You Say You Want a Revolution?

Revolution: Boot Camp!

    Ever have a dream that you wanted to make a reality? I have...or did, till this last weekend when it came true!

    Welcome to Revolution: Boot Camp! A youth group driven worship team based out of First Covenant Church in Willmar, MN! for 10 years in youth ministry i always dreamed of being a part of making a youth worship team happen, but it wasn't till I met my bud Brian Daniel that it would happen. You see, Brian is the worship pastor at our church and I am the youth pastor. It's like peanut butter and chocolate, when ya mash em together, they make good stuff!

    This last Fri-Sat we worked with around 15 students to help them develop their music skills and teach them some about what worship is. after about 15 hours of working together, these great teens put on a music set for family and others and they rocked the house, I am so excited to see what the future holds for these students as the Revolution has only just begun!

    Oh, and also for those of you that have never been to Club 3 degrees in MPLS, go! great music, great environment and good times all around! DecemberRadio was the highlight of the night for me, they rocked my face off...literally...it's still on the dance floor at the building in the cities, what a great way to start Friday night of Boot camp!

    A few songs that i really enjoyed working on were Salvation Is Here, Me and Jesus, Hail to the King and Let The Praises Ring! God is good, all the time!

What's He Playin'?

This is a post dedicated to one of my loves in life. Console Video Games.

On this post old and new games alike will be discussed and reviewed, hope you enjoy!

Current gameplay choices:

 The Last Remant

console: Xbox 360 9.0 out of 10

RPG Genre. The story of a young man his lost sister and a nation on the brink of a great war. Whoever controls the remnants controls the power! Do you have what it takes to rid the world or evil, save your sister and save the planet? This game is a somewhat traditional RPG with a few twists. One, it is beautiful with a unique turn based battle system, a unique gear customizing feature and fairly non linear gameplay, all features i love! I get lost in the extra quests that by the time i return to the storyline my guys are uber powerful! don's miss out on yet another great Square Enix game as it was overlooked and bashed by many critics! check it out!

Final Fantasy 11

console: PS2 and PC 10 out of 10!

RPG Genre. Well, I can officially say it, I Love Final Fantasy. I have loved the Final Fantasy franchise since the late 80's when the 1st Final Fantasy Game came out for my original Nintendo. The characters, the storylines, the adventures, great times and great memories. I have been playing 11 since it came out 7 years ago in the US and will probably be playing it till they shut down the servers. It is a game that never ends and the relationships that I have with people around the world now have opened my eyes to total nerddom and i love it! I eagerly anticipate the release of FF13 for the PS3 this next year and also FF14 online...but till then, thanks FF11 for the entertainment! (check me (Dextar) out!)
 

     Star Ocean: The Last Hope     

console: Xbox 360 9.0 out of 10!

RPG genre. Awesome game. I have followed this series for over 10 years since the launch on the original Playstation. This incarnation is by far the most beautiful and involved. It was hard to put down the controller till I completed the game. Even after the completion of the game, i have not quit yet, and am currently battling thru a hidden dungeon. Good times! need some help? follow this link!

The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past

console: Super Nintendo 10 out of 10!

RPG Adventure genre. One of the greatest games ever created, this game follows the adventure of a elf boy named Link as he attempts to save the princess Zelda from a new force of power! Classic Zelda feel in a beautiful new world. If you love adventure games, puzzles and just good old SNES action, download this game onto your Wii and be ready for an amazing adventure, all for a Five Dollar download, don't miss out! need some help?follow this link!

At the Movies

As you can guess, I will be reviewing movies from now on that I see either in theatre or DVD. I would encourage any parents that might come to this post and wonder about a certain movie or want my view to drop me a note! I may have seen the one you want info on or would be willing to see it or research it for you! Prepare for the Revolution!

I probably wont add old movies to this list UNLESS requested, so my list will begin at April 30th, 2009!

G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra (rated PG-13) for action violence throughout.

****   4 out of 5 stars!

suprisingly i was having alot of fun at this movie! I grew up on GI Joe and wanted to see a big screen adaption for years. Yes, it was cheesy, Yes, it had some Ugg moments but i realy enjoyed it overall, was a good time and very entertaining, especially seeing the battle between Snake Eyes and Stormshadow, 2 of my favorite characters growning up!

parents, it has alot of violence but it is cartoony violence blown up for the big screen, it was all pretty harmless and i think only 1-2 swear words, very managable, i would say it is ok for 12+.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince  (rated PG-13) for scenes of violence and magic.

****1/2   4.5 out of 5 stars

Loved it. hated the wait. was worth it. much darker then the rest and a great set up for the final chapter. This film had greater character development and supporting characters also got a chance to shine. Many secrets were revealed and your heart strings get tugged around alot. (for those of you that know the movies and the story!)

parents might be cautious to let their younger children see as it is fairly dark, much darker than previous installments but i leave it to your discression!

     Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen (rated PG-13) for action

violence, minor language and many crude jokes.

***   3 out of 5 stars

well, as a transformers fan growing up, i was excited to see they were making a live action version of my childhood heroes. My first thoughts were that they keep the main characters and don't add alot of silly new robots, that they make the cool noise when they transform and that the original voice actor for Optimus reprises his role! They did pretty good with making my dreams come true...on the 1st movie. he second one? lacked hardcore. Way too many sexual jokes and unnecessary slowmo action sequences...really? come on. It could have recieved one more star if they would have cut the crap out and made it 30 minutes shorter. I guess people really liked it seeing as it made almost a billion dollars worldwide. prepare for Transformers 3 in 2012!

Everyone is going to go see it, even little kids, it was too bad they had to include so much crass humor in it...people would have seen it, and loved it, if it was cleaner.

  To Save A Life    (Special preview at THRIVE conference in CA, more info to come) I think it will be rated PG or PG-13 for some intense themes and tough issues. (I rate differently than other critics, i come at movies from a Christian Worldview.)

***** 5 out of 5 stars

When this movie hits theatres January 22nd 2010., I will do everything i can to get it to Willmar, or get a preview copy for our JH and SH to see. Put out by New Song Pictures, To Save a Life was a 90210 esqe story of teens and the struggles they face. How does the church help? Where does Christ fit in? How do i make it through? All tough questions and faced from a biblical perspective in this film!

I would show this film to JH and up as there are some gritty and real moments in this film. (A Suicide and a physical relationship to name 2 events.) But this is reality...this is what teens face daily...it is a worldview altering movie that I cannot wait for my students to see!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine rated PG-13 for action violence, minor language and Wolvie is in the buff a few seconds.

*** 3 out of 5 stars

I eagerly anticipated this movie and had high expectations. The movie itself was very entertaining but i do have to admit as a fan, i was let down.

the CGI was not very polished, in a few scenes you could clearly see where they tried to overlay CGI onto the picture. Gambit who i was eager to see had the worst Cajun accent ever! YOU SHOULD HAVE GOT THE GUY THAT DID THE VOICE IN THE CARTOON! Fans want to see their favorites done very well, Hugh Jackman was great...I even enjoyed the casting of Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, his personality fit well with the character! The mythos in this movie was a buffet of different interpretations of the Story of Wolverine that just seemed to lack in some way.

As far as appropriateness for under 12? it was fairly violent and some intense action, there were a handful of S-bombs which was kind of suprising for a X-men movie. Oh, and a naked wolvie for a bit. (Only really see his backside.) 13+ should be ok with this film, it wasn't much different from the previous X-Men movies. *spoiler* never, ever leave before the credits are done. nuff said!

COMING SOON! Star Trek and Terminator Salvation

Rocky Hovda: Food Critic Extrordinaire!

    Welcome to my Restraunt Critique Post!

    In this post I will be rating meals I have at new and exotic locales! (ok, some not so exotic as others, but if i havent been there in a long time or it was really good...or rancid...i will post it!) This adventure into fine cuisine begins with my trip to CA in April!

rating out of 5 snowflakes and category:

(FF= Fast Food,   SD= Sit Down Dinner,   D= Delivery)

****    (FF)    In and Out Burger    Sacremento, CA        April 29th, 2009

    meal included Double Double Cheese Burger, Fries and Soda. the Burger was fresh and delicious, the fries are cooked in a non cholesterol oil which makes them healthy! they are good! their packaging has bible verses on them which is rad! They recieved a 4 out of 5 because they did not have Pepsi products! afordable for all! a MN needed franchise!

***    (SD)    Gar Woods       Lake Tahoe, CA        April 29th, 2009

    this place was ritsy...i was underdressed and in my opinion, so were the girls serving us! (very short skirts if you need to know!) the meals were very expensive, but they were very well prepared and delicious. i have garlic prawns and bacon wrapped beef. i also had asparagus which i've never had before and it was good! I also had a caeser salad and as i find in CA, their salads are infinitely better that the ones we have in MN. Our dinner ended with a visit from the fire dept. and tipsy ladies on the docks! 3 out of 5 for challenging food and high prices!

****    (SD)    Paul Martin's American Bistro    Roseville, CA    April 30th, 2009

    very nice, very modern interior design, and affordable high end food! I had a salad followed by a Delicious French Dip Sandwich and fries. very fresh and filling! 4 out of 5 for good food, great environment...but no Dew cost em!

****    (SD)    Chevy's Mexican     Roseville, CA    April 30th, 2009

    this seemed like a family dining experience! Lots of families with kids so i was a little worried about what the food would taste like. Our waiter delivered us chips and specialty salsa which was very good. once again, another CA restraunt with no Dew...BOOOOO! i had a Baha Shrimp enchilada and soft tac with chipotle drizzed crunch shrimp, refried beans and a corn blob thing...it was good! all our food was excellent and we actually had dessert here! a Sopapilla! 4 out of 5 for spilled drinks and chips! (funny though!) and no dew!

*****    (FF)    Pasta Village    Roseville, CA        May 2nd, 2009

    a 5? could it be? now, this was kinda inbetween a SD and FF, but we ordered our food and while we were eating our hand made salads, our food came out, so it was like 4 minutes! MN needs one of these! we had a box lunch special which allowed us to make our own fresh salad with choice of toppings and dressing, a half appetizer, a pasta choice (out of many!) and a drink! they had dew! it was all very good, quick and unique, 5 out of 5!

***    (FF)    Sonic    Roseville, CA    May 2nd, 2009

    a 3 out of 5. after our adventures on the turnabout we were hungry! we went thru the drive thru and got some cherry limeaids which are wicked sweet, and onion rings with ranch dip. both very good and affordable.

***    (D)    Round Table Pizza    Roseville, CA    May 2nd, 2009

    if you havent notice, a FF or D needs to be really special to get higher than a 3...they are for the most part good, but they need to rock to get a higher score! We ordered and pizza was delivered about an hour later. it was pretty good, better than most, was more expensive than others but meh, still ok!

    

Raccoon Girl

    What do you do when that special someone walks into your life and you fail to notice or respond to them? You may notice them as they walk into the room and something urges you to do something...but another little voice tells you to stop. You avoid contact with that person through out the rest of your initial encounter with all your might and get sick to your stomach when the time you have to make contact has passed. "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid..." (Joshua 1:5) is overshadowed by, "What if they don't like me or laugh at me..." Your one chance has passed and you never know if you will ever see Raccoon Girl again.

    Saturday, May 2nd, 2009. Sacremento, CA. X-men Origins: Wolverine...(decent film btw...check out movie reviews!) The movie is about to start...and in she walks...Raccoon Girl. We don't know anything about her other than she is bubbly and wearing a rad raccoon ski cap. (which i want...) I put fear aside and yelled across the full theatre, "Sweet hat, Raccoon Girl!"

    my bravery was rewarded with a smile. Well, Wolvie went on to kick butt, and as many left the theatre early, (WHICH YOU SHOULD NEVER DO! *spoiler*) i began the trek out, only to see some sweet rain galloshes...on the feet of Raccoon Girl! I bid her a fond farewell not knowing if I'd ever see her again...

    Top down on the convertable, cruising off into the afternoon guided by Creed on the radio. Memories of Raccoon Girl flood into my mind, Oh, what a day...when to my suprise, i looked into the left turn lane and who was in the passenger seat of that Passat? None other than Raccoon Girl! with only seconds left to share one last moment, she rolled down her window and sent me a radiant smile, I waved and said my final farewell and drove away...to Sonic for a Ball Kicking Cherry Lime-aid! (for more information head to my Food blog!)

    The moral of the story? Never be afraid to follow your heart and never fear what the world will say, your Raccoon Girl may be sitting across the room from you right now, but if she is digging thru your garbage she might be a real raccoon...and you don't want to touch those...they got rabies.

A Thursday to Remember

    Well, this is my first official blog, you can thank Brian Daniel, a good friend from FCC, which is my church here in Willmar for those of you that don't know...oh, and for those who don't know, FCC stands for First Covenant Church!

    Well, the Thursday I am speaking of was yesterday, April 30th 2009. The previous night, which was Wednesday, and doesn't count, was pretty sweet too...ok, i'll include a little of Wednesday too! The story begins in the mountains of California, more specifically Lake Tahoe , (actually it begins at In and Out Burger for lunch, Jesus would like this restraunt...) the drive was amazing and when we got to the lake, it was breathtaking. my first mission was to walk in the lake...it was cold. then i gathered sweet rocks, which were smooth. Then we ate dinner at a fancy place called Gar Woods, where they served wet willies, and had sweet food, you know, the stuff you see in movies that you never eat yourself...except i did this time. Then i did 2 photo shoots and got a picture with 2 babes, good times.

    Thursday was the start of our THRIVE conference that we came out for.

 What a day! oh, food update first! Paul Martins American Bistro for lunch...French dip...wow. dinner at Chevy's, a mexican restraunt go figure...once again soooo good. My first seminar challenged my thinking on how to be an effective member of a team and what that looks like...but little did i know what was in store for that day! Lincoln Brewster and the Bayside Youth Band...Ray Johnston, Sherwood Carthen and Franklin Graham...all in one day, oh! and crazy games and free ice cream and other good stuff. here are some of my thoughts from these powerful leaders:

- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

- "Beware of spending too much time looking back at what you once were, when God wants you to become something you have never been!" Oswald Chambers

- Fear paralyzes and is freed by faith...Fear is the dark-room where film is developed.

- "All kingdom advancement is the result of sacrifice."

- Be on the frontside of what is happening...cause God will be there where we get there.

- Habakkuk 1:5!

- Leaders need to know the times and survive the famine! (more info in an upcoming blog!)

    And then there was Lincoln Brewster, he led us in some powerful and inspiring worship that evening! check him out! more to come in new posts about some of the incredible seminars i went to, people I met and speakers that brought the incredible word of God!