Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Flashback - March 09

We've already reached the last day in March 2010. Time is flying quickly. Why not take a look back at some of the top posts from a year ago?

There were two songs that touched our hearts...

And one that made us wet our pants...

One interview that revealed the mysteries of the opposite sex...

and another that one that revealed the reality of mortality...
Dr. Randy Pausch - We Are All Dying

Friday, March 26, 2010

The Learning Express

The other day I woke up with a catchy tune stuck in my head, so I started singing it:

- "Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars,...Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune!"
- My wife's half-awake response: "Are you seriously singing about the planets at 8 in the morning?"

Yes, yes I was. Why? Well, the previous day, I had watched the sweet video below. I hope watching it inspires you for this weekend's Action Sunday. Check it out:



The Learning Express is an incredible group lead by the cool folks at Progression Arts, some of who just happen to be some good friends of mine :-). The band features Othello (one of the illest MCs in the Mitten) and a great lineup of jazz musicians lead by Kris Johnson. Check out this additional video for more info on the project.

Bonus: the videos were put together by Jeremy Ian Thomas, also known around the Hip-Hop scene as Surreal.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Wallpaper - Action Sunday

On the last Sunday of every month, Rooted breaks up into several smaller groups and heads out to the community in many different forms: volunteering at homeless shelters, writing letters to prisoners, playing great music at local coffee shops, etc. We call it Action Sunday, and it's our monthly chance to get off our comfy church chairs and live what we preach, spreading the good news of Christ wherever we go.


That opportunity is coming again this weekend, and to get you inspired to come out with us, we put together some cool new wallpaper backgrounds for you to show off on your screen. Check it out.

Resolutions:
Visit our Flickr page for other of our wallpaper backgrounds, free to download.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Haitian Cry Out

For those who missed out on last night's Cry Out (Rooted's occasional night of prayer and worship), you missed out on this humbling video. For those of you who were there, you get to see it again:


Visit Loving Hand Ministry's website today for more information on their efforts.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

I Follow Dead People


"You have no idea! My joints are killing me." That was the latest tweet from @PaulOfTarsus. No, not the real Apostle Paul...just some guy (or girl, I guess) tweeting quotes from his Biblical letter, along with some other random and fictitious blurbs. So yeah, if you're on twitter, now you can follow dead people. Despite the coffin smell, here's some other theologians who are managing to tweet from the grave:

Oswald Chambers (@oschambers)
Sample tweet: "As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message."

Smith Wigglesworth (@smwigglesworth)
Sample tweet: "Desire God, and you will have desires from God."

St. Augustine (@staugustinus)
Sample tweet: "Lord, whether prosperity smile or adversity frown, let your praise be ever in my mouth."

C.S. Lewis (@CSLewisDaily)
Sample tweet: "Tribulations cannot cease until God either sees us remade or sees that our remaking is now hopeless."

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

MUTEMATH - Backfire Video

Another great MUTEMATH video. And yes, of course it's by Goodwin Films yet again. Awesome:


Friday, March 12, 2010

Another Dimension

If anyone has ever wondered what it is like to be a dancer that truly embrace the music, this video from Bboy Cloud may answer your question:


By the way, if you are trying to think of when you've seen Cloud before...it might have very well been at this year's Oscars dance performance last Sunday.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

GuiDANCE

Ran into this composition on Facebook, but the author is anonymous. If anyone knows who wrote it, please let us know! In any case, it fits it very nicely with Sunday's thoughts on dancing and following the Spirit. Indeed, God gave us His Spirit so that we could follow it:

Dancing With God
When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i"..
"God, "u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Jesus Culture - Dance With Me

Following the Spirit of God's lead is much like following a dance partner, or dancing to a song. That's what we discovered last night during Week 3 of the Freestyle Series. After all, we are called to keep in step with the Spirit. This beautiful song by Jesus Culture embraces this same truth:



Are you following God's song and lead today? We encourage you to be attentive and submissive to the Spirit. He will guide all of your step, if you simply allow Him to.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Francis Chan - Forgotten God

Here's a quick promo for Francis Chan's new book, Forgotten God. We'll be giving one copy of the book away at Rooted this month, so make sure to be there!


Wednesday, March 3, 2010

God Liked It

Oh man, I've always had a feeling Saturn was His favorite...

Monday, March 1, 2010

Josh Garrels - Freedom

It gets a little frustrating trying to understand the music world sometimes. How can I turn on my radio and hear an endless playlist of talent-less artists day after day, but never come across a mind-blowing musician and lyricist like Josh Garrels? It was too difficult to pick just one his videos to show here, so here's just one of his many incredible performances, taken from his Seven Stards DVD. Enjoy!