My wife (who has never seen a Star Wars movie) and I really enjoyed #TheMandalorianAndGrogu. I love that it is a standalone movie. No lightsabers. No “May the force be with you.” No setup for some trilogy or MCU level tease. Disney needed this.
@dunkindonuts I love my Signal Mountain Dunkin’ in Chattanooga, TN. But recently I’ve noticed a lack of donuts around 4pm. Are they making more? Or are they getting a 4-5 hour head start on closing up for the night?
Hello, Moon. It’s great to be back.
Here’s a taste of what the Artemis II astronauts photographed during their flight around the Moon. Check out more photos from the mission: https://t.co/rzM1P0QbOl
Okay I have now watched Kid Rock's performance and Bad Bunny's performance. Here's my honest opinion.
Bad Bunny:
I don't understand Spanish so I have no idea what lyrics he sang, so I'll just start off by commenting on the visuals. It started off fairly wholesome, and reminded me of when I lived in the lower east side of Manhattan, which was predominantly Puerto Rican. I'll always have a special affection for that culture because of that era of my life. Then the booty dancing started, which was inappropriate, along with other moments of people grinding on each other (including two guys). Not appropriate for a family show, in my opinion.
Overall, I didn't think it was as bad as some people thought it was. HOWEVER (and it's a BIG however). The lyrics of the songs he sang (which I understand he altered to make them less vulgar) are absolutely disgusting, vile, and utterly depraved. Bad Bunny has performed in drag on several occasions, and denounced law enforcement (ICE) at the Grammys. My concern is that the presentation could lead many unsuspecting people (including millions of children) to discover his obscene music and look to him as a role model. That would be disastrous for their soul.
Kid Rock:
He started off with a short version of a song that included lyrics that list off people like "midnight glancers and topless dancers," along with drug addicts and alcoholics. Then it says, "And for my hoods of the world misunderstood I said, 'It's all good. And it's all in fun. Now get into the pit and try to love someone."
Then it went abruptly to an unexpectedly beautiful and somber string interlude before he was introduced by his real name, where he sang about second chances. In that context, he encouraged viewers to read their Bibles and give their hearts to Jesus. As an artist, it seemed very clear to me that the whole performance was his salvation arc. Maybe I'm naive, but it seemed like he listed those people off on purpose...no one is beyond redemption. No one is outside of God's invitation for salvation. I really liked his performance.
No one’s really pretending like inviting Bad Bunny to headline the Super Bowl halftime show isn’t a subversive act meant to demoralize America, right?
Like we all know that’s what the show is now?
Thank you @richvillodas for “Waiting for Jesus.” As a Christian, this is my first Christmas taking the time to learn and practice Advent. It has been especially meaningful. Merry Christmas!
Okay... I'm going to sound like real-life @ChrchCurmudgeon here, but here goes...
If you are a church musician, and you honestly want to "lead people in worship" through music, you may want to do the following:
1) Pick a singable key for the median person who doesn't sing all the time. Don't pick a key to highlight your voice.
2) Lower the volume so people can hear the voices of those around them, and themselves.
3) Let people sing the melodies that are familiar to them. While you may want to jazz up or do the latest CCM twist of "Hark the Herald" or "Silent Night"--people can't follow you. They just want to sing the song.
Picking keys to highlight your voice; playing at concert volume; doing creative rearrangements to make the familiar suddenly unfamiliar... all discourage us from singing.
There's NOTHING wrong with highlighting your voice, or playing at concert volume, or doing creative rearrangements of songs... if you are a performer.
Book a gig somewhere! Play out! Be great! Build a following! But please, when we all get together and sing, don't put up barriers to stop us.