"There is love that came for us..."

I've had the pleasure of leading my congregation through this song twice now and there's just something so powerful about a chorus of people singing the verses to this song, it sends chills down my spine (the good kind of course). The timing of  adding this song to our repertoire was just right, as this is a great song that aligns with the approach of Easter. Take a listen above and the lyrics are provided below:

Stronger
By: Reuben Morgan & Ben Fielding

Verse 1
There is Love that came for us
Humbled to a sinner's cross
You broke my shame and sinfulness
You rose again victorious

Verse 2
Faithfulness none can deny
Through the storm and through the fire
There is truth that sets me free
Jesus Christ who lives in me

Chorus
You are stronger
You are stronger
Sin is broken
You have saved me
It is written
Christ is risen
Jesus You are Lord of all

Verse 3
No beginning and no end
You're my hope and my defence
You came to seek and save the lost
You paid it all upon the cross

Bridge
So let Your Name be lifted higher
Be lifted higher
Be lifted higher

A little food, a little gear

• Although it was delayed to February 15, Taryn and I continued our Valentine's Day tradition of cooking a brand new dish. This year we attempted ma po tofu using a recipe online a friend of ours had approved. The dish was surprisingly simpler to prepare than I would have thought and the results were delicious.  We added some additional ingredients including chopped pickled mustard greens and straw mushrooms, which added some nice additional textures to the dish. We can't wait to make this again!
• I also got a gift for Taryn from this great site called Frame the Date. We've been trying to figure out what to do with the large wall behind our couch and now we have the perfect centerpiece to build around. I'm very happy with the results of the frame and would definitely recommend the service!

And now on the gear side of things...

• After getting on the waiting list in July 2010, my Tim overdrive pedal finally arrived in late February.  I almost forgot about it because it seems so long ago I put in the order and haven't been able to log in a whole lot of time with it, but am loving it so far. This all means goodbye to my previous overdrive pedal the Fulldrive 2...it was good while it lasted buddy, but it's time to move on...

• Traded my Voodoo Sparkle Drive for a Boss DD-5 and tap tempo. I can't decide whether to run this in addition to my current delay pedal, the Nova Delay, or instead of. I'm definitely liking what I hear and the simpler layout, but I'm trying not to be too hasty in selling off pedals. Chalk that one up to lessons learned in 2010!

 

• I sold my Z.Vex Vexter Fuzz Factory. That beast was just too wild to tame and if I do use a fuzz pedal in the future, I think I'll try one that's not so crazy.

John Mayer & Keith Urban on CMT

What the what?!? Apparently John Mayer and Keith Urban did a whole concert together, which you can watch on CMT's (that's Country Music Television) website.  This is quite delightful as the duo + Norah Jones had a wonderful performance on the Grammy Awards last Sunday night. Go check it out, especially if you love some sweet sweet guitar playing!

Grammy Awards Impressions

I found myself watching the Grammy's this past Sunday and was pleasantly surprised overall by the performances. Granted, there wasn't a whole lot of awards being exchanged over the 3.5 hours, but hey, what we got was more entertaining anyhow. This was confirmed when we re-watched parts of the awards show with some friends on an incredibly chill and fun Valentine's Day. Some highlights for me:

He could be singing "Forget You" or "Benny and the Jets"

Cee Lo Green dressed as an armored peacock, channeling 1970's Elton John behind what I'm guessing is a prop grand piano.  Along with some muppets as his band, I think he might have out Gaga'd Lady Gaga.

John Mayer's going for the Johnny Depp look nowadays

One of my favorite performances was "Jolene" by John Mayer, Norah Jones, and Keith Urban.  A great show case of the vocals of these talented musicians. And the guys weren't too bad on the guitar either ;)

Killing it on the cello

Big props to The Avett Brothers' cellist Joe Kwon. Get this: This guy was tearing it up and to fully understand the magnitude of this, let me employ the use of some dramatic pausing:

Joe was rocking out ... on the cello ... with a bunch of white dudes ... standing up!! He was a pleasure to watch because he was so passionate, you could have easily substituted an electric guitar for the cello...but that just wouldn't have been as awesome.

Actual award surprises with Esperanza Spalding beating out the Bieber for Best New Artist and Arcade Fire's (whoo!) "The Suburbs" winning Album of the Year.

Happy Valentine's Day

I've been listening to a bunch of new music lately, but also rediscovering some old favorites. In honor of Valentine's Day, I share with you "You Are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne, an unusually upbeat song from a man who knows how to brood with the best of them: