Every night time routine needs a close out song to encourage your child to get in bed. There are lullabies and those can work for certain purposes but an enthusiastic and fun song can be effective at engaging a more willing participant. This has been popular at our house over the past several months.
Jump in bed you sleepy head it's time to go to sleep
Jump in bed you sleepy head it's time to go to sleep
Day is gone and night has come so now we say good night Jump in bed you sleepy head it's time to go to sleep
I created an AI band and song this week as an illustration for a presentation I did at work. The prompt I gave was create a 90s alternative rock song with the theme of being a steward at a financial planning and investment management company. I went through several iterations to get to a version I liked and was really impressed with the music quality though the lyrics could use a bit of refining.
AI is a good collaboration tool but don’t think it will ever fully replace humans in the music creation process. Music and the arts are subjective and while AI can do a pretty good job of approximating human likes and dislikes, it doesn’t have the lived experience, emotions, and innate cultural understanding for how something will resonate with humans and the context they’re living in. There will always need to be humans to guide the process at some level.
Potty training can be one of the most challenging and frustrating things you’ll ever teach a child. Consistency is key and if you can make it fun, that certainly helps. I hear about 3 day potty training but seriously doubt the adoption level. I recommend against asking if toddler needs to go potty since the answer is almost always an emphatic NO! Sometimes toddler will say “I need to go potty“ primarily as an attention seeking behavior when he has no interest or intention of going to the potty.
For those of you training a child to use the potty, I salute you. There’s a a lot of mess and a little success. People say that the child will almost surely be potty trained by the time they go to kindergarten and certainly by the time they’re in middle school but it feels like it will take forever in the middle of it. It will make you both laugh and cry.
My favorite part is the toddler’s celebrations after success. “WOAH, IT’S A BIG POOP! WOW, YOU DID IT LOOK AT THE PEE IN THE POTTY!” Flushing can get overly ambitious with multiple flushes per potty use and toilet paper rolls can quickly spool out all over the floor if you don’t closely monitor as he grabs and spins the roll.
Here’s a fun potty training song to encourage you and your toddler in this important life skill.
Lyrics: If you need to poop, if you need to pee say I need to go to the potty. Push your pants down push them down to the ground when you need to go to the potty. You can read a book you can sing a song when you’re sitting on the potty training. When the job is done wipe then wash your hands then you can flush the potty training. Pull your pants up pull them up to the top after you’ve gone to the potty. If you need to poop if you need to pee say I need to go to the potty training. I need to go to the potty.
This year has been difficult for many people both from a global perspective as well as unique individual challenges. Over the past few months, this song has expressed my prayer and desire to God.
Where His love is, is where I want to be. His love is more powerful than anything and can fill hearts, heal hurts, encourage souls, and change the world. I hope the lyrics and music can encourage you in whatever you're experiencing this year.
In pursuit of His best,
Andrew
Where Your Love Is
Where your love is, is where I want to be so let your love flow and cover me
When troubled times take hold Lord won't you guard my soul when I don't understand won't you take take my hand and lead me on
When all I feel is stress Lord help my heart to rest when there's uncertainty be my surety and lead me on
Where your love is, is where I want to be so let your love flow and cover me Where your love is, is where I want to be so let your love flow and cover me
How I love you, how I need you here's my heart, here's my soul take all of me How I love you, how I need you here's my heart, here's my soul take all of me
So holy, so mighty, so beautiful, your glory So holy, so mighty, so beautiful, your glory
Where your love is, is where I want to be so let your love flow and cover me Where your love is, is where I want to be so let your love flow and cover me
If you've never had the opportunity to serve the Lord's supper, I hope you get to in the future. And by serve, I mean you holding the cup and/or bread as people receive it vs. passing a plate. Over the past year, I've gotten to do this several times at church. As someone takes the bread, you say "the body of Christ, broken for you." Being in such close proximity to the person, face to face, when they take communion, can be a deeply spiritual moment.
I had a very real sense of Jesus having died for each person that stood in front of me. When you look into their eyes as a representative of Christ, it brings a new perspective to "For God so loved the world..." Each person that receives communion is someone that Jesus died for. Until recently, I've always been on the receiving side and didn't connect in the same way with the experience as I did while serving.
Communion can become ritualistic and lose its significance unless you focus intentionally on engaging your heart and mind. If your church is looking for volunteers to serve communion, go ahead and step up. See how God might open your heart and mind to a new perspective of the Lord's Supper.
"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him." -I John 4:9.
When I read this verse recently, I had the thought that this is an expression of Jesus as a Christmas gift. Only God could send such an incredible gift of love. There is no greater gift.
Who could think to ask for or ever expect to receive the very embodiment of love. God come to earth in the form of man to live a perfect and sinless life then die on our behalf so that we might have an eternal relationship with Him.
If you've not received the gift of Jesus before, it's freely given from God. You simply have to believe in Him, ask forgiveness for your sins, and receive the gift of eternal salvation. It's the best gift ever!
Several years ago, I saw a video of Zooey Deschanel covering What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? and thought it was such a fun rendition that I decided to learn it myself. In case you're interested in learning it, I've included chords below the lyrics. Hope you have a happy New Year!
Maybe it's much too early in the game
Aah, but I thought I'd ask you just the same
What are you doing New Year's
New Year's Eve?
Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight
When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night
Welcoming in the New Year
New Year's Eve
Maybe I'm crazy to suppose
I'd ever be the one you chose
Out of a thousand invitations
You received
Aah, but in case I stand one little chance
Here comes the jackpot question in advance
What are you doing New Year's
New Year's Eve?
(In the recording, just for fun I pitched down to the key of F# but it's played in the key of A)
Chords: Intro: A D#dim7 Dm E7
Verse: A4 G7 A A7 D Dm A F#7 B7 E7
Break: A D#dim7 Dm E7
Verse: A G7 A A7 D Dm A F#7 B7 E7
Break 2: A G#7
Bridge: C#m F#m Am C#m D#m7 D7 C#m F#7 B7 E7
Verse: A4 G7 A A7 D Dm A F#7 B7 E7
Break 3: A Fm7 E7
Outro: A F#7 B7 E7 A
Each Sunday at church we have communion and typically the pastor will say something to the effect of "come and receive." This sparked an idea for a song that I wrote over the past month or so. Hope you enjoy! Come And Receive (Communion)
Come and receive the cup and the bread
His body and blood on the cross that was shed
Saved by grace through faith from the wages of your sin
Forgiveness is free, no matter where you've been
So come and receive all who believe
The cup and the bread for all who were dead
Made alive by Jesus Christ so come and eat with Him
Made alive by Jesus Christ so come and eat with Him
Come and receive the cup and the bread
His body and blood on the cross that was shed
Fear must fall away cause His love has come to stay
No more guilt and shame by the power of His name
Taste and eat, drink deep
Taste and eat, drink deep
Come and receive all who believe
The cup and the bread for all who were dead
Made alive by Jesus Christ so come and eat with Him
Made alive by Jesus Christ so come and eat with Him
Keeping your eyes on Jesus and His truth is like following a metronome. You can practice a song and think you're on tempo but without the metronome as an external source of truth keeping you on track, you can easily speed up or lag behind and get off track. Similarly in life, without the absolute truth of Jesus keeping you on beat and in rhythm, you can easily get off track. Whether you get distracted by a friend, family member, co-worker, the internet, someone on TV, a podcast, the radio, a book, or magazine, any of these can move you away from looking to The Truth and His best.
His Word is so important to keeping centered on Him. In John 14:6 He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me." If you don't already, incorporate at least a little bit of Bible reading every day. You can read through the Bible in a year in no more than 10-15 minutes a day. With technology like the Bible app YouVersion, you can even accomplish this by listening on your way to work in the morning or out running errands.
Reading the Bible every day will root your mind and heart in the truth and change your life for the better. Stay on beat and walking in truth and He will keep you from avoidable frustration and pain, instead leading you to His best and more than you can imagine.
Before the world of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, et al had become widely used, I started this blog as a way to share fun thoughts, quotes, wisdom, photography, book reviews, music, and encouragement on faith. It also served as a way to keep people in touch with my adventures while living in London and traveling around Europe.
When I started I didn't know that it would eventually turn into a blog primarily oriented towards encouraging people to pursue God's best in their lives. As a result of the process, I've learned a lot about both writing and website technology.
In school, I remember teachers talking about finding your voice as a writer and while I observed that writers had different styles, I didn't think of myself as having a particular "voice." However, as I've written more and more, my writing voice has developed into what you see in recent articles. In earlier posts, the writing had a sometimes whimsical or light hearted tone while also being informative or thoughtful but as the subject matter changed is now geared more towards inspiration and encouragement. Of course, I actively write and record songs and those posts make their appearance as well. Be sure to check out some of the songs on Spotify, iTunes, or YouTube.
The blog has been around through several seasons of life, starting geographically in Kansas City, then London, back to Kansas City, and then moving to Atlanta. Professionally, I've worked in both IT as well as Financial Planning. I've played in various bands, led worship for different church groups and Bible studies, and released a country/southern rock album called Southern's Who I Am. I've gone on a couple mission trips to the Philippines and Estonia as well. Some friendships have endured, others were for a season.
I've also had the opportunity to help two different authors write their first books and was very involved in the editing process. The most recent was Scorpions, Scones, and Your Favorite Playlist by my friend Danee.
As I read back over the articles, I'm glad that I took the time to write and capture pieces of my life and some of the things God was teaching me along the way. Many of the faith oriented articles came out of processing things with God during a quiet time or writing in my prayer journal. When writing an article, the advice can be just as relevant for the author as for the audience. It's one thing to write it and another to internalize it.
The name of the blog, The Pursuit of His Best, comes from a goal of mine and what I hope becomes a goal of those who read the articles. I want to pursue God's best in everything that I do. This sometimes slips from focus but it is what I try to keep coming back to. When I keep my eyes on Him and what He wants for my life, I'm confident that He will lead me to much better things than I could ever accomplish on my own.
Numbers are fun to me so I thought it would be interesting to revisit the most popular posts by view count as well as some of my favorites. According to the Blogger software, there have been 55,355 views with visitors from all over the world since the blog was started.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more encouragement, music, and fun. If you want to subscribe via email so you don't miss a post, enter your email address in the box at the top left of the blog.
In 2015, I visited Israel and while on the trip, I had the opportunity to visit the Garden of Gethsemane. The group that I was with had a meaningful time of prayer and a session of worship that I got to lead. It was a beyond bucket list moment. To actually be in the place where Jesus prayed the night before he was crucified was deeply moving.
I wrote this classical guitar instrumental music a number of years ago and in the video, it is set to the text of the Garden of Gethsemane passage in Mark 14:32-41 where Jesus prays before undergoing the trials and crucifixion. Luke 22:44 documents when Jesus sweat drops of blood. As you listen to the song, meditate on the verses and what Jesus experienced in those moments.
The background photo from the video was taken in the Garden of Gethsemane at the bottom of the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Son of God by Andrew Robert Allen
Jesus, Jesus Son of God came to Earth Jesus Jesus, Jesus Son of God bled for us Jesus A love that's like no other, sent down from the Father Poor sinners were forsaken, but now their hearts awaken
Jesus, Jesus Son of God came to Earth Jesus Jesus, Jesus Son of God bled for us Jesus A lion roars in Judah, the King of Kings victorious For he has conquered over sin, and death could not contain Him
Jesus, Jesus Son of God came to Earth Jesus Jesus, Jesus Son of God bled for us Jesus Jesus, Jesus Son of God came to Earth Jesus
I Am With You
I am with you and you are mine
I'll go before you at all times
I am with you and you are mine
Don't be discouraged you'll be fine
Cause I am with you always child of mine
When the trouble comes and you feel alone
keep pressing on and standing strong
I'll be by your side and I'll fight for you
hold you in my arms and comfort you
I am with you and you are mine
I'll go before you at all times
I am with you and you are mine
I love you deeply and you'll be fine
Cause I am with you always child of mine
When I think about my life and observe others, I’m sometimes struck by how differently we might live if we truly lived as though we were walking out the knowledge of God’s love for us. The motivations, fears, doubts, lies we’ve believed, shame, hurts, pain, and simple selfishness that drives behavior would fall to the wayside. Really living out of confidence and knowing that God loves us beyond anything we can imagine would transform the way we live.
When uncertainties creep in our certainty comes from Him and the knowledge that He is all powerful, and knows what’s happened in the past and what will come in the future. Our actions and words would be different when embracing His love in our lives. While difficult life circumstances, other people, spiritual attacks, and selfish desires will always be challenges to contend with, the more we can lean into His love, the more we will pursue His best in our lives.
This song was written out of reflection on these thoughts.
Like I'm Loved By You
I want to live like I'm loved by you
I want to live like I'm loved by you
I want to live like I'm loved by you
I want to live like I'm loved by you
No more doubt no more fear love has won and peace is here
All the lies were crucified when you died and gave me life
Shame has gone it has no place grace has come and sin erased
You heal my heart and heal my pain there is power in your name
I want to live like I'm loved by you
I want to live like I'm loved by you
I want to live like I'm loved by you
I want to live like I'm loved by you
This is a song I wrote inspired by my friend Carrie's supernatural salvation experience. During a challenging time, God revealed himself to her independent of any outside influence. She began searching and eventually invited Jesus into her life. It's been so neat to see her walk with Him over the past few years.
Heaven's at My Door (Seeing Different)
There is a voice calling to me
There is a way come follow me
Come in come find what you're looking for
Come in come find what you're looking for
You are appearing heaven's at my door
You are appearing heaven's at my door
There is a presence coming to me
there is a way I think I see
come in come find what you're looking for
come in come find what you're looking for
You are appearing heaven's at my door
You are appearing heaven's at my door
And now I'm seeing different than I have seen before
The world seems so much different than it did before
And now I'm seeing different than I have seen before
The world seems so much different than it did before
When I was in high school, I wrote and recorded a song about a Sunday School teacher of mine. There aren't many people who live out what it means to love and encourage others better than Mr. Lussi. Every year, I look forward to him calling me on my birthday to sing Happy Birthday, which is something he does for hundreds of people. This song captures a few of the fun and encouraging aspects of Mr. Lussi.
I know a certain man he is a janitor.
He cleans and mops and sweeps and dusts that's what he gets paid for.
Each and every morning he calls people to say. I want you to have a very, very happy birthday.
He's a Bible toting spiritual man who uses a holy sword.
He don't care what the people think.
He's always praising the Lord.
On every Sunday morning he goes to church to teach.
He loves the kids so much he goes with them to the beach.
When I'm sleeping in my bed to refresh myself anew.
All the sudden a man comes in and crows cock-a-doodle-doo.
He's a Bible toting spiritual man who uses a holy sword.
He don't care what the people think.
He's always praising the Lord.
He likes strawberry ice cream and Dr. Pepper too.
To Mrs. Lussi he says darling I love you.
Sometimes when he's talking he don't know the word to use.
He'll call the thing a "jafer" and then you'll know his news.
If you need a friend to get on his knees and pray, well Mr. Lussi is faithful so wash your blues away.
He's a Bible toting spiritual man who uses a holy sword.
He don't care what the people think.
He's always praising the Lord.
