Top 10

Today I was driving home from the office listening to the radio when maybe the most popular song of my generation came on..."Thriller" by Michael Jackson. I havn't listened to this song in years and as I drove down the road jammin to the former king of pop I realized how influencial this song was on me as a 13 year old. It was the Thriller album that made me want to learn to break dance and for about 4 years my life revolved around parachute pants and the soundtrack to "Breakin" as I did my thing on a giant piece of cardboard. Well, this had me thinking that I would think of a Top 10 list of albums that influenced me the most as a teen and young adult. These aren't neccasarily the best albums, just most influencial. I would love to hear your thoughts and maybe your own top 10 albums.

Why do I suddenly feel like Jack Black from the movie "High Fidelity"...



Here it is...



10. Phil Collins- No Jacket Required - The song Sussudio was so cool!

9. Lionel Richie- Can't Slow Down - Hello was the first love song I ever got into.

8. Queensryche- Empire- Maybe the best studio recording ever as well as best album at high volume while in a car.

7. Michael Jackson- Thriller- See above

6. Van Halen- OU812- I have to admit that as a junior in HS I thought Sammy Hagar was the man, and I wanted to sing just like him!

5. Sade- Love Deluxe- This album was played in my headphones many a night during college to help me sleep. There is no voice like that of Sade!

4. Pearl Jam- Yield- My favorite of all PJ albums...because of this album I bought a guitar , but never took lessons. :(

3. U2- Rattle and Hum- My first exposure to social justice through music.

2. Alice in Chains- Dirt- Great album, but had big-time negative influence on me during a period of my life where faith was difficult.

1. Pearl Jam- Ten- This album spoke to Gen X better than any other...at 35 years old, PJ is still my favorite band of all-time!

Peace and Love,
Rex

Pursuit and the journey of a church

I'm just returning home from our church's first mid-week gathering called Pursuit. There were about 20 people who came to experience a more intimate worship/teaching time along with sharing in communion together. This was a huge night for the journey of our church! I believe this because it's been obvious to me that God is doing something in the hearts of many people within our faith community. People seem hungry to know God in a deeper more comitted way and this mid-week gathering I hope will help people grow and understand more their identity in God. What I loved about tonight, was that it wasn't a "service" where we had to have everything structured just right and where we the pastors provided all the leadership. Tonight, everyone had a hand in Pursuit and it felt right. I really do believe Redwood Hills is a great church and it's obvious God is blessing our efforts and changing hearts. I think this is the start of something...some would call it revival, I would call it an awakening. People are being awakened to how much they need God and how much they need each other in their faith journey. We'll see where this leads us...

Love and Peace.
Rex