jasonanelson.com

Blog Has Moved

The blog for musician Jason A. Nelson has moved.  If you found this page, please update your records to go to www.JasonANelson.com for the latest news and info regarding Jason A. Nelson.  This will be the final post on this blog and all future blogs will be posted at www.JasonANelson.com.

My Blog Is Moving

My blog is in the process of moving to a different platform.  Eventually, you will be able to type www.jasonanelson.com and be directed to the new blog, but until then the address for the new blog if jasonanelson.wordpress.com.  I will not be posting any new content on this blog as it will all be posted on the new blog from this point on.  All of the content that has been on this blog has already been moved to the new blog, so you won't miss a single moment of what's happening.

sobonana...

New Music for a Cause

on january 5, 2011, alex gunnels received news that would forever change her life and the lives of her family and friends.  alex was a normal 15 year-old young lady attending osceola high school in florida as a freshman.  during the christmas 2010 break, she was air lifted to a hospital for severe headaches and on january 5, 2011 alex and her family found out that she has a brain tumor.

alex was diagnosed with a stage 3 brain tumor that is located in a part of her brain that makes it inoperable.  after consulting with the physicians, they decided to put her through an experiemental form of chemo and radiation in hopes of getting control of the tumor.  the truth is, though, that this is a tough battle for alex.

after hearing the news, my heart sank for two reasons.  first, having two daughters of my own, i was crushed when i thought of one of them being in this situation.  secondly, i went through a scare of my own when a 3cm arachnoid cyst was found in my brain in 2005.  my cyst is asymptomatic, but it is also inoperable so i have to go for annual brain mri's to monitor it and make sure it never grows.

i had never met alex and her family until last night, but i was so moved and i wanted to do something.  that's when i decided to write a song for alex in hopes that it would be a testimony to her strength and endurance throughout this trial.

after hearing the stories of alex before and after the tumor, the lyrics and melody came within 30 minutes and over the last two months i have been in the process of recording.  finally, the song is finished and last night i had the sweet opportunity of presenting it to alex and her family, along with a video.

many people were a part of making this project come to life and it is amazing that alex and her family did not catch wind of it all.  i want to personally thank randy and sherry treadwell, tiffany lettilleir, brand and april treadwell, alex aghoian, lisa crawford, zebrah jahnke, ann adair, carmen brown, and tom morris of morrisound studios for all of their contributions and support to making this a reality.

here's where you can help.  the song is being distributed to all of the major digital outlets, (itunes, amazon mp3, rhapsody, and many others) and will be available for sale for $0.99.  all of the proceeds from the sale of this song will go to the gunnels family.

***NOTE: as of the writing of this blog, the song is only available at cdbaby.com/jasonanelson.  i will post an update when it goes live on the other sites.***

please consider buying this song to show your support for the gunnels family.  i, personally, will not make a dime off of this and you will be showing your support to alex as she battles this tumor.

it's been 5 years since i've written and this project has been such a rejeuvination of my soul.  i am blessed and honored to be a part of this fight with alex and i hope you will join me by purchasing this song and telling everyone you know about it.

here is the song set to video.  once you watch it, go buy it!  (cdbaby.com/jasonanelson).  for more information on alex and to keep up with her progress, please go visit GREYFORALEX.COM.

sobonana...

verizon iphone - 5 reasons i won't get it and you shouldn't either

today, verizon and apple announced that the iphone 4 is officially coming to the verizon wireless network at the beginning of february 2011 (click here to read the story).  this would be an amazing announcement...if we were in the beginning of 2009 or 2010!  the wireless technology of early 2011 makes this announcement nothing more than a market share ploy and not an advancement in any kind of technology.

i have been a huge fan of apple.  their computers are rock solid, their ipads are amazing (by the way, at this point, wait for the ipad 2 before you buy), the app store is undeniably the best there is.  but, the announcement of the iphone coming to verizon is a yawner in my book and i won't be rushing out to get one.

here are 5 reasons why i won't get a verizon iphone, and why you shouldn't either.

1. NO 4G- if you live in a major metropolitan area, chances are you have 4G available to you.  4G is the wireless technology for the next 2-4 years and it is reported to be faster than some cable and dsl modems.  why apple would release their iphone on a network that offers 4G, yet their phone does not support it makes no sense to me.  i know they said it would take a redesign, so why not release it when you release the iphone 5?  because they know they can dupe uneducated people into buying old technology just because its on a new network.  i have the htc evo on sprint that has 4G, and the speed is truly amazing and worth getting (if you live in a market that has 4G).
2. UNRELIABLE NETWORK- since the iphone released exclusively on the at&t network in 2007, there have been nothing but complaints about the poor network at&t offers.  but consider this, did you hear a lot about the bad network on at&t before the iphone sucked up all the bandwidth?  no.  have you heart much about the verizon network before the iphone starts sucking up all it's bandwidth?  no.  will the iphone suck up all the bandwidth?  that is yet to be seen, but there will definitely be a hit when everyone jumps on the iphone bandwagon.  until the verizon network proves to be reliable enough to truly support the iphone traffic, i'm not sure i want to be a guinea pig to make sure some math wizard in the back room of verizon remembered to carry the 1 when he did his bandwidth calculations.
3. iPHONE ANTENNA DESIGN- we all heard about the faulty antenna design when the iphone 4 released in summer 2010.  guess what?  verizon didn't change the design of the iphone, so plan on dropped calls...maybe not as much as you would expect, but more than you would get with any other verizon phone.
4. DATA PLAN PRICES - verizon has the highest plan prices of any wireless carrier.  go to each of their websites and do the research yourself.  here's a handy table for you if you don't have time to go research for yourself with the model of 450 talk minutes, unlimited text and unlimited web...obviously these prices would go up if you added more talk minutes:
   •  Verizon (4G not available on iPhone at this time)
     • 450 talk minutes - $39.99
     • Unlimited text (keep in mind that verizon does offer unlimited texting to other verizon users, but does NOT offer unlimited texting to phones that are not on their network, so let's assume you buy the "500 non-verizon text" bundle) - $10.00
     • Unlimited data - $29.99 (they have a 150MB plan for $15)
     • Total monthly cost - $79.98
     • and just out of fairness, verizon hasn't even announced what their rate plans will be for the iphone, so this $79.98 could be lower...or it could be higher.
   • Sprint
     • 450 talk minutes, plus unlimited text to any network, plus unlimited data - $69.99 (add $10 to this if you go 4G)
   • AT&T (no 4G available at this time)
     • 450 talk minutes - $39.99
     • Unlimited text & web - $30.00
     • Total monthly cost - $69.99
   • Metro PCS (no 4G available at this time)
     • Unlimited talk, text, web - $40.00 (add $20 per month if you use a smart phone, such as a Blackberry)
   • T-Mobile
     • 500 talk minutes, plus unlimited text, plus unlimited data - $79.99
5. UNTESTED VERIZON/AT&T INTERCHANGE- this probably won't be a problem, but they don't know if the verizon iphones will be able to work in sync with the at&t iphones.  why would this be an issue?  because verizon's network is based off of a different infrastructure than the at&t network.  again, this probably won't be an issue, but i'd hate to be the guinea pig on this.

these are just my reasons why i wouldn't rush over to verizon to get the iphone.  i could come up with 5 more reasons (such as the android platform being faster, more stable, and more universal), but if you've read this far i'm sure you're already getting bored.  i'm certain that things will get better for verizon and the iphone, but there is so much that seems untested and unknown.  i'm one of the people who is an early adopter of technology, but the iphone 4 is falling behind other phone makers such as the htc evo 4g, the samsung epic 4g, and the t-mobile my touch 4g.  why would i want to jump on outdated technology just because it is coming to a network that has not seen the bandwidth vacuum that the iphone brings?  it just doesn't make sense to me.  but, WHEN they come out with the iphone 5, and IF verizon backs off of their prices, and IF their network proves to be able to sustain the traffic at 4G speeds, and IF apple isn't selling on the sprint network, and IF there is no other phone than can compare with it, THEN maybe i'll consider changing.  but not now, and neither should you.

sobonana...

asleep in the light

we are considering doing a song at st james church.  it's an older song by an keith green, a christian artist from the 70's who was tragically killed in a plane crash at age 29.  the song is called "asleep in the light."  rarely do i comment on songs we sing at st james, but the lyrics to this song are so powerful.  it's funny how 30+ years later, the church is facing the same issues that were sung about in this song.  so many churches who have forgotten why they exist...so many christians who don't even know the Christ they claim to follow.  check out the lyrics below and ponder where you stand:

Do you see, do you see all the people sinking down
Don't you care, don't you care, are you gonna let them drown.
How can you be so numb not to care if they come?
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done.

"Oh bless me, Lord, bless me, Lord," you know it's all I ever hear.
No one aches, no one hurts, no one even sheds one tear.
But He cries, and He weeps, He bleeds, and He cares for your needs,
and you just lay back and keep soaking it in.

Oh, can't you see it's such sin.
'Cause He brings people to your door
and you turn them away as you smile and say,
"God bless you, be at peace," and all heaven just weeps
'cause Jesus came to your door.
You've left Him out on the streets.

Open up, open up and give yourself away.
You see the need, you hear the cries, so how can you delay?
God's calling, you're the one, but like Jonah you run,
He's told you to speak but you keep holding it in.

Oh, can't you see it's such a sin.
The world is sleeping in the dark that the church just can't fight,
'cause it's asleep in the light.
How can you be so dead when you've been so well fed?
Jesus rose from the grave and you,
you can't even get out of bed.
Oh, Jesus rose from the dead,
come on, get out of your bed.

How can you be so numb not to care if they come?
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done.
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done.
Don't close your eyes don't pretend the job's done.

Come away, come away, come away with Me, my love.
Come away, from this mess, come aways with Me, my love.

crazy lyrics, huh?

sobonana...

a christmas eve eve poem

‘Twas the day before Christmas Eve and all through God’s house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. 

The sanctuary was decorated with tender loving care
And the PIT was as festive. Christmas was in the air.

The staff of St. James still had presents to wrap
They were excited and anxious for their post-Christmas nap.

When out in the parking lot, there arose such a clatter
We wandered from our offices to see what was the matter.

Away through the halls we ran with all our might
The sun hit our faces and seemed way too bright.

The Florida air was warm, we hoped it would be cool
But we’ve lived here long enough and we are no fools.

When what to our wondering eyes should appear
But hundreds of cars; they were already here!

With mammas and pappas, all dressed up real nice
We knew in a moment that something wasn’t right.

Some happy, some bored, their children they came
Dads whistled and shouted and called them by name.

“Now Johnny, now Suzie, now Tyler and Sam!
On Hailey, on Sally, on Michael and Graham!

To the front of the line, but the back row we will call!
Now hurry up, hurry up, hurry up all!”

They wanted their carols and candle light time,
They wanted their sermon all Christmassy fine.

They wanted it short, they wanted it sweet,
They didn’t want to stand too long on sore feet.

As they waited for their service, the staff stood and stared
No one was ready, no one was aware.

Something was wrong, in fact it didn’t seem right
It was only the 23^rd; we had one more night

As we tried to understand what all this could mean,
We realized we were sleeping and it was all a dream!

So as you enjoy this day, this Christmas Eve Eve
Thank God for tomorrow night and the blessings we’ll receive!

technology fast

God has a sense of humor.  He loves to hear me say or do things and then challenges me to take them to a place that seems impossible.

this past sunday, at the end of my sermon in all three services, i issued a challenge to the people of st james church to take initiative in slowing down enough to hear God's voice.  i invited the congregation to be a part of a technology fast this tuesday, october 19, 2010 from sun up to sun down.  the plan is to refrain from any form of technology except for what we need at work or school.  that means, no casual e-mails, phone calls, texts, facebook, twitter, television, radio, computer, or anything else technological.  to take the challenge a step further, i challenged everyone to find two 10-minute periods throughout the day when they can get alone and be totally silent.  the purpose of this is to make an intentional effort to reduce one of the loudest noises, technology, that we have in our society today and replace them with peace and stillness.  i didn't make any promises that they would hear something from God, but hopefully those who participate will find some peace and quiet tomorrow.

that was my pitch, and then God went and made it a curve ball for me particularly.  i received word yesterday of a family emergency that is causing me to leave town for a few days.  when am i leaving?  tuesday, october 19, the day of the technology fast!  that means 9 hours in a car with no technology at all, except for emergency purposes.  talk about a test of will...or more like a test of faith and perserverance!

but i believe God will speak tomorrow and so i'm going forward with the technology fast on the day it was originally scheduled.  i believe He knew i would be driving all day tomorrow and that's why He placed that day on my heart.  the only difference is that instead of two 10-minute segments to be quiet, i will have 9 hours to be quiet.

by the way, if you are participating with me tomorrow, and you live in the tampa area, the official sunrise time tomorrow will be 7:33am, and the official sunset time tomorrow will be 6:57pm.  that means 11 hours, 24 minutes, and 4 seconds of technological silence in hopes of hearing the voice of God.  if you are participating, i have already begun praying for you, for me, for us to experience something supernatural tomorrow that can only be defined by God.

happy fasting!

sobonana...

im just sayin...

i'm not a huge baseball fan but, LET'S GO RANGERS
(clap, clap, clap, clap, clap).

 

jeenyus!

check out this blog posting from a pastor in oklahoma and then after reading it come back here for discussion.

click here to read the post

so, thinking about your church...thinking about st james church (if that is your church)...what are you good at that no one else does?  in what areas does your church try to be like everyone else?

here are five things that i think st james church does well that makes us unique (this doesn't make us better, just different):

(in no particular order)

• getting involved in secular community events like "younite" and the classic car show at wiregrass mall.
• intentionally developing people's faith through discipleship and Bible study as opposed to just focusing on conversion.
• responding to big needs around tampa bay, florida, america and the world (such as river of grace in downtown tampa, and manaleni centre in south africa).
• ministry to the special needs community...this is becoming our trademark and it's beautiful.
• leveraging our campus for the community as much as possible.  it never fails, any night that i am here late there is some kind of community group meeting whether it be boy scouts, recovery groups, or whatever.

so again, what does your church do that is different?

sobonana...

message overtime

 

yesterday we opened a new series at st james called "voices" and we talked about how we can discern the voice of God among all of the noise in our lives.  i made a point in the message that should have been worded differently and i wanted to take a moment to clarify it.

i said, "it is impossible to HEAR the voice of God if you do not have a relationship with Him."  after some time to think about that point and talk it over with a few people, what i should have said (and what would be more in line with 1 samuel 3) is, "it is impossible to DISCERN the voice of God if you do not have a relationship with Him."  as we read yesterday in 1 samuel 3, samuel indeed heard God's voice, but he could not discern it.

on another topic, i made the comment about giving up facebook because it became an unhealthy addiction in my life that was stealing my precious time.  i decided to do some research last night on facebook, and from their own website i discovered the following stats:

• approximately 150 million americans are on facebook
• on average, people spend about 45 minutes per day on facebook
• approximately 45 million americans who are on facebook use their mobile device to access the facebook service
• those who access facebook through their mobile device are twice as active on facebook than non-mobile users

i was blown away by these stats.  45 minutes a day on facebook.  i am certain that i was worse than the average user before i quit.  i can only imagine the amount of time some people spend on facebook.

i am not condemming facebook...it has its place in our society.  but, when i look at stats like these it makes me want to ask the question, "instead of wondering why you can't hear God, have you investigated your schedule to see where there could be noise in your life that is drowning out His voice?"

as i said yesterday, for me i was able to identify facebook as some of the noise in my life.  your noise may be different.  the point is that we need to discover our noise and make changes so that we can begin to hear God's voice and learn to discern it better.

i look forward to continuing the series next week when we talk about "hearing vs. listening."  invite a friend this sunday...God is moving and you do not want to experience this sunday alone!

sobonana...