/THE MELODY AND THE NOISE/

The band...

Hence, the use of capitalization... It lets the reader know I mean the band...

Not literal explosions in the sky...

Although, real explosions in the sky would probably require some serious capitalization...

And, yes, I really do get that off track that quickly...

Explosions in the Sky could possibly be one of the greatest bands ever. Most of you would recognize their music from the movie and TV show, "Friday Night Lights". (Which, by the way, is one of the best shows on television, but that's a discussion for another time.) Their music has no lyrics or vocalization. They create their music with only their instruments... and... it... is... so... good...

You can focus in on it, and really listen and analyze it, or you can do what I'm doing now and allow it to be the background noise/awesomeness, while you do something else. Either way works perfectly fine, and I'm highly recommending it as blogging music.

The funny thing is that I'm writing all this with the firm realization, that my last blog was epic in depth and breadth and thought, and I'm hoping that backing away from that kind of writing is simply OK.

I'm sure it's not the greatest piece of writing any of you have ever read, but it left me with some serious thoughts to ponder, and from some of your responses it seemed to resonate at least a little. And this isn't pride talking. This is realization setting in...

Writing a blog like that is hard work.

And I'm not smart enough or old enough or maybe even mature enough to be trying to act like I know what I'm talking about all the time...

Besides... I'm new to this whole blogging thing again, and I don't want to feel nailed down to produce mind-blowing/mind-numbing bits of prose every time I take a minute to share my thoughts... It could mean something really terrible... Like you thinking that I live my life thinking that deep and profound all the time.

I don't...

Sometimes, I think as simple as...

And I wanted to share that with you.

Because I really like them

And also, I want you to know something else.

And this is way out of left field, but it's where my head is tonight...

It's where I'm struggling to not be too dramatic and deep but feeling like this is way more important than telling you about an awesome band.

This is the quote/unquote, "important part".

No one should hate you for that. No one should expect you to be secure all the time with the idea that God sent His Son to die for your sins, and that you don't deserve it, but He did it anyway because He loves you, and this thing is called grace, and you had pretty much nothing to do with it, and all you're suppose to do is accept it no questions asked...

Questions should be asked.

And this is not the mindset of a lot of people in church.

But there are some places where people do believe this. Where it's easy to ask the tough questions, and to not have to know it all. Where you could have gone to church your whole life or never at all, and there's a place for you to fit in.

Where, you ask...

Well... If you don't know this, I'm in the process of helping to plant a church in Warner Robins, GA called Longleaf Church. It will be an amazing place for relationships and music and truth and love, and hopefully, one day, it will be very full of people asking really hard questions about all of these things, and relationships will be built to help people through those questions.

This place should be and will be a place where having doubts means your growing and learning, and where your building relationships... Not only with the people around you, but with a God who loves you because as those hard questions get answered your faith grows.

And, maybe you find a loving God on the other side of those doubts.

Hopefully, you do...

We think it's what He intended.

If we were all born knowing innately all of the truths this world holds then I don't think there would have been much of a purpose for Jesus in the first place.

But Jesus is one awesome guy.

And I think he might would've liked Explosions in the Sky...

And I know He loved you.

With or without doubts.