First, I found out I got to sing the National Anthem for the 49ers. Then I found out I get to sing when they're playing the Seahawks (whose head coach is Covenanter Mike Holmgren. Now I find out that Jerry Rice is retiring as a 49er and he'll be having his retirement ceremony THAT DAY. It just gets better and better.

I'm in Sacramento for a class with my denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Church. I am working toward my commissioning in the church... like ordination, for staff ministers like me. I love this class... It's all about theology, and we're wrestling through big issues. I've met some really cool people, and I'm grateful to God for all He's doing in my life. It's such a cool opportunity to be here and be learning so much. I love the Covenant... It's really a great home for me spiritually.

Tony is gonna be a daddy... Read about it here. All my love and prayers to this little one and his amazing parents. I love Tony like a brother, and he's been an awesome friend and example to my kids. I pray that I can love and serve his family like he has mine.

On August 14, 1993, I married my best friend. Thirteen years later, Luanne and I are older and wiser. We've lived through amazing joy and deep pain. We've been blessed with four awesome kids. We've experienced the grace of God in ways neither of us thought possible.

I'm grateful today for my loving, gracious, forgiving, funny, warm, accepting, hospitable, adventurous, brave, talented, organized, willing, godly wife. If I had it to do all over, I'd do it again. I do, I do, I do...

As if I didn't have enough distractions. As if I didn't have enough to do with my time. Along comes another amazingly wonderful time waster. Web indeed.

Of course, I'm talking about Youtube. I'm probably late in my discovery, but I catch up quickly. There's all kinds of live music and Broadway stuff here. Two of my favorite things. Here are a few of the gems I've discovered after just a few days perusing the site:

• Six short clips of the Jason Mraz concert Luanne and I went to last week...
• The Original Broadway Cast of "Ain't Misbehavin'" singing "Black and Blue"
• The Indigo Girls perform "Galileo" maybe a decade ago...
• Sufjan Stevens performing "Chicago" in San Francisco. 
• Maria McKee singing "Scarlover" from her Magnum Opus, "Life Is Sweet."
• A much younger Maria McKee fronting Lone Justice in the early 80s.
• The Roches singing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus on SNL in 1979. Brilliant.
• Sam Phillips's video for "Baby, I Can't Please You"
• Bernadette Peters singing "Rose's Turn" in the most recent revival of "Gypsy" on Broadway.
• Tracy Chapman sings "Across the Lines" at some big Amnesty Int'l event in the late 80s.
• Peter Gabriel - "Come Talk to Me" from the Secret World Live Tour. Featuring Paula Cole.
• The single funniest video I've ever seen. I laughed till I cried when I found this last year. Ladies and gentlemen, meet John Daker.
• Finally, Jennifer Holliday and the Cast of "Dreamgirls" on the '82 Tony Awards.

I'll stop, cuz I could go on all day... Happy searching!

I knew I couldn't blog every day for a week...

I didn't expect to be blogging about this tonight, but it's all I can think about right now. I was just coming inside for the night with Zach. I had taken him and Emmy to the club while I worked out on the elliptical machine. As I was walking down the steps to our front door, I somehow slipped and fell down four steps... right on my butt... BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP. It was so painful!

So now I'm on the couch sitting on a bag of ice and blogging. Jason Mraz is singing "Life Is Wonderful." Whatever.

What are you playing on your iPod? Post a comment telling us the first 20 songs that come up on random. Here are mine:

1. Rhapsodie - Over the Rhine (Patience)
2. The Fortunate Sons - Lost Dogs (Scenic Routes)
3. Deeper Well - Emmylou Harris (Spyboy)
4. Fare Thee Well - Indigo Girls (Swamp Ophelia)
5. God Is Watching You - Sam Phillips (The Turning)
6. Breathe Your Name (Live) - Sixpence None the Richer (Sessions @ AOL - EP)
7. Golden - Suzanne Vega (Fabrik, Hamburg, Germany, 2/24/2002)
8. Bend and Break - Keane (Hopes and Fears)
9. Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?  ) - Sufjan Stevens (Michigan)
10. My Blue Ridge Mountain - Maria McKee (What's Going On with Miss X?: Songs from the Little Diva 1992-1996)
11. 10 Million Miles - Patty Griffin (A Kiss in Time)
12. Nothing Can Come Between Us - Sade (Lovers Rock - Bonus CD)
13. An Easy One - Hem (Eveningland)
14. RollerCoaster - delirious? (Touch)
15. Lovesick - The Violet Burning (This Is the Moment)
16. Polaroids - Shawn Colvin (Fat City)
17. Be Still - Justin McRoberts (Father)
18. God of Wrath - David Crowder*Band (Can You Hear Us? )
19. Comfortably Numb - Scissor Sisters (A Touch of Class Sucks - EP)
20. In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel (Secret World Live)

My latest Dadbloggers post is up. Check it out here. This is one of my favorites, if I do say so myself, and it's already stirred up some good discussion and debate.

Found a great article on Billy Graham and his spiritual pilgrimage today in Newsweek. Read it here. I love how reverent this article is... Like Newsweek actually captured the growth of grace in Graham's life. May I grow old with such grace and love. What an impact this man has had on our society, and now, in the twilight of his life, perhaps his message is more relevant than ever.

I'm going to try to blog every day for a week. I may not have much to say, but I'm gonna say it.