Category Archives: My Thoughts

Why do Christians lift their hands when worshipping?

When Christians worship, it’s common to see eyes closed, hands raised high, as if reaching towards unseen God himself.  But why does this ritual occur?  Is it a modern religious practice, a tradition, or is it from genuine, spiritual inspiration?

Exodus 9

33 Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. [Source]

Sometimes, when hands are lifted, storms cease.

 

Exodus 17

10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. [Source]

Sometimes, when hands are lifted, battles are won.

Continue reading →

An open letter to Costco regarding Pecan Pie

Orion and pecan pie

I sent this to customer service.  I will update if I year back from them.

Hello, I am a 34 year old man who loves pecan pie.  Up until 2 years ago, I always had a pecan pie for myself and my guests to enjoy at my birthday party that I host for family and friends every November 15th.

2 years ago, I entered a local Costco to pick up a pecan pie on the 14th, and was told that they wouldn’t be ready for a couple of days.  I was deeply saddened and feared that my tradition of enjoying pecan pie with family and friends would come to an end because of some apparently arbitrary change in the baker’s schedule at Costco.

Fortunately, my wife is a superhero, and suggested that we attempt to obtain a pie tin from the Costco bakery, which they provided free of charge.  My wife proceeded to make an amazing pecan pie and saved the day.  That being said, it would be nice if Costco could make even just one pecan pie for me to purchase and pickup by the 15th of November.

P.S.  I honestly can’t figure out why Costco doesn’t just make them year round.  They are good any time of year, not just the last two weeks in November.  The only reason I don’t eat more pecan pie is because no one makes them except for once a year.  But at least if you’re only going to make it once a year, make it for the guy who has been waiting the whole year for it.

Thank you for your consideration.

Update: Costco has emailed me back and had this to say,

Dear Orion, We appreciate you taking the time to email Costco Wholesale

We have forwarded your email to our local warehouse bakery for their review. Please follow up with the local bakery regarding your request.

Thank you,

Erika L

Member Service Center

Costco Wholesale Corporation

I don’t think this is going to amount to anything.  I believe Costco and I are finished (with our long-running pecan pie relationship).

We don’t need to wait for Costco since discovering our own Costco-style Pecan Pie recipe. 🙂

Update 11/14/2017 Something changed!

I went to my local Costco last night (November 13th) and they had about 7 pecan pies. I bought one! It’s been years since they made them this early.

Once again, my wife was willing to make me a pie, but thanks to Costco’s earlier-than-usual baking schedule, I can save her the trouble.

Was Jesus Vegan? What diet should a Christian follow?

Jesus Fish

I was raised a pescetarian, which is a fancy way of saying I was a vegetarian who ate seafood.  I understood at a very young age the difference between vegan and vegetarian, and I never passed judgment on those with different dietary practices than mine.  As an adult, I get to choose what I want to eat, and my vegetarian upbringing has a lot to do with the foods I eat today.  At times, depending on the dish, I prefer a veggie-dog to a hot dog, and I love a Veggie Gourmet pizza from Round Table, or a vegetarian burrito from a local Mexican restaurant.  But I also happen to enjoy bacon, fried chicken, ribs, calamari, salmon, hamburger, squid, and many other prepared meats both common and obscure. The diet does not make the man, so I have no judgment or resentment for another person based on their eating habits, that would be immature, in both the social sense and the spiritual sense.  The apostle Paul has gone on record and given us his thoughts on judging others based on dietary practices in Colossians chapter 2 and verses 16 and 17:

Therefore no one is to [n]act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath [o]day— 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the [p]substance [q]belongs to Christ. [Source]

These verses apply to new covenant Christians who live without the requirements of the law regarding dietary restrictions, ceremonial washings, religious festivals and many (possibly hundreds) of other physical acts that all represent Christ and his holiness.  But they also apply, in a more general sense, to our attitudes in general about one another’s personal lifestyle preferences, especially those in which there is no apparent sinfulness. Continue reading →

This picture always makes me happy

Long ago, I was challenged by my great friend Brian to photoshop these two together.  The process took just a few minutes, but the joy that has been brought to me over the years by the merging of these two heroes seems perpetual.  In an effort to share that joy, I bring you…Sammy Davis Prime

Sammy Davis Jr.'s head on Optimus Prime's body.

Sammy Davis Jr.’s head on Optimus Prime’s body.

And later I added this rendition with some captioning.  They tickle my inner being, so I share in the hopes of tickling yours.  Come on, just look at how happy he is to be leader of the Autobots.

Sammy Davis Prime Titled

Alesis Pro X Kick Pedal and StealthKick 2 Combo Pack Review

After months of waiting around, (and ultimately forgetting that I ordered it) I received my Alesis Pro X Kick Pedal Combo Pack in the mail.  First shipment, WooHoo!

There are two main components to the combo pack, a midi trigger and a kick drum pedal.  We’ll look at them separately first.

StealthKick 2 Trigger Pad

This is the part of the combo pack that registers velocity sensitive hits and translates them to midi data.  You can attach your kick pedal of choice to it, so you don’t have to use the one included in the combo pack, but if you already have a pedal that you like, you probably won’t be buying the combo pack.

I expected the StealthKick 2 trigger pad to be firm, like a Korg PadKontrol, or MPC style pad.  The one included with the Alesis combo pack is much softer rubber than I expected.  It’s got a fair ammount of play.  Its a good design as it acts as a bit of a dampener for your kick beater.  It seems to replicate the give that a real kick drum has, at least more so than the solid wall trigger pads included with the Alesis DM10X Kit.  But most fittingly, given the name, the StealthKick 2 is quiet, quiet, and quiet.  The StealthKick 2 earns its name here.

There are two 1/4” jacks on the StealthKick 2, one for connecting to the drum module, and one for use as a pass-through, called “Link”.  With the Link port you can chain StealthKicks to make your own Double Bass setup.

The StealthKick 2 offers quite a dynamic range of velocity hits.  So far, I’ve experienced no missed hits.  In fact, it’s so sensitive that it might bring out ghost notes that other kick pads would miss.  Depending on how “clean” your kick attacks are, this could be a minor issue, but one that can be fixed with a subtle technique adjustment.

Alesis Pro X Kick Drum Pedal

Alesis proves once again why they have a reputation for value.  The Pro X Kick Drum Pedal is a solid feeling pedal with plenty of adjustability.  Fastening the Kick Pedal to the StealthKick 2 is easier than it seemed it would be.  I expected a defined ‘click’ or something, so I struggled a bit longer than I should have.  Just place the StealKick 2 up against the the clamp and start cranking.

There is a standard straight beater for traditional Kick Drums and Kick Triggers, and there is an inverted beater included with the StealthKick 2 for use with it.

The included drum key allows for most of the adjustments to be made on the Pro X Kick Drum Pedal.  You can adjust beater length and angle, as well as tension.

The Kick Pedal has a very smooth and quiet operation, and is steady, thanks to the double chain drive.

Wrap-up

I love how quiet the StealKick 2 is, and the Pro X Kick Pedal is great for a fairly new drummer like myself.