reverb blog

Sorry!

2006-11-13T09:08:00.000-05:00

Sorry to everyone about the lack of posting lately. Crossroads is in the process of retooling their web presence at the moment. The plan, right now, is to relaunch their website with a new design and some new features. So, the Reverb Blog will be going away for a short while and returning as a part of the Crossroads' website sometime in the near future.

I'm sure some sort of announcement will be made at the appropriate time - but if you'd like to make sure you dont' miss the launch - email me at patchdrury@gmail.com and let me know. I'll send out a private email letting you know.

In the meantime, if you need something to flitter away the soul-crushing hours at work, check out some of these links:

Donald Miller's website - Favorite Christian author
Dave Ramsey's website - Financial guru
Burnside Writer's Collective - Spirituality, culture, and social issues handled with a bit of humor, sincerity, and irreverence.
Wikipedia.com - Open source reference material
Theopedia - Theological open source reference material
The Calvin & Hobbes Searchable Database - Just type in a topic you remember from a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon (like Snowmen) and it'll pull up all the strips that featured said topic. Awesome!
CD Central - Local music store
Netflix - Online movie rentals
The world's coolest online clock/calendar
Download Firefox 2.0 - Favorite web browser.
Digg - Intersting bits from around the net

Hopefully that'll keep you busy. Remember it's the internet and you never know what might be on the other side of a link, so browse carefully. I didn't knowingly post any links with obscene material, but you never know when something like that might just be a few wrong clicks away from you.

See you soon!

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Getting nothing done today...

2006-11-03T13:56:00.000-05:00

If you thought the Halloween puzzle thing was tough, try this one. Supposedly no one person can do it on their own. Despite that warning, it's just workable enough to keep you interested.

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Waste time at work on Halloween

2006-10-31T14:14:00.000-05:00

Greg Gilmore's sister sent this to me months ago. You're supposed to figure out the dark/scary movie titles from the clues in the painting. I thought it seemed appropriate for Halloween. I've only gotten about 37 out of 50. Give it a try and let everybody know how you do.

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Halloween is coming!

2006-10-25T09:10:00.000-04:00

If you know me very well at all, you know I love Halloween. It's one of my favorite Holidays. I love spooky stuff, I love candy, and I love costumes. Because of my love for those last two, I'm gonna head out to Crossroads on Thursday or Friday to check out the Pumpkin Patch Party (they've got candy and costumes - no spooky stuff, though, in case you were getting worried). I like seeing all the little kids in their halloween costumes - and I like sneaking some candy when nobody's looking.

I know Bret and Sally's daughter Lilly is going as a Mermaid. Are any of the rest of our readers taking their kids to the Pumpkin Patch Party? Or maybe just trick or treating? If so, what are your kids dressing up as? Are you dressing up too? Maybe for a Halloween party? I'm going as a skeleton this year. I pride myself on originality.

Tell us what you and/or your kids are dressing up as. If you email me a picture I'll even post it if you want.

(By the way, if you're interested in going to the Pumpkin Patch Party - it's on Thursday the 26th and Friday the 27th and starts at 6:30. For More information, contact Angie Poston at 263-4633 x258).

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Word verification

2006-10-24T20:59:00.000-04:00

Our comment section has been spammed a couple of times in the past two weeks so I've decided to turn on the word verification feature. All this means is when you make a comment from now on, there will be a little three or four letter code at the bottom of the page that you'll have to retype. No bigee. Now back to the action!

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Two Way Conversation...

2006-10-23T09:50:00.000-04:00

Surveys show most people pray. We ask God for what we need. We ask God for what others might need. But do we ever really listen for what God might say in return? This past weekend at Crossroads Mark and Faith led us in a responsive prayer that acknowledged not only our needs, but what God might say back to us if we'd just listen. I post it here in case it spoke/speaks to you or you'd like to use it as a part of your spiritual rhythms this week.

We Pray: Father, sometimes the needs in my life seem overwhelming. I feel like I worry all of the time. Where will the money come from? Will I find someone to love? How long can I keep up this pace? Will you help Lord?

God Responds: Can you add a single hour to your life by worrying? Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, I feed them. Aren’t you more important to me than they are?

So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We Pray : Our world seems so fragile God. What will happen next? Will my tests come back negative? Will my kids be ok? Will I be able to make it on my own? There is so much I can’t control. Can I trust you to help me?

God Responds: I know the plans that I have for you. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.

Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will hear you. When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me, I will let you find me, declares the LORD.

We Pray: Why is life so hard right now God? Why do you allow me to struggle? Why don’t you protect me from the randomness of nature and the actions of others? Can you hear me God? When life is hard I start to wonder if you are there at all.

God Responds: Although it doesn’t seem possible, know that I make all things
work together for the good of those who love me.

Nothing can stop my love for you- death can’t stop it, demons can’t stop it, powerful people can’t stop it, problems can’t stop it. There’s nothing in all of creation that can make me turn my back on you.

We Pray: I am so weak God. I come to again with the same list of failures and sins. Can I ever really change? Will you forgive me again?

God Responds: If you told me that you never sin, I’d be concerned. You’d be lying to yourself and to me. I keep my word. If you confess your sins, I will forgive you and cleanse you from everything you’ve done wrong.

Trust my mercy. My compassion is unlimited. It is new every morning. You can count on this.

We Pray: Have your way with us Lord. May our lives please you and bless those around us. We entrust ourselves to you. Amen.

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Of interest this weekend...

2006-10-20T10:56:00.000-04:00

As you may or may not know, Crossroads has been in the process of finding a new worship leader. This weekend one of the possible candidates will be sitting in with our band and helping out with the service by leading a couple of songs.

Two important caveats:

1. This gentleman is a possible hire. I stress this just because we don't want to start a game of telephone where the end result is on Sunday people are coming up to this poor guy, welcoming him to the Crossroads family, and warning him to stay away from Bret when he hasn't been hired yet.

2. He'll be leading songs the worship team picked out, backed up by our band, and our vocalist - so don't assume what you see this weekend is the most complete picture of his style or abilities.

So keep those two thoughts in mind this weekend if you make it out. Lots of exciting things are happening at ol' St. Awesome's these days. God is shaping our future right in front of us. You should come be a part of it.

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Music to get you through the last few hours of work

2006-10-18T15:16:00.000-04:00

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The Reverbification of St. Awesome's

2006-10-16T11:16:00.000-04:00

Soooo, yesterday was the first merged service. What did you think?

It obviously wasn't just like Reverb and it obviously wasn't just like the classic service. It was, as one might imagine, kind of a mix. I think talking about the service as a "merge" is probably a little limiting in the long run as the service should be it's own thing instead of an equal mix of column A and column B, but for the time being, I thought yesterday's service represented some of the best parts of both Reverb and the Classic services.

Like Fred pointed out last week, movement will no doubt be slow and deliberate as we work to move the entire body into new means of worship and expression. I'm excited and encouraged by how the first week went. Random notes:

-The community area looked really nice. Greg Gilmore and Amy Cranfill deocrated it. And the paintings over the coffee area were by Amy!
-I thought Greg Chandler's segue into the responsive worship/communion/confession time was excellent. Greg is made for that sort of thing.
-It looked to me like the 9:30 crowd was the largest of the three.
-I had two donuts.
-I was amazed at how quickly and smoothly the larger crowds made their way through communion time. I was really anxious to see what that was going too look like.

After the 11:15 service there were a lot of old Reverb regulars stacking chairs. I thought that was awesome. If some of you Reverbites are bemoaning the loss of the sense of community you loved with the smaller Reverb crowd, you might consider sticking around after the last service and helping put the chairs away. It's a nice way to serve and it's good bonding time. For instance, yesterday Bret, Fred, Greg, and I had a chair fight. It was just like a snowball fight, but instead of throwing snowballs we threw chairs. And instead of clumps of snow falling down the back of your shirt, blood gushes out of your nose and stains your pants.

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FYI

2006-10-12T12:03:00.000-04:00

If anybody was planning on going to Louisville to see Donald Miller this Sunday night, it's been cancelled. No explanation given as of yet. I suspect he heard I was gonna be there.

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Waste time at work

2006-10-11T08:37:00.000-04:00

Click here to play Line Rider

Click here to play around with Google Fights (found by Bret).

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Where would you go?

2006-10-08T22:27:00.000-04:00

If you had just a couple of days to get away, and didn't want to fly or drive more than 6 hours?

What would you do once you got there?
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Reverb Radio #5 - It is Finished

2006-10-07T00:54:00.000-04:00

Download the FINAL Reverb Radio by right-clicking here.....Well, we'll keep doing the podcast, but since Reverb and the "Classic Service" at XRoads are merging into one identical weekend experience, we need to retire the podast's name. Since we'll keep doing the podcast, we need to give it a new (and improved?) name. Send your podcast name ideas to reverbradio@gmail.com or leave your suggestion in the comment.

Never the less, this episode of Reverb Radio is packed with cool stuff. We talk about Chicago, TV, and other cool crap....and this weeks music spotlight is The Lemonheads' song "Become the Enemy" off their new self-titled LP. How cool is that? Totally cool!

We hope you enjoyed Reverb Radio...now go and re-name us! Come on....I triple-dog dare you.

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Mistah Jones! Mistah Jones!

2006-10-05T23:23:00.000-04:00

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Just in case there's any other Indiana Jones fans out there, here's an update on the possibility of IJ4.....

NEW INFO ON INDY JONES IV

While this excites me it also is a sad, sad reminder of my dwindling youth (is there any left at 34 without children? :) ). The last release in the Indy trilogy was 1989. The same year I was a junior in high school and drove a 1979 Dodge Aspen. Yep, I never heard of an Aspen before or after that vehicle and it's probably a blessing that I forgot to put the oil cap on and eventually locked up the engine.

Now.....how old were you and what were you doing back in 1989?

For more Indiana Jones info, check out this site

WWW.INDIANAJONES.COM

One Last Hurrah

2006-10-05T09:37:00.000-04:00

This Sunday (10/08) will be our last formal Reverb service, and we’re going out in style. For starters, our gathering will center around sharing a meal together. We’re catering enough Sonny’s BBQ for everyone, so come ready to eat.

As we partake, Jason will treat us to a couple of our favorite preludes from the past year. (You have voted for this a couple of posts below, right?) We’re also planning a time of open mic sharing and on taking communion together. Sound good? Then plan on joining us Sunday @ 11:45am.

Oh yeah- since we’ll need to have places for 200+ people to eat, we could use a little extra help with setup this week. If you are willing to lend a hand, meet Greg Gilmore in the lobby @ 11am. He’ll put you to work. Greg would also appreciate a brief email if you are planning on pitching in this way (ggilmore@xroadschurch.org).
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It's Hard Being Famous. Just ask Biff.

2006-10-04T10:32:00.000-04:00

You know, being famous, like I am, people often ask me weird questions, in weird places. Just the other day, a complete stranger came up to me and said, "You're that guy from the podcast. You're so much funnier than Patrick. And handsomer too!” This wouldn't be an unusual conversation, but this guy was yelling this out of his car window at me while I was in my car and we were driving around New Circle Road going 60mph. OH, the price of fame.

Finally, I found someone that can relate to my pain. Yes, Biff from Back to the Future fame. He understands me.

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Favorite U2 album?

2006-10-03T12:45:00.000-04:00

The Burnside Writers Collective (an online magazine with ties to Blue Like Jazz author Donald Miller) recently ran a poll on what is the greatest U2 album ever. I'm not sure why they chose U2 for their poll. Maybe because the Collective deals with a lot of faith issues and U2 has always been Christendom's secular band of choice (I use secular here just to mean they're not on a Christian label)? Who knows.

I used to be a big U2 fan, but got kind of tired of the way they became the template for a lot of Christian music in the eighties. Achtung Baby was my favorite album. I used to listen to it every weekend my freshman year of college when I'd drive home to see my girlfriend. Most of U2's stuff lately leaves me kind of cold. Like everyone else in the world, though, I think Bono is the cat's pajamas for using his celebrity to bring attention to poverty and AIDS (even though that's a lot of lip service on my part since I don't do much to contribute to the cause other than think about how nice it is that Bono's doing something).

Here are the results of BWC's poll:

1. Achtung Baby
2. Joshua Tree
3. War
4. Pop
5. Zooropa
6. All That You CanÂt Leave Behind
7. Rattle and Hum
8. Unforgettable Fire
9. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
10. Boy
11. Under a Blood Red Sky
12. October

Agree? Disagree? Can't find the strength to care? Tell me your thoughts. Obviously, I approve of their choice for #1 since I already stated it was my favorite. I'm also a littledisappointedd at where Rattle and Hum fell.

While you're commenting, let's talk about how easily I shook off the realization that I'm doing very little to ease other people's suffering around the world and continued to talk about U2 albums like a spoiled jerk.

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Cover song poll

2006-10-01T23:36:00.000-04:00

Pick your favorite Jason Eaton Reverb cover song

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Ramen-ania?

2006-09-30T23:29:00.000-04:00

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Good weekend all! In light of the growing number of people around who are partaking in some sort of financial management training, I thought this might be of some interest, or at least spark a mind numbing comment or two from Brett-kins.

Everybody knows everybody's favorite "hold me over to my next check" food is Ramen noodles. Check out this site for some creative ideas on an old reliable favorite!

Ramen Noodle Delight!

Putting the fun back into fundraising!

2006-09-29T10:55:00.000-04:00

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Well check out Fit Fest!! What is Fit Fest? Well, Fit Fest is a fundraiser that benefits The Lexington Foundation which provides funding for cancer care and research, especially the "Hope Lodge" in Lexington, KY. The hope lodge helps patients and their families who are in treatment for cancer to have housing while they are here in Lexington. The event will be held on September 30^th, 2006 from 10am until 4pm at PROMATx Health Club.

It looks like there will be something for everyone.

If you like free food, then come and enjoy the tastes of Eureka Pizza, Qdoba, Chick Filet, and Campus Pub.

If you like music, then come and enjoy the sounds of Lucid Grey, Live Fish, The Beth Mankel Band Live Fish, Crossroad Christian Church Praise and Worship Team, Eagle Heights Christian Church Worship Team, and Redifined.

If you like beauty pageant winners, then come and meet Miss Kentucky 2006 and Louis Stout.

If you like free stuff, then come to win Over $20,000 in Giveaways like a $10,000 Gift Certificate for a new Matt Welch Home, $1000 in Free Fitzpatrick Furniture, 5 - $1000 Scholarships to Spencerian College, Portable DVD players, Gift Cards, and many more giveaways all day long.

Wow, now why wouldn't you want to go! See....there is no excuse.

To get more info, got to the PROMATx website!

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All Hands On Deck!!

2006-09-28T13:37:00.000-04:00

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If you've ever rocked out at Reverb, sang out joyously like you don't do anywhere else or just sat quietly and enjoyed the music then I strongly encourage you to give back and help serve one of our own this Friday and Saturday.

Jason and Kristi Eaton just purchased their first home and could use some help moving in! Any and all volunteers are welcomed and appreciated. Even if you can only come for an hour, the help would be very appreciated. It would truly be a wonderful thing to see the Reverb community step up and help out one of our greatest assets in Jason. What a great house warming gift to give the gift of community and share in this life achievement with the Eaton's.

Think it over and if it fits your calling for the next two days, please be sure to get in touch with Jason for details on how you can best be utilized with the time you have to give. If you don't have his number, please contact the church!

Thank you!!

Share Your Wisdom...

2006-09-28T10:14:00.000-04:00

So my family and I are at the beach for the week for some downtime and bonding. I can feel the knots in my shoulders loosening as I type.

My two year old is having a blast at the beach and in the pool. Yesterday, in an effort to convince her that her dad is almost superhuman- I swam underwater from one side of the pool to another. AND ended up with an ear full of water that I can't clear.

Now I'm sure there are millions of micro-bacteria just reproducing in my auditory system with plans to head straight to my brain.

Anyone got a sure-fire remedy for getting water out of your ears?

Speak up- I'm not hearing so well today!!
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Are you watching?

2006-09-28T08:56:00.000-04:00

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An online article posted today on Yahoo reported that in July 100 Million Americans viewed video online. 3 out of every 5 internet users visited sites like youtube.com, digg.com, video.google.com and countless blogs to view audio/video content.

Isn't it amazing how far the internet has come in just 10 years? It continues to grow and tackle new teritories. How imbedded is the internet in your life? Personally I spend the majority of my day in front of my laptop at work only a few clicks away from surfing away. (My secret addiction to email is coming to the service but I'll never admit it!)

Wouldn't it be cool to get everyone's favorite Reverb talent (Brett, Sally and Patch) online with video content every week? Who ever thougth televisions shows would be advertising 2 minute replays of their shows every week available online?

Harry Potter Sneak Peak Anyone?

2006-09-27T10:51:00.000-04:00

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Check out this link for an article about the next installment of the Harry Potter series. It includes a brief write up and more importantly the first 5 photos released from Warner Brothers from the upcoming flic.

http://comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=16645

Everyone's favorite child magician enters his 5th year at Hogwarts in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" next July 13. (Yeah, a bit early for me too but for Harry Potter freaks like my wife and Clark it's not soon enough I'm sure. Ever been in a Walmart at midnight in Eastern Kentucky for a book release? Not pretty....)

History in the making?

2006-09-27T09:30:00.000-04:00

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For those of you that are baseball fans, the St. Louis Cardinals (a certain Giblets favorite team) could be in the process of creating some unfavorable history. They currently hold a 1.5 game lead over the Houston Astros. On September 20th they had an 8.5 game lead. There are only 6 games left in the season and should the Astros overtake the Cardinals it would mark the biggest collapse in any season from September 20th on. Like many of you baseball enthusiasts, I love to watch the baseball playoffs and it's even that much more exciting if my Cardinals are playing. This would be, in the least very UNSituating......

Also the Cardinals are 12 games under .500 since June 20th. They have a worse record than the Pirates or the Royals who both have a miserable record in the last 10-15 years.

So, for you baseball fans out there, what's your favorite team? Most memorable moments? Most disapointing season?

Some one please water the blog plants while I'm gone

2006-09-26T14:56:00.000-04:00

I'm headed to Chicago tomorrow with some intrepid members of St. Awesome's tech team. That means I won't be posting again til after the weekend most likely. In theory that means the other members of the Reverb Blog will be stepping up and doing some posting.

Notice I said in theory.

Anyway, try not to burn the place down while I'm gone. And somebody look after Situated_Giblets. He likes to eat at twelve and six and has a special blanket he likes to ball up on the floor and sleep on. Also, be sure to take him out every morning or he'll pee all over the place.

Also, don't touch my stuff.

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Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip

2006-09-26T10:40:00.000-04:00

Missed the premiere last week, but saw the second episode last night.

Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome
Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome
Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome
Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome
Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome
Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome

Also watched the premiere of Heroes. It was pretty good too.

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Reverb 9/24/2006

2006-09-25T08:32:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I was out of town this weekend. I missed Reverb for the first time. Or maybe that was the second time. I can't remember. Anyway, the point is, I'm in a serious state of Reverb withdrawal. Yesterday when I realized I wouldn't get to see one of Jason's homemade shirts, or see Fred squirming around on that stool, or watch Greg slouch up to the stage and mope his way through a series of announcements, I... I... I got the shakes and I started to sweat!

So tell me what I missed! What did Fred talk about? What songs did we sing? What announcements were made? What were the best parts? Your favorite parts? Tell me! Tellll meeeee!

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Rejoice!!!

2006-09-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

The Office returns tomorrow!!

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Sacred Space...

2006-09-19T13:43:00.000-04:00

Our church facility is undergoing a lot of renovations right now (most of which are about done). One of the more exciting to me is the addition of a designated prayer space. Reverb's own Rachel Crabtree and Amy Cranfill worked to create an environment where people could spend time with God in a number of different ways. The prayer room is in the front left corner of our original building.

Those who participated in the 24/7 week of prayer recently got the chance to test it out first. If you've used the space we'd love to hear about your experiences. What was it like to pray for an hour? What kinds of things did you do? How did the space help?

For the rest of us- have we had any previous experiences with "sacred space"? What has that looked like? What has it meant to or done for our ability to engage God? Do we have any sacred spaces of your own?

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Reverb 9/17/06

2006-09-17T23:37:00.000-04:00

Another big, important week at St. Awesome's as the Classic service was informed about the impending merge. It was nice to have Glen (or Diamond G, as I like to call him)with us for the teaching today. I volunteered on the video team this week in the classic service, so I got to hear both versions of Glen's message. I have to say I enjoyed them both, but was really impressed at how easily he switched to a conversational mode from the classic service to Reverb. Nice job G.

Also this picture of Jack Black rocking out goes to Jason for absolutely killing it today.

He deserved the ovation he got today, and a lot more, for leading us in worship ever week with so much energy and authenticity. Nice job, man. Also, how many of you noticed Moppin back on drums? Nice having him back.

So, let's hear it. What did you think of the service today. Any thoughts or questions you wanted to voice during the Q&A, but didn't get around to? I know Fred will be happy to respond. Heck - maybe we could even get Glen to stop by. On second thought, has anyone told him about the blog yet? Maybe I should go back and delete some stuff first.

By the way, Gilmore's on vacation this week. Let's use this opportunity to post our favorite Gilmore anecdotes. Even if you have to make one up. I'll start: I first met Greg when he was working as a drug mule for a Columbian crime cartel. I was working at a Stuckey's in West Virginia and he stopped in to use our bathroom and eat some pie. I knew the minute I saw him he was destined for greatness. Or jail. Or life as a mediocre pilates instructor. I'm anxious to see which one he eventually lands on.

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Transforming

2006-09-15T11:59:00.000-04:00

There has been a lot of changes that have been mentioned over the past couple of weeks. I wanted to thank everyone for allowing this community to be a tool that has transformed life.

Since Transformation is so important, I know that we can learn from Christ who is our greatest model.

While I was thinking about this, I came across something on the web that has something to do with another form of Transformation. This one is not as serious, but strangely different. It kind of takes me back to the days when I was 7. Somebody from this blog really needs to go and give a detailed report on what they experienced. Really.

You have got to check this out to believe that it is really happening.

Reverb Update

2006-09-15T11:26:00.000-04:00

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This past Sunday we shared news about some exciting changes that are coming for our entire church community in the days ahead. Specifically, our Classic and Reverb gatherings are going to come together to pursue a new expression of Crossroads original vision and mission. The Reverb community has played a large part in helping us understand what ministry to a changing culture can look like. Our lead pastor, Glen Schneiders, will be talking about where we are headed as a church in all of our weekend gatherings- including Reverb. Don't miss this chance to hear about the next phase of God's leading for us. Also, as you continue to process the coming changes, please know that Greg Gilmore, Jason Eaton and I are available to listen and to talk. Don't hesitate to contact us and/or post your questions and comments here.

By the way, I really appreciate the way we came together last Sunday to lift up Jerome Eaton (Jason's dad) in prayer. He starts treatment for his brain cancer today and is awaiting results from a couple of biopsies that should give more insight into his overall health. Please keep praying for Jerome, Jason and the entire family.

The internet continues to pay for itself

2006-09-14T12:55:00.000-04:00

Ashley Martin just sent me this link and assured that I will get nothing else done today at work: Online virtual bubble wrap. It doesn't quite scratch the itch that the real stuff does, but it's still oddly addicting. Thanks Ashley!

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Theopedia

2006-09-14T08:44:00.000-04:00

Okay, show of hands: who uses Wikipedia?

If you don't know what Wikipedia is, it's an open source web-based encyclopedia. Open source means that it's readers can contribute to it. Instead of relying on it's makers of the page to know a little bit about every topic, Wikipedia uses the expertise of people all over the internet to gather information. It's a really neat, useful tool. Of course it lends itself to certain abuses, since some of it's articles allow room for the opinion of the writers instead of just fact. But what's that saying about babies and bathwater?

Anyway, open source internet resources are popping up all over the place now. I found one just recently called Theopedia. It describes itself as "an encyclopedia of Biblical Christianity." I poked around it a little bit today and found some interesting stuff. For instance, you might have heard the phrase "emergent church" popping up in conversation in different Christian circles for the last few years. You can read the Theopedia definition of emergent church here.

Check it out. It's a good way to waste ten or fifteen minutes at work and also sound really smart the next time you're talking to Fred.

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Reverb Radio - The Potluck Podcast

2006-09-11T23:48:00.000-04:00

Another fantastic episode of Reverb Radio recorded live at the potluck held this past Sunday has been lovingly prepared for you. This week we talk with "Reverbers" about good food, good times, and the big news at Crossroads. This week’s music spotlight is the awesome M. Ward song "Poison Cup" off his new album, Post-War. To get more info about M. Ward go here.

To download this episode right-click HERE
or you can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or add our RSS feed to your podcatching application.

Also, don't forget to share your thoughts and ideas by clicking the comment link below!

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Big day

2006-09-10T22:32:00.000-04:00

Big day today at Reverb - and not just because we had one of our much-beloved potlucks.

Now that we've all had a few hours to digest the news that Reverb is merging with the classic service to create a new and exciting direction for Crossroads (or St. Awesome's if you like), what's everybody thinking?

I thought Fred did a nice job painting a picture of what motivated these changes and what they mean for Crossroads as a church and Reverb as a community. I also applaud Crossroad's leadership for always desiring to move forward.

We want this blog to be a place where you can express your thoughts on the merge or ask any questions you might have. So feel free to use the comment section for that purpose. Just look down at the bottom of this post and click "comments" if you've never done it before. A little window will open where you can make comments or read what other people have said.

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Reverb Potluck

2006-09-08T12:58:00.000-04:00

Don't forget that there's a potluck this week immediately after the Reverb service!

Who's coming? What are you bringing?

I'm torn. I want to make salsa, but I'm not sure if I'm gonna have the time. I'll probably end up buying a loaf of bread and some penut butter because I'm lazy and unimaginative.

Just kidding. I'd obviously spring for some jelly too...

Also - Bret, Sally, and I are planning on recording the podcast LIVE FROM THE POTLUCK! It'll be a potcast! GET IT!!??!!

I hate myself.

Category: Post

Sometimes

2006-09-06T09:49:00.000-04:00

Sometimes there are prayer request we can't talk about. Reverb is a family and a community, but we're all individuals with our own more immediate families and the occasional need for privacy and space.

Right now a member of our community needs prayers. So if it's at all possible, stop what you're doing right now and say a prayer.

I know it's easier when you know who and what you're praying for, but right now just trust God to know what this one's about.

Thanks.

Category: Post

We're back!/Reverb 9/3/06

2006-09-05T08:30:00.000-04:00

The Reverb Blog took a long holiday weekend but now we're back.

How was your holiday? Anybody do anything cool? Personally, I hung out with Sara, celebrated one of my best friend's birthday's, went to the coldest pool party ever, and saw my family. Also, I hung out with Charlie the Intern and found out what a nerd he was in high school. That's not me making fun of him. I was a nerd in high school too - and still am, whereas he seems to have grown out of it.

Anyway, it's good to be back and ready to roll. If you've got the time, energy or inclination, tell us about your weekend.

Also -

What did you think of this weekend's Reverb service? I thought worship was especially strong. I also enjoyed seeing another of the TLC Life Lesson videos. Fred suggested the girl singing karaoke in this week's video looked a little like Jennifer Turner. Thoughts?

I'd also like to take a moment and thank all the folks who help take down chairs every week. There's two shifts - the one before Reverb that takes down the hundreds of extra chairs left over from the classic service - and the one after Reverb that takes down the chairs so the floor will be clear for basketball later that night. Chair stacking is one of those things you always see happening at Crossroads. It's a part of who we are. If you've never noticed - stop and look at the people helping out when they could be rushing out to get to lunch. Maybe thank them. Or maybe grab a stack of chairs, yourself. It's actually a great way to meet people.

That's all for now. Over and out.

Category: Post

Patrick Drury The Fantasy Football Guru!

2006-08-31T10:16:00.000-04:00

Well Fantasy Football season has begun! And Patrick Drury was invincible last night. Its almost as if The Great Mike Ditka was whispering in his ear. Great job Patch!

I just wanted to start the topic of talking trash, this season! So here i go...

Gilmore you team is going to stinks this year and Bret is going to beat you!

Category: Post

Fall TV

2006-08-31T08:50:00.000-04:00

The new fall television season is bearing down on us like a runaway something that bears down on people.

What shows are you looking forward to? For me, there's the returning favorites:

Scrubs - I love Scrubs. It's predictable, yeah, it wears it's formula on it's sleeve, yeah, but it's got heart and it features inventive directing and slapstick humor.

The Office - I have no words for how much I love this show. Remember that week at Reverb where they played the clip from The Office? I want to do a Reverb teaching series where we learn from The Office. Some dude wrote a book years ago about Christian lessons from The Andy Griffith Show - so why not The Office?

My Name Is Earl - I'm fascinated by this show. It regularly features things like suicide, prostitutes, toe-sucking, gambling-addiction, theft, violence, and a host of other strange and seedy subjects, yet at the end of every episode I feel like I've just watched the most heart-warming Hallmark special ever. How do they do that?

Then there's the new stuff:

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip - Aaron Sorkin's new drama. This one takes a behind-the-scenes look at a Saturday Night Live style TV program. It stars Matthew Perry from Friends

30 Rock - Oddly enough, this is a comedy take on the same subject matter as Studio 60. It's a Tina Fey written comedy about the back-stage antics of a Saturday Night Live type program. I doubt network television can support two shows about such specific subject matter (even thought it can support a glut of doctor, lawyer, and cop shows). It'll be interesting to see which one (if either) catches the public's fancy first.

So what about you? Is there anything in the fall season you're looking forward to? Tell me what you're planning to watch.

Category: Post

Best summer movie

2006-08-29T22:10:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago I wrote a column about how I've only cried at a movie once.

Well, that just got shot to crap.

Little Miss Sunshine is the best summer movie of 2006. It beat the highly-nerd-enraging Superman Returns, it beat the funny-but-lacking-spirit Nacho Libre, it beat the totally-lost-everything-that-made-the-first-one-good Pirates of The Caribean II, and it beat the laugh-out-loud-but-highly-predictable Talladega Nights.

It beat them all and took their lunch money. I laughed, I cried, I nearly stood up and applauded.

I can't recommend this movie enough. It's got Steve Carell. Not playing Michael Scott, but doing one heck of an acting job. Go see it. Right now. I don't care what your boss/wife/parole officer says.

There are some heavy adult themes and some language, for those of you who like to know that sort of thing going in.

So what about you? Have you seen Little Miss Sunshine? What did you think? Was there another movie this summer that flipped your switch? Tell us about it.

Category: Post

Get Your Own Tickets!!!

2006-08-29T20:52:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wanted to be a rock star? Not a fake one like the losers on Rock Star Supernova, but a REAL rock star? Me too. Well, now you can prove (read: lie) to your friends that you were a rock star back in the day! How you might ask? Show them the ticket stub from one of your big concerts! What ticket you ask? The one you can create at Concert Ticket Generator! It's super cool. Who cares if you're never going to be a rock star? Thanks to technology, you can now lie about the crazy things you did on your world tour and not suffer any of the brain damage!

Category: Post

Like Biggie Said...

2006-08-29T17:15:00.000-04:00

Yes, I did go there on Sunday. Sorry, can't help it if Mr. Smalls and Mr. King Solomon happen to agree. I only speak the truth as I see it.

Did you walk away from Sunday's gathering thinking that you could use some more good advice when it comes to your finances? Our church community offers an intensive 13 week training course called Financial Peace University. This course is based on the teachings of financial counselor Dave Ramsey (www.daveramsey.com). A preview of the class is available on Monday, September 11th at 7:00 p.m. For More information or to register, contact Bryan Carter at 859-263-4633 x.228 or bcarter@xroadschurch.org.

Have any of us gone through Financial Peace or used Dave Ramsey's stuff before? What would you say to others who might be interested or looking for some help with their money?

Category: Post

Reverb 8/27/06

2006-08-27T19:43:00.000-04:00

The highlights from today's service:

-Jason's awesome cover of Ray LaMontagne's awesome cover of Gnarles Barkley's awesome song Crazy.

-Amy, Tim, and Kelly sharing their personal experiences (Amy, I really like the bit about moving into a neighborhood where your neighbors embraced your family so readily).

-"Bigee was right."

-Free money!

-They finally put the blog up on the screens to show everybody and the comment section they choose to preview features Amy consoling me about a rash.

What about you guys? What did you feel the high points were? What did you take away from the service?

Category: Post

!!!!!

2006-08-26T23:22:00.000-04:00

Sally Foster just informed me, via email, that OK GO! will be performing the treadmill dance LIVE on the Video Music Awards on MTV. I generally avoid MTV (not on moral grounds, just on "I hate watching rich, whiney teenagers" grounds)but I will definitely tune in to see this. Maybe the entire Reverb community (all 250+ of us) could get together at Bret's house to watch it!

I'll bring some chips!

Category: Post

Reverb Radio Number 3 is live

2006-08-25T08:12:00.000-04:00

Wondering what you're going to do with your weekend? Wonder no more! You can spend it listening to the majesty that is: Reverb Radio!

Our third episode is up and can be downloaded here. If you haven't subscribed to Reverb Radio, you can do so here.

As an added treat (and I use that word very loosely) here are some photos from last night's recording (click them to see bigger versions):

Bret and Lilly work out the kinks in the recording set-up.

Lilly tests the mike.

Sally regails us with her British accent.

Patrick rants!

Bret sleeps!

Category: Post

What do you like about Reverb

2006-08-24T16:59:00.000-04:00

If you're reading this, then most likely you're a member of the Reverb community. If you're not - you should check us out sometime. We'd love to have you.

For those of you who are members of the community, take a minute and share with everyone else what it is that you like about Reverb. What is it that keeps you coming back every week? What is it about Reverb that resonates with you? We have a very consistent (and growing) collection of attenders and I'm curious what the draw is for each one of you. Include in your post how long you've been coming and why you decided to check it out in the first place. As always, feel free to be anonymous in your post.

I may fix it so that this post stays at the top of the blog for a while - so if you check us out regularly, be sure to look below for new post for the next few days. You don't wanna miss anything, do you?

Category: Post

Salaries of television dads

2006-08-24T14:32:00.000-04:00

While we're on the subject of money - I thought you all might be interested in this site I found that lists in descending order the projected yearly incomes of various television fathers.

I can't believe Homer Simpson makes more money than I do...

Also, James Evans might be last, but he could have kicked the crap out of anybody else on the list. Don't let em get you down, James!

Category: Post

More really good advice on money

2006-08-23T15:42:00.000-04:00

Don't throw money away.

Literally.

This morning I was working on my finances and realized I'd misplaced a $90 check for some freelance work. I looked everywhere for it - at home, at work, in my car. Couldn't find it. I was all set to be the call to an uncaring, faceless corporation and ask them to stop payment on the check and issue another one. I knew it would be a hassle and probably take months to get done.

Then, on a whim, I looked in my curbie. There it was. Sticking out of a garbage bag, covered in some... some orange liquid. Ugh.

I now have the check drying out between to paper-towel's.

Don't throw money away.

Category: Post

Really good advice on money

2006-08-23T15:11:00.000-04:00

Our really good advice series continues this Sunday at Reverb. This week's topic? Money.

I'm looking forward to this one.

See, I'm not really a worrier. I sleep pretty good most nights. I don't fret about the future. I don't worry about what people think. I'm pretty laid back.

Until it comes to money. If there's one thing I worry about, it's money.

When I was first out living life on my own, I was terrible with money. I can remember not wanting to go to my mailbox because of all the overdraft statements from the bank and credit card bills. If I went to the ATM, I would never look at my receipt because I didn't want to know how much money I didn't have.

Then it finally all got to me and I made myself get serious about money. I started budgeting. Once I had budgeting down, I started saving. Then I realized saving wasn't going to do me any good unless I was out of debt.

Last January, I stared a get out of debt plan. I had two credit cards (one small, one large) and a truck loan to pay off. Now, eight months later, I've only got the truck payment left - and I should have it paid off in about nine months. Getting rid of those cards was a huge weight off my shoulders. I'd been carrying one of them around for ten years just paying minimum payments. TEN YEARS!!

I'm anxious to see what Fred has to show us about money from Proverbs on Sunday. But now, I'm more anxious to see what you guys have to say about money. How do you handle it? Do you avoid it? Are you anal about it? Did your parents teach you how to handle it? Have you had to teach yourself? What kind of goals do you have in your life in terms of finances? Tell us all about it. Remember - you don't have to give your name. Feel free to post anonymously if you have something to say but would rather remain private for now.

Category: Post

More faces

2006-08-22T11:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, if you enjoyed seeing who the internet thinks Fred and I look like (see the post below this one), and want to see more Reverb/celebrity look-alikes, you can go here. Upload your own picture to the site, run the recognition program, save your results and email me the code, and I'll put yours up too.

Category: Post

The internet thinks Fred and I look like Heath Ledger

2006-08-22T09:27:00.000-04:00

Mostly we try to post things on the Reverb blog that in some way relate to Reverb or the message series we're in.

But the internet is a big, cool place and sometimes we just have to post something cool we found. Like this:

Myheritage.com is a site that employs a facial recognition program. If you upload a picture of yourself to their site, their computer will tell you which celebrities look like you. Here's Fred's:

I tried it with Bret and GG, but I don't have good enough pictures of them.

Try it out. If you want, save your results and send the code to me. I'll put them on some webspace somewhere and link to them.

Category: Post

Reverb 8/20/06

2006-08-20T22:03:00.000-04:00

Kelly Thorne suggested that it might be nice to start a post every week that gave people a chance to talk about the most recent Reverb service. And since this is a blog of the people and I am a benevolent blogger, here you go!

What did you think of this week's services? What kind of stuff did you leave thinking about? Did you have any interesting lunch conversations? What did you think about Fred's teaching? Or the music? Or the testimonies? Wasn't that first guy who talked about sex hot?

Personally, I liked Fred's point that the mystery of sex and "becoming one flesh" points us towards our creator and gives us a glimpse of him. I'd never really seen it from that angle before, so it gave me a lot to think about.

What about you guys?

Category: Post

Adolescent romance/sex study

2006-08-17T14:01:00.000-04:00

I found this on the net a few months ago and have been waiting for an opportunity to use it somewhere. This week's Reverb service relvolving around sex seemed like a good opportunity. Click on it for a larger version:

A group of sociologist studied the entire population of a high school for eighteen months and created a diagram detailing the networking of their dating/sexual relationships. An article about the study and an explanation of their findings can be found here.

I really don't have much to say on the whole thing. I just found it interesting. Feel free to tell me your take on it, though.

Category: Post

Getting Sex Advice At Church??

2006-08-16T10:12:00.000-04:00

Absolutely! Talking about sex at church shouldn't seem like an oxymoron. After all, God created the parts, nerve endings, chemicals, and emotions that accompany them. Who better to tell us what to do with this part of our humanness?

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon has plenty to say on the subject. (And if you understand his story, you know that he knew what he was talking about.) So, let's start the conversation early. I'll throw out a couple of questions to get the ball rolling:

Q: Where have you learned about sex? What forces have shaped your views on physical intimacy?

Q: What messages (spoken & unspoken) have you heard from the church about sex?
Category: Post

Poll time!

2006-08-14T23:32:00.000-04:00

It's been suggested that Fred saying "Wanna see something awesome?" would make a great ringtone for cell phones. Our R&D department is hard at work on making that a reality. In the meantime, though, we here at the Reverb Blog were curious what other types of Fred Merchandise you might like to see. So we decided a poll was in order.

What sort of Fred Merchandise would you like to see?

scratching itches

2006-08-14T16:32:00.000-04:00

I've struggled with my job for years.

I like my job. I work at my dad's auto body repair shop. I write estimates and I deal with insurance companies. It pays my bills, allows me a fairly flexible schedule, and has given me a chance to see my dad in a light I never would have otherwise.

As I said, though, I struggle with it. I struggle with it because it's not creative. It doesn't scratch that itch I have at the back of my skull to create things. For now, though, my dad needs me and (at least for a couple more years) this is where I need to be, I think.

So I volunteer at Crossroads (or St. Awesomes' as I like to call it). I volunteer there, and I write a column for a newspaper, and I write skits, and I get up on stage whenever they'll let me. Those things scratch the itch.

I made a decision several years ago not to be defined by my job. My job is eight hours out of the day, but it's not what I love. What I love is people, and my church, and my friends, and writing, and God, and a cold beer, and sushi, and comic books, and new music, and the Food Network, and my nephews, and The Office, and books, and forgiveness, and fresh starts, and when my girlfriend straightens her hair and wears that black tanktop and a pair of jeans.

Those are the things that define me.

Fred's message yesterday really resonated with me when he said your work doesn't have to be your job. Your work can be the things that you put time into, the things you create. I've tried to live that way for a long time, but it's nice to be reminded.

So now tell us about your work. If it's your job - great. If it's not, though, that's great too. Tell us about the things you put your heart and soul into. The things that scratch that itch to create, the things that define you.

Category: Post

Head count

2006-08-14T12:52:00.000-04:00

I'm curious as to who's reading the blog and how many of you there are.

Let's do a head check.

If you're reading this, post a comment in the comment section letting us know who you are and how you got here (Did you hear about the blog at Reverb, through a friend, the group email, or randomly). You don't have to tell us who you are if you want to remain anonymous, but we'd love to know who you are.

Even if you've obviously commented in other threads, let us know you're here. This kind of thing is very useful to Bret and I as we manage the site.

Category: Post

We're Huge In France

2006-08-14T08:57:00.000-04:00

The Reverb phenomenon is going global, one person at a time. Eric Crump has been a member of the Reverb community since it's inception. Last week his company transferred him to Paris. The one in France, not Kentucky. (By the way, why is it that our state has so many towns named after other places? Of course, left to their own devices, our forefathers came up with stuff like "Big Bone Lick". So maybe this isn't a bad thing.)

Anyway...Eric made the move this last week and sent us an email to let us know he has arrived and is beginning this new chapter of his life:

Bonjour,
I'm here in Paris and it's already been quite the adventure. My taxi driver was pulled over by the police on our way to my apartment. And I managed to lock myself out of my apartment because I forgot to memorize the code to get into the entrance. All that in the first 2 hours of being in Paris. I've been able to survive though.

I went to church today at the American Church of Paris. It went pretty well and I met a couple of people there. The service reminded me of the church I went to briefly in Mount Sterling. I'm going to try it out for a while. There is a newcomers thing on September 3. I want to check it out. The service today was about "Taking a Leap of Faith". Funny how God is ready with the message you need to hear. I hope you're having a good weekend and that Reverb goes well today. I'm looking forward to downloading Reverb to listen to. Thanks for posting the MP3 on the web!!!
Cheers!
Eric Crump

Would you take a minute and pray for Eric as he makes this transition? And who knows, maybe we've all just found a free place to crash the next time we're in Paris.
Category: Post

Reverb Radio Number 2

2006-08-11T07:51:00.000-04:00

The second episode of Reverb Radio is ready for consumption. This week we discuss the happenings on the Reverb Blog, upcoming movies, CD and DVD releases, and a look back at Fred's message from last week. We're also excited to have David Bazan's song "How I Remember" from his latest EP as our song spotlight!

To download the song, go to http://reverbradio@libsyn.com and remember to leave us some feedback in the comments section here on the blog, or feel free to e-mail us at reverbradio@gmail.com.

Category: Podcast

Lending A Hand

2006-08-10T21:30:00.000-04:00

Fayette County is opening a new school around the corner from our church facility. We've been calling for a few weeks offering to lend a neighborly hand and help them in any way we could. With the start of school only a few days away and much left to do, we finally got a call back asking for some help. This morning some folks from our church community went and did just that. Here's an email from Tim Stephan (a student minister at Crossroads) describing the experience.

Hey all,
Thanks for the help today for those that could make it. It was a tremendous success. We were able to empty the cafeteria full of boxes to locations, AND unload them and sort them for teachers and other staff. We spent a lot of the day putting computers together, and cleaning up boxes etc. The whole staff was so complimentary and kept saying what a blessing we were to them. Especially the computer guy, who would have had to do all that on his own.
So, if you still want to contribute, please do so. Being there today showed us they need a lot of help. Honestly, I don’t know what they would have done without our help. So, get over there if you have a few hours and contribute. I’m proud to be a part of a place that is serving outside the walls. They open next Wednesday.
If you have specific questions you can call Claire Batt at Athens, 421-1473 and let her know you’re coming.

If you plan to go: Take Todds Road from Man O War towards the church bldg; Turn right on Hays Blvd (the last road before I-75); Go to the four way stop and the school will be on your left.

Category: Post

Spoooooky

2006-08-10T14:33:00.000-04:00

So I was scanning the internet yesterday looking for mentions of myself (like I do every night) and I stumbled across this page.

Click on the link and play the game (you have to have flash installed on your computer, I think). Go ahead, I'll wait.

Done? Pretty freaky, huh?

It's not really magic. There's actually some pretty simple math and some slight of hand behind it. If you really want it ruined for you and can't figure it out, email me and I'll tell you how it's done (in the interest of full disclosure, I didn't figure it out myself, someone else explained it to me).

Lots of times in life we find something we think is cool or meaningful, but once you see behind the curtain, we realize maybe it's not as great as we thought it was.

What's awesome about reading through Proverbs and seeing all the wisdom layed out for you, is that you can actively test it and see that it works. It's not a math thing or a card trick - it's genuine cause and effect. "Do this and this will happen." "Value these things and your life will look like this." No magic required.

Try it.

We'll wait.

Category: Post

Prayer excerpt

2006-08-09T16:02:00.000-04:00

I've been a part of a email chain for the past couple of weeks that's discussing the daily readings from Proverbs (in case you missed it, Fred is challenging everyone to read a chapter from Proverbs a day - specifically whatever chapter corresponds with that day's date). I haven't contributed much to the chain, mostly I've just sat back and read other people's comments.

Chris Stevenson (our very own Situated Giblets) posted a prayer to the chain this morning. I wanted to reproduce my favorite part of it here. Hopefully he won't mind:

"Thank you for being so intentional to teach us the value of wisdom and what it can do in our lives. Thank you for enabling us to not only grasp the message but for giving us repeated examples of application so that we have no doubt the meaning behind your teachings. Thank you for leaving it ambiguous enough to allow for intelligent conversation and application on each of the many seasons of life participating in this thread. Thank you for making it common enough that it applies to everyone no matter their current season of life."

Kind of captures the essence of Proverbs in a way, doesn't it?

Many of you had expressed concern that Chris was just another pretty face without much upstairs, but put your fears to rest. His model-like looks mask a big brain and some really good insights.

Category: Post

Do your shopping for me early

2006-08-09T15:48:00.000-04:00

Larknews.com is a satirical website that prints fake Christian news stories. Kind of like The Onion, but about churchy type stuff. There's a lot of funny stuff on the site (and several bits that fall kind of flat), even it it might require you having a thick skin about your faith sometimes. The best thing on there, however is this t-shirt:

In case you can't read it, it says, "I'm with the puppet team."

If anyone is wondering what to get me for Christmas this year, now you know.

Category: Post

What are you watching?

2006-08-08T09:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, so we did a "What are you reading?" thread, now it's time to cater to the non-readers in the crowd. It's time for a "What are you watching?" thread. Let's make this one about movies. We can do tv later, for now I want to know what movies you've seen recently, either in the theatres or on dvd. I'll start.

I finally broke down and got a Netflix account. I don't know why I held out so long. For $5.99 I can get up to 4 movies a month, keep them as long as I want and never have to pay a late fee. When I used to rent from Blockbuster I couldn't get a movie back on time if my life depended on it. So far, from Netflix, I've rented:

Syriana. Thought it was pretty good. Little hard to follow in places. Thought Clooney did a good job. I appreciate Clooney and the way he alternates between big Hollywood projects and smaller more artistic or activist works. That being said, Oceans 12 was maybe the worst movie I've ever seen.

Winter Passing. Fifteen minutes into this movie I didn't think I was going to like it. It really ended up redeeming itself by the end, though. It also features Will Ferrel's only dramatic performance that I'm aware of (and dramatic may be stretching it a bit). Good movie. All about parent/child relationships and taking responsibility for your life.

What The #$*! Do We Know. That's actually the title of the movie, not me editing myself. It's a primer for Quantum Mechanics done as a movie. It stars Marlee Matlin (the deaf actress from Children of A Lesser God) and features interviews with experts in the fields of Quantum physics and various other areas. It focuses a lot on the individual's ability to change his reality and surroundings through positive thought and action. Interesting movie.

Next up on Netflix is Wake Up Ron Burgandy.

In theatres, I've seen Talladega Nights, Nacho Libre, You Me and Dupree, Superman Returns, The Breakup, Lady In The Water, and Pirates of The Caribbean 2. My favorites out of all of those was Nacho Libre and Talladega Nights. The others all kind of disappointed me on various levels.

I'll also be seeing Snakes On A Plane, The Borat Movie, and Jackass 2 when they come out.

Now you go.

Category: Post

Working For A Living...

2006-08-07T08:57:00.000-04:00

This coming Sunday (8/13) we'll be getting some really good advice about work. But why wait a whole week to start the conversation? It's Monday and that means most of us are back on the job today. So take your state mandated 10 minute sanity break and tell us about your experiences with punching the clock by answering the following questions:

Q: What was your first job?

Q: What was the worst job you ever had?

Q: What was the best job you ever had?

Q: What kind of work do you do right now?

Q: If you had to change careers, what other type of work would you like to try?

Category: Post

You Want To See Something Awesome?

2006-08-05T23:39:00.000-04:00

This may be the best video in the world!

Category: Post

Plenty of Pap on Tap

2006-08-04T09:34:00.000-04:00

As I was reading Proverbs 4 this morning, two phrases stuck out to me:

Get Wisdom
Get Understanding

Of course, as followers of Christ we seek wisdom and understanding from the Bible. However, my thoughts began to expand and I started to thing about the information society we have become. I am overwhelmed with the continuous stream of content that is distributed to me on a daily basis via e-mail, the Internet, TV (with information crawlers at the bottom of the screen and informative pop-up side bars), radio, newspapers and magazines, all seeking to add information to my limited hard drive called a brain. Often, I find it difficult to discern between quality content that facilitates understanding and promotes wisdom from the pap and severely misguided information. So my question to you, the media savvy bunch you are, beyond the Bible, where do you seek out quality and accurate content/information? And what is your medium of choice (TV, Internet, radio, smoke signals)?

Category: Post

All the fortune, none of the msg

2006-08-03T14:49:00.000-04:00

In case you've missed out on the fortune cookies the last few weeks at Reverb, fear not. The internet is here for you:

Virtual Fortune Cookies

Mine said, "He who spends too much time looking for stupid stuff on the internet will probably get fired."

Actually, my boss said that, but you get the picture.

Category: Post

The Colbert Report - Now with more Jesus!

2006-08-02T10:35:00.000-04:00

Bret has a friend named Steve Beard who runs a website called Thunderstruck. Thunderstruck links to stories on the internet that deal with faith and pop culture. When I visited his site today I saw a quote by Steve Colbert from Comedy Central's hilarious Daily Show spin-off The Colbert Report. Here's the quote:

"I love my Church, and I'm a Catholic who was raised by intellectuals, who were very devout. I was raised to believe that you could question the Church and still be a Catholic. What is worthy of satire is the misuse of religion for destructive or political gains. That's totally different from the Word, the blood, the body and the Christ. His kingdom is not of this earth."

I thought that was a great quote.

It's tempting to get excited whenever you find out a celebrity or someone you look up to believes the same way you do. Unfortunately, that feeling is usually rooted in a whole "Look! I told you Christians were cool!" attitude, which really isn't very useful. The joy should come from the fact that one more person is aware of Jesus' love and trying to live it out in their daily lives. It should be the same feeling whether you find out a celebrity is a Christian or the guy that delivers your mail is.

The rest of the short interview can be found here.

Category: Post

If Solomon were alive today...

2006-08-02T09:32:00.000-04:00

He'd be working for this website: iLounge.com.

iLounge is a vast repository for any and all knowledge pertaining to iPods, their use, and their accessories. It's so awesome that I think God must have been involved in it's creation somehow. Like maybe God went to some guy like he did with Solomon and said, "I'll give you one wish." And this guy said, "I want to know everything ever about iPods." And God was like, "Okay, cool."

There's so much info that it's a little hard to navigate at times, but if you can get in there and figure it out, you'll probably find an answer to whatever iPod questions you have.

Category: Post

What are you reading?

2006-08-01T10:14:00.000-04:00

So I'm wondering what everybody else who attends Reverb is reading.

I thought about suggesting a book club, but that's just a little too Oprah. Instead just tell me what's on your nightstand. Not you, though, Bret, nobody care about the latest issue of Cat Fancy.

I'll start.

I'm almost finished with:

An Unlikely Prophet: Revelations On The Path Without Form - By Alvin Schwartz

These are the spiritual memoirs of Alvin Schwartz. Schwartz wrote Superman comics in the 40's and 50's. Sometime after he retired from that pursuit he claims a Tibetan monk came to him claiming to have been created wholely by another person's thoughts. From there Schwartz begins a journey through metaphysics and Tibentan philosophy. Interesting read.

I skip around a lot in:

Speaking My Mind: The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid to Face - By Tony Campolo

Pretty much exactly what the sub-title says it is. Although, I don't think most Christians are afraid to face certain issues as they're simply too lazy or unmotivated.

On deck:

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Sara's reading this now and wants me to read it so we can talk about it.

Category: Post

Finding apples

2006-08-01T09:01:00.000-04:00

So I'm reading in Proverbs the other day, trying to make Fred proud of me, and I end up reading chapter 25 verse 11: "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."

I got an immediate sense of deja vu. I had read that phrase before, somewhere other than the Bible. So I started looking through my library (it's full of many leather-bound books and smells of rich mahogany...). I finally found The Science of God by Gerald Schroeder. Schroeder is a Jewish scientest who writes books intended to reconcile science with information found in the Old Testament.

In his book, he references Kabbalah a lot. Not trendy Madonna style Kaballah, but the real Kaballah - a Jewish religion that seeks to find deeper meanings from scripture.

In the book, Schroeder refers to scripture as "apples of gold in settings of silver" and explains that a casual reading of the scriptures is like a silver setting (or bowl) = very valuable. But a deeper reading, a reading that considers context and history is like a gold apple sitting in that silver bowl = even more valuable.

I like confluence. I like when one idea from one source lines up with an idea from somewhere else. This little tidbit has me ready to look deeper as I'm reading through the rest of Proverbs.

Category: Post

So that's what his voice sounds like...

2006-07-31T16:28:00.000-04:00

Donald Miller has posted the audio from a handfull of lectures on his website. They're available for $2.00 a piece. I'm listening to the one titled Journey Back To Faith as I type this. I totally recommend it.

Category: Post

You don't wanna be wicked do you?

2006-07-31T09:56:00.000-04:00

Proverbs 13:25 says, "The righteous eat to their heart's content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry."

I have to admit that I love the Food Network. I watch it more than I watch any other channel, I think. Clearly this is proof of my righteousness. I try to cook a lot of the stuff I see on there. Especially if it's something by Rachel Ray (or Man Hands as I like to call her...). She always makes quick, easy, and fairly interesting meals. The best recipe of hers I've ever made is something she calls Nan-chos. Basically, their Indian style nachos made with Nan bread. They're totally awesome. Here's the recipe. My name is Patrick Drury and I endorse this product and/or message:

1/2 cup-extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount
2 cloves garlic, cracked
4 slices Tandoori Naan Bread or Mediterranean flat bread or large pita bread
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1/3 handful
A handful chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1 can chick peas, drained
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt

Salsa:
1/3 seedless cucumber, skinned and chopped
1 vine ripe red tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, from 5 or 6 sprigs, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat oil and garlic in a small pot over medium low heat to infuse garlic flavor into oil. Pull the oil off the heat when garlic speaks by sizzling in oil.

Brush the breads with half of the garlic oil and reserve the remainder. Cut breads into tortilla-chip-size wedges. Sprinkle bread "chips" with Parmesan, poppy seeds and red pepper flakes. Bake breads to toast, about 5 minutes. Remove bread from oven and sprinkle bread chips with and parsley and salt. Pile chips on a platter and cover with cheddar cheese. Place platter under broiler and melt cheese.

In a food processor, combine chick peas, lemon, cumin, cayenne and remaining garlic and oil. Season spread with salt, to your taste.

In a bowl, combine cucumber, tomato, pepper, shallot, parsley, mint, lime juice, salt.

To assemble, top naan-chos with chick pea spread and a layer of cucumber salsa. Serve.

You can also find the recipe here, at the Food Network website. Let me know if you try it and what you think.

Category: Post

Paying the price

2006-07-30T15:18:00.000-04:00

So I was listening to Fred teach at Reverb today, I do that sometimes, and he was talking about paying the price for wisdom. He specifically discussed being willing to pay for the wisdom we receive.

It made me think of the price we unwillingly pay for wisdom sometimes.

Three years ago I went through a divorce. I was married for about eight years prior to that. The last few years of my marriage were markedly different from the first few. There were secrets. There was distance. A problem would arise and instead of addressing it or trying to fix it, I would let it go. I'd tell myself things would take care of themselves eventually.

That's not how it works, though. I realize now that relationships have to be tended to. Problems, no matter scary, have to be addressed. The price I paid for that lesson was my first marriage.

I know paying unintentional prices for wisdom wasn't really what Fred was talking about today, but he threw some seeds out and they took root in the hindquarters of my headbones and this is what sprouted.

Now it's your turn. Use the comment section to tell us about the hard-earned wisdom in your life. Tell us about the lessons you maybe didn't want to learn, but learned anyway.

Category: Post

Reverb Radio is Live!

2006-07-30T12:40:00.000-04:00

Ever wish you could listen to something really cool on your iPod? Of course you do. A person can only take so much Michael Bolton, right? Well my friend, it's your lucky day because now you can download and listen to Reverb Radio!

Reverb Radio is a podcast (internet radio show) all about faith and culture. You can download the first episode as an mp3 by clicking her e or if you have iTunes you can subscribe to Reverb Radio by clicking here. Expect more episodes on a weekly to bi-weekly basis (it depends on what's on tv on a given week, really...).

Give it a listen and let us know what you think here in the comment section or by emailing us at reverbradio@gmail.com.

Category: podcast

Public service announcement

2006-07-30T11:55:00.000-04:00

The Book of Proverbs doesn't touch much on bear attacks. Thank Goodness we have Dwight Schrute from NBC's The Office to fill in the gaps:

Click the arrow to play.

Category: Video

Watch me get all historical for a second

2006-07-30T11:26:00.000-04:00

The other day Fred asked a few of us on the Reverb planning team to share with him the best advice we'd ever received. I had a hard time remembering much of the advice I've been given throughout my life. I think that's probably a bad sign. I ended up doing the same thing I always do whenever I'm at a loss for material. I searched the internet.

I ended up finding some info on The Instructions of Amenemopet.

The Instructions of Amenemopet was an Egyptian papyrus thought to have been written around 1200 BC. It contained 30 chapters of Egyptian proverbs - some very similar to the ones written by Solomon in the Book of Proverbs (click the link above to check them out). Some scholars have suggested that Solomon might have referenced The Instructions of Amenemope when writing Proverbs.

I think that makes an infinite amount of sense. If Solomon was the wisest man in the world, then no doubt he saw the wisdom in learning from others.

Speaking of which, I wanted to open Fred's invitation to the planning team to anyone reading this blog. Share your wisdom with us. What's the best advice you've ever received? Click on the comments button below and let us know. Don't forget to include your name if you want to.

Category: Post

In case you were wondering

2006-07-30T09:27:00.000-04:00

I know several people (including me)were curious what the song that was played during the responsive worship time on Sunday (7/16) was. Fred has informed me that it was Orange Sky by Alexi Murdoch. It can be purchased on iTunes for $.99. Murdoch's website is www.aleximurdoch.com. Apparently his music was featured on The O.C. at some point, but don't hold that against him.

You might want to consider buying his album. From the looks of his album cover he needs the money to buy some furniture.

Category: Post

Crazy

2006-07-30T08:39:00.000-04:00

Sick of the Gnarles Barkley song Crazy yet? Try it folk-style from the capable hands of Ray LaMontagne.

Category: Post

Donald Miller Speaks!

2006-07-30T08:37:00.000-04:00

If you're like me, you spend all your free time reading books, and by reading books I mean watching The Food Network. If you're not like me, however, and actually do seek to improve yourself through literature then you might be interested to know that Donald Miller, author of Searching For God Knows What, Blue Like Jazz, and To Own a Dragon will be speaking at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville on October 19th. You can find out more at http://www.vineworship.org. If you're a fan of emergent Christianity's golden boy (like I am), or if you've just never been in a church with more than one timezone, you'll wanna make the trip.

Category: Post

How to use this blog

2006-07-01T12:06:00.000-04:00

-The gray boxes on the left (like the one this text appears in) are post. There should be one or more new post every week day, so check back often.

-Any light gray text in the post is a link. You can left click on that link to take you to other websites:
(By the way, clicking on pictures, like the one above, will often make them bigger.)

-At the bottom of every post is a link that says "Comments."

If you click on this link, a small window will open where you can read any comments that have been made by your fellow readers about said post. The number to the left of the link tells you how many comments there are. After you've read others' comments, you can make your own. At the bottom of the little window you'll see a white space:

You can type your comment in that space. After you've typed it, let us know who you are by typing your name (or an alias if you're feeling sneaky - but really, it's more fun if you tell us who you are) in the box that says "Name":

The "Your web page" field can be left blank, unless you have website or blog of your own that you'd like us to know about.

Finally, just hit the "Publish your comment" button and you're comments will appear for everyone to read:

-Over on the right hand side of the screen you'll see a variety of links you can click on.

The links under "Contact" will allow you to email Fred, Greg, Jason, Bret, or Patrick.

The links under uh... "Links" will take you to various places we think you might find useful like the main Crossroads website.

The links under Previous Post will take you to post from the recent past. They're listed by name.

The links under "Categories" represent the three kinds of material you'll find on this blog. Regular post, Podcast (internet radio programs), and videos. For the first few days there will only be regular post. But podcast and video material will appear shortly - along with instructions on how to enjoy them. Clicking on these links will take you to links for all the material under said category.

The links under Archives will take you to post from past months. The main blog page will only show you post from the last two weeks, so if you want to revisit some of our stupidity, you'll do it through these links.

At the bottom of the page there are three little symbols. The first one is the Blogger logo. Blogger host this page for free, so they like to stick their logo somewhere on the page. Fair's fair, right? The second one is a site meter. The number in it, represent how many times people have viewed the blog. The third symbol is a button that allows you to subscribe to the blog if you use an rss feedburner on your computer.

-At the top of the page is a Blogger toolbar. If you want to find something on the blog but can't remember when it was posted, you can type words you remember into the search field and hit the "Search this blog" button. It'll bring up links to any post containing the words you typed in. Nifty huh?

If you have any other questions about using the blog, feel free to Contact Patrick or Bret. Thanks!