Final Idol rant...

Well it is over again until January-whatever will I do? I'll survive trust me! Here are my thoughts about the finale...
I would have rather seen Blake win but obviously Jordin was the better singer...I have still been blown away though by Blake's beat boxing and I am still a little bitter than Sundance didn't make the final cut, but life goes on. By the way does anyone no if the Scott Krippayne that wrote "This is my now" is the Scott Krippayne of Christian music? Just curious.
The performances last night were great, I enjoyed the mix and match of old and new with the guys/Smokey and girls/Gladys, but could have done without Gwen Stefani again. I found myself fast forwarding through most of the performances that I didn't like and it was kind of cool to see BeBe and CeCe together again and finally know who Melinda sang back up for...btw I still think she should have won! I also could have done without the Beatles montage. Has anyone ever been to the Idols live tour? Is that kind of stuff what they do during the concert? Finally of course it was cool to see Taylor sing again-I know most people don't like him, but I just think he's kind of old school Doobie brothers and I like it!
Overall, not bad...pretty good, could have been better if they would have cut out some of the fluff. You know I wonder how much the people they make fun of get paid if anything? It was cool to see some of the memorable ones "win" prizes last night, but nothing beat last years performance with the Clay Aiken wannabe that was "surprised" when Clay (with really bad hair) joined him on stage.
Well Idol is over so I guess I'll have to find something else to rant about...like cancelled shows that left me hanging-but that's for another blog!
Thoughts?

Movie review-Shrek the Third

So before I write this, I have to preface the post with the understanding that the Shrek character will always be close to my heart. I am going to like the character and the movies, no matter how many they put out. There are two reasons really-the first being that one of my first dates with Megan was going to see the original Shrek at the drive in theater. I also like the character because he is a lovable big guy with self-esteem issues and I can relate to him-granted I am not a big green ogre, but I can still relate.

So with that said, let me say that I did enjoy this movie. I thought it was better than the second one, but not as good as the first. Again we see Shrek setting off on another adventure that will cause him to come to a better understanding of who he is and how he fits into the world in which he lives. All of the movies have carried this similar theme and I like them for youth ministry because we all have students who are trying to figure out who they are and where they fit into the world. There are several teachable moments in this film as in the other two.

As it relates to kid friendly, I would be a little hesitant to take my younger kids to see it. Obviously it is laced with several "adult" jokes that we are meant to get, and there is also a reference to "where babies come from" that could result in an unwanted discussion with your yung'ins if you take them. Of course there is the potty humor which even though I am not a junior high boy I still find humorous that is good for a few laughs as well. With that said, use your discretion.

Overall it was a good movie. My fear is if they don't stop while they are ahead they will lose out. I am not sure where else they could go with it. There is no reason to bring back Farqwaad-they did that with Shrek 4d (also available as Shrek 3d on DVD) at Universal so that has been done. I think a trilogy is a good way to end the story, but we'll see.

For me I would say this is a matinee viewing unless you are a hardcore Shrek fan-which in that case you most likely have already seen the movie. It could also score as a rental, but I am just a fan of seeing movies on the big screen.

Well that's my thoughts about it...anyone else?

U2 3D movie preview/trailer

Here's another one that will be aweseom to see-on the big screen nonetheless. I am sure it won't be quite as good as seeing them live, but a close second I am sure!

again-I will be there opening night!

So I've said this a couple of times already, but I will definitely be there opening night for this one. You have to understand not only does this look awesome, but this is the culmination of my childhood come to life-I was a Transformers junkie, and still have most of my transformers toys! Take a look at this-anyone else planning on seeing it?

Almost weekly Idol rant-5/16

Okay, if there was ever a week I am going to rant, this is it! What happened tonight was an injustice as far as I am concerned. I know it is the final three, they are all good and one had to go home. I know they will all three get recording contracts and all will be good, but still there is no reason Blake should have won over Melinda. She should be in the finals. Oh well I guess you can't win them all though. I'll have to admit, I am not a huge fan of R & B music or female African American performers, but I loved Melinda's sass and if she releases an album full of the type of songs she did last night I will buy the album the day it comes out. Well Melinda, you may not have won AI, but you won my vote! Great job.

As it relates to who is going to win it now-I know it will most likely be Jordin, which I guess is okay, but she is not my pick.

Okay-done ranting...thoughts?

Happy Birthday Paige!

This post is in honor of my niece who turns two today-Malea...have fun with the terrible twos!

she really just wanted the bear...

nothing but trouble...

I've taught her well...

How could you say no to a grin like this?


Happy Birthday Paige...Uncle Matt and Aunt Megan love you!!!

Movie Review-Spideman 3

I am going to try not to spoil the plot in case you haven't seen it, but I cannot make any guarantees so be forewarned...

Okay so here are my thoughts on the new Spiderman movie. If nothing else, it is a big screen must see because I just don't think it will carry the same weight on the small screen. With that said, let me put out my opinion. I LOVED IT! There have been all kinds of reviews out there some good some bad, but I have to say as a movie itself it was great for a comic book junkie like me. So let me break it down by category for you-I know I am a geek...

The movie-As a movie, it was a little slower than I would have liked, but I can appreciate that for two reasons. The first is the character development-there seemed to be a lot of it with the rise of characters such as Eddie Brock/Venom and the Sandman. It was also good to see the continuing tension between Peter/MJ/Harry that is common in the comic book. All in all a great story with some of my favorite characters from the Marvel universe. The second reason is the message with the movie with teachable moments which I will share about later.

The characters-I was thrilled that they were going to bring the Eddie Brock/Venom character into the movie. I thought they handled the character of Venom very well, but I would have passed on Topher Grace as Eddie Brock. He just didn't sell it for me, but hey I am no Hollywood, evidently he is eye candy and works for them. I was also impressed the the Flint Marko/Sandman character. While this has never been one of my favorite Spiderman villains (s0rry Mr. Lee) I thought Thomas Hayden Church played the character well and I can appreciate the hero confusion that he feels throughout the movie. As for The Harry Osborne/New Goblin storyline I liked the story, but I really wish they would have stuck with bringing him back as Goblin 2 and not "new Goblin." Honestly the costume and glider were lame as far as I was concerned.

The comic-I can't really say whether the movie was true to the comic or not as I am more of an X-Men junkie than a Spider-fan but what I do know about the Marvel Universe tells me that there was some liberty from the comic book storyline. Truth be told, you have to do that most of the time to make the movies great and you'll always hack off some comic book nerd somewhere (a-la me when Transformers comes out I am sure) and you have to do what you have to do. Good story whether it was true to the comic or not.

The message-I would say that this movie definitely has some teachable moments for youth pastors with their teens. Some may disagree with me about this, but I think it would be a good trip with your teens. Most of them will see it anyway, why not make a night of it with discussion afterwards. I do not want to say much for fear of spoiling the plot, but the movie does a great job of pointing out that we have choices to make and those choices effect us daily. And there is at least one great quote a la "With great power..." There are definitely some moments that you can use to strike up some spiritual discussions.

Family friendly-I am going to have to say no on this one if you have younger kids. Even if your seven year old is running around in his Spiderman Underoos (do they even still make those?) flinging yarn like it is a web I would say don't take the younger ones to see it as it might still be a little scary for them. Venom can be a little spooky and the darkness is heavy sometimes. Plus there are a couple of "gotcha" moments that will catch you if you aren't careful. Older kids maybe, but use your discretion.

Well that does it for me...thoughts? I give it 3 stars since it could have been better, but all in all it is a big screener for me, not a rental. Go pay your money and give it a view!

Be careful what you ask for...the follow-up

So this post will probably be a bit random since I am just going to journal it as it comes to mind. This weekend was a very good weekend. Graduation was great, it was good to see old friends and professors and it feels good to finally be done with my master's. It was also great to spend a lot of time with family event though the weekend went faster than I wanted it to.

Now let me share a bit about Sunday morning. I had mentioned in a previous post that I had the chance to preach at Good Shepherd Wesleyan in Jackson this last weekend. This was the church I left two years ago to come down here to Pensacola. I was a little nervous to speak as the current pastor was recently voted out and there is some tension in the church right now. I feel however that God anointed my message and spoke through me. I chose to focus on unity by emphasizing the difference between be Inside focused or outside focused individuals. The premise of it is that if we are going to make a difference in the world today we need to be outward focused and turn away from ourselves regardless of our differences. Many of the people said that it was what they needed to hear and that was encouraging to me.

Also, I am a little hesitant to post this, but I will anyway. Can I tell you that for the first time in two years I felt like I was "home." I know there are still a lot of emotions attached to that church, but honestly it felt like we had just been gone on an extended vacation and were home. The people made us feel like family as they always have. I miss that, I really do. I know people in our current church care for us, but there is just that element of "home" that doesn't seem to exist here yet.

Now to the dilemma...as I was afraid of, several people "joked" that they would like us to come back. I am confident now though after speaking with the pastor that if I were to consider going back that there would be no thoughts of me trying to step in and get rid of him. I have always known that there was never that intention on my part and so I had nothing to fear, but my paranoid personality gets in the way sometimes. So I don't know-could God really point me back in the direction that we came from? I have learned a lot of these last two years and have grown spiritually and professionally and feel confident that I could pastor the church and be an effective minister with the Lord's help.

So I guess I would ask for your prayers for God's wisdom. It has been no secret that these past two years have been difficult, but with the Lord's help we have pressed on and will continue to do so unless the Lord points us elsewhere. Pray that if we are to even consider this as a possibility that certain doors will open on both ends (I do not wish to share those at this time though). Also I covet your prayers as I am struggling with what my role in ministry should be. I have always said that I wanted to be a "lifer" in youth ministry and I will always be involved with students, but I am wondering if maybe the Lord might be pointing me in a new direction of mentoring and training youth workers in my ministries while I am in the trenches with them.

There are just so many emotions and uncertainties right now, so please pray for me. I am also open to any thoughts you may have as well. Thanks everyone!

Trusting Him...
-Matt

Weekly Idol Rant-5/2

So I posted this video as a tribute to everyone's favorite idol wannabe since William Hung-Sanjaya Malakar. It almost hasn't been the same since he went bye-byeuh and so I thought I would post this video tribute for the week. Now on to the rant...

It is getting harder and harder to pick out who will go each week. I was prety impressed with the performances last night with props going to Blake for sure. I thought his performance was the best with Lakisha and Melinda coming in a close second.

As for the results, I am rather frustrated that Phil Stacey went home over Jordin. She is okay and had a great performance last week which I am sure is what kept her around. Phil's performance this week was much better than hers though. My fear is that she is going to win it all since they like her. She is just not an idol though in my opinion-although I have several people who say the same thing about Melinda. As far as Chris going home, no big surprise as far as I am concerned, he never really wowed me anyway. He's just a little too Timberlake for my taste.

Well that's the rant for the week-on to the final four!