Idol Thots 27Feb

the final 12 are turning into quite a group. and the wildcard will be very interesting.

Allison is young and a bit shy in interviews, but that girl can sing. i'm thinking she's going to be one who goes far in the competition.

Kris, pretty good, has had some good performances, nothing "stand out" though which could hurt.

Adam is going to be the love/hate guy of this season. kinda like Taylor Hicks. people will love him or loathe him. (heh heh, i got to use the word "loathe")

in watching the preview for the final group next week, i realized i had never really seen 3 or 4 of those people. time to do a little research...

Idol Thots 26Feb

Man, was last night's Idol dry and safe or what? With the exception of 2, maybe 3, it seemed like everyone played it really safe.

Adam Lambert and Nick Mitchell/Norman Gentle both came out with a bang and were totally out there. Adam did a fresh take on the Rolling Stones' classic "Satisfaction" and he's going to be one of those guys who people either love or hate. He has an amazing range and is quite a performer, but is a bit over-the-top at time. i see him going thru easily tonight.

The other standout performer was Nick Mitchell performing as his alter-ego Norman Gentle. This guy totally cracks me up. Shiny shirt, red sweatbands, huge glasses...and singing Dream Girls...how could he go wrong? i really like this guy, but this is the wrong stage for his style. The scary thing is he is memorable and could grab votes and go through.

Mishavonna Henson and Allison Iraheta were the two girls who seemed a step ahead of the others. They didn't come out and really wow, but were solid and showed some great voices.

Megan Corkey has a shot of going though because of the quirkiness factor. She has a great throw-back voice and style and the judges had nothing but praise for her.

The other guys were pretty much safe and unmemorable. Kris Allen could possible get a big bump from the teenage girl vote. He's a pretty good singer, just not breakout. Kai Kalama and Matt Breitzke were way too safe...and boring.

I had high hopes for Matt Giraud, Jessie Langseth and Jasmine Murray. Jessie did ok making "Bette Davis Eyes" a little soulful and bluesey. Matt struggled with a terrible song choice. "Viva la Viva" is not a singing competition song. Jasmine was flat and had no energy and seemed scared and unsure as the first one out of the box.

One other mention - Jeanine Vailes had seen no screen time and came out and totally oversang Maroon 5 to try to make up for it.

Going Through Tonight: Adam for the guys, Mishavonna/Allison/Megan are a toss up for the girls. Nick/Norm (chuckle, chuckle) or possibly Kris could pick up the third spot if one of the girls doesn't.

Thots??

just die

Psalm 116:12-16
How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

i read this the other night and was totally caught off guard by that last verse. i was into the lifting the cup of salvation and fulfilling my vows and the Lord's goodness. and then...God likes it when His people die???

and then...the thinking began. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." "He must increase, but I must decrease."

i heard it said that dead men don't worry about being embarrassed or hurt. they don't seek their own gain. uh, yeah, they're dead.

this is probably the hardest lesson that i'm still learning. i just wish i could learn it and move on, but for some reason i keep coming around this mountain. my silly pride or sense of entitlement or personal fulfillment rise up and i have to beat them back down. and it always happens just when i think i'm getting somewhere.

just die. no matter what i'm doing or who i'm serving or where i'm at, just die. God sees and considers it something of value. just die. i'm building equity in Heaven.

Why do we do anything?

I came across some sermon notes from Robert Fergusson of Hillsong Church from a talk he gave after he had journeyed to Antarctica.

**Anything of worth:
1. takes time
2. costs a great deal
3. changes your life

12 motivators:
1. Why not?
2. Because it's there - discover, find out about something unknown
3. Follow the footsteps of a hero - live a life to be followed. Have a hero and be a hero
4. Believe in the poetry of exploration - Ps 84:5 - pilgramage
5. Meet the fourth man - fiery furnace - chance for an adventure
6. Fulfill a dream
7. Rite of passage - new vantage point
8. Don't live a vicarious life - your experience not a second hand experience
9. Ambition
10. Soul food - not for your body or spirit but for your will, emotions and thinking
11. Missions - promote the Gospel
12. Be an achiever - run with the big dogs

Waiting

The best is yet to come.

i love this statement. it promises better days ahead. no matter how bad or how good life is today, it will be even better.

my question is "when?"

everytime i think i'm getting "it" i seem to go around the mountain again for another life lesson. i've heard "God must be preparing you for something really big to work on you so much." maybe i'm just more messed up than i thought.

i know God can work in a moment. i'm clinging to that. Moses raised his staff and the Red Sea parted in a moment. Jesus blessed the 5 loaves and 2 fish in a moment and the disciples served 5,000. a leper was restored in a moment. disciples were called and followed in a moment.

i've had my share of moments. but it feels like i'm operating on a calendar now. week turns into week turns into month turns into year.

just be faithful. just serve. just die to self. it's a hard road to have been a significant contributor and then be shuffled to the back.

just be faithful. just serve. just die to self.