Wrap-up of the last few days.

I've been slacking a bit lately on the bloggage(new word, take it and spread it like peanut butter) so I have some things to catch you all up on. So I will go with the Cory method of bullet posts.

- New Toy- I am super duper excited for the new gadget I got on friday. I won it on ebay and I have been looking for one for quite a while. Its a MIDI controller. Pretty much just a sweet keyboard that I can start using to make some sweet tunes. I just used if for about 30 minutes on friday night and already am loving the music I can make. I've decided the music genre I am going to put myself in is electrocoustic. Don't know if that has been established as a legit genre or not. But if it hasn't, I just invented it(make that two words in one blog that I just invented. I'm on a role) But anyway, I will start recording some sweet stuff and make a myspace or purevolume page or something to post it on. Ill let you guys know. Here is the pic of my actual keyboard. I found a really rare red one, which makes me even more excited about it. 

- The Dentist - I went in today to get a filling. To make a long story short, I got 4 shots to try and numb my tooth. I couldn't feel my tongue or cheek for 3 hours, yet I felt everything they did to my dumb tooth. Every drill and grinder, water squirt and air puff sent chills down my spine. My fingers were digging into my thighs as I tried not to flinch. So it was not a fun experience. Just another reason why I hate the Dentist. 

- New Hat - I received an awesome gift in the mail yesterday. It was a sweet looking hat from my awesome cousin Abby. Check out how good I look in it! Thanks Abby! 

So that is pretty much it. I did a lot more stuff this weekend, saw a movie(The Wrestler, amazing acting job by Mickey Roarke, pretty interesting and sad story, but I enjoyed the movie), played in the KC Ice bowl disc golf tournament. (200 people there and I finished in the top 25, It was freezing cold and I was out there for about 6hrs but it was fun) So that was pretty exciting. So yeah, good weekend. Hope to talk to you all again soon. Have a great day!

Anthony

GLOW

Its been a few days since i posted. I feel like I had a pretty busy weekend. Some of the exciting things were as follows, Bunko night with the family. I had a lot of fun. Sunday night I went bowling with the youth group. My game scores in order were; 116, 113, 167, 122. The 167 game was because I bet a couple of the youth group girls that if I beat them they cleaned my office and if they won i took them to starbucks. So needless to say, my office is gonna get cleaned! But I'll probably still buy them starbucks. The other crazy thing on Sunday was getting a phone call at 8:30am from our sr. pastor saying his whole family was sick including him and he wasn't going to make it to church. Kinda crazy, but no big deal because he says there is a guy coming to fill in for the sermon. I just have my normal duties of sunday school and worship. So after sunday school I come down to the sanctuary about 3 minutes before service starts. And some of our leaders tell me that there is no sign of the guest preacher. So I should get ready to preach! So I start to freak out a bit, and head to my office to try and find a talk I gave to the teens that I can use. Luckily as I am walking into my office I see the guest preacher walk in. This is as the service is starting! But at least he made it and I didn't have to preach on last minute notice. it all worked out ok. But it was a bit hectic there for a few minutes. 

My biggest highlight of the week revolves around disc golf of course. Monday night the local course here in Olathe has GLOW night disc golf. This is where you take little LED lights they make for discs, and tape them to the top of your disc so you can see them while its dark outside. Its really cool to watch actually. I had never played before but decided I would last night. I got a few lights for Christmas that I needed to use. So I get out there and all these guys are kind of just hanging out. I go sign up and all that then we draw cards for partners. Its just a random drawing so you never know who you will be paired up with. Well I get paired up with a guy named Dave Hemmeline. I had heard of him before, turns out he is KC's #1 player. So that was pretty amazing to get to be his partner. I felt pretty inferior compared to him, but I still had a ton of fun. But thats not even the craziest part. When I showed up to play i saw a guy I recognized but couldn't quite figure out where. Turns out it was Eric McCabe. He is currently ranked #10 in the world. And just won the Professional Disc Golf Association's Players Cup. I had seen videos of him and stuff. But now I was about to play against him! So I was pretty excited about that. For me it was like getting to play basketball against Kobe Bryant or something like that. Luckily, like I said, we were playing with partners. So the final score of the night was: Eric McCabe and his partner, first place, -12 under par, 2nd Place: Anthony Puryear and his Partner, -7 under par. Obviously i would have been nowhere near his score were it not for being partners with another pro, but its fun to say I got second place when I played with one of the world's best. Plus, I won 14 bucks for second place. So all in all, it was a pretty amazing night. 

Drums

I have always considered myself a musician. I can sing and play guitar. I played trombone in Jr. High and part of High School. I can read music for the most part, although I'm sure I would have a tougher time doing it now than back then. And I love the piano, although I can only play bits and pieces. I can sit at a piano for 45 minutes just tinkering around seeing what sounds good. The piano is soothing. However, today I just finished spending about an hour playing the drum set. yes I was on my own in our church sanctuary. I didn't even go in there with the intent to play. But I thought why not, so I put in the first cd I found in the sound booth and cranked up the volume. It happened to be David Crowder's A-Collison. Not the easiest cd to play along with. And you may be thinking, "I'm glad I was not around to hear that." But I have to admit, I feel like I have a little bit of natural talent when it comes to the drums. I obviously am not great. But I can carry a beat, and rock out when the time comes. But after today's jam session, I really fell in love with playing the set. Although I was loud and got off track a couple of times, I was amazed at the worship experience it was. Partly because it was crowder I was playing with, and partly because i was able to play with so much emotion. I don't think there is another instrument that you can express emotion so well through. So now I plan on trying to play with a live band sometime. Probably just the teen worship band. Just to see how I can hang with live music. But I am kind of excited. Just thought I would share that thought. 

Mute Math

I just found out a couple things. Mute math on Jay Leno on the 15th. Excited for that. Also saw this cool video. I am really impressed by this.

Top Albums of 2008

Well, after reading several of these and seeing lots of albums I should have had on this list but somehow missed out on, this is my top 10 albums of 2008. It was hard putting them in order. The top 5 were pretty easy, but the #'s 6-10 were a little more difficult to narrow down. And i decided it was impossible to narrow it down to top songs. So here are the albums.

#10. 

#10 Coldplay - Viva La Vida... - Even though they have become about as popular as anyone can get, I still really enjoy what they put out. I don't know if they will ever be as good as A Rush of Cold Blood to the Head, but they still have some great stuff

#9. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals - I was introduced to this guy about a year ago and I love what he does. I hear something new that I didn't notice the first time every time I listen to it.

#8. Vampire Weekend - These guys kind of came out of nowhere and exploded. I checked them out to see what the hype was about. I like it. Its got great guitar lines and fun drum beats. One of those cd's you can listen to that makes you tap your feet

#7. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs - A quality cd from a band I continue to enjoy more and more. Maybe not as good as some of their previous work, but still worth the nod here.

#6. Horse Feathers- Words are Dead - So this album was not put out in 2008. This is from 06 I believe. They put out a new one in O8 that I haven't bought yet but definitely will. I put this one on because it is one of my favorites of 08 even though it is a bit older. That might now fly in most 08 lists, but this is mine and I can do what I want. These guys are a lot like Iron and Wine who I love. I was kind of in a folk-y mood this year I guess. 

#5. Jason Mraz - We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things - I wasn't always a big Jason Mraz fan, but I bought this because i liked one of the songs i heard. Now I am a huge fan. I felt like his earlier stuff was a little to pop-y but this album has a ton of depth to it. Great songwriting again. This one will keep getting played for a while.

#4. Born In The Flood - If This Thing Should Spill - These guys are an indy band that I just heard about through following a friend of mine's band. Awesome unique voice. Great songwriting and tons of emotion and energy. I'm hoping for big things from these guys. The lead singer also has a solo project called The Wheel. Its worth a listen as well.

#3. Charlie Hall - The Bright Sadness - This album is so much more than a worship cd. It is complex and really expands the boundaries of what most mainline worship artists have put out. Plus so many songs get stuck in your head and its in a good way.

#2. Kings of Leon - Only By The Night - I hadn't really listened to KOL before this and I feel like I missed out on something special. I bought this cd out of curiosity and was immediately taken back by how much I enjoyed it. 

#1. Jon Foreman - Limbs and Branches - This is the album that just kept sticking out it my mind. He put out his Winter and Fall EP and most of the songs that are on there are on this cd with a couple extras. But this is one of the best displays of song writing I can think of. I love this.

Other Albums that almost made the list:

Passion- God of this City

Family Force Five - Dance or Die

Phil Wickham - Cannons

Jack's mannequin - The Glass Passenger

Daft Punk - Discovery

LCD Soundsytem - Sound of Silver

Anberlin - New Surrender

Sanctus Real - We Need Each Other

Ben Folds - Way to Normal

Hope you'll check out some of that stuff and enjoy as much as I do.

My kind of guy

This was an interesting video about a guy name Ed Dobson. That's right, Ed, Not James. I'm not sure that James Dobson would have been able to do this. But its kind of inspiring, and you gotta love a guy with a beard. 

The late night - "what am I here for?"

Its funny how often these kind of thought come when you should really be in bed, but I thought I would just post this sense it was on my mind. Not necessarily for anyone to read and gain anything from but for me to write down and remember. I just got home from seeing Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. Not exactly the movie I expected to stir my moral compass, but it did nonetheless. And the thought that it has stirred within me is something I know I have felt before and hopefully everyone thinks this if not at least every Christian. But what am I doing to help? Who am I helping? I saw the movie about 15 miles away from my house so it gave me time to really have some thoughts. Thoughts that take a while to process. As a youth pastor, I know that I am helping in ways that I can't really see all the time. Or at least I hope I am. And I know that I could be doing a much better job, which is something I need to be challenging myself to. But my burning thought is; who is the person who's life I am meant to change. I know that i have helped lots of peoples lives in many different ways. Mission trips, service projects, just talking with some troubled teens. But I feel that I need to invest in someone. Someone who really needs it. I'm not talking about sponsoring an african child. Although I know I probably should do that too. But I can't help but think that there is someone in this world, or even city, that is waiting or needing for me to come along. To do more than buy them a lunch or say a quick prayer. But to be part of their life. Not just be a charity, but be a part of their life. What kind of impact could I have on someone? More importantly where do I even look for this person? In the movie a man keeps a teen out of trouble with a gang. Could I do that? I would love to work in the inner city, promoting peace and that sort of thing. But what if I could get to a heart level with someone in that situation. Be a refuge from the stuff they have to go through. 

I don't really have any answers. My other thought on the way home was that I feel like there are so many organizations and outreaches and all that stuff that I get lost before i even can start. I spend more time figuring out which to choose or where to go that I never actually get started. It would be a lot easier if I could just walk into a bar, or up to a guy on the street, and introduce myself and tell them that i want to be a part of their life. But would that work? All I know is there are a lot of hurting people out there and I don't just want to give them a solution, I want to hurt with them, to cry with them, to be their friend. I want to impact their life as they impact mine. Because if I am not on this earth to be love, to help someone with authentic, dirty, passionate, sacrificing love, then what am I here for? 

So if you did read this, pray for me to do something about what i wrote instead of sitting at home being lazy, just thinking about what i could be doing. And if you have some ideas on how to get started with this please share. I'm not trying to be part of an organization or lead a movement. I just want to be a good part of somebody's life. 

High School

I just finished going through a shoe box full of notes I got in highschool. It was pretty funny. It brought back a lot of memories. But it also kind of reminded me how trivial so many things are. The funniest part was there was 1 girl who had the majority of the notes in there. We were friends who tried dating, but she was a little looney. Not really. She just liked drama. But she was an awesome musician and we were in the youth group worship band together. But we started a band together my Junior Year of Highschool called Thornburg. We played one show at a battle of the bands and won 1st place for best show or something. ( I think every band won 1st place in something) but never played another show because She quit because she thought us 3 guys in the band didn't give her the credit she deserved. Pretty funny looking back on it. Now she is in Nashville making music. 

I also found a LOT of lyrics I had written during my highschool years. Lets just say you won't be hearing them in any songs. Funny how limited my vocab was, and how cheesy all the songs were. Hopefully I have improved a bit since then.

Eureka! That just made me come up with my New Years Resolution. Make more music. And record it. I'll keep you updated on how that goes. 

Top Movies

Here are my favorite movies of 2008 with a little side note. These won't be on everyones favorite lists, and just because they are on here doesn't mean they are great. I just enjoyed them.

10. Drillbit Taylor - Dumb movie. But the kids in this movie are pretty hilarious. 

9. Burn After Reading - I love a dark comedy. And Brad Pitt is great in this one

8. Ghost Town - Thought it was good the first time, watched it again this week and really enjoyed it.

7. Role Models - Another movie that could be dumb, but the kids definitely make it funny

6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - This was actually a really really funny movie, inspite of the brief male frontal nudity.

5. Be Kind Rewind - Made me remember why I love movies. 

4. Pineapple Express - For a stoner movie, this one made me laugh pretty hard.

3. Iron Man - Awesome Super hero movie. Unfortunatly it was overshadowed by the Dark Knight. Had it come out earlier or in 2009, it would have been even bigger.

2. Step Brothers - This is one of my favorite Will Ferrell Movies. Although the 2nd half gets a bit boring. The first half alone gets it in as my #2

1. The Dark Knight - One of the best movies ever made. This one will be remembered for a really long time. I loved it.

Worst Movie of the Year: Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I'm sure there were other horrible movies, but out of the ones I saw. This one was the worst. Farewell Indian Jones.

2008 Movies I haven't seen yet, but I think will be good and that I plan on seeing:

Slumdog Millionaire

Run Fatboy Run

Gran Torino

In Bruges

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

And if you haven't seen some of the top 10 list, I own 1,2,3, &8. You can borrow.

Thanks for Reading

I am Second...

I'm sitting here watching the season premier of The Biggest Loser (it was yesterday, but you gotta love DVR) wishing that I was motivated enough to do what they keep saying. Maybe if I keep watching i will be. I know I need to be. My friend Nate has lost over 80 pounds in this past year. And now he is smaller than me I think. But that is not what this post is about. I was reading Mike King's Blog (he's the president of YouthFront) and he posted a video of Jason Castro from last year's American Idol. I had heard that Castro was a Christian. But the video was really cool. At the end of it, he says "I am second" and it looked like it was some campaign sort of thing so I started looking into it. It seems like a pretty cool ministry. I watched a few videos. They have some famous people. But more than that, there are some really moving stories. So I thought I would share the link. its just iamsecond.com but check it out. I think it could be a great tool for Christ. 

Up and coming

So its been too long since I wrote on here. Because of that I have tons to talk about but I can't just do one post on everything. So this post is a list of things I plan to talk about on future posts. Is that dumb? Oh well, at least it gives you a preview of things to come. Here are some things I can think of that are still to come...

My growing obsession with Disc golf (yes it is still growing)

Branson (or as I call it, "The Christian Las Vegas")

Music (i gotta follow the crowd and put out my top whatever list)

Movies (because I probably see more movies than I listen to albums)

Christmas Presents (plus an amazing game that I plan to buy)

Maybe some things I would like to accomplish in 2009

As far as something to blog about today: It was a good day, I ate an amazing burger at LC's with the boys. Then went and enjoyed the nice weather with Joel during a round of disc golf. I played pretty bad, and Joel beat me for the first time. But it was bound to happen sometime. But I'm glad we were out there. In the mean time. My wife gave me her cold and I am just trying to recover from that. So far I just keep going downhill. Hopefully that changes tomorrow.

Hasta LaVista!