Dear Theophilus

For those who are looking for some answers about garageband, I have found two: (1) For those who have low volume output when exporting, here is what I learned: The problem is with Garageband '09. Go to preferences -> Advance -> uncheck the box that says "Export songs at full loudness" or something like that. I know, it seems contradictory, but it works. You may want to increase the master volume as well.  (2) For those who  want drum loops in 3/4 time (waltz) and can't find any, here is what I did. I made my song, in 3/4. I set my tempo where I wanted it. I then went to the bottom center display and cycled through until I got to the tempo and time signature. I moved the 3/4 to 4/4. I then picked a drum loop that I liked, that fit my style. I then switched the song back to 3/4 with the drum loop in the song.  I then cropped the drum loop to make it a 3/4 beat. I did this by chopping a beat off.  This is the place to explore. Chop ends or beg...

To be honest and upfront, I am a people-pleaser by nature. I am working on it. Christ will restore me through it. But, for the meantime, it means that I can sometimes over-react, over symbolize and take things the wrong way. You be the judge! Lately I can't get this out of my head. Someone I greatly admire, someone I hold with the utmost respect, someone who embodies all that I thought was maturity, someone who is wise UNFRIENDED me on facebook! Really! Straight up, without warning, unfriended me. Now, I didn't have the closest relationship with this person but we have certainly had some strong bonds. Also, this person added me to begin with. Either way, my feelings are kind of hurt. This person never talked to me about any issue. Never told me that they were having issues with me. I am wrestling with some reasons why this could have happened: Honest to goodness technical glitch Maybe, but what are the chances? I moved away to Seattle for school and th...

Aaron Roche is one of my favorite artists in the music biz. He kills it all the time. Everything he touches is gold. And he is so smart, so intuitive. The songs sound poppy but the lyrics will blow you away if you peel back the the layers... One of my favorite songs of his on his latest EP is called "Etude." The music is epic with a trio of trumpets, some gong, and steady folksy drums. The lyrics center around a Galatians passage where Paul is concerned for his children. The lyrics are word for word Galatians 4:19-20 (NIV), " My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!" The music builds and swells like a woman in labor. It starts and stops alternating lyrics. When the word "childbirth" rings out, the music interlude is longer and has much more dissonance. Heavy distortion from electric guitars and trumpets. ...

Bernard is describing 4 loves that humans can experience. What was most interesting to me was that when Bernard was describing the four loves possible by humans, the very basic one that he thought all people should be characterized by was a love that involved Justice. He describes it as loving ourselves for our own sake but he says, "Should a man feel overburdened at satisfying not only his brethren's just needs but also their pleasures... He can be indulgent as he likes for himself providing he remembers his neighbor has the same rights... Then your love will be sober and just if you do not refuse your brother that which he needs of what you have denied yourself in pleasure. Thus carnal love becomes social when it is extended to others" (On Loving God 8.23) (This is quoted from Tamburello, 95) This is the basic of all love. It is the first stage. It is the most selfish. It is most marred by a life of sin and yet Bernard still believes that it is characte...

Do you ever feel like you just understand the world better than everyone else and if everyone else just thought the same way you did, the world would be such a better place in general? Sometimes I do that. I think that the world is so screwed up and if people just did, thought, loved the way I think we all should, it would be so much better. Partly I am right. The world is screwed up in deep ways. But otherwise I am wrong. I am wrong in untold and profound ways. I am at the height of pride, hubris and arrogance to think that my feeble way is the best. That my way should be every one's way. That everyone should think my way. I think when we get to the point where everyone else is just stupid/ dumb/ incomprehensibly ignorant/ so completely backwards, really it is 'we' that needs the adjustment. I think the problem is that everyone thinks they are right. I mean, if someone thought they were wrong, they would change their mind, right? But ideas and concepts and trut...

Here is Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 and Part 4 : This is the final part of my review of one of my favorite books. This book explains a comprehensive view of Christianity based on a proper eschatology (end-times) centered around resurrection. Highly recommend that you all buy this book! You can borrow mine, but I want it back because it is autographed... :) Chapter 13 This chapter is titled “Building for the Kingdom.” Inherently in the title, Wright wants to make clear that we don’t build the Kingdom; we build for it. God is always the architect. He has a great analogy about stonemasons carving out different pieces for the construction of a cathedral. The mason probably hasn’t even seen the blueprints but his work will go towards the final project (p. 210). This analogy is couched in an admittedly mysterious truth that our work will not be in vain (1 Cor. 15), that our work will be apart of the new creation, that our labor and work for the Lord will be apart of the future. ...

  Here is Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3 : This is a small, reviewish type piece about a book I adore. I like to mostly summarize and quote, so not really a critical review, but whatever! Surprised by Hope is fantastic, hopefully you are inspired. Read it: Chapter 11 The 11 th Chapter is entitled “Purgatory, Paradise, Hell.” For such a huge undertaking, there are not a lot of surprises. In tackling purgatory, he tackles the medieval (and earlier) idea that there is a hierarchy of Christians. There is: the Church Triumphant or those saints who already made it to heaven, the church expectant are those who are in purgatory or are awaiting heaven and finally the church militant which are those still alive “fighting the good fight of the faith” (p. 165). Wright finds this hierarchy and also Purgatory to be a complete misunderstanding of Scripture. He is adamant and a little pointed about this (“I think with great respect that you ought to see not a theologian but a th...