Brendan Shea's Blog, page 3

Song of the Week

Sorry I haven’t been posting for a while. I’ve been busy at my day job, and working on a number of book writing projects…

This is possibly the most important song I’ve ever heard, because it chronicles a young man encountering his Savior and inheriting eternal life. It is from the movie, “Left Behind”, whose theology might not have been perfect, but to me, watching the scene where Kirk Cameron’s character, Buck Williams, becomes a Christian, is worth far more than an expensive trip to the movie theater.

(the scene is at 122:36, but you might want to watch the whole movie)

BELIEVER – by Jake

things never happen like i wish they could

only in my dreams

i’ve never been willing to give up my heart

or let myself believe

i have been waiting all of my life

just for tonight

this time i’m hoping, holding out for you

to let me see the light

so make me a believer for once in my life

right here and now touch me somehow

let it be tonight

it’s all on the line, i’m down on my knees

i don’t know how but i’m ready to see

clear every shadow of doubt in my mind

cuz i want to believe

i’ve been sitting here

staring at the rain all alone tonight

something about you is making me smile

with tears in my eyes

maybe you noticed, maybe you can tell

what’s happening to me, yeah

when you say my name

touch my heart again

it’s making me believe

so make me a believer for once in my life

right here and now touch me somehow

let it be tonight

it’s all on the line, i’m down on my knees

i don’t know how but i’m ready to see

clear every shadow of doubt in my mind

cuz i want to believe

why can’t this be

one of the times

when i can see

with open eyes

shine your light

i’ll never forget for the rest of my life

so make me a believer for once in my life

right here and now touch me somehow

let it be tonight

it’s all on the line, i’m down on my knees

i don’t know how but i’m ready to see

clear every shadow of doubt in my mind

cuz i want to believe

Jake (band): A Contemporary Christian Music band that released a song called “Believer” for the Left Behind: The Movie soundtrack. 

A Day in the Life (rebooted)

I went to the movies today with my wife. She wanted to see the final installment of Downton Abbey. I have been wanting to see the new Fantastic Four iteration, but it is no longer in theaters here, and she was not interested.

We went to World Wrapps for lunch, and I had the (chicken) Tikki Masala wrap with meat, brown rice/quinoa, slaw, pickles, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, and Masala sauce on flatbread.

It was amazing, and while we dropped over $50 to eat on a concrete patio at a tiny table at a shopping center, the weather was perfect, the food incredible, and dining with my wife is always a good event.

My drink was also outstanding; I had an Olipop Orange Squeeze Their site has the exceptionally healthy and tasty ingredients:

Carbonated Water, OLISMART (Cassava Root Fiber, Chicory Root Inulin, Jerusalem Artichoke Inulin, Nopal Cactus*, Marshmallow Root*, Calendula Flower*, Kudzu Root*), Apple Juice Concentrate, Mandarin Juice Concentrate, Cassava Root Syrup, Clementine Juice Concentrate, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Rose Hips*, Acerola Cherry*, Stevia Leaf*, Himalayan Pink Salt, Natural Flavors.

I felt pretty affluent, dining in this manner, but it was casual eating, and while we are not rich by local standards, living in a mobile home and earning a modest income, by world standards, we are ultra rich.

Then we walked a few doors down to the cinema. I got some Reese’s Pieces and a water and went to see the movie. It was well shot, the acting was good and the characters well drawn. I enjoy British drama, but the denizens of Downton are very proper and upper crusty; even the working class have the typical stiff upper lip.

When I go to the movies, and sit in heated seats that recline and comfort, eat tasty treats, and relax for a few hours, I feel that I should be serving the homeless or building them a home. I’m glad I get to help out at my church, and hope my contribution to the needy, will please and honor the Lord.

I was not that impressed with the film overall, compared with the small screen version; it was probably just as good, but I didn’t feel the big screen helped its stories. Still, the movie was entertaining, and pretty well made. I will add that I enjoyed the TV series quite a bit.

Some of the scenes in the movie made me uncomfortable. Not to judge, and I guess we all need validation, but I was a little uneasy after seeing it. I edited this paragraph as I meant what I’d said, but it sounded bigoted nonetheless.

We left the theater with the saga concluded, and went home to a quiet house, aside from our pets’ initial excitement to see us; the dog of course more than the cat.

The next day was church, and I was grateful to hear the pastor preach; it was a message about how Jesus made a man wait while his daughter died, in order to first heal a woman who’d been bleeding for years.

The woman was a pariah, and Jesus healed her. Our pastor said that Jesus would have had reasons for making the father wait. And I figure that witnessing the girl rise from the dead was more impactful than healing her illness.

Pastor said that God solves our problems in His time, not ours, that he requires more of us than we expect (like making a man wait while his daughter died), but gives us more than we can imagine (like raising her from the dead.

I thought about the problems I have, and how I want to be appreciated and successful, and was comforted that while God expects more of me than I might have anticipated, His rewards are indeed far beyond my hopes or dreams.

When we departed the theater the day before, I saw a cool movie poster, about an era where life seemed simpler; I guess they are rereleasing this film this fall, and I appreciated this new version of the poster.

A Day in the Life

I went to the movies today with my wife. She wanted to see the final installment of Downton Abbey. I have been wanting to see the new Fantastic Four iteration, but it is no longer in theaters here, and she was not interested.

We went to World Wrapps for lunch, and I had the (chicken) Tikki Masala wrap with meat, brown rice/quinoa, slaw, pickles, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, and Masala sauce on flatbread.

It was amazing, and while we dropped over $50 to eat on a concrete patio at a tiny table at a shopping center, the weather was perfect, the food incredible, and dining with my wife is always a good event.

My drink was also outstanding; I had an Olipop Orange Squeeze Their site has the exceptionally healthy and tasty ingredients:

Carbonated Water, OLISMART (Cassava Root Fiber, Chicory Root Inulin, Jerusalem Artichoke Inulin, Nopal Cactus*, Marshmallow Root*, Calendula Flower*, Kudzu Root*), Apple Juice Concentrate, Mandarin Juice Concentrate, Cassava Root Syrup, Clementine Juice Concentrate, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Rose Hips*, Acerola Cherry*, Stevia Leaf*, Himalayan Pink Salt, Natural Flavors.

I felt pretty affluent, dining in this manner, but it was casual eating, and while we are not rich by local standards, living in a mobile home and earning a modest income, by world standards, we are ultra rich.

Then we walked a few doors down to the cinema. I got some Reese’s Pieces and a water and went to see the movie. It was well shot, the acting was good and the characters well drawn. I enjoy British drama, but the denizens of Downton are very proper and upper crusty; even the working class have the typical stiff upper lip.

When I go to the movies, and sit in heated seats that recline and comfort, eat tasty treats, and relax for a few hours, I feel that I should be serving the homeless or building them a home. I’m glad I get to help out at my church, and hope my contribution to the needy, will please and honor the Lord.

I was not that impressed with the film overall, compared with the small screen version; it was probably just as good, but I didn’t feel the big screen helped its stories. Still, the movie was entertaining, and pretty well made. I will add that I enjoyed the TV series quite a bit.

Some of the scenes in the movie made me uncomfortable. Not to judge, and I guess we all need validation, but I was a little uneasy after seeing it. I edited this paragraph as I meant what I’d said, but it sounded bigoted nonetheless.

We left the theater with the saga concluded, and went home to a quiet house, aside from our pets’ initial excitement to see us; the dog of course more than the cat.

The next day was church, and I was grateful to hear the pastor preach; it was a message about how Jesus made a man wait while his daughter died, in order to first heal a woman who’d been bleeding for years.

The woman was a pariah, and Jesus healed her. Our pastor said that Jesus would have had reasons for making the father wait. And I figure that witnessing the girl rise from the dead was more impactful than healing her illness.

Pastor said that God solves our problems in His time, not ours, that he requires more of us than we expect (like making a man wait while his daughter died), but gives us more than we can imagine (like raising her from the dead.

I thought about the problems I have, and how I want to be appreciated and successful, and was comforted that while God expects more of me than I might have anticipated, His rewards are indeed far beyond my hopes or dreams.

When we departed the theater the day before, I saw a cool movie poster, about an era where life seemed simpler; I guess they are rereleasing this film this fall, and I appreciated this new version of the poster.

Song of the Week (is back!)

Vicki Yohe – Because of Who You Are

Lyrics

I worship you Lord
Lord, I love you, Lord

Because of who you are, I give you glory
Because of who you are, I give you praise
Because of who you are, I will lift my voice and say
Lord, I worship you because of who you are
Lord, I worship you because of who you are

Because of who you are, I give you glory
Because of who you are, I give you praise
Because of who you are, I will lift my voice and say
Lord, I worship you because of who you are
Lord, I worship you because of who you are

Jehovah Jireh, my provider
Jehovah Nissi, Lord, you reign in victory
Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace
And I worship you because of who you are

Because of who you are, I give you glory
Because of who you are, I give you praise
Because of who you are, I will lift my voice and say
Lord, I worship you because of who you are
Lord, I worship you because of who you are

Jehovah Jireh, my provider
Jehovah Nissi, Lord, You reign in victory
Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace
And I worship because of who you are

Jehovah Jireh, my provider
Jehovah Nissi, Lord you reign in victory
Jehovah Shalom, My Prince of Peace
And I worship you
And I worship you because of who you are

And I worship you because of who you are

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Brian Kelly McKnight / Michael Brandon Barnes

Because of Who You Are lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Some Flowers

From my travels

A Short, Short Story

Alexander Powers Proudfoot was an inscrutable pip. No one and nothing could explain his prowess. Even the powerful mental monster, AI, was powerless against his fearless mental motions.

He lived in a hut on the edge of a river, and ate fractured fish he’d caught and slammed on a rock. He had nothing against the salvelinus fontinalis, and hated that they should suffer, so he killed them instantly on capture, and fried them on sticks, turned over flame.

He had no use for digital tools. He slept on a foam pad, covered with recycled blankets. The warm drapes were fashioned from reused materials, and kept him warm, even during the icy Scots’ winters.

Al, as his few friends called him, was an heir to the Huckaby fortune. The Huckaby’s, being a newspaper dynasty from Yorkshire, had all but died out, and Al was their sole heir.

Jilted by a rich coffee heiress years back, Al retired to the riverside hut, living on clean air and a wealth of solitude. He kept occupied with letters, writing to those he found in the local paper he picked up on his weekly jaunts to town. They were folk who needed help, but had avoided asking for it.

He’d obtain their addresses from his business agent, Thomas Cooper, and mail them each a million dollars from his hefty bank account. No one knew from whence the money came, and one day, Al was slamming a fish on a rock, when he slipped and fell. Slamming his noggin on the boulder, he left this perilous earth forever.

He’d given away the last of his millions, and was never seen again, but the people who’d received the anonymous funds, followed a similar trend, retiring to obscurity, and living for others.

Al looked down from heaven, pleased with his toil. The Almighty crowned his pate, saying, “Well done.”

A Simple Pasta

Home alone for dinner tonight, I was relegated to using some of our Costco Tortelloni. A tasty treat, but one that requires some semblance of accompaniment. So I found a few things on hand and what resulted was very enjoyable.

I ate a few of them raw, as the cheese tastes delicious that way, but if you ate a whole serving that way, you’d probably get a starch-induced stomach ache.

I put the rest in a medium saucepan, covered with water, and brought to a simmer. I kept them on for a few minutes, but did not drain and bowl them until the other ingredients were prepared thoroughly; otherwise the dish would have been cold.

I had some mini-bell peppers, so I took a large yellow one, paired with two baby carrots, and nuked them for 2.75 minutes until soft. Then I diced them and placed them in a bowl.

I also had some roasted chicken lunch meat and some Tillamook Pepperjack, so I used two thin slices of meat and one thick slice of cheese, dicing them quickly and adding to the same bowl.

Scooping out a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of Classico pesto, I added them to the bowl, and drained the pasta and stirred it in. I topped it off with a teaspoon of olive oil and the dish was ready.

The result was very good: a soft pasta, lightly seasoned, with pesto, meat, melted cheese and vegetables. It really tasted light and delicious. The entire meal probably cost about $3.50 at a guess, and my gullet was pleased and not overstuffed.

I hope your dinner is at least as good!

A Fantastic Bible Listening App

Dear Readers,

I’m sorry to not have written much of late. I’m in a season of less blogging. Perhaps I have writer’s block, or I just haven’t been moved to blog. I have been writing and doing related tasks significantly, but my creative urge has been slightly on the wane.

I have been using Bible Gateway’s Bible Audio App, and I have to say it is fantastic and free and well worth a listen. Also, if you have trouble reading some passages from a book or online, this app’s audio quality is superb.

Happy reading and blessings!

Awesome image credit for featured Bible reader picture (not above):

Photo by Oladimeji Ajegbile on Pexels.com

A Brilliant Romance

Yesterday

Film director Danny Boyle describes himself as a “spiritual atheist, but in his 2019 romantic musical, Yesterday, he shows the power of love and music so strongly, I can’t help but think the Lord was at the center of it.

James 1:17 New International Version

17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Mild spoiler alert covers first thirty minutes of the film:

I don’t want to give the movie away, but it is apparent early in the film’s opening, that the protagonist, a failed but talented musician, frustrated by his lack of commercial success, but ardently supported by his fellow teacher and manager, decides to take a regular day job when something extraordinary happens.

There is a global blackout, he is hit by a bus, and wakes up to find the world has changed, and certain famous people and things have ceased to exist, chiefly, The Beatles.

At his birthday party, he sings one of the famous pop groups’ songs, but none of his friends recognize the song or the band. He thinks it is some elaborate and cruel prank, but in time, he learns the truth.

He begins to launch his career by recalling the Beatles’ songs’ lyrics (nothing is available online or elsewhere), and starts to perform them. Soon faced with a choice between fame and true love, our hero tries to navigate an impossible situation.

Watch Yesterday, to come back to the heart of romance and artistry. With amazing performances by Himesh Patel, Lily James, Ed Sheeran, Kate McKinnon, Joel Fry, Robert Carlyle and others.

Drawings at Dusk

A few simple electronic sketches

Man & Woman

The Doctor

A Woman

Hoop Dreams

I can do a bit of sketching with pen on paper, but drawing on the computer is more challenging.

Thanks for viewing.