Goodbye Audio A

Last evening I had the opportunity to go to a MercyMe, Audio Adrenaline, & Aaron Shust Concert. The concert was great and it was fun to hear a ton of familiar songs and sing along with some of my favorite Christian artists. I had never seen MercyMe in concert, so that was definitely a treat.

Now as I write and reflect, however, I am filled with a bit of sadness as I witnessed one of the final Audio Adrenaline concerts ever last night. This April they will call it quits after 16 years of amazing cds and jaw-dropping performances.

Audio Adrenaline has been a staple in the Christian music industry for almost the entirety of the "Christian Rock" era. I have been listening to them for over 10 years now, almost half my life, and have 8 of their cds. Their music really catapulted me into the realm of Christian music, something I am very grateful for.

I suppose there are no need for tears here, but I am really just trying to say thanks and goodbye to a fantastic band. I wish them the best and know God will continue to use them in amazing ways for the Kingdom.

Audio A Info: http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/artists/AudioAdrenaline.asp

Service vs. Evangelism...

I was recently reading a blog post from a new ministry called xxxchurch.com. This ministry is attacking pornography head-on through some creative means. For Valentines Day they are planning on giving roses to local exotic dancers as a way of demonstrating what true love looks like.

So far there have been 63 comments made regarding this post, including a very heated debate about whether or not service always needs to include a clear presentation of the gospel message. The debate is very interesting and raises a number of very good points. I am still wrestling with whether or not service alone in the name of Jesus is enough, or whether those actions should include the Gospel message. I have my opinion on the matter, but I would be interested to hear what you all think in response to the issues addressed in these comments. Here is the link for the blog entry: http://xxxchurch.com/07/blog_x3_full.php?p=28.

My Favorite Superbowl Commercials...

I am an avid football fan and loved watching the Superbowl yesterday. It was a great game that featured a host of different storylines within the game, from Peyton Manning overcoming defeat to Tony Dungy becoming the first African-American coach to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

At the same time, however, I also look forward to the Superbowl each year to see the creativity of the commercials. I have been disappointed in recent years by the lack of originality and humor in the ads, but was pleasantly surprised by the commercials this year. Two companies stood leaps and bounds above the others in my book...Sierra Mist and CareerBuilder.com. The Sierra Mist Comb-Over Beard sketch and the CareerBuilder Performance Evaluation commercial were my favorites. You can see these commercials and all the rest at http://www.youtube.com/superbowl. Feel free to let me know which commercials you thought were the best.