Sometimes I read the scriptures because doing so fills me with the Spirit.  Today was one of those times.  I need the spirit tonight. This chapter is loaded with details on the Sacrament and serving the Sacrament in congregations. Favorite verse was 32, "Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your synagogues, or your places ...

Wow...  3rd Nephi 17.  This has been one of my top 5 all-time favorite scriptural chapters since I first read it when I was 14.  I love it. The first 6 verses, to me, envelop the love Christ has for us, and the appreciation He must feel when we show our grattitude toward Him.  There were no words uttered by his audience, yet H...

Wow, it's been a long time since I last studied my scriptures. The first thing which caught my attention is the phrase, "if it so be that my people at Jerusalem, they who have seen me and been with me in my ministry, do not ask the Father in my name, that they may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy Ghost".   I guess that...

Thanks to the wonders of technology, Advanced Budget Studios now proudly accepts all major credit cards! In other news, we haven't posted much because we're taking it easy during the holidays.  We'll start crankin' out the serious tunes again in January.  (If you have sessions scheduled for November or December, no worries... We'll stil...

Saturday November 13, 2010 This moring i go up and ate breakfast. Took a shower and headed on to the womens conference at Living Word Church. It was real nice. The worship and message was good. My mom got to me the choir director  My sister won a big Hershey's candy bar. But what I liked most about the conference was the tables &nbs...

Man... I'm so tired right now, but I've just gotta write about this. Tonight was the first show Jesse and I put on in the little "House Concert" tour we're going on. It was very low-key, but when the time came to play, the people just kept pouring in.  At the end of the show was the only time I had the sense to count how many peo...

Okay, friend, family, and others.  I just wanted to let you know that the season has finally arrived! Jesse and I have been working all year long on Herod the Fink's 2nd studio album.  We are so excited to announce that it's finally available for purchase! The album has eight songs on it, and all of them are awesome.  I'll post...

So, we've been busy at the studio lately.   So much so, I've neglected to update the site's samples.   We've got a few new ones up, and so I thought I'd let everyone know a bit about em'. ScramJet : Tread Softly  -  ScramJet is a band out of Salt Lake City, dead-set on bringing their musical vision to life.  They kn...

So the Wisdom teeth came out this morning. I was awake and numb, and it was okay. It really doesn't hurt much at all and I'm just taking Motrin. I feel pretty good. I'm really excited that I will be able to make it to Sacrament on Sunday and I also have a quick interview for my patriarchal blessing!!!!! Which I really don't want to miss. I f...

So I'm sure many of you know that I've been working on a new project this year called "Herod the Fink".  We built a new site for it, and update the project's blog semi-regularly.  The site has music, photos, videos, and more, so you can get familiar with us, and know what to expect when we invade your living rooms... Yes... Y...

  Poetry by Kelly Miller   THis is dedicated to my son Shawn VanWagen who left on his mission in 2005 and that next week I started writing poetry. It has been a big part of my life since and has kept me very busy.  Also, to President Hinckley and his challenge for the members to read the book of mormon. and to Bernice Hutchenson w...

One thing that comes to mind while reading the first verses of this chapter is, "If I were a queen, and my servants brought me my unconscious husband, I'd immediately want to know who did it." - and Ammon did it.  That doesn't make much sense to me.  Obviously the times of the Book of Mormon were , uh, different, so that could e...

Hmm....  I'm kind of tired right now, but I figured I needed to read some scriptures... This time around, I realize how being under the rule of a tyrant would be absolutely horrible.  In this case, Alma was under the rule of one (or more) of the Amulonites - which were his wicked peers when they were the king's priests.  Talk about...

One day along time ago, Before the world began A plan was given to each of us It was placed in our willing hands   There were two parts to this plan One was for all the world The other plan was just for us About our life and what was in store   This first plan included a Savior Jesus Christ, our brother He will come to earth...

Ya know... Chatting with good friends has its benefits.  Just like think-tanks and collegeate consortiums are good for concerted cognation, a good conversation with a concerned cohort can be just as contenting. I think I've mentioned this before in my journal, but in talking with a good friend of mine, I hadn't made the connection with just...

Growing up, I'd have to say that I was a bit of a pious punk religiously, but I was so due, in large amount, to my being incredibly naive. To demonstrate my naive-ness, I really thought that being emotional was pretty much the same as being spiritual.  Yes...  Believe it.  I was naive. One other bit of heretical doctrine I beli...

Last spring, I modified my car - and then modified it again. The 2nd modifications entailed me re-programming (or flashing, or tuning) my car's computer.  One thing I didn't realize at the time was that evidently, a standard protocol for most tuners out there is to turn off the O2 sensors which monitor emissions after the catalytic converter...

With as little sleep as I got last night, when I woke up this morning, I was a bit worried about the Aces' session today.  Man alive!  I don't know what I was worried about!  These girls nailed their new song, Fooled Twice, wholeheartedly!  Spot-on timing, vocals, tunes, and had a great time, to boot. You're gonna love it!&nbs...

I simply must blog about this - quickly. When I arrived home from a trip through some pretty insane snow tonight, I simply had to test a theory I had about my 2007 Mustang GT's headlights vs. fog-lights.  (Apart from the chance to drive like a maniac in the snow, which I absolutely love) So, I get my car going about 25 down a very lowly-li...

 Not sure why I'm writing about this now, because I usually just finish the thing and then announce it at the same time as I share it. I guess this song is a complete deviation from anything I've done in the past.  Heh... Just now I'm realizing that I don't even have a name for this song yet.  I could call it "My Friend",...

Wow... About a week ago I got an email about a job offer here in Springville. The offer itself did not really have anything to do with any of the current skills I have. However, moments away from just discarding it, I decided to take the plunge and I sent an email in response. Here's the email: To whom this may concern: My name is Jason J...

 So, lately I've been thinking a lot about what life is all about, and kind of pondering upon times when I've been doing well, and times when I've been doing not-so-well. I think the most important thing you can do in life is stay close to the Spirit of God.  Lots of things seem to get in the way from time to time, but that's the nature...

This morning I came to work rather ponderous, but not pondering anything in particular.  I so enjoyed Elder Holland's talk this last Sunday that I went and downloaded it, watched it, and did about 4 hours of research into the Nicene Creed, which Elder Holland mentioned. First, I must say, hearing Elder Holland's talk was... uhhh....  a...

In chatting with my friend Steve, I realized I haven't yet given any details as to my trip to Green Bay this week, so, before this weekend comes, I figured I had better write something. Day 3 (Wednesday) went pretty smooth.  I woke up with a high level of sleep deficiency (surprise, surprise), and went out to the office for the last time.&n...

"Yielding Our Hearts to God"  or   "Change of Heart" - Man, I love this talk. I wish I could tell you all how much this talk means to me.  When I heard it the first time, I was with noisy kids, so I didn't get much out of it, but the next time I listened to it was during lunch, and I was alone.  I...

Although I use the Internet and Linux to make a living, there's still a bunch I have to learn.  One of those things happens to be the most popular ad affiliate program in the world. Last week, I was doing a bit of research, and found that I could be making a bit of money using google adsense.  Enough to get rich?  Heavens no, but ...

I saw a good movie the other day.  It's called "Meet The Robinsons". If you haven't seen it yet, and you like movies which actually have a moral (kind of tough to find now-a-days), I'd highly recommend it. A specific part of the movie caught my attention and is the cause for this entry.  The part basically consists of a li...

"God's people have not always been worthy of the marvelous experience we have shared today. The Apostles, after the Ascension of Christ, continued to exercise the keys He left with them. But because of disobedience and loss of faith by the members, the Apostles died without the keys being passed on to successors. We call that tragic episode &q...

Well.. I got to verse 3, when a concept which, for some reason, has been pounded into my spirit throughout pretty much my whole life, came ringing true and clear.  What is that concept, you ask? Don't assume to know anything about the effect you may have on others.  Sometimes you can tell, but sometimes you can't. Because of the honesty...

I got married like a bit more than 5 years ago, and I'm lovin' it. But, during those five years, I've had some footage gracefully shot and donated to me by my friend Ty Swartzlander on my wedding day.  On that day, Ty told me he was going to put something together and give it to me later, but instead, I told him I'd really, really, real...