Jive To The Monkey

NoiseTrade Widget

2008-10-21T08:53:00.001-07:00

New songs on New CDs -- Sojourn Does Isaac Watts!

2008-04-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

If any of you are still out there -- I'm blogging six days a week at sojournmusic.com. Still writing songs too -- I've got some that Sojourn will be recording as part of a new worship project, which is a reimagining of the hymns of Isaac Watts.

Check out the details, including a text letter from worship arts pastor Mike Cosper and an audio interview I conducted with Mike's co-record producer, Neil Robins.

widget

2008-02-19T04:48:00.001-08:00

Which Veronica Mars Character Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Wallace Fennel

You are an awesome friend and Veronica's sidekick, but you don't mind... except you're afraid of getting expelled for getting all of those permenant records.

Wallace Fennel

88%

Backup (2.0)

63%

Lilly Kane

44%

Keith Mars

38%

Veronica Mars

31%

Eli

31%

Logan Echolls

19%

Duncan Kane

13%

Christianity Today reviews "Before The Throne"

2007-10-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE to read Christianity Today's online review of my church's CD, "Before The Throne." It is the only worship CD awarded Christianity Today's 5-star rating so far in 2007.

And because we're so happy, we're now having a "5-Star Review Sale" on "Before The Throne" at www.sojournmusic.com. You can get the CD for only $10, including shipping, here in the States and only $12 internationally.

Another one ...

2007-09-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Sojourn music is also on myspace, by the way, at myspace.com/sojournrecords. If you've got a Myspace account, request "Friend" status with us. We'll add you -- we're friendly folk."

P.S. I have recently been to the public library. My first visit since the spanking (see this blog, a few posts back). I am happy to report that this time, I was able to check out a book without being whipped.

New Websites, New Music!!!

2007-09-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, check out what I've been up to in my spare time the past couple months -- two new websites for Sojourn music. You can check out all Sojourn's CDs, mp3s, lyrics, stories, etc.

www.sojournmusic.com

www.virb.com/sojournmusic

There's an mp3 of one of the songs I wrote on sojournmusic.com (All I Have Is Yours) and one on virb.com/sojournmusic (Lead Us Back), both from the new CD, "Before The Throne."

If you'd like, you can order that CD and the others from the sojournmusic.com site's Store. "Before The Throne" is also available in Louisville at EarX-tacy and Christian Book Nook. No, I don't get royalties on units sold. 8-)

Even if you don't wanna buy any, there are 16 mp3s on the official site and 12 on the virb site (some are duplicate but not all) that you can listen to for FREE online.

Check out this new blog!!!

2007-07-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

Lukestshirt.blogspot.com

Go there. It's pretty much the greatest blog ever. Luke owns 170 t-shirts and he's going to wear each one once, take a picture, and post it on his blog with comments, until he's gone through all the shirts. Hilarious stuff.

Spanked at the public library

2007-07-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at the Jeffersonville Library a really old lady with a cane was walking around, talking to people -- she seemed to be exhibiting some symptoms of, at the very least, senility, but harmlessly. Until she wandered over to me. She asked me to "bend over." I'm not making this up.

She had a really thick (I think German) accent so I didn't even understand her until she whacked me on the butt with her cane (very lightly -- the little old thing didn't have much strength). Then she said, "I said bend over. What do you think this thing (the cane) is for?" and wandered off to talk with someone else. I was the only one who received a spanking. Everyone else just got a stern talking-to.

I was only trying to look up a book on the computer index. I meant no harm.

Roll Like A River

2007-06-25T05:18:00.001-07:00

Good morning, all my Monkey Maniacs -- the three of you faithful ones that still come here, expecting to see a new post every now and then. 8-) Sorry about that. I shall not abandon you. I still have a fine time reading your blogs, even though I don't get to do it as much these days.

If you'd like, CLICK HERE to go to my worship music site and hear a brand new demo by singer-songwriter friend Rebecca Bales, on a song we cowrote called "Let Justice Roll Like A River." You may recall that I posted the lyrics here 2-3 months ago. She did a great job with the melody, as always.

How Real Am I? How Real Are You?

2007-06-21T04:47:00.000-07:00

You Are 62% Real

You know who you are, and you're pretty darn comfortable with yourself.
Like everyone, you struggle with the parts of yourself that aren't so great...
But you're good at accepting who you are and not dwelling on your faults.
As a result, you're confident, optimistic, and very real.

How Real Are You?

Well, it hasn't been a month yet ...

2007-06-05T04:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, the bloom is off the rose here on Jive To The Monkey. Amidst the grind of life, I have been neglecting my blog. I will try to do better, though!

I have fallen in love with the American version of "The Office." Oh why, oh why don't Jim and Pam get together? And how funny are Dwight and Michael?

I think one of the strenghts of this show is the facial expressions of the actors, especially after they say something into the camera.

Mind you, I haven't seen this past season yet. I have community group on Thursdays so I've never been able to keep up with the show. However, me and my minion have watched Season One and half of Season Two on DVD. Great stuff.

Topic Two: On the main page player of my worship demo website, you can hear a brand new recording of "I Must Depend On You," which I wrote with Rebecca Dennison. This version features the guitar-playing of Scott Daniel and vocals of Lorie King. Stellar efforts by both of these fine folks. Check it out by clicking HERE.

And now ... quotes from The Office:

Michael Scott: I'm friends with everybody in this office. We're all best friends. I love everybody here. But sometimes your best friends start coming into work late and start having dentist appointments that aren't dentist appointments, and that is when it's nice to let them know that you could beat them up.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Scott: Yeah, I went hunting once. Shot a deer in the leg. Had to kill it with a shovel. Took about an hour. Why do you ask?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dwight Schrute: Would I ever leave this company? Look, I'm all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I'm being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I'm going wherever they value loyalty the most.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pam Beesley: The thing about Jim is... when he's excited about something- like the Office Olympics- he gets really into it and he does a really great job. But the problem with Jim is that he works here so... that hardly ever happens.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phyllis: [the employees are listing what books they would like to read on a desert island] The DaVinci Code.
Angela: The DaVinci Code. I would bring The DaVinci Code. So I could burn The DaVinci Code.
Dwight Schrute: Yeah right, that would keep you warm for like 7 seconds.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dwight Schrute: Yes, I have acted before. I was in a production of Oklahoma in the seventh grade. I played the part of Mutey, the mailman. They had too many kids so they made up roles like that... I was good.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Scott: Yes. It is true. I, Michael Scott, am signing up with an online dating service. Thousands of people have done it, and I am going to do it. I need a username, and... I have a great one. "Little Kid Lover". That way people will know exactly where my priorities are at.

The Lost(?) Art of Song Interpretation

2007-05-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-05-14-interpretive-singers_N.htm?POE=click-refer&imw=Y

This story is about the lost art of (or, more accurately, loss of respect for)song interpretation, a bad side-effect of the rise of the singer-songwriter. What are your thoughts?

I've talked a bit about this before. Dylan, Cohen, Waits ... guys like that were great in so many ways, but one unfortunate side effect has been that we now have this perception that for a music artist to be a "real" artist, they must write their own songs, when in fact song interpretation is a challenging artform that in some ways requires greater artistry than songwriting does.

Is Alison Krauss less of an artist than Avril Lavigne, or than the myriad of pop superstars who have co-writing credits on their albums because they contributed a line or a phrase to a song that was fleshed-out by a hired gun?

Is it better to encourage a good singer to write his own songs when there is no evidence that he can write well, or is it better to help him find good songs and to "get into the songs" well and make them his own?

Is it better for an average songwriter to put out a whole CD of her own material, or is it better for her to put out a CD with a couple of her best songs and ten great songs by skilled writers?

There's life in these bones yet!

2007-05-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

I'm still here, Dear Reader. I've just been super busy lately at work and home. AND, local people know that I have been involved in some song-writing projects as writer, editor, motivator and compiler -- most notably the new Sojourn Community project that should be out in mid-June. I've got two songs on there, and will tell you more about that as the day approaches and share links where you can check it out.

The two songs are both hymns that I cowrote with great singer-songwriters and friends. The lyrics of both have been featured in this very blog in the past. They are "All I Have Is Yours," written with Rebecca Bales, and "Lead Us Back," written with Brooks Ritter. In each case, I wrote the lyrics and my collaborator wrote the music.

Speaking of songs, here is a hymn that Lorie King and I wrote the text to a couple weeks ago. Brooks is writing music for it:

My Soul Does Long For You, O God
CMD

My soul does long for you, O God
What else could be enough?
Not kingdoms, crowns or great applause
Nor man's sweet words of love
And if my traitor heart should turn
And though my eye should stray
Alone you are my true desire
Whatever men may say

The sin I crave, the lust and pride
Would kill if unconfessed
The tempting snare is not outside --
It beats within my breast
But deeper still than fallen thoughts --
The longing of my soul
To be at peace with you, my God
To know as I am known

You nailed my sins upon the cross
You rolled the stone away
You filled me at my Pentecost:
This world now holds no sway
The longing you have placed inside,
To praise and serve my king
Cannot be quenched or satisfied
By any earthly thing.

lyrics by Lorie King and Bobby Gilles, 2007

What kind of cheesecake are you, Dear Reader?

2007-04-17T04:45:00.000-07:00

Here I Am:

You Are a Key Lime Cheesecake

Unconventional and quirky, you live to shock people.
You see the world in very weird ways. Sometimes you even surprise yourself!

What Kind of Cheesecake Are You?

Quotes From The Conference

2007-04-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

Two friends and I recently attended the Festival of Faith and Music at Calvin College in Michigan. Below are some pertinant quotes from many of the speakers, if you're interested.

Emmylou Harris:

"Style" is a product of your limitations. You make a song your own by working with what you've been given.
It's better to record a really good song written by someone else than a mediocre song you've written yourself.

Lauren Winner:

"The arts" as a two-word phrase is as intimidating as anything besides "I do."

When do people who don't go to church sing?

Each of us is called to portray the image of God, and God is a creator.

Advertising is our "big art," which is "art for the sake of selling something." This has infected the Church.

Is the goal of art to be pretty, or to tell the truth?

David Dark:

There is madness at work when we think what God is giving us is merely spiritual, separate from the everyday.

"Apocalypse" describes that which is "redemptively unsettling."

"Secular" might work as a marketing tool, but it suggests terrain not belonging to, or not interesting to God.

If it's truthful, it's gospel. There is no truth out there that is the devil's. All goodness, truth and beauty is the Lord's.

Sufjan Stevens:

A Christian does not fix himself; he is fixed -- it's a passive form because it has little to do with our exertions but with the relievement of our exertions by God.

"Relevance" is guided by the desperate goals of Ego. It's an embarrassing goal. "Relevant" art is bad art. Christians -- contemplate irrelevance. Just carry the cross -- the real work we do is death, so we can be born into the Kingdom.

Steven Stockman:

We can't just be light. We must be salt -- we must be "on the meat."

Grace defies logic and reason and upends kharma (the rule that what you do will come back to you). We'd be in big trouble if kharma was our judge. Grace interupts kharma and smashes the pavement of the status quo.

Grace isn't the entrance to the Kingdom; it is the Kingdom.

Quotes from others referenced at the conference:

Peter Case: "A songwriter is a magpie -- a collector. You grab little things to make a nest. You collect good lines and string them together.

Harold Bloom: "Marx was wrong. Religion is not the opiate of the masses. It's the poetry of the masses -- the good and the bad.

Allan Ginsberg: "A prophet is someone who tells the truth all the time."

Flannery O' Connor: "Christianity is not a warm, fuzzy blanket. It's a cross."

Madeline L'Engle: "If it's true, it's Christian."

Another Web Milestone

2007-04-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

Not "Webb," as in Christa Webb, but "Web" as in "World Wide Web."

Yesterday my website of original hymns and worship songs (soundclick.com/bobbygilles) passed the 10,000 page view threshhold, and as of Sunday morning it stands at 10,029 views since I started the site at the end of last September. The site has over 20 songs written by me, and occasionally with great collaborators who also lend their vocal and instrumental skills to various demos. You can hear performances by Brooks Ritter, Rebecca Dennison, Chad Lewis, Rebecca Bales, Nathan Stites, Dan Cassin, Lorie King, as well as me. I'm the worst singer/musician on my own website, which is kind of funny, but that's cool because I just like writing songs.

Although it's harder to keep track of total song stream and download accumulations (meaning the main page doesn't automatically update those figures, so I have to go into my "stats," look up the figures for each month, and add them), I'd estimate, based on monthly averages, that I've have around 9,000 song streams and close to 1,000 downloads in these last 6 1/2 months.

This usually keeps me in the first page or two of the Yahoo and Google search engines for "Modern hymn writer," which makes it easier for searchers to find my music. I'm very happy my songs are getting "out there," so thanks to everyone who listens in from time to time.

I also have a myspace.com/bobbygilles page that features some relationship-based (i.e., songs I've written about girls at various times) in the player, but that's not a main focus for me (Girls are a lot meaner to me than God is. Just kidding. Well, not really, but you know what I mean ...) and hardly anyone goes there so I'll probably hit 10,000 on myspace in, say, 2019.

I hope everyone had a great Easter and remembered that the resurrection is the assurance that our preaching is not in vain, that Jesus was not just a sacrificial hero dying for a good cause, but that He was the Lord of all, the perfect, holy God, able to take our sins upon Himself and offer Himself up as the spotless sacrifice needed to atone for us.

Happy Easter Weekend!

2007-04-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has a great Easter and remembers that without the resurrection, "Our preaching would be in vain ... we would die in sin."

Here's a new hymn text. Haven't looked at it with an eye for revision/editing yet. What do you think?

FORGIVE US LORD, FOR PASSING BY
86.86.888.6 meter

Forgive us Lord, for passing by
When children cry for bread
Forbid it Lord, that justice lie
in tatters, cold and dead
Outside these walls run desperate streets
where greed is law and life is cheap
We bar the doors, refuse to see,
or hear the words You said:

refrain
Let justice roll like a river. Like a river, let it roll.
Let justice roll like a river; let it roll.

Convict us Lord, we dance and laugh
ignoring those who weep
Correct us Lord, our golden calf
has lulled our hearts to sleep
The gap between the rich and poor
grows ever wider, shore to shore
There's racial hate, religious war
and wolves among the sheep

Indwell us Lord, and purify
our hands to work for You
Enlist us Lord, to serve nearby
and ‘cross the waters, too
Your image-bearers on the earth
will never know how much they’re worth
unless we love and help them first
and show the way to You.

My fellow Americans ...

2007-04-04T04:48:00.000-07:00

I ask for your vote.

No, I'm not running for office.

Last year (actually it might have been the end of 2005) I wrote a hymn that, lyrically, was one of my favorites: He Grew The Tree. I was never satisfied with my music for it though. So recently I had an idea for how to redo the music to make it serve the lyrics better and be easier for a congregation to sing.

However, it then seemed to me that the demo would sound better with a female voice. So I brought in Lorie, because she can make anything sound good, and we made a demo that I think is one of the best that I've been a part of. Anyway, it's on the main page of my my music site, but I also posted it on sharesong.org. You can hear it on either site, and if you like it, please vote for it on sharesong for their "song of the month" poll so Lorie and I will get discovered and she will win American Idol and I will get to write the cheesy song that all the Idol winners are forced to sing on the finale and record for their first CD.

Well, actually that won't happen regardless but the more votes a song gets, the more other people say, "Hey, this song by that guy I've never heard of seems to be getting a lot of votes. Maybe I should listen to it." CLICK HERE for the sharesong "new music" page, and scroll down to see "You Grew The Tree" by Bobby Gilles.

I Have Only Just Begun To Fight

2007-03-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

This is it, all my Monkey Maniacs -- the moment you've been waiting for. The 500th posted edition of Jive To The Monkey with your host, Porkchop Bobby Gilles, aka Love Caddy B-Dawg, The Forlorn Moonpuppy.

It has been an honor to get to know each of you through this blog -- I've never seen some of you, nor heard your voice, but still, through the miracle of modern technology, we're pals.

Rest assured that you ain't seen nothing yet. I and all the cast of characters at Jive To The Monkey -- Earl P. Rabbit, otherwise known as Rabby, Harvey Brown, Sebastian, Lorie King, and plenty of other folks too strange to be real will be back for more.

I will be out of cyber world for several days, attending the Festival of Faith and Music in Michigan, which I will tell you all about upon my return. But while I am gone, feel free to post comments and discuss the societal fallout caused by Jive To The Monkey and whatnot.

JIve Monkey Gold from 2005: C.S. Lewis poem

2007-03-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

"All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you.
I never had a selfless thought since I was born.
I am mercenary and self-seeking through and through;
I want God, you, all friends, merely to serve my turn.

Peace, reassurance,pleasure, are the goals I seek,
I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin;
I talk of love -- a scholar's parrot may talk Greek --
But, self-imprisoned, always end where I begin."

Was Lewis being too hard on himself? I don't think so. And if we're honest, do we not all have to say that this poem describes the condition of our hearts as well? I know it does mine. Frustrating, but true. Thank God for grace!

Scam

2007-03-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

I check this out on Snopes and it's true.

> This was checked out on Hoaxbusters and it's real.
> Hello Every-one:
>
> Please pass this on. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call.
>
> Most of us take the summons for jury duty seriously, but enough
> people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of scam
> has surfaced. Fall for it and your identity could be stolen, reports
> CBS. In this con, someone calls pretending to be a court official who
> threateningly says a warrant has been issued for your arrest because you
> didn't show up for jury duty. The caller claims to be a jury
> coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury
> duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of
> birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest
> warrant. Sometimes they even ask for credit card numbers. Give out any
> of this
> information and .... Bingo! Your identity has just been stolen.
>
> The scam has been reported so far in 11 states. This scam is
> particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to
> try to bully people into giving information by pretending they're with
> the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued
> nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.
>
> Pass this on.

Milestones

2007-03-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

Sometime within the next two weeks, I will likely hit my 500th post on this blog, Jive To The Monkey.

Within the next month, my worship music website, soundclick.com/bobbygilles, will receive its 10,000 page hit.

Maybe I should give away a free cheese sandwich or something to the 10,000 music listener and the first person to read my 500th blog post.

A Poem For The Coming Spring

2007-03-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

THE ECHOING GREEN, by William Blake

The Sun does arise,
And make happy the skies;
The merry bells ring
To welcome the Spring;
The skylark and thrush,
The birds of the bush,
Sing lounder around
To the bells' chearful sound,
While our sports shall be seen
On the Echoing Green.

Old John, with white hair,
Does laugh away care,
Sitting under the oak,
Among the old folk.
They laugh at our play,
And soon they all say:
``Such, such were the joys
When we all, girls & boys,
In our youth time were seen
On the Echoing Green.''

Till the little ones, weary,
No more can be merry;
The sun does descend,
And our sports have on end.
Round the laps of their mothers
Many sisters and brothers,
Like birds in their nest,
Are ready for rest,
And sports no more seen
On the darkening Green.

- William Blake

~~~

Have you ever ...

2007-03-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

Place an X by all the things you've done, or remove
>>> the X from the ones you have not, and send it to all of your friends
>>> (including me).
>>>
>>> This is for your entire life:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 1. ( ) Smoked a cigarette
>>>
>>> 2. ( ) Drank so much you threw up
>>>
>>> 3. ( ) Crashed a friend's car
>>>
>>> 4. ( ) Stolen a car/ or been in a stolen car
>>>
>>> 5 (X) Been in love
>>>
>>> 6. (X ) Been dumped
>>>
>>> 7. ( ) Shoplifted
>>>
>>> 8 ( ) Been laid off/fired
>>>
>>> 9. (X) Quit your job
>>>
>>> 10.(X) Been in a fist fight
>>>
>>> 11.( ) Snuck out of your parent's house
>>>
>>> 12.(X) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them
>>> back.
>>>
>>> 13.( ) Been arrested
>>>
>>> 14.(X) Gone on a blind date
>>>
>>> 15.(X) Lied to a friend
>>>
>>> 16.(X) Skipped school (well, college classes)
>>>
>>> 17.( ) Seen someone die
>>>
>>> 18.( ) Been to Canada
>>>
>>> 19.( )Been to Mexico
>>>
>>> 20.( ) Been on a plane
>>>
>>> 21.(X) Been lost
>>>
>>> 22.(X) Been on the opposite side of the country
>>>
>>> 23.( ) Visited Washington D.C.
>>>
>>> 24.( ) Swam in the ocean
>>>
>>> 25.(X) Felt like dying
>>>
>>> 26.(X) Cried yourself to sleep
>>>
>>> 27.( X) Played cops and robbers
>>>
>>> 28.( ) Recently colored with crayons
>>>
>>> 29.(X) Sang karaoki
>>>
>>> 30.(X) Paid for a meal with only coins
>>>
>>> 31.(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
>>>
>>> 32.(X ) Made prank phone calls..
>>>
>>> 33.(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of
>>> your nose
>>>
>>> 34.(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
>>>
>>> 35.(X) Danced in the rain
>>>
>>> 36.(X) Written a letter to Santa Clause
>>>
>>> 37.(X ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
>>>
>>> 38.(X) Watched the sun rise with someone you care about
>>>
>>> 39.(X) Blown bubbles
>>>
>>> 40.( ) Made a bonfire on the beach
>>>
>>> 41.(X)Crashed a party
>>>
>>> 42.(X) Gone roller-skating
>>>
>>> 43.(X ) Ice-skating
>>>
>>> 44.(X) Any nicknames? "Porkchop," "The Sweetness," "Love Caddy B-Dawg, The Forlorn Moonpuppy," "The Kudzu Kid," "Bobs," "Gui-yays," ... that's all I can think of for now.
>>>
>>> 45, Mother's name? Claudean

>>> 46. What is your favorite drink? Caramel Latte or Mocha Shake at Sunergos. Or Diet variations of Cherry Coke, Mountain Dew, and Dr. Pepper.
>>>
>>> 47( ) Tattoos? [this is the place where, if Lorie chooses to respond or run this quiz on her blog, she'll tell us all, once again, that one time she got a Henna (read: fake) tattoo, in the hopes that we'll all see her as wild and crazy.]
>>>
>>> 48.( ) Body piercing?
>>>
>>> 49. How much do you love your job? It's okay
>>>
>>> 50. Birthplace: LOUISVILLE, KY
>>>
>>> 51. Favorite vacation spot? I used to love St. Louis
>>>
>>> 52.( ) Ever been to Africa?
>>>
>>> 53.( ) Ever steal any traffic signs?
>>>
>>> 54 (X) Ever been in a car accident?
>>>
>>> 55. Cup size for female: Waist size for male: 34
>>>
>>> 56. 2 Door or 4 Door? 4 door
>>>
>>> 57. Salad dressing? Honey mustard
>>>
>>> 58. Favorite pie? Apple, Pumpkin, and Chocolate
>>>
>>> 59. Favorite number? 81
>>>
>>> 60. Favorite movie? A River Runs Through It
>>>
>>> 61 Favorite holiday? Traditionally, Christmas
>>>
>>> 62. Favorite food? This is simply impossible for me to answer. I love so many foods.
>>>
>>> 63. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
>>>
>>> 64. Favorite brand of body soap? BATH & BODY WORKS
>>>
>>> 65. Favorite TV show? Probably LOST right now. Partly for the show itself and partly for the awesome company I watch the show with each week.
>>>
>>> 66. Toothpaste? Colgate Total

>>> 67. Favorite smell? Fresh coffee, raspberries, vanilla

>>> 68. What do you do to relax? spend time with close friends

>>> 69. Message to your friends reading this: Yo, yo, yo, all my Monkey Maniacs. Don't hate the playa'; hate the game.
>>>
>>> 70. How do you see yourself in 10 years? I don't know, but I can't wait till I'm old and I get to pretend to be crotchety, crude and forgetful, and people have to put up with it.
>>>
>>> 71. What do you do when you are bored? Read, write, surf the net.
>>>
>>> 72. Furthest place you will send this message? The ends of the earth, baby.
>>>
>>> 73. Who will respond first? Rabby, Uncle Geoffrey, Harvey Brown, or Sebastian.
>>>
>>> 74. Least likely to respond? Lorie, since I kind of insulted her on the tattoo thing.

>>> 75. What time is it now? 11:35 pm

Movie Quote Of The Day

2007-03-16T04:40:00.000-07:00

From "The Breakup":

Gary: Richard did not kick my ***, what Richard did was attack me while I was half asleep.

Brooke: Really? Is that how you see it?

Gary: There's a really big gap between getting your *** kicked, and having a dancing, singing sprite fool you with trickery, and then strike your throat before you know that you're even in the fight.

_______________________________________________________________

He said "dancing, singing sprite fool you with trickery ..." That's the line of the year so far for me.

New Hymn Text

2007-03-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

I have a melody in mind for this but I haven't recorded it yet. Anyway, it's a weird structure because the chorus is twice as long as the verses. Normally I'd say that's not good, but I like the way I hear it in my head.

The lines are structured like a 77.77 hymn, and I am including it in my cycle of hymns for the season of Pentecost as a song of adoration/call to worship. Here it is (since this is a first draft of something I just wrote, these lyrics may not be final):

Spirit of the Living God
You have called us to this place
Grant us fire on each tongue
Loose our lips to sing Your praise

(chorus)
Holy Counselor and friend,
Our beginning and our end
Sweet anointing from above
You're the wind, the flame, the dove
Lord, we live and breathe in You
Guide our steps and make our move
We're the marchers; You're the drum
You have called us; we have come

Spirit of the Risen One
You have called us to this place
Grant Your peace to everyone
Free our hearts to sing Your praise

c. 2007

Principles For The Arts From The Doctrine Of Creation

2007-03-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

What do you think of this excerpt from "The Liberated Imagination: Thinking Christianly About The Arts," by Leland Ryken, c. 1989, Harold Shaw Publishers:

"At least five major principles follow from the biblical doctrine of creation. (1) The fact that God made earthly reality and set the human race over it means that the artist's and critic's preoccupation with human experience and culture is God-ordained. (2) Since God made a world that is beautiful as well as functional, we know that the concern of the creative artist and the critic with beauty, form, and artistic delight is legitimate. (3) God's separateness from creation means that culture cannot be equated with God; the artistic endeavor is God-approved but is not something that is inevitably Christian or even religious. (4) The fact that humans are created in God's image provides a sanction for human creativity and a theological explanation of why people create. (5) The doctrine of creation ex nihilo (from nothing) has given Christians a model for regarding artists as capable of creating, through their imagination, works for which there are no existing models that fully account for them, and it allows Christians to revel in originality -- in God's doing a new thing."

How rare is your personality type?

2007-03-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

It amazes me that this short blogthings quiz correctly nailed down the very personality type that I tested as after taking the "official" Myers-Briggs test. Wow.
What about you people?

Your Personality is Very Rare (INFP)

Your personality type is dreamy, romantic, elegant, and expressive.

Only about 5% of all people have your personality, including 6% of all women and 4% of all men
You are Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Myspace Music

2007-03-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

So I started up a myspace music page, mostly as a place to put a few of the non-church congregational songs and hymns I've written over the last couple years. Feel free to check it out at myspace.com/bobbygilles. If you have a myspace page, send me a FRIEND request and I'll add you.

I hope everyone's week has gotten off to a smashing good start.

Another one of those surveys

2007-03-02T05:04:00.000-08:00

. What time is it? 7:30 am
2. Name: Bobby
3. What are you most afraid of? Beware the dustbunnies. They live, they move.
4. What do you drive? A Taurus
5. Have you ever seen a ghost? No, but as a spooky kid, I spent a lot of time looking for them.
6. Where were you born? Louisville, KY
7. Ever been to Alaska ? no
8. Ever been toilet papering rolling in decorating trees? nope
9. Croutons or Bacon bits? Croutons
10. Favorite day of the week: Saturday or Sunday
11. Favorite restaurant: Shalimar has become my standard answer, but there are many, depending on my mood.
12. Favorite Flower: Huh? I'm a boy.
13. Favorite sport to watch: NASCAR. Go ahead and laugh. And yes, I like football and basketball too.
14. Favorite Drink: Caramel Latte or Mocha Shake.
15. Favorite Ice cream: Rocky Road
16. Disney or Warner Brothers: Warner Brothers
17. Favorite fast food restaurant: Changes all the time -- Long John Silver's right now.
18. What color is your bedroom carpet? I don't know ... I think it's sort of beige.
19. Have you ever failed your driver's test? The first two times I took it when I was sixteen.
20. From whom did you get your last e-mail from? Rebecca, a great co-songwriter.
21. Last person you spoke to on the phone? I really don't remember ... one of my coworkers, probably, who was trying to make me do stuff.
23. Who will respond to this email the quickest? I'm not sending this as an email.
24. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond? See above.
25. Who is the person that you are most curious to see their responses? All my Monkey Maniacs.
26. Favorite TV show: LOST
27. Ford or Chevy? Toyota. I'm sure someone who sees this will beat me up now.
28. What are you listening to right now? Tom Waits on XM radio.
29. What are your favorite colors? Black, red, blue, and yes, fuschia. I like brights and darks.
30 how many tattoos do you have? none.
31. Do you have any pets? Does a fake bunny count?
32. How many people are you sending this e-mail to? I'm too lazy for that. It's why I have a blog.
33. Favorite snack/comfort foods? Too many snacks to mention but mashed potatoes mixed with applesauce is a great comfort food.
34. Who is the friend you have had the longest you are sending this to. What's with all these variants of the same boring question?

Please! Do not spoil fun. Hit reply, delete my answers and type in
your answers. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know
INCLUDING the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you. Remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you1.

The Wild And Crazy Wainrights

2007-03-02T04:57:00.000-08:00

Here is the full-length version of an interview I wrote that was printed, in edited form, in the January Travelogue (my church's bimonthly journal). It's an interview with a married couple -- good friends of mine. They have some interesting things to say about missionary activities, dating and finding "the one," and other topics. They've led very interesting lives and I think you'll enjoy this piece. Since the article was published, they have found out they're expecting their first child:

Around The World And Back With The Wainrights
Bobby Gilles

Daniel and Kristyn Wainright and I came to Sojourn Gathered for the first time in the fall of 2004. Daniel and I worked together, and had been talking for awhile about the kind of church community we each wanted to find. I had heard about Sojourn from a friend, so I mentioned it to Daniel and we decided to check it out. Now, a little over two years later I sit in the Wainright’s dining room and we talk about how much Sojourn has become a part of our lives. I ask them for their story: what led them to Christ, to each other, to this community.

It is easy to get them to talk -- how they each came from tight families in small Kentucky towns: Daniel from eastern Kentucky and Kristyn from the west. They became Christians at a young age, although it wasn’t till young adulthood that they experienced the full knowledge of sin and grace. Daniel grew up, with his sister, in a “Walton’s” family environment, with a Baptist minister for a father and a teacher for a mother. Kristyn and her two siblings grew up in a family with lots of laughter and imaginative games on a farm their parents rented. From there, God led them in many ways to each other, around the world, and back again:

Travelogue: So you said even though you got saved early in life, it took awhile to fully appreciate what that meant?

Daniel: I didn’t really understand God’s grace till I was in my junior year of college. I had been in a couple bad relationships. Afterwards I took time out from dating relationships and moved back home and spent six or seven months living with my youth minister, taking that time to read and seek Christ. During that time God gave me more of a call to ministry and campus life.

Kristyn: I don’t think I really understood my sin till the summer before I went to college. I went to Nicaragua on mission. I was playing a hand-game with a little boy and he was singing a little song in Spanish in this place of poverty and I just started crying. This little boy, Gustavo, took tissues out of my belt and started wiping my tears. It was very powerful and made me consider, “Who am I?” When I went to college I made a decision that I wanted all this stuff I’d been active in at church and all the stuff I knew -- I wanted to be that. I remember getting face-down on the carpet of my dorm room, by myself before God, saying, “You know everything about me,” and just naming it all, calling my sins out, and saying “God, I desperately need you. I’m sick of hiding and pushing things under the rug.” I felt completely loved and embraced.

I never really knew how to pray or study my bible but I started writing a proverbs in my journal and writing what I think God wants to say to me and what I want to say to God about this.

Travelogue: How did you meet?

Daniel: We met several times when we were in college. She went to UK and I went to Georgetown. In our freshman year, I was the preacher on a missions team and she was on a singing team. Our teams ended up in the same church on the same day. She thought I was a heathen because some of us were gonna go dancing.

Kristyn: (Laughs) That’s not true.

Daniel: Sophomore year, two of my best friends got married. I was in the wedding party and she sang. I was dating someone else then. Junior year, I got that newly married couple to hook us up (this was 1998) Kristyn didn’t know they were undercover for me. We went to a bookstore in Lexington, had coffee --

Kristyn: No, no. You picked me up, we went to a horse park and looked at Christmas lights because I love lights.

Daniel: Oh, that’s right. I screwed that story up …

Kristyn: It was a beautiful horse park. Then we went to the book store because he had to buy a book for school. We read through children’s books together forever, which was a ton of fun. Then we went for coffee and dessert. We realized we were hungry an hour later so we went to dinner.

Daniel: It was cool because she was at a point where she didn’t need boys, and I was at a point where I was like, “I don’t want to be defeated by a girl.” So there was an attraction but we weren’t looking for someone to depend on --

Kristyn: We had both come to the point where we weren’t looking for someone of the opposite sex to fulfill our every needs because we had both been in relationships that had inflicted pain on others as well as ourselves.

Daniel: Later that fall Kristyn felt led to go to Wales on mission, and I was thinking, “What am I supposed to do?” That same month, I felt called to Kenya after a guy spoke to our class. So that next summer we went on separate mission trips and wrote letters back and forth. God protected us in some ways from one another, and we had a chance to share through letters.

Kristyn: We wrote letters, kept a journal for one another, and we had picked a Bible study that we’d each do so we’d had something in common, to share. We grew emotionally and spiritually in intimacy in those 2 months more than ever before. God used those letters to expose our hearts to one another.

Travelogue: What did you each do on your trips?

Kristyn: I was on a team of college students. Every week we’d go to a different village, each that needed something a little different. A lot of it was working with children. We’d go into schools, and they had a religious session for 10-15 minutes. Most of the teachers didn’t like doing it so it wasn’t hard to convince them to let us have that time. We’d share the gospel through stories and invite them to after-school clubs. The idea was for us to be a link between the children, the families, and the local church. The churches were dying -- it was the first time I’d seen churches with For Sale signs and boarded up windows. It was unbelievable to read, before we went, about the incredible revivals in Wales long ago, and then to see it now, desolate. We helped the small groups of local believers who were praying so hard for revivals because we brought children and their families to them. The church members then were able to make a connection so when we left they could follow-up.

God showed me that summer that missions had very little to do with my plans and everything to do with obedience. I thought we’d see many people come to know the Lord, but we didn’t. What we saw was God say “Follow me” and we said “yes.” We did see some good results, but most importantly, I realized He doesn’t call me to save anyone, but to follow Him.

Daniel: Kenya was totally opposite. People had nothing, and they were so hungry to hear the gospel. I got to spend a lot of time every morning in Bible study, and we did sports camps for an elementary school, a church and a boarding school in a small town outside of Nairobi near a lot of coffee plantations. I was the only white guy in the village and they’d all yell “Hey white guy” when I’d walk down the street. We worked with a local pastor that had planted fourteen churches already. He was incredible. It was an awesome experience. It gave me a heart for the international church.

Travelogue: When did you get married?

Daniel: We got back from being overseas in August, 1999. I had bought her ring in Kenya. We got engaged that November and were married in August of 2000.

Kristyn: We lived overseas 2 ½ years, then with Daniel’s parents for 5 months, then Daniel found a job with openings in Lexington and Louisville. We chose Louisville so Daniel could work on his MBA. Also, if you’re gonna live in Kentucky but you’re used to a big city with lots of cultural diversity, which is what we’d experienced overseas, then Louisville is your best option.

Travelogue: What led you back overseas shortly after your wedding?

Kristyn: By December 2000 we felt the call to go overseas. We thought we’d go to seminary first - we had school loans -- but God told us we were supposed to go sooner. We applied through the International Mission Board and were accepted to work with North African Arabs later that next year. We lived in southern France most of the time because the country we knew the Lord was calling us to was a closed country and we couldn’t get there directly. The city where we lived had the highest concentration of that people-group outside of their country (ed. note: specifics are not mentioned for security reasons). There we studied French, strategized how to engage that group. The Lord sent us all over though -- England, Tunisia. After 1 ½ years God gave us the opportunity to go to the country where this people-group lived, so we stayed there for a year.

Daniel: Before we’d gone, we were in training in Virginia when the Towers fell. Sept. 10 was our first day of training. Our professor told us “This will change everything. This will be a mark -- how America changes and relates with the Arab world.” So we were overseas for the war. There was a lot of fear among our families. The devotion I’d had the morning on Sept. 11 was Esther, where Mordecai told Esther “You were raised for such a time as this.” So that Esther passage became our theme for the whole time.

Kristyn: Everyone was questioning us, “Is this the time to go overseas and work with Arabs?” But that scripture was always in our minds and comforted us. God confirmed over and over that we were supposed to do this. It was “non-traditional missions.” What I’d always heard of was a traditional missionary who went in as a missionary. But we learned specific skills to find jobs and in those jobs we built relationships, and with those relationships we were able to share Christ in this really tight-knit community.

Travelogue: How was the response towards you in that community?

Daniel: Not the open response I’d experienced before. Islam is ingrained in their life so deeply -- everything relates to Islam. Everything. So talking about Christ is totally against the whole fabric of what they understand. They don’t have the opportunity to question. They didn’t feel like they could read scripture because it would be an offense to Allah.

Kristyn: They were incredibly hospitable, though. There was no stigma about discussing religion. Nothing like here. It naturally came up in everything because it was such a part of life. You eat and they say “hamdullah, which means “thanks be to God,” so you can say, “What does that mean to you?” It was so natural to have those conversations. Even in the mornings when you’d greet them, the greeting related to God so it was so easy to ask them, to be a learner and understand more of what they believe. Inevitably they would ask us what we believed. “What do Americans say when they have a baby? Do they have an expression that relates to thanking God?”

Daniel: And life was so communal. You might be in a city of three million but your life revolves around maybe 30. That’s who you do everything with. It was almost like “The Godfather.” You became a part of that family and you were protected. Even as we’re talking, it’s kind tricky from a security standpoint because they didn’t know we were missionaries. I went in as a business person and Kristyn was a teacher. That’s really what led us to Louisville -- so I could get a business degree and be who I say I am. That way if we ever go back overseas I can be that person and do what I want to do as far as sharing the gospel.

Kristyn: And in a holistic way -- helping to develop micro-businesses in order to help the local people, develop their community and local economy as well as the church. We both still have a heart for the Arab world.

Travelogue: Why did you leave?

Daniel: Our time was up. We’d actually extended it.

Kristyn: The IMB had not had missionaries living in this country for more than six months in over 20 years. Lots of war, terrorism and other things, so it truly was a “such a time as this” situation. The Lord allowed us to get Visas through our professions. We were able to learn and write reports to send back to personnel -- we were the people who learned how to get around in the country --

Daniel: How to get a Taxi, how to get a phone, how to get a computer or rent an apartment -- no one knew anything.

Kristyn: We kept praying that more people would be able to be missionaries there and use the information we’d obtained. The day before we were to fly home we were able to see the team we had been working with in France get Visas to carry on the work there, and know that they were gonna be there for awhile. It was the most incredible, humbling thing.

Travelogue: So back in the States you went to Winchester, KY for a few months, then Louisville?

Daniel: When we got back we spent 4-5 months traveling, talking, speaking, catching up with family and friends. We spoke at different organizations and churches, which we couldn’t have done if I’d got a job right off the bat. We spoke about our missionary experiences and we lead worship -- Kristyn sang and I played guitar. Just about every weekend we’d have a new place to speak at.

Then, the job I took that brought us to Louisville was one of the most humbling experiences I ever had. I had a college degree, spoke a different language, had all these experiences, and all of a sudden I’m pushing a mail cart around and serving other people. I needed that for my own pride issues. Then I got the opportunity where now I’m in sales, but that was humbling. We had all these plans for what we were gonna do when we got back from overseas but God cut through our pride.

Travelogue: And just a short time later, in 2004, you came to Sojourn. What were your initial impressions?

Kristyn: The first night I remember Daniel saying “This is a safe place.” We had both been struggling for a few months because we’d just moved to Louisville and had not been able to find a community that we felt God was calling us to be a part of. We had just left this amazing community overseas and were very much alone. We sensed that Sojourn was a tight, real community but was totally open and willing to be vulnerable. We longed for that -- it was so similar to what we had seen in the tiny group of believers overseas.

Daniel: And look how it’s grown. Two years ago when we all started it was like 200 people a service --

Travelogue: And now it’s around 500. And you’re community group leaders.

Daniel: It’s exciting to be a part of something that God is building, whether here or abroad. For awhile we put such pressure on ourselves and worshiped the idea of going back overseas. That was our doing; not God’s. But now we feel like Louisville is our home. Whether we stay for two more years or until we die, that’s okay as long as God wills it. We love it here.

Test for you

2007-02-28T13:46:00.000-08:00

It has been super busy for me this week, Monkey Maniacs. But now, here for you, is a test:

TEST FOR SMART PEOPLE

The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and will tell you whether you are qualified to be a professional. Scroll down for each answer. The questions are NOT that difficult. But don't scroll down UNTIL you have answered the question!

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Did you say, Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator?

Wrong Answer.

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the Elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend.... Except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there. This tests your memory.

Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.

4. There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

According to Anderson Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong, but many preschoolers got several correct answers. Anderson Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory& amp; nbsp;that most professionals have the brains of a four-year-old.

Send this out to frustrate all of your smart friends. Don't bother with 4 year olds, for they will answer correctly!

Quick Post

2007-02-26T04:38:00.000-08:00

I'm totally swamped at work today, but just to let you know:

Click HERE to hear the demo of the new song "Oh Holy Spirit, Come." It's the first song on the list that you'll see. I posted the lyrics here last week.

Also, if you scroll further down on that page, you can hear the new demo with Lorie King's vocals on the bluegrass hymn she and I wrote, "You Will Find Me Working For You." And let me say that working with Lorie is almost as fun as going to her LOST parties on Wednesday nights. Almost.

Destined For World Domination?

2007-02-22T04:56:00.000-08:00

This blogthing quiz got it all wrong. Some day, I shall rule the world, with my imaginary bunny and my Nightriders and my wee avenger and my creepy old uncle, and assorted minions to dangerous to name. But here is what blogthing says based on my quiz:

?

You Are Not Destined to Rule the World

You are destined for something else...
Like inventing a new type of cupcake.
You just don't have the stomach for brutality.
But watch out - because many people do!

Are You Destined For World Domination?

Something new

2007-02-21T04:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a draft of a hymn poem I've been working on -- a dedication-type text for the season of Pentecost. It's in 87.87D meter. I'm not sure if it's done or what stage it might be on.

In the upper room they waited
For the gift that was to come --
They, who’d walked beside the savior,
Seen the resurrected Son.
Then You came to them as promised;
They were first to know Your power.
Spirit, now You’ve come to fill us
In our land and in our hour.

Like a dove, You have descended
And You’ve taught redemption’s song.
Like a storm, You have upended
All our idols from their thrones.
Now we gather them for burning,
Counting all these things as loss,
Ever singing, ever yearning
Just to glory in the cross.

We accept Your invitation
Sent to Adam's fallen race.
You have spoken; We have listened,
Understanding through Your grace.
You direct and lead our praises;
You inspire our love for truth.
We submit our hearts for service;
Hands and feet to work for you.

New Demo With My Favorite Singer

2007-02-20T05:57:00.000-08:00

Click HERE to hear a new version of one of the songs I wrote last year and posted the lyrics for on this very blog - My Lord And My God. It's one of my personal favorites, in terms of feeling like I achieved what I wanted to achieve with the lyrics.

I had recorded a demo earlier with my own voice, but now I have a version up in my main page player featuring Lorie's angelic tones.

Later this week I will have another demo up with her lead vocals, a bluegrass gospel hymn we wrote together called "You Will Find Me Working For You."

What cartoon character are you?

2007-02-16T05:01:00.000-08:00

Take this quiz. I scored as "Sponge Bob Square Pants" but was within one point of being Charlie Brown. Yikes:

Everyone has a personality of a cartoon character. Have you ever asked
yourself what cartoon character do you most resemble?

A group of investigators got together and analyzed the personalities of
well known and modern cartoon characters. The information that was gathered was
made into this test.

Answer all the questions (only 10) with what describes you best, add up
all your Points (which are next to the answer that you choose) at the end and
look for your results. Do not cheat by looking at the end of the e-mail before
you are done ! Then forward this to all your friends (including the person who
sent it to you) and change the subject of this message to what character is you.

1. Which one of the following describes the perfect date?

..a) Candlelight dinner (4 pts.)

..b) Fun/Theme Park (2 pts.)

..c) Painting in the park (5 pts)

..d) Rock concert (1 pt.)

..e) Going to the movies (3 pts.)

2. What is your favorite type of music?

..a) Rock and Roll (2 pts.)

..b) Alternative (1 pt.)

..c) Soft Rock (4 pts.)

..d) Country (5 pts.)

..e) Pop (3 pts.)

3. What type of movies do you prefer?

..a) Comedy (2 pts.)

..b) Horror (1 pt.)

..c) Musical (3 pts.)

..d) Romance (4 pts.)

..e) Documentary (5 pts.)

4. Which one of these occupations would you choose if you only could
choose one of these?

..a) Waiter (4 pts.)

..b) Professional Sports Player (5 pts.)

..c) Teacher (3 pts.)

..d) Police (2 pts.)

..e) Cashier (1 pt)

5 What do you do with your spare time?

..a) Exercise (5 pts.)

..b) Read (4 pts.)

..c) Watch television (2 pts.)

..d) Listen to music (1 pt.)

..e) Sleep (3 pts.)

6. Which one of the following colors do you like best?

..a) Yellow (1 pt.)

..b) White (5 pts.)

..c) Sky Blue (3 pts. )

..d) Dark Blue (2 pts.)

..e) Red (4 pts.)

7. What do you prefer to eat?

..a) Snow (3 pts.)

..b) Pizza (2 pts.)

..c) Sushi (1 pt.)

..d) Pasta (4 pts.)

..e) Salad (5 pts.)

8 What is your favorite holiday?

..a) Halloween (1 pt.)

..b) Christmas (3 pts.)

..c) New Year (2 pts.)

..d) Valentine's Day (4 pts.)

..e) Thanksgiving (5 pts.)

9. If you co uld go to one of these places which one would it be?

..a)Paris (4 pts)

..b) Spain (5 pts)

..c) Las Vegas (1 pt)

..d) Hawaii (4 pts)

..e) Hollywood (3 pts)

10. With which of the following would you prefer to spend time with?

..a) Someone Smart (5 pts.)

..b) Someone e attractive (2 pts.)

..c) Someone who likes to Party (1 pt.)

..d) Someone who always has fun (3 pts.)

..e) Someone very sentimental (4 pts.)

Now add up your points and find out the answer you have been waiting
for! Put your character in the subject line and forward to your friends and back
to the person that sent this to you. Very interesting to see "who" your friends
are!

(10-16 points) You are Garfield :

You are very comfortable, easy going, and you definitely know how to
have fun but sometimes you take it to an extreme. You always know what you are
doing and you are always in control of your life. Others may not see things as
you do, but that doesn't mean that you always have to; do what is right. Try to
remember, your happy spirit may hurt you or others.

(17-23 points) You are Snoopy:

You a r e fun, you are very cool and popular. You always know what's in
and you are never are out of style You are good at knowing how to satisfy
everyone else. You have probably disappeared for a few days more than once but
you always come home with the family values that you learned. Being married and
having children are important to you, but only after you have had your share of
fun times

(24-28 points) You are Elmo:

You have lots of friends and you are also popular, always willing to
give advice and help out a person in need. You are very optimistic and you
always see the bright side of things. Some good advice: try not to be too much
of a dreamer. Dreaming too big could cause many conflicts in your life.

(29-35 points) You are Sponge Bob Square Pants:

You are the classic person that everyone loves. You are the best friend
that anyone would ever have and never wants to lose. You never cause harm to
anyone and they would never not understand your feelings. Life is a journey,
it's funny and calm for the most part. Stay away from traitors and jealous
people, and you will be

stress free.

(36-43 points) You are Charlie Brown:

You are tender, you fall in love quickly but you are also very serious
about all relationships. You are a family person. You call your Mom every
Sunday. You have many friends and may occasionally forget a few Birthdays. Don't
let your passion confuse you with reality.

(44-50 points) You are Dexter:

You are smart and definitely a thinker... Every situation is fronted
with a plan. You have a brilliant mind. You demonstrate very strong family
principles. You maintain a stable routine but never ignore a bad situation when
it comes. Try to do less over thinking every once in a while to spice things up
a bit with spontaneity!

Now don't spoil it! Have some Fun!! Change the subject of the email to
what you are and send it on!

Hey, look what color my brain is

2007-02-15T05:19:00.000-08:00

Your Brain is Green

Of all the brain types, yours has the most balance.
You are able to see all sides to most problems and are a good problem solver.
You need time to work out your thoughts, but you don't get stuck in bad thinking patterns.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, philosophy, and relationships (both personal and intellectual).

What Color Is Your Brain?

2007-02-14T05:07:00.000-08:00

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Movie Quote Of The Day

2007-02-13T04:43:00.000-08:00

FROM "BETTER OFF DEAD:"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charles De Mar: [giving skiing instructions] Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn.

Oh, those crazy signs

2007-02-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

Did I read that sign right?
TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW

In a Laundromat:
AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT
GOES OUT

In a London department store:
BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In an office:
WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR
FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

In an office:
AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE
DRAINING BOARD

Outside a secondhand shop:
WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR
WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

Notice in health food shop window:
CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS

Spotted in a safari park:(I sure hope so)ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR

Seen during a conference:
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE
1ST FLOOR

Notice in a farmer's field:
THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES.

Message on a leaflet:
IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS

On a repair shop door:
WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T
WORK)

The Answer Is Here

2007-02-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

I stole this idea from a wild and crazy Texan, but since I don't have an idea for a column I figured, "Why not?"

So if anyone still reads my blog, here's the deal. You got questions -- I got answers. So just ask me anything. Anything in the world. Type a comment on this very post and I will type a reply comment with the answer. Whether you need homework help, moral guidance, trivia information, or whatever, just trust that ol' Porkchop Gilles, aka Love Caddy B-Dawg, The Forlorn Moonpuppy, is your hook-up. I'll get you squared away with an answer that will make you the envy of all your friends.

Really. I'm a veritable cesspool of information. I went to a really good school. So here I am, setting up shop. Fire away, people. Go!

"Just when they think they have the answers, I change the questions." -- Rowdy Roddy Piper

My Colts

2007-02-05T04:29:00.000-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Monkey Maniacs of all ages:

My Colts ... are the champions.

Wahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As we say here in Indiana: "Cool."

How Many People Have Your Name?

2007-02-02T05:01:00.000-08:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
4
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

New Hymn

2007-02-02T04:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a new song I'm working on -- a work in progress. Thoughts?

Oh Holy Spirit, Come
A Confession Hymn For Pentecost (76.76.666 meter)

Proceeding from the Father,
Proceeding from the Son,
Like wind that rocks the water:
Oh Holy Spirit, come.
Sweep over this dead sea,
Drown our complacency;
Oh Holy Spirit, come.

We worshipped with abandon
When first we felt Your love.
Now years have stilled our passion;
Oh Holy Spirit, come.
Stir up a mighty wave,
Anoint our hearts to praise;
Oh Holy Spirit, come.

(chorus)
Oh Holy Spirit -- Oh Holy One.
Oh Holy Spirit -- Oh Spirit, come.

We’ve lost our heart’s desire;
We’re cold as ice and stone.
Now, Animating Fire:
Oh, Holy Spirit, come.
Set all our hearts ablaze
To testify of grace;
Oh Holy Spirit, come.

We’ve faded and we’re tired;
The battle has been long.
Refresh, revive, inspire;
Oh Holy Spirit, come.
Stoke up the flame in us:
A beacon for the lost;
Oh Holy Spirit, come.

repeat chorus

Not Ashamed

2007-01-30T05:19:00.000-08:00

I wear Spider Man pajama bottoms and, for a top, a ratty old Indiana Hoosiers sweatshirt. And I don't care if the whole world knows it.

I feel so free now ...

The People Have Spoken: More Poems

2007-01-29T04:50:00.000-08:00

Evening Solace, by Charlotte Bronte

The human heart has hidden treasures,
In secret kept, in silence sealed;
The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures,
Whose charms were broken if revealed.
And days may pass in gay confusion,
And nights in rosy riot fly,
While, lost in Fame's or Wealth's illusion,
The memory of the Past may die.

But, there are hours of lonely musing,
Such as in evening silence come,
When, soft as birds their pinions closing,
The heart's best feelings gather home.
Then in our souls there seems to languish
A tender grief that is not woe;
And thoughts that once wrung groans of anguish,
Now cause but some mild tears to flow.

And feelings, once as strong as passions,
Float softly backa faded dream;
Our own sharp griefs and wild sensations,
The tale of others' sufferings seem.
Oh ! when the heart is freshly bleeding,
How longs it for that time to be,
When, through the mist of years receding,
Its woes but live in reverie !

And it can dwell on moonlight glimmer,
On evening shade and loneliness;
And, while the sky grows dim and dimmer,
Feel no untold and strange distress
Only a deeper impulse given
By lonely hour and darkened room,
To solemn thoughts that soar to heaven,
Seeking a life and world to come.

Jive Monkey Gold: Elvis Costello Lyric Review

2007-01-26T05:05:00.000-08:00

From April of 2005

LET'S DO THIS:

Everyday I write the book - Elvis Costello and the Attractions

Don't tell me you don't know what love is
When you're old enough to know better
When you find strange hands in your sweater
When your dreamboat turns out to be a footnote
I'm a man with a mission in two or three editions

And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book

Chapter One we didn't really get along
Chapter Two I think I fell in love with you
You said you'd stand by me in the middle of Chapter Three
But you were up to your old tricks in Chapters Four, Five and Six

And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book

The way you walk
The way you talk, and try to kiss me, and laugh
In four or five paragraphs
All your compliments and your cutting remarks
Are captured here in my quotation marks

And I'm giving you a long look
Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book

Don't tell me you don't know the difference
Between a lover and a fighter
With my pen and my electric typewriter
Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal
I'd still own the film rights and be working on the sequel

And I'm giving you a long look,
Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book.

First let's look at the complex rhyme scheme. Costello shows us how to work outside the box of standard ABAB or AABB writing. The chorus is only two lines, AA (they rhyme with each other). By keeping it so short, it has enabled him to write more verses, yet he can still insert the chorus between each verse, hammering home his theme.

The first verse is ABBCD. But although only the second and third lines rhyme (BB) we get internal rhymes in lines four ("dreamboat/ footnote") and five ("mission/ editions").
The second verse has one less line than the others -- perhaps it could be called a bridge (although bridges usually occur toward song's end). No line rhymes with another, so we can say that the end rhyme scheme is ABCD. Costello isn't eschewing rhymes, though -- he provides an internal rhyme within each of the four lines.
The third and fourth verses are both ABBCC, slightly different from the first verse. In the third verse, we have another kind of internal rhyme: the last word of the first line ("walk") rhymes with a word in the middle of the second ("talk").

What we can take from all of this is the knowledge that songwriters are not so limited with rhyme choices as would appear. You have more choices than 1. rhyming at the end of each line, and 2. no rhymes. You can always forego end rhymes while still getting the qualities that rhyme brings by providing internal rhymes.

This is not a masterpiece -- it's gimmicky, and Costello would admit that. But it's a very good song, one that has been covered by many artists (I am most familiar with mandolin king Sam Bush's version). Tons of songs provide the same theme: someone is claiming to be the love of another person's life, even if the other has eyes for a lesser rival, or is in some way overlooking their true soulmate. But no one has said it quite like Costello in this little ditty.

So many clever lines:

"When your dreamboat turns out to be a footnote
I'm a man with a mission in two or three editions"

Of course we've all been there (if you haven't, you're lucky or very young and inexperienced). We know how much love is in our heart, how much we care, how much we can give or perhaps have given. But the object of our desire has eyes for another, a "dreamboat," although that dreamboat is no more than a "footnote," a person of inconsequence who cannot match our devotion. Perhaps it is someone who is less of a spiritual match or has less in common with our beloved, but they look better, or drive a nicer car, or any number of superficial things. Costello captures all of this in one clever metaphor. He does much the same in the last verse:

Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal
I'd still own the film rights and be working on the sequel

How delightful! And how tragically true it often is in human relationships. We choose a blob of insignificance that comes in a pretty package over someone who could be the whole she-bang to us.

So what seemed to be a little gimmicky song turns out to offer some profound truths about the human condition. This is why Costello is an Artist Who Matters.

Introvert Or Extrovert

2007-01-24T05:10:00.000-08:00

Once again, the blogthing quizzes prove to be accurate (in my opinion) about me. How about you, Dear Reader?

You Are 40% Extrovert, 60% Introvert

You're a bit outgoing, a bit reserved
Like most people, you enjoy being social
But you also value the time you have alone
You have struck a good balance!

Are You An Extrovert or An Introvert?

Will we know our loved ones in heaven?

2007-01-22T20:30:00.000-08:00

Philosopher Peter Kreeft:

"Of course we will know our loved ones. This is a divinely designed, essential part of our joy. We are not designed to be solitary mystics, lovers of God alone, but to be, like God himself, lovers of men and women as well. Just as Jesus on Earth loved each person differently and specially -- He did not love John as he loved Peter, because John was not Peter -- so we are designed to love people specially. There is no reason why this specialness should be removed, rather than added to, in eternity ...

"Our family and special friends will always be our family and special friends. In this life a child begins to learn to love by loving mother, then father, then siblings ... The concentric circles of love are then gradually expanded, but the beginning lessons are never abandoned. There is no reason to think God rips up this plan after death."

Song Update

2007-01-22T05:04:00.000-08:00

A while back I told you that the song Rebecca Bales and I wrote, "All I Have Is Yours" was winning the early voting in the Top 100 New Songs For January poll at sharesong.org (this is a different host site than the one my web page is on).

So far it's still holding up well, at #2, and I have several other songs in their top 50. Here's a rundown:

Songs with the most votes this month

Title Author Contributor Votes

You Are My All Kelvin Lim 1a.m 60
All I Have Is Yours Bobby Gilles, Rebecca Bales Bobby Gilles 50
Great and Gentle Rebecca Carpenter, vocalist: Julia Klee Rebecca Carpenter 34
The Heart of Worship dean krippaehne Dean Krippaehne 27
I Love You Lord Michael Souders Michael Souders 25
A Living, Holy Sacrifice Debbie Fortnum Debbie Fortnum 24
Our God (Is An Awesome God) Kevin Elling/Rich Mullins Kevin Elling 23
He Gave It All Rebecca Carpenter, vocallist Joel Hudson Rebecca Carpenter 23
Let It Rain Chris Gibson Chris Gibson 22
We Are One Bobby Gilles, Dan Cassin Bobby Gilles 22
He is Worthy Misael Rivera & A. Carlos Ortiz A. Carlos Ortiz 22
Always There Bill Bonham Remnant Songs Writers 21
Who Am I Galvin Yielded Saints Of Christ 21
Lord Of All Bobby Gilles, Chad Lewis Bobby Gilles 21
JESUS YOU'RE MY EVERYTHING MISAEL RIVERA SINGER KEITH HOUSEKNECHT MISAEL RIVERA 21
My Everything Matt McCoy Matt McCoy 21
Nothing but the Blood Robert Lowry James Ferguson 21
Let My Life Be Worship James Moore James Moore 20
The Lords Prayer James Ferguson James Ferguson 20
Grant Me Silence Angela DiCostanzo Angela DiCostanzo 20
Jesus, Wonderful Saviour Kevin V. Fifield Kevin V. Fifield 19
Your Love Compels Us Bobby Gilles 19
Amazing Grace John Newton Russ Reese 19
Whom Have I Pablo Perez Pablo Perez 19
I Love You Thor H. Braarvig Thor H. Braarvig 18
The Future's In His Hand Anthony Seth Barnes Anthony Seth Barnes 18
Here am I Ray Watson 18
All My Life (It's You) Jennifer Haycraft 17
All of Me Thor H. Braarvig Thor H. Braarvig 17
For You So Loved The World Donnie McKissic Donnie McKissic 17
Praise the Lord Bill Bonham Remnant Songs Writers 16
PURIFY MY HEART MISAEL RIVERA /SINGER JUDY ROJAS MISAEL RIVERA 16
Life of Worship Jon Bauer 16
Everyday Bill Bonham Remnant Songs Writers 16
Blessed Be Your Name Russell Henderson Russell Henderson 16
Come to Me Chris Fitzell 16
My Lord And My God Bobby Gilles. Vocalist: Lorie King Bobby Gilles 16
Lead Us Back Brooks Ritter Bobby Gilles 15
Worship the Lord (in the beauty of holiness) Raymond McCullough 15
More Of You Anthony Seth Barnes Anthony Seth Barnes 15
Jesus Is Cool Simon Belcher Simon Belcher 15
Above All Else Galvin Yielded Saints Of Christ 15
Abraham's Lullaby Jennifer Haycraft Jennifer Haycraft 15

You Do All Things Well Bobby Gilles Bobby Gilles 15
Come With Faith Like A Child Anthony Seth Barnes 15
Guess How Much I Love You Debbie Fortnum 15
At Your Throne James Ferguson 15
Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord Nathan Gifford Direct Access Publishing 15
I Will Bless the Lord Bridget Willard 15
Have Your Way Ken Conkle 15

Jive Monkey Gold: Woody Guthrie Lyric Analysis

2007-01-18T04:32:00.000-08:00

Here's some Jive Monkey Gold for you, from 2005, The Year That Was:

Lyric Review: Woody Guthrie's "Pastures of Plenty"

Last week's lyric review concerned a song with few end rhymes, U2's "One Tree Hill." This week we go in the opposite direction with a song loaded with end rhymes, Woody Guthrie's "Pastures of Plenty." Artists as diverse as Alison Krauss and Union Station, Harry Belafonte, Bruce Hornsby, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and Peter, Paul and Mary have recorded Guthrie's passionate tail of migrant workers from the depression era. Here are the lyrics:

PASTURES OF PLENTY by Woody Guthrie

It's a mighty hard row that my poor hands have hoed
My poor feet have traveled a hot dusty road
Out of your Dust Bowl and Westward we rolled
And your deserts were hot and your mountains were cold

I worked in your orchards of peaches and prunes
I slept on the ground in the light of the moon
On the edge of the city you'll see us and then
We come with the dust and we go with the wind

California, Arizona, I harvest your crops
Well its North up to Oregon to gather your hops
Dig the beets from your ground, cut the grapes from your vine
To set on your table your light sparkling wine

Green pastures of plenty from dry desert ground
From the Grand Coulee Dam where the waters run down
Every state in the Union us migrants have been
We'll work in this fight and we'll fight till we win

It's always we rambled, that river and I
All along your green valley, I will work till I die
My land I'll defend with my life if need be
Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free

Copyright Ludlow Music, Inc.

Guthrie himself is often regarded as the father (or grandfather, depending on where one fits Bob Dylan) of modern American folk music. Indeed, when Dylan was starting out in the early 60s, he'd often visit his hero Guthrie during Guthrie's last, hospital ridden years before he succumbed to the disease that had killed his mother.
Dylan's work, along with many since him, has carried with it echoes of Guthrie's poetry. Look at the second couplet of the second verse above:

On the edge of the city you'll see us and then
We come with the dust and we go with the wind

Dylan's song "Song To Woody" revisited the lines line this:

Here's to the hearts and the hands of the men
That come with the dust and are gone with the men.

This kind of homage, and the studiosness it takes to pull it off, is lacking in our generation. We don't learn from those who have gone before us. We don't learn from each other. We are islands to ourselves, and it shows.

"Pastures of Plenty" contains five verses with no chorus. The rhyme scheme is AABB except for the first verse, which uses the same end rhyme for all four lines. Guthrie also uses alliteration (repitition of beginning consonants in different words) partial consonance (repitition of end consonants in different words) and repetend (the repitition of words or phrases), all to great effect. As an exercise, you could print the lyrics out and circle all the examples of alliteration, consonance, and repetend you can find. This is the kind of exercise that is often performed in poetry classes and workshops.

Guthrie loved lyrics. He wasn't much of a musical master -- most of his songs borrowed the melody of earlier folk standards, occasionally at different speeds or in different time signatures. But he knew how to tell a story through the medium of music. Strong nouns and verbs, the occasional adjective -- and almost never an adverb -- this is what makes a poem, song, or story zing.

The song title is an excellent use of irony. Guthrie was a comman man who sang about the plight of the common man. "Pastures of Plenty" meant something different for them. To the rich, to the solid middle class, it means bounty, easy living, and never opening a cupboard that turns out to be bare.
To the characters in Guthrie's works, it means the opportunity for work. Hear it in:

Dig the beets from your ground, cut the grapes from your vine
To set on your table your light sparkling wine

and:

It's always we rambled, that river and I
All along your green valley, I will work till I die
My land I'll defend with my life if need be
Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free.

Why must they always be free? Because he could then have a way to provide for himself. Freedom is tied up in "right to work" and easy immigration laws. It is not begging for the crumbs from a table, it is going up to the master of the table and saying "Give me a wage and I will set this table for you."
It is a way of life that many of us don't understand, but through evocative writing like Woody Guthrie's, we catch a glimpse.

Riddle Me This; Riddle Me That

2007-01-17T04:57:00.000-08:00

Some more gems from my pal Cheryl:

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Frostbite

What do you call four bullfighters in quicksand?
Quatro sinko

What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches?
A nervous wreck

Why did the Pilgrims' pants always fall down?
Because they wore their belt buckles on their hats

In A Nutshell

2007-01-16T06:29:00.001-08:00

1. FIRST NAME? Bobby
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My dad. So yeah, I'm a "Jr."
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? I'm a macho he-man warrior ...
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It's scribble-scrabble.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? I can't remember the last time I had lunch meat but I'm actually not too picky about it. Turkey, I guess.
6. KIDS? Three boys: 10,7, and 3 (um, those are their ages, not their names. 8-)
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, although I have my faults, I do think and have been told many times that I am an intensely loyal friend.
8. HAVE A JOURNAL? No, but I have a blog and I write songs ... so, sort of.
9. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes
10. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? yes. It's not on my list of Life Goals or anything, but I wouldn't be afraid to.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Depends on the shoes.
12. FAVORITE SONG AT THE MOMENT? The call to worship song Lorie wrote last week.
13. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes.
14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Anything with chocolate in it.
15. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? I have a third ear on my forehead.
17. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR SELF? My pride, which I have to leave daily at the cross.
18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? All of my friends who I've lossed contact with, and some friends and relatives who have died. Can't narrow it to one.
19. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? sure ...
20. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black
21. THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Honey-Nut Cheerios.
22. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The blues -- Sonny Boy Williamson
23. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Red.
24. FAVORITE SMELL? Fresh coffee.
25. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My ex.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU ? Yup.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Various coffee drinks, milk, Mountain Dew, Cherry Coke, Dr. Pepper (all diet versions).
28. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Friends always laugh at this because it really doesn't go with my personality: NASCAR. I also like basketball and football.
29. HAIR COLOR? Brown
30. EYE COLOR? Blue
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes, and glasses (but not at the same time. I kept running into trees when I tried that).
32. FAVORITE FOOD? I love all kinds of foods, but right now I'm gonna go with an old favorite: spaghetti.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Both.
34. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Hometown Hero.
35. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? White with vertical stripes of various muted colors.
36. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer
38. FAVORITE DESSERT? Brownies, pie ... I hate these "favorite" questions. Too narrow.
40. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? What am I, clairvoyant?
41. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Rereading an old favorite: "The Pursuit Of God" by AW Tozer
42. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? A mouse.
43. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST ON TV LAST NIGHT? A movie.
44. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The Beatles -- but I prefer Dylan to either of them.
45. FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Florida or Minnesota.
46 DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I love writing
47. LEAST LIKELY TO SEND THIS BACK? huh?
48. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Louisville, Kentucky

Two New Songs

2007-01-11T05:25:00.000-08:00

I now have two new song demos, the first two songs on the list you'll see by clicking HERE.

The first, Boundless, Timeless, Ever-Faithful God, you may remember. I posted the lyrics on this blog before I had written music for it, a month or two ago.

The second is a new one I wrote with Lorie, a little gospel-hymn. We wrote the lyrics over email and I wrote the music and recorded it last night. Perhaps eventually she'll sing the demo but this one will do for now ...

Here are the lyrics:

You Will Find Me Working For You
87.87D meter

You will find me working for You
On the day that You return,
Or until death sends me to You,
Though there’s nothing I could earn.
You brought love to me -- a rebel.
You adopted, You forgave.
I will do the same for others
Till You come or till the grave.

Lord, You bathed me in Your mercy,
Washed away the stench of death.
Then You clothed me with compassion
And You led me to Your rest.
Now, You ask me to bring comfort
To the wounded I should meet.
It’s the very least I could do
For the grace You’ve given me.

I know You will come descending
On the clouds to beckon me.
Or You’ll guide me ‘cross death’s waters
And You’ll calm the raging sea.
Just as You have called me to You,
And You’ve promised heaven’s shore,
I will take this hopeful promise
To the lost, the lame, the poor.

You will find me working for You
On the day that You return …

Into My Heart An Air That Kills ...

2007-01-10T20:02:00.000-08:00

By A.E. Housman

Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?

That is the land of lost content
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.

Housman was a poet who used a lot of hymn meters for his poetry. This one is in common meter, although odd-numbered lines are trochaic rather than iambic (emphasis on the first syllable rather than the second).

2007-01-10T05:33:00.000-08:00

" Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-

sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is

destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep

making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and

become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the

future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons.

Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to

celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and the last day

of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping

what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by

creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God

thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit

holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. And remember: If God is

for us, who can be against us?"

Mark Batterson, in Relevant Magazine.

Love To All The Monkey Maniacs

2007-01-09T05:54:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't been posting as much lately, and I haven't been able to read everyone's blogs as much as I had been -- it's been very busy and I've been sorting through stuff in my personal life. But I want you to know that all you guys (where I come from, both men and women are "guys") are treasured, and I love to read your comments on my blog and your posts on your own blogs. My own little internet family! I'll get back in the swing of things soon.

New-old song

2007-01-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

I have a new version of my song "My Lord And My God", now featuring the vocals of Lorie King, available for your hearing by click HERE and choosing the first song.

This is one of my favorites out of all the songs I've written, so I wanted to get a better singer than myself to do it right. And there ain't none better than my sister, friend, editor, and pet (nasty little gremlins are pets, right?).

Check it out and hear what a great job she does.

My Love Life -- For All Of You To Read

2007-01-05T05:04:00.000-08:00

What about you?

Your Love Life Secrets Are

Looking back on your life, you will have a few true loves.

You're a little scarred from your past relationships, but who isn't?

You prefer a quirky, unique person to be your lover. You're easy going about who you're with, as long as they love you back.

In fights, you are able to walk away and calm down. You are able to weather the storm.

Break-ups can be painful for you, but you never show it. You hold your head high.

Your Love Life Secrets, Revealed

May We Have Your Vote, Please?

2007-01-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

The hymn I wrote with Becca Bales, "All I Have Is Yours," has gotten about 1000 listens in the last month on soundclick.com and is now on a website that caters to music ministers called Sharesong. They apparently have a "Top 100" each month, and so far "All I Have Is Yours" is #1 for January. If you CLICK HERE it will take you right to a page where you can hear it and all the newest songs that have been loaded onto the site (I also have songs on that page that I wrote with Brooks Ritter and Chad Lewis. "All I Have Is Yours" is the 5th song down on the list, followed a bit later by the songs with Brooks and Chad).

I'd appreciate your vote if you like the song (you just click on "vote for this song" next to the song title). You can also check out Becca's great music at myspace.com/rebeccabales and rebeccabales.com.

As you can see if you click on the list of Sharesong's Hot 100 song, so far 100-something votes have come in and almost all were for different songs (probably, they're all from writers who are voting for their own songs). Only a few have more than one vote at this point (but of course it's only Jan. 3) and "All I Have Is Yours" has 6. Thanks for listening!

Courtesy of my buddy Cheryl:

2007-01-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

A pair of Michigan robbers entered a record shop nervously waving revolvers. The first one shouted, "Nobody move!" When his partner moved, the first bandit shot him.

***
A guy walked into a little corner store with a shotgun and demanded all the cash. After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of Scotch that he wanted. He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the cashier refused "because I don't believe you are over 21."

The robber said he was over 21, but the clerk still refused because she didn't believe him. At this point, the robber pulled out his driver's license and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked it over and agreed that the man was in fact over 21, so she put the Scotch in the bag. The robber then ran from the store with his loot.

The cashier promptly called the police and gave them the name and address that she got off the robber's license. He was arrested two hours later.

Do you think this is true?

2006-12-29T05:08:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (Reuters) - More women make New Year's resolutions, but men are more likely to say they keep them, according to a poll of American adults released on Thursday.

What do you make of this poll? True?

How quirky are you?

2006-12-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

It's working! My plan is working!

Your Quirk Factor: 59%

You're a pretty quirky person, but you're just normal enough to hide it.
Congratulations - you've fooled other people into thinking you're just like them!

How Quirky Are You?

Well, this is a fine how-do-you-do

2006-12-26T09:17:00.000-08:00

I just went to get my lunch out of the fridge here at work, to discover that someone stole three of my meatballs. The seal on my lunch had not been refastened all the way, so I know this isn't just a case of me inexplicably remembering incorrectly. Besides, I never forget details. I put 9 meatballs in my lunch, 3 of which have disappeared.

We've had major problems with lunch thieves here at work in the past, and I myself have had my lunch stolen before. This is the first case where someone has actually opened my lunch, taken what they wanted, and left the rest. I guess it would have been worse if they'd have taken the whole thing. I was left with 6 meatballs and the cheese potato casserole.

But oofta. This is NOT what I needed today.

Ain't life a whoopin' sometimes.

New Music

2006-12-21T08:13:00.000-08:00

Music page
Bobby Gilles music

Newly-written hymns of mine, all displayed as text-only within the last few months on this blog, now online near the top of that page featuring the music-writing, singing, and instrumental skills of Brooks Ritter, Dan Cassin, and Rebecca Dennison, all members of Sojourn's worship team.

I'm A WeeMee!

2006-12-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Look, I'm a WeeMee, drinking a caramel latte here in downtown Louisville:

Advent

2006-12-20T04:41:00.000-08:00

This is the third Christmas season since my divorce. It gets a little easier each year, although "easier" doesn't really seem like an appropriate word. Still, I find that the most difficult thing about it stems from my own wrong perception of what the season is supposed to be about. I take, and often keep, my eyes off Christ and focus on this season as being a time of family and fun. Not that it can't and shouldn't be those things -- families and couples should of course celebrate together. But the coming of Christ represents a new order and the eventual bringing of all creation under the subjection of the righteous and holy king, and a kingdom of peace where there are no more tears. This is cause for rejoicing no matter what your current situation is. In fact, if your current situation isn't all that great, your expectation and rejoicing should be even greater.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
by Charles Wesley

1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

2. Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

Let's go cyber-caroling!

2006-12-19T04:49:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my favorite Christmas hymns, packed with meaning, from the familiar first verse to the wonderful but lesser-known second verse, right through the foretaste of second birth and final triumphant refrain. We all know this Charles Wesley poem as set to the tune that was adapted from a Mendelssohn composition about a hundred years after it was written, but try to really meditate on these words as you sing or read them.

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

What's Your Thinking Style?

2006-12-18T05:01:00.000-08:00

Here's mine:

Your Dominant Thinking Style: Modifying

Super logical and rational, you consider every fact available to you.
You don't make rash decisions and are rarely moved by emotion.

You prefer what's known and proven - to the new and untested.
You tend to ground those around you and add stability.

What's Your Thinking Style?

Thought For The Day

2006-12-15T05:45:00.000-08:00

"If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something."

Thanks to everyone who has checked out the link to "All I Have Is Yours," the new songwriting collaboration with Rebecca Bales (from my previous post). It's been getting tons of hits on the soundclick site.

All I Have Is Yours -- still

2006-12-13T05:29:00.000-08:00

While you're still considering the thoughts expressed in my column from yesterday ...

A few short weeks ago you'll recall I posted lyrics here to a new hymn I'd written called "All I Have Is Yours."

A great young singer-songwriter named Rebecca Bales wrote a melody for it and sang/played piano on the demo. I've posted it on my soundclick site for your perusal. Just click HERE and choose the first song on the list you'll see: "All I Have Is Yours." You can also just go to my home page at soundclick.com/bobbygilles and that hymn will load in the automatic main player.

Thanks for listening -- and know that ya'll were the first people to witness the creation of this song, before there even WAS a demo!

Pointless, outmoded customs?

2006-12-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

I wrote about this topic last year and it produced some good discussion in the comments section. I'm revisiting it because I was stimulated to consider the topic whilst reading a Miss Manners column in the Sunday Courier Journal (yes, I read the entire paper cover-to-cover except for ads and horoscopes).

A lady had written to her, asking whether there really was a custom that dictated that, when a man and woman are approaching stairs together, the man allows the woman to go up first, and then he himself goes first when heading back down. She said her boyfriend did this and told her it was the gentlemanly thing to do. She thought it was weird so she asked good ol' Miss Manners.

MM assured the ignorant young lady that it IS the proper thing to do, because if the lady is always higher on the steps, the gentleman can catch her should she fall (or, at least, cushion the blow by landing underneath her when they both go careening down like a pair of maniacal Slinky's).

YES! Good for MM. This should be obvious. And furthermore, I would say that this is not just some secular code of chivalry but is rather the Christian thing to do, in light of Biblical teaching on manhood and womanhood. Same thing with letting the man open doors for the woman.

Even Godly young Christian women who talk about Biblical manhood and womanhood, distinct gender roles, headship, etc. sometimes fall for the secular thinking that they don't "need a man to do stuff like that for me." It misses the point, for one thing. For another, you should think about what signal you're really sending and what object-lesson you may be teaching (because let's face it: God uses men and women to mold each other every day -- it's a reflection of our complimentary natures).

YOU CAN'T WONDER ALOUD THAT YOUNG GUYS AREN'T BEING EFFECTIVE LEADERS, EITHER AS POTENTIAL HUSBANDS OR BROTHERS-IN-CHRIST, IF YOUR NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IMPLIES THAT YOU DON'T WANT THEM TO HAVE DISTINCT ROLES.

When Paul speaks about headship, one of the main connotations that would have been understood by the original Greek-speaking audience was "first into battle." A modern way to look at it would be for a man to see a woman safely to her car. Another example, in husband-wife cases, would be where the couple is asleep at night and they hear a bump or something that sounds like someone may be trying to get into the house. The man, of course, checks it out.

Now, you might say, "I'll let my husband (or future husband) get doors for me, but no other guy." As his sister in Christ, you are doing him and his future wife a disservice by not preparing him to take that role. Consider the reverse situation: if you're dating a guy that holds doors open for you, but won't do so for any other woman, you can bet that he won't always do it for you, either. Once the ring is on your finger and the honeymoon period ends, he'll go back to the pattern that has already been established in his life, and you'll be getting your own doors.

What's the big deal about that? Again, think about what signal you are sending. See issues like stair-navigation, opening of doors, carrying of shopping bags, etc. as symbols that stand for larger attitudes. A male is demonstrating, and learning, leadership and protectiveness through these symbolic acts. And while you may say, "My future husband is the only man I'll ever follow," consider that protectiveness is something that every Christian man should feel for every sister-in-Christ.

For that matter, females should also display protectiveness towards their brothers, albeit in different forms (such as taking care to be used by God to shape his character, in part, by expecting that he do simple symbolic acts like hold the door open for you). It's not about your personal preference. It's not about your independence. It's not about you being strong enough to carry your own bags, tough enough to survive a fall down some stairs, and quick enough to get your own doors. In short, it's not about YOU -- it's about him. Just as HE shows that, from his perspective, it's all about YOU when he performs those symbolic acts.

Wesley (John this time, not Charles)

2006-12-11T06:10:00.000-08:00

"Orthodoxy, or right opinion, is, at best, a very slender part of religion. Though right tempers cannot subsist without right opinions, yet right opinions may subsist without right tempers. There may be a right opinion of God without either love or one right temper toward Him. Satan is proof of this."

Quote of the Day

2006-12-08T05:27:00.000-08:00

"If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments."

Survey

2006-12-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

Haven't had much to say lately but someone sent me this so what the heck -- for all my blog friends and visitors:

Eye color:
blue

Shoe size:
11

Height:
6 foot

What are you wearing right now?
Striped-button down shirt, khaki pants

Righty or lefty:
righty.

----------------------------------------------------------

FAVORITES

Kind of pants:
Levi jeans

Drink:
Flavored coffees and lattes, mocha shakes, Diet Mt. Dew and Diet Cherry Coke.

Month:
I could care less.

Cartoon:
Pinky and the Brain, Veggie Tales, Bugs Bunny
------------------------------------------------

HAVE YOU EVER...

Given anyone a bath?
my kids

Broken a bone:
nope

Played truth or dare:
yeah.

Came close to dying:
Yup.

Been in a hot tub:
yeah

Fall asleep in Class:
Yup.

Broken someone's heart:
I think so

Cried when someone died:
yes

Fell off your chair:
Several times.

Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call:
Yeah.

Saved email conversations?
Yes.

EVER HAD...

Chicken pox:
yes

Sore Throat:
a few times a year

Stitches:
just for my wisdom teeth

------------------------------------------------------

DO YOU...

Question yourself:
Yes.

Who was the last person that texted you?
My brother Scott.

Who makes you smile a lot:
Connor, who made up his own mealtime prayer: "Lord bless the food and keep me blessed."

Who knows you the best:
In various ways, my parents, brothers, Lorie, Clay, Bob, Stacey.

Do you like filling these out?
You don't really have to think to do it, and then you're done with your blog column.

Do you wear contact lenses or glasses?
Both

Do you get along with your family?
yes

--------------------------------------------

Random Questions:

What did you do yesterday:
Worked, took Garrett to piano lesson, read, watched TV, thought, prayed. Too much thinking and not enough praying, I'm sure.

What car/truck do you wish to have?
One that didn't have a cracked head gasket.

How many remote controls are in your house?:
I have no idea.

Scary or Funny Movies:,
Both. Funny first, scary second (on a double movie night)

Chocolate or Vanilla:
Chocolate

Summer or winter:
SUMMER

Coffee or tea:
Coffee

Phone or in person:
In person.

------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday did you...

1. Talked to someone you like:
yeah, unless by like you mean "have a thing for."

2. Buy something:
Christmas presents (well, they arrived in the mail. Technically I bought them a week or two ago).

3.Get sick:
A bit.

4. Talked to an ex:
Yes.

5. Miss someone:
Yeah

--------------------------------------------------

Last person who....

Slept in your bed:
me

Went to the movies with?
Nightriders

Said "I Love You" to?
Kids

__________________________________

MORE Random.....

what book are you reading now?
I don't know. I have a few lying around in various stages of being read.

What's under your bed:
Journals, stories, songs, poems

Favorite sports to watch?
basketball, football, NASCAR, wrestling, tennis.

Favorite Locations?
with friends and family

What are you most scared of right now?
The future between now and till I go to heaven.

Who do you really hate right now?
no one

Song that's stuck in your head right NOW?
nothing

Random... (again)

Your Favorite Food?
Seafood, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, potatoes ... lots of stuff.

Are you too shy to ask someone out?
No.

Hugs or Kisses?:
both

Dogs or cats?:
cats

Here's something

2006-12-05T05:10:00.000-08:00

This great hymn by George Matheson is a source of comfort:

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Proverb for the day

2006-12-01T04:52:00.000-08:00

"Somedays you're the windshield. Some days you're the bug."

How Much Of A Perfectionist Are You?

2006-11-30T05:38:00.000-08:00

Here's mine:

You Are 56% Perfectionist

No one would call you a perfectionist, but you definitely have a side of you that strives to be perfect.
Try to see your mistakes as learning experiences, and don't be so hard on yourself when you screw up!

Are You a Perfectionist?

Trends In The Modern American Church

2006-11-28T05:11:00.000-08:00

I posted a link to a news article about "cults of personality" in big evangelical churches a couple weeks ago and asked for responses. No one had any comments, until this weekend when Jason Ramage spoke up. He raises some interesting points so I thought, since the original post is buried beneath more recent topics and thus few of you would have seen his comment, that I'd reprint it here and give another try to having a serious discussion about some of these issues:

I'm surprised nobody commented about this. I had to jump in the Wayback Machine to find it, thanks to Bobby's incessant posting activity... he puts me to shame :)

I was thinking about this while reading the thread on the Sojourn site about peoples' memories of the old building. A lot of people are very passionate about Sojourn and something about that has never sat right with me. When I hear people talk about Sojourn, they talk about the music, art, their friends, community groups, Daniel's sermons... but I rarely hear about how those things helped them grow in Christ. I'm sure it has, but after every testimony I'm left with the impression that Sojourn is a great church where you don't have to sacrifice coolness.

Maybe that's not a bad thing. Without a doubt, Daniel Montgomery is the reason Sojourn is growing. I know God is using him, and God uses many other servants to preach the Gospel, but it's almost like the elephant in the room... the day Daniel hands the head pastor position to someone else will be the day Sojourn jumps the shark.

But maybe I'm wrong... this is simply the way I've felt about it and I've never bothered to express it before. But since you were asking the question, it seemed like a good opportunity to find out if other agree/disagree and why.

So Jason raises some good points here. I've been going to Sojourn for two years. And, admittedly, I checked out its online site and listened to five sermons before ever setting foot in the place. Bottom line, if I hadn't liked the preaching, I wouldn't have ever visited. Now, I honestly think that MOST of what I mean by that is, "If the preaching wasn't correct, Christ-focused, gospel-centered, then I wouldn't have visited." But there is no doubt that Daniel speaks well, he sounds good, and he makes it interesting.

Is this bad? No. And I want to issue a disclaimer here and say that, in no way, does Daniel or Sojourn Community do anything to cultivate a cult of personality -- you won't find any billboards with our pastor's face smiling down on you, nor any other such thing. In fact, he's told me personally and he's mentioned from the pulpit that he doesn't want to be the focus -- that he isn't even comfortable when people praise his sermons. He's trying to point people to Christ. So none of this should be seen as a shot at him or the church.

Human nature being what it is, though, whenever you have a good preacher, the possibility stands that people, even good, intelligent, sincere people, will make an idol of him. Or an idol of the hot band, the cool worship leader (we've talked about that in this blog before -- worship leaders are the new sex symbols of the modern American church) the fancy programs and top-notch children's play facilities, etc.

In fact, HERE is a link to the front page story of Sunday's Louisville Courier Journal, a story about the growth of mega churches in this region.

Is it bad that evangelical churches are growing? No. Of course, statistics do tell us that most new members to churches are not new converts, but rather transfers from other churches. Indeed, what seems to be fueling much of the growth is a Christian "Walmart" effect, where Christians have allowed themselves to become consumers, searching out those churches that have the coolest facilities, best worship music, most programs -- the little local church family thus has become analogous to a mom-n-pop store that simply can't compete with the big national chain that sells everything from groceries to haircuts to stereos under one roof.

Indeed, sometimes I wonder if the only thing left for modern cool churches to do is to have servers with trays walking around the sanctuary while the service is going on, shouting "Peanuts! Popcorn! Crackerjacks!"

The story I have linked to is not the full version that was available in the local paper -- that version went in greater depth to explore some of the problems and concerns that people have with cool, "relevant" churches, and even with the latest trend: satellites. It seems that rather than do "church planting," churches now want to simply start up different campuses under the authority of the original church.

This is part of a larger trend that sees churches seeking to become more self-sufficient, less accountable to anyone else, less willing to work with an ecumenical spirit of cooperation

I am not speaking against autonomy. I believe local churches should be autonomous. But does this mean we develop a "we can do everything in-house" attitude that, despite our original intentions, does have the effect of creating a mindset that sees Christ's universal body, the Church, as one small church family and it's official, immediate satellites and officially sponsored missionaries.

This is why I salute Jay Eubanks, a Sojourn deacon in charge of our mercy ministries. His work to partner Sojourn with the Jefferson Street Baptist Center, a homeless shelter in the heart of Louisville, is a model we should all follow. Jay isn't a Lone Ranger -- he's all to aware of the dangers inherent with that thinking.

But we aren't all leaders, and we aren't all in a position to decide the position and direction of our local churches. Here is a checklist for each of us:

Do all of your ministerial, charitable actions take place in or under the auspices of one particular church?

Is your first and only thought, when you have a good idea for how to advance the kingdom of God, "I need to convince my church to get behind this idea of mine and start up a new program for it"?

Do you fellowship with believers from other churches?

Do you have friends who don't go to your church, and are these friends a part of your life -- do you eat with them, go to movies with them, play board games or go hiking with them? Or is your every thought, come time for the weekend, "I wonder what cool parties, activities, etc. are going on with my church friends"?

Do you make time for your family -- the ones that God, in his sovereignty, ordained that you should be linked with from your infancy?

If your answer to every question proves that, apart from very rare occasions, all of your fun time, social activities, services to God and mankind, and life-sharing takes place within the context of your immediate church family, then I would suggest that you examine that. Is it really what Jesus wants? Is that really a New Testament model?

Is the Church of the Living God a building?
Is the fellowship of believers confined to a local assembly?
Does God call us all to work for Him only within the context of our local church?
Are we putting church ministries ahead of our significant others and children?
Can we only worship or learn when a certain person preaches or a certain kind of music is played?
On the occasions when we DO fellowship with friends and family outside of our local church, are we thinking, "I'd really rather be hanging with my church clique, but I have to go through the motions here"?

Now, of course the pendulum can swing too far in the other direction. We ARE all called to a local asssembly. We SHOULD model, to the world, real community. Within the context of my local church, I definitely want Louisvillians to say, "Wow, those Sojourners really have a wonderful sense of community." Still, these questions I have proposed should be examined and should weigh heavily on our hearts. Particularly those of us who aren't called to the pastorate of a particular church -- the vast majority of us -- no matter how many evangelistic techniques we learn, no matter how much we pray "for the city", no matter how much we ostensibly say that our goal is to advance the cause of Christ everywhere, when all of our actions, the actual, real things we do, suggest that we only want to work with certain people, we only want to fellowship with certain people ... God, forgive us.

So here it is, Mr. Ramage -- another try at this topic. If no one else is interested, perhaps you and I will discuss things somewhere. Maybe even invite someone from outside of Sojourn to go out and talk shop with us, too. 8-)

Call To Worship Response Hymn

2006-11-27T08:09:00.000-08:00

I wrote this last night:

Boundless, Timeless, Ever-faithful God

66.66.88 w/ unmetered chorus

Creator God, my Light
Made water, sky and land,
Set day apart from night
And holds it all in hand.
What wonder, this -- how great the grace
You show when You receive my praise.

Jehovah-healer, Refuge-Rock, Provider
Always before me.
Holy, just and merciful.
Boundless, timeless, ever-faithful God.

Redeemer God, my Hope
Who liberated me,
Who suffered, died and rose,
Who is my purity,
What wonder, this -- how great the grace
You show as You perfect my praise.

Anointed One, Cornerstone, Bread of Life
Always beside me.
Holy, just and merciful.
Boundless, timeless, ever-faithful God.

Indwelling God, my Peace,
In You, I have a prayer.
You give me eyes to see;
You give me ears to hear.
What wonder, this -- how great the grace
You show when You inspire my praise.

Comforter, Counselor, Mighty Wind
Always inside me.
Holy, just and merciful.
Boundless, timeless, ever-faithful God.

Modern Times

2006-11-22T05:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a review of the new Bob Dylan record that I wrote for "Travelogue," the news journal of Sojourn Community Church:

The More Things Change …
Dylan Reinvents The Wheel And Rides To The Apocalypse In “Modern Times”
by Bobby Gilles

In 1936, nine years after the advent of “talkies,” Charlie Chaplin released a mostly-silent film. Wrote it, produced it, starred in it. The film marked his defiance against synchronized sound movies even as its subject matter depicted, in often hilarious terms, one man’s struggle against apathy, ignorance and betrayal, while hoping for a love that will endure.

In 2006, Bob Dylan has released a mostly old-school record. Wrote it, produced it, sang on it. The record marks his defiance against modern music industry practices even as its subject matter depicts, in often hilarious terms, one man’s struggle against apathy, ignorance and betrayal, while hoping for a love that will endure.

Both titled their projects “Modern Times.”

Dylan’s “Modern Times,” inspired by his hero Chaplin’s film, continues his late-career renaissance by creating a mesmerizing universe of thunder on the mountain, fire on the moon, alley brawls, Alicia Keys, pistol poppin’, downed power lines, St. Herman’s Church, a thousand cows, pork chops, pie, wicked schemes, a twister, ladies in Washington scrambling to get out of town, a hammer and a pitchfork … a universe where a man vows to “walk the hard road down,” recruit an army of orphans, go “up north” to plant and harvest, all the while dreaming, “Some sweet day I’ll stand beside my King.” And that’s just in the first song.

Dylan told Kurt Loder in 1984, “… when you go to see a folk singer now, you hear somebody singin’ his own songs … I never would have written a song if I didn’t play all them old songs first…. There’s no dedication to folk music now, no appreciation of the art form.”

“Modern Times” puts into practice what Dylan has preached, delivering something old, something new, something borrowed, and lots of blues … along with swingtime jazz, rockabilly, country folk and dance hall ballads. Yes, Dylan = danceable ditties, as in swing, foxtrot, two-step and waltz, to name a few.

He performs an ambitious remake of Muddy Waters’ 1950 hit “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,” with new lyrics that leave the former looking threadbare in wordplay, story development, metaphor, consonance and other poetic devices. Then he takes the title, partial melody and first line of the chorus from the 19th century ballad “Netty Moore” and fleshes out a non-linear tale of longing. Next he throws in songs that borrow, pay homage, or sequel Slim Harpo, Chuck Berry, Memphis Minnie, Merle Haggard, Nina Simone and others.

Apocalyptic images and scriptural allusions are, as usual, more abundant with Dylan than with any textual artist since Flannery O’Connor. In “Spirit On The Water,” watching his lady-love is like witnessing the Creation: “Spirit on the water / darkness on the face of the deep / I keep thinking about you baby / I can’t hardly sleep.” In other songs he is Fallen Man cast out of Paradise, Moses coming down the mountain, Ezekiel witnessing the shiny wheels in heaven and Solomon living through Ecclesiastes. In “Ain’t Talkin’,” a Cain-like figure hopes to stumble across his enemies while they sleep, as David found Saul. Unlike David, this narrator will “slaughter them where they lie.”

Recorded with Dylan’s touring band and self-produced so that it “wouldn’t sound overproduced,” “Modern Times” plays like a “whoppin’ good time” record from yesteryear, with expert but loose-playing musicians and Dylan’s gravel voice, imbued with the authority and limitations of age. Aside from a doomed attempt to make “proletariat” sound like a non-clunker of a word, and the usual fact that his five-to-eight minute songs have no more melodic development than the average three-minute tune, there’s nothing to complain about.

It’s the work of a master -- not one of his shape-shifting, revolutionary albums, but certainly a piece that will settle into the upper fourth of his canon and keep the old troubadour relevant in these modern times.

Creationcare.org

2006-11-22T05:12:00.000-08:00

In Laura's comment to my last post, she referenced a website that I have been perusing lately. CLICK HERE to read about the work this group is doing in promoting Biblical care and stewardship of God's creation. Here is an excerpt from their FAQ page:

What about nature worship?

As a biblically orthodox Christian organization EEN totally rejects nature worship and pantheism. Nothing is clearer in Scripture: we are to worship only the Creator - never His creation. There is only one God in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - to whom all praise, glory, and honor are to be given. EEN's Evangelical Declaration puts it well: "Our creating God is prior to and other than creation, yet intimately involved with it, upholding each thing in its freedom, and all things in relationships of intricate complexity. God is transcendent, while lovingly sustaining each creature; and immanent, while wholly other than creation and not to be confused with it."

At the same time that we condemn nature worship, we must not let our zeal to avoid idolatry prevent us from our biblical call to care for all of creation. Indeed, one cannot fully worship the Creator and at the same time destroy His creation, which was brought into being to glorify him. Worshiping the Creator and caring for creation is all part of loving God. They are mutually reinforcing activities. It is actually unbiblical to set one against the other.

How are we to treat non-human creation? Are not people more important?

Our relationship to the rest of creation is to be based on God's relationship to it and how God wants us to behave towards it. The Bible proclaims that in the beginning God blessed the rest of creation and called it good (Gen. 1:20-25; 31). It exists to praise and glorify Him (e.g. Ps. 19:1-6). Christ sustains all of creation and died to reconcile all of creation to God (Heb. 1:3; Col 1:16, 20). In Christ's future Kingdom the rest of creation will be transformed into a new earth (Rev. 21:1). Thus, the Bible clearly teaches that God values the rest of creation tremendously.

At the same time the Bible also proclaims that human beings have a special role and a special responsibility in God's creation since they are created in God's image and have free will. Human beings are called to care for the rest of God's creation, not abuse or destroy it.

It is clear from Scripture that God does not want situations where humanity is seriously pitted against the rest of creation (e.g. extinction of a species; cf. Ps. 104). This works against the reconciliation wrought by Christ's blood. Indeed, we are hard pressed to think of a situation where our call to image Christ would result in such a situation. The power of God's grace, combined with human creativity and intelligence and our responsibility to fulfill the task of creation-care, provides us with the capability to find peaceful resolutions to what appear to be serious unavoidable conflicts with the rest of creation. Furthermore, environmental problems that harm the rest of creation usually harm human beings as well (e.g. air pollution). Thus, the task of creation-care is part of loving one's neighbor, i.e., loving what God loves and therefore loving God.

Christ and the environment

2006-11-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

What is your take on THIS ARTICLE, "Evangelical Spreads Green Message"? from the front page of today's Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, KY).

Do evangelicals do enough to fulfill our role as wise stewards over God's creation? Do we risk compromising our morals or beliefs by "participating in the environmental movement?"

All I Have Is Yours

2006-11-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

What do you think of this? It's a rough draft hymn I wrote Saturday based on the part of a worship service known as the offering:

All I Have Is Yours
(85.85.88.85 meter w/ refrain)

Creator, giver of all things:
All I have is Yours.
Accept my humble offering:
All I have is Yours.
When I was chained to greed and pride,
Tight-fisted, destined just to die,
You paid my debt and bought my life --
All I have is Yours.

refrain
All I have. All I have. All I have is yours.

This offering is a means of grace.
All I have is Yours.
You show me this to grow my faith:
All I have is Yours.
The more I give, the less I need.
I learn that You’ll provide for me.
‘twas blind to this but now I see --
All I have is Yours.

refrain

Your kingdom come, Your will be done.
All I have is Yours.
You’ll finish all that You’ve begun.
All I have is Yours.
That You would use the gifts I bring
In service of the coming King
Is reason now to praise and sing:
All I have is Yours.

refrain

What part of the Thanksgiving dinner are you?

2006-11-20T06:11:00.000-08:00

I scored the same as ol' California Emily:

You Are The Stuffing

You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together.
People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Daily Nugget O' Wisdom

2006-11-20T06:07:00.000-08:00

"It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a bad example."

Reality

2006-11-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

The kids and I were doing our devotions last night and I was reading to them the story of David and Goliath, which of course I haven't read in awhile because I'm grown up, and smart, and deep, and experienced in the faith and, naturally, more blind than I think I am. And I came to this familiar part, read and memorized so many times in my childhood:

David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

Isn't that amazing? It's so simple -- it doesn't matter what we're up against, because if we are in Christ, then whatever comes against us is not really against us, but against Christ. And who can stand against Christ? If God is for us, then who can be against us? What situation is not under His control? What can possibly happen that will not ultimately work for our good?

Blogwatch: Pastor Garry Weaver

2006-11-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

Click HERE to read a great story of what happened during a case of demonic attack, and how the author of this blog, Pastor Garry Weaver, was able to speak truth into the situation.

We Are One

2006-11-15T07:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a new hymn I just finished:

We Are One

(88.88.88 meter w/ 8.7 refrain)

Now by the sacrifice of Christ

Who prayed that all would be made one,

And through the gift of Spirit-life

All enmity is overcome.

Our Father, grantor of such peace,

We give it just as we've received.

refrain

Praise Father, Spirit and the Son.

In and through You, we are one.

United only in disgrace

Until we heard the Spirit's call;

Now gender, culture, tongue and race,

No more divided by our Fall.

Effect of Babel now undone,

Praise Father, Spirit and the Son.

refrain

Praise Father, Spirit and the Son.

In and through You, we are one.

Tradition, class, philosophy,

Economy and pride of place --

All barriers to unity,

Transcended by relentless grace.

Now reconciled, redeemed, restored:

The body of the risen Lord.

refrain

Praise Father, Spirit and the Son.

In and through You, we are one.

Remember you can now listen to the song I printed here a few weeks ago, that several of you helped me out on when I was stuck on one line. It's called "Forgiveness Divine! Like No Other One" and you can hear it on my main page by clicking HERE.

New Song

2006-11-15T05:34:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I showed lyrics here to a new hymn I'd written called "Forgiveness Divine! Like No Other One." You can now hear the demo online -- it's in the built-in media player on my homepage at soundclick.com/bobbygilles so it should start right up when you click on the link. If it doesn't, you can hit "Music MP3's" and it will take you to a list of all the songs I've got online, from which you can either stream or download the individual songs.

Sometime later today I'm going to post a rough draft of a hymn text I've been working on the past couple of days.

Reading Selection

2006-11-14T05:54:00.000-08:00

From "Mere Christianity" by CS Lewis:

"An ordinary simple Christian kneels down to say his prayers. He is trying to get into touch with God. But if a Christian, he knows that what is prompting him to pray is also God: God, so to speak, inside him. But he also knows that all his real knowledge of God comes through Christ, the Man who was God -- that Christ is standing beside him, helping him to pray, praying for him. You see what is happening. God is the thing to which he is praying -- the goal he is trying to reach. God is also the thing inside him which is pushing him on -- the motive power. God is also the road or bridge along which he is being pushed to that goal. So that the whole three-fold life of the three-personal being is actually going on in that ordinary little bedroom where an ordinary Christian is saying his prayers."

2006-11-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

This news article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061110/ap_on_re_us/superstar_pastors talks about the "cult of personality" in many American churches, specifically in mega churches. It specifically talks about the recent Ted Haggard scandal, which was all the more difficult for his church because so much of it was built around him.

We've talked a little here before about how worship leaders have become "superstars" of the American Church within the last ten years -- what about pastors? Where do you draw the line, in terms of how closely you identify or "market" a church with a specific figure, such as a pastor?

What kind of accent do you have?

2006-11-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
Boston
The Inland North
The Northeast
Philadelphia
North Central
The South
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

This is me to a "T". I'm from southern Indiana. But I will say that I was in radion a decade ago, during which time I took a Voice and Diction class in college. Before then, I had a more "country" accent. It still comes out when I'm really nervous, really comfortable, or when I'm hanging out with others who have that accent.

A True Friend

2006-11-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

A "TRUE FRIEND" does this...

(A)ccepts you as you are

(B)elieves in "you"

(C)alls you just to say "HI"

(D)oesn't give up on you

(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)

(F)orgives your mistakes

(G)ives unconditionally

(H)elps you

(I)nvites you over

(J)ust likes to "be" with you

(K)eeps you close at heart

(L)oves you for who you are

(M)akes a difference in your life

(N)ever Judges

(O)ffers support

(P)icks you up

(Q)uiets your fears

(R)aises your spirits

(S)ays nice things about you

(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it

(U)nderstands you

(V)alues you

(W)alks beside you

(X)-plains things you don't understand

(Y)ells when you won't listen and

(Z)aps you back to reality

Daily Wisdom

2006-11-10T05:28:00.000-08:00

"If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?"

New Hymn

2006-11-08T06:56:00.000-08:00

This is a hymn I just wrote last night, in a meter I haven't used before. It's fairly uncommon but Wesley used it effectively.

This hymn deals with work theology. My pastor always says that work is not, as many Christians seem to believe, a curse brought on by the fall. Work was made more difficult and less productive as a result of the fall, but we were put on this earth to fill and subdue it, we were told to name the animals, and we were created imago dei -- in the image of God. We do (on a limited scale) what He does because we bear his image (Laura, did I use the right "bear?"). He is the creator, and we are creative. Anyway, here it is. Since I just wrote it last night, this may not be the final draft:

GOD OF SHOP AND MARKETPLACE

(7.6.7.6.7.8.7.6 meter)

God of shop and marketplace,

Of farm and studio,

Factory and shipping lane,

Of school and busy home:

Bless the produce of our hands.

Redeem our work for Kingdom-use.

By Your grace, our efforts stand,

All offered up to You.

There in Eden, You proclaimed

That we should work the earth --

Stewards over all we named,

Delighting in their worth.

Through our fall we brought decay,

Lost access to Jehovah's rest.

Through the cross, we rest in faith

And all our labor's blessed.

In Your image we are made:

Creative like You are,

Forming goods for use and trade

Just like You formed the stars.

Send us out in power and skill

To worship through each task assigned.

By Your Spirit we fulfill

The holy, grand design.

Movie Quote Of The Day

2006-11-08T05:44:00.000-08:00

From "The Barnyard:"

Ben the Cow: Otis, a strong man stands up for himself. A stronger man stands up for others.

What do people envy about you?

2006-11-07T06:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I can see some aspects of this, but I definitely don't think I have such a "who cares/ throw caution to the wind" attitude as this test reveals -- I can be pretty cautionary and methodical. And I don't see people as feeling plain or ordinary around me. But anyway:

People Envy Your Ingenuity

You're a person with unique ideas, big plans, and a zany outlook on life. Many people look to you for inspiration.
People envy your creativity and "who cares?" attitude. They feel very ordinary next to you - and they usually are!

What Do People Envy About You?

Those Wild And Crazy Colts

2006-11-06T06:53:00.000-08:00

Once again my Indianapolis Colts have shot out of the gate with a perfect start. Now, at 8-0, they are the last unbeaten team in the NFL this season. Let's hope they don't fizzle out this year. As the saying goes, "He who laughs last, laughs best."