Cannon Rock

So basically this arrangement of Pachebel’s Cannon. And on top of that, this guy is an amazing guitarist. I printed out the tab to this arrangemnent, and its 23 pages long…I don’t plan on memorizing it anytime soon. But one of my aspirations for this year is to learn to play it in its entirety, which I think I can do. As a side note, I was elected to represent the 10th grade class along with Becky Lopdrup on the roundtable. I am really excited about this opportunity because I think we can actually get some stuff done this year and make school alot more enjoyable. Not to mention its just more time I get to hang out with Zach…what more could I ask for…

…Not much

 

What if I stumble?

Me with my beautiful guitar…

 

But anyway, Ernesto is here and its pretty much the wimpiest thing everrr…

But hey, we got school off. And that rocks. But I have had hours of homework to do today, along with everyone else in my class, so I’ve kept myself busy. While I was doing my homework, I was listening to What if I Stumble? by DC Talk; the song opens like this:

The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians,

 

who acknowledge Jesus with their lips,

 

and walk out the door, and deny him with their life style.

 

That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.

I’ve always liked this quote, so today I decided to figure out some more about it. Turns out, it was writting by Brennan Manning, the author of The Ragamuffin Gospel, and 14 other books. He is actually a really interesting guy. This is an excerpt from the Bio on his website.

La Guitarraaaa

Yes folks, I have purchased a new guitar. Its a Schecter C-1 Classic, Transparent Blue…

So yeah, I’m pretty stoked

Homework…

As I have been lying on my bed doing Algebra II homework for the last 30 minutes, I have been thinking about why in the world teachers assign homework. I mean c’mon, I think that if they have anything important to teach us, they can do it in the 55 minutes that they have with us during school, right? Apparently, wrong. Because everyday after school, I have homework. But after I thought about it somemore, I began to see the purpose and how it can apply to life (yes, believe me, anything can apply to life). And doing homework is really a great skill to have. Because, just like everything else we learn in life, it takes practice to get good at it. Sports, Music, Writing, anything. It especially applies in our walk with Christ. Because if we aren’t practicing what we learn on Sunday morning, then it really isn’t doing any good. If I go to church and the pastor preaches on lust and why its wrong, but then I go home and lust just because that’s what every other guy does, I’m not allowing God to work in my life. In order for God to change my heart, I have to be willing to change. And I also have to understand that its not going to be easy. In fact, its almost always going to be hard, because change involves sacrifice, and sacrifice is not fun. Let me tell you, but if we could just get our butts out of the way and let God work, I think God would surpise us in big ways…

 

 

I’m Running into a Marvelous Light

Hello All.

The coolest thing happened yesterday. After an awesome day of mowing (more on that later), Jonathan and I were finishing up our last yard when I saw this digital piano on a trash pile. I was like “Hey Fronz I call that piano!” And we drove over, I grabbed it, and all the cables and stuff that went with. After I plugged it in, I found that it worked and came complete with a sustain pedal! So yeah then on top of all that it has touch-sensitive weighted keys.

Okay, now I want to tell you guys about something awesome that happened at camp. I brought my guitar and a bunch of worship music to camp. We found a piano and Chris and I just told people that we would meet in the chapel for some worship etc. We started playing and it began with just Chris and I singing but then everyone came around the piano and we all just sang a bunch of worship songs. It was truly an awesome experience. As we were singing, something dawned on me. Worship doesn’t have to be singing hymns in a church service, it can be anywhere singing anything. I believe that when us 15 or 20 teenagers were singing around the piano at Camp Kalaqua on Friday, God received just as much worship and glory than if we were in a church service singing hymns dressed in suits and ties. One of the songs we sang, Marvelous Light by Charlie Hall, is one of my personal favorites. Here are the lyrics:

I once was fatherless,
a stranger with no hope;
Your kindness wakened me,
Awakened me, from my sleepYour love it beckons deeply,
a call to come and die.
By grace now I will come
And take this life, take your life.

Sin has lost it’s power,
death has lost it’s sting.
From the grave you’ve risen
VICTORIOUSLY!

Into marvelous light I’m running,
Out of darkness, out of shame.
By the cross you are the truth,
You are the life, you are the way

My dead heart now is beating,
My deepest stains now clean.
Your breath fills up my lungs.
Now I’m free. Now I’m free!

Lift my hands and spin around,
See the light that I have found.
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light

Wow. Seriously, that has got to be one of the most powerful worship songs I have ever sung. It so perfectly depicts what every human being longs for. All I have to say is Wow.Okay, now back to mowing. I don’t know if you guys have ever mowed lawns for a long period of time, but if you have, you know that you have a buttload of time on your hands with nothing to do. So yesterday, I decided that I would use the time for something useful…praying! And something I prayed a lot about was OCC. If you guys don’t know what OCC is its a ministry out of First Baptist Church Winter Park and they bring in 150-300 inner-city kids every Saturday morning and feed them breakfast and just hang out with them. God has used it in a really powerful way over the last couple of years to reach a bunch of kids who might have otherwise never been exposed to the gospel. Well, they have been having some trouble with the insurance policy at FBCWP and so it might not be able to meet there anymore, so yeah, if you guys could pray for that all to be worked out…

That would rock

Kalaqua…yesss

So yeah, Kalaqua was, as expected-amaaazzing…

Between Blobbing, being Blobbed, and Basketball, I stayed really busy. In all honesty, it was a total blast. It was awesomegetting to forge new friendships, repair broken ones, and strengthen old ones. And on top of all that, I got to sleep with Ryan Killoran, I mean, what more could a man ask for…

The first week of “real school” starts this week, and I’m actually pretty excited. Hopefully BIble Study will get kicked off this week, and Basketball will start soon, so my life is getting busy quick. But I think that that’s a good thing…I don’t really enjoy down time…

Not at all, in fact

Kalaqua or Bust

Sorry for not posting for a while, but school started Monday, and we are putting a Basketball Court in our backyard, so between those two things I have been really busy. I must say that going back to school has gone alot better than I expected. There are alot of changes at Geneva this year (i.e. new teachers, students, etc.) which always proves to be challenging, but all in all this is shaping up to be a awesome year.

I think what I am excited about most is continuing to work on the things that I began last year, like Bible Study. Its going to be really hard to consistently do it every week, but I think that it will be well worth it in the long run…

Oh, and for the next 3 days, every High School student at Geneva is heading over to Camp Kalaqua for some “bonding time.”

Its gonna be a blast

Randazzo’s in da’ House

This is Chris… I’m over at Ryan’s house right now blogging for him while he makes me lunch. Just in case anybody doesn’t know, my name is Christopher Randazzo. I go to the same school as Ryan, we are in the same band, play on the same basketball team, and yet somehow we hate eachother – I’m not sure how that works. (Friends in the 21st century I guess). I have 5 bro’s and the coolest sister ever.

I think you are supposed to write about what you are doing, did, or are going to do. So I just spent the night here at Ryan’s house with Zach after we all saw The Princess Bride with Ali, Katie, and Caroline. And right now I’m missing “meet the teacher” so Ryan and I can work on our sweet band songs. I’m so looking forward to this school year: basketball, classes, friends, soccer, baseball, God, and band. I also play in my church band – I play keyboard now, but when my bro Marco leave for Palm Beach Atlantic in a few weeks, I’m going to move into lead vocals, and if I learn to, I’ll play acoustic guitar.

I just got a job at Panera – but I’ll never tell which one – I’m in Pridefully Humble, and I’m trying to play soccer. That is going to be the challenge; that and keeping up my grades, especially in Jane’s pre-calculus class. I’ve heard bad things about that class.

I’ve been really worried about trying to keep my priorities strait. Cuz I’m trying to balance being in a band or two, playing sports, working, and putting God first and foremost in my life – but that’s pretty hard. So that’s my goal this year – is to do just that – keep God first and foremost in my life. Instead of blocking my schedule and filling in the spaces with God, I’ll be trying to give God my best, and then find time for work, sports, and schoolwork. Unfortunately, my grades may fall apart, and I’ll have to abandon something. I know it wont be God or fellowship with other believer, it won’t be my band, and it wont be work. So soccer would have to go.

Also, another thing I just recently learned about this summer is paradigms, and how looking at something can be completely different through different eyes. One example is how I read this book called The Ultimate Gift. And the main character learns about the gift of work when he goes to a farm. I thought I understood the point, until I got a job at a (plant) nursery and I was basically weeding, watering, and re-potting plants, all the while being left completely to my thoughts. The hardest part about it wasn’t the work – it was actually easier when I had a long task to complete and I could focus on it. But working in FL heat in the 8 hottest hours of the day is really hard work, and I think I understand the importance of hard work – something I don’t think I would’ve learned if my first job was working at panera.

Okay… All that’s on my mind now is food. So I can’t think about anything else to talk about since lunch is so heavily imprinted on my stomach, mind, and probably soul.

I heart lunch

Take II

Okay, so here is my attempt re-writing the blog I wrote last night (If you have never re-wrote something before, let me tell you, it is aggravating to no end). Thank you, Mrs. Martin.

Last night, I went to TNL (The youth ministry of UPC). As most of you know, I play guitar in the worship band there. Yesterday however, we had to make some changes and I got to play bass (Which was sweet because I haven’t played it in a long time). Anyway, that’s beside the point. What I really want to write about is something that I realized while I was on stage.

So we were playing on the 2nd or 3rd song and I really felt like we were playing to an empty room. It seemed as if no real worship was taking place. Yeah, a couple people were singing, but not many, and those that were seemed like it was half-hearted. Then a light-bulb went off in my head…That’s all okay! I realized that as long as I am performing to the best of my abilities, then the songs that we play are pleasing to God. And, on top of that, it doesn’t matter who is listening! I should play and worship the same if I am performing in front of thousands of people or just playing in my room! As I thought about this more and more last night, another light-bulb went off in my head. This time, it was something that Paul (My Youth Pastor/Small Group Leader/Band Director/Incredible Musician) had been telling me for a long time. Worship isn’t about looking cool or sounding good (Although this can make it less distracting for the people worshiping with you), its about telling God everything that he has done and means to you. God doesn’t care if we play a C instead of a C#. God doesn’t care if I’m wearing an American Eagle T-shirt. God doesn’t care if I’m playing a $2000 Taylor Guitar. But what God does care about is where my heart is when I play. If I’m thinking about whether I not I look cool, then I will never be able to truly lead worship, because that will always be in the back of my mind.

After we got off stage, Paul led a awesome discussion on “Back to School.” He talked about what kind of impact we want to make this year and also about what kind of goals we have for the upcoming year. It really got me thinking about what I plan on accomplishing during the next school year. Then he asked us to think of a few goals of our own to keep us focused during the year. Here are a few of mine:

1. Continue to lead a 10th Grade Bible Study
2. Make all the new kids coming to Geneva feel like they belong
3. Keep my cool on the basketball court, no matter how bad the call was
4. Find new and creative was to use my musical gifts for God’s glory

Anyway, it really got me thinking about the school year coming up, because I hadn’t really though about it at all. So if you don’t have any goals for the next year, I would really encourage you to make some.

That’s All Folks

Uggh…

Okay, so I just wrote this massive blog and it just got whiped-as in gone forever whiped…

How agrivating

Speed Reading

Yesterday and today I have been taking a Speed Reading class at Geneva. It’s been really awesome to see everyone that I haven’t seen in a couple months. During the last two days, we have read the book Dibs In Search Of Self, in which a young boy, Dibs (Whose real name has been changed to protect him) is believed to be retarded. His family has basically given up on him in everyway. His mother tells the therapist, Virginia M. Axline (Also the author of the book), that that she is willing to allow Dibs to participate in the therapy sessions because she believes that this the only good that can come from her son’s life. I won’t give away the ending, but believe me when I say that you all should buy and read this book.

But anyway, the speed reading class is really good, and I’m becoming a faster, mroe efficient reader. Which is good, of course.

A side note: David Stoker and I have built a website that will eventually have the music/chords to a hunder or so comtemporary praise and worship songs that are great for youth group bands, etc.

Pretty cool, huh?