Doug Van Pelt

Micah Hits the Spot

A friend of mine came over last night and spent the night. He's a Department of Public Safety Trooper here in Texas, but is having a hearing today in Austin. Long story short: they suspected him of doing something wrong a couple years ago (a ridiculous charge that they've since dropped) and suspended him without pay for almost two years. Then this past Spring they took away his pay. His hearing is today which will attempt to right the wrongs against him or determine such.

So anyway, he shows me the devotion for September 28 this morning as he's getting ready, and it's based on Micah 7:8:

"Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light."

And it went on to talk about rising up and facing challenges.
What a perfect verse for him today.
I love that.

I hate to think of people being falsely accused and even punished for things they didn't do (I'm obviously taking my friend's side that his supervisors simply don't like him and are looking for excuses to get him out), and I pray that my friend will get cleared of this today at 10:30 am CST. I'd hate to go through something like that, but I know God will strengthen you and teach you a lot in those times. My friend preached a sermon just this past Sunday on Joseph, and the favor that was upon him in Egypt. It focused on "chain-reaction blessings."

But this same Joseph was also falsely accused of raping Potiphar's wife and thrown in prison. This guy was righteous, but slandered and jailed by lies. And God saw Joseph through...

Baby Zebe

On the way into work this morning, I passed one of the groups of zebras at this ranch and noticed a little baby zebra that must've been born real recently. It wasn't walking all that bad, but it sure was sticking close to mama.

What a beautiful sight and a great design. Mothers are very special.

I think of the Father/child relationship that God wants to have with us, and I really want that, too. I'm thinking that a lot of that goal can be realized by following the baby zebra's lead -- sticking close by. That way I'm likely to learn and have my endearment grow (and maybe hear some intimate things that are only spoken in close proximity).

Burden Some

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Sometimes even this sounds easier said than done, but it is the truth and it is obviously what Jesus wants us to do.

So, "Amen. Yes, Lord."

Midweek Service

It's Wednesday.
94.7 FM KMET out of Los Angeles used to call it "Hump Day," because once you got over the "hump," it was clear sailing to the weekend. Hooya!

I don't know what to say. The deadline is occupying the majority of my thoughts, I think. (Not sure exactly what I think). My body is doing okay, although it is being taxed and I feel tired much of the time; but I've certainly felt worse, so I say I'm feeling good!

I really enjoyed watching and reviewing the Neal Morse Testimony DVD. It's some great footage, performances, and up-close-and-personal backstage footage.

be anxious for nothing

on my trip to dallas
my dad helped clarify something for me
that was good.

i related how a friend had recently told me that he hadn't prayed when i requested prayer for this hurricane to be stopped in its tracks, instead of bearing down and destroying my parent's house in Florida. "he didn't ask me for prayer about the other hurricanes that came recently, but since this one is effecting him directly, he asks me." i wasn't put off much by this, as i did feel bad for asking someone to specifically pray for something in a specific way; plus his point about praying selfishly made me think. but i did feel sad that someone would not want to pray for something... sometimes it seems like knowledge gets in the way of being child-like about our faith...

but my dad brought up a major point: the Lord tells us to be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. i was anxious about this hurricane, so it was right for me to go to the Lord in prayer for it. my friend didn't share my anxiety, so it was okay for him not to feel the need to pray. in fact, sometimes our desire to get others to join us in prayer raises another disturbing question: is our prayer not good enough? do we not have enough faith ourselves? or is some particular problem so big that it needs to be tackled with others in prayer? and sometimes a prayer chain has the potential to turn into a gossip train.

the Bible doesn't tell us that God will always give us what we want, but the Bible does say: "...if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My Name, there am I with them." And there is that passage about, if you are sick, coming to the elders for prayer. So, having people pray with us is a good thing, too.

whenever i pray, especially in the last 3-4 years, i somehow get to examine my prayers when i hear them leaving my brain (or lips...i prefer to pray out loud, even if it's a whisper)...and often i am emberrassed by my prayers and change or alter what i request. i acknowledge that He is my King and i am but a subject. He is my Father and i am but a child, asking amiss and with a limited understanding. prayer is a mystery. there are many aspects to it. i learned here that if i'm anxious about something, God wants me to pray about it. if someone asks me to pray, i try never to preach to them while i'm praying, but it's almost impossible for me to not be aware that he or she is hearing what i'm praying. i like to pray in agreement with others, so that each of us can say "amen" and mean it, but without coming down on a request for healing, for example, by saying, "not my will but Yours be done," which sometimes can feel like a rebuke or an "i'm not going to ask for your healing, brother James, I'm going to ask God to perfect you by this suffering" (which might even be appropriate sometimes), but i will use language that is very much the opposite of dogmatism and is very much couched in, "i am Your Son, making this request to You, my Father and King," which in my mind allows God to say, "Yes" or "No" or "Not right now" and my heart accepts His answer. That is almost the same thing as saying, "not my will but Yours be done," which i say some of the time, but it just feels a little more child-to-Father from my (limited) perspective.

dang. sometimes talking about a subject like this is hard. it's hard to stay focused and not bring up a bunch of tangents.

A Game With Dad...

I went to a football game with my dad yesterday -- to see the Dallas Cowboys play the Cleveland Browns at Texas Stadium. That was a cool thing. I am so blessed to have the dad I do. It would be easy to take my parents for granted, because I don't really have anything to complain about. While they aren't perfect (I like the phrase: "pobody's nerfect") they have been so good to me. It would be easy to take that for granted, because comfort sometimes brings complacency, neglect, and taking for granted.

That's likely one of the big sins Israel (God's people -- the Hebrews) committed over and over again in biblical times. As crazy as it sounds, these people that were fed by manna dropped on the ground (and even quail after they complained) and given water from a rock to drink -- they ended up forgetting God and how good He had been to them. That's really crazy, but we do the same thing -- over and over again.

I thank God that this thought came to me. This is a benefit of reflection and even reading God's Word -- the Holy Spirit will remind us what is important.

Thank You, Lord, for my parents.
They have been a tremendous blessing to me
and are a precious gift from You.
Thanks also for the simple but rich time with my dad yesterday.

I don't believe that the Cowboys are God's favorite team. That distinction, if there was one, would probably go to a humble group of players somewhere that are stuck in a horrible losing streak but they are coached and led by someone who helps them have fun competing and showing class and kindness to their opponents game after game. I am glad, though, that the Cowboys were able to hold on and win that game yesterday.
:?)

the Game of Justification

Okay, we're gonna play a lil game of "Justification" here. That's the game I used to play with my friends when I was trying to "justify" my listening to a secular band, claiming that they were Christian after all.
Okay, I may or may not have ever actually "played" this game, but I think you know what I'm talking about (if you ever "got rid of" your "secular" albums, then you should know exactly what I'm talking about!). So, getting past the flawed theology of this "game," let's play.

Okay, this new Scorpions album, Unbreakable, is quite a fun outing. Fortunately, the band has abandoned some of its more gratituitous profanity (the song "Rock You Like A Hurricane," for example) and there's this one song, which happens to be probably the best song on an album of standouts (but that's another blog entirely) -- the song "Can You Feel It."

"Something has come over me
I can't explain how full and free
I want you to feel it"

Okay, the lyricist here (newcomer drummer James Kottak and vocalist Klaus Meine) is talking about something that can be felt. It's obviously a good thing, something he wants to share... Let's go on.

"Suddenly deep inside I have peace on my mind
I want you to feel it."

Wow. What could this peace-giving thing be?

"...found the answer to the question that we all search"

Hmmm. What question might that be?

"Where do we go from here"

Oh, well that's an eternal question, isn't it? I mean, he's not talking about where to go after the gas station, as in a one-time event, is he? I think he's talking about the afterlife. Hmmm...

"Can you feel it, love is waiting there
When you feel it, I'll be waiting there"

Could it be Heaven? Could it be the kingdom of God?
Wow.

"Come inside, now you are cold
No colours block unopen doors
I want you to feel it...

It's the last chance to take a look inside
Its' up to you to change the world for a better life
Where do we go from here"

A friend of mine remarked at how much the song sounded like Stryper in their prime. I can hear that -- big, huge, solid chorus with great sounding vocals. Perhaps it's more like Stryper beyond just the sound...?

Now, wasn't that fun?
:?)

I'm Tired

Whew!
I am about to fall fast asleep. I sure wish I could get a full back rub first... I'm sure I'd just pass into sleepfulness before my muscles got the full treatment.

I'm really happy with our ad sales folks for this issue. In addition to being our first ever "Special So & So Says" issue, it's our first "gang cover" in many, many years, and we had to expand to 88 pages to fit all the ads and the content in.

Until I'm more awake, goodbye. (now, should I dream about coffee, or just not worry about my dreams? i'll choose the latter. no, i didn't say latte)

There Is One Other Option ... Murder!

"I want to murder ... myself."
That's what this little girl on my daughter's bustop said this morning.
"You don't want to do that," I said.
"Yes, so I can go to Heaven," she replied.

This is not the kind of talk I want to hear kids having, but they're just kids.
In hindsight, it was another perfect moment for a spiritual conversation. I could have said, "Your body is a temple. It's like a church that God can live in. You don't want to destroy your temple." But at least I was successful in one thing: not freaking out and drawing attention to her statement.

On my way to work, three of the zebras were standing right by the fence near the road. Maybe it's a benefit of driving an unusual-looking car, like a Volkswagon Beetle, but the zebras turned and looked at me as I drove by. That's a nice...

Amazing Music, Amazing Lyrics

Wow, "discovered" a new melodic band called Straylight Run." Emotive vocals cascading over up and down melodies (half Eisley without the atmosphere, half Brandtson pop) gripped me first. Then I heard words like,

"...But I was scared to death of eternity!
I was saved by grace
but destroyed by naivety!

"...so now faith is replaced with a logic so cold
I've disregarded what I was
now that I'm older
and I know much more than I did back then
but the more I learn
the more I can understand..."

Wow. These are great lyrics. Whether or not they affirm or deny a faith, I'd venture to say that this is good art.
Awesome.
MTV has put them on their Advance Warning segment, and Fuse TV put them on the interactive IMX show. Victory Records has another hot act on its roster.

Stuck in my car (and it's been like this since July):
Scorprions - Unbreakable
Dan Dyer - ...and what lies beneath
Amazing stuff, I tell ya!

Am I allowed to post 3 blogs in one day?
I sure hope so, cuz I just did.

Whoa! More amazing lyrics on this self-titled debut album:

"And oh...
everyone's let you down
You just can't ever win
convinced there's a war on
it's always everybody versus you
...So tie the noose and raise the cross
the martyr has arrived
A desperate plea for sympathy
It's all you need
A laundry list of problems
doesn't make you interesting
Never getting help
doesn't make you brave
Not listening to reason
doesn't mean that you have faith
You're just cutting off your nose to spite your face!"

Wow! ("Sympathy for the Martyr") This is work that I want to eat/meditate on...and the jams are good, too. Hooray for good music!!!

Death & Royalty Checks

On the way to and from work last friday, I looked for and did not find that memorial some people made to that young man killed last month. I wondered if an angry parent took it down, upset that it was marked with beer and cigarettes. Or maybe it was the owner of that property -- not wanting a memorial on his/her property. On the way to work this morning, however, I saw it. It's still there. Still decorated similarly. Maybe the speed with which I passed it on Friday kept me from seeing it.

On Sunday, coming home from church, my wife exclaimed and then caught herself so as not to alarm our kids. Tommy, our beloved neighborhood stray cat (the one pictured on this blog earlier this month) was on the side of the road. I volunteered for the the unenviable task of moving his dead body. I did this discreetly, as not wanting our innocent children to have to face it. Protecting them. Maybe they'll find out soon enough, but I wasn't going to force it on them (like I did with my cat, Mary). In an unusual move of anthropomorphism, I showed my cat the corpse, so that she could, perhaps, know what happened to the cat she used to chase out of our yard. She looked pretty shocked when she saw the body inside that Hefty bag. We'll miss his friendly manners and companionship.

And, on another unrelated note: I got my first royalty check for the book Rock Stars on God today. It was very modest, but it is a privilege to have a book out and whatnot. I'm thankful for that.

2 blogs (my pastor referred to them as "B-logs" yesterday. Does he know something I don't? Or is it the other way around? Or both?) in one day...go figure!

Work & Technology

I wonder what God thinks of technology...?
I just came in from mowing the lawn here at the office and then running down to the mailbox and back, sweating like a hog. I fixed myself a tall glass of Gatorade with lots of ice. I positioned myself over the AC vent on the kitchen floor. Ahhh. That hits the spot. Air Conditioning sure is a pleasant tool to have.

It made me wonder what God thinks of technology. His people two to four centuries ago certainly didn't have all the conveniences we had. But they did have plenty of their technological advances. I've heard it said that some of the laws that God gave His people, like keeping the waste outside of the camp, were far advanced beyond other civilizations around them. They had sanitation systems that rocked for their day. And to think that some people considered God's people ancient and behind the times. I'm not sure who propigated the myth that the earth was flat, but Scriptures written around 701 BC were describing the earth as round...

"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth..." (Isaiah 40:22)

Whew! I decided to mow the law to give my head that "cleared" feeling so I could manage my time today properly. I've got so much to do for this deadline, that's it's not even funny. I'm still party responsible for ad sales (the buck stops here), since we're transitioning to a new person, and I took on 6 of the 8 "So & So Says" articles from this new issue, 4 other features, and there's 8 DVD reviews and about 6 ablum reviews, plus probably 10 "Pick of the Litter" reviews, placing all the ads, and proofreading and editing and that "overview" thing that I like to have plenty of time for (kinda like proofreading) scoping out the entire issue. Looking at that kind of list is what I need to be doing, so I can prioritize and take each piece one by one.

I will be praying for clarity, peace, wisdom, and just plain old help in getting all this done. If you feel so led to pray, please join in! :?)

God & Favoritism

Sometimes a bad illustration can drive home a point (in spite of the bad illustration).

One that's helped me went something like this:

If you were in a room with 9 other people and Jesus was going to enter and heal only one person, you would be that one person He'd choose.

While the illustration begs many questions, the kind of "oh, I feel special" feelings inherent in that kind of scenerio are what hit home with me. Knowing that the King of the Universe might actually pay attention to me, make eye contact with me and approach me and talk to me in a crowded room, much less heal me...that kind of thought lifts my countenance and self-worth.

It'd be much easier not to mess with a flawed illustration, but the truth is this: God made you with great care and He values you as a dear treasure. You are so important to Him.

Yeah, He loves us all, but He is the Great Shepherd Who would leave the 99 to seek and find the one.

Like Mike Pritzl once said from the stage, "God is so for you."

I've Got An Idea...i think

I had a great idea yesterday while driving home. It was an editorial idea for the back page of our next issue. I thought about calling the office and leaving myself a voicemail (which I'd transfer over to David the following morning), just so I wouldn't forget. But this thinking was while approaching that s-curve, and I didn't want to end up in the ditch and have people think I was on drugs...plus the digital reception in this area stinks and often cuts off calls, so I put it off.

When I walked in the office today I remembered, 'I had an idea! I was going to leave it in a voicemail. Oh no! What was it?' For a few minutes I could not remember what it was. This reinforced my belief that I should follow my gut instincts and ideas. When I thought about leaving a voicemail reminder, I should have done it! Fortunately, praise God, the idea came back. I think it'll be the perfect text for the back page considering the special "So & So Says" issue we are putting together.

I finished transcribing the Throwdown interview last night. I can't believe it, but yesterday was a 14-hour day for me. That's crazy. But it helped to have another interview transcribed and "out of the way." This interview went really well. I'm very excited about how this next issue is shaping up. We plan on having four bands on the cover, 8 "so & so says" feature stories, and 10 additional features of our normal coverage (Sinai Beach, Denison Marrs, Mute Math, Day of Fire, Jesus Wept, Chase Pagan, The Chariot, Symphony in Peril, and a couple surprises...).

As usual, we've asked God to bless this work; and I get the sense that it's really going to be a "special" issue.

Professor

I've been asked to speak to a college, which is quite an honor and should be great fun. I have to pick a date and "book" the time soon.

On the way to work yesterday I saw some flashing lights near a sharp s-curve by the office. Two police cars were there on either side of the "s" and a tow truck was trying to pull a car out of the steep ditch. A broken windshield was about all I could see of the small car. My guess is that the driver was stoned and flew off that curve unexpectedly. There was no driver around and my assumption could be totally wrong, but that's my guess -- and they jumped out and ran home when they recovered. There were no signs of an ambulance being there, etc. So, a bit of excitement on the way to work yesterday.

There is a TON of good music out right now. This Dan Dyer guy is just the tip of the iceberg. Marc Broussard has a cool release out on Island Records. Lots of old blues stomp sounds. Oh my! It rules!

Other items on the disc changer include:
Sing A Song With Six Strings (on Sony Wonder), produced by Eddie Kramer, which includes "Mary Had A Little Lamb" by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, among other spiritual songs.

Instruction (Geffen)
The Awkward Romance (Day Job)
Sparta (Geffen)
I Killed The Prom Queen (Hand of Hope)
Skindred (Lava)

Heaven's Metal

Passed by that memorial by the road on my way to work again this morning. Beer cans and cigs still sittin there. One thing I forgot to bring up earlier is there are large chunks of asphalt around the memorial, too. They came from a large pothole on the road that has since been prepared.

I wonder if two different parties feel like:

"If that giant pothole and that rough road had not been in such poor condition, this guy would not have bounced out of the truck and he'd still be alive."

and

"Well, if that guy had not been horsing around, crawling from the pickup cab into the bed, he'd still be alive."

Both parties are probably right, but no one wins an argument like that.

We had a good time with several couples from our church over last night. My dad flew back to Florida today in his protected plane.

We are in deadline now, with only 9 days left to finish the Nov/Dec issue. The label that wants us to pull the interview with their band has told us that if we go ahead and run with the story, that they will never work with us again. That is too bad. They are in the wrong, so we will let them carry through with their threat. We hope to work with them again someday when they see the error (telling a publication what stories to run and not run) of their ways. God bless 'em.

Saw a beautiful sunset last night and the vaporous remnants of the sunrise early this morning. I couldn't help but sing the song (under my breath, of course, cuz I sing offkey... ref. "Virginity Disease" chorus on We Are Not Ashamed) "God of Wonders." What a beautiful creation we have to look at. What a great Creator behind it all. Incidently, my dad shared with me some scientific discoveries of late, where the molecular motor of the e-coli and other bacteria spin around at blazing unheard of speed -- all at the molecular level. Beautiful design (even in an ugly bacteria).

Metabolism

How my body handles food is different now.
I'm 41 and if I eat the same amounts of food I used to when I was 18, I'll keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. It's hard for me to realize that. I still feel 18-21 inside, but it just ain't so.
This is sad, especially when eating really good food.

My dad is flying in to Hutto TX to protect his airplane from Hurricane Frances. It will be great to see him. Maybe some of his personal discipline (he exercises and eats right) will rub off on me.

The label that didn't want a certain interview to run is now asking that we don't run it. This is a drag to experience.

I'm trying to get some advertising up at emotionalpunk.com and get a mass email newsletter out, and equip our new Ad Sales Director, Heather, with all the contact info for our ad clients. Whew! The 3-day weekend will be a welcome sight.

Rock Stars in Bug

Tuesday I interviewed the great "new" artist Dan Dyer. I use quotes around "new," because he has been doing music for years. When owner Clifford Antone introduced Dan on stage that night, he recalled years ago at the old Antone's location how this young guy's voice warming up really caught their attention (the band Breedlove). Like many debut artists, their first big record isn't their introduction to music, instead it's the culmination of years of hard work. This guy has released his debut album, ...Of What Lies Beneath, on new Roxie Records, which is apparently the new label started by Lenny Kravitz. It was nice to enter the club right after soundcheck and be welcomed as one expected. At Dan's suggestion, we moved over to another quieter location for the interview (I'll always take those suggestions after losing a great Korn interview due to the thud-thud of Danzig's soundcheck that ruined the playback later), so as we headed out I offered to drive Dan to the hotel, since I didn't know where the San Jose was. It was fairly impromptu, and even though Dan was carrying two guitar cases and I had childs' seats in the back of the Volkswagon Bug, I figured everything would fit and it would be fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. Things went well.

The interview was really good and engaging, lasting about 40 minutes. I discovered a nice new hotel that seems like a great little oasis on South Congress Avenue. As I was leaving, I looked down at the floor of the passenger seat and saw all the mess that I forced this guy to endure: I had a coiled up garden hose in there, a grocery bag with a soda and a tupperware desert in it. I laughed because I had unknowingly cramped this future rock star in such a confined space.