Music Spotlight: Nate Sallie Ruined for Ordinary

I discovered the music of Nate Sallie about four years ago, shortly after his debut album Inside Out was released. I liked what I heard then, and have kept tabs looking for follow-up work. It's been four years, and apparently quite a journey, but Nate has now released his sophomore project Ruined for Ordinary, available March 20^th on the Curb Records label. From what I've heard thus far, I like this one, too.

Here is what Nate has to say about himself and what lead to this album on his website bio:

I've been ruined for an ordinary life; ruined for an average existence; ruined for an everyday, run-of-the-mill mundane lifestyle… ruined for business as usual. From the moment I experienced the life-changing power of God's love—an overwhelming flood of mercy, grace, joy and the peace of the Lord that passes all understanding—there was no going back. There would be no returning to good when great had been found.

In the fall of 2004 I lost my life. It was the best thing that has ever happened to me! For so long I had been living in my own strength and making things happen with my own might. I strove for excellence and was driven. I lived by the letter of the law and moved through the motions with the best of them. I was catering to the Old Covenant without knowing or understanding what it meant to live under grace, through faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I had come to Christ at a young age and was baptized with the Holy Spirit at a youth camp a few years later. The power of the Holy Spirit had been real and relevant at that point and had taken hold of my life in a powerful way. But I let go and wandered off over time, leaving it a distant memory. It became a monumental time in my past, and a cherished experience, but it was no more than that.
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As the Holy Spirit began to infiltrate and permeate my every thought and action, I became relentless in my hunger and thirst for righteousness. It was no longer I who lived, but Christ and the Holy Spirit who lived in me. The old man began to be stripped away and the new man was being birthed. I put away what I was born to do and stepped into what I was born-again to do. I had been apprehended by Christ Himself, and I was now living a lifestyle of unbroken fellowship and communion.
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For the first time in years I could see clearly. Words, sentences, phrases, and Scriptures poured out of me at such a rapid rate I couldn't keep up. Songs began to well-up and burst the banks of my soul. It was all I could do to contain myself. I wanted to sing, dance, shout, and let everyone in on this new life. My wife and I rejoiced in the Lord and what He had done. We rejoiced in His redeeming power and unparalleled ability to repair, restore, and rebuild that which had been broken, beaten, and bruised. He had handed me the gift of life— not just life, but abundant life!

Stylistically, I think he's made a few changes. While Inside Out was mostly guitar driven, punkish rock aimed at a younger audience, the music on Ruined for Ordinary is more piano based (he is a classically trained pianist) and more introspective. (I've read that when Inside Out was made, he was basically in a period of his life when he was running away from the piano, but he has since rediscovered his love for it.) What is also obvious is his change in appearance (as evident from comparison of the album covers). What has not changed is the passion that comes across in his music - Nate loves to sing and is full of joy when singing these songs - and the quality of the music. He's not the top musician out there, but he is a good musician and he writes good lyrics and songs I like to hear. God has been sharpening His tool, and the work on Ruined is, I think, better than Inside Out - more mature, deeper. Listening to Ruined for Ordinary, you hear someone who is not compromising either the quality of his music or the import of the message he puts in the songs.

I have not found any free downloads of Nate's music (a shame) and his YouTube exposure is limited (also a shame). But you can hear some samples of his music on iTunes (I recommend "Breakthrough" and "Holy Spirit") or though his website (it is a Flash sight, so I cannot give direct links, but look under "Media!"). Also, a video of "Breakthrough" from Ruined for Ordinary can be seen in Windows or QuickTime. A video for "Inside Out", from his first album, can be found here (Windows only).

P.S. If anyone at Curb happens to read this, I would love to do a more complete review of the whole album, if only someone would provide me with a copy of it (hint, hint, wink wink, nudge nudge, know what I mean?).

Tags: Music, Review, Nate Sallie, Curb Records, Video, CCM, Christianity

My work is trying to kill me

Or, more accurately, the facilities staff seems to be trying to kill me. You may think me crazy (you may have already thought me crazy), but I'm convinced that it is true. They're out to get me, and there's no stopping this cabal of cleaners. The attack is two-pronged, one blunt and one more subtle. The first, and most obvious, attempt on my life is through insidious use of the A/C system: they're trying to freeze me solid!

Now, you may think this delusional paranoia on the part of ol' Euph. To be honest, I thought nothing of it at first. With large buildings, you just have to run the A/C year-round. Even in the winter, there is so much heat generated from people and computers and other items that requires some degree of cooling of the building. So, when it was regularly 55^oF at my desk and in my lab, I just figured they were having trouble getting good control of the system. But that was from the winter of 2003: the sub-60 temps are maintained spring, summer, fall, and winter and I am left in a constant state of mild hypothermia. The insidious part is that it's not that cold in other labs or at other people's cubicles. They're out to get me!

And now, just this week, they have launched the second prong of their evil scheme. It started so innocently, when they changed the air fresheners in the bathrooms around the building. A seemingly normal act, but with murderous intent! This scent, perhaps best described as "powder fresh", is like kryptonite to me. They know, as I've mentioned here before, that scents and perfumes cause an allergic reaction. So now, when I innocently enter the restroom, within seconds I:

• feel my throat constricting
• my sinuses start to swell, so that I feel they might just squeeze out my nostril at any moment
• feel the onset of a migraine headache
• my head gets a little fuzzy, like being a little drunk but not fun at all

I am now left with a terrible decision. Do I brave the maddening redolence of the bathroom? Or, do I simply not go all day long? There is the choice: death through anaphylactic shock or death through renal failure. I'm certainly doomed. Farewell, cruel world, thou hast wounded me too much.

So, if you don't hear from me for a while, you will know that flowers need to be sent to Mrs. Euphrony and to look for the obituary of a Houston rheologist whose passing could be described only as untimely and inexplicable.

Tags: Paranoia, Allergies, Air Fresheners, Air Conditioning, Freezing, Work, Melodramatic, Sarcasm

Damage (Over)Done

(My apologies to Shaun Groves for this gross (mis)appropriation of the title of one of his great songs.)

I'm no stranger to auto accidents, unfortunately. Add Friday afternoon to the long list of dings my various cars have suffered. I'm not really a bad driver, and most of the accidents are not my fault, but that never makes dealing with them any easier. Especially when it comes to working out insurance disputes. As accidents go, though, this one tops my list for "best overall outcome" (at least, thus far).

Here are the details: I was driving home, minding my own business, when approaching a green light I observe an emergency vehicle with lights and sirens entering the intersection from the cross street. Naturally, I slow to a stop and allow the emergency vehicle to pass through the intersection; the person behind me, though, did not see or hear the sirens, did not see my brake lights, and rear-ended me. He was a nice, older gentleman, who was very responsible about the whole thing. There was a cop trying to pass us both, on his way to the same accident the first car was going to, and witnessed our fender bender. (With the choice of responding to this minor accident or proceeding to the other, a fatality crash, he chose the easy job and stuck with us.) My car was drivable, with the rear bumper mostly removed but not interfering with driving, and so after the paperwork I drove on home. The other car had a bit of front-end damage, was leaking assorted necessary fluids, and was towed. About 90-minutes after getting home, I get a call from the other guy's insurance (wow! he'd already called it in!) and we got the repairs for my car set up (I'm taking it in today). This, for me, is a first: not having to hound the other guy's insurance to get my car fixed!

This is kind of nice, in a bizarre way, as this damage was on top of other, more minor, damage to my rear bumper. About 18-months ago, actually just a few days before Hurricane Rita hit and forced the Euphrony's to take a 16.5-hour trip to Dallas (normally 4 hours), I was rear-ended by a lady, denting up the back bumper but only creating cosmetic damage. I got her insurance, but did not insist on police on the scene. It was about 10 days later when I was finally able to talk with her insurance, only to find that she gave me a canceled policy, a home phone number that was canceled a few days later, and a cell phone number for her husband that was also soon canceled. Seeing as how trying to pursue this would probably end up costing me more out of pocket than the damage would reduce the value of the car, I eventually let it drop. But now, with the major damage quite literally on top of the minor damage, it will all get repaired. And, at the same time, I'm going to get a ding out of my door that my neighbor put there by backing out of her driveway into my car (she'll pay for that, not the guy who rear-ended me). But wait, there's more! These repairs will not begin to touch the matching pair of dents on either corner of my front bumper, left there by careless parkers in two parking lots. I did say that I've had my share of accidents, didn't I? All in the day of a Houston driver.

Are you accident prone? Does your car insurer love you or hate you? Got a good accident story, or a bad one? Feel free to share them here.

Tags: Car Crash, Auto Accident, Insurance, Unlucky, Houston, Driving

Confessional: Finding My Voice

Weekend before last, Mrs. E and I went to see Amazing Grace (with Lil'er E in tow, he slept the whole time). One quote from William Wilberforce, early in the movie, hit home personally to me. Wilberforce, who they say was a good singer in college, is worn down from his constant struggles and says that he has lost his voice and can no longer sing like he once did. This hit me, because I feel much the same way right now.

When Little Euphrony was born, I would sing to her constantly to sooth her - singing while I changed diapers, while I rocked her, while I walked with her, all of the time. And the songs I would sing were invariably those I knew best, songs of the church about Christ and God and what they have done for us. Now, with Lil'er E here, I find that the songs do not come. I try to will myself to sing, but the songs and their words seem to elude me. My voice is weak, faltering as I try to sing. Instead of confidence and passion, I find that there is hesitation in my voice. Where has this come from?

I think that I have found myself, much like Wilberforce, caught up so much in the doing of things, filling in the picture of life, that I am no longer amazed by the simple and individual brushstrokes. I have been active in so many things lately; things at work, traveling and trying to get out of travel, papers and projects; preparing for our new son, getting a new room ready for Lil'E so I can get the nursery ready for Lil'er E (still not done); the birth of my son, the exhaustion that comes with a new child, the viral infection I'm just getting over that the whole family has caught. My mind runs a thousand different paths, thinking about what I need to do, what I want to do, lingering on cherished thoughts of my wife, my daughter, my son. I find myself in retreat of serious thought too often; from little things like flippant answers to my wife's serious questions to larger issues like meaningful Bible study, I don't want to think, just do. And the more I do (not at once, as one keeping busy, but over time as this has built) the more shallow it all feels.

My personal Bible study is, honestly, nonexistent at the moment. Meaningful Bible study has, it seems, been gone for some months (looking at my journal reveals the truth in this more readily than my words can - it's nearly empty). We have been involved in a workbook series with out church small group, to which I have given little real attention. My sister-in-law attempted to engage the whole family in another study at the start of the year, one which Mrs. E and I had done before; never cracked the book, totally abandoned it and the commitment I made to at least try. (I'm sorry, Carrie, no excuses here. I truly appreciate what you were and are trying to do in drawing your family together in study.) Unsurprisingly, my personal prayer time has also been abysmal of late - how is it that I can be actively praying for my family, my new son and wife in the birth process, and yet still feel that I leave most of myself out of my conversation with God?

Is it any wonder that my voice seems gone? Is it any wonder that the songs of God are absent from my life, when I have made so much of my life only brushing with Jehovah, overlapping with rather than enveloped by Him?

The Sunday morning after we went to see Amazing Grace, I was reminded of two verses that only drove home even more that point.

¹⁹"The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, and all your male livestock, the first offspring from cattle and sheep. ²⁰"You shall redeem with a lamb the first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the firstborn of your sons. None shall appear before Me empty-handed.

Ex 34:19-20 (NASB, emphasis added)

However, the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

2 Samuel 24:24 (NASB, emphasis added)

These reminded me of how empty my worship has been, done by rote and not by heart, and that I am coming before Jehovah empty-handed. With hands empty, how can I offer anything, much less offer of myself sacrificially as David reminds us we must. I know that worship is our offering to God, but when the offering costs me nothing does it amount to more than empty words? When I started this blog, in my third post, I firmly stated "I want this blog to be about doing something for Christ. I may be the one writing it, but I want it to be uplifting and encouraging, perhaps thought provoking and, above all, beyond me. I am not starting a blog just to post new pictures of my daughter." And yet I feel that, more and more, this blog is more about me and less about Him.

Where do I go from here? For me, right now, I see that I need several things to change in my life, in my heart, to bring me back to where I desire to be.

1. Prayer. Real, honest, conversational, journaled and spontaneous, revealing prayer. This is about getting to know my old friend, my Savior and Creator, again and recapturing the awe and mystery of Him in my heart.
2. Study. Opening the Word of God, to see where He speaks to me and guides me through scripture. For me, good study does not come through reading the good words of others (commentaries, workbooks, blog conversations) but in my purposeful devotion of time in His Words.
3. Sing Praise. As a boxer does not enter the ring without first sparring many times, and as a runner does not take the track without first studying the course, I must prepare myself for this act of worship that I desire but seem to lack right now. If the words elude me, then I must study them. When the song is not only on my heart but also in my mind, then I believe confidence will fill my voice and, with these, the passion and joy of sing them anew.
4. Renew my purpose and gifts in Christ. Several years ago, in a time of prayer, I felt God's revelation of where He had touched me and my life to primarily work for Him. These three things were in prayer, a passion for His Word, and in singing His praise. And yet, these are the exact areas where I have stumbled most. I must remember God's seed, planted in me, and the talents which He calls me to use for Him.
5. Fasting. As soon as I am fully recovered from this bug that's worn me down, I will spend time fasting. Fasting is amazing in how it works to remove even more than the food you give up, stripping you down to your need for God above yourself. I need this, to return to Him with fasting and contrition.

   ¹²"Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; ¹³And rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.

   Joel 2:12-13 (NASB)

What I ask from you is your prayer for me, for renewal, and for passion to be mated again with the intellectual pursuit of God in my life. I would also ask for suggestions in where to restart my studies. This is where I always seem to struggle in starting, deciding what to start with. Is there a verse, chapter, or book in the Bible that has captivated you? Suggest a few of these and I will start into them. I'm going to work on posting something weekly about the passages I am working through, both for myself and for whoever reads this.

I'm so blue . . .

I am sick as a dog. I don't have the flu, but I do have one of the flu's kissin' cousins - just about as bad. I ache, I shiver, but I cannot seem to sleep. And so my mind runs amok. Scary. Here's what I have mulled over today.

I have discovered, after my last post on Dora the Explorer, that lots of people google for Dora info. These bored googlers have been visiting my sight in droves, wondering why Dora found religion. I've had visitors from New Hampshire, France, Dubai, and Israel. Since Dora is the second most popular Nick character, behind Blue's Clues, I guess that if I blog about both in the same post I could - just possibly - take over the world. (Cue evil laugh and "Pinky and the Brain" theme song.)

Since I can do nothing today (except maybe infect my whole family) Mrs. E has taken off with Lil'er E and gone shopping. I sit at home, so bored out of my wits that I am actually watching, nay, enjoying watching this. That's right, it is the ultimate combination of sand sculpting and demolition: Sand Blasters 2007! In this competition, aired on the Travel Channel, 16 teams compete to build the best sand sculpture over two days. But, over these two days, five of the teams will have their work blown up and be forced to start over from scratch. Here's a YouTube clip of the excitement.

Enjoy my illness-induced boredom with me. Please. I'm going crazy here.

Tags: Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues, Pinky and the Brain, Sand Blasters, Sick, Flu, YouTube

REPORT: Dora gets religion

SPRING, TX (EP) - Popular children's star and toy, Dora Marquez, better known as Dora the Explorer from her wildly popular series of televised adventures, has apparently had a spiritual experience. Reports indicate that the child icon, while in the midst of play with Little Euphrony, was overcome with the Holy Spirit and gave her life to Jesus. Conflicting stories may arise, as no actual confession of faith was heard from her lips; however, Lil'E assures all that this was entirely Dora's willing decision and was not forced upon her. Lil'E presided over the baptism. To be sure it took, Lil'E accommodated Dora by actually baptizing her twice. Indications are strong that Lil'E also believed Dora's baby brother and sister, twins delivered in a television special in 2005, also desired to be baptized. With issues of infant baptism arising, it was decided that their turn would be delayed until they could speak and decide for themselves.

Attempts were made to contact Señora Marquez for verification of this news. Her agent replied "Dora has nothing to say about this matter, preferring to focus her public life on dancing, exploring, and finding a way to get her "friend" Map to not send her through Hades' gates in route to every destination."

© 2007 The Euphrony Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Unless it amuses you to do so. I don't really mind, just remember me when you do.

Tags: Dora the Explorer, Baptism, Kids are so cute, I hope I'm not sued for this, Fake News

You may address me as "Milord"

As another addition to the "get to know me" series, here I detail why it is you should all bow in my presence (a simple, respectful, bow - no groveling, please) and address me as "milord".

My uncle (mother's brother) has done extensive genealogical research on our family tree, and what he has found is interesting. For example, it would seem that I am a direct descendent, through my mother's father, of Francis Scott Key. That's right, the Francis Scott Key, author of the poem that is sung as the national anthem of the United States of America. This also makes me related to such notables as Dana Key, Christian rocker and one-time head of Ardent Records, F. Scott Fitzgerald (very famous author), Thomas Hunt Morgan (who was awarded the first Nobel prize for genetic research, before Watson and Crick described the DNA molecule), and the American fashion designer and socialite Pauline de Rothschild. I am, of course, too humble to try calling in favors based on these wonderful but distant relations. (Okay, I admit it. I've never met any of them. Are you happy?)

But, the reason for the respectful "milord" is that one of Francis Scott Key's ancestors seems to be the errant daughter of an English king, who ran off with an Irishman vocally opposed to the king's treatment of Ireland at that time. This, then, puts me somewhere in line for the throne of England! However, as about half of northern Europe would have to die off before I came to the top of the list, a simple nod and the above affectation will suffice.

To point out a closer relative of relative fame, I can mention my cousin Kristin Key. She is a comedian who recently appeared on NBC's Last Comic Standing. I think she's funny, though her lifestyle choices in general have upset the family. Here is a clip of her from Last Comic Standing.

Tags: Jocularity, King of England, Genealogy, Francis Scott Key, Kristin Key, Comedy, Last Comic Standing, YouTube

Lil'er Euphrony is here!

It wasn't easy. It never is, really. But our son is here! Mrs. Euphrony started having serious pre-labor Friday night, with contractions at night every 5-8 minutes (harder when she was laying down) and during the day every 15-30 minutes. With such nightly fun, and having a three year old jumping with energy during the day, Mrs. E got very little sleep over the weekend. Saturday night and Sunday night were identical, so by Monday we were both exhausted. I stayed home from work to help with Lil' E and we took Mrs. E in to see her midwife for a check-up. Apparently, all that pre-labor was doing something, because she was dilated to a 4. Since she still was not in consistent labor, we went on and saw a chiropractor for a "labor" adjustment (stretching the back and pelvic muscles, relaxing to prepare for labor), after which we went home. By this time, Mrs. E was in steady labor with contractions every 4 minutes, and we called our doula to come and help until we were ready to go in to the hospital.

We checked into the hospital at about 9:00 p.m., with Mrs. E doing just fine and dilated to around 6-centimeters. Once the nurses there got used to the idea that we did not want and IV, and that she would actually (gasp!) eat a little food during labor to keep up hydration and strength, they were very supportive. Since Mrs. E had a previous c-section, they required her to have constant monitoring of the baby's stats (she was in almost no risk, but the legal system is all over medicine - that's why we were in the hospital instead of at the birthing center in the first place). Their constant fiddling to adjust the monitors to keep track of the baby was the most annoying thing. Not once, though, did anyone ask Mrs. E if she wanted an epidural; and she didn't need one, either.

Our midwife was great, and the doula was a terrific help throughout the whole birth. By the time it was time for Mrs. E to be pushing, she was pretty well worn out (between several sleepless days and around 11 hours in active labor). We had me, Mrs. E's mom, the midwife, the doula, the nurse, and our old midwife and personal friend there to help encourage Mrs. E on. She did great! After about an hour of pushing, he was here! All exhaustion was gone; we have a new boy and we were (and still are) thrilled!

Lil'E is thrilled to be a big sister. She's feeling a little loss of mom and dad being distracted right now, but we'll all be home together today. We're happy as larks right now; still in euphoria from the birth but not strained from the sleepless nights yet. We had taken Lil'E to Build-a-Bear to make herself a bear and she made little brother a puppy dog (in the picture above) as her present to him. We're doing well, and we appreciate all the prayers that everyone has given for us through this pregnancy and birth.

Tags: Pregnancy, Natural Childbirth, Midwife, Doula, Hospital

He's on his way!

More news to come, but Lil'er E is on his way!

Split Blogging

Baby Lotto We went in for another baby checkup yesterday. The official due date is March 6th, 11 days from now. Mrs. E is already dilated 2 centimeters, 50% effaced, and Lil'er Euphrony is dropping like a rock. Will she make it, folks? What do you think; take your best guess. Tags: Pregnancy, Poll, Lotto

Downhere in Houston Thanks to the amicability of the lovely Mrs. Euphrony, and some kind friends who thought it would be nice to watch Lil'E for a few hours to let us relax before D-Day (Delivery Day), Mrs. E and I got to go to the KSBJ Brownbag concert last night - featuring downhere. For those not from the Houston area, KSBJ (the monolithic local CCM radio station) hosts a monthly mini-concert, sponsored by and located at a Chick-fil-A®. And since downhere is a Canadian band, they don't get, well, down here very often. I've liked their music since their first self-titled album came out in 2001.

Let me set the mood for this concert. First, this was at a Chick-fil-A inside a mall, so they were rocking the food court. Mrs. E and I get their, stand in line at Chick-fil-A for a quick bite to eat (they give me free music, I'll give them my dinner money) and I see the guys from the band munching on their (likely free) Chick-fil-A sandwiches and nuggets before they go up to belch out a few numbers. (Sorry, guys, but I couldn't eat like that before getting up to do a show.) As we sat for the show, we were simultaneously brought some good Canadian rock with the message of Christ and washed over by the aromas of fresh-baked cookies from Great American Cookie Company. Sweet!

The guys put on a good set. The way the brownbags work is the band does a approximately 40-minute set, breaks to sign autographs, then repeats (rock, rest, repeat). They open the set with "The More", the lead song on their newest album Wide-Eyed and Mystified - a good rock'n opener - then segue into "Larger than Life" from their first album Downhere. After a few words to the crowd, they go into their audience participation song "Rockstars Need Money" (we can't live on bologna sandwiches), a hidden track also on their debut album. After introductions of the band and a short message describing the inspiration for their next song, the play two songs from Wide-Eyed - "Little is Much" and "A Better Way", both of which have been getting airplay, and the second has been sitting on the top-twenty charts for a little while. They then closed the set with "What It's Like" from their sophomore album So Much for Substitutes.

It was a fun set; lots of energy from the band and from the crowd. I've got no idea when I'll next get a chance to see downhere (or any other band, with the new baby getting here soon) so I was relishing every minute of the show. I like their music, and they have a good message that they present in a good way. If you haven't heard their music before, you can check out a couple of their songs on their Purevolume page.

Tags: Downhere, KSBJ, Music, Concert, Chick-fil-A, CCM, Christian Music, Canadian Rock