Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Top Three #25

I listen to more worship music than the average bear, this week I thought I would share my current favorites...

Top Three (of four) Worship Songs According to Jeremy Moore

4. Breathe on Me--Todd Fields, powerful song and an awesome prayer.

3. From the Inside Out--Hillsong, they've been adding to the experience for a couple decades now and I still anxiously await their new projects every time.

2. Glory of it All--David Crowder Band, they have some of the most original arrangements in the genre right now, and I enjoy it! 

1. Prayer of St. Francis--Trinity Worship, old and powerful words...

Honorable Mention(s)--Jesus Paid it All--Kristian Stanfill and Hookers & Robbers-- Charlie Hall

A few others that I enjoy as inadvertant worship music---

I'm Yours-- Jason Mraz
Life on a Chain-- Pete Yorn

Yep...that just happened...

Monday, March 30, 2009

Quote of the Week

"What we do in Life, Echoes in Eternity"---Maximus, The Gladiator

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Things I'm learning having two kids

it's harder than it looks

i love kids

little boys are awesome!

alexander has a very strong personality

having a mother in law around can be quite helpful

breast feeding seems very inconvenient 

spongebob is still just as annoying as it was when I only had one kid.


Wednesday, March 25, 2009

MAC vs PC


As some of you know, I recently bought two new laptops. A Macbook Air for myself and a HP running 64 bit Vista for my wife.


Since I am now a little more educated on the two, I felt like sharing a few of my opinions and perspectives.



Obviously, the size of the Air is great and its also far more powerful than a similar weighing (3lbs),but smaller screened netbook that are becoming popular, of course the price is also about triple...

Since I'm a pretty new mac user, it is taking some getting used to, and I do miss the ability to do some excel spreadsheets occasionally when the mood hits. Creating word docs is simple and that has been a pleasant surprise, the remote use of other CD drives works better in theory than practice so I'm going to get an external drive for loading software and copying CD's to my iTunes library. Battery life has been good, I get three hours easy and upwards of four depending on what I'm doing, it also conserves great in hibernate/standby mode.



As for my wife's new PC laptop, it's about 5.1 pounds and feels more than twice as thick, but it also cost about half and has three times the hard drive space, a faster processor, and double the RAM. I haven't used it a ton, but enough to understand why some people aren't fans of Vista, though she hasn't had any trouble with it crashing or freezing. It also runs louder and hotter than my virtually silent mac. I do like the media card slots, extra ports, and built in cd drive, and of course, the price!



All in all, I'm very happy with my Mac, but I'm not yet a fanatic shouting its praises from rooftops and for the average user, a PC still makes the most sense from a cost vs. benefit standpoint...BUT the PC's don't look nearly as cool sitting at Starbucks sipping their five dollar coffees as us mac users!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Top Three #24

I've been working on a few projects lately that have caused me to do some research on places with great poverty and need. So this weeks list is

Top Three Places I'm going to try to change for the better

3. Cambodia--This country has been torn by war and poverty for generations, now there are some great efforts to alleviate the suffering.

2. Rwanda--Africa is by far the poorest continent in the world, and Rwanda is one of the poorest countries on the continent. A couple projects I like are this and this, I'm also sponsoring a child in Rwanda through here.

1. Cleveland, TN--yes, it's not in the same league of suffering as the others, but wherever you are, there are people who need help, start here!

Honorable Mentions- Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and New Orleans, LA is a special city to me.

Monday, March 23, 2009

QUOTE of the WEEK

Since I now have two boys and am the oldest of three myself, I decided to go looking for quotes about boys, I found many good ones, this week I like this one...

"A Boy is...
Trust with dirt on its face,
Beauty with a cut on its finger,
Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair,
and the hope of the future with
A frog in its pocket."
Author: Unknown

Saturday, March 21, 2009

ADD Fishing

Part of my paternity leave duties include entertaining Alex and keeping him out of mommy's way and off her nerves, that was the reason for a little road trip this past Friday morning.
Alexander, Papo (my grandfather), Robbie (my brother), and I all went fishing yesterday.
I am not a fisherman, sitting on a dock or in a boat waiting for hours to catch something slimy that doesn't want to be around me, then kill, clean, and eat it have never been my idea of a good time.

This was different! 

First, one of my favorite fish to eat, is rainbow trout. 
Second, being able to catch them within 20 minutes of my house is nice.
Third, throwing a line in, to almost immediately be reeling in a nice fish is my kind of fun!
Fourth, to see the looks on Alex and Papo's face was worth the trip! 

I explained it to some people later in the afternoon as the perfect fishing trip for someone with ADD, no waiting, just action. Maybe this is part of why ADD even exists, our society has become one of instant gratification. 

I chuckle as I write, watch TV, hold my newborn son, and eat a snack that I bought at the store... 

Friday, March 20, 2009

Fun Friday

The sleep depravation is starting to kick in.

Alexander and I are going Trout fishing today, hoping to catch dinner!

Gonna be home in time to watch the second half of the first set of March Madness games.

Benjamin has his first Doctor appointment this afternoon, he looks like he's already gained a couple pounds, the kid eats like a champ!

My mother-in law arrives tommorrow for a nine day stay.

Time to go Fishing!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

43 Things

If you haven't visited 43things.com I highly recommend it, they have some useful advice and a cool little quiz...here are my results and the highlights of how to make a great life goals list!




I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a
Self-Improving Tree Hugging Self-Knower



Ten Rules for Creating and Conquering Your Life List

Make your list public. Making your goals public solidifies your commitment to them, holds you accountable, and helps you connect with others who share your interests. You'll discover connections to social and professional networks that you didn't know you had and gets lots of encouragement from the people who care most about you. So make sure to tell friends, family members, and coworkers about your list and post it on the Internet at 43Things.com.

Include serious and fun goals. Vary the scope of your goals and include some wild just-for-fun dreams. Also, don't be afraid to complete less daunting goals first. Building momentum from these early successes helps you find the courage to tackle larger tasks.

Include undefined goals. Avoid overlooking a developing passion or interest by fearlessly adding goals even if you can't totally articulate them. If you wake up one morning with the desire to create art, add it to the list. Let the idea simmer in your mind until something more specific emerges.

Document progress. While reviewing the list, record your progress and determine the next steps. Documenting progress allows you to identify behavior patterns or other obstacles keeping you from accomplishing goals-it can also show you how far you've come.
Make goals manageable but rewarding. Divide big goals into smaller tasks, but not so small that they become tedious. Taking incremental steps keeps you from getting overwhelmed by a monumental goal. For example, instead of vowing to "get organized" try listing "declutter the garage."

Define the finish line. You'll find it easier to complete certain tasks and track progress if you determine the duration, results, or final outcome you desire from achieving a specific goal. Revise vague goals such as "give back to my community" by specifying what kind of work you want to do. You may not be able to do this right away-as we said, undefined goals are good, too.

Prioritize goals. Arrange your goals to reflect what you want to begin working on right away. You may want to run a marathon and get a promotion at work, but rather than trying to find the time and energy to run thirty miles a week and put in long hours at the office, focus on the goal that's more important to you.

Maintain a manageable list. Somewhere between twenty and forty-three is a sweet spot for many people. Limiting your life list to forty-three goals forces you to make some choices. Fewer than twenty goals doesn't offer enough variety to keep you moving forward.

Review your list weekly. It sharpens your focus, keeps up your momentum, and reminds you of what's important. As you review the list, ask yourself, "What have I done to achieve a particular goal this week?" If the answer is "nothing," is this goal important enough to keep on your list?

Revise and remove goals. A life list should be constantly evolving-it should reflect what's important to you right now, not what mattered in the past. Remember, there's no penalty for changing your mind or tweaking a goal to better reflect your desired outcome or new circumstances. A short-lived passion for making pottery can be reborn as "find a creative outlet," or ambitions to get straight A's in chemistry can be tossed because sometimes a passing grade is enough of a victory.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Strengths

Go to Amazon.com and type in strength and you'll get a sense of the recent phenomenon...and the number one Business book right now is...Strengthsfinder 2.0

If you work in corporate America, you are probably already sick of hearing about Strengths based performance and team models. This idea has burst onto the scene in the last few years and seems to be taking over! Made popular by Marcus Buckingham and Tom Rath. The idea is that there are 34 different strengths and we all have a bit of each, but you should focus as much of your time and energy into the top few as possible to be happy and successful.

I've read most of the books, they start to get redundant and give me that dejavu feeling, but if you haven't read any, I'd recommend picking one up and then taking the test afterwards...here are my top strengths and the official sentence definition of each. What are yours?

Activator
People strong in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.

Strategic
People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

Communication
People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.

Woo
People strong in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.

Positivity
People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.

Command
People strong in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Top Three #23

I'm now the father of two boys, so this week I'll tell you...

Top Three Super Heroes to a Three Year old Boy in 2009, ok maybe just my three year old boy


3. Batman--probably due to the fact that we let him watch the latest movie, I know I'm a bad parent.

2. Superman--This was his enthusiastic response when I first polled him as to which super heroes are his favorite.

1. Spiderman--This was the one he very quickly corrected him self with...Me"Who's your favorite Super Hero?"...Alex "SUPERMAN...NO,NO,NO, SPIDERMAN!"


Honorable Mention--He also mentioned Captain America, Iron Man and the Hulk...the kid loves Super Heroes!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Quote of the week

Yesterday was a little heavy, so...

"Until I was 13, I thought my name was 'Shut Up.'" -- Joe Namath

Sunday, March 15, 2009

A letter to my unborn son

As of now, I still have an unborn son, he is likely the last such son I will have...and even he will be out in the world within hours!

So here is my last chance to tell him anything without him interrupting, first with crying, pooping, and spit up, then on to jumping on my back, elbows to the face, and darting away without notice...

Son

I love you more than I can ever express in words or actions. I will do my best to tell you and show you every day!

You're mother and I have been and will continue to be praying for you...

Not that life would be simple, or fair, but that you will be prepared for all it has to offer and when opportunity arrives, you'll be confidently ready and waiting for it.

Not that faith comes easy, but that you will see in us and creation around you reasons to believe, and that faith would become the core of who you are.

Not that you show strength, but compassion, mercy, love and action, and see it lived through us

I can't wait to see you, hold you, pray with you, play with you, and help you figure out what you are here for and to go after it with all your heart.

I'll always be a guide, defender, a safe place, someone to talk to and and no matter what, I will always be your biggest fan.

See you soon!

With all I am,
Dad

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Saturday Project

This week, I'm going to be doing some yard work and gathering supplies to finish my basement, but last week...

I decided to bake some bread! I bought some organic whole wheat flour recently and Saturday night decided it was time to enter the world of making my own bread...one problem...

No Recipe.

So I did what any self respecting man who is about to make his first loaf of bread did, I made up my own recipe.

I listened to my wife chatter about my impending failure the whole time, as I added a pinch of this and a dash of that, then kneaded the whole thing, let is rise, and put it in a pan in the oven...I was soon greeted with the smell of...BREAD!

It is now wife tested and APPROVED! If you're looking for a nice organic homemade wheat bread with some substance, here is a recipe worth trying...

2 1/4 Cups Organic Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 Cups Filtered Water
1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/4 Cup Flaxseed...I used milled this time, but will try whole next time
1/4 Cup Oats, not sure how much this added to the finished product, but it's in there
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yeast

Mix it all and knead for 5 minutes then cover and let rise for 45 minutes, then knead for another minute and let rise another 45, then place in oven at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes

If you're into experiments(like me) you might like to try making it a sweet wheat by adding honey, maple syrup, or molasses...I'll be trying that...

If you're a little less adventurous, I'm sure it would be a fine traditional wheat bread with just the flour, water, salt, and yeast. Look at the ingredients on the next loaf you buy at the store and you may find yourself baking soon!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Two in a row?

This is the second straight month with a Friday the 13th....weird...

I hate scary movies, always have.

I will still occasionally run up the stairs from the basement for fear I'm being followed or wonder if dead people are around when I feel a chill.

When I look at the clock at 3 a.m., it still makes me nervous...if you saw the Exorcism of Emily Rose you know what I'm talking about...frightening stuff.

So, how do I celebrate such an unlucky date...happy thoughts and a nice light comedy, maybe Dumb and Dumber or Happy Gilmore.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

The Truth about You!

I read a lot of books, one thing I'm going to start doing is go a little slower to get a little more out of them, one way I'm hoping it will sink in is through my regurgitation of highlights and key points here.

I'm a big Marcus Buckingham fan. Here is my recap and take on his latest book, The Truth About You.

If you've never read anything by Buckingham, which includes possibly my favorite business book, The One Thing you need to Know, as well as several others like First, Break All the Rules.
I would say this newest book is a GREAT place to start. It's a one hour read and offers up many of the highlights that are worked over a little more fully in some of his other work. It also includes a well produced and thought provoking DVD which could be watched as a stand alone study and offer some good insight, when combined with the book, it offers a great tool to help more fully understand who you are and how you should approach your life, especially at work.

His Basic Premises are

We All Have Strengths, and by strength he doesn't even mean necessarily the things we are best at, but the things that energize and strengthen us and that we look forward to doing and look forward to doing again when we're done.

We All Have Weaknesses, these are not always things you're bad at, in fact you can even be very good at them, but if it is a chore, labor, draining, before, during, and after, then it's a weakness.

We will grow most in our areas of strength, so spend as much time as possible in your areas of strength.

To live life as the best version of you, you must find and capitalize on your strengths and spend most of your time in those areas that strengthen you. To do this, you must be intentional in uncovering them and then do all you can to point your job and your life in the direction that will make the best use of your unique strengths.

As I said, this book is almost bullet point thin, but offers some basic ideas that I agree with and would encourage everyone to consider. If you've already read most of Buckingham's other work this one will seem a bit elementary, but for the time you'll invest I'd still suggest it. If you aren't fully aware of your strengths and weaknesses and haven't spent much time in Buckingham's work, I'd recommend you pick this one up ASAP!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Creation Care

Our church is naturally very missional, but we're trying to become more intentional, as our guys were building out a new website, we settled on a new heading for our missions outreach, titling it Creation Care, here is a link to what I wrote there...I know that a few of you may question the theological basis for some of this (Charles Page!) but it's our way of sharing that what matters to our God matters to us so we'll put our faith and love into action...

It also sparked some more discussion within myself to flesh out this idea more fully, the manifesto is underway!

Happy Wednesday

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Top Three #22


It has finally happened, I did it. I broke down. I gave up. I bought a Mac...

Top Three reasons I bought a MAC-- (actually I give you an extra one this week!)

4. Environmental Impact--Best would be no computer, but if you're gonna have one, getting one with as low power consumption as possible that is also fully recyclable is about as good as it gets right now.

3. Those slick commercials--I want to be more like the Mac guy, not the PC guy, and now I can laugh a little harder without any guilt when I see the commercials.

2. Function/Reliability--My brother has had the same Mac for six years, I've gone through at least three PC's in the same time, I'm also looking to start doing more with video and photo and they are allegedly the place for all things graphics...I'll let you know on that one.

1. Cool Factor-- Yes, a big factor was the idea of sitting with my Macbook at Starbucks being cool and trendy...the kind of person I'd make fun of out of spite before.

Honorable Mention-- Size/Weight, This was actually one of the biggest factors but isn't as funny as the others. I ended up purchasing the Macbook Air, all three pounds of it!


So there you have it. It should arrive in the next couple days and my blog will become immediately cooler and more environmentally friendly! Of course in order to get my wife to agree to the purchase I also had to buy her a computer, she went with an HP...so we're a family still straddling the fence between the War of the Worlds.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Quote of the Week

"Leaders are a lot like Pancakes, not something you think about too often, but when you have really good ones, You remember them for a long time."---ME

Saturday, March 7, 2009

my desk

is cluttered, a bit like my mind, however in both instances I can usually find what I'm looking for, just don't try to "help" by organizing things, then I really won't know what's going on!

Watchmen was a pretty good movie, though I could have done without the nudity!

I got my first FREE book to review for my blog...stay tuned for details!

Don't forget to SPRING FORWARD TONIGHT!

Happy Saturday!

Exclamation points are awesome!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

I normally do this on wednesdays but...

it's time for a ramble about the loose change rolling around in my head...



--My wife needs to go ahead and have this baby...seriously, she is MEAN


--I filed my taxes a couple weeks ago, got a refund last week and now it's all earmarked...sigh

--Anyone want to buy a 2003 BMW 325i, book is $12,590...I'm open to offers

--I'm gonna try to figure out how to get out of the house tonight to go see Watchmen

--Some cool stuff happening at church planning some upgrades

--I have a LOT of paperwork to do the next few days

--I've got my conference schedule pretty well nailed down for the rest of the year, hate that Exponential overlaps with CLA...

--Green has arrived, just got a Pottery Barn catalog highlighting their Organic collection

--Gotta pick up a new sensor for my Nike+ haven't been able to track my runs with it in weeks

--Dad is finally on facebook, next stop twitter and a blog!

Things I've bought at Liquidation sales...


In the past month, three big box stores in the town I live in have closed their doors. Circuit City, Goody's and Pathway Bookstore.


I am sad to see them go, each for different reasons, but it's also been an interesting buying opportunity that has led me to purchase the following...


50" Television

Rolling display rack

portable sign holder

CD...the new Charlie Hall...very good

Bibleman DVD

The Prestige on Blu-Ray

and...16 books, from Nicene Council Letters to Leading with a Limp


So here's to the memories of many an hour spent wandering aimlessly through Circuit City and sipping Cappuccino at Pathway and to a few Saturday afternoon trips begrudgingly dragged by my wife into Goody's... maybe if I had bought more rather than dreaming, sipping, and avoiding you might have all lived longer, thanks for the memories, and the deeply discounted final souvenirs.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Do you smoke what you're selling?

I've been thinking about this topic on and off since I almost preached about it to my youth group over a year ago. I was reminded of it by something Jeff Kapusta said a few months ago and then again this week from Shaun King.

We're all smoking something, and we're all selling something, the question is...Are you smoking what you're selling?

This is true in every area of our lives, we're all selling an image, a belief, a product.

We're also living/smoking something, the reality that too often differs (sometimes opposes) from the same things we're selling.

I want a lot of things, but more than anything, I want to be real, the same person regardless of the audience. I want to believe fully that which I say I believe...

I'm going to smoke what I sell.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Top Three #21

I travel a lot for work. I care about the environment. The two often aren't easy to reconcile. That's why I've been tracking what some hotels are doing, so here are...

The Top 3 Green Hotel Chains

3. Fairmont--This is an upscale chain with a growing commitment to the environment

2. Kimpton-- Another nice chain with a focus on sustainability

1. element by Starwood-- This is the only one I've actually stayed at since the others are fewer and more expensive look for these coming to a city near you.

Honorable Mention--The best choice is actually a local independent B&B, a good place to start is HERE.

Monday, March 2, 2009

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." -- Mother Teresa

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