Boxing Day

Oh, remember that Christmas

It makes way for spring

--Rye Bread

Isaiah 12 and some other tunes

     The title of this post is the main reason that I'm blogging right now instead of doing homework. You see, awhile back (a year ago at least) my friend and I came up with a little guitar arrangement. However, we really had no idea what to do with it. It didn't quite sound right by itself as an instrumental, so, what to do? Well, I had been reading Isaiah 12 quite a bit during this time and apparently so had a couple of other people in my church. They had found it to be and continued to find it to be encouraging, the same as me. I, of course, had no idea until one of these gentlemen told me that'd it'd be cool if I tried to put Isaiah 12 to music. And I immediately thought, "Hey that guitar arrangement would sound totally bomb!" Or something like that. So, after a little tweaking here and there, I got it to fit in a way that I liked. So, that's the sort of super long story behind this song. Without further ado, I'll post it. Hope it encourages your soul: Isaiah 12


     I will post another song that I wrote fairly recently, called "Lest I Die." This song is pretty different, style-wise for me. I've been experimenting a lot more with electronic/synth type stuff and I've actually been loving it. So, despite this different sound, this is probably my favorite song that I've recorded. And that's saying a lot because I've recorded quite a few. I just really love how the sound turned out. Also, I feel that this is probably my favorite song lyrically that I've written in a long, long while. The words really came from my gut, if you will. Maybe soul is a better word, but I think you know what I mean. Even listening to it now, the words still resonate deep within me. It's really a song about a struggle, a war, a battle. So anyway, here it is: Lest I Die

     And, as usual, I will now share with you a super rad band/group/musician. This group is called The Brilliance and I may have shared about them before. And before I continue, I just want to emphasize that the music I share on here is pretty much always something that I really really love. So it's not just some band that I randomly pick just for the sake of keeping my promise. Ok, back to real life. Their music is stunningly beautiful and it leans more towards a classical sound. Super rich and soothing. Plus, they almost always have solid lyrics. I say "almost always" just to give you a heads-up that in one of their songs, one of the verses is a prayer to Mary, Jesus' mother. Of course, this is unbiblical and implies that they may have some Catholic beliefs. But the rest of their music is great and quite soul-stirring. The name of that one song is "Now And At the Hour of Our Death," which I believe is a Catholic hymn, but don't quote me on that. Ok, anyway, I will now post a song of theirs called "Our God Alone." And actually, the "band" that I'm in, Something Greater, will be playing this song tonight, November 22, along with some other tunes, at an event called A Night for the Necessary Ones. It's at Sunnybrook Community Church at 6:00 pm. It's gonna be a great night! I encourage you to come if you can make it! Anyway, here's the song:










Later!






--Rye Bread

Meditation

     The Psalms is a wonderful book. The words used are so poetic, yet it goes far beyond mere poetry.  I find that I am almost always refreshed after reading the Psalms, meditating on the character of God. Now I`m not some super-saint who does five-hour long meditation in my prayer closet every day. Far from it. But when I do get those opportunities to soak it in, the time is so sweet. One of my favorite Psalms lately has been Psalm 34. I hope you find time to read it and meditate on it. Maybe tonight or some other time this week. Speaking of Psalms, there is a band called Loud Harp and they made an album this year called Asaph. It`s a collection of songs based off various Psalms. I really really encourage you (with even more enthusiasm than usual) to please listen to it! Here`s the link to the YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjIh8-EdjtM&list=PLpfomyYwEfP-pcd0XV4Dgb3ezGbqYOkWi   










Hope you check it out. And actually, there`s 11 songs, not 10 so if you have Spotify or something you can just listen to the whole thing on there. My personal favorite is "The Nearness of You". So you should at least listen to that one. ;) Alright, have a great weekend everyone!


--Rye Bread

Francis Chan sermon

     I highly recommend listening to this sermon. If you don`t listen to the whole thing, at least listen to the first 10 minutes or so. God really used this to reawaken me to the massiveness of the gospel. The outrageousness of what He did. He sent His only Son for His enemies. And forsook Him, while He was left bleeding on the cross? For us? "I scarce can take it in." Or as Francis Chan puts it, "God, I can`t BELIEVE what You did!!!!!!" We need the gospel every day. Preach it to yourself. Meditate on it. And I really do recommend listening to at least the first few minutes of this:





I do hope you find that encouraging. Anyway, as I promised in the past, I will now share with you more music! :D It makes me happy to do so. :)

Check out "Joy" by Page CXVI. It`s an interesting song all around because the lyrics are from a more happy-go-lucky VBS type song. But the way they re-did it is very minor and dark sounding. It`s so very well-done. The words don`t seem to quite match the music, but here`s a little explanation of the song that might help you get past it: http://blog.pagecxvi.com/post/683764188/joy It really is a beautiful song. I would also recommend listening to all of Page CXVI`s music. They do some really good renditions of different hymns.






Anyway, thanks for sticking around! Until next time...




--Rye Bread

Rye Bread`s Random Rambles (plus an announcement...)

     Hi everyone! Long time no read. Or something. I tried not to start out this post by saying "Hey" at the beginning. Success. I`m really starting to branch out with my "Hi`s" and all that. Cool. So, I should totally be working on my essay right now, but guess what? I`d really rather not. I guess nobody really wants to work on an essay. But I`m just especially not in the mood right now. So, I decided, "Hey I`m gonna take a break from this and just blog." Here I am, doing just that. I`m probably just gonna ramble. Not that that`s really abnormal. Such a strange word, "abnormal". I love it. Also, an announcement will be at the end of this post.

     Anyway, guys it`s sad because the show Peter Pan is over. Sunday was our last show. I met some pretty great people, learned a lot about theatre stuff, and just had an overall pretty great time. So, it was actually surprisingly sad when I left the theatre, saying bye to everyone, and remembering all the fun times we had together. I was surprised that I felt this way because I just felt so ready to be done with the show. It had involved a lot of sacrifice and hard work and I was ready to breathe that sigh of relief. And I did breathe it. And it made me both happy and sad. It was the definition of "bittersweet." So yeah, I`m officially a part of the theatre now and the theatre is a part of me. After all, I signed the wall. That`s about as official as it gets.

     Look at me, indenting and starting new paragraphs. Things are getting pretty hardcore! Anyway, that`s pretty much all that I have to say. Oh also, this fall weather is bomb!!

Oh yeah, about that announcement that I mentioned...it`s not even really a big deal, it`s simply this:
I will be sharing with you a song, album, or musician/band each time I post. And because I don`t post very often in the first place, I will not run out of resources. ;D There`s just so much good music that I don`t want you guys to miss out on! So yeah, that`s a new thing that I literally decided to do 5 minutes ago. Just to give you guys some consistency. Plus, that`s pretty much all I do on this blog in the first place. So yay. Round 1. ;)

Go check out Pompton Lakes people! Not the place, the band.

Here`s a link to some of their sweet musical/lyrical goodness: CLICK HERE FOR GOOD MUSIC

Alright, everyone. Have an excellent rest of this beautiful, rainy Tuesday! Or whatever day you`re reading this on.

--Rye Bread

The Freshest Groove You Will Ever Hear

AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simplify

     Hey people! I can`t believe I`m posting again so soon! But this time I am actually doing a post for a specific reason and that is to officially tell you guys my "album" has been "released"!! I sort of eluded to it in my previous post, but just to give you a refresher.

     Okay, so, the photo credit for the cover goes to the awesome Zhenya! She`s a fantastic photographer!! And, I will have physical copies sometime, but for now I just put the whole thing on a playlist on SoundCloud which I will put at the bottom of this post. Also, I will hopefully put it on Noisetrade or Bandcamp or something sometime. Yeah, so, physical CDs coming if you really truly want one, but for now, check it out on SoundCloud! You can download it for free on there, and then you can just burn your own CD if you want. Or wait until I can burn one for you haha. ANYWAY, I`ll post the link now. https://soundcloud.com/ryan-nordstrom-1/sets/simplify

So, check it out if you want, and be in awe of our great God. Worship Him.


--Rye Bread

Be Still

     Whad up, blogland. There is a lot going on round here, schedule-wise, and also in my brain. So, let me tell you about it. I think that's what this blog is for...idk haha. I'm not sure what the specific purpose of this blog is (I can't even say "my blog" cuz it's not even mine technically). Alright, so now that I've gotten distracted a few times, let's move on.

Life. Coming at me way faster than I would prefer. Wait, I'm sorry, did somebody say I'm a senior this year?! And I'm taking college classes? Whoa now...

Yep that's right. I'm officially a college student this year. And it's weird. Making daily commutes to colleges in this here city. So anyway. That's happening. Did I mention that I feel old? I know people say that all the time...but here, right-now-in-this-moment, I legitimately "feel old". 

Yeah, so on top of doing old man things like college and stuff, I am also going to be crazy busy with a whole bunch of other things that I won't even list in order to spare you from being bored. Which, you probably already were five words into this post, but whatever. If you're still reading this, props to you. Oh and now my super rad sister lives 4 1/2 hours away. *tear* So that's gonna be a new thing this year. Attending Northern State University (go Wolves, by the way) in Aberdeen, SD. Got her all moved in this past weekend. But the really cool thing is that her boyfriend lives there (what a coincidence) and so now they get to hang out all the time!! So that's exciting for her. 

Anyway, lots of change this year. But nothing God didn't see coming. In fact, nothing God didn't plan before the foundation of the world. It's good to chew on that fact. Downright tasty actually. And all the things that will come this year that we don't even know about, God knows. It's already happened in His plan. Because He is not bound by time. We get to live it out, knowing that God's plans are good. If only we could step back for a moment and see that. 

Psalm 46:10

"Be still and know that I am God."

--Rye Bread

P.S: On a completely different note, I finished my little album! The title of it is Simplify, it has 12 tracks, and I'm excited for people to hear it! Yay! I'll probably have more details later. Til next time...

It`s Okay To Not Be Okay

                               "Why do we fake it? Probably, so they`ll think we`re godly."

     Check out this video that actually kinda goes with my last post. The dude`s name is Dillon Chase and God`s really given him a gift for writing. You should check it out, along with another video that I`ll post of him talking about worship and what it truly is. Enjoy, and I hope the words point you to Jesus, that you might worship Him while listening to/watching these videos.


It's OK Not to Be OK from People's Church on Vimeo.


Love To Worship from arandvideo on Vimeo.


Fix your eyes on Jesus today, by His grace and by His strength. He is the prize. Man`s praise is empty. The King`s glory and honor is what matters. Find ways to point back to Him when people praise you. It should`t be hard, after all He is the one who gave you everything you have. We have nothing to boast in but Christ. So, I encourage you, don`t get distracted. But press on. Press on in His strength.

Later,

--Rye Bread

Momentary

                 Psalm 103:14 "For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are but dust."

There are times in my faith when I feel so strong. There are times when I feel invincible. Times when I have such a bring-it-on mentality. These times are some of the sweetest times. But they can also be the most dangerous. For though God always remembers that we are dust, we are quite capable of forgetting. I know I forget. And it`s almost always in those strong times that I do so. I begin thinking things that suggest that I am self-sufficient. That I have the strength I need.

                                       "I`ve gotten this far, why not a little more?"

When all along, I have done absolutely nothing, and my Father has done absolutely everything. And God is slowly, bit by bit, taken out of the equation. Of course, we would never admit that we would ever think things like this. I mean, that`s not what Christians do. Right? So, even thinking about thinking those things is completely ridiculous and impossible. Ridiculous, yes. Impossible? Eh...

God, by His grace, has been showing me and reminding me of my weakness. Teaching me humility. After all, when I think of how weak I am, humility is really the only proper response.

We are not invincible.

We are not here forever.

We are but dust.

So, let`s give thanks. Let`s give thanks that we`ve been given breath today. Let`s give thanks that, despite the fact that we were in sin and darkness, the Almighty God sent His only Son to redeem us.

Also, let`s pray that He might give us strength to fight against dependence on ourselves. After all, we now call Him Father. Think on that. Hit your knees. And tremble.



--Rye Bread

Well hello there

            Hello there, blogging world. Nice to see you again. Back in action. Here we go. I guess I`ll just kinda be filling you in on what`s been going on around here...

As far as I know, I won`t really be posting any pictures, because I don`t have access to them at the moment. So, I guess I`ll just be typing a lot. ;) Anyway, something that is super exciting is that I started taking guitar lessons recently! Soooooo super uber pumped that I get to do this!!! I started playing when I was 13, so 4-ish years ago. But I had mostly taught myself over that period of time, so this is going to be excellent for me, not just as a guitar player, but also as a musician in general. 

           While I`m on the subject of music, I will officially publicly reveal that I am working on an album. Although I think that most of you knew already anyway haha. But yeah, I am really excited about it and I am having a blast recording all of it and experimenting. I hope to put together a collection of 12 songs. I`m up to 7 right now, but those aren`t even quite done yet. I`m sorta hoping to  have it done by the end of the summer, but we`ll see what happens. :) Maybe I`ll just release an EP or something...I don`t know. Anyway, yeah, that`s happening and it`s really fun!

           Summer is almost here! Crazy. And speaking of summer, it is the season of finding a job for many, including me and my bro. We are hoping to work at Family Christian, and we`ve already put in about 10 hours there, but we`re not officially hired yet. Confusing, I know. They needed help moving in to a new location, so we helped out with that. Hopefully, we will get put into the schedule, but we`ll have to wait and see. 

           Also, related to summer, our sister Sunshine is home from school!!!!! Which is just fantastic. 

           Also, not really related to summer, my parents headed for Jamaica in the wee hours of this morning. Which means that we children are home alone for 6 days or so. Hopefully we will hold down the fort adequately. ;) 

           Just a couple nights ago, our little sister Peaches officially graduated kindergarten!! Whoohoo!!! The little program they put on was just great. It was so fun for me, T-bird, and Sunshine to watch, because we had graduated from kindergarten at the same school, and with the same teacher that Peaches had! They did a lot of the same stuff that we did in our graduating program. That was 11 years ago for me and T-bird....weird...I feel really old. 

           Oh, and our youth group just started going through Proverbs. We`re gonna be going through it throughout the summer. It`s been super good!! As we read it, we`re trying to find connections to Christ mainly, but also other New Testament stuff. It`s pretty amazing how much you can find when you`re keeping your mind open to more that just what you`re reading. It`s caused a lot of good discussion as well. I think it`s a really excellent way of edifying and encouraging one another as fellow believers. I`m really excited to continue with it!

          Anyway, there`s probably a whole lot more going on that I missed, but I`ll stop there. Have a fantasmagorical weekend!!!!

--Rye Bread

                 

More Christian music...

http://faithlikes.com/2014/04/05/this-is-why-switchfoot-wont-sing-christian-songs-anymore/


"Does Lewis or Tolkien mention Christ in any of their fictional series? Are Bach`s sonatas Christian? What is more Christ-like, feeding the poor, making furniture, cleaning bathrooms, or painting a sunset?"

--Jon Foreman--

Well said, Mr. Foreman. Well said. Read the whole thing. It`s not too long, so go for it!



--Rye Bread

Good tunes...

    Hey everyone! I just thought I`d share some good music with you. It`s some good stuff by Robbie Seay Band. And honestly, I never really ever listened to them because I thought their band name was lame. Haha pretty weak reason. But I`ve actually been giving them a chance the last couple weeks and I`m digging it!! So, you can get their album Rich & Poor for free on Noisetrade (pretty much my favorite website). Yeah, so here`s the link. I think it`ll do your soul some good. It did mine. Alright, so now that I have shared yet MORE music with you, I`ll get going on signing off. Seriously though, pretty much all I do on here anymore is share music. Haha oh well. I do hope you give it a listen. Okay, so if you don`t listen to any of it, at least listen to this one that I will post:





I love the simple cry in this song:
I wanna live for the King!
I wanna live for the King!

That sounds so simple and it really is. But can it not also be the longing that is found deep in your soul? I know when I listen to this song, my heart sings along with these words with such a passion! Because I want my life to glorify my King. And it`s not by my strength that I can do this. So, it`s almost a plead to God, saying, "I wanna live for You!" And that`s all wrapped up in this simple, yet deep phrase. Oh, my King. Do not let me live simply for Christianity.



Don`t wanna live for an ideology
Oh I want to know You, not just know about a God who saves



--Rye Bread

Another post..for lack of a better title

  This is another blog post. I don`t really have a cool title for it as you probably saw. Because I really don`t even have a game plan for what it`s going to be about. So, brace yourself. Yeah, so here I am again. Typing. Life is busy, so that`s why there hasn't been a lot of it going on lately. :) Lots of things going on, like college basketball! March Madness has begun and (as usual) my bracket is completely destroyed. Haha so it goes. But yeah. Anyway, that`s sort of irrelevant. Just thought I`d let you all know. ;) So, anyway, one thing that amazes me--especially as of late--is God`s faithfulness. And I've probably said that quite a few times, but it really just never ceases to overwhelm me that a holy God would save us wicked people from His wrath. And after this we STILL run from Him, STILL wanting our own way, STILL chasing after vain things, even after all that He`s done for us. But through our rebellion, He still pursues us, brings us back to the gospel, and reminds us that everything we could ever need is in Him. We do not deserve this kind of faithfulness. How many times have I failed miserably and He still brings me back to His arms? O Lord thank You! Does this not cause you to want to shout for joy?? He still loves us! With a fierce, jealous love. Despite our wickedness. Despite our ugly sin. He loves us enough to speak to us through His Holy Spirit while reading our Bible. Causes us to read something that we didn`t even know that we needed to read! Pretty unbelievable. And we are so weak. Just when we think, "Surely I can`t possibly make that same mistake again," we`re right back where we were. We need grace. And lots of it. Lord we need You. Every day, every hour, every second we need You! How I want more of Him in my life! To come and purge me of myself and my selfish ambition. I want Him to be my all in every aspect of my life. Because if Jesus is only in our life and is only important on Sundays and Wednesdays, then we`re embracing Jesus Christ the religion, not Jesus Christ the person. He should be our all in everything we do, including things that nobody even sees. Our God is to invade and affect every decision and every move that we make. Otherwise, how different are we from everyone else? I think there is more to this "Christian" life than we realize. Luke 14:25-33. And I am directing all of this at myself. I sometimes feel so deeply that there is more. There`s more for us to reach out and grab. There`s more than going to church on Sunday and learning good theology and doctrine. We still need those things, but surely we can go deeper in our spiritual lives. But again, this is not something we can do on our own. We need to ask our Father that He might graciously reveal His presence more in our lives. So, anyway, those are just some things running around in my head right now. Also, I`m pretty sure this gets the award for one of the longest blog posts ever. Haha alright, enough rambling. I`ll just leave you with this song by Gungor that kinda ties in with what I was saying about God`s faithfulness. I love the hope at the end of the song. You should give it a listen. Anyway, hope you enjoyed (or painfully endured) reading this post and I apologize for my tendency to ramble! :) Haha have a good weekend!




--Rye Bread