Our tenth valentines day!

My wife and I have been married for almost 6 years and have spent 10 valentine days as a dating couple, engaged and then married. Our life together has been constantly changing, either new jobs, new houses, cars and most recently our daughter Ellia. We often annoy each other, yet always love each other. We both know we are in it for the long haul. We are commited to each other. Thankyou Carina for putting up with me, I love you.

^{As it was Valentines day yesterday, this is a passage from the book of 1 John chapter 4, starting at verse 7. I think these words describe the true meaning of love. We wouldn't know what true love is if it wasn't for Jesus' act of sacrificial love for us. This passage was used in church yesterday. Good choice.
7}Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^b]" into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for^c]" our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

¹³We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. ¹⁶And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

If that is a description of God's demonstration of love, then this is a description of how we should be acting out love, and a very severe warning.

Matthew 25

³¹"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

⁴¹"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

⁴⁴"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

⁴⁵"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

⁴⁶"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

ZENERGY (Wooten and Beauford)

I remember having this video years ago. Carter Beaufords freedom in his playing, when in a studio situation and playing in five, shows how naturally he finds it. This is taken off Victor Woutens album Yin and Yang, well worth a listen. I love the last track Resolution.

The ten drummers that I have been influenced by most:
1. Dave Grohl - Nirvana drummer, I learnt every track off the nevermind album with my friends in our school band. Here he is playing with Nirvana
2. Jose Pasillas - Incubus drummer, They are the band I have listened most to in my life and he has a great groove. Here he is playing Wish you were here
3. Mitch Mitchell - Jimi Hendrix Experience, Another favourite of our school band. Purple Haze and Fire were our favourite tracks. He was ahead of his time. Here he is soloing
4. Carter Beauford - Dave Matthews band, Probably my favourite drummer at the present time. Great groove and hi- hat/cymbal work. Here he is playing on his Dvd 'Under the table and drumming'
5. Dave Mattacks - My Parents used to take me to see a folk band called Fairport Convention when I was young. He would play perfectly for the songs. I like this solo, not over complicated but musical
6. Chad Smith - One of my favourite bands growing up, great ghost notes. Drum Clinic performance.
7. Greg Bissonette - I have seen Greg Bissonette at a few drum clinics and have his DVD. I like that his philosophy is to dip into every style. Here he is soloing
8. Gary Chaffee - I'm working through a book by Gary Chaffee called Time functioning patterns. Best practise method book I've seen. Here he is
9. Travis Barker - Nearly forgot about this guy. I like his rudimental style that he makes really funky with Box car Racer. There is by box Car Racer
10. Elvin Jones - Just for a Jazz influence. Elvin Jones withJohn Coltrane