1200 Feet Below Sea Level.

I just got the new Jason Upton album 1200 Feet Below Sea Level. This album is AMAZING. It has some of the best builds and prophetic lyrics I have ever heard. The energy and rawness that comes from this album is absolutely electric. It is filled with ambience that takes my breath away.

Seriously, absolutely amazing. Chills the entire time. The track "The World Is Wide Open" completely challenges and is absolutely amazing. The song brought tears to my eyes right from the beginning lyrics. Jason says,

 "The God of the kingdoms, and God of creation and God of the nations, sent this revelation through the homeless, and penniless Jesus the son. The poor will inherit the kingdom to come. And where will we turn when our world falls apart and all of our treasures we store in our barns can't buy the kingdom of God. And who will we praise when we have praised all our lives men who build kingdoms and men who build fame, but Heaven does not know their names." 

It is one of the most raw songs I have ever heard. It is right up there with the infamous "Fly" that was on Jason's Remember album. The song, and album for that matter is immensely anointing and uplifting. This could very well be my favorite worship album right now. It's a tossup between Tonight the Stars Speak (The Glorious Unseen) and this album. 

Another notable thing on the album is the second half of the song "One Step Away." It's a HUGE build-up that is moving and really powerful. Jason builds songs up so much that I am just waiting for him to start screaming, and it's so powerful. 

I can't say enough about this album, it is filled with songs very similar to "Fly" that just move you like no other. 

God will invade your life with this album. 

I recommend it to everyone. Seriously, get ahold of it. 

 

sick and tired

disclaimer: this post contains massive amounts of spiritual anger. not pointed at any one person, but the church of today as a whole. 

i am sick and i am tired of being looked down upon because i am young, in ministry. i'm sick of being looked down upon because my ideas aren't what that church or this church is doing. because my ideas aren't conventional or popular. they don't make people comfortable. or they seem impossible in the natural. how dare we stir up faith. i'm sick of those older than me not wanting to do things in unconventional, new, edgy, artsy ways. and wanting to stick to the basics of church, which might I so rashly add, have gotten us thus far, but are dry methods and will not get us any further. 

i'm sick of boring design, i'm sick of second-rate, same ol' ways of thinking when it comes to church. 

Let's be new kinds of Christians. And stop resisting change. 

Let's stop forming our ministries based on other people's because it's useless. 

Let's get rid of the organizations, and the groups that small churches join that are started by megachurches that "teach" their way of ministry. 

It's actually really uncreative and lazy. 

Let's obliterate these formulas we have created for "church" and incite something raw, like the gospel is. 

God is an artist, the least we can do is learn to be one too. Let's ditch the boring logos, the stupid slogans, the ridiculous mindsets about change in church and lets become artists. Let's create something new. Something raw. Not something produced and overused and cliche.

out. 

BIG TUNA!

i need to update. i will tomorrow most likely. 

quick run down...

break was good. 

staying in Enoch's room.

doing assessments.

the stupid rat still isn't dead.

the stupid rat eats the food off the trap, and doesn't get caught. i don't get it. 

found amazing house shoes today for $7.99

killing mice.

so i spotted the mouse again today. and Enoch and Diego came in and we chased it, until it somehow, i have clue how it's even possible, conformed itself flat and went through a super small crack in the wall. 

i immediately drove to Cole's and picked up like 8 mouse traps. put 2 in the room. there better be at least one dead mouse in there tomorrow morning. 

i took Zach to the airport this morning and i moved my mattress into Enoch's room until the dang mice are gone. 

Elyse put up a sick new layout on The Hundredth MySpace. I digggg it. 

I spent a lot of time today singing worship stuff on acoustic. I learned some new songs that I'd like to play when I get back home. It was a pretty chill d

ay overall. I cooked some good steak, had some good Mexican food, and played worship songs. The only thing that could make this day better is ice cream. :) 

i am putting through Everything Must Change, and i really haven't been too motivated to read much. but that is no means demeaning the book, because every time i read a page, it's a thought that i get stuck on. it's a really thought-provoking book. i'd recommend it. 

well, i'm pretty tired. so i think i'm going to bed. 

the guy preaching at church tomorrow, is apparently a HUGE prosperity dude. so, i may go to be entertained. haha. 

gooooooodnight. 

chadwick

AHHHH.

i would like to totally admit something to everyone. 

i just found out that i may be deathly afraid of something...

so i'm sitting at my computer. and i hear something to my right. and out of the corner of my eye I see this black figure scurry across and under my bed. i'll be honest with you, my head yelped an obscenity but all my mouth could do was yelp like a girl. i'm 99% sure it was a rat/mouse. and i'm honestly so squeamish at this point, that every time I feel the slightest itch on my body I gasp and make swift movements while my stomach drops it like its hot. i have no clue what i'm going to  do and i feel like the biggest pansy. i'm definitely not going to search under my bed for the bad boy. or girl. because i know if i see it scurry again i'll flip. 

i have no clue how it could have gotten in here... i have no holes anywhere. but, the way this house was built it wouldn't surprise me. cheapest built place i've ever been in. and while i'm on it. why the hell is there no insulation in Australia? i'm sitting here shaking! half because i'm petrified of an animal 1/20 of my size, and half because i'm freezing! 

and i also keep doing this thing where i act like i'm going to be really brave and save the day and i lean over (with no commitment of actually looking hard to find anything) and begin whistling for the little mongrel to come from under the bed as if it magically turned into Fido. and if it came out what am i going to do, ask it to roll over or tell it to sit? no! i'm going to yelp once again. but don't rats carry diseases? yeah like the Bubonic Plague and stuff. so there, that's my reasoning for being a completely little girl about a rat scurrying around in my un-insulated, poop-built, rat-germ plagued room. 

this reminds me of the time my Dad went on a rodent mass murder spree with a broom, cornering entire families of rats in various corners of our house on Lynn Court. while i cried because he was killing them and mom and savannah engaged in a series of high-pitch yelps much similar to what has just occurred here. looks like i have always been a little girl when it came to them. 

i am not proud of myself. not a bit. i am not proud that i act like a girl and am afraid of rats.

i will NEVER be able to fall asleep in here... 

it's so weird

it's really weird that I haven't had much to ramble about in the last 2 weeks or so. 

i can usually always find something. but i'm not forcing anything. maybe i'll have a cool

thought coming up soon. 

i saw the movie 21 tonight. and am currently playing BlackJack on Facebook. coincidence?

i think not. 

on break!

so today starts a week break! 

not sure what i'm going to do really. 

loads of people are going to Cairns to the Great

Barrier Reef. i'm hangin in sydney! sushi every night

would be fabulous. we will see I suppose. 

a tidbit of news

we were walking to Towers last night and spotted a huge TV beside the road.

we took her home. and she works. we just need to find like an old Sega Genesis, or N64, 

or DVD Player. :)

man oh man

the last couple days have been like 3 sabbaths. it has been relaxing and much enjoyed. 

not much has been going on really... 

and it's kinda 'bleh' around here. 

i video chatted with The Hundo crew when i woke up this morning. 

it was pretty nice. Alex and Koontz are getting some LONG hair. 

Joel's is still similar to Lego's. or this chick... 

things are rollin' with all of that it seems. 

im not sure what we are "rollin'" on yet though. 

we need a van. 

preferably a 15 passenger so we have some seats to sleep on.

however, these Dodge Sprint Vans seem pretty legit. 

either way, we are trusting God to provide a legit means of transportation 

for this Fall Tour and onforth (that should be a word.) Whether that be a 1988 

diesel van that runs off of vegetable oil, or a 1992 rusted-to-hell conversion van, we don't much care as long as she roars and gets us from show a to z. and hopefully following tours as well. 

here are the dates for return shows, studio and the Fall run. It's all a long way off, but the tentative dates are: 

COMEBACK SHOWS!:

August 29 - Charleston Comeback Show

August 30 - Myrtle Beach Comeback Show

The entire month of September will most likely be focused on the Pre-Production of all the songs we are putting on the full length. We will be recording these with our friend George and sending them to Tyler and Cody (Engineers at First Street.) who will be guiding us and giving input. They will both be Producing the album. Once we get the songs pieced out exactly how we want them. We will pack up, and head to Tennessee for about 3 weeks to lay down the tracks at First Street Studio.

FIRST STREET STUDIO DATES:

October 8  - October 27 

(We were originally going to be in Tennessee for the entire month of October, 

but Tyler from First Street just let us know that we would not need that much time anymore, because Cody (As Cities Burn) would be on the job with Tyler as well. So that will give more time for packaging, shopping, etc.)

After leaving First Street, we will have about a month before hitting the road, with plans to be back home just before Christmas. 

FALL TOUR DATES/CITIES:

Nov. 21 - Myrtle Beach, SC

Nov. 22 - Charleston, SC
Nov. 23 - Columbia, SC
Nov. 24 - Greenville, SC
Nov. 25 - Charlotte, NC
Nov. 26 - Asheville, NC
Nov. 27 - Knoxville, TN
Nov. 28 - Nashville, TN
Nov. 29 - Atlanta, GA
Nov. 30 - Burmingham, AL

Dec. 1 - Mobile, AL
Dec. 2 - New Orleans, LA
Dec. 3 - Tallahassee, FL
Dec. 4 - Jacksonville, FL
Dec. 5 - Gainesville/Ocala, FL
Dec. 6 - Tampa/Clearwater, FL
Dec. 7 - Orlando, FL
Dec. 8 - Daytona/St. Augustine, FL
Dec. 9 - Savannah/Hilton Head, GA
Dec. 10 - Wilminton, NC
Dec. 11 - Jacksonville, NC
Dec. 12 - Wilson, NC
Dec. 13 - Raleigh, NC
Dec. 14 - Greensboro, NC
Dec. 15 - Winston Salem, NC
Dec. 16 - Lynchburg, VA
Dec. 17 - Richmond, VA
Dec. 18 - Norfolk, VA
Dec. 19 - Virginia Beach, VA
Dec. 20 - DRIVE HOME

These are all pretty tentative (with the exception of studio dates), but pretty dead-on at the same time as far as months and things go. Please be praying for all of us. We feel ordained and called to bring the hope of Jesus to this dark scene. We are giving it everything we have. 

on another note, i have COMPLETELY abandoned my consumption 2-liters of water, 11pm bedtime on weekdays, and stretching before and after sleeping. as a matter of fact, it lasted about a week. great job, chad. why is it easier to actually do stuff before you write down that you are going to do it? i don't understand. i'll no longer claim aloud any goals. and just live them. heck yeah.  

i love everyone who reads this...  

updattteee

so hey! whew! I haven't posted in a little while. 

i haven't been able to get on the internet, but it's fixed now. 

i had some awesome sushi the other night and had a fun night in the city. 

tonight, i am going to work on my assessments, because they are due pretty soon.

after talking to the Hundo boys, it seems like a lot of stuff is happening. 

they went and saw Life In Your Way and we were hooked up with some really

influential people. Some great news and some great things about to happen. 

i've had numerous ideas for the youth at home and am excited to share with everyone

when i get back. Savannah will be here so soon! 1.5 months! So stoked. I think we may be going skydiving, which will probably be insane... 

here are some pictures of sushi night. 

up date

Mothaz Day

so I'm sittin outside in my closed in backyard on Mothers Day. What am I sitting on you might ask? It could quite possibly be the ugliest and most raddy chair in all of Australia. It has sat out here through its share of thunderstorms and still sits, stagnant most times. I'm convinced if all the spiders in the world decided they would have a meeting to dicsuss spidery-type things they would choose this chair because of its large convenience and closeness to the majority of the head spiders.

On another note, its pretty cloudy and I slept in till noon. I think the boys are headed to see Life In Your Way. I hope they have a good time. I have gathered about 8 more song ideas lyrically, in the last week. And a couple album ideas. Things seem to be snowballing as of late. We have a fall tour in the works that will be our first under this new vision, new purpose, and new lineup. If you have seen The Hundredth and enjoyed it and want to see again, come to some dates expecting something new. If you have seen The Hundredth and didn't so much enjoy it, come to the dates expecting something new.
I know we have all been saying it, but the new material will be as raw, transparent, hope-filled, and meaningful as possible.

I hope you all have a good Mothers Day. Tell your mom you love her!

I love you Mom!


Chadwick.

fantasstticcc day.

I went to Westfield mall with Taryn today. We did a bit of shopping and it was good. By the way the term shopping is completely altered when you are accompanied with Taryn DeYarman, who has a hard time making up her mind. Shopping in its new definition is more of me demanding her to buy things and not letting her talk herself out of it. It works well because I love choosing. So I pick and she rocks it. Works out well.

Anyways, her jeans were 100 dollars off which was rad! We were way stoked on it! We had Nandos, then took her other jeans to get altered. I had a doughnut at Towers. Came back here to the house to write some music for school. That was kinda iffy, so we went to see What Happens In Vegas. It was good.


Overall, amazing day. Got a lot of things done.


Looooveee you all!


Chadwick

Its Savannah's Bday!

She is 16. Exciting! Wish I could be there but I'll be seeing her soon!

Happy Birthday Nana!

internet troubles!

Our internet has been having some troubles. So we have turned off the network for the next week. I can still post from my phone, so I most likely will. So if you don't hear from me for a week or so, it's because I can't get on the net. Hope everyone is well.

We had a cinco de mayo party tonight! It was good! The girls cooked and it was goooood!


God is turning me upside down.

Chadwick.

it's been a bit.

not too much has been happening. 

i'm working my way towards the end of Irresistible Revolution. 

and getting ready to get heavy into Everything Must Change by Brian McLaren. 

Erwin McManus spoke on the weekend. I really enjoy him, he looks at things so artistically and I catch on to it very easily. He had some really great things to say. Good change to hear a message with no points. Overall, amazing. 

I've been playing guitar a bit more lately, trying to write some new stuff. I just get so frustrated that I keep writing the same stuff over and over. I need to start writing on a new instrument. Like piano. That'd be good. 

Sadly, I didn't get any pictures taken this week. Great goal, Chad. There just really wasn't ANYTHING going on. Tomorrow is Cinco De Mayo here and I'm pretty stoked. We are having a kind of mexican party with enchiladas, tacos, and possibly churros, of which Mama Ginny and DaDa introduced me to! They are delisssshhhhh.  Speaking of Cinco De Mayo, I made a deal with Diego, my Guatemalan housemate. I can only talk to him in Spanish from now on, but he can talk to me in English. I figured why not practice some Spanish! I'm pretty stoked on it. I've slipped up a couple times, and talked in English, but I've been trying to get some Spanish going on. 

I've been in prayer loads lately for my cousin Hannah and it's great to hear that God is moving in that situation. 

I've been getting really stoked on getting in the studio for October. It's going to be good being able to put EVERYTHING we have into this full-length and to be able to focus solely on it without any distractions. I want to leave starved of my creativity, completely exhausted, but so proud of what we have put together. I think it will be something new for this whole scene. I really earnestly do. Lyrically, I am giving it everything I have in me. 

it's been a bit.

yep

so i'm about sick of these headaches. i think it is due to a lack of caffeine. weird though.

i went and saw Maid of Honor tonight. it was pretty good, semi-weird. but overall, not too shabby. i'm about to eat some dinner with Diego and Renato!