June 17, 2008
New Version of Movable Type
I am messing with this updated version of Movable Type. I kind of accidentally wiped my old styles clean, so I'll be messing with stuff trying to get something back. I guess worship in the city was due for a make-over.
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Strep Throat Really Sucks.
I've been laid out with Strep Throat for almost a week now. I gave it to my wife also. She and I share a lot of germs; it's one of those things about marriage. We finally went to a health clinic yesterday and got a test. Apparently, we've both got a gigantic case of it. Our tests came back, really positive. So, now we're on antibiotics. Cool.
Supposedly, our 2 month old son is not at risk of getting strep. Hopefully Joanna will stay healthy. She has been asking all week long to share our food, or drink and we've had to keep turning her down.
I have one more day of staying out of the office, then it's back into the saddle. Today, I'll be trying to work from home (in between diaper changes and whatnot.)
So please pray for our recovery...and wash your hands.
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April 6, 2008
google?
Is anyone else having problems with google? I can get gmail to work, but the reader and search engine are refusing to load? My sister in law is here and she can't get any google stuff to come up on her computer either. Is there a problem with our little wireless network or is anyone else having the same issues?
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February 4, 2008
A Trip to the Doctor
Today I went to the doctor for the first time in probably a decade. I've been having issues with my stomach. The doctor thinks that I probably have a bit of an ulcer and some reflux issues. So, I'm going to take some acid reducing meds for a few weeks and see if it helps.
All of this is a little embarrassing, and humbling. It was really hard to get up the nerve to go the doctor for help. It feels like I'm being a weeny. Bruce Willis didn't pause while battling a skilled team of terrorists to complain that his tummy hurt.
It's also a little taste of mortality. I'm no longer 18. I suffer from the effects of aging even in my 20s. It's no big deal, but it just makes me a little melancholy.
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January 28, 2008
MySpace Page
I finally have a myspace page. Check it out here.
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January 3, 2008
Scripture for the New Year
"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." -Psalm 116:7
This is my theme verse for the upcoming year which I have added to the banner of my blog. It's short and simple to remember when I am having a rough time. I am planning on reciting it to myself during sleepless nights as I rock my son back to sleep. I plan on remembering it in times of anxiety at work. I plan on meditating on it when I get lost in the daily bustle.
On of the great blessings that the Lord gives us is rest. It was one of the first things He instituted in our lives after He created the universe. He set aside a whole day of the week for us to just chill out and relax. He wants us to be able to stop and enjoy the lives He has blessed us with. Worship is rest. It is a time to cease striving and to meditate on God's goodness. Pagan gods demand that their worship be about how much are you willing to suffer and toil to show your reverence. But, the worship of the true God is more like a big feast like the one in the parable of the prodigal son. We stand at the throne and celebrate that Jesus has opened the way into the Father's prefect rest.
I had a wonderful time of rest this past week with my family. Most of our time was spent at a house out in the country where my wife's family congregated and relaxed together. There were whole days where I never left the house and I just relaxed. I learned how to solve the Rubik's cube. I wrote a song. I played with my daughter and nieces. I slept in. It was a taste of heaven.
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December 10, 2007
gimme gimme
I have included an Amazon wish list link on this blog's right hand side bar if you would like to shower me with giftage.
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October 31, 2007
It's a boy!
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July 5, 2007
Stuff Going On
What's going on these days?
Reading:
The Gospel of John- What a refreshing read! "I am the way, the truth, the life, the living water, the bread of life, the resurrection..."
A Wrinkle In Time- my first time reading this children's classic.
With One Voice- Reggie Kidd's book about Psalm 22. I'm going to hang out with him a week from this Saturday at a STL Worship Reformed Network BBQ, so I figured I should read his book first.
Listening:
Freddie Hubbard- Here To Stay
Los Lonely Boys
John Mayer- Continuum
Movies:
Miss Potter- cute, but why did they take Ewan's mustache off of the cover?
The Shooter- ah, the old faithful action flick
Music and Lyrics- I just bought it for Sarah to add to our growing Romantic comedy collection.
New toy:
M-Audio Black Box- it's a digital amp modeler/effects processor, drum machine, and digital recording USB interface. wicked!
On my mind:
London Evangelism and Prayer Conference- t minus 17 days till departure
iPods- so cool, but would I actually use it?
Joanna's heart- she can form simple sentences, but is she ready to learn about God who is invisible and omniscient?
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June 29, 2007
Facebook Song
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June 28, 2007
Facebook: the Opiate of the Masses
My wife and I were introduced to Facebook a few weeks ago and now I am a lot less motivated to blog. Once more blog guilt has set in and I start to feel like my blog is mad at me.
I enjoy Facebook, but it just seems to take up all my online time. I have also reached a point where the initial surge of building a list of "friends" and creating little groups has plateaued and now I just open up the news feed and read about other people's "status" or that they removed "I Know What You Did Last Summer" from their "favorite movies".
Another problem is that I made the unfortunate mistake of including several of our church's youth in my list of friends. Of course, I don't have a problem with these folks, it's just that with school out, it seems that they have nothing to do but mess around on Facebook. I have changed my preferences on the news feed to show as little as possible from the youth, but their activity still dominates the Facebook community. What can I do now? Ask them to become my ex-friends?
I also toyed with the "Applications" features. I can't get past the page where they tell you that all your information will be accessed by some third party. My "Big Brother" alarm goes off. I imagine my email being flooded with spam and whatnot. Has anyone added applications to their Facebook with success?
Ah, my good old blog. You won't let me down.
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June 4, 2007
Accidents Happen
Tonight, I was holding Joanna on my lap and together we were watching the Mo's (Nemo and Elmo) on YouTube. I made the mistake of waiting until bedtime to change her diaper. I started to feel a warm sensation growing and realized that the diaper had reached maximum capacity. I stood up and had a wet patch right on my crotch and on the bottom of my T-shirt. Somehow, Joanna's clothes were completely dry. So, I changed her diaper and put her in her PJs and let her watch one last Elmo video before bed. After I set her up in front of the computer with her Elmo and sippy cup, I had to change all my clothes. Coincidentally, this was the clip she was watching. It seemed eerily appropriate.
Elmo and Grover, thanks for understanding.
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May 30, 2007
Lots of Pictures
Pictures from the Music Team’s Memorial Day BBQ:
Here’s Sarah’s pics
Here’s Ed Crim’s pics
This is a website of an old friend of mine from college, Brian Jobe. He and his wife, Carri, are both artists who are actively involved in the secular art world, creating art in the name of Christ.
While I’m mentioning Brian, I should also plug my sister’s work one more time.
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May 9, 2007
On Vacation
This week I am on vacation with my parents (and Sarah’s parents). We are having fun with all our kids (Joanna, Lauren, Meredith, Coriena, Josiah, and Eden) and enjoying the new bikes that we gave each other for our 3rd Anniversary. Vacation can be hard work when there are so many people we want to spend quality time with, staying up late (but Joanna still gets up early) and being busy with fun activity. It will be nice to get home and do some relaxing work.
Our friends, Peter and Janet, are getting married this week. Sarah has known them for a very long time, but they are my friends, too. I am thankful that they did not ask me to participate in the wedding. Weddings can be exhausting for musicians. Why do weddings have to be so huge? I know someone who will be getting married this summer in Nairobi. I heard that they are having their wedding in the middle of a Sunday morning worship service. Why don’t we get back to that kind of a thing for weddings? So much emphasis on the wedding day distracts from the long haul reality of marriage.
Anyway, it’s good to be in “The Scenic City of the South” again.
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April 23, 2007
4 things to be happy about
1. Tomorrow is our 3 year anniversary! Sarah, I love you so much and I'm so thankful for everything about you.
2. This cool post from the Dassler Effect.
3. South City worship service will finally be moving to a new home and getting a two site specific pastors.
4. This weekend, we were watching “Standing in The Shadows of Motown” and there was a short clip of Joe Messina, one of the Funk Brothers, playing bebop jazz guitar. My daughter pointed at the T.V. and said “Dada!”
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April 4, 2007
Stlouisblogs.org- part of a vast right wing conspiracy?
St Louis blogs, which hosts my blog, is part of Terrablogs, which is run by a local Chattanooga business called Coptix. Coptix is a stone’s throw from my parents back porch.
Anyway, they had some fun with a little April Fools prank that spread throughout the internet blogsphere.
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March 2, 2007
soccer kid
ok, so my blog has now become the place where i post stuff from youtube. I didn't want to do it, but this comercial is really cute. By the way check out the video of my super cute daughter on my wife's blog.
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February 23, 2007
How To Break and Pop
I figured out what I will do while Sarah is out of town!
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December 12, 2006
Blogger's Guilt
It began with a relentless end of year blitz on church music beginning in October and ending…oh wait it hasn’t ended yet. Then it was combined with several weeks of family visitors and holiday fun between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Then a huge rain/sleet/ice/snow blizzard knocked out thousands of people’s power for a few days and knocked out our internet connection for over a week. All of these elements created a perfect storm effect on my blog activity and now I am suffering from the effects of Blogger’s Guilt.
Blogger’s Guilt- that sick feeling you get when you remember how long it’s been since the last time you’ve posted on your blog.
Here’s how my condition progressed:
-The first stage was a mild sense of apathy that my blog is really of any value. I found a cruel sense of satisfaction that I had left my blog unchanged for over a -week.
-Then it progressed to a kind of writer’s block. I knew it was time to act, but every time a window of time opened up I drew a blank.
-The writer’s block turned to fear. I would open my browser, see my blog page come up and quickly navigate away before I could see how old the last post was.
-Fear became denial: “Blog? What blog? I don’t have a blog?”
-Denial moved to acceptance that I had a problem and that the problem would need to be addressed.
-And finally, I had to act by writing something completely pointless and lame just to get something out there.
A similar condition to Blogger’s Guilt is Houseplant Owner’s Guilt. Unfortunately, I have been suffering from both lately.
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August 16, 2006
Movies 'n' Stuff
No one officially tagged me for this, but I love movies so much that I have been sitting on the sidelines waiting. Normally, I don’t crash a party without an invitation, but as one of the founding fathers of St Louis blogs, I think I have earned the right.
1) What is a movie that changed the way you think and act? Or just got you thinking, if the first question is too intimidating.
When I was in middle school, I watched the movie “Reality Bites” and became obsessed with Ethan Hawk’s coolness. I think that it created this platonic ideal of coolness in my brain that still lingers in my subconscious. (For example that last
sentence I just wrote would be something like what Hawk’s character would
say.)
2) It's a late autumn evening and rainy and cold? What do you have for dinner/snack? What movie do you pop in the DVD player?
Snack: Ice Cream
Movie: The Incredibles
3) You are off to wee Himalayan hamlet for a year, your laptop hard drive can hold one film. What will it be?
Lord of the Rings
4) What movie made you laugh the hardest? What movie made you cry?
I love comedies, but they always make me laugh more when quoted. Here’s a list of some of my favorite films to quote in no particular order: The Big Labowski; Raising Arizona; Monty Python and the Holy Grail; Spinal Tap; Bottle Rocket; The Three Amigos; Spies Like Us; The Jerk; Fletch; UHF;
I cry at almost every movie I see. The hardest I’ve cried I think was after In America.
5) Favorite actor (female, male)?
I am more likely to look at who the director is than the actors, but there are a few folks off the top of my head that I especially like:
Actresses-Rachel Weiz (she reminds me of Sarah), Toni Collette, Audrey Hepburn, Holly Hunter, Reese Witherspoon
Actors-Cary Grant/George Clooney (their the same guy, right?), Gary Sinise, Don Cheadle, Ian Holm, Edward Norton, Jack Black, Will Ferrell
6) What book or story would you like to see made into a film or what book do you love that could never be made into a film?
Neil said Perelandra, but I would say That Hideous Strength. In my mind I see the whole thing as a really cool movie, but it would never get made.
7) What is a movie that immediately after you watched it, you wish you hadn't?
A Clockwork Orange, Monster’s Ball, American Pie
8) Do you read movie reviews? Before, after, never? Whose reviews do you find the best? Are you an analyzer?
Yes, I am most likely to read Good ol’ Roger Ebert, but I also value to opinions of friends and family highly. Yes, I analyze like crazy, but my wife doesn’t. So, we comprise: I will analyze for only about 5 minutes after a movie.
9) What movie do you think is a must see, but that you can only recommend with caveats? What movie do you really like, but can only recommend with caveats?
There are comedies that only certain people will like (UHF, Bottle Rocket, Napolean Dynamite)
There are dramas that are important, but hard to watch (Schindler’s List, American History X)
There are Romantic Comedies that my wife and I love to watch together, but they are only for the truly sappy (How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, 50 First Dates, Laws of Attraction)
10) What movie do you most wish to share with your friends?
The Station Agent
Now tag at least 5 people.
Sarah told me she didn’t want to be tagged, so…
Kate
Meg
Anna
Rinnie
Joanna
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August 11, 2006
You Mock My Pain!
Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti
I'm just gonna stop taking these tests. First Eowyn, then Marzipan and now Buttercup. Sheesh!
Posted by Kirk Ward at 2:40 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
August 3, 2006
Funny Book
I realized today that in the book post, I list some books that made me laugh, but I failed to list the one book that had me laughing so hard that I was in tears. I had to put it down after a while because I was in too much pain from laughing so hard. I first read it on a road trip with friends and so I recommend reading it out loud with a group of people. If you know Josh Green, you have probably been exposed to the book already.
"Letters from a Nut" by Ted L. Nancy, forward by Jerry Seinfeld.
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August 2, 2006
Welcome Judah!
Praise the Lord for miraculous babies!
Our friends, the Taylors, were told that having children would not be possible for them. They had completed their paperwork and jumped through the hoops to do the foster care/adoption route when God decided to allow them to have their own child. Yesterday morning, Judah David Taylor was born.
May the Lord bless this child, and may his life be a constant testament to the fact that with God all things are possible.
Here are more details on the Taylor’s blog.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 9:45 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Books 'n' Stuff
This is one of those tag things where someone requests that you answer the questions then you pick five more people to answer them, too. It’s a little narcissistic, but hey…what blog isn’t?
These questions pertain to books, but I will just go ahead and leave the Bible out of any answers. Sure, it’s words on paper bound together, but it’s so much more than a book, right?
1. One book that changed your life:
Wild At Heart: Discovering the Secret of A Man’s Heart by John Eldredge
I have to write a disclaimer here. This book changed my life because it helped to start a series of changes that ultimately led to pursuing my wife and a completely new way of viewing relationships I had with women. However, those changes were more of a result of the meetings I had with my pastor, Jim Pickett, and the other guys in my bible study. Eldredge’s book help to spark some things, but I actually didn’t like the book very much at all because of how he objectified the masculine persona to be a kind-of John Wayne type that did not fit with who I am or who my father is or grandfathers are.
Jim Pickett or my old RUF campus minister, John Stone, could probably write a much better book on the subject.
Wild At Heart is the closest thing to “a book that changed my life” despite the fact that I never even finished reading it.
2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
How To Escape Off of A Desert Island….just kidding
Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin
I would probably have to be trapped with it on a desert island to read it without quiting.
4. One book that made you laugh:
Any of the Harry Potter Books by JK Rowling
Any of Kurt Vonnegut’s books (I don’t recommend them unless you want to get a fat dose of Nihilism)
5. One book that made you cry:
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
6. One book that you wish had been written:
Contextualized Reformed Worship
7. One book that you wish had never been written:
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
(maybe if I read it today I would appreciate it but in 10th grade it was like torture)
8. One book you’re currently reading:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
That Hiddeous Strength by CS Lewis
The Worship Team Handbook ed. Alison Siewert
Confessions of St. Augustine
9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
anything by Francis Schaffer
With One Voice by Reggie Kidd
10. Now tag five people:
hmmm almost everyone I know who blogs has been tagged by someone else…
Aimee
Tanya
Meg M.
Amanda
Laini
All women…where are the male bloggers?
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July 25, 2006
Update on the weekend
Our power is back in full force and power is being returned to homes and businesses all over St. Louis. We took Joanna to the doctor yesterday for a check up and our Doctor said that he did not have power as of Monday morning, but he expected that it would be back later that day.
The worship services went well. The power came back on Friday night so we were able to have a normal practice without generators. As far as I know, the gym worship went well, and the outdoor worship in Tower Grove Park was a lot of fun, too. We discovered that they have a really cool wading pool and fountain for kids there.
The wedding was a lot of fun as well. The sound at Rock Hill Baptist was worth the experience for me. I could here my voice so well that it was a little intimidating at first. Once I got used to it, it made singing a lot more fun because I had a lot more control. Carrie Jones is my new hero. She played two weddings in a row and did a really excellent job. Sorry, Carrie, but if anyone asked me to do music for their wedding again, my first question will be, “Have you talked to Carrie already?”
As is the case after most long and stressful weekends, I am now sick. I got this stomach thing that had me on the pot for a few hours this morning. (too much information?) I'm a little worried that I ate something that had spoiled during the power-outage.
Thanks for your prayers!
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July 21, 2006
Too Hot!
We need prayer:
1. Pray for electricity to be restored in our home. Sarah and I don’t have power yet. Last night, we foolishly turned down multiple offers to stay with other people (I thought, I’ve lived without AC before. What’s the big deal?) But, last night was probably the hottest of the year, there was absolutely no breeze, and it was so humid that we felt like we were in a sauna!
2. Pray for electricity to be restored in St. Louis. We don’t need prayer as much as our friends Josh and Fafa who are going to get married on Saturday and the church where they are having the ceremony does not have power yet either. Pray that electricity will be restored for the wedding, pray that electricity will be restored for our worship on Sunday, and pray that the 400,000 customers who lost power this week will be safe this weekend.
Here's a map of the power outages as of this morning. Red spots are where the most people are without power. I got it from this site.
3. Pray for the South City worship for this weekend. In a somewhat prophetic move, the leaders of the South City service decided on Monday to have church in a pavilion in Tower Grove Park. This is an awesome opportunity to expose our ministry to all of people who will be in Tower Grove for the “Festival of Nations.”
Posted by Kirk Ward at 9:17 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 2, 2006
My feminine side
I took a test to see which Homestarrunner character I was and I ended up as Marzipan! Whenever I take these kinds of tests, I end up being a woman. Argg!
Here's another test where I ended up as a woman.
Which Homestar Runner character are you?
this quiz was made by jurjyfrort
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June 13, 2006
Football, Furniture, and Family
A few random thoughts:
1. World Cup Fever! I have a fever and the only prescription is more World Cup! I am like a man obsessed. I can’t seem to stop thinking about the world cup. I’m not sure why. My wife is especially confused because I never seemed to put any thought into international football before. All of a sudden, I feel compelled to constantly check scores and read about players and teams. I think I have always been a championship sports fan. Regular season play: a bore! Championship play: bring it on!
2. What is it about rearranging our furniture that makes me feel so mentally stimulated? I highly recommend flipping your living room around or putting your bed against a different wall to bring up your spirits. Maybe it’s because it makes you feel like you have a brand new house. Without getting into any kind of Feng Shui kind of philosophy, I wonder what kind of spiritual dynamics are at work that make rearranging feel so good. Is it like a tiny version of fulfilling the mandate to subdue the earth?
3. My family never seemed to put any stock into holidays like Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or even anniversaries and birthdays. My wife’s family is quite the opposite. What about you? Would you be in trouble if you failed to send your dad a Father’s day gift?
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May 17, 2006
Back from Vacation
I have been on a long vacation for a while and thus my blog is a little stagnant. I just have a few random comments about the past few weeks:
1. My daughter has graduated from cute gurgling noises to loud whiny-screams. Hopefully, she is just exercising her lungs for a wonderful singing voice.
2. Time with family is great, especially when you are with them long enough that you find yourselves doing normal stuff together like watching TV or doing chores.
3. I have been collecting new songs for the upcoming year (which is almost half over already) and now have more than 2 CDs worth of cool songs. Can we just toss out all our old songs and start over fresh?
4. Did you know that “How Firm a Foundation” was sung at the funerals of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Robert E. Lee?
5. If I had to return to elementary school today, I would probably fail all my subjects. I am an awful speller, and I am terrible at simple math like addition and subtraction. My wonderful music team was pointing out my spelling errors in the charts this past weekend, but I am just a little bit insecure about it. So, please gently inform me of spelling errors in charts, overhead text, or whatever and refrain from the ubiquitous snickering and degradation. Those of us who are spelling impaired are an oppressed people group tormented for our handicap. For an example of the kind of hateful propaganda out there against the spelling impaired (impeared?) click here.
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March 4, 2006
I Couldn't Help But Share This.
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February 6, 2006
Ten reasons why I love Monday
As a person who vocationally ministers on the weekends, I get to take my day off on Mondays. Here are a few reasons why Monday is the best day of my week:
10. Time to be an introvert- My weekend work requires that I become a maximum extrovert. Sometimes it is so nice to be alone.
9. Waiting for the mail to arrive- Is it just me or is getting mail like a tiny version of Christmas everyday?
8. Guitar for pleasure, not for pay.
7. A long shower in the morning.
6. My lunch hour- Three letters: C. S. I.
5. Being able to do chores for my wife- This might sound trite, but I personally find acts of service to be the most natural way for me to express love. Bring on the dishes!
4. Time for reading-I finished “The Great Divorce” and started on Harry Potter book 2.
3. Spending the morning with Joanna-She is in the best mood right after her morning meal which is usually when I am just leaving for work.
2. Extra long devotions with Sarah.
1. A whole day with my family
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December 17, 2005
Welcome Joanna!
I now have a daughter, Joanna Elizabeth Ward.
She was born on Thursday night, December 15 at 8:54 PM weighing 7lbs 15oz measuring 20” long.
Check out pics on our family website: NewlyWards.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 7:27 PM | TrackBack
December 9, 2005
Advent Adventures
This week has been a little crazy.
I got sick this past weekend with a stomach thing that turned into a chest/head/throat thing on Monday. My wife and I both have this and so in the morning one of us will apologize for keeping the other up with hacking and snorting to which the other will reply that they were too busy hacking and snorting to notice. I stayed home from work yesterday to recover, and I was feeling much better by the afternoon. However, it seems to be a nocturnal bug that strikes every night before bed.
We have also enjoyed having Sarah’s mom around. She got in on Wednesday night, and is now waiting with baited breath for her third grand-daughter to appear. We picked up my M.I.L. from the Lambert International Airport, and I have decided that this airport was designed to sell people on the concept of flying by making their driving and parking experience as confusing and frustrating as possible.
A massive (by my Tennessee standards) snowstorm hit the entire US including fair St. Louis. I enjoy the snow; it certainly makes me feel all Christmasy. The snow is early (I think) for the season. I don’t remember snow in early December last year. Is it a sign of a long, cold winter? Maybe, but the pessimist side of me says that no matter how cold or snowy it is this month or the months following, Christmas day will be 65 degrees and sunny.
Don’t ask me to explain it, but we also had to pick up my father in law from Lambert Confuser-national last night. He had been in Chattanooga for an ear doctor appointment, but then he…I won’t even try to explain all this to you. Anyway, he had to fly out the next morning to visit his mother in New Mexico. So, the snow delay his flight getting in making us stay up past our bedtime, and the flight the next day meant that we had to get up at 4:30 AM to take him back. Adventures! Family is great, it makes you willing do amazingly crazy things. I love it!
Sarah update: 3-4cm dilated. 50% effaced. Cute as a button (or maybe a cantaloupe).
Posted by Kirk Ward at 10:27 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 1, 2005
Gifts Ideas from WITC
Here are a few tips from Worship in the City for some holiday gifts that you might enjoy:
Books:
Worship in Spirit and Truth-John Frame
This is an excellent primer on the meaning and role of worship in the life of the believer. Frame gives an excellent biblical overview of worship as well as address some specific controversies that effect the church. I would make this required reading for the NCF music team if I could.
Lies My Music Teacher Told Me-Gerald Eskelin
I read this book for my Music Theory 101 course in college. If you have a basic knowledge of music theory, it is a really fun read. Sometimes it can get kind of technical, but it is short with lots of personal stories and visual examples.
Worship By the Book-Ed. D.A. Carson
This book provides four different perspectives of biblically centered worship from different traditions. The final chapter by Tim Keller is excellent.
Movies:
Standing in the Shadows of Motown
Live performances mixed with interviews, pictures and history present the story of the forgotten sidemen of all the Motown hits. You will fall in love with Motown all over again.
Amadeus
Bio pic of Mozart with a made up story of a rival composer who rejects God out of spite for giving such a wretched man as Mozart such talent. “Mediocrities of the world, I absolve you!”
This Is Spinal Tap
A true classic. How much more funny could this film get? The answer is none, none more funny.
Recordings:
Tom Canta Vinicius: Ao Vivo-Antonio Carlos Jobim
If you are a Jobim fan, this is an excellent live recording. It has an intimate sound like they are playing right in your living room. I don’t have it, but I got it for my dad once and I have always regretted that I gave it to him instead of keeping it for myself.
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
This recording changed my mind about Dylan. He has a bluesy-rootsy vocal sound that is far from the caricatures people make of him. The man has an amazing ability to rip your heart out and hand it to you with a song, if you’re in to that sort of thing.
Show Biz Kids: The Steely Dan Story 1972-80
I wanted to pick a Steely Dan recording, but I couldn’t decide, so I will cop-out and just put this greatest hits 2 disc set.
Nothing But a Burning Light -Bruce Cockburn
A pre- ‘O Brother’ T-Bone Burnett produced this jem, so you can expect lots of dobro and excellent organ parts. Cockburn is an excellent Canadian song-writer who has a love for Christ that is a lot different from the polished Nashvillians of CCM.
Earth Wind & Fire: Greatest Hits
I spent an entire summer in college with this as the only cassette in my car’s stereo. EWF is so sweet! My favorite track will always be ‘September’ because of the killer guitar riff.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 1:34 PM | TrackBack
September 27, 2005
Gratuitous Blog Fodder
10 years ago: I was a sophomore at Chattanooga Christian School. I was writing songs mostly about girls who ignored me. I was playing in a band called “Celiac Spru,” and I had long hair that I pulled up into little pony tails when I was playing soccer.
5 years ago: I was a junior at the University of Tennessee. I lived in a tiny apartment off campus. It took me half an hour to walk to class, which was nice because I listened to music for the entire walk. I made money on the weekends doing game day parking for my landlord. My roommate and I were able to pick up MTV2 with our television’s antennae. I read the Lord of the Rings for the first time.
1 year ago: I was starting my first semester at Covenant Seminary. I had been married for only a few months and was getting acclimated to my new job at New City Fellowship, St. Louis.
Yesterday: I played “Precious Lord” at a funeral for Darwin White’s mother and went to class in the afternoon.
5 snacks I enjoy: M&M’s, Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Peanut Butter M&M’s, and carrots.
5 songs I know the words to: The Red Sweatshirt Song by Adam Sandler; “Who Needs the Kwicky Mart” as sung by Apu Masapemapedalon on the Simpsons; the entire B-side of Abby Road by the Beatles, “All the Things You Are” by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein; “Glory to Glory to Glory” by Fred Hammond
Continue reading "Gratuitous Blog Fodder"
Posted by Kirk Ward at 8:18 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 15, 2005
Warm Fuzzies on a Rainy Day
This picture makes me happy. This is my cousin Sam and his wife Sara (Yeah, I know, her name is Sara Ward. But my wife is the only Sarah-with-an-H Ward).
Sam has been taking Chemotherapy for the past year. Notice the hair growing back.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 10:03 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 25, 2005
I am the benevolent dictator of St Louis Blogs
I guess that no one else has signed up to be on St. Louis Blogs yet. I am the first! If you go to the St. Louis blogs mainpage. It shows all the recent posts and entries from my blog only. If you go to Chattablogs or Atlanta blogs there are hundreds of other bloggers. But, for now, Worship in the city is the only voice from the banks of the Mississippi in the shadow of the Arch.
What else can I say but, "GO CARDS!"
In other news, today is my birthday! 26 years young.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 12:49 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
August 24, 2005
Movin' On Up
I have finally taken the plunge into St. Louis Blogs. Thank you, Ben and the boys in Chattanooga, for setting up this thang.
Now all I have to do is relearn everything I was familiar with in Blogger in Movable Type.
Any advice from you Movable Type old timers would be much appreciated.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 3:55 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack