Whatever I Tram Well Please

This is awesome. More than 10 years ago, some friends and I were...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:02:24 +0900

This is awesome. More than 10 years ago, some friends and I were looking for a venue for their punk band to play. Their music was decent enough, but the style didn’t fit with what was generally accepted by our college, at the time. They didn’t promote that type of music and getting any kind of support was really tough. Finding a venue on campus was also quite tough. So since we couldn’t play the game by their rules, we created a new game.

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We decided that since we couldn’t get the band any recognition in the current system, we’d create a new one.
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Thus, Brierstock was born. We reserved a small room in the basement of the cafeteria, rented a small-ish sound system, borrowed a platform stage, created a fake rival record label, did some anonymous advertising, booked a few other bands and created our college’s first underground rock show.
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Brierstock was glorious. Let’s be honest, the first year sucked. The sound was bad, the music was loud, the lights were cheap. Everything was built on a foundation of rebellion, but in some ways, that’s what rock music is all about. We felt like our rebellion was justified.
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For the next 5 years Brierstock was run by one of the four of us that originally spear-headed the first one. It got big. It eventually became one of the most highly anticipated musical events of the year. It always happened just after yearbooks came out, and just before finals, so as to give tired students a break from their studies, and so as to give ~~wannabe~~ rock stars one more huge thing to help with their procrastination efforts.
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Anthony Creech, one of the original four, is now on staff at the school, training in the area videography and production, lecturing on media and culture, and teaching on subjects ranging from technology to theology. He’s also a writer for The Moose Jaw Times Herald, where the photo above first appeared.
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He originally posted this on Tumblr, via Instagram. Our little underground rock festival, a crazy idea to try and give our punk band a place to play, is now a major annual event…and it’s getting outside media coverage.
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Like I said, this is awesome.

thecreechleague:

Brierstock still going and gets covered by the paper. (not my coverage) (Taken with Instagram at Briercrest College)

"We have the best deal in the universe: trade in your sin for Eternal Glory and Endless Joy and the..."

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:34:33 +0900

“We have the best deal in the universe: trade in your sin for Eternal Glory and Endless Joy and the Creator of the Universe. Trade in your sorrow for rejoicing. Trade in your hurts for healing. Trade in a spirit of rebellion for a Spirit of fruitfulness. Trade in death for life. Trade in idols for Jesus. That’s a pretty good deal, you know.”

- jspark3000 (via skyebox)

Where There's Smoke...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:46:19 +0900

I awoke suddenly from a bad dream. The clock glared an angry red 2:46. My eyes strained in the darkness, trying to find anything in the physical world that might have triggered what I had just experienced in deep REM.

Neurons fired in my brain, as I drowsily looked around wide-eyed, going through the list in my head - “do you smell smoke? -No ; do you see flames? -No ; do you feel heat? -No ; Do you hear sirens, roars, crackles or screams? -No ; is there a red-orange glow coming from any direction…? -No”

“Thank God. It was just a dream.”

What a dream it was, though. Shocking, frightening, surprising -and real. It felt real, anyway.

I had been standing in the kitchen, not my kitchen, nor any I recognized for that matter, but it felt familiar. I was cooking something. As I cooked my food, I saw something flicker in the corner of my eye. However, I thought nothing of it. A moment later, I saw it again, and directed my gaze toward the sight. It was a flame. A tea towel hanging from the side of the refrigerator had caught fire. The flame was climbing the towel, and within seconds it had spread to the unusual multitude of combustible things atop of the ice box. There was a bath towel hanging over the back of a kitchen chair, so I quickly grabbed it and started slamming it against the fiery objects, hoping to smother the flames. Whatever they were, the objects were extremely light, and as I hit them with the larger towel, they flew across the room, like projectiles thrown from a trebuchet. Soon, flames were beginning to crawl across the entire room. Seconds away from a full-blown inferno, I panicked. Without thinking I began to scream.

“Daddy! Daddy! Help!”

“Help me, Daddy!”

Then I woke up. It was over.

Eyes thrown open, I scanned the room for any sign of fire… It was a few moments before I was able to get back to sleep…or before I even felt safe enough to try.

What really stuck out to me the next day was my instinct to call out for my father. Up until that point in the dream, there was no sign that my father was in the house with me. I didn’t think about calling out to him. I just did it. I was faced with an impossibly difficult situation. I panicked. I called out for my father. It was very natural.

Before going to bed that evening, I had been reading a book called Radical by David Platt. In the section I was reading, he was comparing the modern Western church and the church in the first century. One of the most stark differences he noted was the early church’s need, their absolute desperation for the Holy Spirit to work in their midst. If the Spirit didn’t work, it didn’t get done. He said that by and large, you don’t see that need in the West. If the Spirit doesn’t work, things look pretty much the same, because we tend to do things out of our own strength. We don’t take risks.

“the problem for us is that in our culture we are tempted at every turn to trust in our own power…So the challenge for us is to live in such a way that we are radically dependent on and desperate for the power that only God can provide.”

I’d also fought with my wife earlier that evening…and I didn’t pray during the fight at all…not once. I had been in a situation in which I desperately needed the Holy Spirit to act, and I didn’t turn to Him.

My kitchen was on fire, and I didn’t call out for my father…

How have you been Mr. Tramwell? It's sad to see you leave Tumblr man. I see you got a new blog, I'll be checking it out. :)

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:14:10 +0900

This is funny. I’m just now seeing this.

Thanks for the sentiment. I’ve really liked being on Blogger, but I read something recently about Tumblr’s growing popularity and I was thinking about starting to double post.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the blog at its new location.

Thanks again,

Need to Pray

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:57:18 +0900

Me: I just had an imaginary argument with a TSA agent...

Wife: I think you need to pray.

Lying to Yourself

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:25:31 +0900

Me: I really do think I'm a morning person.

Ferial: I know. I think you're lying to yourself, dear.

Photo

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:35:32 +0900

"Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?"

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:43:41 +0900

“Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?”

- C. S. Lewis (via sketchmedesire)

hpotterfacts: Harry Potter as a teen comedy Sheer genius.

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:42:04 +0900

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

hpotterfacts:

Harry Potter as a teen comedy

Sheer genius.

Photo

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:39:56 +0900

Photo

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:34:41 +0900

So, I went to college with this guy, and always knew he had an...

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:50:34 +0900

So, I went to college with this guy, and always knew he had an amazing voice. I have always loved listening to him sing, but I didn’t realize that his voice had such an uncanny likeness to Freddie Mercury…

Well, now the world knows. This video has gone viral and has 1.7 million views in 3 days.

If you haven’t seen it yet…you should.

You’ll thank me.

Volcanos: The Deadliest Volcano In the Planet Is Ready to Explode Again(via @Gizmodo)

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:19:27 +0900

Volcanos: The Deadliest Volcano In the Planet Is Ready to Explode Again(via @Gizmodo):

The last time the deadliest volcano in the planet exploded it was 1815. It killed more than 71,000 people on the spot and it was responsible for a volcanic winter that caused the worst worldwide famine of the 19th century. Now it may explode again.

"The disciples were told, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you..."

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:10:09 +0900

“

The disciples were told, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem [the local area], and in all Judea and Samaria [neighboring regions], and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Notice the Lord didn’t say they should “first” reach Jerusalem, “then” Judea and Samaria, and “ultimately” the ends of the earth. All three are to be done simultaneously. Christians need to be involved in reaching the far ends of the earth at the same time they are reaching their local communities.

”

- Paul Hattaway

Whatever I Tram Well Please

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 09:54:10 +0900

Whatever I Tram Well Please:

I’ve decided to switch over from Tumblr to Blogger as my primary blog. I may still post things to this blog from time to time, but if you want to keep up with me, this is the new place to do it.

Yeah…this is one of my best friends - with his own...

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:14:33 +0900

Yeah…this is one of my best friends - with his own newspaper column!

thecreechleague:

The creech league (Taken with Instagram at Moose Jaw)

"His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time, and..."

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:50:05 +0900

“His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time, and then gives great favors and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God!”

- C.H. Spurgeon

Scared To Death

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 22:44:00 +0900

For most of my life I wasn’t afraid to die. When I was a student through middle school, high school and college, I actively didn’t fear death. I feared not. I did things that were stupid, adventurous and downright awesome.

I suppose I felt I was invincible. I knew I was mortal. However, I was young, healthy and strong…for a teenage stick-boy. I had this feeling that the only thing that could kill me would be a homicidal maniac or a freak accident, and those usually happen quickly.

In addition, I had this intense sense of assurance in the afterlife. I became a Christian when I was 14 or 15, but even before then, I had been raised in a spiritual home and I was taught that good people go to heaven. Despite this theological falsehood, I felt I knew God even before I had accepted the gospel. Perhaps this was actually the beginnings of his drawing me to himself…but I digress. I distinctly remember having a conversation with my best friend about death and whether or not we were scared. I told him that I wasn’t afraid, because I knew I’d go to Heaven when I died.

A few years ago, doctors found a tumor the size of a baseball in that friend’s head…

Mortality has come a bit closer to home.

When I was 25 I went on a trip to China which had the potential to be dangerous. I was there for nearly 3 months, and it was epic, awesome, but the closest we came to any real danger was a few questions from curious policemen. (and I guess we did sort of get arrested, but that’s another story). In the span of about 3 weeks, just before and in the beginning of the trip, I had 3 unexplainable panic attacks. I was just seriously afraid: of dying, of getting injured, of being arrested…it was all very strange. At the time, I saw it as evidence that I wasn’t trusting the Lord with my life and therefore, an opportunity to grow in faith.

I turn 31 in a couple of months, and while I know that I am still in the (sub)prime of my life, I am beginning to feel age taking effect on my body. I don’t digest food as well as I used to (red peppers and garlic give me serious indigestion). I can’t stay awake late into the night and still expect to be able to function well the next day. My body gets sore in certain kinds of weather. “I can feel it in mah bones!”

Most of these things are solvable with a healthier diet and more exercise, I know.

My health and strength just isn’t something that comes naturally, anymore. I have to work for it.

And recently, I’ve found myself afraid to die.

There it is. I said it.

I do believe that “for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” And I want to live that way.

I am confident in Christ, and as sure of my destination in the afterlife as I was when I was 13 (only this time, I have a reason to be sure).

However, I’m still afraid.

I started noticing the fear a few months ago, when I was scheduled to go to a friend’s wedding in Canada. We couldn’t justify buying two tickets for such a short trip (I pulled a red-eye weekend), so I went alone and my wife stayed home.

I very seriously considered backing out. I know that the chances of dying in a plane crash are less than those of being eaten by a shark-lion hybrid or something, but this wasn’t just some statistical flight. This was me leaving my beloved behind, in Korea…had I died, she would have been alone.

In actuality, she wouldn’t have been alone. We have a very supportive church, a wonderful group of friends and what’s more, “Surely, I will be with you always…”

We have our Lord.

But, again, there it is. There’s the difference.

When I was younger, I had less to leave behind. Now, I have more to lose…more to leave.

And it scares me to death.

I got to go to some of my favorite clothing stores over this...

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 07:50:59 +0900

I got to go to some of my favorite clothing stores over this vacation. However I didn’t buy a thing. Not a pair of socks. Not a solitary v-neck. (Taken with instagram)

I am on vacation this week, and got to spend a lot of time in...

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:43:00 +0900

I am on vacation this week, and got to spend a lot of time in #Seoul today, including a few hours at GyeongBok Gung, one of the ancient palaces in the city. This photo will be the first in a series I’m calling #viewsfromgyeongbokgung. The name really rolls off the tongue, eh? (Taken with instagram)