RADIATE08//BLOG

Above is a picture of some cranberries that I took a few days ago. What for? Well, not only can the juices of a cranberry provide healing powers to a problematic urinary tract, but the cranberry can remind you of special times in winter.

Maybe your mom makes homemade cranberry relish every Christmas to go along with your turkey and mashed potatoes. Maybe you add Ocean Spray cranberry juice cocktail to a punch you make every year for a Christmas party that delights all your guests with an explosion of flavor for the palate. Maybe the color red makes you happy.

All being said, the cranberry is a very important part of fruit family. It reminds many of happy Christmas times and brings joy to people and their urinary tracts each year.

RADIATE can have similar results (sans the urinary tract thing). I encourage you to sign up even if you missed the cheap deadline. This conference will no doubt bring you joy and flood you with a variety of exciting memories that you’ll carry with you for a long time. The cranberry can do a lot of things, but it can’t do that.

For many of us, when we think about state pride we think about the crazy people that live in Texas and worship their own steak house restaurants. But it shouldn’t be that way. We should be excited about the state that we’re from. You know, the state that you live in or happen to attend college in.

I think it’s extremely important to hold a healthy amount of state pride (without bridging the gap over into the sinful part of pridefulness) and that each of you should cheer loudly whenever your home state is mentioned in front of…oh, I don’t know…1000 people in a large ballroom. Hey! Is that opportunity I hear knocking at your door?

You will soon have the chance to show some love for your own state on the very first night of RADIATE this year. We’ll be doing a little thing I like to call “State Roll Call” and I think it’ll be a blasty blast seeing how much love each of you has for your own state, nestled snugly amongst the Mid-Atlantic region.

Much like a cub scout, be prepared for showing some state love come RADIATE. 20 more days, suckas!

People! You’ve only got one more day left to get the cheap rate for RADIATE08! Of course, you can still sign up after tomorrow, but if you want to save a few bucks (and who doesn’t with automatic dishwasher prices being what they are today?), you should register before the day ends tomorrow!

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Be quick! Make haste!

Last week, I had the opportunity to have a little sit down with Jonathan Lee and eat some food. Together we enjoyed some meat lasagna, wild rice, and vegetable medley…and a roll. After our dinner, he lead worship for a conference that I was attending before the Thanksgiving holiday and he rocked it out. More importantly, he lead us into worship.

Good news: Jonathan Lee has been added to the star-studded line up of musical artists at RADIATE08. He will be opening up for Brenton Brown and Vicky Beeching at our concert night and what a concert it will be!

I can’t wait to have them there and I’m excited that Mr. Lee is now a part of the greatest conference to ever hit these here United States of America. Oh, and I don’t think he finished his vegetable medley that night…no big deal because I didn’t either. I hate lima beans.

December 5th holds many significant and important things to take note of. Here are a few:

December 5, 1792: George Washington re-elected as U.S. president.
December 5, 1861: The Gatling gun is patented.
December 5, 1929: The 1st U.S. nudist organization forms.
December 5, 1973: Paul McCartney releases “Band on the Run” album.
December 5, 1994: Emily Marie Estefan, daughter of Gloria and Emilio Estefan is born.
December 5, 2008: After this day, the conference fee for RADIATE08 will go up to $235 from $209.

See? Important stuff here. Now’s the time, my friends, to register for RADIATE08. The clock is ticking, so hop on that. I personally registered for RADIATE08 on January 4th of last year just to make sure that I would avoid any unnecessary charges that might come my way by registering later. Maybe you’re not as crazy as I am, but you would be wise to register now before the 5th of December arrives.

Sign up now and I’ll see you there!

After viewing the “Burnin’ Up for You DC” music video last week, someone communicated to me that they couldn’t quite understand exactly what all the words were in the song. They asked me to post them online so that they could absorb 100% of the trivial hilarity, and this is my compliance…

“Burnin’ Up for You DC”
I’m here, you’re there.
I’m thinking about December.
RADIATE this year is better than a stuffed deer.

I wish the semester was over, ’cause I want RADIATE to be closer.
This conference makes the winter much warmer.
I’m burnin’ up, burnin’ up for you DC. (Come on, now)

Darryl Smith, the Raineys, Ed Herr and Rick James.
Hangin’ out, sleepin’ in beds (in beds!)…
With members of the same sex.

(Chorus)

But what can I do? I’m stuck here checkin’ this Facebook group. (oh)
I’m feelin’ down, but I know you’ll be here soon.

(Chrous x2)

That’s it. It’s not deep or complicated, but hopefully it has brought a smile to your face and a desire to attend the greatest conference to ever hit these here United States. See you soon, suckas!

To say that you, as a college student, are too young to remember the musical group pictured above would be a gross understatement…seeing as how if you are a freshman, you were born in 1990. However, this has not hindered me from reminding you of pop music roots by blogging about the bubble gum sensation “Air Supply”.

Air Supply is most famous for their song “All Out of Love” for a reason. It’s actually good stuff (just type in “all out of love air supply” at YouTube and watch the magic unfold before your very eyes…you’ll see what I’m talkin’ about). But I’m not blogging about them because of their mundane sappiness. I’m not even blogging about them because of the kindred connection I feel with the brunette afro guy (check the video…my boy is like 5′1″–hobbits unite!) I’m blogging about them because I feel for them when they say that they’re all out of love. Now, it may not actually be true, but if they are, that’s a tragedy. No one should be all out of love…it makes for a very glum life.

If you are feeling somewhat glum because you can relate to Air Supply and what they coo about, I’ve got an answer for you–RADIATE. For cryin’ out loud, the theme is “Radiate His Love”! How can that be bad when you’re feeling all out of love? Answer: it can’t be. If Air Supply were alive today (wait, are they?) they would truly benefit from all that RADIATE08 has to offer. So will you.

Are you aware of the fact that a new downloadable video is available at the downloads page? Are you also aware that this video is an interview with Ed Herr? Did you know that Ed Herr is the primary spokesperson for Herr’s Snacks? Did you know that the best known Herr’s Snacks are their potato chips? Are you aware that Herr’s Salt and Vinegar Kettle Cooked Chips are my favorite kind of Herr’s snack? Did you know that I’m asking you these questions just to get your attention?

Now you are aware.

Above are a couple of pictures that provide evidence of my newfound home ownership.  That pile of leaves may not look like much from that angle, but believe me when I tell you this: it was bigger than my appetite for buffalo wings during a football game (i.e.-big).

Fall is a great time.  I love the crisp air, changing colors, how everything becomes about pumpkins, and the setting of the stage for the holidays.  It makes me happy to know that my heating and energy bills will inevitably go up while my tolerance for caffeine will do the same because I begin to enjoy hot beverages nearly every morning.

We are now in the center of all that fall has to offer, but something greater is on the horizon.  That’s right, I’m talking, of course, about mall shopping.  (Thought I was going to say RADIATE, didn’t you?)  For some reason, I might be one of the only people in this country that actually enjoys going to the mall during the holiday shopping season.

Here’s my reasoning…it’s warm inside, all the stores are decorated for Christmas with lights and garland, Christmas music floods through the place and I LOVE Christmas music, I like snacking on Auntie Anne’s pretzels, I like buying things for people that I love.  What’s bad about any of that?

Sure, it’s a madhouse of activity.  Sure, there are screaming, snotty-faced children running around all over the place.  Sure, the price for seeing Santa Claus has 9-tupled since we were kids.  But it’s all part of the experience.

Fall leads us to the future my friends.  And the future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades (undoubtedly purchased from my local Sunglasses Hut).