Get Ready…Get Set…

The new blog is ALMOST ready. After many weeks in development and coding (blah!) we’re almost ready to launch the new “look.”

Then..I turn on my phone this morning and see a msg from my tech-guru titled “Huge Blog Hang-Up…” You can imagine my nervous-ness as I opened the email.

As I twittered earlier, WordPress does not let you upload custom template to sites that they host…so.

After moving from HERE to HERE…I know have to move to HERE.

If you got to my blog all along by using www.mattmacdonald.ca then you would have NEVER had a problem, but after the advice or a few friends like THIS GUY and THIS GUY it’s time to host the blog myself..

So on Monday morning we are going live to www.mattmacdonald.ca and leaving WP Hosting behind. Please change your links/pages/subscriptions to the new domain…

P.S Apparently “give-aways” are the coolest new thing…SO…with the launch of the new look, I’m going to be giving away from swag! Stay tuned!

That’s “Epic”

No…it’s really not. I tweeted earlier today about the over use of the word “EPIC” and received a mixture of responses. Some (like from THIS GUY) we’re poking fun at me…no surprise…but others claimed to enjoy the using the word. All in all, calling my friends’ band “Epic” or saying that party I just patron’d was “Epic is simply not the case…unless your friend is Bono or Paul McCartney and party you attended was held @ Madison Square Gardens and it was hosted by Michael Jordan.

Here’s my criteria for the correct use of the word Epic…

1) Is the event/source embraced and esteemed by others to the same degree?

2) Is the event/source timeless and relevant in its greatness?

3) How does the event/source compare to other comparable event sources?

Here are 3 examples that I used:

1) Becoming a Father
2) Star Wars “Empire Strikes Back”
3) The Mona Lisa

What 3 could you come up with? Do You Agree/Disagree?

Where in the World??

Loved the T.V show “Where in the World is Carmen Dan Diego.”

But some have recently asked….”Where in the World is Matt MacDonald.”

In short…everywhere. Between Home///The Cottage///Relative’s Houses’…we’ve been like a touring circus.

Summer for me is really a time to unplug (not fully…did that for a week and almost died!) but just generally. I will be back to full-time blogging in September…WITH….drum-roll please…A NEW DESIGN.

My good friend Tyler has been working on a new blog lay-out for me over the summer and I am EXCITED to drop it in this space!

It Happened One Night…

So here’s the thing.

Babies are great…specifically mine…BUT you know what isn’t great…crying babies…specifically mine.

Last night, Stella (or as I refer to her “the diva”) went to bed @ 9:30pm…pretty good eh! Hailey and I watched some T.V, talked about the next few weeks, etc. At approx midnight, “the diva” decided that it was not sleep time…but scream time. She proceeded to cry off and on until 5am.

I say this…to say this…

1) My wife is AH-MA-ZING. Without a word of complaint, she tended to “the diva” and told me to go back to bed as I had to work the next day.

2) I am a suck. I am SO tired and basically running on 2 large coffee’s and 4 hours of sleep right now…she’s at home taking cat-naps whenever she can…I’m a suck…she’s a hero.

3) We need to consider moving to Australia. Our night is there day…Stella would love it!

4) I love my little girl. Even though she kept us up all night (I did sit her down in the morning and give her a talking to about her behavior), I could not help but play with her and hold her in the morning…DANG Diva Powers…!

Marriage & Men – Mark Driscoll

Watched THIS sermon by Mark Driscoll on Marriage & Men…was profoundly impacted. Every man needs to watch this this with an open heart and mind!

Me & My Girl

Hailey and I decided before Stella was born not to plaster the Internet with baby pictures (like it seems many are these days). It’s sad to say, but you just don’t know who is looking around, and it would be irresponsible of us to document every waking moment of our daughter’s life for the world to see. That said, we do post pictures now and then so family and friends can get an update on what the little lass looks like. Here are some great shots from when we were up @ our cottage last week…I love her more than I can even explain.

Getting a little Love

In Dad’s Arms

Rock’n the Glasses

Looking @ Something Important

Refusing to Sleep

Technology Fast

Next week I am “out of the office.”  Since I started working, I have never really “turned-off” for any extended period of time.  SO, after a challenge from my wife, my parents and my token-Aussie friend (who doesn’t read my blog anyway) I am committing to fast from cell phone/email/twitter/blogging/etc. for one week.  It does not sound like a lot (and for some people it isn’t, but for me its huge).  I guess its like anything we’re “addicted” too…for me to give up alcohol for a week would not be even the slightest of a challenge…but for an alcholic…it would be a momentous accomlishment.

The Internet, and technology are such a huge part of my life…for business, for social networking, for everything…SO, for this week, it all comes down.  I am handing my  iphone and macbook pro to my wife and will replace the time with family time, reading and prayer…it’s exciting.  THIS GUY did this for a month and seemed to have a breakthrough…here’s hoping I don’t quit my job when I come back like he did :S

See you in a week!

Farewell Michael Jackson

“Where were you when you heard the news..?”

A question I’ve heard over the years to describe “important” events in history.  9/11, JFK Shooting, the most recent Tsunami and now…the death of Michael Jackson. For me, not quite as big as big a deal a catastrophe like those other events, but still…the dude was a legend.

I was golfing yesterday afternoon, and within minutes of the story breaking, the Cart-Girl told us that he had died…

As I thought about it (and all the worship of a man that was about to ensue) I thought about how crazy it was that the “King of Pop” was now about to meet the “King of Glory.” Even as I write this blog, with the T.V on in the background, I hear a old woman crying about how she is heartbroken and doesn’t “know how she can move on…” as Michael was “everything to her…”

How Sad.

We so quickly exalt these sinful men and women to iconic levels. My dad and I were talking yesterday and he said something that really made me think. As we discussed the TRAIN-WRECK that is Michael Jackson (“Wacko Jacko“), my dad said that MJ was really the perfect picture of the TOTAL “depravity of man. From icon to nut-job, the guy was worshiped in spite of his sin and was held in a place that is reserved for the God of the Universe ALONE.

So where does that leave us?  Well, I am left saddened that this pop-legend has now MET the living God and SEEN how his life was such a waste!

Why We Love to Hate

It’s really unfortunate…but isn’t it true. Admit it…don’t admit it…doesn’t matter to me.

We love to hate.

No one rants ON AND ON about what they love. Even look at my blog, your friends blog, your favorite speakers blog…controversy and disagreement is what turns the wheels.

Now I’m sure your already on the “disagreement and controversy are not bad…” and I agree. BUT. How often to we go a little to far? How often does a disagreement (theologically, politically, etc.) go from “agree to disagree” to “you’re an idiot…”

As I sit back and look at this a little more, we all know that the culture sets the trends for the market. MEANING: The reason why all of these dumb Reality T.V Shows exist…is because (secretly or not) we all watch them. The reason why McDonald’s is changing their menu to Green-friendly…healthy choices is because that’s what the market wants.

So when I look at the kind of hate-driven crap that’s on T.V (and this is coming from a guy that watches it) I need to ask myself…is it becoming more common on T.V because we simply LOVE TO HATE?

Shows like; Entertainment Tonight, TMZ, Inside Edition are all driven by finding people’s flaws and mistakes and raking them over national (sometimes International) television.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen an episode of TMZ when Harvey stands up there with his lame thermos mug telling his staff that he’s really impressed with the conduct of some young-gun celebrity.

As Christians, it is so easy to look at culture and be like “What is this world coming too?”

As Christians, we VERY quickly grab our blame-game stick and point it right in the face of the “church across town” or the preacher with just a little to much charisma for our liking…

We LOVE to see others stumble. Very few would verbalize that, but it’s true! Over-zealous Joe Worship-Leader drops his guitar…we’re glad he was “humbled.” High-flying Business Exec gets caught in a fraud scandal…”I knew he was up to no good!” Or how about a close friend gets promoted above you and then gets laid off a few months later…”Sucks to be him!”

All of these are internalized thoughts that we would NEVER say…(Luke 12:34…Acts 1:24…James 5:8)

I write this blog primarily for myself. I need to Rejoice in the successes of others and pray for them when they stumble and fall. Lord give me the faith to trust, the will to follow through and the grace to offer others, just as you have done for me!

Amen.

Hillsong United – Tear Down the Walls ALBUM REVIEW

I have learned my lesson.
I have spoken too quickly before and had to retract my opinions.

Hillsong’s albums simply TAKE TIME TO LOVE.

So when Hillsong United came out with their latest album “Tear Down the Walls” I knew what to expect…

To date…after listening to each album after its release, I was left wanting more…always thinking that they could’ve done better.

SO. Rather than writing a post about their album 2 weeks ago when it came out that would’ve been summed up in the word “meh…” I waited.

As I write this post I’m sitting in my home office listening to “You Hold Me Now” (Track 9) and am FLOORED by not only the musicality of it (multiple layers of “out of the park” melodies) but more importantly the depth of the lyrics.

I am now into the digesting portion of listening (yes there is a graph I have developed for listening to HIllsong records).

I am really liking the title track “Tearing Down the Walls” as well.

The album itself is very reminiscent of early Hillsong while sticking with the ColdPlay-Rock they broke out in their last album.

All this to say. Hillsong United have done it again. They’ve written a bunch of songs for the church AND for my own personal worship time.

They are songs that reach deep into the hearts of worshipers and cling to both the truth that we WANT to sing and the spirit that HELPS us sing to the God we desire to PRAISE.

Hillsong United’s “Tear Down the Walls”

Pick it up!

P.S. LOVED the re-take of “Your Name is High”

::Woah Woah Woah::