The Life and Times of David Ferrell

Rachel's first Switchfoot Concert.

2011-12-09T19:01:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I went to see my favorite active band, Switchfoot, in concert. I was excited for this concert for the following reasons:

1. This was the first show I would be going to after the release of their new album, Vice Verses, which I believe to be their best one yet.
2. This was my first sold out Switchfoot concert.
3. This was the first time my fiancee, Rachel, experienced the awesomeness that is Switchfoot.

The concert was in Charlottesville at the Jefferson Theater. This is definitely worth mentioning as is not only Charlottesville a beautiful town, but the theater was beautiful as well. It had a large area for people to stand and rock out on the bottom level and 2 levels of balconies. It looked like an old movie theater that ripped out the theater seats.

Opening things up was Honor by August. Usually I'm not really impressed by the opening act, but Honor by August, while not being phenomenal, was very good for an opening band. I got to talk with some of the members after the show and they were very down to earth.

Now, on to the main act. Switchfoot put on an amazing show. They opened things up with "The Original", a very fun and upbeat song from the new album that definitely set the right tone for what was coming. Here's the full setlist, that included 9 songs from the new album

The Original
Stars
The War Inside
We Are One Tonight
This is Your Life
Souvenirs
Afterlife
Been Caught(cover song)
Mess of Me
Restless
Dare You to Move
Vice Verses (first time live in the States)
Dark Horses
Meant to Live

After that, the crowd roared and asked for one more song. They gave us not 1, not 2, but 3.

They played Hello Hurricane, and then the perfect encore song, "Where I Belong", followed by "The Sound."

But the crowd hadn't had enough and Switchfoot came out for a second encore, performing "Needle and Haystack Life."

It was an amazing experience, not one I will soon forget.

The Best (and worst) day at the movies ... and some other stuff

2011-10-07T20:54:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been 2 months since I wrote on the blog. A lot has happened between August 5th and now. Summer ended, fall began. Football season returned with the Redskins at 3-1. It's been quite a month musically. 4, count them, 4, of my favorite bands released new albums

NeedtoBreathe - The Reckoning, a very good album, but not quite as good as their previous work

Gungor - Ghosts upon the Earth

Mute Math - Odd Soul

and finally, Switchfoot, in their best ever album, Vice Verses. Yes, I think it's better than The Beautiful Letdown and Hello Hurricane. Easily, easily has the best album ending song that they've ever made.

Anyway, moving on to why I'm really here. A very interesting thing happened this past summer when I went to go see a movie. Not just any movie, but my pick for the best movie of the year so far, "The Tree of Life". I had been waiting and waiting for this movie to come out for some time due to the buzz that the movie was getting ever since it won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It finally arrived at the Naro this past summer and I decided to go see it with a good friend of mine.

We went in and the theater was not jam packed, but it had a considerable number of people. My friend and I sat down and after the first few minutes we both knew this wasn't going to be just any movie. It was going to be a very memorable movie The Tree of Life beautifully illustrates how life seldom gives us straight answers and when we look up at the sky and ask God why, He rarely gives answers us directly. In the case of the film, God and the director, Terrence Malick, answers in the most appropriate way, by showing us. There is very little dialogue at the beginning and end of the film, but in the middle is where we get to see the main character fleshed out and his ongoing struggle with nature vs. grace, most embodied with the struggle of the death of his brother, which we are made aware of at the beginning of the film. How the story plays out, I am not here to say, but it is one of beauty, grace, elegance, and meditation. Malick doesn't use a conventional narrative and it works. Instead, the audience is left to ponder the far reaches of what is possible and glimpse at the beauty of what lies beyond.

The Tree of Life sparked a discussion between me and my friend. One that only a great movie does. Once we were back at his apartment, I came to find out that some friends of his were watching "Battle: Los Angeles" upstairs. So I settled in and watched a little bit because several of the poeple watching the movie were also my friends. Now, I already knew the reputation of this film and so I wasn't expecting much. What ended up happening though, is I had the singular worst experience watching a movie this entire year and I only watched about 45 minutes of the movie. The following are some quotes that my friend and I have since said about the film.

"I never thought 45 minutes could feel like an eternity."
"You start cheering for the aliens just so the movie will end."
"A mind numbing, cliche-ridden experience."

The dialogue in the film was horrible. When they weren't screaming commands at each other, most of the conversations were just filler between the predictable, messy action sequences. I don't mind action movies or alien invasion movies. I do mind when they're bad.

This experience of seeing the best and worst films of the year in the same day I won't soon forget. The friend I went with summed it up best when he said, "You know a film is great when even after seeing a film as bad as Battle: Los Angeles, you still remember the greater film."

Switchfoot - Vice Verses Listening Session (Mobile Version)

2011-08-05T19:00:00.000-04:00

Switchfoot Listening Session

I'm Engaged!

2011-08-05T18:57:00.000-04:00

For those of you haven't heard, I am engaged. I proposed on the evening of July 24th to my now fiancee, Rachel, at the Lions' Bridge. I've been dating Rachel since last August and I had no doubt in my mind she was the one I wanted to marry. For those of you who have been praying for me and also those who have left e-mails, facebook messages, phone calls, etc, you have my sincere thanks. I'm looking forward to what the future has in store for the 2 of us.

Praising God is crazy when you think about it

2011-05-10T19:38:00.002-04:00

At first glance, worshiping God through music may not seem crazy. As a Christian, it's what we do. If you go to church it's normal. The team of worship leaders get up and the congregation sings along to a power point slide, a hymnal, or, if you're really old-school, an overhead projector. Whatever the case may be, most Christians don't think praising God on a Sunday or even during the week, for that matter, is unusual. I would agree that for a Christian, it shouldn't be unusual, but let's stop and think about what is actually going on when we sing to Him.

When Christians sing to God, it's first and foremost an act of worship. It's not merely spouting off words to a tune. It's surrender. It's an expression of thanks. Ultimately, singing to God is an act of giving glory back to Himself and to the born again believer, this is the best thing since sliced bread. But praising God is odd to anyone else because it requires the denial of yourself as the ultimate receiver of glory. It requires trading your own ambition, desires, and goals for those of God.

I love to sing to God. It's one of the greatest joys I have as a believer. I love to lift my hands and jump and down in the joy I have in Him. Still, some think it's weird that I do that. In response, I have a question: do you jump up and down and lift your hands at rock concerts? If so, why do you do that? It's because you enjoy the music and are expressing your satisfaction in it, right? Or maybe you really like the band?

Then why is it when you come to worship the God of the universe, the very being who wove you together in your mother's womb, numbered the stars and knows them by name, breathed life into man, and died for you so that you could be reconciled to him, you stand like a stick in the mud and have about as much energy as a cardboard cutout. We serve a mighty God, who despite his incomprehensibly vast amount of power and glory, loved you so much that He hung on a cross for you. That's something worth dancing up and down the aisles about! I still wonder why in certain Christian circles, there's this atmosphere of limitation in one's expression of worship. Myself, I have no problem dancing, lifting my hands, falling on my face, and basically just being real before God. What I'm not saying is that every Christian should go dancing down the aisles. What I am saying though is that if you're a Christian, there's a reason to go crazy for Jesus and Jesus deserves more than just cattle in a sanctuary.

2 Corinthians 5:13-15 is one of my favorite passages in the entire bible because it explains to unbelievers why Christians go crazy for Jesus, while giving a summary of the gospel itself. Here's what it says:

If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Think about what this is saying. "Christ's love compels us." In other words, we should want to go crazy for God. What's even crazier is that we no longer live for ourselves, and we're okay with it! In a world that is totally consumed with the idea of satisfying the self, this is a radical notion. But a true believer, being transformed by Christ, desires more than anything to live for Christ, who died and was raised again.

So Christians, let's start acting like it! Let's go before God not just in singing to him, but in all areas of our life, with a joyful and grateful heart, giving thanks and adoration to Him who sits on the throne of grace.

The story of Jonah

2010-12-26T15:27:00.000-05:00

Here's a wonderful rendition of the story of Jonah told by a little girl.

The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.

White Christmas

2010-12-26T15:24:00.000-05:00

Well, last night we had our first White Christmas in my area since 1948! Wow, that's a long time! I've always enjoyed playing in the snow for a number of reasons. Those include, snow angels, snow men, and the fact that snow is so rare in Hampton Roads. There's nothing like taking a bunch of snow and pelting your sister with it, either... all in good Christian love of course.

Another thing snow reminds me of is how clean Christ wipes away our sins and that couldn't come at a better time than at Christmas. In fact, in Psalm 51, King David was asking for mercy from God for his sin of adultery and murder and asked God to wash him "white as snow". This creates a perfect picture of how wide God's mercy is for us. This is the very reason Christ came on Christmas, that we would be made clean and able to commune with God. Wow!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

--David

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2010-11-18T19:25:00.000-05:00

Today is my mother's birthday! For those of you who haven't had the privilege of meeting mom Ferrell, she's a great Christian woman and has set a great example for me to follow. The vast majority of principles, virtues, and life lessons I have learned from my mom. Not only that, but she has brought 3 children through their college undergraduate studies, she gives of her time and energy to our family, and she's just fun to talk to. Needless to say, I love my mom and it's always a joy to celebrate her birthday.

Switchfoot - The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues) [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

2010-09-17T22:33:00.000-04:00

Switchfoot's music video of "The Sound", a song inspired by John M. Perkins, a civil rights activist dedicated to bringing one nation together united by the power of love.

He said it best when he said, "Love is the final fight."

Enjoy the video, check out www.jmpf.org . Special benefit concert for the John M. Perkins foundation on the 29th. Ustream feed at www.ustream.tv/switchfoot.

Switchfoot will also be playing at the Norva on Oct. 6th at 8PM. If you like what you hear and see, you'll love their show.

A powerful 3 word phrase.

2010-09-16T17:59:00.002-04:00

Being a Christian nearly my entire life, sometimes sayings, phrases, and even scripture, pass by our eyes and ears and we take them for granted but don't let them penetrate our heart. One such phrase I had heard for years and the truth I took for granted. It wasn't until I heard a sermon on the phrase and really let it soak into my mind and heart that I was blown away by what the truth meant. This little 3 word phrase sums up everything that we should aspire to be, everything that we hope for, our reason for existence, and more than anything, displays the power and unbelievable blessings we've been bestowed as Christians.

That phrase is, "Christ in you."

At first glance it seems like such a trite phrase that every Christian understands. "Oh yeah, I get it, Jesus died, was resurrected, and now He lives in me through the person of the Holy Spirit." I get it. But think about what this means!

Colossians describes Christ as having the fullness of God's deity in Him. All of God's power, might, majesty, and glory are in Christ. God is Christ. The creator of worlds, galaxies, planets, stars, comets, trees, animals, sky, clouds, the very air you breathe is Christ. Not only that that same God died on a cross for you, a sinner who deserved every ounce of God's wrath, but in His mind-blowing grace, took your place and your punishment on Himself through Christ. 3 days later He rose from the grave. He promised a Helper and the Holy Spirit was sent to live and provide wisdom and guidance to our lives. That Spirit is Christ and He dwells in you!

The fullness of God dwells in You! Christ in You! If we, as Christians could grasp this principle and truth that the God of the universe dwells and works in us, we would be a force to reckon with.

Paul put it this way in Colossians 1:25-27

²⁵I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— ²⁶the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. ²⁷To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

You see God's purpose is all about God giving glory to Himself and the hope for that is Christ in you, residing in you, working through you, living in you, that will accomplish that. When we take hold of that truth and deny ourselves, we magnify God, he gets the glory and as a reward, we get joy.

Walk in this truth and may God infiltrate your life.

What Will People Think? What Will People Do? I Don't Really Care

2010-09-09T06:20:00.005-04:00

In 2009, I dove headlong into a ministry that has since changed my perspective on God, given me a new purpose, and has also been quite a ride. I'm talking of leading my student Community Group. This past year has been a journey that I won't easily forget. I've developed spiritually and also built relationships with a group of rowdy teenagers.

Last year, the student ministry kicked off the year with an event called One. I remember that day very clearly. The worship center was packed out and at the end of the night, many students made a commitment for Christ.

Last night, we kicked off the year in the same fashion and WOW, was it powerful.

First off, I have to go on record and say this was hands down my favorite One experience thus far. It was the 3rd we've had and this one blew the other 2 out of the water. Of course, when God shows up, crazy and beautiful things happen.

The theme last night was Jesus Freak and Rob began by telling a little bit about the eponymous song. For those who don't know, Rob and I share a strong affinity for DC Talk, the band who performs the song. They're both mine and Rob's favorite band, although Switchfoot is a very, very close second for me. Jesus Freak is my all-time favorite song, so when the band came out and performed the song, I, of course, had a smile from ear to ear and screamed like a little girl when they were done. The whole band did exceedingly well performing the song. Mike gave easily one of the best and ridiculously face-melting guitar performances ever to hearken the WEC stage. Rob did a great job with Toby's part and Keren, Rob B, Larry, Randy, and Brooke all did their part to make it one of the most memorable performances ever.

We had 3 worship songs and then Rob came and gave the message. He spoke on impacting the community around us by living for Christ and becoming a "Jesus Freak", one who is so ardently enthused about Jesus that he or she doesn't care what people think or say, he or she just lives for Him.

At the end of the night we sang "The Stand" by Hillsong and Rob called the students who were willing to make a stand for Christ to come on stage. What followed was a moment that made this 26 year old cry. There before me was a crowd of teenagers lifting their hands and eyes to God singing, "I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned in awe of the One who gave it all. I'll stand my soul, Lord, to You surrendered. All I am is Yours."

I can't wait to hear the stories from the lives of those students. It makes me proud to be a part of what God's doing in their lives at WEC.

Entitlement? What's that?

2010-08-29T17:27:00.003-04:00

Last week, in a bible study that I've been attending, we discussed the topic of tolerance and fairness. We mentioned that, as Christians, we can be tolerant of other religions and still maintain the belief that Jesus is the only way to God. The argument of, "that's not fair" was then brought to mind. At that point in the conversation, I kinda butted in and said, "grace isn't fair." As Christians it isn't fair that we get freedom from sin, it isn't fair that we have a way out of darkness. The Christian life as we know it isn't fair. What would be fair is that we would spend eternity separated from God due to our sin. But God in His mercy sent His Son to die on a cross so we didn't have to.

And yet...
Humans, even Christians, sometimes fall victim to the idea of entitlement. What do I mean by that? Well, what I mean by this is the feeling that says that because of something I've done or an attribute or characteristic that I have, I deserve or am entitled to a reward, item, object, or something else that is desirable.

Hear me on this: nothing could be further from the truth.

The food you eat: that's a gift.
Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness may be written down as a right in The Declaration of Independence, but no, my friend, you are not entitled to it. It's a gift.
The job you have, as miserable or wonderful as it may be, is a gift.
Your family is a gift.
That iPod you saved up for is a gift.
The money you worked for is a gift. You worked for it, but it is not entitled to you. God owns it.
Your teachers or professors, they are gifts.
Your intelligence is a gift. (Don't waste it!)
Your significant other is not entitled to you. Sure, there's that marriage license, but he or she is a gift!
And one last one: The very breath you are breathing, the breath that gives you life, is a gift.

You see, friends, God demands payment for sin because He and sin don't go together. We are sinners. All have sinned and fallen short. In order for justice to be served, a payment had to be made and our lives were the price. But God, in His mercy, made the ultimate sacrifice by doing the unthinkable, sacrificing His son, in payment for us. But it did not end there for 3 days later Christ was risen and we have the privilege, not the right, to share in His resurrected life if we believe on the name that is above every other, the name of Jesus.

We can not and should not fool ourselves into thinking that we deserve something. Instead, we should lift our eyes to the heavens and thank God for the mercy and blessings He has shown.

We are entitled to nothing. We have been given more than we deserve. So instead of saying, "That's not fair." Let's change our attitude and say, "Thank you for what I've been given."

And when we live a life glorifying the God who gave it all, God rewards us with joy, peace, and true life.

Time with the Cooley clan.

2010-08-24T18:38:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday I went to Richmond to see my mom's side of the family and to celebrate my uncle Matt's 40th birthday. It was a lot of fun. We had steak and chicken and green beans and mushrooms for dinner. It was delicious. Also, Baggo (also known as cornhole) is a tradition whenever we get together. I didn't have time to play a full game, though.

All 3 of my Mom's brothers were there along with all of their children, which just so happens to be all girls, which makes myself and my brother a little out-numbered. There's 5 of them and 2 of us. This would normally be fine because I've known my cousins all there life, enjoy their company and love them.

There was just one thing that really bugged me that Saturday evening.

They all ganged up on me, yes all 5 of them, and asked why I was still single. Granted, they have somewhat of a point. Yes, I am 26 and still single, but I'm quite happy with my life and enjoy what I do. I have a great job, go to a great church, get out and have fun, have friends, etc. Of course, there's no reasoning with these girls. I think it's partly cuz they want another girl in the family.

In all honesty, I still love my cousins and I know they only want the best for me. I just find it quite humorous that they think I can't be happy if I'm single, which is so far from the truth. I wanted to say to them, "Jesus was single," but I knew that wouldn't do much good.

All this to say, I am waiting for whoever God has in store for me and preparing myself to be the kind of man God wants me to be for her.

Special note to my cousins: I still love ya.

Things I learned from vacation 2010

2010-08-17T08:47:00.003-04:00

Things I learned from vacation:

Chicago is beyond awesome.
Signs is a contagious game.
People over the age of 25 fall asleep more easily during late night movies.
The closer you are to your friends, the smaller your space bubble is.
Kayaking in shallow water alone is not a good idea.
Searching for a public library in Indiana is like playing the Water Temple in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Sunflowers are a lot bigger when you see them in person.
Indian food and wine goes together.
The Tides aren't any better playing away from home, but I cheer for them anyway.
Wrigley Field was built in 1914.
Hercule Poirot and Britney Spears' music makes a hilarious combination.
A car traveling from Lafayette to Chicago or vice versa is a time machine. (thanks to time zones)
I don't want Ignatius the Ultimate Youth Pastor anywhere near my church.
It takes an hour or more to get Chicago's deep dish pizza. Is it worth it? OH YEAH!
Virginia should import Indiana's night sky.
Time with people you love is priceless.

Movie Review: Inception

2010-07-18T19:09:00.002-04:00

About a year ago, I was sitting in the movie theater waiting for a movie to come on when a teaser trailer for a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio came on. There wasn't much shown, some cool special effects scenes and Leo giving a very contemplative look towards the camera. The first shot was "From Christopher Nolan". At this point I had seen every one of his movies except for Insomnia and Following. This got me intrigued. Then they showed the rest of the teaser trailer. From that point I was hooked. Nolan has never made a movie that I didn't like. There were some I liked more than others, but he's never made a movie where I walked out of the theater thinking, "Wow, that movie was bad." So, when I heard about this film, I knew it would be on my list to see the following year. The movie I'm talking about is of course, Inception, which is almost guaranteed to rake in box office millions this weekend. Having seen it last night, it will probably stay at the top for a while.

For those of you who are uninformed about the basic plot of the movie, here's a brief synopsis, without giving away anything. DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a man who has experience extracting information from a person's mind by entering his or her dream. However, a man from a very lucrative corporation asks him to do the unthinkable, plant an idea into his competitor's mind. For reasons, I will not disclose here, Cobb accepts and assembles a team to perform this task. That, in a nutshell, is what the movie centers around. However, Nolan does so much more with the film by introducing complex ideas and thoughts centered around the idea of the thin line between the waking world and the dream world. What would happen if we temporarily lived in the dream world? Would we want to come back? This is just one question that Nolan addresses.

I can't tell you much about the film for one simple reason: you have to see it for yourself. I could tell you about it, but it's a very experiential film. In a summer full of films with no weight, creativity, or intelligence behind them, Christopher Nolan has created a wholly original film that dares to be different. Where most movies this summer are asking you to check your brain at the door, Inception demands you put in overdrive.

David's rating: 4 stars out of 4.

Favorite Thing #2: Smallville

2010-06-02T21:05:00.005-04:00

I've been meaning to come back to my blog for a long time, but I couldn't decide on what to write about. Then a number of things happened to help me decide.

1. Heroes got cancelled after only 4 seasons.
2. Smallville was renewed for it's 10th season.
3. It was announced that Smallville's 10th season would be it's last.
4. I watched the Richard Donner cut of Superman II
5. I bought Season 1 and 2 of Smallville and the Richard Donner Cut at the same time.
6. I met a new friend with the same love of Smallville that I have.

How do these relate?

Heroes being cancelled after 4 seasons proved what I had long suspected: that the show was more focused on plot than characters. After they changed the characters after the 1st season, that's when I stopped watching and apparently a lot of other people did too.

The next 2 reasons are self explanatory: I've been watching the show since day one so when the show was renewed I was excited, but I should also mention that while I was sad that Smallville will be ending after this season, I also thought it was a good decision. I can't think of a better time to end it. It seems to fit the story arc so well and where they're going with the storyline makes sense for it to be Clark's last confrontation before he sports the tights and cape.

After watching the Richard Donner cut of Superman II, I couldn't help but think about how Smallville had maintained a similar serious nature and tone to the Superman story. Also, there are several nods to the Superman films. Among them being the guest appearance of Christopher Reeve himself.

For those of you who have been living in a cave for the past 9 years: Smallville is a show chronicling the life of Clark Kent from his birth to the time he becomes the great American superhero: Superman.

To say Smallville is one of my favorite things almost seems like too little to say for such a great show. I've been watching the show since day 1 and if I ever miss a show I always find a way to watch it before the following week. Though there have been many changes throughout the years: Michael Rosenbaum and Kristen Kreuk leaving being 2 of the biggest, Smallville has maintained its integrity and focus. While many shows these days include crude humor, inappropriate situations, and sex overload, Smallville has maintained relatively clean. What impresses me the most is that while each season has an individual story arc, it builds upon the previous one and sets the vision for the next and the character development, to me, is unparalleled. When you've been watching this show for as long as I have, you begin to become attached to the characters and you look forward to what the future has in store for them. The writing is some of the best in the industry. They know how to build a compelling plot without sacrificing character development and they also create a plot situations specific for each character so that they can explore a different aspect of who they are. I've watched too many TV ads where it feels like they're just using star power to pull an audience without creating characters that are actually enjoyable week after week. It's also one of the very few shows I know that have both self contained episode plots along with an overarching story arc. Most shows I've seen on the air are all about plot, but you get no satisfaction from that single episode. You have to watch the whole season to get that.

On a final note, I think the Superman saga itself intrigues me because it's so similar to how God loved us enough to send us his only son.

"They can be a great people Kal-El. They wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you, my only son."

There Ain't No Drug

2010-04-30T19:08:00.002-04:00

Have you ever been enjoying a nice, relaxing television show, when a drug commercial comes on, that makes you laugh and uncomfortable at the same time? And then you think to yourself, "People buy this stuff?" I certainly have. Recently I read an article about a spray that apparently stimulates the "cuddle hormone" allowing for more affection from the male half of a relationship. I posted the article on my facebook page later with the caption, "Need emotion in your relationship? Just use this spray!".

The reason I bring this up is that more and more drugs are being created for problems that don't require a drug. That or drug advertisements create the illusion that their particular product will solve all of your problems. You know what I'm talking about. Those commercials that come on and you see the main character of the commercial in a down and out mood, the colors are bland, and you get a sense that he or she is helpless. Then he or she takes the drug and suddenly his or her life is completely better. The family comes together, everything is perfect, the colors in the commercial get brighter, and inevitably you get the cheesy slogan at the end after all the side effects are run by your ears at lightning speed.

Now, this is not discounting the effect of the drug and what it can do for some people. I just think that buying a drug impulsively is a bad idea. A smart customer should research all options before making a decision, especially what the side effects are! Also, advertisers should be clear and list the side effects clearly so that customers aren't effected negatively. It could also prevent future lawsuits.

But there's another problem. There are tons of drugs that deal with symptoms and not with the real problem: yourself. For instance, if you have a hangover, there are drugs you can take to relieve the pain, but you caused the problem by drinking too much. If you smoke, you will get cancer eventually, and there are drugs that are taken as a result, but you could have decided to quit earlier. If you have heartburn, you can take tums, but you could have prevented it by watching your diet. There are so called "weight loss pills", but you could have exercised. If you have problems cuddling, now there is a spray that can help you get over your bad self. In each of these cases, the problem ultimately came back to the person. The simple solution: do what you can to be healthy and if necessary, be held accountable.

In the same way, we are all sinners. Nothing we do can make us right with God. Sure, we may feel better, but the root of the problem never goes away. Deeds don't obtain righteousness. Only the blood of Christ shed on Calvary can set us free. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

As Switchfoot put it in their song Mess of Me, "There ain't no drug, the sickness is myself."

SABOTAAAAAGE!!!!

2010-04-20T23:49:00.002-04:00

Switchfoot rocking out with a cover of the Beastie Boys' rock classic.

Blues Traveler

2010-04-18T15:31:00.003-04:00

Last night I got to see a band that I've only recently gotten into called Blues Traveler. They've been around for a long time and when I saw they were in town I thought I'd check em out. I went with my good friend Scott Minter. We had a blast. John Popper, the lead singer, can play harmonica like no other. Below are some photos.

NeedtoBreathe, community, and a deer

2010-04-17T17:33:00.002-04:00

It's been a week since I last blogged and I have a lot of things I could talk about that happened this past week, but I want to talk about just one of those events.

On Sunday I was headed over to meet my friend and community group leader, Jean-Paul, to ride over to Norfolk to see NeedtoBreathe. I was traveling down Warwick Blvd towards downtown, when all of a sudden a doe, yes, a female deer (Sound of Music, anyone?) sprang out of nowhere and my 2005 Toyota Camry collided with it. Thankfully, the damage was very minor and my car is still driveable, but the deer didn't fare as well.

While it was alive after I hit it, the deer had to be put down by the park ranger who was phoned shortly after my accident. It was a sad moment, but I knew the park ranger knew best. Once the deer was removed from the scene, the park ranger gave me his information and I was good to go. I was able to go see NeedtoBreathe and enjoy a fabulous show. For great photos of the show, head over to robshep.com He was also there and will testify to the amazing performance they put on.

It started off rocking with the song "The Outsiders" and maintained a high note for their entire set. Then, at the very end, NeedtoBreathe cut off all of the amplification, microphones, and the rest of the electronic equipment and the crowd gathered around for a beautiful, acoustic rendition of "Washed by the Water", one of my favorite songs by the band. All in all, a very memorable experience, despite my wildlife encounter.

NeedtoBreathe - Something Beautiful video

2010-04-09T06:11:00.004-04:00

On Sunday I'll be going to see NeedtoBreathe live at the NorVa. For those of you who've never heard their stuff, here's an acoustic performance by the band of their song "Something Beautiful" off their latest album, The Outsiders

The Return of the Blog and Favorite Thing #1

2010-04-08T21:27:00.005-04:00

Well, what can I say, it's been well over a month since I've posted on this blog. Some of my regular blog readers may be wondering why. Well, I didn't forget. The hiatus was in fact, intentional. I needed some time away from it to take a break, and also so I could focus on things other than my computer for a change. So, I've thought about a lot of ways I could bring the blog back including a dissertation on my opinion of Twilight, a review of a recent movie I saw, a report of what's going on at WEC, but I thought, instead, I'd borrow an idea. My friends Josiah and Josh have both done, if I'm not mistaken, entries on some of their favorite things. I thought I would do the same. So, without further delay, here is my favorite thing #1.

Root Beer. That's right, root beer. It is hands down, my favorite type of soda, and interestingly enough, no root beer is the same. You have your Mug, your Barq's, your A&W, but then you also have your Jones, your IBC, and your Stewart's. In my experience, root beer that comes in a glass bottle always tastes better than ones that don't. Not only that, but the aesthetic experience of drinking out of a glass bottle has always been more appealing to me. There's just something special about holding an ice cold glass bottle. But the best root beer moments are the ones shared with friends while drinking it out of a frosty mug while engaging in some fun activity whether it be around a campfire, watching a movie, or having an enjoyable conversation. Root beer moments are the best. If you haven't had one in a while, you should try it soon.

Do Something Now

2010-02-13T12:22:00.002-05:00

At Passion 2010, this video was shown to encourage us to do something for the depraved world. It touched my heart. I hope it touches yours.

Switchfoot Podcast Episode 43

2010-02-06T17:25:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don't know already, I'm a huge fan of Switchfoot. They have a podcast that I follow. It's available for free on iTunes. Something to note is you have to convert it to play on an iPod. Anyway, here's the video.

Snow!

2010-01-31T14:45:00.003-05:00

There are few things in VA that I enjoy more than snow. For several reasons, but the following are the most significant:

1. The many uses of snow: snow cream, snow men, snow forts, and of course snowball fights

2. It RARELY occurs in Virginia.

Now, technically, we get snow in the form of freezing precipitation about once a year, but rarely do we get enough to do anything with it or shut down schools. Snow doesn't count as snow if schools don't close, that's just me. Anyway, this year, I went out and measured in my yard and we had just over 6 inches. That's a ton of snow! Today I built a midget snowman. I say midget, because the only way it could be a "man" is if it was a midget.

I hope everyone reading this enjoyed the snow and has been outside to enjoy it. It's something everyone should take advantage of.

Snow also reminds me of a few passages of Scripture. Psalm 51 and Job 38 come to mind.

In Psalm 51, David writes one of his most famous psalms after Nathan has revealed to him his sin with Bathsheba. There he cries out to God for forgiveness and says, "wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Snow's pretty white, so to be washed that clean creates a beautiful image of how Christ washes away our sins. In Job 38, God is in the middle of what I like to call "the Job smackdown" Here God is displaying and describing to Job His power and might and just how huge and glorious he is. He asks Job several rhetorical questions including the one we find in verse 22 which says, "Have you entered the storehouses of snow, or have you seen the storehouses of hail," Basically saying, "Job, I am God, you are not. I have storehouses of snow that you've never seen."

So from these 2 scriptures we get a great picture of God's power, might, and mercy. He loves us enough to forgive us and make us whiter than snow, but He also is powerful and mighty enough to create winter storms like the one we saw this weekend. I hope this blog and the snow will remind you of that.

Awakening: Passion 2010

2010-01-09T12:13:00.004-05:00

A New Year is generally sign of new beginnings and I would have to say that this year was definitely not an exception. This year I went to Passion 2010. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what Passion is, here's a little bit of what it is. It's a time where students and young adults between the ages of 18-26 come together to glorify God, worship together , and hear teachings from some of the best speakers around. But more than that, it's a time to meet God, glorify His name, and do our part to bring justice to the world the 4 days we are there.

This year the speakers were Beth Moore, Francis Chan, Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, and John Piper. The worship leaders were Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Charlie Hall, David Crowder*Band, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill, Fee, and Hillsong United. All of the people involved did a fantastic job of not just making Passion an event, but a time where hearts were united to glorify God and to awaken to a new revelation of who God is. For me, it was as if God was saying, "Hey, you want to see a little more of who I am? Here you go!" I was blown away and for a brief time, I felt like I got to experience what heaven is going to be like. It was that great and now, I can't wait to see where God is going to bring me.

It should also be said that the college students raised $724,480.42 for 12 organizations that do ministry all across the world. Not only that, but a family at Passion matched what we gave when the total was $668.597.00. So the total given was $1,393,077.42 ! Wow!

I also met a group of people with whom I bonded during the four days I was there. They were my family group. God used them to speak truth into my life and also had the privilege of being a small part of God moving in their lives. Without a doubt, that was my favorite part. Worship and preaching are good, but what use would it be if I went to Passion and my life didn't change? It would just be an event. Thankfully God showed up and rocked my world.

Christmas

2009-12-30T16:04:00.003-05:00

Christmas, it's that time of year where you get together with you're family for a time of fun, giving, and celebration. If you're blessed, you might even get to go to a rocking worship service. This Christmas I got all above the above, but the important thing is that even though I was blessed richly this Christmas, I was able to bless others.

This year and the past 2 Christmases I have been a part of feeding the homeless at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Newport News. It's just a time where we go to an Episcopal Service then feed those who are less fortunate than us a really good Christmas meal. I consider it one of the best parts of my Christmas.

Another important part of Christmas is Christmas Eve at Waters Edge Church. The opening was one of the most impressive I've seen in my 6 years there. It was a message about how a guy didn't believe in the true meaning of Christmas and then he had an encounter with Jesus. That same message is read in reverse order and the message completely changes. If one of the staff can hook me up with a copy of the text, that would be most appreciated.

I also have to give props to my man Mike Dominice for doing a great guitar solo for the WEC rock version of "Carol of the Bells". He pulled it off. Woohoo

Volunteering was also fun. Watching Christmas movies and making crafts with kids is also fun. I also got beat by my pastor's son in Mancala. I taught him, though, so I guessed he had a good teacher.

For those of you interested in what I actually got for Christmas, I'm not going to put an itemized list, but the David Ferrell version.

1. A bunch of clothes
2. The World of Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
3. Les Miserables radio drama
4. Money
5. Batman: The Animated Series Volume 2
6. A Meade reflecting telescope

I hope you had a Merry Christmas as well and Happy New Year!

It's coming

2009-12-23T17:27:00.001-05:00

Thanks

2009-12-05T10:48:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I've written on my blog. I think part of it was there I just plain forgot, and the other part was I couldn't come up with something good enough to write on here. So I thought I would extend what I taught to my guys in my 6th grade Community Group. I asked them this week to write an e-mail, card, or letter to someone they are thankful for. So I thought, hmm, I can do a blog entry! aha!

But I can't just list one person. There are so many people in my life for which I'm thankful. So I thought I'd list a few and why I'm thankful for them. So here we go.

The easiest place to start is my parents. If it weren't for them I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't be the man I am, and I also probably wouldn't have met my Savior. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

My brother and sister, Peter and Elisabeth. They are really fun people and I have sooooo many fond memories with them, and they are 2 people that I know really well. They are also 2 people who will call me out if I'm making a fool of myself. Even though they have moved away, we still keep in touch regularly. This Thanksgiving was the first that I didn't spend with my sister, but I am thankful that she's coming home for Christmas!!

Joshua Pothen, my best friend for 15 plus years. Josh is one person outside of my immediate family who I can talk to about literally anything going on my life and feel completely comfortable. This year he moved up north, but it's amazing how he's been there when I need a friend to talk to. Thanks Josh!

My collective Community Group. This is my 6th group, but it's always amazing how God grows you through a group of completely different people. It's one of those times during my week where I can just chill, be myself, and talk about what matters most. Pretty sweet.

My 6th grade guys Community Group. This is my first year with 6th grade guys, and let's just say it's been challenging, but in a good way. I think it's the challenging things in life that test us and grow us to be better people. It can get crazy at times, but just when I think they're not listening, they come up with a good answer. Plus there's a satisfying feeling that comes with impacting lives for Christ.

Bobby Pegram. My co-leader for my 6th grade group. His passion for Christ is about as equally as fiery as his red hair and he's a senior in high school, proof positive that the next generation hasn't lost sight of God, and that's something I'm extremely thankful for. He has a strong desire to impact his community and his circle of influence with the Gospel. He's my second hand man and always brings a healthy balance to the group. If it weren't for that, there are nights when I'd probably go insane, so thanks Bobby!

WEC. I've been going to the same church for over 6 1/2 years and there's no end in sight. To be part of a church from it's inception and see it grow from 50 people to close to 2000 has been quite a ride. We've changed throughout the years in certain areas, but there are several things that remain constant that I'm thankful for, the main ones being that we always focus on the outsider and that we aren't dead. We are alive and have seen and continue to see so many lives go from lost to found and that's something to shout about!

The list could keep going, but as you can see I have much to be thankful for. Many times I feel like being negative and my thoughts take me to unhealthy places when I start to complain, but when I take time to see what I've been given, the blindfold is removed and I see how God has always provided for me. So I leave you with this line from an old hymn.

Count your many blessings
Count them one by one.
Count your many blessings
See what God has done.

Hello Hurricane

2009-11-14T20:08:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday I received something in the mail that I had been waiting almost 3 years for. Little did I know that it would blow my expectations out of the water. I am talking of Switchfoot's new album, Hello Hurricane. Switchfoot is my 2nd favorite band, next to DCTalk. Their last album, Oh! Gravity, was good, but I felt that the band could have done better. The songs were good, but there was something missing. I believe it was the hope that drives the heartbeat of the band.

I ordered the CD/DVD version of Hello Hurricane and immediately wanted to listen to it. I listened to a few songs and then popped in the behind the scenes DVD. The DVD revealed that this was the hardest album the band has ever worked on and for good reason: this was their first truly independent album and they wanted to make it right and something that was truly who Switchfoot was. Jon Foreman, the lead singer, said that the prerequisite for the song being on the album was that you would want to die singing it. While that may sound a bit morose, I believe that is what gave the album it's appeal.

Needless to say, I love the album and believe that it's a tremendous improvement over the last album. I like every song on the album, but here are some of my favorites:

1. Mess of Me
2. Your Love is a Song
3. Free
4. Always
5. The Sound
6. Sing it Out

There is one lyric that is worth mentioning, as I've been pondering it for a while now and it's from the song Always. It says, "Every breath is a second chance." For me this had 2 interpretations that I think are both true but one I like better than the other. The first is that every breath that we take as humans is an opportunity to turn from our wretched nature and turn back to God. The other interpretation is that every breath that we're given by God is an act of grace.

As you can see, one thought relates to the other. As we are given breath by God, it is an act of grace because we as human beings deserve eternal death as our sin separates us from God and thereby the punishment is death. But since Jesus Christ died for our sins, God gives us life and the very breath that we breathe is more than we deserve. Therefore, the gift of life that God gives us should not be used in vain, but be used towards giving Him glory. After all, we are to love one another because He first loved us. But it's an amazing thought that the very air we breathe is more than we deserve and for that gift alone He deserves glory. Yet He blesses us with so much more. How much more then should we live our lives for Him!

These are some of the many thoughts that I have after listening to Switchfoot, which is why I highly recommend the album. It is entertaining, but it also may get you thinking, which I think is a sign of good music. The album is available in stores and on iTunes.

MUTEMATH Concert

2009-11-11T21:35:00.003-05:00

A few months ago I put up a blog post about a listening party I attended on a bus. That listening party was for none other than MUTEMATH. I had the privilege to attend their Armistice tour at the NorVa last night. Because I got the VIP package I was able to get in 30 minutes before everyone else and secure a spot on the front row against the railing. Surprisingly, before the show, the VIPs also got free refreshments, which was rather nice, both because the food was great and I had never participated in a VIP experience where food was involved.

The show started off very well. The opening band, As Tall As Lions, explained that their lead singer wasn't feeling very well vocally so they did an instrumental set. It was really good. I told myself that I would definitely check out the band. After they had played for around 45 minutes, MUTEMATH came on.

To say they put on a show is an understatement. Last time I saw them, it was with my good friend D Reeves and they put on the best live show I've ever seen. This time around, they stepped it up a notch. I don't know how that is possible, but they did. To explain what exactly happened would ruin the show for someone and I would say that you can't really understand what it's like unless you experience it for yourself. However, I will say this, if something on the stage isn't broken or damaged after a MUTEMATH show, then you didn't see MUTEMATH. They put on that intense of a show.

One thing that was also cool about the experience was I met fellow fans and got to know a little bit about them. It's always cool to meet people who share the same affection for a certain band as you do. It's been amazing to me how so many different people can like the same music and all of them have a different opinion about it. It speaks to how God in his infinite wisdom created us each with our own unique perspectives on life, art, and beauty.

All in all, a wonderful experience that I would do again in a heartbeat.

--David

26

2009-11-03T19:20:00.003-05:00

It was 26 years and 1 day ago that I entered this world. On Sunday I celebrated that fact. My brother came up from Portsmouth and went to Waters Edge with me. It was a great talk about how to finish strong by one of my favorite people to hear preach, Rob Shepherd. After church I went to Carabba's, a local Italian food chain, for lunch. I had never been and love Italian food so I went there with my family. I had the Mezzaluna, spinach and cheese stuffed ravioli, essentially. Afterwards, we had cake; not just any cake, a Coldstone Cookie Dough Delirium Ice Cream Cake. yellow cake layered with sweet cream cookie dough ice cream with frosting. The girl behind the counter was kind enough to right "Happy 26th Birthday David" on it. It's still not completely eaten. After eating a delicious slice of cake, I opened what I received. The following is a list of those items in no particular order:

1. The Jeeves Omnibus (2 novels and 10 short stories starring P.G. Wodehouse's beloved characters Bertram Wooster and Reginald Jeeves. I can credit Josh Pothen for introducing me to yet another thing I love.)

2. Batman: The Animated Series Volume 1

3. Poirot DVD set 3 containing several episodes of the TV series adapted from Agatha Christie's short stories
4. Focus on the Family's audio dramatization of The Screwtape Letters starring Andy Serkis (yes, that is Gollum from The Lord of the Rings films)

5. Cash (or as my Granddaddy says, "One size fits all", a.k.a. OSFA)

6. A Chick-Fil-A gift card

7. A Barnes and Noble gift card

8. And last, but not least the Josh Pothen gift: Kino's Journey: The Complete Collection. This was one of the most interesting gifts Josh has ever given me for several reasons. One: it was the most unexpected gift by far that I've ever received from him, but in a good way. Two: it is the only anime I own apart from the Animatrix, which, to me, barely counts. Three: one of the last times that Josh and I hung out before he left for medical school we watched an episode of Kino's Journey and I remember it being one of the most thought provoking animated pieces I'd ever watched. Thanks again, Josh, I look forward to experiencing it.

While I'm thanking people, I would also like to thank everyone out there who sent me facebook messages, text messages, phone calls, etc. You know who you are. Merci.

--David Ferrell

New Community

2009-10-27T19:12:00.002-04:00

So, once a year I embark on a new journey. I have the privilege of investing and sharing life with 10-12 people in what my church calls a Community Group. A Community Group is nothing more than a place where people gather together weekly to invest in the lives of one another and to experience spiritual growth. Last night was my first week with a new group. I cannot go into the details of that night because that's one of the rules: what happens in Community Group stays in Community Group. But I will say this: after going through 6 years worth of groups, something different happens every year and because I'm with different people each year, I experience new people and God in a whole new way. After last night, I'm really looking forward to what God has in store and what I will learn from my fellow group members.

Yellowstone

2009-10-17T12:20:00.004-04:00

So, this year for vacation my parents and I decided to go to another National Park. In 2006, I had the privilege of going with them to visit the Grand Canyon. That trip was amazing and I couldn't help but stand in awe of what God had created. This time, we went to Yellowstone National Park, located in the northeast corner of the great state of Wyoming. We started our trip by flying out to Salt Lake City. There we visited temple square, which was beautiful, but also unsettling, because the entire area was a monument to a god I don't worship. From there we drove to Antelope Island and got to see the actual Salt Lake. There we had our first sighting of the American Bison as well as antelope. The next day we drove to Jackson, WY, just outside of Grand Teton National Park. The Grand Tetons were gorgeous and were unlike any other mountain range I'd ever seen. We saw a lot of sights there including the town of Jackson and a river tour of the Snake River. Once we were out of Jackson, we made our way to Yellowstone. We saw lots of sites there. To list them all would take way too much time, but here's some highlights:

Firehole Canyon
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Old Faithful
Norris Geyser Basin
The Grand Prismatic Spring
Steamboat Geyser

Overall, it was amazing and once again I was amazed by God and his creation.

My new group

2009-09-16T21:33:00.002-04:00

For those of you who don't know, about a month ago, I signed on to lead the 6th grade guys Student Community Group. Tonight was our first night and it was a lot of fun. We talked about expectations and how in order for you to have your expectations met, you have to be willing to do something to meet those expectations. In our group, in order to get something out of it, you have to be willing to answer questions, to invest in your relationship with God, and to connect with others so that you can learn about God, grow spiritually, and build friendships with others. That's what group is all about.

It's also exciting to be able to reach out to guys who are just beginning their walk with Christ. When I was their age, I knew how to find Bible verses and had even memorized some. But these guys are just learning about the Christian walk and I'm excited to help them grow closer to Christ not only through prayer and study of the Bible, but also by investing in their lives. I can't wait to see what's in store.

One

2009-09-10T18:08:00.002-04:00

One night, one purpose, one God. That's what last night was about. Starting next Wednesday, I'll be leading a community group of 6th grade guys, but yesterday, for one night only, the students of Waters Edge came together for a night of worship. To say it was good would be an understatement, it was awesome! After an opening video featuring 4 of the students that set the tone of the night, Phil and the band came out and gave a spectacular performance of one of my personal favorite songs: "We are One Tonight" by one of my absolute favorite bands, Switchfoot. After some giveaways by Stu and a powerful worship set, Rob came up and gave his sermon and left the students with a challenge to ask God to bless them. Many students answered the call that night.

I really felt God's presence that night and thought that if this is the beginning, I've got to see where God's going to take me next!

Labor Day and Isaiah

2009-09-07T13:49:00.003-04:00

Ah, I love 3 day weekends. A time to unwind, relax, and have some fun. Today I've already seen a movie and gotten a free sandwich at Chick-Fil-A. Gotta love those promotions! I also have spent some time just relaxing and thinking about life. This morning I read from Isaiah 6 where God calls out to Isaiah after he has entered into His presence. Isaiah said what I think I would say if I were in His presence. "Woe is me, for I am slain!" That pretty much would sum up my feelings, that is if I could speak. But then God asks who he will send to give a message to Israel and Isaiah does the unthinkable and says, "Here am I."

One person told me that the scariest prayer you can ask God is "use me." Why? Because He will answer it and often he will call you to something that will test you and force you to come face to face with your fears. Will you be like Isaiah and be ready and willing or will you choose to let God pass by? The choice is up to you.

6th Grade

2009-09-06T20:12:00.002-04:00

Sixth grade was one of the most significant years of my life. Not because of what happened that year, but because of what it taught me. To say I went through trouble would be putting it lightly. But through it all God taught me 2 things:

1. Love and pray for your enemies
2. Love the outsiders and the outcast.

These 2 things are something that are part of who I am. And had I not gone through what I went through, I may have not learned those 2 things. Also, had I not had people who were there to encourage me, I definitely would not have been who I am today.

For this reason and several others, I am excited that I will be leading the 6th grade guys' community group at WEC. I know that 6th grade can be a hard time for a lot of guys. It's a new environment and there are new people, but more than anything else, 6th grade is a time where either you are identified by the way God sees you, or you get identified by what other people see. This was the reality I lived in. It was my parents and other adults and friends who had to remind me that it's how God looks at us that matters. This is who I want to be for the guys I lead, a person they can count on. A person who invests in their lives and pours into them truth and encouragement and support.

This is also a way God can use me. Before I accepted the job of leading the 6th grade boys group, I had been praying and looking for an opportunity for God to stretch me and a way to further glorify Him through what I do. This is why I'm most excited, I get to show Christ to the guys I'll be leading. I pray I will be used by Him to change their lives.

Armistice Day

2009-08-18T20:54:00.004-04:00

Today is it! For the past 2 years or so, I've been waiting for today to finally arrive. You see, two years ago, as mentioned in a previous post, I was introduced to the band MUTEMATH. Read that blog entry for my first impressions. For the past 2 years, I've been waiting for their new album. Today it has arrived. A while ago, I had the chance to listen to it for the first time and it was very good.

For your convenience, I'm placing a link to purchase the album on iTunes. The title is Armistice.

Enjoy.

Click below to purchase the album.

The Dark Side of the Rainbow

2009-08-11T20:10:00.003-04:00

I can now officially say I've gone to the oddest movie going experience of my life. On Friday night I went to the Naro, my new favorite movie theater, for the showing of what they call The Dark Side of Oz. I had heard for years of the concept. So when I heard that it was showing on the big screen, I had to go.

For those of you who don't know to what I am referring, The Dark Side of Oz, or as I call it, The Dark Side of the Rainbow, is a synchronization of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, to the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. Apparently, the lyrics and tone of the music match up with the film itself. So I decided to test this theory.

After the 3rd lion roar, the music starts and sure enough, the music somehow mysteriously and magically matches up with the film. For a complete list of the matches, go here.

If you ever get the chance to watch it, I say go for it. You might be a little confused after it's all over, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

In any event, Dark Side of the Moon is a great album and worth taking a listen apart from the film.

MUTEMATH Listening Party

2009-08-05T17:57:00.002-04:00

For those of you who don't know, I am a pretty big fan of a little band called MuteMath. My love of them started when my friend D Reeves mentioned them. It sounded like he had good taste in music so I went with it and I went and bought their self-titled album. I thought it was really good and enjoyed listening to the album. Then, the two of us later went to their live show. To put it lightly, my positive opinion of them greatly increased after seeing them perform. It ranks as one of the best live experiences I've ever attended. After the show I became a die-hard lover of the band. So, naturally when I heard they were coming to Norfolk again with the release of their new album "Armistice", I went out and purchased the VIP package, which came with a T-Shirt, some album artwork, a digital download of the album, and access to the exclusive listening party that I went to last night.

The listening party consisted of me and other fans of the band in a tour bus listening to the album, and making comments on a sheet of paper while we listened. Essentially, I was a music critic for one night. No, the band was not there, but that in no way took away from the experience I had. Plus, I wasn't expecting the band to show up, so it wasn't a letdown.

How was the album? Well, I thought it was an improvement over the last one. I thought most of the songs were good and about 4 or 5 were amazing songs if not more. My personal favorite was "Burden", followed closely by "Clipping" and "The Lost Year". The only song I really had a problem with was "Odds". It was too repetitive for me. The album was also one of the strongest lyrically I've heard in a while. Which means a lot to me. A song can be great musically, but unless it has an equally strong message, I probably won't like it nearly as much.

It was a fun time, I just can't wait for the album to be released and for the live show ... which brings me to my final point. If you've never heard of MuteMath, but like trying new things and hearing new stuff, check out their album "Armistice" coming out on August 18th. If you like the album, they will be performing live on November 10th, 2009 at the NorVa. If you want to choose one or the other, come to the show. The band's live show is something every concert lover should experience.

The fear of the Lord

2009-07-09T19:46:00.002-04:00

First of all, I would like to apologize for the late post. It's been about a month since this blog has been updated. The reason why is that I've been busy and wanted to take some time doing other things rather than updating my blog. While I was doing those other things, God, as he usually does got my attention about a particular subject, which is what this blog entry is all about. Enjoy!

It's a phrase I've thought a lot about lately. "The fear of the Lord". One that I've found in the Bible constantly in my readings and whenever God shows something to me more than once, I pay attention. So what is the fear of the Lord? The fear of the Lord is an expression of piety and honor towards God. A state of mind that is constantly aware of God's presence. An attitude of reverence. To go even further, it's an actual fear of God's wrath. So, what does the Bible have to say on the subject?

It's a number of things. Proverbs 1:7 says

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 19:23 says

The fear of the Lord leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction. He will not be visited by evil.

In fact, the book of Proverbs mentions the exact phrase "the fear of the Lord" a total of 14 times. That got my attention. Solomon, the wisest man, who ever lived, wrote Proverbs. Apparently, he knew that the fear of the Lord was the beginning of opening of the gateway to the knowledge that God has to offer.

So, let's take a look at these 2 examples. What can we glean from it? Well, first off, the fear of the Lord is the first step towards knowledge, as I mentioned earlier. Having that level of respect and honor towards God will create a desire to know more about Him and to understand more about the nature of who He is, which is a great thing for a Christian to have, not only for your own benefit, but to benefit those who are around you everyday, Christians and non-Christians alike. But what does the rest of the verse say? It says that "fools despise wisdom and instruction." So apparently to not have the fear of the Lord is foolish because having wisdom and instruction is essential. Having wisdom is necessary for a Christian to decide between right and wrong. Sometimes it's easy to recognize what's right and what's wrong. Some things are just understood, like if I see a wallet on a park bench, I shouldn't take it because that's stealing. But there are some situations where having wisdom can help you make the best decision, where what's right and what's wrong isn't as clearly laid out.

We learn more as we move to the second verse. "The fear of the Lord leads to life". Wait a minute, what does this mean? Well, here Solomon is saying that true life is living God's way. He says that having the fear of the Lord will allow us to "abide in satisfaction." Have you ever sinned and it felt good, at least temporarily? I know I have. That's how temptation works. Satan shows us the immediate benefit and satisfaction of sin, without showing us the consequences. However, once we've committed sin, the Spirit convicts us and the sin that was once appealing and satisfying is now painful and empty. But there is hope. If we have the fear of the Lord, we will "abide in satisfaction". That means if we go God's way, regret and emptiness and depression won't follow. In fact God makes us a promise that if we have the fear of the Lord, we won't be visited by evil. Wow, that's amazing! Just think about it, living for God, having the fear of the Lord in our hearts and minds prepare us for when temptation comes and we respond in the opposite manner that Satan expects us to go. When we are tempted to hold a grudge, we forgive, when we are tempted to lie, we tell the truth, when we want to complain, we thank God for what we already have.

The fear of the Lord is something that all Christians should have. An ever-present awareness of God's presence. A respect for who He is and what He can do. A heart that honors him with your life.

I pray that everyone who reads this will be challenged and will begin to ask the question, "Do I have the fear of the Lord in my life?" and will begin to take steps to honor God with your life.

A complete listing of the phrase in the Bible can be found here.

The Proverbs 31 woman.

2009-06-23T21:07:00.005-04:00

On Saturday I had the honor of attending a very close friend's wedding. (Yeah, another one!) She is pictured here. I totally expected to have a great time and enjoy myself while I was there. What I didn't expect is how the wedding would impact me spiritually. There was a moment during the ceremony where the minister described what the bride, my friend, wanted in a husband. I, having known her, knew what that was already, but there was something about hearing it again at her wedding that made me think. The minister said that she "wanted a man who loved God more than he loved her." I knew that this guy was just the case. But then I realized something, that deep down, that's what I want in a wife. It was at that moment that I realized that I had set my standards lower. Thereafter, my mind raced back to a scripture passage that has become well known for its description of a godly woman: Proverbs 31. There it states that "charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Once again, God's Word had confirmed what my heart was yelling at me. I felt like God was saying "David, don't lower your standards for a woman in order to meet some standard set by man that falls short of what I have for you." God had removed the veil from my eyes. That night, for the first time in years, I knelt by my bed to thank God for what he had shown me and just talked to Him for a while and proceeded to pray for some people in my life as well. Here, 3 days later, I still feel like I'm on the mountain.

I say all that to say this:

1. You have access to this level of intimacy with God everyday if you just take the time to talk to Him and read His Word.

2. Don't lower your standards for a spouse, but at the same time don't fool yourself into thinking that you deserve a spouse wrapped in a pretty package with all the trimmings.

3. Sometimes God humbles us before he can bless us.

4. Pride blinds us from the rewards God places right in front of our eyes.

I pray that God will work in your heart as He has in mine.

--DF

The case for watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in IMAX

2009-06-22T21:49:00.011-04:00

So, by now you've seen the ads, you've heard the hype and now it's nearly here. I'm talking, of course, of the upcoming sequel to the 2007 blockbuster Transformers. Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Sam Witwicky, and yes, the gorgeous Megan Fox, are back. What I have come to realize, however, is how little people know about the fact that it will be shown in IMAX. So I'm hear to plead the case for why you should see this film in the best format possible and also to explain the difference between the conventional film that's shown at most theaters, the one in fake IMAX (being shown at AMC Lynnhaven in VA Beach and most big city multiplexes) , and the one in 15/70 IMAX (the one at the Air and Space Center and other institutions across the country). Here's my list of the reasons to see Transformers 2 in IMAX.

1. The sound is better. For some people, this doesn't mean much, but for me it's a big difference. Not only do you get to hear it in surround sound like conventional theaters, but the wattage is higher, 16000 watts to be precise, therefore making the detail in the sound crisper and creating a more immersive environment. But you also get great sound in fake IMAX. So let's move to the next reason.

2. The 5 story screen. For many, this is the reason to go to IMAX in the first place. Nowhere else can you see a film displayed on such a large screen. Starting from the floor going 5 stories up, the screen consumes the room. It is massive. Not only does it enhance the images and make them more rich in detail, but it also creates a sense of motion and wonder while watching the film. For most feature films, the film is displayed only in a widescreen format, meaning that you have black bars on the top and bottom of the IMAX screen. However, in the case of Transformers 2...

3. Portions of the film were shot in IMAX. Just as Christopher Nolan did with 6 sequences in The Dark Knight, Michael Bay selected 4 scenes to shoot in IMAX. What this means is 3 things: The first is that these scenes will take up the entirety of the 5 story screen, something you cannot get anywhere else. The second is that you will see 4K rendered animation for the first time ever in IMAX. The third is that you will get to see a full scale version of Optimus Prime on the giant IMAX screen. If you go to a conventional theater or fake IMAX, the IMAX sequences that were filmed will be virtually invisible to the audience, and the picture shown will be cut off. So, if you're going to see the movie, go see it in IMAX.

To see the difference in the film formats, go here.

A video explaining the fake IMAX scam.

Note: I will also add that I plan on seeing the film on Wednesday night. Following the viewing, I will write a review. While I do recommend the format, I may not recommend the film. That being said, if you plan on seeing the film regardless of what I have to say about the film in my upcoming review, see it in IMAX.

Father's Day

2009-06-21T13:28:00.007-04:00

Today I celebrate along with you the most important male in my life apart from Christ. I celebrate my father. My dad is pretty sweet. For those of you who have met my dad, you would probably agree. What's really weird, though, is how similar we both are. We walk similar, we have similar handwriting, although he won't admit it, we have the same sense of humor, but most importantly, my Dad and I both love Jesus. But that's something that he instilled in me, not something that came by heredity. Basically from birth, he and my mom made sure that I was in church on every Sunday except for vacations and also got me to learn Bible verses through various means including scripture songs, reading the Bible to me, and videos. In fact, my first experience with Anime was a Bible cartoon series called Superbook, which I still think is pretty sweet.

More than all of that though, my dad lives his faith. He feeds the homeless, he helps out around the house, he meets with friends to pray for the local area, he volunteers at Waters Edge Church, and he loves my Mom like a husband should love his wife. Well, on most days, anyways. He also raises his hands during worship, which to me is a big deal. For a man to not worry about what other people think and to forsake pride to show appreciation for who God is, wow, that's big.

My dad and I also work and work out at the same place. I also live at home for right now, so yeah, we see a lot of each other. But as you can see, for the reasons described above, that's not a problem. I love my dad.

So, today, we celebrated him at lunch. We made some burgers and handed out gifts. I got him one of his favorite movies, Master and Commander. I think he really enjoyed it.

Afterwards, my brother, my sister, my dad, and I went over to my Grandparents' house to wish a happy Father's Day to my Grandpa and to play Sequence. It's basically a game where you try to put cards in order based on a game board layout. That was a lot of fun. I won a game. Afterwards, my siblings left cuz they had some stuff to do and I played Yahtzee with my dad and Grandma. We played a total of 4 games. I did horrible on the first 1, ok on the 2nd and 3rd, but the 4th, the 4th was hands down, the best Yahtzee game I've ever played in my entire life. I mean, you're gonna think it was rigged and I didn't. Here's the scorecard:

So, as you can see, not only did I get the bonus from the upper section, but I got every major point score in the lower section, the best possible 3 and 4 of a kind. This is a score that has made me believe that it might be divine intervention and that God may have chosen to bless me with a little thing that gives me joy like a big Yahtzee win. But he blessed me so much more by giving me my father, Steve Ferrell.

Superbook's first episode:
Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Free Concert

2009-06-20T13:39:00.003-04:00

Last night I went to another concert. In fact, it was another NeedtoBreathe concert. But don't worry, they played some different stuff. They were the opening band, but I actually enjoyed them more than the headliner, Lifehouse. Sure, Lifehouse is good and has several radio hits, but NeedtoBreathe just sounded better to me and I think Lifehouse suffers from radio overplay syndrome. Also, they have that one song that gets played at almost every wedding I've been to and if it's played tonight at the wedding I'm going to, that will be the 4th time in a week that I've heard the song. You know what song I'm talking about. I don't even have to say the name. Still, they played some of their old stuff, which I greatly enjoyed. Plus, I got to hang with some great people from one of my favorite places in the world, Waters Edge Church. Here's a video from one of my favorite Lifehouse songs, just in case you're too young too remember this song, or you're like me and like remembering songs from your past.

Glory at the Gardens: NeedtoBreathe and Revive

2009-06-16T19:19:00.010-04:00

This Sunday I had the privilege to see 2 rockin' bands. The best part is that it was sort of free. I had to pay to get into the venue, but the concert itself was free. I'm speaking of course about Glory at the Gardens, the Christian concert event at Busch Gardens. Last year was the first year, but unfortunately I was unable to make it to the show I wanted to go to. So this year, I decided I'd go. The list of performers were Revive, NeedtoBreathe, and Third Day. I stayed for the first two. Revive was good. My only complaint is that they didn't sound too unique. They sounded pretty much like every other good worship band I've heard of, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. They had some good songs, none of which I can remember, but while they were on stage I was entertained. The second band was the reason I came to the show in the first place, NeedtoBreathe. I had never seen them before, but I did have high expectations after listening to both their albums repeatedly. To say they were entertaining would be putting it lightly. NeedtoBreathe rocked my socks. They have a very different sound and the thing I like most about them is that they simultaneously sing songs about their beliefs and about everyday life. My personal belief is that is the way Christians should do music. Too often I think that Christian bands feel they have to put "Christianese" into their music and not really speak about problems that everyone has to face. This is one of the main reasons why I like bands like NeedtoBreathe, Switchfoot, and Flyleaf. They sing songs that everyone can relate to, not just to Christians. Not only that, but they play with bands like Korn, Blue October, and Lifehouse to reach a wider audience. Isn't that what Jesus did? He went to the places sinners went to spread His message.

After NeedtoBreathe left the stage Third Day played, but I had left the arena before they came on. If you want an explanation of why I don't like Third Day, go watch The Pothen Podcast Episode 6 (available on iTunes only). I ended up spending time with some church friends and rode The Gryffon again. I do plan on going back on the 28th to see TobyMac. Expect a post here after the show.

Songs by NeedtoBreathe that you should download legally from iTunes or other available outlet:

"Knew it All" and "Shine On" (from their album Daylight)
"Streets of Gold" , "More Time", "Signature of Divine (Yahweh)", and "Washed by the Water" (from their album The Heat)

Here's a little video for ya.

Phil Poteat Unplugged

2009-06-13T19:17:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite things in the world is acoustic music. One of my favorite singers is the world famous Phil Poteat, the worship leader at my church, Waters Edge. Tonight he's playing at Tuscany's Coffee House and I'm coming to you live from the restaurant. He started off with Move Along by The All American Rejects. It's pretty chill. Everybody's just hanging out having a good time doing whatever and Phil's just jammin in the background. If you couldn't make it, he will be playing on Wednesday at UNO's, which I plan on attending as well. Well, that's all for now. More after the show. Cya!

Film Review - Up

2009-06-07T16:52:00.002-04:00

This summer season hasn't been all that friendly in terms of film. It started off horribly. The first movie I saw of the summer season was X-Men Origins: Wolverine and if you read my blog, you know what I thought of it. It was a cliche-ridden piece of filth with equally, if not worse dialogue and plot holes to numerous to mention. Then there was Star Trek. I have yet to write a review of that film, but I will say that I enjoyed it. It was worth seeing, but that was about it. So, up that point my confidence in Summer movies was pretty low, especially after hearing how bad Terminator faired. Meanwhile, the reviews from the Cannes Film Festival came in. And the reviews for this film were overwhelmingly positive. So I said to myself, I HAVE to see this movie. I'm a huge fan of animation, especially animation that exceeds over the rest like Hayao Miyazaki has done with some films like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke and Pixar has done that throughout the course of their history. So I was expecting great things. Thankfully, it not only met my expectations, but exceeded them greatly.

Up, to put it simply, is an amazing film. Ed Asner stars as Carl Frederickson, an old man living alone with a dream of one day going to see Paradise Falls. So one day he gets a huge amount of balloons, attaches them to his house and away he goes. Little does he know, that Russell, a wilderness explorer that he met earlier, is outside on the front porch. The two of them take a journey and come across many peculiar things including an exotic bird, dogs with voice collars, and encounters that bring back memories of a time gone but not forgotten.

The film is rich in character and story and are the driving force of this film. What makes it even better is that the rich colors and effects used in the film support it. I've seen so many films that drown out the story by using huge amounts of money on special effects. Up shows the world that a movie is to be more about the next big event or action sequence or one big star, but about the story and the people you meet along the way and what you can learn by spending a short amount of time with them. After I left this film, I felt that I had a little glimpse into the mind of the main character Carl. I had invested so much of my emotion into his character that it felt that some of his experiences I had shared with him. That's the sign of a great film. One that will definitely be remembered by me at the end of the year.

David's rating: SEE IT
David's unofficial rating: ****(4 stars)

David's rating key:

SEE IT - Go see it, it's worth watching
SKIP IT - It isn't worth your time or money.

David's unofficial rating key:

4 stars - I'd pay the full price to see the movie twice and recommend it to everyone (Example: Up)
3.5 stars - Better than good, but I found something a little wrong with it. (Example:
3 stars - good, but not great. I'd see it once in theaters (Example: Star Trek)
2.5 stars - middling. I thought this movie was going somewhere, but in the end was disappointing. (Example: Titanic)
2 stars - A genuinely bad movie (Example: X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
1.5 stars - A genuinely bad movie that didn't have much to talk about, but wasn't the bottom of the barrell (Example: Jumper)
1 star - a piece of trash film that is inside the barrel, but not at the bottom. (Example: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days)
.5 stars - A really, really bad movie that I could barely sit through. (Example: Batman and Robin)
0 stars - I hated, hated, hated this movie and was genuinely offended by it (Example: The trailer for The Love Guru because of course I'm not going to see that movie... ever )

Opening Weekend at Waters Edge

2009-06-07T16:25:00.004-04:00

So, yesterday I commented that I was going to the Waters Edge grand opening. Yesterday night and this morning I experienced it and it was amazing. First off, I went to the grand opening picnic last night. It was great fun. I sat with my good friends Scott and his wife Jessie. We had amazing food (barbecue, slaw, baked beans) , giveaways of "Limited Edition Waters Edge Beverage Containers" (how many of those things did they make?), moon jumping for the kids (those really big inflatable things), and a great ribbon cutting ceremony complete with fireworks and a ticker tape dispensing helicopter. Wow!

But that was just the beginning. This morning we had an amazing opening service. For the first time in Waters Edge history we had an acrobat on stage performing her talents on a cloth slightly longer than the length between the stage and the ceiling. Man, that takes skill to be able to balance yourself so well.

Also, the band did a great job. Props to my peeps in the band, Phil, Mike, Jon, Keren, Larry, and the bass guitarist who's still awesome but I don't know his name. They started off with a performance of Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve while a video was playing chronicling our history with footage I haven't seen in a very long time to more recent stuff. The band also played that song while the acrobat was performing. After the performance, Phil entered the scene with Rob Shepherd doing "Get this Party Started", a song by one of my favorite Christian artists, if not my absolute favorite, TobyMac, who, by the way, will be playing at Busch Gardens June 28th.

After that, Stu came up and gave a little introduction with his family and thanked some people who were integral in getting our building built. We then sang two worship songs, including my favorite, "From the Inside Out" by Joel Huston from Hillsong. Then Stu gave a sermon on enduring hardship to find God's reward. All in all an amazing service. I can't to see what else God has in store for Waters Edge. It's gonna be great!

New in my life

2009-06-04T18:24:00.003-04:00

Well, I have good news everyone. I am moving to a different position at my job. Yes, gone are the days of working on this project I've been working on for 2 years and I have to say that I could not be happier. I'll be working in the same building, but moving to a different department, which is probably a good thing since my dad and I won't be working in the same department anymore.

Also, and this is long overdue, my friend Jamey finally got married. He's been married for almost 2 weeks now. (See pic on left)

I also went to my church's first service at OUR NEW BUILDING!!!! Woohoo!!!!! This weekend we're having our grand opening. Games, barbecue, music, and a ribbon cutting ceremony. It should be pretty sweet. Sunday is our grand opening service and we're fully expecting to be it packed. I have to say I love the new building. Gone are the uncomfortable chairs, bad noise, locker rooms, floor mats, and drilling up the basketball hoops (which I kinda miss, actually), replaced with a worship center with amazing sound (though a bit loud) and 2 big screens, a Kid Kraze room that looks like a back alley complete with carpet squares for the small groups, electronic check in, HD screens in the lobby. The list goes on. I love it!!! I can't wait to go back again Sunday.

Well, that's all for now. Later, dudes.

I couldn't be more proud

2009-05-20T18:44:00.008-04:00

So, this weekend I headed up to Blacksburg. Why, you may ask? Well, aside from there being some awesome mountain views and a great road trip, my sister Elisabeth graduated from Virginia Tech. Her major was in Human Nutrition, Food and Exercise, (quite a mouthful, I know). Not only does this mean she has a bachelor's degree, but it also means that all 3 of us are out of college. So, my brother and I headed up from the house to see her on Friday. We ended up staying in a dorm because all of the hotels in the area were, of course, booked solid for a very long time. However, the accommodations were quite reasonable.

Friday night we went to the football stadium for the really big ceremony. Before long, the graduates started filing in and there were a lot of them. Thousands started marching in to the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance" naturally.

After they were all seated, the ceremony began and it was pretty good. The president gave his speech and the keynote speaker gave his and there were a couple words from the students. Now the way VT does it is that there are 2 ceremonies, one for the whole University and one for each individual college. So the next day, we went to her ceremony for her college. Here it was short, sweet, and to the point.

After Elisabeth had received her diploma and the cermonies were over, we took a little rest and then a few hours later we went to her house for a celebration with some of our relatives and her friends. It was pretty sweet: good food, good people and lots of laughs. I had a great time.

My sister will be going to Arkansas to pursue her masters, so this after she comes to the house in a few days, that may be the last I see of her for a while, but I will enjoy it while she's here. Congratulations, Liz!

Beyond the Wall of the Cubicle

2009-05-14T19:40:00.004-04:00

Have you ever felt trapped in your 9 to 5? Have you ever felt like there's got to be something more to your work than what you do everyday? I feel that way a lot. In fact, right now at my job it's always hard to be satisfied with what I do. I've been working the same job for 2 years and to say I'm tired of it would be an extreme understatement. To add to that, I'm surrounded by negativity. People who constantly complain about their job or stating the way he or she thinks the company should be run. I get so sick of it sometimes. Sometimes I just want to say, "If that's the way you feel about your work, why are you still here?" Of course, I restrain myself and try to get my work done, but it's always hard.

Anyway, I shared all of this with one of my dearest friends and she reminded me that there's more to life than what I do at work everyday, that God has called me to something higher. Work is supposed to be a way to glorify God and honor Him through what you do. Not only that, but in everything you do throughout the day you have an opportunity to show your love for your Creator. I just need to be reminded of that sometimes. I believe God placed inside me a desire for something more that is insatiable outside of His plan for my life. He's laid before me a path to follow and I must choose to follow it in order to experience the best life has to offer. When I make my desires match His, man, it's a beautiful experience.

Will you follow yours?

Take care guys.

Free Comic Book Day

2009-05-03T18:02:00.003-04:00

So, after the bad experience of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I needed something to get the bad taste out of my mouth. Thankfully, I knew what was happening the next day: Free Comic Book Day. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Josh, my best friend, had been telling me for months about this comic book shop near him called Local Heroes. It was a great spot. You know how when you think of a normal comic book shop you think of a store in a strip mall with the old guy working behind the counter, with geek written all over him, and the cheap metal shelves? Well, at least that's what I think of. Well, Local Heroes is what a comic book shop should be like. It had carpeted floors, wood shelves, a sitting area with a couch and chairs to read your comic books, and a much wider selection than any other comic book shop I've been inside. If I lived in Norfolk this would be the place I'd go.

So, what is Free Comic Book day? It's basically a time where different companies have a chance to advertise what's new for this year in comics as well as let you enjoy some free comics. I'll be honest, most of the free titles sucked, but the ones I got were pretty legit. DC is doing a Green Lantern story entitled "Blackest Night" where the Green Lantern Hal Jordan will face the fabled Black Lantern Corp, a group with black power rings symbolizing death. The free comic they offered gave you enough background to prepare you for the event happening this July. After picking up that and 2 other free titles, I browsed the store to see if there was anything else that intrigued me. I ended up picking up Kingdom Come, which oddly enough I bought for Josh, but never read myself. That's a story with DC characters about an apocalyptic future. I also picked up Batman: The Long Halloween. This Batman story inspired The Dark Knight so needless to say I was intrigued. After purchasing my books, we talked with some of the other patrons. It was really cool hearing what they thought of comic books. One guy I met, Andrew, is going into Anthropology in grad school, and is doing his thesis on folklore, and will be focusing on comics in that area. I think that's neat! I think a lot of people think comic books are geeky and you can't learn much from them. I would heartily disagree. To me, comic books are our time's mythology. It inspires us to rise up and be heroes in our everyday lives with what little we have to offer. All of us are granted gifts and abilities and yes, all of us have our weaknesses as well. However, as Christians, God doesn't just give us gifts, he gives us His Spirit, the Helper who is strong when we are weak and when we follow his promptings, we can begin to truly live. That's why I love following Jesus. He can make a hero out of all of us if we just listen and obey.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine: A Review

2009-05-01T22:34:00.004-04:00

So, the summer blockbuster season has finally arrived. The first movie on the list is X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Pretty self-explanatory title. The film tells of how Wolverine became who he is today. Well, at least it was supposed to. What I saw was the story of a seemingly invincible character get mad because someone messed with his girlfriend. There is a plot, but you barely notice it because every time the action slows down it is just another plot device to get to the next action sequence. The movie stars Hugh Jackman, a man who has done much better work, just watch The Prestige. And for all of his efforts to do a great acting job, Jackman seems trapped in the limitations of a script that didn't care about it's characters.

Now about the action sequences. Some are quite good, most are cliche. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. Like a motorcycle somehow managing to survive an explosion or a hero walking off into the sunset with a girl in his arms. I saw this movie with my best friend Josh and I looked over at certain parts where we were laughing and he was laughing along with me and we weren't the only ones. But it wasn't with the movie, it was at it. There are so many strings of illogical plot points that I was beginning to wonder if the makers of the movie had read the comic books. My guess is probably not.

In case you haven't figured it out, I was really disappointed with this film and I am sure that in the weeks to follow word of mouth will get out and many will save their 10 bucks for something better, perhaps to go rent X2.

Return

2009-04-26T17:42:00.002-04:00

So, this past week, I had been thinking a lot about what Stu, my pastor, said about having your mind set on your real home, heaven. I even put up a post of a song that went through my head after hearing him preach. Anyway, as I was thinking about it I couldn't help but think that we, as Christians, are also waiting for the King of heaven to return. You see, Jesus is still alive! One day He will return and take back those who follow Him to heaven. While I was thinking about this it was as if God was trying to affirm what my Spirit was telling me and the next day in my devotional Bible I read Luke 17. In this chapter Luke tells of when Jesus spoke of the end times and His eventual return. He spoke of the conditions that the world will be in and what will happen on that glorious day. He says that it will be like the times of Noah and of Lot. A time when the world is being rebellious. Here's how he described it.

On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back.

You see Jesus knew that there are people who cling to this world, who consider this world their home. But just as my pastor Stu said, we should realize that our King is alive and that one day we will meet Him, or He will come and meet us. That's the beauty of Christianity, not only does God promise us eternal life, but He paves the way to Him. Only in Christianity do we have a God that is willing to go all the way to death so that we might be with Him. It's a privilege to follow Him by giving Him our lives. I think that's probably why Jesus followed up in Luke by saying this

Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

Amen. I hope you can rise to the challenge.

A Bit of News

2009-04-26T17:29:00.002-04:00

So I am writing this blog with a smile on my face because not only is Hampton Roads experiencing warmth after a long wait, but I am writing to you from a brand new machine. That's right, folks. I am writing to you from a brand new laptop. It's an HP Pavilion Laptop, 400GB hard drive, 4GB RAM, dual core processor, and it comes with a little remote to play media. So, to put it simply. It's a very good machine. Best of all I didn't have to pay much since I got it at Sam's Club. So, yay! It also has a webcam, which I've never really had experience with before purchasing this machine so I'm excited about trying it. All in all, this is an amazing machine and I got a great deal on it. I will be writing a real blog shortly.

--David

Fiction Family

2009-04-24T17:52:00.003-04:00

For those of you who don't know about it already, back in January Jon Foreman of Switchfoot teamed up with Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek to do a collaborative album. They originally called the band "The Real SeanJon" in hopes that the well known hip-hop artist would sue them. Jokingly, of course. Later they forsook that name and decided with "Fiction Family". Jon Foreman said he liked the name because it's two words that a lot of people relate to. Fiction is generally something that we desire. And Family consists of people we cling to and who are near and dear to us. He also said that he and Sean are like brothers and both come from San Diego, CA. Thus Fiction Family was born. They came out with their debut album in January and I finally picked up a copy 2 days ago. It's really good stuff. I placed a song that will get you hopping on my playlist. Below is a music video of their hit single "When She's Near". I hope you like it.

Tornado!

2009-04-21T19:22:00.002-04:00

So yesterday, for those of you who weren't awake, there was a tornado warning for my neighborhood. Not only was it on the radar, but we were in the hot spot! So, my mom and I were at home and we heard the news and shut ourselves with our dogs in our little half bath, knowing that we should be in an inner room with no windows should we be hit. So we were in there about a half an hour. Rain started pelting against our windows, wind started howling, hail started falling. Luckily, the tornado didn't touchdown in our neighborhood. Needless to say, I was thanking Jesus after it passed. Have you ever been in a dangerous storm? Tell me about it!

Sincerely,

David Ferrell

This is Home

2009-04-19T20:33:00.004-04:00

For those of you who attend Waters Edge Church, which is most of the people I know, today's sermon was about focusing on the fact that as Christians are home is not on this pebble in the sky called Earth. Our home is in heaven. Well, anyway, while I was sitting in church this morning, a song kept playing over and over and over in my head. The song is Switchfoot's "This is Home" which I've heard live I believe 3 times. They wrote it as part of the The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian soundtrack. Here are the lyrics:

I've got my memories
Always
Inside of me
But I can't go back
Back to how it was
I believe you now
I've come too far
No I can't go back
Back to how it was
Created for a place
I've never known

Chorus:
This is home
Now I'm finally
Where I belong
Where I belong
Yeah, this is home
I've been searching
For a place of my own
Now I've found it
Maybe this is home
Yeah, this is home

Belief over misery
I've seen the enemy
And I won't go back

Back to how it was
And I got my heart
Set on
What happens next
I got my eyes wide
It's not over yet
We are miracles
And we're not alone

(Chorus)

And now after all
My searching
After all my questions
I'm gonna call it home
I got a brand new mindset
I can finally see
The sunset
I'm gonna call it home

(Chorus)

Now I know
Yeah, this is home

I've come too far
And I won't go back
Yeah, this is home.

Here's the video:

The Pothen Podcast Episode 12

2009-04-18T15:01:00.003-04:00

Here is the latest from the Pothen Podcast, a production that I'm part of featuring my best friend and his brothers.

--David

The Love of God

2009-04-06T21:48:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, I sit back in wonder and think about the love that my God, the creator of the Universe and of me has so richly given us. To think that we, mere mortals, have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him. When I think of the fact that we serve the only God who was willing to die so that we might have that experience, when I think of the price that was paid, when I think of who God is and who I am and How much he loves me in spite of it, it makes me want to sing. To think that I, a sinner, who deserved death, was rescued from the fiery pit of hell by the sacrifice of God's only Son so that I may be granted an inheritance born of grace and mercy is amazing. Not only that, but while I'm in earth, he chooses to use that very sinner, that man who was once in the enemy camp. He placed His trust in the church to do His work while we wait for His Son's mighty return. Wow!

I'm not the only one to think of the love of God, many a song has been written about it. One of my favorites described the inadequacy of man to fully describe the love of God. If I remember the story correctly, it was written by a madman who could only cling to one thing, the love of God and he wrote these words:

Could we with ink the oceans fill
Or were the sky of Parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade.
To write the love of God above
Would drain the oceans dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky.

I think that says it all. God so richly loved us that we are completely inadequate to describe it. It leaves us so spellbound and awestruck that the only thing acceptable is to give our lives in response.

And that's what I challenge you to do. Encounter the love of God, open your eyes to what He's done for you and in return, live your life for Him. You won't regret it.

I've placed Mercy Me's version of the song on my playlist. Take a listen if you want.

My favorite violin piece.

2009-04-01T22:18:00.005-04:00

Ladies and gentleman I present to you the 3rd movement of Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins.

Hated and Blessed

2009-04-01T21:16:00.004-04:00

So I was reading Luke today. And today I came across the infamous Beatitudes.

And I noticed something.

One of the Beatitudes, was longer than all the rest.

And Jesus made mention of it because we as Christians will go through it.

Here's what he said in Luke 6:22, 23

22 Blessed are you when men hate you.
And when they exclude you,
And revile you , and cast out
your name as evil,
For the Son of Man's sake.

23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For in like manner their
fathers did to the prophets.

The point here is that we should be rejoicing when men hate you. Now why is this? Surely, there is absolutely nothing untruthful or harmful about being a Christian. Well, God promises Christians that we will suffer persecution for believing what we believe. For the unwavering Christian, there is a constant spiritual battle going on that we cannot see, but our Spirit testifies to. The enemy is constantly trying to gain ground on what is the Lords. And the enemy is unrelenting in his attempts to bring the Church to his side. But we are only given persecution when we are a threat to the enemy. We are only attacked when we are after something he wants. There are so many people in the Church that the enemy doesn't need to worry about because he's already got 'em.

This is why Jesus says if you're being hated, rejoice! Hatred is a tool used by the enemy to try to bring us down. But if we react in the opposite spirit than what he's expecting by doing what is unselfish and rejoicing, we begin messing with his head.

Jesus also says that this is what happened to the prophets. And most prophets that I read about, got their coolest experience when they stood firm on what they believed in and rejoiced for the Lord. Just look at Elijah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Moses, etc.

It's time for the church to not succumb to being politically correct when we're being hated for being different than the world. It's time to be different! It's time to stand up for what's right in America and around the world. I'm sick of the world dictating what the Church should look like. I'm also sick of the Church catering towards what's cool instead of what's right. Speak the truth and don't back down. Hold on to what you believe and rejoice for Jesus Christ promised you a great reward in heaven.

Amen.

Film Festival

2009-03-29T16:50:00.002-04:00

This weekend I went to a film festival in Norfolk. On Friday night, I saw a series of short films, and short short films. I watched about, say 10 short films. The best of the ones I saw were the following:

Hot Dog
Buckets
Gone Fishing
About Face
Canned

Hot Dog was an animated short about a fire dog by a man named Bill Plympton. It was hilarious.

Buckets was my favorite, about a day in the life of a guy who plays buckets as drums for a living and the struggles he deals with and how music defines him.

Gone Fishing was my second favorite, but ended up taking home the best short prize. You can find more about it at www.livingspirit.com

The following day, Saturday, I saw the winners of the festival, which were the following

Best Short Short: Hot Dog
Best Short: Gone Fishing
Best Documentary and Best Environmental Film: The Last Days of Shishmaref (really, really good)
Best Feature: Under the Snow (Spanish film about factory workers and subsidizing)
Grand Jury Prize: Pinhas (a film about Jewish life and the conflict of one child in deciding his beliefs. Great child acting.)

All the films I saw that day, as one would expect were good that day. My favorite that they showed that day was probably the Last Days of Shishmaref. It is a very touching and heart-wrenching story about how nature is destroying a small village on the coast of Alaska.

But Buckets ended up being the one that stuck with me the most.

So, next year, I plan to go again. Maybe some of you would like to come too! Later dudes!

Collision

2009-03-20T17:30:00.002-04:00

A quote that I've always loved came to my mind this week. The funny thing is, I have no idea why. Maybe it was because I've had some pretty eye opening experiences this week or maybe it's because I've come to understand a little bit more of how little I am compared to my Creator. Anyway, the quote goes like this:

When divinity meets depravity it is a beautiful collision.

This is something that I've always found fascinating about God. That no matter how depraved or lost we are, He will meet us where we are. All we have to do is believe. But there's more to this quote than that. It also holds a promise to the believer. For in times of struggle, in times of darkness, when God meets us, its like nothing else. Words fail to describe the emotions and thoughts I have when God comes to meet me.

This quote not only is an encouragement to me, but also spurs me on to be a light to someone else and maybe help someone collide with God.

Now, some of you maybe be wondering where the quote originated. Well, the quote used to be said regularly after a David Crowder * Band show. This tradition along with other circumstances led the band to write a song entitled "A Beautiful Collision", which I have placed on the top of my playlist.

Just listen to the song and soak in what God wants to tell you and may you encounter a collision of your own.

A little creeped out, but I'm ok

2009-03-14T16:31:00.002-04:00

So, something really bizarre and scary happened yesterday. I came home from work with my dad and we rounded the corner to find cop cars surrounding a house literally around the corner from where I live. It's behind the house that's across the street from us. I came to find out later that someone was murdered. Yeah. I and my neighbors are fine and the police are doing everything they can to sort this out. It will probably take a while until the police leave, but it's scary to think that something that horrible happened so close. I read murder mysteries growing up, never thinking that one would be in my own backyard! Please pray for the family members of the victim and the surrounding neighbors peace. Something like this can really take a toll. It's weird that I'm typing this right after my previous blog entry. Anyway, I'll see you guys later. Take care.

In Christ,
David

In the Dark

2009-03-09T21:11:00.002-04:00

So yesterday, my pastor, whom almost all of you who read this blog know, talked about being in the dark. In other words, being in pain and suffering, that sometimes we can't see God. This is a subject that has always intrigued me and fascinated me. Our God is so big and powerful, but yet he allows suffering in the world. Why? Well, it's something I've studied and there's not really an easy answer, but here's my answer. God gave us free will and by giving us free will he let us choose right or wrong. He loves us so much and has so much respect for us that He will let us choose not to follow Him because by giving us a choice He also allows us to choose to truly love Him and by having that choice, we are loving God by our own volition and are not puppets on a string. But God took it one step further when He placed His Son on a cross. When Jesus died, he entered into our suffering. Imagine all the pain and hurt in the world being slowly swallowed and digested, that's what Christ did for us. He bore all the sins of the world when he hung on that tree and bled so that we might one day be reconciled with the Father. Wow.

I had the opportunity to lead my Community Group today on the subject and presented this to them. I think they took the truth to their hearts. It was great to be able to share God's truth to the people I care about.

So what about you? Do you wonder where God is when you're in the dark? My answer for you is to focus your eyes on the cross. It is there that God's love broke through our suffering.

I love you guys.

Family Day

2009-03-07T19:01:00.002-05:00

My sister and brother came home today. We had a great time hanging out. We started out having lunch and getting caught up with each other. After lunch we played one of my all time favorite outdoor games. We played best out of 3 and needless to say I whooped on the competition. My sister and I won 2, my brother and dad won 1.

After that we went over to the nearest elementary school and played 3 rounds of horse. Except for my dad, we each won one game. The final game was a battle of epic proportions between myself and my brother. I ended up winning by a free throw.

After that we went to my grandma's house and she had soup for us. My grandfather does what he always does and tells one of his stories. We only stayed for a little while because now my mom has for us an amazing meatloaf dinner. So I'm gonna go eat now.

You guys have a good day and don't forget to change your clock!

Watchmen review

2009-03-06T12:07:00.002-05:00

Ok. So I finally saw the movie I've been waiting a year to see. I have to say, it was well worth the wait. This was an amazing experience. Watchmen was visually stunning. Zack Snyder has uncanny ability to recreate the world of Watchmen. But it doesn't stop there. The adaptation is very faithful to the source material, to the point of replication in some areas, including Dr. Manhattan's trip to Mars. But as I'm saying this, I know in my mind that this movie will have split opinion among movie goers. In my mind, this movie was a masterpiece, a well thought out, detailed, visually complex, character-driven movie that honors the graphic novel even while changing the ending, which while being different, produces the same effect as the original ending and maintains the messages and themes of the book. I will probably see this one again as it lends itself to multiple viewings. For now though, I give it 4 stars.

--David Ferrell

P.S. Great Soundtrack

Watchmen

2009-03-05T19:18:00.002-05:00

Tonight is the night. When the clock strikes midnight, I will be sitting in a theater surrounded by fans of one of the greatest, if not the greatest graphic novel of all time. The unfilmable film has finally arrived. Let's hope it lives up to the hype. For those of you who don't know anything about Watchmen. I have a few words to help you all.

First of all, shame on you! Just kidding.

The characters in Watchmen are as follows.

The Comedian / Edward Morgan Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan): Eddie Blake started off his career on the Minutemen team. He's one of two government sanctioned vigilantes. He is murdered at the beginning of Watchmen and his backstory unfolds as the book progresses.

Nite Owl II / Dan Dreiberg (Patrick Wilson): An avid ornothologist, Dan retired after the Keene Act forced made costumed superheroes illegal. Now he spends his days chatting with Hollis Mason (Nite Owl I) and remembering old times and longing for purpose.

Rorschach (Walter Kovacs) (Jackie Earle Haley): The only active vigilante at work at the present time. Ruthless, psychotic, Rorschach wears an ever-changing black and white that never mixes, just as in his mind there is no gray. Only good and evil.

Silk Spectre II / Laurie Juspeczyk (Malin Akerman): Daughter of Silk Spectre I (Sally Jupiter), Laurie took up the mantle to follow in her mother's footsteps. Haunted by her and her mother's past, Laurie finds answers.

Dr. Manhattan / Jon Osterman (Billy Crudup): The other government sanctioned superhero and the only one with real powers. Dr. Manhattan has near limitless power as he is able to manipulate matter.

This information should be enough to give you an introduction. Go see the movie, then read the graphic novel. There will be a review following my viewing of the movie.

Funny video blog

2009-03-04T19:18:00.003-05:00

For those of you who are not aware, I'm a huge fan of British humor, especially the Monty Python team. Here is what has been dubbed as one of the greatest skits from the show "Monty Python's Flying Circus" For those of you who love Monty Python and seen this video, I hope this is a happy return. For those of you who have never seen Monty Python (shame on you), I hope this video will be only the beginning of what you see from this hilarious band of Britons.

Ladies and gentleman I give you, "Dead Parrot"

Preach the gospel at all times...

2009-03-04T18:55:00.005-05:00

My parents are the type that are constantly speaking scripture to me and for that I am eternally grateful. There are a few verses, though, that seem to come up all the time when we have conversations. One such verse is Colossians 3:23

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord not for men."

I have to remind myself of this verse each day because frankly, I don't like my job some days, especially lately. I'm on a project that isn't fun and that most people want to be over and done with as soon as possible, myself included. However, this verse helps me realize that the focus should not be only on your work yourself, because getting the job done is important, but also on the person for whom you are working.

What this verse is basically saying is to give God glory through the work that you do. You see, you work for God, not really your boss. This doesn't mean you should not listen to your boss. On the contrary, you should respect his or her authority and do the best you can at your job. What this does mean is that you shouldn't work half-hearted on your job. Instead you should work as if Jesus was watching your every move. This is a huge challenge for me. My work can be very monotonous and even downright boring, but when I remind myself who I am working for it makes a world of difference.

What amazes me is that when I start working in that fashion, God rewards me. Maybe not in the way I'd expect, but He blesses me nonetheless. I believe it's also one of the best ways you can point people to God. After all, actions do speak louder than words.

"Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words."

-St. Francis of Assisi

I can hear the angels play.

2009-03-01T21:34:00.003-05:00

For those of you who don't know. I'm pretty much way open to supernatural occurrences and believe in healing, miracles, that sort of stuff. All that to say that I experienced something so out there on Friday night that some of you may not believe what I'm about to say.

So anyway, I went Friday night over to the Restoration Life Christian Center, a tiny little building over on Harpersville Rd., for a Burn meeting. What Burn does, is about once a month, a bunch of on fire Christians get together for a night of crying out to the Lord through praise, worship, dancing, art, preaching, etc. It's basically a night guided by the direction of the Holy Spirit, and it's awesome. So we're in the middle of it all, and the Holy Spirit's presence is so thick and real and the music is going great and the crowd starts dancing. Then one of the musicians says, "I think I heard flutes. But I don't see anybody playing a flute. Let's keep going with this." So the band starts playing again and I start to hear flutes all around me as loud as the music coming from the stage. I look all around me and I see no flutes. I look back on the stage, no flutes. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I was hearing a heavenly presence, more than likely angels, accompanying the band, in harmony no less, and it sounded like they were standing all around me. God was moving mightily that night and I got to be a part of it. Woooooooo! I think God's got a plan for this Peninsula and I want to be a part of it.

I want more of you Jesus! Bring the rain!

--David Ferrell

Rejoice in Monotony

2009-02-26T18:50:00.002-05:00

Have you ever done something out of the ordinary, eventful, spectacular even, and got back to your routine and thought, "Oh no, not again!" I know I have. There are days when I wish I could just do something different. My routine can sometimes weigh me down, especially when I work every day on something I don't really enjoy. But, I remember a time when I heard a sermon and then later came to realize that God is actively involved in your day to day life more than probably anything else. God wants to invade your routine and when you put Him at the forefront, suddenly there's purpose and meaning, instead of seemingly pointless tasks. I suppose that's why it is written, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." When you put God at the forefront of your life, it's like His presence becomes more real, at least in my life, and the things that once bogged you down now are something to rejoice about. This is something I'm working on myself. I have to constantly remind myself that God is at work, even when I don't feel it. I hope you'll do the same.

In Christ,

David Ferrell

TobyMac in concert.

2009-02-24T18:06:00.002-05:00

What can I say? It was awesome!

For those you who are unaware and obviously haven't known me very long, I'm a huuuuuuuge TobyMac fan, but more so DCTalk. When I was in elementary school, I had a baby sitter who introduced me to DCTalk by bringing one of her tapes over. It was Free at Last, DCTalk's 3rd album. From then on I was hooked. When Jesus Freak, their Grammy Award winning album, came out, everyone was talking about it and I would say, "DCTalk? They've been around for years!" DCTalk after making one more studio album, Supernatural, decided to go there separate ways and each member is currently doing solo work. TobyMac has been the most successful, while Kevin Max and Tait haven't done so well, but still make good music.

Anyway, Sunday night I had the opportunity to see Toby again. I got second row seats thanks to 2 friends. Thanks Courtney and Monica, you rock! Rob Shepherd, a long time friend, minister of Community Groups and Students at WEC, and a Jesus Freak like myself, sat next to me. Now you have to understand, Rob and I have been to virtually every TobyMac concert that has come to the area, but have never sat next to each other. That is until Sunday night. I was amazed at how much energy he had considering he had preached 4 times on a difficult topic. But then again, I knew Rob's love for Toby. So it was no surprise. It was a great time and everything I've come to expect from Toby was delivered and more.

Oscar Night: slum takes the gold

2009-02-23T18:20:00.002-05:00

Last night Slumdog Millionare took home 8 Oscars. As I predicted, it took home the Best Picture award as well as Best Director. Having seen the film, I will say that it was well deserved. Another win that was much expected was Heath Ledger's posthumous award for Best Supporting Actor. Was there really any question? He pretty much nailed the Joker spot on. It was a bittersweet moment when his sister and parents took the award on behalf of Ledger's 3 year old daughter whom upon her 18th birthday will receive the award.

The most unexpected event of the night was when Sean Penn took home Best Actor. I was fully expecting Mickey Rourke to win considering all the hype surrounding it and the fact that he took home the Golden Globe. However, considering the liberal machine known as the Academy, I guess it wasn't too surprising. When Penn got up for his speech, he of course used it to promote his agenda and get half of America to not like him just that much more, myself included.

The format was also interesting, getting former winners to address each of the nominees. I thought this was a very personal touch that helped improve the presentation this year.

I look forward to what this year has in store. I already got my ticket for Watchmen. I hope it lives up to the hype.

Well, that's all for now. I'll check ya later.

The End (a haiku)

2009-02-18T21:46:00.005-05:00

I am going now.
Rejoice with me, I see Him.
Death comes so sweetly.

(Note: this is not a suicide note, I just think this is a subject that we all need to think about)

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-02T17:17:00.002-05:00

Well, the Super Bowl is over, the chips have been consumed, the pretzels devoured, the soda drank to its last drop, and more importantly, a new NFL king has been crowned. I have to say the game was one of the best I've seen on TV. Last year's was better only because I saw New England get what was coming to them. This year, both teams gave a great effort and I was glad that it was a fight to the finish. Congratulations, Steelers. I was rooting for Arizona and I thought they were going to pull it off, but in the end, we lost. But I'm not a sore loser. It was a great game period.

This year's halftime show was given by Bruce Springsteen. Did he sound bad to anyone else besides me? I mean, sure, you got a great band Bruce, but c'mon, who are you trying to fool? I will say the choir was great and the special effects, but frankly, Springsteen is for an older generation. Also, the faith hill super bowl song was absolutely horrible in terms of its lyrics. I did enjoy her singing "America the Beautiful" and the singing of the national anthem was excellent by Jennifer Hudson. I just wish they would get someone with generally universal appeal for the halftime show. I think the last time I really enjoyed a halftime show was when the Rolling Stones played. But I think my favorite was when U2 played. That was sweet.

What was your favorite Super Bowl Commercial? Mine was definitely the "It's probably time." commercial by Career Builder. Just because it made me thankful for the job I have, and it was hilarious. That said I think some were completely stupid as well like MacGruber. What do you think?

The Crud

2009-02-02T17:14:00.000-05:00

I've been sick the past couple of days in case you're wondering why I fell off the face of the earth. I ended up having to take a sick day from work. So this is my excuse for not blog posting.

--David

Hockey at the Scope

2009-01-24T12:20:00.003-05:00

My fellow bloggers, it has come to my attention that I have not kept up with the regular posts as I should be. For this, I apologize. Now, on to the post.

Ah, hockey! For me, hockey was a thing of my childhood. About once a year, my dad would get family tickets through his company to see what were then known as the Hampton Roads Admirals. As a kid, I remember a lot of cheering, the music was loud and the food was great and the Admirals inevitably won. The thing I remember the most was whenever the goalie would catch the puck in his goalie glove, the song Can't Touch This would be playing on the loudspeaker and the screen would light up with an image of the goalie catching the puck in his glove in a stylistic fashion. Those were, and still are, fond memories. Fast forward about 10 to 15 years. Wednesday, I went with my CG to an Admirals game and in the span of 2.5 hours my childhood memories were replaced with a half full Scope arena, lackluster screen effects, and a losing Admirals team. On the plus side, the food is till good. Was it a bad experience? Not at all! I thoroughly enjoyed time around people I care about and even though the outcome of the game was disappointing, I enjoyed watching it. Plus, the tickets were relatively cheap. It's great when you realize that the circumstances in an event should not dictate how you react. That's what happened that night. Despite how I felt about the game, I had a great time socializing with my friends. Well, that's all for now. See ya next time.

Hope when Life Hurts Most Part 1 of 5.

2009-01-19T00:18:00.003-05:00

I recently watched a DVD of mine with Louie Giglio dealing with suffering. Louie is one of my favorite speakers and every time I hear him, my heart gets pierced. Anyway, I came to find out that the DVD is also youtube. It's really weird because after I watched this video, it's like God put in my life people who were dealing with suffering in a big way. So I thought I'd put this video here. I hope it encourages you as it did me.

The Heart of the Matter

2009-01-17T15:59:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I got to spend some time with one of my good friends from ODU, my old stomping ground. We had a delicious dinner together and started talking about various things going on in each of our lives, but it wasn't long before we started delving into how our lives were going spiritually.

What was interesting is we were talking about how we are both attracted to people who are distant from the crowd. We both think that it's important to include people who might be different. After all, Jesus did the same thing.

Just look at Jesus' disciples. A ragtag bunch of men who were not the brightest, not the coolest, and certainly not the most wanted, especially in the case of Matthew, a tax collector hated by the Jews. But these men became the forefathers of my faith and ushered into the world the story of Jesus Christ. Goes to show you how the love that Christ has to offer affects someone. And that's what this blog entry is all about. I want to challenge everyone, myself included, to look out for those people who are alone at the lunch table, standing in the hallway, staring blankly, looking for a friend. Let's step out of our comfort zone and our cliques and reach out to someone. We may be the only Jesus he or she sees.

--David

Gran Torino

2009-01-16T17:42:00.003-05:00

I recently saw the movie Gran Torino. I would highly recommend this movie. Starring and directed by the screen legend Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino tells the story of Walt Kowalski, a grumpy old Korean War vet who gets caught up in neighborhood violence when he saves his Hmong neighbor Tao from what would be a bloody fistfight. The friendship and struggles that these two have are the topics of this film. I would recommend going to see it.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Unofficial Rating: Go see it.

I may get a lot of hate mail... but so be it

2009-01-13T18:41:00.002-05:00

So today's big news in the entertainment biz is obviously the return of American Idol.

Tonight at 8PM begins another season of glitz, glamour, and crazy teenage fans who vote based mostly on who's better looking.

Paula, Randy, and Simon will return to decide the fate of the entrants. Who will make it? You find out tonight.

And I will be doing something else because frankly, I don't like the show. To me it's glorifying the entertainment industry and showing that people care more about the next Idol than more important things going on around the world. Also, it always disappoints me when I find out that a legitimately talented artist loses to a pretty boy. And Ryan Seacrest, I'm sorry, but he's just not funny.

But the biggest issue I have with Idol is that for the most part, the artists they create don't make great music. It's good, sure, but not enough to make me want to buy the CD. The CDs sell because of the TV show more than the artist themselves. Either that, or America's taste in music has suffered over the years.

I'm not a big fan of reality TV in general but there are 2 shows that I do like in the reality TV vein that I would recommend:

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Biggest Loser

These 2 shows I don't watch regularly, but they do something that others don't: they show real people who are dealing with real issues and the show helps them solve their problems.

Please don't hate me,

David Ferrell

Our God Reigns

2009-01-08T21:06:00.002-05:00

Hey guys,

I thought I'd share with you the best worship experience I ever had. This is a video I got off youtube of a little of what I experienced. It absolutely floored me and makes me cry every time I hear the song in joy that I know my Savior, Jesus Christ.

--David

Top 9 film picks of 2008.

2009-01-08T19:59:00.003-05:00

While I did not pick 10 movies, I did pick 9 just because I haven't seen any more movies that could fit on this list

9. Kung Fu Panda
8. Iron Man
7. Rachel Getting Married
6. Frozen River
5. Wall*E
4. Encounters at the End of the World
3. Synecdoche, New York
2. The Dark Knight
1. Slumdog Millionare

Slumdog Millionare: A Review

2009-01-06T20:50:00.002-05:00

It has been said that life is a series of moments. Some are fond, some are sad, and some you just wish you never experienced. However, those moments all teach us something and shape us into the person we become. This is the subject of the new critically acclaimed movie that came seemingly out of nowhere to become a top contender in the Oscar race: Slumdog Millionare. The story centers on the character of Jamel, a young Indian man, raised in the slums of Mumbai that becomes a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionare? The film shows us how Jamel answers the questions by giving us flashbacks to his earlier life.

I will say this about the movie: never have I seen the real India depicted better than in a movie like this. We see both sides. If I say anymore I may ruin the movie, but I know people who have been to India and they told me that it is very much the way the film depicts it.

What I most enjoyed about this movie is that a group of basically unknown actors and a director who was willing to step outside the hollywood box worked so well together and made this amazing film. It's definitely in my top 5 films this year.

I give this movie 4 stars.

My rating system:

no stars: avoid this movie like the plague. Bleaching your eyes out would be a more fun experience.
half a star: not worth mentioning, but better than some.
1 star: bad, but not a total disaster.
1 and a half stars: Still pretty bad, but didn't get it all wrong
2 stars: had some minor flaws, but enough to make the movie uninteresting
2.5 stars: barely missed the mark
3 stars: go see it. Could have done much better, but still worth seeing
3.5 stars: Was a great movie, but had one little thing that was messed up
4 stars: a great movie that surpasses the norm and distinguishes itself from the rest.

Note: I don't believe in waiting for a movie to come out on DVD that you wouldn't see in theatres. If it's not worth seeing in theatres, it's not worth seeing at all.

The Pothen Podcast Episode 11

2009-01-01T21:42:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't know, my best friend and I work together with his brothers on a podcast that we put on iTunes and youtube. It's called, naturally, The Pothen Podcast. Here's episode 11 for your viewing pleasure.

--David

Welcome 2009

2009-01-01T10:41:00.002-05:00

So, I think it's time to reflect on the best and worst things of 2008.

The best:
1. My brother graduated from ODU.
2. The 5 movies I saw at the Naro (Frozen River, Synecdoche, New York , Encounters at the End of the World, Rachel Getting Married, It's a Wonderful Life)
3. Creation Fest ('nuff said)
4. Seeing Switchfoot 3 times in the same year and backstage twice.
5. Being first in line at the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight in IMAX.
6. Sharing in my best friend's first concert experience.
7. The Olympics
8. Christmas Eve at Waters Edge
9. Easter at Waters Edge (all those eggs)
10. Feeding the homeless

The worst:

1. The 2008 election and everything that went with it (I'm so glad we're not getting called anymore)
2. The Russia / Georgia conflict
3. The death of many notable people (Heath Ledger, Paul Newman, Charlton Heston, Bobby Fischer, Arthur C. Clarke, Sydney Pollack, Tim Russert, Bernie Mac, Leroi Moore)
4. Bad movies that I saw (Jumper, Quantum of Solace)
5. The Pothen move (but that was really just sad, not bad)
6. The economic crisis and how it is still affecting so many people.

I am really thankful for all the good things that happened to me this year, but sometimes I need to remind myself that the world's flawed, and that I have been blessed by God. That's why I put the worst there. I am so thankful for what God's given to me this year. I hope you are as well.

But now I look forward to 2009, hoping that this year will be even better than the last and that above all else, my life would be used to shine God's light into someone's life.

Christmas with the Ferrells

2008-12-26T18:42:00.004-05:00

Once again I must apologize for this late entry. But considering I spent the time off with family enjoying Christmas, I think you'll let me slide. Anyway, that's what this blog entry is about. I wanted to share with you all not only what I received for Christmas, but what I gave. So let's start off from the beginning. First off you should know that as a family, we decided to open Christmas presents early on Christmas Eve. This was to get it out of the way because we had an important and busy day ahead of us on Christmas Day. I got my mom a season of one of her favorite TV shows growing up: I Love Lucy. It also happens to be one of my favorites as well, but I caught it in syndication on cable. For my dad, I got a set of cologne. Apparently he was wanting some (I asked my mom). For my sister I knew just what would please her fancy. When she was with us for Thanksgiving she mentioned that her favorite movie was Sabrina. No, not the classic with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, but the new version with Harrison Ford, Greg Kinnear, and Julia Ormond. So I got her both versions at a nearby MovieStop. For my brother, I got Wall * E and we watched it that night. My dad fell asleep. But my brother and sister enjoyed it. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a 4-star movie and one of the best films of the year. Christmas morning I also fed the homeless, which is what I would consider the best gift I gave because it follows the example of Jesus. And what better way to celebrate His birth than by doing what he would want. Now on to what I got, which is less important but pretty cool.

Here's the list:

1. Star Wars: Force Unleashed
2. Mario Kart (Wii)
3. Call of Duty : World at War (with Wii Zapper)
4. The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel (I'm a big fan of his work. I love apologetics)
5. Season 3 of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (Yes, I have the first 2)
6. Season 5 of Monk
7. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (movie)
8. The Right Stuff (1983 movie that one 4 Oscars)
9. It's A Wonderful Life
10. A Dennis Swanberg video
11. A shirt from my Grandfather
12. A stocking full of candy
13. Flyleaf's self-titled album with bonus DVD
14. A set of cologne (the same as my dad's)
15. A $10 gift card to Regal Cinema (from a co-worker)

So as you can see, I got a lot, but it wasn't really what my Christmas was all about. The most important thing was remembering Christ's birth and showing his love to those less fortunate. That's what Christmas is all about.

Love you guys. I'll be back soon with a new post in the near future.

Daring to Dream

2008-12-14T18:47:00.003-05:00

My fellow blog readers, I have come today to apologize for not being more faithful with my blog. So I decided that not only would I enter my blog, but I would share some photos with you as well.

So last night I was in VA Beach at my friend Travis' house (pictured on the left foreground). I go there periodically to just hang out, eat, and eventually we have a serious discussion on some spiritually related issue. Herbert, Travis' roommate asked us "If you could do anything for Christ right now, no holds bar, what would it be?" I didn't even have to think about this one. I have 2 big dreams.

1. That the college age generation would be set on fire for Christ.

2. That the name of Christ would be restored in America. I feel like a false representation of Christ is dominating in America today and it's up to the Church and myself to restore the correct image of Christ.

So we had some prayer time and then Herbert challenged us. He challenged us to begin fasting and praying.

For those of you who may not know what fasting is, it's basically giving up something really, really valuable up to the Lord for a set period of time that you may grow closer to him. In the Bible times, the typical thing people fasted from was food. However, I have personally participated in other types of fasts such as a 30-day digital fast where the computer, TV, video games, and music (except for Praise and Worship) were excluded. It was hard at first, but once I started getting into a routine, I realized what I'd been missing with God.

Okay, so back to today. I've committed to stick to this thing. I don't know where I'm going to start other than praying about it. But I know God will give me opportunities to fulfill these dreams, I just pray my eyes can see it and take hold of it.

Also, I would like to challenge you to take hold of the dreams God has placed in your heart. It's time to come out of the box and start taking hold of what God has in store for us. Just like these leaves decided they didn't want to be green anymore.

One person I'm thankful for

2008-12-01T21:01:00.002-05:00

Well,

I don't normally do this, but here goes. I was thinking today about 1 person I could be thankful for this year. It's hard to narrow it down since I have so many people in my life who are a positive influence to me. I thought about my best friend and I thought about other people, but they really don't distinctly fit this year. So it came down to this person.

And the person I'd like to thank this year is ... Scott. If you're reading this, you know who you are.

Scott is a really great person. I've only known him for about a year and a half, maybe 2 years and he's become one of my good friends. Even after he got married to his lovely wife Jessie he still takes time to hang out with me, which means a lot. Recently, we watched the Redskins lose to the Cowboys together. Yes, it was a disappointing game, but we had fun watching it together. He also had people over at his place later, we cried over spilled beer in the parking lot, played games and had fun together. But it really was cool that I was on the small list of people he invited.

We've also had several philosophical, political, and spiritual conversations together. It's really cool to see how he's grown spiritually and emotionally over the short amount of time I've known him.

So Scott, from one friend to another, thanks for being you.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

--David Ferrell

Undignified

2008-11-11T20:27:00.002-05:00

For those of you who have known me for any extended period of time, you know that I go a little nuts when I worship. I have known some people who think that I'm being crazy and doing things that are abnormal such as raising my hands, jumping, shouting, and sometimes even dancing. I know there are people out there who wonder why and I thought I'd use this blog post to answer them.

The reality is I wasn't the first David to go crazy for the Lord. In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was being brought back to Jerusalem and when it arrived, there was a huge celebration and for good reason. During the time of Moses, the Ark of the Covenant housed the presence of God. Now, finally, the Ark had returned to Jerusalem after it had been taken away from Israel and of course there was a huge celebration. King David decided he would join in and started dancing and dancing like a wild man. His wife was chillin at the palace and saw David dancing and of course she didn't approve and she asked David what the deal was.

David said "I'll become even more undignified than this." and David cursed his wife, Mikal for being upset that he was dancing before the Lord and she bore no children for David.

Fast forward to 33A.D. Jesus dies on the cross, pays for the sins of the world and the veil at the temple that separated the rest of the temple from the Holy of Holies, which housed the ark, was torn in two. Three days later he rises from the dead. The presence of God was now available to all and I think that's worth celebrating. That's why I go crazy for God every Sunday at church. That's why I get excited when the band sings at Waters Edge. That's why I raise my hands, that's why I jump up and down. And I will become even more undignified than this!

I hope this will challenge you to be more free when you worship and realize that it's not for anyone else that you should be praising God, but to give glory to Him.

-David

A Modern Day Parable

2008-11-08T16:06:00.002-05:00

Hello again everyone. Enjoy this cool video. I hope it makes you think about how your church is reaching others.

2008-11-08T11:02:00.003-05:00

There's something about being around family that shows our true colors. This is the topic of a new movie showing at Norfolk's The Naro, Rachel Getting Married. It is the story of Kym (Anne Hathaway), a recovering drug addict who returns home from rehab for her sister Rachel's wedding. Upon her return, Kym is confronted with her past as the recalling of family memories brings up one that has never left Kym's mind.

Much can be said of Hathaway's performance. Her role is flawless as she shows Kym simultaneously struggling with her past while trying to live in the present.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this film and would highly recommend it.

Go see it!

The Day After

2008-11-05T19:17:00.002-05:00

Well, everyone, it's the day after election day and I have to say it turned out to be an historic night. Also, I wanted to say that despite whether it turned out the way you wanted or not, we should respect the authority that God has placed in the upcoming president, Barack Obama. We should also pray for Him that he will do what God wants. Negative chatter about the way the election turned out is not the Christian thing to do. We should set ourselves apart from the bashing that others may do. Let us show those around us that we honor God by honoring authority.

-David

25 years ago

2008-11-02T16:02:00.002-05:00

On this day, 25 years ago, I was born and 25 years later I realize that I have accomplished a lot and have been blessed with much.

Here's a few things I could come up with:

1. I have been to another country (Zimbabwe)
2. I've seen some amazing wonders of the world (The Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, Niagara Falls, Foamhenge)
3. I graduated from a university (ODU), go Monarchs!
4. I have had friends whom I've known for a very long time. You know who you are.
5. I've known my best friend for 15 years.
6. I have a job.
7. I play a musical instrument
8. I've seen many Broadway productions (Les Miserables, Oliver!, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, Annie)

But all of these things fade in comparison to the fact that I know and have a personal relationship with the God who created me through the blood of His son Jesus Christ. Words cannot express my sheer gratefulness (which oddly enough we're talking about in Kid Kraze this month) to God for coming and invading my soul despite my sinfulness.

It's been quite a ride and I am so thankful for everyone who has been a part of it thus far. Even if you just interacted with me for just a short time, you may have impacted a huge part of my life and I thank you for that.

I also want to put a shout-out to all my blog followers. Love ya guys!

So what have I done for my birthday? I'm glad you asked.

My mom made a great meal last night for me and my brother came down to eat it with us. My sister is at Tech, so obviously she couldn't make it. I opened presents and we just chatted about life which was pretty sweet.

Today, the day of, I went to church and a lot of people wished Happy Birthday to me and I got to teach the 2nd graders today in Kid Kraze, which was great! I think the best part, though, was when the band played "From the Inside Out" That's my new favorite worship song that the band plays. There's just something about it that makes my heart soar. Tonight, I will be doing something crazy awesome with my bff, Josh and probably hit up Starbucks, especially since I missed last week.

Well, I will return in the near future, but until then this is David Ferrell ... out.

Shine

2008-10-26T19:33:00.003-04:00

So, I'm just sitting around at home and I thought to myself: self, you should update the blog. So this is the result.

I think about life a lot. My mind is all over the place nearly all the time. Lately I've been thinking a lot about how my life can impact others. I had been praying that God would give me an opportunity to share my faith with others. Now when I say "others" I don't mean just your everyday person who doesn't know Jesus. See, cuz for me, I want to reach people who are in the darkness, the people who haven't seen the Light in a long time, or ever. It's been something God's been constantly pushing me to do. So anyway, I was praying, right, like I always do and I wasn't really expecting much from God. I mean, I knew he'd answer my prayers, but I thought, you know, it would be the normal "talk to someone you don't know" kind of deal. Boy was I shocked, but extremely honored, to receive what He gave me, cuz it was awesome! Recently, I was invited to a Halloween Party. Now, when I think of "party" I think of a time where people gather around, talk, have some food, maybe play some games, rock out to music, that sort of thing. But there are other people who think the word "party" is another excuse to zap some brain cells by getting drunk and throw up. I was invited to the latter.

What really disappoints me sometimes looking at the Church is the fact that we are afraid to take a risk of stepping into the places where sinners are. I've been to churches, had Christian friends, and know that there are pastors out there who would discourage Christians from attending such an event. The way I see it, we can't expect the lost, the sinners, the world to come to us. We have to take the gospel to the streets. In fact, the more I look at the gospels, the more I see Jesus going to places like that. Heck, he talked to a Samaritan woman who had 5 husbands. Mary Magdalene, a woman who was demon possessed, became a very important figure in the gospels and was one of the first to see the risen Lord. Matthew, one of the 12, was a despised tax collector. He healed lepers, outcasts of society. The list goes on and on and on and on. The point is we as Christians need to go to the places of darkness and shine our lights. What's interesting about light is that when a light enters a dark place, it lights up the entire room.

So I'm going to this Halloween party, knowing that there's going to be people drunk, knowing that there will be people there far from Christ, but I go with the Lord, and that's all I need to know.

My prayer for you is that you would step up and reach out to someone who doesn't know Jesus and share your story with him or her. And if you're reading this and don't know Jesus, let me say this: You have a savior who loves you more than any person on this earth and He died on an old rugged cross so that you may be set free from the things that tie you down. But He didn't just die. He rose again 3 days later to show that His power can conquer even death. May you know Him. His love was so deep in that while we were still sinners, He died for us. May you know that truth in your heart.

I love you guys.

-David

Sanctity

2008-10-22T19:43:00.003-04:00

Today I got to hold a newborn baby in my arms.

A couple that I know recently had a little girl and I had the privilege of looking at a miracle that came to fruition.

Staring at her, eyes closed, squirming, with such small fingers and toes, I began to ponder about the beauty of God's craftsmanship in a human being.

Just think about it. Before the foundation of the world, God knew me!

"You knit me together in my mother's womb."

God made us in His image. What that fully means, I don't think I'll understand anytime soon, but I do know that it means God set us apart from every other living thing. He breathed life into us. He created us like a potter molds clay to create a pot.

The sheer complexity of the human genome, the hair on our heads, the formation of eyelids, the fingerprints that uniquely identify each of us, the heart that beats inside of us, and probably most unique about us, our souls, God specially crafted and designed. Wow!

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank you God!