An Entirely Different Light?

My Honors class is going through a large part of the New Testament for the next few weeks. The professor has told us to read Acts, most of Romans, I Corinthians 6-7, Ephesians, I Timothy, and Philemon as we study the early church and it's role in the history of Rome. For our text we are using The Unvarnished New Testament translated by Andy Gaus. The description on the back reads: "This new, innovative translation of the New Testament opens the closed doors of preconception and allows the reader to view these important Greek writings in an entirely different light... Most translations of the New Testment are made by committees; they interpret the original text through theological doctrines and dogmas which arose centuries after the books were written... Andy Gaus presents the New Testament as it would have appeared to someone reading the original, unvarnished Greek- as though 2,000 years of Christian history had not occured." So, pretty much, Mr. Gaus taken the original Greek and translated it, just like someone would take the Iliad and translate it into English. He has done this so that years and years of religous thought won't get in the way and persuade the text one way or another. But, even as he has tried to take the religious history away from the bible, God's word still rings loud and clear. It's not the "2,000 years of religious history" that makes the bible true and infallible, it's the author. Although we aren't going to get into any theological debates (yeah, right) and we are reading the text to learn about the history of the early church, I know that God will still use His living word to work in the hearts of those who read it. I'm so thankful that we've been given this assignment... now, if I could only convince my geology teacher to teach us the history of the earth straight from Genesis...

Amateur - Lasse Gjertsen

This video has intrigued me so I must share it with everyone.

Wednesday Night

I completely forgot to tell you guys about this week's service! We had something like 33 wednesday night (not counting women and children... that's for you Andrew). No, actually we had about 33 youth, not including adults- the largest youth service I've seen at Master's. I know that numbers don't mean squat if God isn't moving, but numbers do show that these youth are excited about coming to church, so excited that they want their friends to be there with them. And on top of that, God is moving! The girls really made a great showing wednesday night and outnumbed the guys 2:1 and it's really awesome that God brought so many girls to the service- the message was on Deborah and Jael. Marc is doing a series on Judges called "Judge This"... I think that's what it's called... anyway, wednesday we talked about how God used Deborah to bring victory over Jabin's army and Jael to kill Sisera, the general of said army. (Jael drove a tent peg through Sisera's head and into the ground, remember?) Marc did a great job of conveying the message of "God can use you, no matter who you are" and even tied it seemlessly into the gospel at the end. That's one of my favorite things about these services- you will always hear the gospel. No matter what the rest of the message is about, it all boils down to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The simple yet profound truth that "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
God is really moving through these wednesday night services and I'm ecstatic and very humbled to be a part ot it.

Blog Title

As you may know, I've gone back and forth with different titles ever since the creation of this blog. It started out as musings of a reformed bassist, transformed into chronic congnitions of my consciousness, then I had a few random titles for a few days before settling on Derek's blog... which morphed into derekhughes. After I grew tired of that I added (musings of a reformed bassist) to derekhughes and that's where I've been the past few days. Now, notice the top of the page and you'll see I've changed it once again to read derekhughes (student). When trying to choose a blog title, I wanted something that would accurately describe me and the nature of this blog.
First off, I've decided to change it from musings of a reformed bassist because many, many people use the word musing in blog titles and using it in mine makes me feel like a big ol' copycat. Second, although I do hold to the five solas of reformed theology and the five points of Calvinism, I don't want that to define my blog, or me for that matter. There are many blogs out there devoted to these doctrines of grace, and that isn't the kind of blog that I want to claim as my own. I have absolutley nothing against any of these blogs, in fact, most blogs that I visit deal with reformed theology, I just want to maintain a different kind of blog. Thirdly, sometimes I feel restricted whenever I think of myself as a bassist. I do play bass and it is probably the instrument that I enjoy playing the most, but sometimes I feel as if I shut myself off from the rest of the musical world and try to focus too much on the bass. I forget that I still need to keep up my piano chops and that if I don't practice singing, Dr. Lugo will shoot me. I'm not exaggerating. Ok, maybe slightly, but she would still be very angry. But the point is, I need to stop thinking of myself as purely a bass player, because it has started to hinder my growth as a musician... wow, I'm a huge geek.
So my new title, derekhughes (student) describes my current state. I am a student of theology, not formally (at the moment) but, in my spare time, I try to soak up the word as much as possible. I'm a student of music, currently notating my way through UK's theory department and trying to keep up in my intense voice lessons. And, I'm also a student of whatever else they force me to take at UK, right now it's Psychology and this class called Dinosaurs and Disasters (all about prehistoric times and the extinction of Dinosaurs... Bert, I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions about this one).
So, there you have it- my blog's new title. I hope that I haven't lost any readers in the process, but if so that's quite alright. I don't blog to gain popularity- this is more or less my online journal. If you want to read it, feel free. My mother says it makes it possible for her to keep up with my everyday life. Thanks for all of your dedication and continued faithfulness. Until next time...

Tagged?

I've been tagged. Now we come to the part of the conversation where you ask, "What the heck does that mean, Derek?" Did you say it outloud or did you just read my dictation? You just read along in your head but didn't really ask me, didn't you? You don't really care that I was tagged and you don't ever care to find out what that means. But, since you're still reading this post that means that you're obviously still remotely interested so I'm going to go on and explain my current situation. Apparently there is some kind of game going on right now in the blogging world where someone gets tagged. That person has to write a post telling... wait, I'm just going to post what someone else wrote about the subject. I had to go back a couple of layers into this game to find this, the author doesn't know me at all.
“People who get tagged need to write a blog post of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”
I was tagged by Adam Bishop, new music minister at Buck Run. Now normally, I wouldn't respond to anything like this because I hate chain letters of any kind, they annoy the crap out of me. So, why am I playing along? I'm bored and I have nothing better to write about. So here it goes- a few weird things about Derek Hughes.
1) I am an avid air-drummer. Although I've only played drums on a few occasions and definitely don't mention them in my list of instruments, I love to air-drum. (Is that a verb?) It's weird, I hardly ever play air-bass, air-guitar, or air-piano. No no, my area of expertise is restricted to the air-drums, usually in the car. And yes, I get odd looks often.
2) I've never seen the Sound of music. This may not sound too odd, perhaps you've never seen it either. But, I love musicals more than any man should and to have not seen this classic is inconceivable.
3) Oh, I hate the feel/sound of cotton balls. I'm getting goosebumps and chills as I type these words, no lie. When you rub them between your fingers and they produce that small, squeeky noise accompanied by a tiny amount of friction, just enough to grate on my spine. I'm not sure if this one made much sense, but if you feel the same way about cotton balls as I do, you understood oh too well.
4) I'm a teribble speller. Whenever typing anything on this blog, I always have dictionary.com pulled up and check many words- even in this particular post. I've looked up 3 words so far. (Try and guess which ones).
5) Here's another movie one- I've never seen The Goonies. For older readers out there, this may not sound too odd, but apparently this was a movie that defined my generation and my friends never cease to sing it praises. But, I have no desire to see it... so there.
6) I hate the fact that I own greatest hits cds but at the same time I can't get rid of them. I love the concept of the album so much and have a hard time listening to songs out of their original context. So it's odd that I would own so many greatest hits, that are a collection of pupular songs put together by the record company. I feel cheap whenever I listen to them, but I can't stop. Someone help me!
So there you have it. I've been tagged, I've listed 6 weird things about myself, and now I think it's my turn to tag someone else, actually 6 other people. But, I think I'm just going to tag Andrew. So now I've fulfilled my duties and passed off the torch. Andrew, if you're reading this, know that I don't want you to feel obligated to reply. In fact, feel free to ignore this game and end this small branch that I've created- my feelings won't be hurt at all. But, if you're like me, and always looking for stuff to post, go ahead and share your weirdness with the rest of the world.

A Motley Crew

Here's the youth. Oh, and the bearded one in the back isn't a youth, that's Brad. Brad plays bass with me on wednesday nights. This particular collection of youth (this picture doesn't quite include the entire group) went to the Power of One Conference in Pigeon Forge a couple of weekends ago... I love these guys!

It seems that some clarification is in order

Due to a small amount of confusion in my recent change of churches, I feel the need to explain myself a little better. I made the move to Master's Church (by the way, Mary Beth and I joined yesterday) not in order to pursure a job, but because it's where I felt God was calling me. I am not the youth minister or music minister, but I felt God calling me to serve in those ministries at Master's Church. God has called Mary Beth and I to be there so that we can work closer with the youth and develop closer relationships with them by simply being around more. And no, I am not getting paid.
I'm sorry for any confusion that my leaving caused. I guess I didn't make it clear enough whenever I explained the situation.
On another note, I'm starting to play piano a lot more... I really missed it.

Free Will Song

What bible are they reading? If God gave us freedom, we would NEVER choose Him. "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks God." Romans 3:10-11. This literally turns my stomach, especially the preacher at the end.

oops

Youtube has been acting really funny recently whenever I try to post videos on my blog. A few days ago I blogged about Coldplay's "Fix You" and tried to post the music video so you all could see what I was talking about and experience the great moment with me (complete with fist pumping). When one video didn't work, I went and tried to post another. I tried this for a couple of days and then finally gave up. Much to my surprise, I signed into my blog a few minutes ago and discovered that youtube had finally posted all of the videos- I think 6 in all! I took care of them and left only one for you to enjoy. I guess I'll have to start planning my video posts ahead of time so they show up when I want them too.
Oh, I picked up a few new cds yesterday- Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" and "The Dance" and The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds". I haven't gotten a chance to listen to any Fleetwood Mac yet because I'm so blown away by Pet Sounds. I highly suggest that you give it a shot. It just may be the most perfect album I've ever heard, no exaggeration.

Coldplay Fix You

Alright, here it is. Listen carefully at around 2:26- that's when the moment begins.

An Epic and Inspiring Musical Moment

I've got to say that the song "Fix You" by Coldplay has got one of the (if not the) most inspiring musical moments that I've ever heard. About 2:10 into the song, after the 2nd chorus, he sings "I will try to fix you" and on the next downbeat the guitarist comes in with the eighth notes rocking with this 8 bar phrase that repeats over all of the chord changes as the band builds intensity until they comes in with 4 part harmony ("Tears stream..."). Ahh, this gives me goosebumps every single time I listen to the song. I've got to see it live. If you haven't heard the song, I suggest you do yourself a favor and listen to it. If you pump your fist in the air as the band builds at the end it adds to the intensity, I swear it does. I'm working on posting the music video on my blog but, for some reason, youtube isn't cooperating right now. I'll keep trying, though.

First time for everything...

So tonight was my first time speaking in front of a youth group. Marc asked me a few weeks ago if I wanted to preach one night so I took him up on the offer and spoke on the gospel tonight. I was quite nervous since it was my first time. I mean, I spoke in front of FCA pretty much every week my last two years of high school and led some short devotions, but this was my first time with an entire message. Having such an important message to share, I didn't want to be destracting with my own ill-preparation and I definitely didn't want to say anything false. I really just wanted God to completely take over tonight and that's exactly what happened. As soon as I started talking I knew that the Holy Spirit was definitely working in the room and that God was doing some very big things in the hearts of the youth. Although no public decisions were made tonight, it was obvious that they were turning everything over in their heads as they listened. I pray that the message shared tonight will act as another seed that God uses to bring His people to Him.

Who are these people?: Neil Diamond and the lasar guns

Do you ever have a moment where you suddenly feel utterly and completely out of place? All of a sudden you don't know the person to your right or left, the people you thought you knew from last semester throw you for a loop with some comment and you don't feel like you belong anymore. Welcome to Written theory, January 12, 2007.
The topic for class today was non-chord tones, or notes in a melody that don't fit into the chord which is accompaning them. Sounds fun right? Well, we started out with an example from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and this particular song only had one chord. So just about every other note was a non-chord tone. We moved on to a different aspect of non-chord tones and he put our next example in the cd player: Neil Diamond's Song Sung Blue. Now, to be completely honest- this was a welcome change in my mind. We usually analyze "classical" music written way before this century, so I was thinking that good ol' Neil brought the whole lesson together very nicely. We only listened to about half the song and then the professor took the cd out, and laughingly appologized for exposing us to this inferior music (my paraphrase, not his exact words).
He then said he would make up for it by using Wagner's Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde as his next example. My inner groans were drowned up by the rejoicing emerging from the very souls of my classmates. What? They actually would rather listen to Wagner than Neil Diamond? The man wrote Sweet Caroline! I quickly realized that I am quite different than my peers in the school of music and while they savor their Filet Mignon, I am much happier eating a chili dog and fries. I'm not claiming to be better than them, and I'm not saying that they are better or smarter than me (most of them are smarter), I am just realizing the differences in musical taste and my great appreciation for my musical past and upbringing.
As I sat there and pondered these differences, my stomach began to tell me that it was hungry and proceeded to growl. However, this wasn't your everyday, average, run of the mill growl. No no. I have never heard this sound come from my stomach before (or anyone elses for that matter). It sounded, no lie, like a lasar gun preparing to fire. I'm not even sure I've ever heard a lasar gun preparing to fire, but that is exactly what it sounded like. It scared me a little, to be honest. I know that this last story about my stomach isn't quite as interesting as some other anecdotes, but I was pretty amused so I felt like sharing it. Back to class.

Sleeping-in is the way to go

Since my 9-10:50 am Psychology lab was cancelled today, I don't have class until 11! The sleep was quite nice. And in other news, I went to the audiologist in Louisville last night with my dad and we tried out our new custom molds for our in-ear monitors. They fit perfectly and I really can't wait to try them out in the JMB setting. They sounded great plugged up to my iPod but I haven't gotten a chance to hear any live music in them yet. Hopefully within the next month or so, JMB will be practicing out at Cedarmore and leaving all of the equipment set up (for the live DVD) which will make it much easier to get a good monitor mix set. Anyway, I'm off to class now. Have a great day and remember, whether you think you can or you can't, you're right.

Proverb of the Day

"The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want." Proverbs 13:25

John Piper Is Bad

I finally figured out how to post videos again. Here's a short one I hope you enjoy.

Class

I started this post yesterday but then decided to just delete it... not quite sure why. Today is my first day of classes for this semester. I'm not too excited about it really but hey, what else can I do? It's either sit around my dorm and do nothing or go to class and actually learn something. I guess I'll try to learn. My schedule's not too bad really, for a music ed major. I've only got 4 classes a day and then 5 on Monday since I have a night class... "Dinosaurs and Disasters." Sounds like fun right? Dur to MLK Jr. day, I won't even have that class for another week and a half so I'll have to tell you about it then. Oh, mom- sorry that your comment got deleted off of the other post. Had I known that you had already commented, I would've left the post up and just edited it with further information. Have a great day.

New Year's Resolutions

I normally don't have them simply because I don't like disappointing myself. I know, I know, it's a terrible attitude to have and that's why I've decided to make some new year's resolutions. While I realize that I don't need to tell everyone to give them some sort of validity, I do know that I'll feel a greater sense of accountability if I post them on my blog. So, faithful readers, here are my resolutions for 2007.
1) Study the Old Testament- I read the bible this past year but at many times it became more of a chore, just one more little box to check off everyday, and I sped through much of the Old Testament without much thought. I want to read it again, but this time seeing it as one huge story that perfectly sets up the birth of a savior. I especially want to pay attention to each gospel reference as I read.
2) Journal- This is something I've tried a few times, but it's never really stuck. Hopefully I can make a habit of this.
3) Study more- I didn't do too bad last semester, but I really want to study a lot more so I don't have to cram before the tests.
4) Read more books- I got a lot of books for Christmas.
5) Drive more slowly- It was only a matter of time before I got my first speeding ticket and now that I've joined the club, I don't care to get any more.
6) Blog more- I tended to slack off a lot with this blog and then go through a nice blogging spurt, only to slack off a week later. I want to stay more consistent and allow people to get a closer look into my head, no matter how scary it may be.

Sure, there are a lot more areas that I'd love to improve, but these are just a few that I wanted to share with everyone. And, just for the record, I've already started on all of these so I'm off to a good start.

Proverb of the Day

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." Proverbs 9:10

For everything there is a season

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

God, through His divine and soverign will, has had the entire course of history planned out since before the beginning of time. There is a time for every thing to come to an end and there is a time for new things to begin. Over the course of the last few months, God has revealed to both Mary Beth and I that we are supposed to be at Master's Church and that is where He wants us to serve. We don't really know how we are going to be serving, so this is a giant leap of faith for the both of us. God has been gracious enough to give us the strength and courage to step out from our home churches to start a new ministry. I know that we will continue to work with the youth and become more involved in youth sunday school and we will hopefully start serving in the music ministry at Master's. As God leads us on this new journey, we both greatly appreciate all of your prayers and we pray that God will use us in a very big way to impact Master's Church. I am so thankful for my amazing church family at Buck Run and I hope that there are no ill feelings as I depart. I cherish all of our memories of fellowship, prayer, and worship of our almighty savior and I will surely never forget you.

My Playlist

Andrew posted his on the JMB blog, and I felt the need to do the same. However, since some of you don't read that blog very often, I figured I might as well post mine on my own blog.

1) This World (Caedmon's Call)- Caedom's Call is my absolute favorite band and this is one of my favorite songs from them, if not my favorite. They have so many great songs that it's near impossible for me to pick just one. Which is why number 2 is...

2) Not The Land (Caedmon's Call)- Hey, it's my list, I can feature as many artists as I want! This is one of the most rocking songs I have ever heard, especially when the chorus kicks in and Derek really adds the growl to his voice. Ahhh, musical bliss.

3) When He Calls (I'll Fly Away) (Gold City)- That looks a little confusing- Gold City is the artist, not I'll Fly Away. I have to have at least one southern gospel song on this list, and chances are it's going to be about heaven. The studio version is pretty good, but it's amazing live. The tenor singer finishes the song with a note that would make a dog's ears bleed.

4) Callin' Baton Rouge (Garth Brooks)- Oh man, oh man. This song pumps me up every single time I hear it. My favorite version is from his Double Live album- when every thing drops out but the drums in the chorus, I can't help but pound my fist in the air and belt out those lyrics at the top of my lungs... "Hurry up won't you put her on the line, I gotta talk to the girl just-a one more time"

5) For The Love Of God (Andrew Peterson)- This happens to be the most played songs in my itunes. Andrew Peterson is one of the greatest songwriters I've ever heard. He uses the lyrics and music to paint masterpieces in the minds of his listeners. This is a great song about his family and love.

6) Washin' & Wonderin' (Stroke 9)- I can't stay away from that catchy, 90's, power-pop rock. (I'm not sure if that's a real genre, or if I just made that up). Sam (ex-JMB drummer) and I used to jam on this song back in 7th grade. Man, those were the days.

7) Dance (Derek Webb)- Although not one of his more deep, theologically challenging songs, Dance is a great tune nonetheless. Derek wrote this song after a conversation with his grandmother as she told him her entire life story.

8) Take It Easy (The Eagles)- I love when the banjo kicks in about half way through.

9) Tiny Dancer (Elton John)- I used to play and sing this song all the time (don't ask me to now, I've already retired it... a few times) so whenever I hear it, it brings back many fond memories. I remember playing this song once at GSP for Mary Beth... it's probably why she digs me so much.

10) Cruel Kindness (Inside Out)- I love a cappella groups and this is the best one I've heard. If I had to pick a favorite song from Inside Out, it would probably be this one for the great background harmonies in the chorus.

11) Friend Like You (Big Daddy Weave)- If I ever get in a good bass playing mood, this is usually the song I want to hear. Each bass line on the album is solid, interesting, and downright fun to play. This song always gets my blood flowing and my fingers itching to groove.

12) God Only Knows (The Beach Boys)- I feel that the Beach Boys are too often unappreciated in the music world and the genius of Brian Wilson was too easily forgotten. I especially love the end of this song when the vocals start layering on top of each other.

13) Piano Man (Billy Joel)- Here's another song I have played many times, but I still never get tired of hearing it. This was the first song that Mary Beth heard me sing and play so it has some special meaning to me. I love the line "And the piano it sounds like a carnival and the microphone smells like a beer." On the word "carnival", he sings it more as a shout and slightly out of tune... I'm not quite sure why I like that part so much, but I do.