Family Fun-4.jpg, originally uploaded by Elijah Stephen.

Celest and I are teens again. That includes taking cute-silly-fun photos. I’m thinking about getting braces. Does anybody else have an irrepressible desire to TP something?

This was funny but sad.  Anger is funny to me.  I don’t know, it’s just one of those weird automatic reactions that you can’t help.  When I see somebody get angry at something that could otherwise be handled calmly, I just laugh.  Other people might get sad or embarrassed about lame behavior like that and that’s probably more appropriate but I can’t help my reaction.

Last night my wife and I went to the movies (a cheap date when you find movie passes that you forgot you had) and we witnessed this silliness.  We walked into the theatre and it was about 3/4 full.  We sat down a couple rows up where we found a couple open seats.  Separated by one seat, we sat next to a bigger girl in her 20’s and her date.  The seats in front us were all empty.  We put our feet up on the seats in front of us—which happens to be seat-choosing criteria for us—and the couple next to us was doing the same.  We were totally comfy!

The previews were rolling and in strolled the antagonist: a group of 3 that moved into our comfortable foot chairs.  It was sad for me but it was not the proverbial end of the world.  The girl next to us, however, flipped out!  I began to smile.  Luckily she didn’t see me or she may have tried to beat me up—angry people don’t like it when you smile.  Over the noise of the theatre she started cussing and saying stuff that I can neither repeat or remember and the person in front of her totally ignored her—another thing that angry people totally hate.

As the tirade went on so did the smiling and ignoring.  The smiling turned into small chuckles that had to be held in and finally her totally embarrassed date ended it by offering his seat since it was still empty.  She declined and that was the end of it.  See, angry people don’t really want what they are trying to get that bad, they simply can’t handle having things taken from them, a little something that lingers from when they were 2.  At any rate.  It is my own vice that I am amused by such behavior.  I apologize.  Does anybody have any counsel or empathy… perhaps a similar story?  Care to share?  You’re not “that guy” are you?

Sunday night I was leading worship at Origin.  I don’t use a music stand because I hate them—I hate having to look at a sheet of music while I’m worshiping.  I memorize it or I would prefer not play it (on occasion I use a music stand if I really need to do a song—but I’m never happy about it).  However, it would probably be better if I did use a stand because my memory is not so good.  I mess up words all the time, as many of you well know. 

We were singing “Where We Belong” Sunday night (some Hillsong goodness).  In the middle of the song, some lines that I completely was about to miss were coming up next.     But then they came to me by the strangest method—lip reading.  I almost laughed at myself mid song but we moved on.

We got to the chorus a moment later and I sang “We run to your throne where we belong…” and my mind went totally blank for the next line.  The lip reading thing happened again.  Weird!  Throughout the rest of the worship set, the same craziness kept going—totally distracting me every time. 

Now, I’m just trying to figure out how long I have been doing it and why nobody has ever freaked out at me for checking out their mouth through a whole worship set!  But see, I have said it many times, God intended corporate worship for a reason.  We need eachother!  That’s good biblical stuff and proof for it!  It’s also further affirmation that you need to sing… or that I need to get a music stand.  Something like that.  Thanks for being there for me.  Don’t you dare start covering your mouth during the worship service.  

Alright worship leaders, don’t try to steal my technique and teach it at worship conferences like it’s your own idea.  I know you want to, but I will hunt you down.  Just kidding.  But seriously.

This cracked me up.  It reminded me of that Demetri Martin

Joke:”Graffiti’s the most passionate literature there is, you
know? It’s always like ‘Bush sucks!’ … ‘U2 Rocks!’ … I want to make
indifferent graffiti. ‘Toy Story 2 was okay’ … ‘I like Sheryl as a
friend, but I’m not sure about taking things further’ … ‘This is a
bridge’.

Oh and BTW, “Toy Story 2 was ok” has been tagged on buildings and bridges all over the country over the last 2 years.  Thank you Demetri for your positive influence.