Owlsome

I feel like it's about time I make a post about Owl City.

Back in 2009, I was in 8th grade. And I distinctly remember driving home from my grandma's house with my 16 year old cousin. He leaned over to me during the drive and said, "Hey man, this song has the greatest line ever to say to a girl!" And then proceeded to play me Vanilla Twilight, pointing out the line as it came up.

The silence isn't so bad

'Till I look at my hands and feel sad

'Cause the spaces between my fingers

Are right where yours fit perfectly

Me, being 14, just gave that awkward smile and nod. The kind of face you give when you're thinking, Greaaaaaat... Can I just enjoy the quiet drive home now? Now, don't get me wrong, this is my favorite cousin we're talking about! But I'm the kind of person where when somebody starts talking to me, and my mind is on something else entirely, I put them in the zoned-out zone. And give them that face.

So needless to say we finished our drive home and life went by wonderfully. Then, on the last week of school for 8th grade I was in the cafeteria sorting out yearbooks to hand out later that day (I was on yearbook staff that year), and we had the radio blasting over the speaker system. Then this song came on the radio, and my ears perked. If you have ever seen a dog's ears come up as somebody walks through the garage door, or when a bag of potato chips is opened, it was kind of like that. But I could tell immediately this song was different than the others we had previously been listening to. This song had a sort of energy - electricity, you could say! (Har har) I'm sure you have made the reference to Owl City's "Fireflies" by now. And if not... Then you have just been enlightened. And I was hooked from the first note.

So I got home from school that day and ran through the front door with reckless abandon, screaming "MOM, MOM! You gotta hear this song I just found!" And I showed it to her. She liked it too, and so we bought the whole album (which is really rare now days because there are options for single-song purchases). I then listened to the whole thing right then; cover-to-cover one might say, for books. But of course this was 100x better than just any book! It was my first Owl City album! And so the interest took flight.

From that time until now, I have been gaining ever more respect for the music wizard behind it all, Adam Young. Not only does he produce amazing music and write beautifully, but he is a guy with values. And that's hard to come by in a musician today with all of the filth floating around cyber space. He doesn't brag, he isn't full of himself, he doesn't support unwholesome activities, and that to me (and so many others) says so much more about a person than anything they could say about themselves.

But the thing that I love most about Adam is that he is religious, and he isn't afraid to admit it. What's more is that he shares his beliefs with whoever will listen! He is constantly giving his credit back to God with whatever success he has. Not only does he stick to his standards, but he is a light to all the others who follow his career with interest, even if they don't share his exact same beliefs. I personally don't share all of the same opinions as him (I'm part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormon as we are also known by), but a very good majority of our views are parallel. Which could be a good reason as to why I admire him so much, but I know you all have your own opinions and I respect that as well.

So I suppose the last thing I would like to say about Mr. Owl Young (haha, see what I did there?), is that I wish him the best. For everything! And I for one will continue to follow his ventures anonymously, just enjoying the ride.

And, of course, the music.

Why The World Needs Superman

Superman. Everybody knows who he is. He is basically indestructible, and he makes great movies to boot! But enough idle chit-chat facts about the Man of Steel. It's time for my blog post.

So tonight I decided I was in a movie mood. Being in this state of mind, I began to rummage around through what movies we had to watch, and I found Superman Returns. Great movie! I had seen it about twice before, but I was kind of in a superhero-movie mood, and so I thought that would do. So I put it in and plopped down on the beanbag with the nice little blanket I use when I watch movies.

As the beginning credits were rolling, I remembered something I had heard my neighbor say about when he and his wife went to see this movie while it was in theaters. He said that when the movie ended, he came out like a typical guy does out of a superhero movie. "Yeah that was a sweet movie! Action was awesome, great ending, I wish I was Superman!" (Not his exact words, but you get the general idea) Whereas his wife had a totally different view on the movie. While driving home from the theater, they talked about what they liked about the movie and such, and he was amazed to hear his wife's comments. His wife said that throughout the entire movie, she found references to the Savior. The whole movie there were symbols and connections referring to Jesus, whereas the husband was just enjoying the fight scenes and the plot line. So remembering this, I decided I would look for those symbols in the movie.

And let me just say I was amazed at what I found. There were tons! I will try to name as many as I can here, but I probably will forget a few. After each reference, I'll give a little commentary on my thoughts.

1. In the beginning of the movie, Superman hears his father talking (in his memory). I believe they were lines from the first movie, but this is what his father said, "You will travel far my little Kal-El. But we will never leave you . . .You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, and the father, the - The son" Commentary: I believe this is, obviously, symbolic of Heavenly Father speaking to Jesus before he goes down to earth. I also think that it is symbolic of what a lot of Christian churches believe - the Trinity. Because they don't see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (and the Holy Ghost) as 3 separate beings, but all as one. Many of them can't really explain this, it's just what they believe.
2. Superman again hears his father's voice in memory a little more into the movie. Again, I have the quote, "Live as one of them, Kal-El . . . Always hold in your heart the pride of your special heritage. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you... my only son" Commentary: This is symbolic of Heavenly Father actually sending Jesus to earth. He knows that the people need light, and help. This quote is really self explanatory, in symbolic terms. The world needed a Savior. Which brings me to my next observation.
3. After being gone for 5 years, Superman returns to Earth, only to find that Lois Lane has fallen in love with another man. Of course, being devastated, he then learns that during those 5 years, Lois had written an article entitled "Why The World Doesn't Need Superman." A little later in the movie, he confronts her as Superman and gently questions why. She gives some sappy movie answer, but I thought that the whole dialogue was really enlightening.
• Superman: Why did you write it, Lois?
• Lois:  How could you leave us like that? I moved on. So did the rest of us. That's why I wrote it. The world doesn't need a savior. And neither do I.
• Superman: Gently takes her up into the sky, and pauses for a minute. Then says: Listen; what do you hear?
• Lois: Nothing.
• Superman: Pauses again. I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but every day I hear people crying for one.
• (Twice during the movie Superman is referred to as a "savior")
4.  Near the climax of the movie, right as Lex Luther is making his diabolical plan come to life, Superman comes to stop him. Unfortunately, the giant land mass that is being created by Lex contains kryptonite (of course). So the moment that Superman lands on this crystal-like island, he becomes weak. He starts to talk to Lex, but, being the villan, he just starts punching and kicking the no longer invincible Superman. Then Lex's goons come out and start doing the same. They kick him around, they push him down, they grab his hair, etc. Then Lex Luther comes over again, stabs him in the side with a piece of kryptonite, and pushes him off a cliff into the ocean. Commentary: This was symbolic of the persecution Jesus went through during his life. After Jesus was sentenced by Pilot (and even before), the people spat on him. They jeered and laughed and mocked. They put a crown of thorns on his head and made him carry his own cross. I felt like this part of the movie was representing that very well, because Superman didn't fight back. And neither did Jesus.
5. After being pushed off a cliff, he is eventually rescued by Lois and Richard in his plane. After Lois takes out the broken piece of kryptonite in his side, Superman recovers, and then tells them that he has to go back. (My work is not yet finished). So he says goodbye to Lois, then flies out of the plane. Using his laser vision, he melts the earth beneath the rapidly-growing crystal island and flies underneath it. Then the scene goes to on top of the island where Lex Luther and his gang of thugs are playing poker and smoking, when suddenly the ground begins to shake, and then things start to crumble. Lex rapidly gets out of the way, but his thugs aren't so lucky and they are smashed by a falling pillar. Lex escapes in a helicopter, but that's not important. After showing these scenes, it cuts to a wide view of the entire island, which is gradually, but surely raising out of the ocean. Soon you see that it's Superman underneath it lifting it up, and he slowly flies it up all the way to space. The strain is evident on his face, and you can see the kryptonite in the island weakening him. But he completes his task, and throws the island into space. Then probably the most symbolic thing in the movie happens: he forms a cross with his body. He then plummets back to Earth and is declared dead by the doctors. Commentary: Wow. This whole series of events was probably the biggest symbol of Jesus' life in the whole movie. I'll take it piece by piece. First off, he goes back to the island after being rescued, because he hadn't finished his work, just like Jesus did. He needed to atone before he died. Secondly, he flies underneath the island to raise it out of the ground: Jesus descended beneath all things. Next, after the ground starts to shake, the wicked are destroyed, just like what happened after Jesus' death (this whole series of events aren't exactly chronological, but you get the picture). After that you see Superman raise the entire land mass out of the ocean, and you can see the strain on his face and the kryptonite making it extremely difficult. Just like Jesus carried the world's burdens, the world's sins, the world's heartaches, the world's losses, the world's disappointments, the world's feelings, it wasn't easy. And this was the symbol of the great and infinite Atonement. Then, after completing his task, Superman makes a cross with his body and plummets back to earth and declared dead. Obviously, this is symbolic of Jesus dying.
   
6. After being declared dead by the doctors, a doctor comes in to his room to find him gone. There isn't a body in the bed he was in, and the window is open. Of course, he went to Lois first, but the point was that he came back to life. Commentary: I hope you can see the symbolism in that. Jesus was resurrected.
7. This is the final one I can think of at the moment, but after coming back to life, Superman goes to speak with what we found out in the movie to be his son. (Jesus NEVER broke the law of chastity, but movies have never been perfect, have they?) He talks to him while he's sleeping and this is what he says, "You will be different, sometimes you'll feel like an outcast, but you'll never be alone. You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine." Commentary: We are all children of our Heavenly Father, and knowing that when so much of the world doesn't can make you feel like an outcast sometimes. Just having different beliefs, or different standards can make you feel unwanted; but we are never alone. Heavenly Father is always with us, and he can give us strength if we ask for it. We see Jesus' life through our eyes - symbolically saying that we witnessed everything Jesus did for us by reading the scriptures, and how he wants us to act. And He will always be watching us.

Wow! A lot of stuff! If you made it through that entire list, I must say, I'm impressed at your willpower. Hats off to you! I know I probably didn't cover every symbol in the movie, but the ones I listed were the ones that stuck out to me most. Of course, throughout the course of the whole movie, Superman is helping people, just like Jesus did. That kind of goes without saying. But I highly recommend this movie to those of you who haven't seen it yet! And also if you haven't seen it, I'm sorry for the spoiler post. But for both types of people - those who have seen it and those who haven't - I recommend you watch it again with Christ in mind. You'll be surprised with all of the connections you see to Jesus' life!

Oh and one more thing. You may or may not have noticed in the first two quotes by Superman's father, he called him Kal-El. El, in Hebrew, means "God." Kal means "simple" or "light." So put them together and you get "The Light of God." I just thought that was kind of neat as well.

So why does the world need Superman?

"For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
- John 3:17

100th Post - The Ancients

Hey guys! Wanna know somethin' cool? This is my 100th post! And so what do you think I will do for it? Well, first of all I will announce it. Secondly, I will post a poem! Imagine that. ;)

The Ancients

Sands of time

Blow across the ruined lands

Once ruled by Kings

With their triumphant hands

Spirits there

Remain on broken ground

And the dying trees

Now rustle without sound

When the children played

The rapture stayed

And every heart was a serenade

But now darkness looms

And the crescent moon

Now plays the ancient mourning tune

Of the kingdom's merry days

But alas, they could not stay

Oh, they could not stay

Ruined by pride

The kingdom tore apart

With revenge inside

Every citizen's heart

No one feels

No one understood the rain

Not one cried

Nobody felt the pain

When the children played

The rapture stayed

And every heart was a serenade

But now darkness looms

And the crescent moon

Now plays the ancient mourning tune

Of the kingdom's merry days

But oh, they could not stay

No, they could not stay

Some days

I remember the people

Some times

I can still hear their pleas

When the children played

The rapture stayed

And every heart was a serenade

But now darkness looms

And the crescent moon

Now plays the ancient mourning tune

Of the kingdom's merry days

But oh, they could not stay

No, they could not stay

No, they would not stay

~Trevor Howell

Sea Life

After a long wait, my single has finally gone out on iTunes.

...And I am stoked! :D Not just because I will be getting paid if people buy it, but just for the fact to say I have a song on iTunes! So if you wanna check it out, I would be honored. And I would be even more honored if you were to purchase it for $.99! Because that would be awesome.

Anyways, here's the link!

Sea Life

Life Lessons

Well, I survived. And living I must say feels quite nice.

Survivor Man was this past Thursday through Saturday morning, and it was quite the experience. I still am no a camper, mind you! But the experiences I had were worth going for. Let me share two of the biggest ones right here.

Lesson #1
After meeting at 6:30 AM Thursday morning, we headed off to the mountains. Upon reaching the parking lot, the leaders split the YM into two teams, and gave each team a map. I should mention that this map was void of names. Nada. They were all blotted out. All that was on the map was nameless lakes and trails, with one lake circled: our destination. "Get us there!" they said. And so each team had to figure out which lake we were trying to get to, and then get there. First team there got a prize.
My team was quite indecisive. It took us about 20 minutes just to take a guess at which lake was circled, and then about every 5 minutes on the trail, Jordan (one of the priests in my group) would stop us all and take out the map to look at it again for 20 more minutes. But here is the lesson that we learned upon finally reaching the lake (which, by the way, I was right from the start. Island Lake!). Every time our group would stop so that Jordan could triple check the map again, our leaders would scratch their heads, get this pained/confused look on their face and say one syllable. "Huh!" That's it.
The whole way to the lake went this way, and upon finally reaching the right lake, the leaders took the time to give us this analogy: The devil makes us doubt ourselves. Every time we make a decision, he tries to get us to think it's the wrong one. Especially if it's the right one. Every time that we decided to keep hiking on to Island Lake, the leaders would always say something that planted just that little seed of doubt in our hearts. But through it all, I had made my decision that the right lake was Island Lake, and so that's where I urged our team to go the whole time. And upon reaching the lake, we not only realized that we were the first team there, but that this whole Survivor Man experience was going to be full of little lessons like that.


The other thing we learned from that experience was that our leaders are like the devil.


Lesson #2
This lesson took part during the second day. After waking up Friday morning, (if you could call it that. Not many of us got any sleep) we packed up camp and went off hiking to our next destination which was supposed to be six miles away. But that's another story.
After about .5 miles, we got lost. Figures, huh? Well, we went up over a mountain, and as we peaked the top of it, there were some really marshy areas where the trail we were on just disappeared. After spending about 40 minutes looking for the trail, we just decided to put our orientation skills to the test. So we got out the map we were using (which was much like the first map we had - no names), found the direction we needed to head in, and started down the canyon. Unbeknownst to us, one of our leaders had a GPS with the trail loaded onto it.
After hiking a ways with just using the compass skills we had, the leaders collaborated and made an executive decision to turn us around. We, with the compasses, had felt that it was a good idea to just go strait for a river that we needed to follow. But Brett, with the GPS, had seen that we were most definitely NOT going in the correct direction. So finally, the leaders instead of being followers, became leaders and decided to take us back to the trail. Here is what our path looked like (the black dotted line in the bottom right was roughly our path).

The lesson we learned from this experience was thus: sometimes, bush whacking can be pretty fun! You can feel really accomplished sometimes by using your own reckoning to find your own way to the destination, but they way our leaders put it, and I totally agreed with them, was that they would rather get there knowing that they were on the right path than just blindly walking. Brett, with the GPS, was watching our trail as we made our own way, and he said for the first half hour, we were going pretty parallel with the right trail. But soon, we veered off and became quite a far ways away from the trail. That's when they decided to stop us and give us a little lesson.
What I took from this experience was that this hike is a lot like our life. We can feel really confident with ourselves, justify every little thing we do, say that we're good people, but when it all comes down to it, we may not be on the correct path. Even if we have been going parallel with it for a long time, we haven't been on it, and thus we don't know when it could make sudden turns and we could get completely lost, like what happened to us. The GPS on this hike we compared to repentance, or the prophets trying to get us back on track. Because, as you can clearly see on the map, we were quite a ways before we finally turned around to go looking for the trail again.


Anyway, there were many more experiences I had, but it would make this post much longer, and so I settled with these. All in all, it was a neat experience!


. . . But I still dislike camping.

If I Ruled The World

If I Ruled The World

If I ruled the world

Many things would change

I'd outlaw all the creepy bugs

Because I think they're strange

No more pointless roads

That lead to nowhere at all

No more crazy kids

Who bounce on rubber balls

No more undigested dinner food

Would be inside my hall

Because, you see, I'd have it all

If I ruled the world

If I ruled the world

The aliens would see

And I'd make a truce with them-

The whole entire galaxy!

I'd have servants

Who would wash my toes

I'd have servants

Who would blow my nose

Servants who would paint a portrait

Of me posing with a fire hose
Because, you see, anything goes

If I ruled the world

If I ruled the world

I'd make a giant slide

And at the bottom there'd be a pool-

The ocean's rising tide!

And everyone would do

Whatever I decree

And I'd be the coolest king

That anyone could be!

Oh yes! That would be the life

I'm sure you'd all agree

But unfortunately,

At the moment...

The world rules me.

~Trevor Howell

Top 10 Things - Reasons Summer is Aweseome

I love summer time. Like, a lot! But why you ask? Well that's a silly question! Don't you?! Well if you don't, lemme give you a list why you should. Buckle up folks.

Top 10 Things

Reasons Summer is Awesome

1. Summer is warm! And being warm is marvelous!
2. The nights have more daylight which means it's warmer for longer!
3. There are more songs about summer than about winter! (Cause who wants to listen to a song about frostbite? Ew.)
4. NO SCHOOL!!!! That should have been the first one, but you know... Yeah I don't know either. But that's one of the best reasons for sure.
5. Tons of free time to spend on whatever you want!
6. Walking to the snowcone shack is only done in the summer time, folks. You wouldn't trudge through 7 feet of snow for a mile or two just to get a snowcone and go back home. (Plus the snowcone shacks are closed in the winter time anyway!)
7. You can totally mess up your internal clock by staying up past midnight and sleeping in past 9:00 every day! (Yeah, laugh all you want about sleeping in past 9:00, but for me that's an accomplishment.)
8. Vacations! Summer time is the vacation season! I mean, yeah there are people that go on vacation during the snowy months, but for that you have to miss school and even though it's nice to get a break you have to catch up on homework and blah blah blah... It's just better in the summer, ok?! Yeah, I can see everyone nodding their heads and agreeing, so that settles it.
9. Ever tried swimming in a frozen river? Yeah me either. And I don't plan to! It's much better to swim in warm water and you can only get that in the summer! (Unless you have artificially heated pools indoors or something... But stop looking for loopholes!)
10. You have enough time to think of ridiculous blog posts! :D And I plan on doing many of those. XD