Moving On

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Dana Pellerin

One of the lessons life teaches you is that nothing is forever. Things change, people change, styles, attitudes, music, fashion…. everything changes. Even if you sat in a white room from birth until death, your view of, and feelings about, that white room would change over time. That’s just how we’re wired. We gather experiences, we age, and our viewpoint changes.

And so today I told our worship pastor I was stepping down from the worship team. And honestly, I don’t really have a full grasp on why. All I know is that things have changed. I’ve changed, the band has changed, the music has changed. And it’s simply no longer fun to me.

When I first started playing music, I knew even back then, 25 years ago, that I would never be a professional musician. Sure, you kind of kick the idea around, but deep down I knew I would never walk away from all responsibility and rely on something as fickle and unreliable as music to support myself and my family. And so I told myself then, that music was going to be my outlet. My stress reliever. I was going to use it as a means to blow off steam. I mean really, I’m a drummer, i get to hit crap with wood sticks and get praised for it! So that was going to be the type of drummer I would become. Whoever would watch me play, would know that I was having nothing less than an blast. And so that’s why I had to step down. Because I just wasn’t having a blast anymore.

It’s a big decision for me because I’ve been playing at this church for 13 years. I’ve recorded two albums with them. I’ve played literally hundreds of services for unknown thousands of people over the years. But as time moves on, eventually the “old guard” must move on as well.

When I first started playing at Clovis HIlls I was 30 years old. Many of the guys in the band were in their 40′s. And one by one as younger people came in with new energy and new ideas, the older guys, already having spent years busting their butts on the scene, moved on. It’s not really a bad thing. It’s just the way it is.

And so I think that’s where I am. I’ve been doing this for so long that I don’t really care about analyzing music or obsessing over technique anymore. I just want to get behind the kit and do what I know how to do.

So it’s been a good run, and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to serve his people for so long. Playing at Clovis Hills really saved me in many ways. I know they will continue to provide one of the best worship experiences around and I wish them the best.

So what’s next? That is the million dollar question. I just told an old friend of mine that I would never quit playing, and I don’t intend on letting my drums collect dust. I might do a little recording. I have a few gigs lined with with other friends so I’ll definitely do those. Or I might start looking for a new band to jam with. Maybe a rock band to play some outdoor festivals and stuff.

We’ll see.

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The Funklet

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Dana Pellerin

This is freaking cool.

First off, I found a site called Kickstarter which allows people to promote projects they are working on and let others pledge fund money so the creator can make it happen. Great idea.

On that site I came across this little project called The Funklet. It’s a book that details 20 of the greatest drum riffs, and does it in an artistic, cool way. I think this is a great idea and I’ve funded it.

Check it out here and help the guy out.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461914303/the-funklet

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Life

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Dana Pellerin

You know what? It’s been one crappy day.

Got up this morning and went to work on my bike which broke down two weeks ago. Cost me $350 to fix, but that’s about $200 less than the shop would have charged me to do it. Thank God for the internet. I couldn’t imagine trying to fix my own motorcycle by just winging it. Anyway, I got the damn thing fixed. Turns out the stator, which generates power to recharge the battery completely melted down. It was bad, man. Melted wires, plastic bits everywhere, nasty. But it’s all back together now and running great so that’s an upside.

But the bad thing about working on anything is that you always realize you need more tools. I made three trips to the store and spent another $100 today on just tools and supplies. It just never ends. I’ll use those supplies eventually, but damn, I could have made much better use of that money this month.

Anyway, so I’m trying to put my bike back together and having a heck of a time fishing the wires back up through the bowels of the machine and Deanna comes out and says our cat is acting weird. Now, this cat is 16 years old, so weird is pretty normal. This time however she’d gone off the deep end and was eating her hair and staggering around and stuff. So the girls finally came to the realization that I came to months ago, and took her to the vet to be put down.

Now I understand about people’s attachment to animals. I really do. However, I don’t personally have any such attachments, thank God. To me, animals are like chemical based robots, and when they start to malfunction you just dispose of them. Cold? Yes, probably, but that’s me.

Anyway, that was a nasty experience and even though I don’t really care much for the cat, I do care very much for my girls and so it put me in kind of a funk to see them sad.

Then, as if the day had not been eventful enough, I played drums at church and totally beefed the last song. Beefed it Bad. And you know, I can take a lot of crap and let it slide, but beefing a song on stage is just agony to me.

So today kind of sucked. Tomorrow has got to be better, right?

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Good People

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Dana Pellerin

The older I get, the more I realize that life is not about buying crap, or wielding power, or being awesome cool, or insanely good looking (those last two I happen to be, but again that’s not what life is about). It’s really about relationships and this weekend really cemented that for me, as well as a post I saw this morning on a friend’s facebook page.

I think it’s interesting how much we’re influenced by our upbringing. Anyone who thinks you can just grow up and be your own person regardless of how you were raised is full of crap. I mean, I think you can, but it takes self examination and effort. If you don’t work at it, you are destined to become your parents. Case in point, growing up my family never had company over, and the few times we did, us kids pretty much had to stay in our bedrooms. In addition, I don’t even think my parents had any real friends. I mean, they had plenty of acquaintances, but considering how rarely I ever saw my mom and dad socializing with people, I don’t think they have any really deep relationships.

And so I think as I grew up, I just naturally fell into that same mode. And I know this because whenever I watch one of those home improvement shows where people say they “love to entertain”, I ask myself, who lives like that…entertaining all the time like movie stars or something? And when guys talk about having mentors and stuff, it just seems so foreign to me. In my family, outside relationships mean weakness, we rely on nobody.

I bring this up because as I’ve spent time at church both with other guys like me and with truly Godly men, I’ve become acutely aware of my attitude toward relationships and how damaging that is. I’ve become aware of how much I’ve missed out on. After all, God didn’t make us to stand on our own two feet and be completely self sufficient. He created us to live in a deep relationship with him, and also with each other. “Love others as you love yourself” Jesus said. That’s a high calling for a lot of us. I know it is for me.

Anyway, how does this relate to this weekend you ask? Because this weekend was spent spending time with others. We spent Friday night hosting a get together and had about a dozen friends over. It was a great time hanging out with great people. Saturday and Sunday I spent at church, playing drums with other fantastic musicians and getting to know our worship leader’s dad who had come up to visit for the weekend and sat in with us. So just spending so much time with quality people really made me feel blessed.

Then on Monday, Michelle and I rode up to Bass Lake and on the way back we broke down. And what happened next was really cool. People stopped to help. An old guy stopped to check on us and said he had a shop if we needed any tools. I had everything I needed so I thanked him and he headed on. Then a CHP stopped to see if we were OK. Then another biker stopped to check on us. And then a guy in a junky car named Chris stopped to check on us as well. 4 people within an hour.

Now the bike was dead and I had to get it back to Fresno but a tow was going to cost several hundred dollars. Michelle suggested I call my buddy Kirk because he has a bike trailer and I hesitated for a second. I can’t ask somebody to drive an hour to come get me and my motorcycle, especially somebody who I’m not super close to. But I did anyway, and you know what? Kirk dropped what he was doing and drove up to pick us and bike up. And Chris, who had stopped for us, waited with us for an hour because he knew we’d need his help pushing the bike onto the truck.

To me, that’s unreal. And so I had to ask myself…. how many people have I passed on the road without so much as a glance? And would I drop my plans and drive my truck an hour up the mountain (with gas costing $4 a gallon) to go pick an acquaintance up who had broken down? Am I that good of a person? I don’t know. I hope so.

And so the point of all this is that relationships are everything. We need good people in our lives and we need to be more than just acquaintances. So my personal goal is to spend as much time as I can fostering these existing relationships and creating new ones.

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So what was that whole Rapture thing about?

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Dana Pellerin

I’ve been silently watching the whole rapture thing unfold for the past month or so (what does that word “rapture” even mean, where the heck did it come from?). Honestly, I never bought into it for a second. Why not, you ask? After all, I’m a self proclaimed Christian, the bible talks about the events of the end of the world, and some of these preachers have pretty convincing arguments. Why not buy in?

I think the biggest reason not to buy into any of these ministries that focus on the end times is because, in my opinion, that’s not what Christianity is about. It’s not about wanting to get the hell off this miserable rock and go somewhere “better”. It’s not about gloating over your impending rapture on billboards that simultaneously damn  your un-believing neighbors (Although the guy who keeps letting his dog crap in my yard is almost certainly going to hell and I’d love catch him so I could tell him the error of his ways).

So what is Christianity about? I believe Christianity is basically about Love. God’s love for us, our love for God, and our love for each other. That’s really what every story in the bible demonstrates in some way.

I mean, look at Jesus. Jesus is an amazing guy, really. He comes onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere. He doesn’t run for office. He doesn’t raise an army. He doesn’t start any businesses. He spends all his time teaching, healing, and showing compassion and love towards people nobody else will. (Oh yeah, and he rose from the dead. That was pretty awesome too.) But when asked what are the most important of the Ten Commandments, he boils it all down and says to love God and love each other. Do that and you’ve got life pretty much covered. Such a simple message, yet so big that it completely changes the entire course of history. As the great prophet St. Huey Louis said: That’s the power of love.

So didn’t Jesus say a bunch of stuff about the end times? Yeah, there’s a few paragraphs on it, but I find it interesting how he does it. He purposely does not give a date. Actually he can’t give a date because he said even he doesn’t know it! Only God does. Instead he simply tells us to always be prepared for his return, meaning we should not sit and try to figure out when Dad is coming home so we can screw off until 10 minutes before then. That would be our normal tendency wouldn’t it? No, he says we should live moral lives, 100% of the time. That’s the lesson here and it’s a lesson taught out of love and concern for us. The end of time is not a threat, it’s just a fact, and so Jesus merely tells us to do what’s right, every day.

So if Christianity is all about love, why are so many Christians such jerks? Well, I can’t explain the actions or words of people. I think people are motivated by many different things. But I do know the actions and words of Christ, because they are written down for us. And below I’ve included some links for those who are so inclined to read for themselves what Christianity is really about. I guarantee there are no threatening billboards involved.

The Book of Matthew
The Book of Mark
The Book of Luke
The Book of John

 

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Getting Healthy

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Dana Pellerin

I’ve been wanting to do a post like this for a while, because I think it’s interesting to look back over time and see progress happen.

This is a picture of me back when I was 30′ish. I was closing in on 230 pounds. I was a fat ass, let’s just call it what it is. I ate whatever I wanted, I did not exercise one bit. And my body showed it. I don’t think I could have done any of the things I do today such as hiking or bicycling, but then again I never tried so I really don’t know.

My dad and I had a conversation a while back about healthy eating. I had mentioned a book called What the Bible Says About Healthy Living to my mom and since she loves anything that discusses God’s word, she said she wanted to read it. My dad immediately started ribbing me because he’s 70 and eats whatever he wants and the author of the book died in his 60′s. And it struck me that that’s how people view life in today’s society. It’s all about staying alive, not really about living our lives in the way God designed us.

When I first decided to get in shape, I had no idea about God’s design or whatever. I was just done with being fat and tired. I wasn’t really ready to exercise, but I knew I could control my diet, so I just cut out fast food. Period. Cold turkey. I lost 20lbs from that one single act because even the worst food you make at home is still not as bad as fast food.

After that, I decided to start working out. And it’s funny because it doesn’t really take that much time, just 1 hour a day. I love when people say they don’t have time to workout, yet they never miss an episode of their favorite TV show. At first I did weight lifting and ran a treadmill. And it worked great. I got really thin and very fit. Eventually though I decided I wanted a more rounded, more interesting workout program, so I started P90X to get a good combination of flexibility, strength and cardio capacity. I also started riding bicycles and hiking to mix it up a bit and get outside more.

However, I finally realized that I had to focus even more on my diet. While my appearance was what I wanted, I wasn’t getting enough quality nutrition and my blood test results at the doctor showed that. You see, most of the food we eat today is garbage. It’s full of preservatives and has been processed and stripped of most of it’s God given nutrients in the name of shelf life and profits. So earlier this year I decided to go full on and really focus on eating in the most pure way (God’s designed way) possible in a modern world. We eat almost nothing out of a package. We eat lots of vegetables and fruits, nuts and beans. And what little bread or pasta we have is whole wheat. It’s made a HUGE difference in how I feel. Our next step will be to switch to grass fed beef, organic dairy and free range chicken and I’ll be posting on that subject tomorrow.

This is a picture of me my wife took two days ago. I’m 43 and currently 194lbs. All my blood tests are ideal with the exception of high cholesterol which runs in my family. Darn genetics! But the difference between me now and me 15 years ago is not just in appearance, it’s in quality of life. There’s almost nothing I can’t experience because I’m physically ill-equipped. That’s freedom.

The bottom line in all of this is that I believe God designed this world specifically for us with everything we need to be healthy and happy. I believe He created us to do and be more than simple food receptacles sitting on cushions while bombarding our eyes and ears with imaginary imagery projected from an electric box. Like anything else in life, it just takes a small bit of discipline, and faith that God’s design for us is better than our design for ourselves.

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Home Improvement Adventures: Part 3

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Dana Pellerin

I think this is part three anyway.

This week Michelle and I removed the form from our concrete hearth we poured last weekend. We were a little panicked to be honest. It’s been such hard (and expensive) work so far and we were totally convinced it was going to be the wrong color. I guess when the concrete dries, some of the pigment floats to the top (which is actually the bottom of the hearth), so we had this really reddish looking, 240lb piece of concrete sitting there and I was dreading that we might have to break it apart, throw it away and start over. However, when we removed the form and turned it over it was the nice brown color we were looking for.

Honestly, I’m pretty amazed it came out looking as good as it does. I’m n0t exactly a handyman or anything. But I’m good at researching and so I knew what to do, I just didn’t know if I was doing it right or not. But it came out pretty awesome. The edges are nice and rounded and the color is good. There’s a few small spots where the concrete did not mix well and flaked apart, but we can fill those in. I think my decision to use a wheelbarrow instead of a real concrete mixer was not a good one. Next time I’ll know. But it’s not bad at all and honestly, the beauty of this type of work is that moderate imperfections add to the texture and character of the piece. That’s why we went this way to begin with. So I’m almost tempted to not even patch the bad spots.

Next weekend, we’ll be wet sanding the hearth to get a nice satin finish on it. Then we’ll paint the fireplace doors to make them look new, and prep the surround for the tile. The following weekend we’ll put it all together and call it done! I’m pretty stoked!

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We Got Him

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Dana Pellerin

I’m sure everyone’s read the news already, but if you live in a cave and only come out to read my little blog, I’ll recap.

We finally killed Osama Bin Laden.

I’m trying to figure out how I feel about that. I remember 9/11 pretty vividly. I was on vacation and sitting on my couch watching the news when they started covering the story. I remember the confusion about what was going on. The first tower was smoking like crazy and nobody knew exactly what happened. Then as facts started trickling in about a plane hitting the building I remember thinking what a horrible accident it was and that I hope they could put the fire out quickly. Funny how the mind tries to cope with horrible events by focusing on the best and quickest possible outcome.

Then the second plane hit and it was very clear that this was no accident. I remember feeling an intense hatred in my soul and as my daughter who was 8 at the time came out and asked me what was going on, I told her to sit and watch and never forget what she was seeing.

Still I was hoping that the damage could be contained, but it just got worse as the first tower collapsed. I was in total shock at that point. It was like a horror film. Unreal. Unbelievable. At each stage of sequence of events I just prayed that the horror would end and we could start cleaning up, yet the situation just got worse and worse.

And then the second tower came down. And oddly enough, there was a certain feeling that then it could not get any worse. The horror was over. Now it was going to be about survival and cleanup for those on the scene. Again, weird how the mind will try and cope in any way it can.

So ten years later we finally kill the top guy responsible for this horrible tragedy. Oddly enough, I’m not happy. I don’t feel like cheering in the streets, or posting some mindless patriotic drivel on my website, or pumping my fist in the air while wrapped in an American flag and eating apple pie and drinking a Budweiser. Instead, I just feel kind of numb.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel sorry for Bin Laden one bit. In my mind I feel our country had every right to take this man’s life and in fact we had an obligation to do so. This is justice served and it’s been a long time coming. I just feel saddened that this is the world we live in. A world of constant conflict, constant warring, constant killing.

Anyway, I finish this post feeling relieved, as if a long open wound has finally been sutured closed and can finally finish healing. I pray for peace for the families who are closer to this tragedy than I am, and I pray for our country; That out of this we grow stronger, wiser, and more importantly, closer to our God who loves us.

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Weekend Wrap-up

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Dana Pellerin

So, this weekend was a good one. The weather here is absolutely gorgeous and I had the weekend free so I used the time to hang with some buds and get some chores done.

My California Ale finished last weekend and so my cigar/band buddies came over to rehearse for Tuesday’s Celebrate Recovery gig and then we enjoyed some smokes and some home made beer. It was a good time.

Then on Sunday Michelle and I poured the concrete for our fireplace hearth. I’m telling you that is a NIGHTMARE. Concrete is so hard to work with. It’s just back breaking work. The main lesson of the day; I will never, EVER, try and mix any amount of cement in a wheelbarrow. Forget it man, it’s ridiculously hard. Next time I’m getting a powered mixer, I don’t care how little material I have to mix.

I think the hearth is going to come out pretty good though. And if it doesn’t, I’ve learned enough that I think I can make another one with relative ease. On the other hand, if it turns out great, I’m going to move forward with making countertops for my bathrooms. We’ll know how it came out on Saturday when I bust it out of the mold.

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God and Heavy Metal in One Book!

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Dana Pellerin

Five years ago Brian “Head” Welch, the guitarist from Korn, left the band at the peak of their popularity and became a Christian. He released a book about his transformation called Save Me From Myself several years ago and now he’s released a new book called Stronger: 40 Days of Metal and Spirituality.

The book is a daily devotional that pairs bible verses with some life lessons learned by Head during his days with Korn and now as a clean and sober Christian. I just went through the first day and it’s pretty cool stuff.

To me it’s Amazing to hear stories of God’s redemptive power and forgiveness. Here’s a guy like Head who’s “living the dream” yet is fully chained by his addictions. He’s freed by the power of God in his life and completely forgiven of some pretty heinous behavior. That’s the power of our God. This book provides a daily reminder of just how powerful and good God is.

Check it out.

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