Ragamuffin Ramblings

Well, a lot has been going on in my life lately, so I figured I'd fill you all in via my blog! Now sit back, relax, and enjoy catching up on my life.


Facebook: The Search for Love
To begin, the short film that I starred in last semester, Facebook: The Search for Love, was accepted into the the Highbridge Film Festival where it won three awards (Best Audio Editing, Best Original Musical Score, and Best Comedy).

If you piece all of the shooting days together, we shot this film in about four days. Not bad, huh?

I had so much fun working on this project. The crew was incredibly professional, the cast was incredibly talented, and the experience was both fun and challenging. I hadn't acted for the camera very much before this project, so all of this was very new to me. Through it all, I learned a lot and had an awesome time!

If you haven't seen it already, you can watch the film in its entirety below! Enjoy!

In addition, if you want to see how Facebook: The Search for Love was created, then look no further! Below is a Behind-the-Scenes montage that'll give you a glimpse into the movie making process. Enjoy!



Summer Living
Recently, my plans for the summer drastically changed when I was offered the position of interim Music Minister at Mt. Freedom Baptist Church in Wilmore, Kentucky. I accepted the position (pending a congregational vote), and I plan to live in Nicholasville with my friend Reuben for the duration of the summer. I also plan to work part-time at Lowe's in Nicholasville and take two online courses, Theology and Leadership Development.

Earlier this week, I moved into Reuben's house and unpacked all of my stuff. Below are some before and after pictures. Enjoy.



My New Album
This summer, I'll be recording a new full-length album and giving it away for FREE! If you aren't familiar with my music, you can check it out on the right sidebar of this blog under FREE MUSIC. Also, you can visit my Facebook Fan Page or my NoiseTrade Profile.

But back to this new album... I need your help!

The songs on this new album will be cover songs... i.e. they'll be songs written by someone else. What I need from you is some song ideas!

What songs would you like to hear me record? Here are some ideas people have come up with so far:

(1) Viva la Vida by Coldplay
(2) Thriller by Michael Jackson
(3) Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog
(4) Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
(5) Still Fighting It by Ben Folds

Post your song ideas in the Discussion Tab on my Facebook Fan Page. I look forward to your input!


I'm Outnumbered: One Mom's Lessons in the Lively Art of Raising Boys
Yep... my mom's an author. My mother, Laura Lee Groves, has written her first book about raising four rambunctious, red-headed boys that I'm sure will provide knowledge and insight for numerous mothers around the country. Nay... the world.

Check out her blog entitled Outnumbered Mom, and if you'd like more information about her book (to be released on August 31st, 2010), visit this Kregel Publications link.


Andrew Peterson's Upcoming Album
July 27th. That's the date I have marked on my calendar with two big letters: AP. Why? Because Andrew Peterson's newest album, Counting Stars, gets released then! If you didn't already know, I'm sort of an Andrew Peterson wannabe... er... groupie... uh... fan. Yeah, something like that.

Anyway, he recently released a new radio single from the album entitled "The Reckoning (How Long)." I've posted it below so you can listen to it, but you really should buy it for yourself! It's only 99¢ at iTunes and Amazon.com.

For more information about Andrew Peterson and his upcoming album, visit his website or The Rabbit Room.

And now... enjoy the song!

This past semester, I had the privilege of starring in a short film that will hopefully be entered into the Highbridge Film Festival. Check out this teaser trailer for the short film "Facebook: The Search for Love."

Currently, I'm a part of Asbury University's latest sitcom entitled Friends Like You, Too. Performances are March 30th and 31st. Check out this awesome feature about the sitcom from WLEX-18!

If you haven't already heard of the band OK Go, you're missing out. Their newest single, "This Too Shall Pass," has become an Internet sensation after the release of these two music videos.

Sit back, relax, be amazed, and enjoy.

Follow the Men of Johnson Third East through the decades as they declare their unfailing love for the ladies of Kresge Second East.

Believe it or not, this post was originally going to be about the late night power struggle between Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and the ever-bungling National Broadcasting Company (NBC). But as I began to write, I realized that while this late night brouhaha is entertaining, in the grand scheme of things, it means very little.

This past Tuesday, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the island nation of Haiti, decimating the capital of Port-au-Prince and killing upwards of 40,000 people. The dire situation in Haiti can be summed up in these words from Haiti's president: "Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. The hospitals have collapsed."

The more and more I read the newspaper, browse Internet articles, and watch the news, my heart cries out for the people of Haiti. There is so much fear and death. There is so much heartache and need. All of this in a place that is only 700 miles from my front porch in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and yet it feels so far away.

The nation of Haiti is very close to my heart. Three years ago, I traveled to Haiti on a mission trip, and I can honestly say that I am a different person because of that trip. Haiti is one of the poorest nations on the face of the earth. According to most sources, around 80% of Haiti's population lives in poverty, with the majority of Haitians living off of roughly $2 per day. And Haiti is one of the most spiritually dark nations on the face of the earth. Vodou and witchcraft are regularly practiced alongside other religions, pointing to a deep spiritual need existing there.

So why am I writing this? To make you feel bad? No. To guilt you into doing something? Certainly not. I am writing this to the body of Christ to encourage action. This action is not motivated by guilt; rather, it is motivated by the following command.

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." -James 1:27

In addition to this, the scriptures say these things.

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." -James 2:14-17

"Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." -James 1:22

So what is my point? Undoubtedly, very few of us can pack up and head to Haiti to help with the earthquake aid. Besides, that is not what I am suggesting anyway. What I am suggesting is that we, as a community of believers, as the body of Christ, lift up the nation of Haiti in prayer. There is power in prayer, and we are commanded to pray. I am also suggesting that, if you are financially able, you find an organization like Compassion International or World Vision that you can contribute money to in an effort to help with the earthquake aid. Every little bit counts.

Lastly, I want to stress that this post is not intended to guilt you into giving away money. In fact, if giving away money is your way of making yourself feel better, don't do it. For, as the scriptures say, "Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." -II Corinthians 9:7

Happy New Year, everybody!

As a gift to you all, I have released a brand new Christmas song entitled "O Come, Divine Messiah." Composed by Josh Dahm, from the band Too Many Drummers, this song echoes the cry of God's people as they long for the divine Messiah sent to redeem the world.

You can download it for FREE below. You'll also find some album art there too. To preview the song, just click on it. To download, click the arrow tab to the right of each item and choose the DOWNLOAD option.

Enjoy the music, and have a Happy New Year!