Jesus' Birthday!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas; I sure did!

We all have traditions that we do every year; one of my favorites is Jesus' birthday cake. This is a special cake because the way it is made is very symbolic.

^ The big red candle represents Jesus, the light of the world. The candle sits in the middle of a Star of David, showing Jesus's lineage, and the cake is round, symbolizing the earth. The hearts represent believers around the world, and the white frosting represents Jesus' righteousness covering us.

^ The bottom, dark layer represents the sin of the world. The red layer represents Jesus' atoning sacrifice for our sins, and the green layer represents new growth in Him.

We read the Christmas story, sing Silent Night and light our candles off of the big candle, showing that we are to take Jesus' Light into the world! We also sing the Happy Birthday Song, with different lyrics:

On the first Christmas day

From the Father above

Came the little Lord Jesus

To show us God's love!

Happy birthday to You!

Happy birthday to You!

We love you dear Jesus!

Happy birthday to You!

A wonderful reminder of the reason we celebrate Christmas, and a delicious one too! :-)

~Mac

My Most Favoritest Job Ever!

I love recording, producing, and engineering music, ESPECIALLY when I get paid to do it! A few weeks ago I got a project from a young singer-songwriter. Her dad decided to give her the Christmas present of recording one of her songs at higher quality and with other instruments. My name came up and I got the job! I recorded her acoustic guitar and vocal tracks last week and have finished the tracking of the other instruments. Now I'm in the mixing stage, and I'll hopefully be done by next week! Hopefully this will give me some more contacts and good reviews ;-)

~Mac

Rockin' Christmas Evening

Last week, we got to see the most rockin' Christmas concert ever - The Trans-Siberian Orchestra! Three hours of music, lights, lasers, fire, etc. 'Twas quite epic! :-)

^ Just a sample of the amazing light and video show

^ Lights, video, orchestra and vocal choir

^ One of my favorite parts - LASERS!

^ Yes, they did light the stage on fire - and we could feel the heat from our "nosebleed" (high up and far away) seats! They also beat-synced the fire on several occasions.

~Mac

Vita - Via Media

The rough translation of that is "life - the middle way".

It's one of the things I've been thinking about a lot lately. It seems as though everything in life, all our decisions, our beliefs, our opinions, is about finding some kind of Biblical, ethical, moral, or responsible middle ground between two extremes, neglecting neither.

Faith and works. Works and faith. Which is more important? Neither! One must have faith to be saved, but faith without works is dead.

One other thing that has become important in my life is future career choices. I have to find some kind of balance between doing what I love (music, audio and video production) and what I can use to best support my family. At times, these two interests seem to be in direct conflict - musicians and audio engineers have a hard time finding work and making money, but it seems like God has gifted me in those areas.

Balancing relationships and service with school and other personal pursuits is something that we must all deal with and decide about. It can be very hard to decide between building a relationship with friends or siblings and being "productive" and moving towards earning a degree.

How about you? How are you finding the Via Media?

~Mac

Plundering the Web

Muahahaha!

:sets down bag of cyberplunder:

Every once in a while, I skim various audio software websites looking for "plunder" - free stuff that I can use in my projects. Today I picked up some more goodies, including a few reverbs, a tuner, a synthesizer, and some amp simulators. I also downloaded a video editor which I'm going to have to try out sometime in here.

Many thanks to all the people out there who take the time to create free software for all of us on shoestring budgets! :-)

Being Still

'tis the season for . . . HUNTING!

Yes, I enjoy it. And not just because you get to use guns :-) I have actually had some of my best private prayer and worship times sitting in the woods, watching the sun rise, and listening to everything come to life. It really puts me in a worshipful mood. I can just be still and commune with God. I took a couple of pictures with my cell phone but they didn't turn out very well:

I hope they give a glimpse of how beautiful that morning was!

~Mac

Fashion Plate

That's what Mom is calling me now - her "fashion plate son." Hmmm . . .

Anyway, here are some pictures of my new threads. I epically fail at fashion photography, but this is the best that I could do.

The jeans shrunk just a bit after I washed them the first time but they still fit pretty well, I think! :-)

~Mac

DIY eDrum Build: In Action!

Well here it is folks . . . a VIDEO of my eDrum Kit in action! :-)

I'm using the MIDI output on my drum module to trigger DrumCore 3 FREE drum software on my computer. I'm not much of a drummer :-P, but you can see how well it turned out! :-)

~Mac

I Repent!

It may surprise some of you to know that for many years I have avoided jeans like the plague.

Freud would probably say that the fact that I was suppressed as a child caused this phobia, and to some extent that would be true. The jeans I wore when I was younger were made of thick, stiff fabric, were too tight, had waists that were too high, and usually legs that were too short. I did not like them at all! So for about 10 years I have never worn a pair of jeans.

However, after some recent reflections and reading this:

http://www.empoweredtraditionalist.com/2010/09/22/homeschool-fashion-faux-pas-for-the-guys/ ;-)

I thought I would give them another try. After all, the design must have changed after so many years, right?

Fortunately I was correct. I purchased two pairs of Wrangler Men's Relaxed Bootcut jeans and am quite pleased with them. They improve everything that was bad about the old jeans! :-) Now I have something else to wear to nicer events besides cargo pants and slacks.

~Mac

DIY eDrum Build: Part 5 - FINISHED!

Well, it's done . . . I'm FINISHED! :-)

It was a blast to make (the only casualty - I sliced my left index finger open with a utility knife), and even more fun to play - nice and responsive yet it seems durable. Hopefully it will give me years of use :-)

Special thanks to my brother who helped me out with the construction, and lent his construction and power tool expertise to the project, as well as his tools and some hardware :-)

~Mac

My Busy Life . . .

I almost feel like a "normal" person, hurrying from one activity to another (lol). These last few days have been quite busy!

Thursday night, we attended a surprise party for a friend. He was surprised to say the least!

Friday night, my brother and I went to a Halloween party for our church's community groups. It was a costume party, so my brother and I went as the Blues Brothers :-) We had a great time - there was good food and a sweet dance floor with disco balls and a sweet sound system (that I helped install!)

Saturday I went to a local CollegePlus! gathering. We had lunch, hung out, and shopped for and filled our boxes for Operation Christmas Child! :-)

Sunday our family helped with our church's first Reformation Celebration. We had a skit, games, activities, candy, and dinner. It went very well, and several people said that they had a great time!

Today was of course voting day! So I went to the polls this morning. Now I have to study because I have a test coming up tomorrow morning, followed by a coaching call and choir practice.

And of course, through it all, I've been doing chores, working on my eDrum build, and studying for other classes and tests.

It's been one of those weeks . . .

~Mac

The Seder

Earlier this month, our family had the privilege of celebrating a Messianic Seder (passover).

^ The Seder plate contains much of the symbolism of the Seder.

It was a great blessing to follow the order of the Seder and see the symbols as pointing forward to what for the Jews was an unknown Messiah, but for us is our Savior Jesus Christ! The parallels between the history of the Jewish nation and our lives of sanctification as believers were also quite striking.

DIY eDrum Build: Part 4 (continued)

Wow, I really was rolling today :lol:

DIY eDrum Build: Part 4

My brother and I worked on the eDrums again yesterday, and so today I tested out the hi hat pad - and TOOK PICTURES! :-D

^ This is the 1/4" jack on the end of the cable going into my audio interface which converts the analog signal to digital so my computer can understand it.
^ It's kinda hard to see, but that's the piezo and cable taped to the underside of the hi hat pad.

And the last picture is the top of the hi hat pad on the rack and connected to the interface. This isn't the final setup, but I wanted to test and see what kind of signal I got when I hit the pad. So far so good! :-)

DIY eDrum Build: Part 3

Well, the piezos got here a few days ago, and yesterday I soldered my first piezo pickup assembly together!

^ The 1/4" jack that will plug into the drum module.

^ The piezo pickup element.

Then I tried it out and it works! :-D It picks up drum hits very well, and I can also pick up my acoustic guitar with it - a nice bonus! I may have to get a few more and make a dedicated guitar pickup with them :-)

~Mac

DIY eDrum Build: Part 2

Well, my module arrived - and didn't work :-( I found out that they had included the wrong power supply with it. However, they were very nice about it and refunded all my money - so it worked out fine! I'm now waiting on another power supply to arrive, as well as my piezos and drum rack. So far, I have my module, cables, and jacks to solder to the cables. Now it's time to wait . . . so I should get to the other things on my plate, like studying and work and stuff :-D

~Mac

DIY eDrum Build: Part 1

So I've decided to build my own electronic drumset for my studio. It's getting so playing drum parts with my MIDI keyboard just doesn't cut it anymore, so I've decided to upgrade.

A few days ago, my adventure began when I won a used Alesis D4 drum module off of eBay. This will be the heart of my rig, that will convert the signals from my pads into drum sounds and MIDI notes. I just ordered 10 piezo pickup elements that will convert drum hits on the pads into electricity. These will be soldered to cables, which will be plugged into the drum module. I'm probably gonna grab a used drum rack off eBay as well to hold the drums.

In a few days my module and piezos will get here, and it will be time for some experimentation with different pad materials and designs. Hopefully when this is finished, I will have a kit that I can use for practice, recording, and possibly live performance.

Should be fun! :-)

~Mac

Random Updates

Well, we finally bought a digital camcorder - for Mom, for her birthday. Of course we're all using it too :-) and it's great that we can now edit and touch up our home movies! Plus digital is just so much more convenient :-) Maybe I'll post some videos . . . maybe.

On a related subject, I'm working on polishing up my collection of moves for the office/study space breakdancing genre I've created. It's mostly done in, on, and around rolling office chairs. Chairspins are so much easier and more fun than headspins - plus they're easier on the head, and work well for those of us who can't do a headspin :lol:

Oh yeah, I also bought a Red Ryder BB gun (70th Anniversary Edition! :O) for fast, cheap plinking when I don't want to get my bigger guns out. It's pretty accurate and it smokes out the muzzle when it shoots which is a nice plus :-) I've done some fun trick shooting with it!

I miss all the people from the OH gathering :-(

I really need to do some studying . . .

Till next time, peace out!

~Mac

Seeing Opportunities in the Little Things

It seems that lately, I've been stuck on thinking big at the expense of the smaller here and now.

Several of my friends are going or have gone on mission trips, they know what God is calling them to, and they are going out into the world to evangelize people for Christ. And while that is great, sometimes it just makes me feel inferior in some way. I mean, here are people traveling to foreign countries, teaching others about Jesus, and here I am, doing schoolwork, watching siblings, cleaning dishes, changing diapers . . . MUNDANE STUFF.

I have slipped into the mindset of regarding one set of activities as somehow "holier" than another.

However, God has been telling me lately that instead of trying to avoid these little things in life as I grasp for bigger, "holier" things, I should make the most of every opportunity (Eph. 5:16). He's telling me to live more in the present, rather than in some uncertain, imaginary future. He's showing me that I should view even the little things as having eternal value and as being opportunities for growth, and that in order to be entrusted with bigger things, I must show myself faithful in little things.

It's a rather large perspective shift, and it will not come to me easily I know. But I am confident that with God's help I can truly see every good activity as having real meaning and value, and that every day I live will be rich with new meaning! I'm excited!

~Mac

THE Vacation

Over this past weekend, I had the privilege of attending a CollegePlus! gathering in Ohio.

(For those of you who don't know, CP! is a Christian accelerated distance learning program that helps students earn their degrees faster and cheaper than traditional college. http://www.collegeplus.org/)

This was my second CP! get together event, and each one leaves me refreshed and encouraged. While I have had the privilege of interacting with many of these people online for some time, we had never actually met till this past week. It is such a blessing to get to know other students who share many of the same beliefs and outlooks on life, and to interact with them through activities, service projects and other events. I made some new friends, and really strengthened and deepened existing friendships. The trip was such a blessing for me, and for all of those who attended!

~Mac

Benefits to Living In a Large Family

While I was doing some of my chores today, I suddenly thought of how many ways being in a large family helps me. One way is that it's easier to stay in shape! Here are some examples (I may edit as I think of more):

~ Taking out the trash: This is my job, and let me tell you, carrying two giant full bags of garbage to the can, one in each hand, does wonders for your arm strength!

~ Carrying siblings around: Whether it's moving the babies and toddlers from room to room to playpen to changing table, or giving piggyback rides to older children, there's nothing like carrying around siblings for keeping those core and leg muscles toned!

~ Carrying in groceries: This is a great time for group exercise! All of us children form a relay team of sorts and carry all the groceries from the car to where they are needed. Carrying four gallons of milk, two in each hand, keeps your arms and legs in shape!

It really is wonderful how God has built an exercise routine into a typical day!

~Mac

Doing the Life Thing

Yes, I'm still here.

It just seems like nothing really "bloggish" has happened in my life lately. Wait . . . maybe some things have happened that are kinda cool!

We just tried out a new service from Google called GOOG411, and it's pretty neat (in a tech geek kind of way). When you don't know the number of a business you want to call, or when you want to find a category of business in a certain area, you dial 1-800-GOOG411 and speak the name and location of the business or business category you want, and after you confirm the place you want to call, GOOG411 will connect you! Suhweet! :-)

The doctor checked me out today and I'm a healthy young man! :-)

I've gotten a good deal of work lately which is nice. Running wires, hooking up speakers, crawling through attics, setting up home theaters, the usual. It's pretty fun work - and my boss pays for meals! :-)

I'm still working on my Media Writing class and studying for Intro to Business :P Well, I'm trying to study, but "life" keeps getting in the way! Have no fear - with God's help, I shall overcome!

Oh, and I'm also growing a full beard. All of the females in my family say it looks good so that's a good sign. :-)

And . . . that's all I can come up with for now.

~Mac

Motivation

Yep, it's that time.

That time when you just want to chill, veg out, hang free, whatever.

That time when schoolwork seems to be the most unappealing thing.

I'm struggling with motivation. It's happened before, but right now I seem to be spinning my wheels trying to keep going with classes and such. And I end up wasting my time on lots of little trivial things :-P So I'm asking you:

What do you do to stay motivated and concentrated on the task at hand?

I welcome your comments!

~Mac

Dancing the Night Away

This past Thursday, my family and I attended a Civil War era dance at a friend's house with about six other families. I was not sure I wanted to go, because I had never danced before :O but I decided to go, and it's a good thing I did, because I had a BLAST! They taught us to line dance, circle dance, polka, and waltz. I discovered that I actually had a left foot AND a right foot! :O Now I can't wait for another dance, which will probably happen around Christmas! Till then, I'm gonna have to practice to keep up the muscle memory. And if any of you guys/gentlemen/young men have a chance to learn to dance, DO IT! :-D

~Mac

Finally . . . A Use for K'Nex!

Yes, I know . . . some of you may be upset that I knocked K'Nex. But to me, they are inferior to LEGOs in every respect except one: creating strong frames. Of course, I never really figured out a good use for this, so my K'Nex sat in the attic . . . UNTIL this morning!

I suddenly had an inspiration, so I dragged out my box of K'Nex and got to work.

Behold the results!

A suhweet holster for my LEGO Glock! :-) It fits in the thigh pocket of a pair of cargo pants ^

Or clips to a belt or the top of your pants ^

Using this clipping piece here ^

It draws very quickly and smoothly, and reholsters well too! I'm feeling very happy that I kept my K'Nex! :-) It was a good morning . . . and a good break from school! Now I'm ready for LEGO combat and law enforcement action!

~Mac

Only Trust Him

I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I read about the government's latest attack on free speech and its frantic desire to cover itself in the face of the November elections: the DISCLOSE Act, which would force ads to reveal the sponsor's top five donors several times in each ad. In effect, this is attempting to prevent conservative groups from protesting the government's current agenda.

As I sat there, I thought, "What can we do?" I've contacted our representative and Senators, but they are conservative and will probably vote against it anyway. Which is good and bad - good because our reps are voting with their constituents, but bad because we feel like we don't have an influence - helpless in the face of a government that has no respect for God or His truth. I find it hard to trust God is these circumstances, knowing how much our country has angered Him and is deserving of His wrath. But nevertheless He commands us to rest in His good and perfect will, and He will give us the peace that passes all understanding.

And then I was reminded that there is one thing that all of us can do, a thing that is easy to overlook and trivialize: PRAY! Pray for our leaders; pray for our country; pray for revival to sweep across this land and make America what it once was: "One nation under God." And finally, pray that whatever may come our way, that God will give us grace and peace to stand firm.

Only trust Him, only trust Him,

Only trust Him now!

He will save you, He will save you,

He will save you now!

Only Trust Him, John H. Stockton, 1874

That is my prayer for us, our country, and the world.

~Mac

First Classes!

Last week, I enrolled in my first online college class and will probably enroll in a second one sometime this week!

Needless to say, I'm excited and nervous at the same time.

For the first few days, I have been navigating the system, figuring it out. Now I just need to get on with the lessons!

Prayers would be appreciated as I start this next phase of my college education.

~Mac

Lights, Camera, Action!

Recently, I've had the opportunity to help some friends with a movie that they are shooting this month. I drove several actors to the set, and then I got a cameo role as an undercover policeman :-D Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from the shoot, but it was very fun! We filmed a scene where an FBI team raids a suspected safehouse - so we had five people in FBI shirts with airsoft guns repeatedly blasting into a nice house in a (mostly) peaceful subdivision shouting "FBI!"! Needless to say, we got some strange looks from drivers and passersby. Only one neighbor called though! They're all probably used to this movie filming by now :-D Once filming and editing is completed, I'm going to take a shot at composing the score for it, so that should be really fun and will hopefully give me some material to add to my composer's demo reel :-)

~Mac

Hearts of Darkness - Redeemed

What do Blind Bartimaeus and Heart of Darkness have in common?

This past Sunday, the sermon was on Mark 10:46-52, the passage containing the healing of Bartimaeus. For the first point, the pastor used a comparison with Alcoholics Anonymous to demonstrate that in order to be freed from something that has its hold on you, you must first truly recognize your condition for what it is. As he continued, for some reason I immediately thought of the Joseph Conrad novel Heart of Darkness, which I read in literature class in high school. In that class, we determined that Conrad's view of salvation is to look the darkness in the face and recognize it and proclaim it as evil. What a similarity!

Sadly, however, Conrad stops there. But fortunately, Bartimaeus' (and the Gospel's) story doesn't end there!

Bartimaeus recognized his helplessness. But he responded by turning to the one Person able to help him - Jesus! Trusting in faith that Jesus could and would do what he asked, he received his sight.

I don't know about you, but I am so glad that we don't have to stop where Heart of Darkness does. We have a Savior who we can run to, and who can and will free us from bondage to the darkness within each of our hearts.

~Mac

Initial Thoughts

Well, here it is . . . for all of you who have been waiting with bated breath (as well as for those of you who couldn't care less), let it be known I have finally started a blog.

What's it about?

I have no idea (at this point).

It will probably end up being a place where I can post random (and not so random) thoughts, keep you all up to date on various hobbies and projects of mine, and proclaim other things that I haven't thought of yet.

Most of all, I pray that this little corner of cyberspace will be a place where God is glorified through all that is said and done.

I shall return! (I do not know when as of yet)

~Mac