Anthem Lights - The Candid Chat

A little while ago I had the pleasure of talking to Caleb Grimm. Aside from having a name that has a lot in common with network television, he is also a vocalist with Anthem Lights.

If that name rings a bell, it's cause they will be at Air Raid this year. So before you see Caleb live, get to know him in advance. 

Unashamed Tour

Last night a crew from LIFE jumped aboard a moving vehicular device that took us to downtown Toronto for one thing... The Unashamed Tour. Lecrae, Trip Lee, Tedashii, Pro, KB all under one roof. The question is, how was it?

Andy Mineo was the first act. Really cool guy. It was more of an urban pop sound.
KB, Pro and Tedashii all hit the stage afterward. Pro had a guy in a monkey suit join him on stage. Yes, that was as awesome as it sounds.

One of the great things about rap artists is that they are not ashamed to represent Jesus. Very vocally. All of them gave great messages about redemption, faith, love, missions and just general life stuff.
Trip Lee followed that up with songs like Hero and I'm Good. I'm Good was better than hoped.
Lecrae followed that up with songs like Don't Waste Your Life, I Know and his biggest, Background.

One thing Crae said, that I thought was awesome, was that for every 10 people you influence, there will be one hater. That's so true. It doesn't seem to matter how "good" we are, there will always be someone that finds fault. He then went on to make the point that we can't be worried about what people think, but have to focus on what God thinks.

Now for the pictures that I took on my phone.... ya.... they prove that pictures and phones should not be legally allowed to coexist...

 Tedashii on stage!

Trip Lee bringing his flows

This is KB doing a hand stand

Wait... this looks familiar...

Hmmmm.... must have been the lighting

Why I Love Fall

Fall is awesome. Why? Here is my list.

1. Colors 
The leaves are incredible. Reds, oranges, yellows, pinks all swirling around in the breeze... gets me excited every time.

2. Air

I can actually go outside without feeling like I'm being doused with smog/sauna/ a heat ray. I like the cold. Cold starts in fall.

3. Thanksgiving
Turkey, pumpkin pie and gravy on potatoes... lots and lots of gravy...

4. Being Thankful
This is a reflective time. There is so much to be thankful for, even if we don't think so. Even if everything has gone haywire all year, we can be glad that God still loves us and that we are alive.

5. Making Fun of the Leafs 
The annual pastime of making fun of Toronto's hockey heroes is not happening this year. This makes me sad... more time to build material for next year.

6. Remembering Why I Want A DSLR Camera
See reason #1. All that color, leaves reflecting in the water. The pictures almost take themselves.

7. Christmas Shopping
The strategy and planning begin now. Yes, I am that type of person.

8. Bonfires
They are better in fall.

9. Daylight Savings Time Ends
I get an extra hour of sleep. Can you spell A-E-W-S-O-M-E?

10. I'm out of stuff now... list is over
 Go eat some turkey or ham or a candy or something.

Red Umbrella - An Interview

Parry Sound's own Red Umbrella recently gave me a shout. We covered such topics as Kick Starter, new music as well as the whack of line-up changes they've gone through. Here's the run down.

To get involved in the Kick Starter - http://goo.gl/2cpzl
To become their BFF - http://goo.gl/oMzQS
To become my BFF - http://goo.gl/vodmn

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes. 

I'd been told most of my life the books were good, I knew I'd likely read 'em sooner or later, but never got around to it. Then, last year I watched a trailer for Sherlock Holmes 2. My immediate thought? Forget the movie! I'm reading the book.

It took 8 months, but I finally read "The Book". Or books. 

Turns out Sherlock is a whack (and I do mean whack) of short stories. There are 4 long form books, but the rest are from an old school (think 100 years ago old school) magazine.

I really loved them.

I think it's the way the problems are solved. With CSI being the standard in mysteries anymore, a different format was a refreshing experience.

Another thing that surprised me was how messed up Holmes is.

He's moody, rude, a slight chauvinist and even has some less the terrific habits.

Sounds like us doesn't he? Messed up. Yet, he was a hero in fiction world and in our world.

Believe it or not, God used this as an analogy for me. 

Just like Holmes was used despite his idiosyncratic, God uses us despite ours.  

I did wind up seeing the movie... just read the books...

Text... oh, hold on....ing

I don't usually like doing rant posts. The internet is angry enough without me spewing out my pet peeves, however, the time has come.
Texting. We all do it (o.k, most of us do it). The problem is, most of us do it in each other's faces.
Have you ever been talking to someone when they randomly glaze over in the eyes, whip out their phone and force you to hold your thought? I have, worse, I've been the glazy eyed phone zombie.
When did it become o.k to ignore real people in favor of someone sitting miles away with plastic in their hand?
As I said, I do it too.
Consider this my way of saying, it's time for a "Technically It's The New Year Because School's Back And Stuff" Resolution.
I'm hoping to stop doing it to others. It will be a small act, however I will be one less lost in the land of glazed eyes.
By this time next year I ho... oh, hold that thought, I have a text....

Bible Movies Everywhere

Bible movies. There are a lot of them in the works. Rumors of a new movie based on Moses.
A David epic on the way... and Will Smith turning Able and Cain into Vampires.
Ya.
Aside from the last one, I'm stoked! At first I was a little worried that they would mess with the story too much (it is the 21st century), then I watched "The 10 Commandments."
It's a classic to most Christians... with a LOT of license taken. A LOT.
Which made me realize poetic license is going to happen. Let's just hope there's not too much (ahem, Will Smith)

I'm most excited for Noah.
It stars Russell Crowe as the title character with Anthony Hopkins as Methuselah. March of 2014 is a long wait, but I'm hoping it will be worth it. At the very least, I will put some faces to the names.