2019

I’m about half-way through Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises,” a novel from which I’ve gathered, if nothing else, that the French sure like their wine. They’ll stop twice for drinks on the way to dinner where they’ll drink again before heading to a drinking party. They speak a language of wine and liturgically share theContinue reading “Wine and Ball and Rock n Roll”

And about once a year I fill up a notebook. By the end, it’ll have pages and pages of random lyrics, choruses, and unfinished songs. But there are always a few actual, coherent pieces I deem worthy of making into a demo with a recording mic or my phone. After I filled up the secondContinue reading “Another Year and Some New Songs”

I am pleased to present to you, good friends, the top side of this collection of demos. These first five songs (side A) were all written for people right around me. *use headphones. Rambling Anthems: Volume Two – Songs for the Springtime — if the Lord should tarry, let the springtime come, — – tracksContinue reading “Songs for the Springtime -side A-“

“Communion” They’re all coming up the aisle eagerly, Red dress, navy shirt, Blue blouse, black skirt, Sisters – brothers – saints – neighbors, — And the music plays: “I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly trust in Jesus’ name,” — An old man slowly staggers toward the bread and wine, Then the youngContinue reading “Communion”

In two of the classes I’m enrolled in, I am subjected to weekly, online discussions in the class forums. It’s a sort of underground where faceless accounts trade ideas down the lines of comment threads. Last week, a discussion topic got rolling about whether or not our society is “too far gone”, corrupted beyond hopeContinue reading “a poem for the prophets”

Here is the second set of songs. Whereas most of the (side A) songs were written for friends, the songs on this side are pointed a bit more inward. Some came from watching a film (I wrote “Between my Hands” after watching Manchester by the Sea) or a documentary (“Numb” was written after watching Child of Rage – aContinue reading “Songs for the Springtime -Side B-“

The other day my good friend Andrew Martin told me to check out Andrew Yang, a 2020 presidential candidate. Martin is someone with whom I love talking politics and all things abstract. He’s great at helping me understand ideas, and he’s currently attending Clemson University to become an structural engineer. Tonight we sat down andContinue reading “Universal Basic Income: a conversation”

When it comes time to go to a funeral, as we all must – life isn’t just weddings you know, what do you say? Do you say, “She’s in a better place now”? I’ve said that before, and today has me wondering if it’s true. I like asking people what they think we are, howContinue reading “a better place”

At the beginning of 2019, I transferred from Tri-County Technical College (which is near Clemson University) to Toccoa Falls College (which is in Georgia). TFC is a four-year, Christian, liberal arts college in Toccoa, Georgia. I transferred in as a second semester sophomore and am planning to double major in Mass-Media Communications and Biblical Studies.Continue reading “toccoa falls college (and what’s up)”

This is a story and my theory of everything – we all have one. This past weekend I went to Ohio for a wedding. After the singing, vowing, eating, and dancing were over, we went to The Book Loft in downtown Columbus. It had several floors and dozens of rooms with books on every subject imaginable.Continue reading “my theory of everything”

Tonight, I’m gonna get on an eastbound airplane and go back home. Aleisha, Isaiah, and I were slated to be camp counselors with Mike next week at the ministry where he’s serving for a year. That was yesterday morning. Yesterday afternoon I went to Walmart and bought a watch for camp. Yesterday night they boughtContinue reading “holes”

This is the last essay I wrote this past semester. I had been planning to write about Jesus’ proclamation “blessed are the poor,” but this seemed more exciting. The Professor said my sources were pretty irrelevant, and I should have examined the texts more. I thought my sources were great, but he probably had a point.Continue reading “The Unforgivable Sin”

It is the Fourth of July, and I’m sitting on a brown couch at 1:40 a.m. waiting on season three of Stranger Things. I have an hour to tell you why this show is so good, so true. I’ve heard people say that they’re able to watch it, even though it is scary, because it’sContinue reading “Stranger Things”

I recently became fascinated with “Old Town Road,” which has topped charts and become a sensation. I’d heard it played several times before I looked up the lyrics and was somewhat shocked. But the longer I thought about it, the more curious I became. And I came up with three ideas of what this songContinue reading “What Is “Old Town Road” About Anyway?”

I like to think that I have logical, well developed reasons for liking and not liking the things around me. Yet when I really examined why I prefer what I do, the answer was not what I expected –  it was a little disappointing to be honest. Donald Trump and country music have always heldContinue reading “Donald Trump and Country Music”

This is the third “album” of demos I am sending into the world. They are five songs I’ve written and recorded over the last year or so. I’ll post one a day for about a week. The album is called “A Wide Open Room.” It feels like my future is bright and open. There is soContinue reading “Volume 3: “A Wide Open Room””

I wrote this song after a basketball game one night. I had played really bad, and gotten really frustrated. It’s the longest song on the album, and took the most work to record. Tristan was staying at my house one weekend, so I made him help me. He played the percussion, some guitar, sang someContinue reading “with you”

I was on a surfing trip in Charleston with some of my best friends when this song came to me. It was late at night, and I was sitting up in a stranger’s living room. Then I went to Corey’s house, and helped me record it. It’s about getting washed clean of everything that isn’tContinue reading “to the sea”

This is my favorite song on this album. It’s about having somewhere to run when the world around affords no place to hide, a bridge to walk up under when the road is getting driving rain. It’s a very short, simple song. I wrote it while sitting at my desk – then recorded it theContinue reading “in your arms”

This is my disbelieving smile: to those who say that we’re headed for hell – to those who say we’ve come so much farther than any other people – to those who say the good old days were so much different than today. My friends, these are the good old days. And we too willContinue reading “good old days”

I wrote this song one night while sitting on the floor of the room in the cover photo. Then, it still had bare studs and a plywood floor. It’s about the enneagram, and a girl, and it kind of borrows from a Springsteen song. To record, I put some delay and distortion on my nylonContinue reading “all i know”

After church, someone in the circle brought up the age-old question, “So what are we allowed to do on Sunday anyway?” Being a student requires me to read and to listen to lectures for many hours each week. What follows are not my own ideas – but a condensed version of reading from Peter Scazzero’sContinue reading “The Lord’s Day”

For the last couple of months, I’ve been working at the radio station at Toccoa Falls College (we record stuff in our studio but don’t broadcast live). In the past, I’ve always set aside a day (or two) for work, cramming all my classes into the other days. This semester, that didn’t work out. WhenContinue reading “Episode 3: talking about college”

I’m the type who will spend forty-five minutes laboring over the choice of what movie to watch. And then usually the choice is between films that you have to really work to appreciate. Tonight, I found myself feeling like watching something. And forty-five minutes, later I found myself on the porch having finally chosen TheContinue reading “the squid and the whale”

I’ve written 85 WordPress blog posts over the course of about three years. And I’m finally starting to understand the point of it. In class, we’ve been discussing different approaches to communication as laid out by a guy named John Peters, a longtime professor at the University of Iowa. He describes communication as happening from one ofContinue reading “the reason i write”

heated water, i’ve deemed priceless, shower, tea, oatmeal, and steam, rising up off the lake, and over the concrete bridge i cross on my long commute, during which i try to decide, what things are truly valuable; hot water, —

How does the internet change the way you think and process things? In the following six paragraph paper, I argue that as the context of our personal life changes, our behavior and goals will change as well. I also reflect on the why Instagram and posting on this blog are not altogether healthy. *I sendContinue reading “The Internet Shapes Mindset”

The crucible ended on Wednesday, or maybe on Thursday when the professors had to have our grades finalized. And finals week was mercifully over.Over the course of finals, I kept thinking about a billboard I drive past sometimes. It says something like, “the task ahead of you is never greater than the strength within you.”Continue reading “you are not enough”

*image by Lisa Kew In Communication Ethics, our final paper required us to evaluate a communication act within the church – I chose the mentoring relationship. I’m think this is the most time and energy I’ve ever put into a writing project. As I spent countless hours researching and writing it, I would love forContinue reading “lead me from the wire”

A few nights ago we were at Aleisha’s place for board games and food that never got taken to a cancelled Christmas party. The ten of us sharing in the warm company of friends and the cold cheer of hot chocolate poured seven or eight favorite songs ago. We were scheming about Christmas, that goodContinue reading “armchairs again”