Job Placement...

We're starting a new thing called "job placement" here at Todd Blog.
Every now and again, I'll throw out the name of someone famous. Politician, athlete, historical figure...you get the drift.

Then you comment with a list of things that the individual would be doing if he or she weren't famous. This is your chance to prove three things.

1. That you're funny.
2. That you have a firm grasp of culture and history.
3. That Todd Blog is the best dang site on the web for hanging out and being creative.

Before we do this, notice one thing.

LIST.

That's right - your job is to make a list. Not just one thing. So, not only do you have to be funny, you have to be funny multiple times.

Scared, yet?

Well, add this to the mix. Next week, I'll pick a winner for most humorous comment and they'll receive a full day of online love...Facebook, blog, twitter, the whole deal...I'll dedicate a whole day to telling the world how awesome you are.

So...who's the celebrity?

TIM MCGRAW

Go.

Wow...

Caught this video today via JordonCooper.



I'd encourage you to click the video and go check out the "more info" section on the video's YouTube page. The guy who created this video has a pretty interesting story and a bold take on the worship-music-subculture.

I'd love to know what you think?

Is this video just humor?
Is it spot-on?
Is it too far?

Tub-O

Isaac Deitz is filmaker who I first saw on tour with Family Force 5. Since coming off the road with them, he's been throwing some pretty funny stuff on YouTube.

This is Isaac's TOP 10 INTERPRETIVE DANCE MOVES. I'd love to know what your favorite dance is.

About to hit the bed...gonna' dig into this as I sleep!

Another cool short film from Mosaic.

Thank God for YouTube...

A little of the ridiculous...
A little of the sublime...

Kids Are Awesome...

A few things my son did today (that make me think he's lost is mind...)

1. I walked outside to find him doing "spit-takes" with his Sprite. Three of them in a row.
   
   
2. He spit bubble-gum on my back. Claimed it was an "experiment."
   
   
3. While at a family reunion, discovered that he packed 20 pieces of gum (from the dessert table) into one of his pockets.
   

Sheesh...
Kristen's really got her work cut out for her.

Todd Recommends...

Together For The Gospel Live
Found this record from Sovereign Grace a couple of weeks ago. Recorded in April 2008, Together For The Gospel Live is a collection of tunes led by Bob Kauflin and over 5,000 pastors.

But this is unlike any live record I've heard in a long, long time.

First of all, it's just Bob Kauflin and piano. No percussion, no additional vocalists on stage. No overdubs. Now a live record with just one person on stage isn't necessarily all that uncommon. But this record has mixed the congregation mics so hot that in almost every song, Bob is overpowered by 5,000 voices singing these hymns. Sure, Bob is great, but for the first time in my life, I'm listening to a live record of the congregation and not the guy on stage.

Secondly, the piano stuff on here is extraordinary. The transitions are effortless and the amount of energy and variety that Kauflin puts into these songs is extremely impressive. This is definitely a record that makes you say, "Man, I wish I could play like that."

Third, the worship leading here is so very good. Bob is excellent. Lots of worship leaders "call out" things in between lines - to cue the band, to change the order, to help the congregation if projection is lagging, etc. But Kauflin often says what's already been sung...instead of predicting what's coming in the next phrase, he's punctuating what's already been said. At first, it's kinda' tricky on the ear, but after awhile, it's a nice effect. His use of scripture and story are so skillfull here. One of the best things that worship leaders can do is listen and learn from other, better people and Kauflin is definitely one of those.

Lastly, the song selection is stellar. Mostly older hymns, but some newer "hymns" fill out the record. There's nothing better than good hymns done well and this record is all that and more.

The Medicine - John Mark McMillan
You may remember McMillan's tune, "Death In His Grave" from a Good Friday video I posted recently.

This is without a doubt my new favorite record. McMillan is writing some of the coolest stuff I've heard in a long time. It's mostly lo-fi Americana stuff and the songwriting is really good. The rocking stuff sounds like Pete Yorn/Springsteen and the slow stuff has all the cool swagger of David Gray or Mat Kearney or even Chris Whitley.

Great acoustic guitar work combined with a nice laid-back production approach don't just support these songs - it makes the tunes come alive! This guy is writing gutsy, honest poetry that swings from outright worship to confessional peeks into broken lives and what happens when redemption finds them.

I can't stop telling people about this record - it's so good. If you dig artsy, roots rock stuff fantastic lyrical precision, "The Medicine" is your record.

Chicago, Day 3

(LIST)

This is a special “seminar” edition of my typical (LIST) post. By now, you know that I’m at the Gospel Coalition Conference in Chicago. I’ve been vlogging each day and making that available to folks at Bethel as well as those who follow this blog. But I’ve made a few observations that are a bit more random in nature.

• Fresh, piping hot Giordano’s stuffed Chicago-style pizza? Delicious. Cold, next-day stuffed pizza in the hotel? Not so much.

  
  
• So far at the conference, I’ve noticed three specific groups. These groups seem pretty easy to spot- Older, established pastors; young, hip pastors; unkempt, shaggy seminary students
.
  
  
• There’s a higher “nerd” quotient here than I expected.

  
  
• We’re staying in a pretty high-end hotel...lavish design, expensive restaurants, refined staff and $11 a day for internet. It’s the paying for internet that bothers me the most.

  
  
• There are many more mohawks than I expected. Mohawk, not “faux hawk.” Real deal, baby...as in...really strange.

  
  
• My favorite moment so far has to be seeing the disgust in Mark Kuykendall’s face after taking a bit of White Castle. Mark didn’t like White Castle.

Chicago, Day 2!

Chicaago, Part 1

Just so you know...

There are three things working for me in this video:

1. Twitter
2. Slamming Oprah
3. Jimmy Kimmel (one of the smartest, unique tv personalities we've seen in a long time)

ENJOY...this is good stuff.

BIG NEWS!

THE BIG NEWS...will have to wait.

Sorry, gang! My big news got postponed.

Hopefully, I'll be ready to share it by tomorrow. We're in the midst of a big weekend at Bethel and I'm trying to get ready to head to Chicago next week and I just ran out of time. Hopefully, by Saturday we'll be good to go.

Thanks for your patience!

Strange Development...

A lot of you have seen Stephen L. Anderson. Anderson is a very conservative pastor in Arizona who's best-known for his famed "him that pisseth against the wall" video on YouTube.

I saw this come through over at www.boingboing.net. Didn't realize it was the same guy until I looked at the actual YouTube page.

Check this out and let me know what you think:

What They Knew...

My parents and your parents (and maybe even your grandparents) have a tremendous lead on us when it comes to music.

Those who came before us saw and heard some of the greats. No auto-tune. No performance on a stage in sync with a music video of that very same performer.

No, our parents saw something different - folks who captivate a crowd with a microphone and a guitar. A solo piano. A jazz combo.

In these days, we don't see many of these performers. But when we do, we're blown away; we're captivated by the power of well-written song and a brilliantly-shared story.

Jon Troast is one of those people.

I love Jon Troast because he's humble enough to cut through all the pretense of performance; he's mischievous enough to know that songs should surprise us; he's honest enough to realize that faith and everyday life are obviously connected...not some off/on switch between sacred and secular that all good Christians know how to do.

I couldn't be more excited that Jon is coming to Tyler next week! My pal Garrick is bring Jon to Young Life Tyler next Monday, April 20th at Accelerate Enhancement Center. The show kicks off at 8:57 and I think folks are going to love Jon's tunes. If you dig great songwriting, you'll want to be there!

BIG NEWS...

Be sure and stop by the blog this Friday, April 17th. I'll be sharing some fun news about a new project I'm involved in.

I'm really excited about this - it's gonna' be super fun and I'm going to need your help.

Stick around...it's gonna' get WILD!

CHICAGO LIST

I'm headed to Chicago next week for the Gospel Coalition Conference w/ the pastoral staff at Bethel. I'm looking forward to it. (Although, after looking at the speakers and sessions, I'm pretty sure I'm going to come home feeling like an ignorant wretch.)

I've never been to Chicago and I've been thinking a lot about what I would like my "Chicago Experience" to be. Here is my list.

1. Meet Oprah. (Obviously)
2. Have the famed "Chicago Bulls" music play when I step off the airplane.
3. Get in a fight on the set of Jerry Springer
4. Re-enact any scene from the opening of "Perfect Strangers." (Although the closing shot in front of Wrigley is first choice, I'll take any of them.)
5. If I can't do the "Perfect Strangers" thing, I'll settle for a visit to the home of Carl Winslow.
6. Pay off a politician.
7. Get a "Chi-Town" tattoo.

Don't even act like you didn't LOVE this show.
And that song is fantastic.

TUNES

Okay, worship folks...let's do a little survey. Many of us have been ramping up to Easter - saying things like, "After Easter, I'll get to that." or "We gotta' work out that song after Easter!"

Now that a lot of you are recovering from Holy Week worship, I've got a question for ya!

What are some songs/videos/other art you're planning on bringing to worship in the near future?

Me and PaPa...

I love spending time with my Grandpa.
He's had some health problems over the past few months which reminds me to appreciate every second I have with him.

He's a Godly man who's passionate about a few things:

1. The Church
2. Fishing
3. Gardening

I shot a new episode of "The Dean Jones Show" with him, but haven't had time to edit it, yet.
Stay tuned.
It's gonna' be a good one.

Thanks to Kyle Campos, I found John Mark McMillan's "Death In His Grave" over on iTunes and decided to use it for something simple we could send out to our folks on Good Friday.

As it stands right now, the video is posted on Bethe's Facebook and at the Bethel blog. I send a lot of twitter followers over to it early, but waited until Friday to make it known among Bethel folks.

I really dig the song...nice feel and some great lyric/melody pairing.


Good Friday Video from Bethel Bible Church on Vimeo.

ROCK BAND, PART II

todd vlog ep 85 - part II from Todd Wright on Vimeo.

Never Seen This Until Today....

...from Urlesque.com.

"Nicholas White, a 34-year-old production manager at Business Week, was trapped in an elevator on his way home from work. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't your run-of-the-mill elevator malfunction. White stayed in that elevator for 41 hours. His desperation to escape or notify something of his problem soon turned to resignation and was all captured on the surveillance cameras -- which, after being up, was put on YouTube and went viral immediately. White was eventually rescued and promptly let go after he sued the elevator-maintenance company for twenty-five million dollars (He settled for a whole lot less.)"

dcb*rockumentary

This is great.

FLUTTER

ANOTHER VIDEO!

Mark Frauenfelder demonstrating his electric string instrument at RIT from Chris Tomkins-Tinch on Vimeo.

Interesting stuff...

Love to know your thoughts on this one, gang...

My pal Smitty passed this on to me today. This is such a cool concept. Click the link, watch the videos and read up on this very cool project.

The vision, mission and execution of this Playing for Change movement just astounds me. Give yourself some time...you're gonna' watch all of these that you can.

FRI APR 3

Haven't done one of these in awhile! Even though everybody seems to hate it when I do this type of blog, I thought I might just go ahead and do one for old time's sake! I'm actually thinking of doing this type of post every day next week. Just to drive my readership even lower. I'm such a rebel.

Alarm woke me up a little after 6:30. Desperately wanted to sleep some more, but Finley heard the alarm and decided it was time to get up. Laid on the couch for a few minutes while my body woke up, then I went in to get Jonah up for school. We're pretty fortunate that Jonah is a morning kid. I don't think any 7-year old ever wants to get up for school, but after four or five minutes, Jonah is usually wide awake and ready for the day.

I grabbed a shower while Krist got Jonah dressed and packed up for school. He and I actually left the house a bit earlier than usual, which was nice because I didn't have to drive like a maniac to get him there on time. After I dropped him off, I stopped by Donut Palace. Don't judge me.

Now, listen. We've all been to a Donut Palace. There are some certain similarities that we all probably understand. I love our local store. I love it even more when the guy is working. Because when his sister (or wife) works, I honestly cannot understand what she's saying. Most of the time, I think she's asking where the kids are. Or if I really meant to order 4 cinnamon rolls. Either way, I just chuckle. Usually I leave with an order that's pretty close to what I requested, so that's good.

Got home, handed over the donuts, checked email and such and then I didn't lay back down for a long morning nap. Not me - just thought I'd clarify that.

Then when I woke up I mean after I finished working out, Finley and I watched some of those weird TV shows she likes. (Ni Hao, Kai Lan, Yo Gabba Gabba, etc.) We sang "Wheels On The Bus" and her special renditon of "The Grady Bunch."

I actually did exercise...popped in a DVD of Battlestar and hit the treadmill for about a half-hour. Worked on my situp challenge...no, I will not divulge my status. Grabbed a shower and got dressed. After a while we headed out to pick up Jonah from school. Once we got Jonah,we headed into town for some Andy's Frozen Custard, ice cream that's so good, you willingly pay way too much money for it.

After Andy's, we went to Target for a few groceries and then took Jonah to soccer practice. Finley and I stayed at home while Jonah got all practiced up. Finley went to be around 7. Jonah finished The Clone Wars on DVD while Kristen did some stuff to get ready for Sunday's home group. Ate some supper, "played wrestling" with Jonah and threw him in the tub. Normally, he stays up a little bit later than normal on Fridays, but tonight got away from us. After his bath, he was ready for sleep.

After he was down, Kristen went to bed. I hit the treadmill again. (Dedication) Watched some more Battlestar as I ran, showered and hit the sack.

HE'S LIKE THE WIND...

Hello, everyone and welcome to the very first Todd Blog Swayze Day.
And entire day dedicated to Patrick Swayze...a movie star, a humanitarian and a darn good dancer.

Let's just ponder, for a moment, his allure...
For the ladies, he was the man of their dreams in films like Dirty Dancing and Ghost.
For guys, he was beyond cool in Roadhouse and Point Break and that lesser known gem, Next of Kin.

Don't lie. If there's a Swayze movie on, most of us are going to sit there and watch it, aren't we?
So, today, we're gonna' honor this guy.
Here's how.

If you're on twitter, I'm asking you to dedicate as many "tweets" as possible to Patrick Swayze. Ideally, these tweets would be quotes from his films, but any sort of reference will do. Please end each tweet with the hashtag, #swayzeday.

For Facebook folks, you can do the same w/ your status updates. Although hashtags don't work w/ Facebook, I'd still encourage some reference to "swayzeday" in the update. Just so the world will know about our movement.

As a third (but just as important) level...you can respond with a comment here on the blog with your favorite Swaze memory.

Like it or not, this guy has created some pretty memorable movie moments for a lot of us.
So, get thinking and pay a little tribute!
Heck, who knows? Maybe our mission will spread worldwide!

(LIST)

• Tried out my new song "Forever Faithful" Wednesday at Bethel's youth service. It went great for a first-time performance. A few of the projection slides were missing...need to check and see if they disappeared or just weren't being cued. I'll check that later. But I'd consider the tune "ready" after that performance.
  
  
• The response to the whole Louie Giglio chance-encounter has been really fun and surprising. What's more surprising - how many people have told me what I should have eaten there. No offense, but I don't think anything can top the Bird To The Wise. (Even though it's a really dumb name.)
  
  
• I finally watched Mayer's "Where The Light Is" DVD. I've been a longtime fan of the record, but I really enjoyed digging into the video for the first time. The trio stuff was probably the most fun thing to watch.
  
  
• Related - I find that I run longer when I'm watching concert DVDs. I tend to watch something every time I run on the treadmill, but live music just has a way of distracting me from my typical thoughts of I-HATE-THIS-WHY-AM-I-RUNNING-OH-MAKE-IT-STOP-SOMEBODY-BRING-ME-A-SWEET-TEA-STAT.
  
  
• I recorded Point Break this week on the DVR. In my opinion, this is one of Patrick Swayze's coolest movies. (Of course, we all know that Roadhouse is the #1 Swayze movie. And always will be.) On Friday, every single twitter post will be a line from "Point Break." I'm thinking of making it a huge event where I encourage everyone to use their twitter accounts and Facebook status updates to quote Swayze. I can see all the #swayzequotes hashtags now! You may wonder why I would do something like this? Because I am a fool. Watch the blog for more info!
  
  
• Kristen found internet rumors this week that J.J. Abrams has expressed interest in adapting Stephen King's massive "Dark Tower" series for either TV or theatrical release. Tower is one of the weirdest, creative, disturbing, engaging things I've ever read. In truth, only Abrams could pull it off, in my opinion.
  
  
• I ain't gonna' lie. I want some gigs. That's right. I want to hit the road and go lead some worship! Who's got some gigs for me?
  

LOVE/HATE/FEAR...

I've never been much of a scary movie fan. I dig stuff that's suspenseful, but for the most part, I stay away from the stuff that's more hardcore.

However, I LOVE scary books. I'm not sure why...maybe it's safer somehow? Maybe it's the fact that I'm controlling the imagery rather than placing my trust in the hands of some director or special effects person. I'm not sure - I just know I'm a sucker for creepy books.

A lot of you are readers, so I thought I'd ask,

"What's the scariest book you ever read?"