Guitar Pics

So here are some pictures of my current electric setup. I talked about it before but never posted pics. As I mentioned before, my current setup is as follows (chorus and delay in the fx-loop):

[G&L Legacy] -> Boss Tu-2 -> Boss SD-1 -> ProCo RAT2 -> (Boss CE-2 -> Line 6 Echo Park) -> [Peavey Classic 30]

This weekend I was able to dial in some great tones. Eventually, I'd like to add in a wah-wah to play with and also a volume pedal. Probably won't need the volume pedal until I start using my electric more in a live situation. I'll hold my GAS in for now.


My Electric Setup


Rig as of July 23/06 

"The chief export of Chuck Norris is Pain"

So I've heard many of these Chuck Norris facts long ago. Although incredibly stupid, I still find some of them amusing. Others were surprising: like the fact that he is a "sincere Christian" (since the mid 1990's) and that God allowed him to overcome his many obstacles in life. Now I don't know if this is truly a fact but I am slightly compelled to read his autobiography to find out for myself.

Worship As A Lifestyle

The highlight of this weekend was a joint praise & worship service hosted by the Calgary Chinese Alliance Church on Friday evening. There was a decent showing of young adults from churches all across the city. The music was great with a nice selection of new and old songs by Reuben Morgan, United Live, Starfield and Brian Doerksen. The music team consisted of 2 acoustic guitars (both singing as well), 1 electric, 1 bass, drums, keyboard, violin and a supporting vocalist. I thought the sound was nicely balanced for a gym environment and I loved how the violin sounded with some of the songs.

Pastor Ed Weiss was the speaker for the evening and gave a very simple message. It was basically about being set apart for God and separated from the world. As followers of Christ, should we talk like the world, dress like the world or act like the world? I was reminded of Paul's words to the Romans when he said to transform ourselves by renewing our minds and to stop conforming to the patterns of the world. One of the examples that Pastor Ed used that got me thinking was how we dress. I completely agree that modesty is the best policy when it comes to dress. But what about spending unnecessary money on certain names or certain types of clothes just because they're popular? I'm definitely guilty of spending lots of money on clothes I don't need but just because they're considered "in style". In hindsight, this is likely an example of conforming to the patterns of this world.

Did I need to buy a Burton snowboard? Burton bindings? Burton pants? An Arc'Teryx jacket? Of course not. I could have spent a fraction of the money on similar equipment and given the rest to the church or to charity. But I did a lot of justifications in my own mind: better equipment will last longer and thus be cheaper in the long run, my jacket is versatile and can be used all year round with layering, my snowpants were 10 years old and I was due for some new ones anyway... and the list goes on. It's not like I've neglected my tithing or gone into debt to afford them.

And what about my GAS attacks? Sure, I serve in the music ministry at church and I definitely used that as a justification to buy my Takamine. But what about all the bells and whistles associated with my electric? I definitely didn't need a G&L. I could have gotten a used MIM Strat for 1/5 the price, swapped in some decent pickups and given the rest of the money to the Global Advance Fund.

Then I started thinking about the concept of living comfortably as a disciple of Christ. When Jesus called the 12 disciples to follow Him in His ministry, they had to leave basically everything (family, friends, jobs) behind. And in the end they sufferred greatly for the sake of Christ and most were martyred. How does this relate to the post-modern disciple? Can we drive our Lexus or BMW and still call ourselves Christ-followers? I understand that God blesses his people and that being wealthy is not a sin. Most of the examples come from the Old Testament: Job, Abraham, Joseph and Soloman. I guess it just becomes very difficult when have plenty due to the powerful temptations associated with money. Jesus said that without God, it is impossible for a man to enter the kingdom of God. We must be willing to give up our lives and everything within them. Jesus also said, "everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." (Eugene Peterson uses "bonus of eternal life.")

Sometimes I find it hard to grasp the eternal rewards that we will inherit by living the abundant life in Christ. I guess part of this is due to my tendency to do the bare minimum in life. Instead of striving for excellence, I often find myself settling for mediocrity. But "good enough for me" isn't necessarily "good enough for God"; especially if i'm squandering my God given talents. More and more I'm realizing that my living sacrifice is not so much in the form of money or things but rather in my time and efforts.

Sermon Notes

So I like to jot down notes during sermons because it keeps me focused on what the speaker is saying and I can refer back to them later. I know my dad saves all of his church bulletins and files them away. I'm not sure if I care that much about them (often I throw them away if I don't have anything written on them or if there's nothing important) but I guess it has it's uses. For example, I was trying to remember when I got baptized and I knew it was some Sunday in December of 1999. Eventually, I asked my parents and my dad just checked his archive of church bulletins and low and behold, it was Dec 12, 1999.

July 2, 2006 - Guest Speaker: Rev. Larry Charter

I always love it when missionaries (or former missionaries) speak at churches. They have so many stories to share about how God has worked in their lives and they're always so gifted in presenting the message of God. Pastor Larry was no exception as he brought us a wonderful message from probably the most recognizable Psalm in the Bible...Psalm 23.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
- Psalm 23 (NIV)

He pointed out six significant points that we can take from this psalm of David. The first is that God provides us with the rest that we need (verse 1). Back in Ivory Cost in West Africa, where he was a missionary for many years, he recalled seeing many shepherd boys attending to their sheep. They knew that if they didn't rest their sheep frequently, they would suffer from heat exhaustion/stroke and likely die in the sweltering heat of the Sahara. Likewise, God knows what we can handle and he provides us with the rest we need so that we can continue to do His good work.

The second is that God leads us by still waters where we can refresh ourselves (verse 2). Pastor Larry mentioned that sheep refuse to drink from fast moving waters. If they are taken to a fast flowing stream or river, they will refuse to drink regardless of how dehydrated they are because they are afraid of the current. God understands our fears and provides us with the refreshment and nourishment - spiritual and physical - we need.

The third is restoration and is related to healing/correction (verse 3). Pastor Larry told us an interesting story of how a shepherd boy disciplines his sheep. If a young one refuses to listen to the shepherd, wandering off and getting into trouble all the time, he will take one of its hind legs and break it. Then he will take a splint and set the broken leg to heal. From that point on, the shepherd boy will carry the lamb on his back wherever they go until the leg is healed. That way, he gets the lamb's attention (if someone broke my leg I'd pay attention too) and then shows his love for the lamb by carrying it around and keeping it close to him. I think God sometimes does the same for us.

The good shepherd also provides his sheep with protection (verse 4) and with refreshment/food (verse 5). In the same way, our heavenly father protects us from the forces of evil, both physical and spiritual, and provides us with our daily bread. Pastor Larry gave an interesting explanation for the "presence of my enemies" part but I have forgotten now and I didn't write it down.

The last point is that God provides us with contentment (verse 6). I guess this could be related to joy. If continue to follow in the footsteps that God lays before us, we can be assured that we will always have God's love and goodness.

MySpace is n00b

So I tried a bunch of stuff on MySpace and I couldn't get any of the stuff to save. Edit, re-edit stuff followed by error after error. Not impressed at all.

Free Food?!?

Early July marks the beginning of a week-long party here in town known as the Calgary Stampede. For many it's a one big excuse to consume obscene amounts of alcohol to the point where liver damage is imminent in a masochistic sort of way. For others, it's a chance to walk around the Stampede grounds and catch the chuckwagons and the rodeo. And then there's people like me who take advantage of all the free breakfasts and lunches held all over the city in the name of the Stampede.

I will almost never pass up the opportunity to consume free food. It probably has to do with the fact that I'm a male, Chinese and a student (which means that I'm always hungry, extremely cheap and don't have much money even if I wasn't so cheap). In fact, some of my Chinese friends have planned out their entire week of free pancakes and mystery meat. The one this morning at the church right across the street from my house was excellent. 3 pancakes with blueberries, strawberry topping and whipped cream, 2 sausage patties and 2 pieces of Canadian back bacon. Not a bad reason to wake up at 8:30am after you've slept for only 4 hours.


mmm...free breakfast

Last night was another night filled with discussion on marriage and friendships. I don't know why but it seems that everyone is having wedding fever. Some of the girls talked about how they have their perfect wedding planned out down to the floral arrangements. Some of the guys talked about how they're still looking for "the one" - if she indeed exists. One notable topic of discussion was on the ladder theory of how men and women relate to the opposite sex. Basically, women have two ladders and men have one when it comes to relationships with opposite sex. Women have one reserved for "just friends" and another one that we can call the "good ladder". The only way you will have a future beyond friends with the girl is if you find yourself climbing up "good ladder". Conversely, men have just one ladder that they put all of their female companions on. For us men, the bottom section of the ladder is "just friends" and as you climb higher up, you begin to encounter an emotional grey area where friendship and more intimate feelings collide. In the top part you have girls who you possibly want to date/marry and interact with in a "more than just friends" manner.

This sort of explains why it's so hard to attain a certain level of friendship with a girl without it becoming awkward. We are incapable of separating females into categories of friends and possibly more than friends unless there are already clear barriers in place...ie. she has a boyfriend or is married...but even that doesn't stop some people.

Black and White

Was just browsing through some pics and stumbled upon some awesome black and white images that my buddy Scott took back in February while we were on our Radium ski/snowboard trip.


On a bridge to nowhere...


Ahhh! My eyes! The goggles do nothing! 


There's a light at the end of this tunnel... 

Temporary Life On Earth

"People are like grass that dies away;
their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers.
The grass withers,
and the flowers fall away.
But the word of the Lord will last forever."
- wise words from the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:24-25, quoting the prophet Isaiah (40:6-8).

Living a life filled with eternal significance has been a long term goal of mine following a huge paradigm shift at Breakforth 2006. The concept of discipleship became more of a reality to me as I began to view "holy living" from an entirely new perspective. Does this blog fit under the umbrella of the temporary or the eternal life? Possessions, accomplishments and people will all fade away but does that mean they don't have any place in the life of a disciple of Christ? What about an attitude of stewardship, accomplishing great things for the glory of God and influencing people by the love of Christ?

I'm at that point in life where marriage becomes a prominent theme among peers. There are weddings happening everywhere I look. The biological clock is ticking and it seems to nudge us forward on the path of love. What is true love? I wish I could honestly quote 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 when asked what I'm looking for in regards to love. But I still often find myself looking for physical beauty, common interests, a sense of humour, intelligence, athleticism, personality...the list goes on...over Godly character. The apostle Peter states very clearly that their beauty will fade as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers come and go with the seasons. A genuine love and fear of the Lord is really the only thing that matters because that is the one thing that will never fade away for all eternity. Moth and rust are powerless to tarnish it.

Avs Playoff Hopes Gone?

Well, this past week I went through five stages of hockey grief...

· Denial

Danny: "So did you hear the trade news?"
Matt: "What trade news?"
Danny: "Colorado traded Tanguay."
Matt: "Haha, ya right. That's a good one."

· Anger

Danny: "Dead serious. They got Leopold and a couple second round draft picks."
Matt: "WTF?!? They traded him to CALGARY? What was Giguere thinking trading with a division rival!! Tanguay is an all-star and Leopold is an offensive d-man who can't score! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Darryl Sutter and his Jedi mind tricks!" *runs around flailing arms around*

· Bargaining

Matt: "Okay, okay, this was all done to make some room under the cap to resign Blake. Now they can make him a decent offer. The Avs do need more help with defence than offense..."

· Depression

Danny: "Did you hear Blake signed backed with LA?"
Matt: "WHAT?!? Now the Avs are screwed..." *cries*

· Acceptance

Yes...I've finally reached acceptance. I've accepted that the stupid signing bonuses ($4.6 million split evenly between Sakic and Blake paid out this year) have screwed them over and have brought Lacroix's shrewdness as a GM into question. I totally forgot that with that, it puts the Avs at around $42 million if they sign all their RFA's (Liles, Svatos, etc.). With $2 mil you can't do much on the free agent market so I don't expect any changes to their roster.

Terry Frei, Denver Post columnist and a regular contributor to ESPN.com wrote a nice little bit on the future of the Avs. A couple of choice quotes regarding the only way the Avs can hope to win the Western Conference next season:

if..."Error-prone defenseman Patrice Brisebois, making an incredible $3 million in the second of his two-year deal, plays no more than 12 minutes a game."

if..."Lauren Pronger, the wife of Mighty Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger, decides she likes Anaheim even less than she did Edmonton, causing Chris to demand another trade - this time to the Eastern Conference."

if..."Sakic misses the Jan. 24 All-Star Game in Dallas because of a minor injury, and all those who play for the Western Conference are quarantined for six weeks afterward because an equipment man shows signs of bird flu. The fears prove groundless, but the damage is done to the Western Conference franchises with elite players and the Avalanche surges into a playoff spot."