t-shirts, or bumper stickers. I have a WWJD decal on the back of my car. "What Would Jesus Do" serves as a reminder to exemplify the life Christ lived. One thing that has troubled me is loving others who have opposing opinions with me. This summer I am going to try and find a symbol that reminds me to loves others just as Christ did no matter how hard it may be for me to agree with them.

I encourage anyone else who reads this to find symbols in their life that will help them draw closer to God. I also encourage everyone to read the book, "Sacred Pathways." Through reading the book I have found a greater understanding for other Christians in the way they act and praise God and have found new ways to show praise and adoration towards God.

The Beginning of Summer

This summer has been pretty good so far. Last week I hung out with Ryan; playing racquetball, watching Ice Age: The Meltdown, and going to the beach. His dad also managed to give the bumper of my car a bruise when it was parked in Ryan's grandparent's driveway. In some exciting news(at least for me), I got a new clarinet ligature. It's a very nice ligature which will help give me a darker, fatter tone.

Today I started(or didn't start) summer school at FGCU. I showed up to my class and after waiting a half hour, the professor did not show up. What was really neat was I saw one friend from FSU and another friend from UF who both went to high school with me. They will both be taking World Civilization with me. I'm glad to be able to take a class with people I know.

Looking forward from here, this weekend I will be traveling to Dunedin to get some bagpipe supplies. In a couple of weeks I'm going to Miami to see the Cubs play the Marlins. Of course, my birthday is at the end of the month which is very exciting.

It finally rained today which is good news for people who live in southern Florida. Hopefully more rain is in the near future.

I hope all is well for everyone else from FSU.

An Important Piece On Immigration

This is an editorial that appeared in a Tampa newspaper in response to the immigration hype:

IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT

I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America.

Our population is almost entirely comprised of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!

"In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.

If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle.

Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so. But, once you are through complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other great American freedom, THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

I personally agree with this 100%. After the past month of protests, boycotts, and other crap from immigrants and illegals, it is time for Americans to take a stand. I don't care if illegals make a large contribution to our economy. What is illegal is ILLEGAL. Thousands of people around the world are waiting for green cards or visas to migrate to America legally. Would it be fair to give 11 million people a free pass for citizenship? If someone migrates to Mexico or Columbia, or Guatemala illegally, they get arrested and deported. America should do the same. Yes it is true that our country did a bad job of securing the border between here and Mexico, but that still does not make it right to cross the border illegally. If Congress allows the illegal immigrants to become citizens then I will lose faith in our government. I don't think I could vote for any legislator who undermines our laws by allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens.

In addition to that, we do not know the background of the illegal immigrants coming to this country. For all we know, half of the people who immigrate here illegally could have a criminal background. That might be a wild assumption, but we cannot issue citizenship to people we have no background information for.

If you believe in this editorial, pass it on to anyone you know. Millions of people are trying to get Congress to undermine our laws. Won't the 200-some million other(and legal) Americans take a stand to stop this?