So, it is a little after 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning and I am trying to stay busy until the sunrise gives me an energy boost (I hope). Yesterday started out like a super Saturday. We have some good friends in town visiting and we all got ready and went to Bojangles for a nice Saturday morning biscuit, of course, when we got there we were greeted with stares and pointing since we had a group of 9 adults (two pregnant) and 5 kids, and we reconfigured the dining room to meet our needs. Upon the successful completion of phase one of the Saturday plan without incident, it was on to shopping quickly followed by a transition to more shopping for the women and a father/child afternoon for the men and kids, this happened at about 11:45 a.m.. This afternoon was AWESOME, even though the men were outnumbered by the kids. We started with ICEE's and then over to Deer Park for swinging, running, jumping, sliding, etc. After about an hour at the Park, we took the kids to swim and had a blast throwing, splashing, jumping, dunking, etc. for a couple of hours. Since the women were still enjoying their "girl time", we went straight from the pool to Chick-Fil-A, were we proceeded to hydrate and feed the kids before putting them into the soundproof glass enclosed play area (One of the best ideas EVER), where they continued to run, jump, slide, climb, etc. By about 5:30, we decided it was time to take the kids to the house in preparation for the trade off...
An Aside, Alexander will be three at the end of September and still takes a nap most days, by the time we got home, he was visibly tired and within a few minutes I found him kicking everyone out of his room so that he could sleep, since it was now about 6 p.m., I wouldn't let him and this started a spirited exchange with my 2 year old ending in his emphatic "I'm GOING TO SLEEP, GET OUT OF HERE!" He thankfully caught a second wind during that screaming which caused him to get out of bed and run around some more.
By the time "the wives" returned from their 7 hour shopping spree, three dads and five kids were pretty whipped, but...now it was our turn.
The agreement was that we would be given a "boys night out" to go watch some football and get into a little mischief. It started well enough at CBC, watching the Alabama vs Clemson football game and playing some pool, after a few hours of this and with an increasingly angry Clemson fan in our group, we decided it was time to find some karaoke or create our own! While driving down Brainerd Rd, we started to notice that the road felt like it suddenly had a lot of potholes, but we couldn't see them...it wasn't the road, it was our flat tire...
So there we were, after a FULL day of fun, pulled over on the side of the road changing a tire around midnight, no problem for three big strong men right... Turns out many German car companies think its helpful to put anti theft keyed lug nuts on your car and then hide the key! After an hour of raising and lowering the jack, kicking the tire, beating it with feet, hands, crowbars, etc., all while being occasionally reminded of our inability to change a tire by our "concerned" wives via phone and text, we give up to go get some "tools" and regroup. Several more hours and dollars later, we finally give up on trying to change the tire, roll the car into a parking lot, and call a cab to get home (which we wait on for an hour and when he finally arrives then proceeds to stop for gas and drive well under the speed limit on our $60, 22 mile, 52 minute ride home).
So, I've been home for a little over an hour now, I'm going to take a shower before the kids wake up and we do it all again...well hopefully not ALL AGAIN!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Lakewood Church, Houston, TX
Since I work with churches for a living, I am not going to make a habit of critiquing them-- I' going to make an exception for this one. I visited Lakewood when passing through Houston a few weeks ago and here's my take on it.
Lakewood is the largest church in the country according to just about everyone who tries to measure such things, in fact, by most counts they are about twice as large as the next largest church in the nation, that second one could be Northpoint, Lifechurch.tv, Willow Creek, Saddleback, or others depending on who you talk with. One thing that makes them different from all of the others I just mentioned is the fact that they are not led by their founding pastor. I actually think that is pretty encouraging for anyone involved in a church that IS led by the founding pastor, it shows that there is hope beyond the vision of that one man/woman.
But I digress, back to my impression of a Sunday morning (early service) at Lakewood. I arrived right on time and had no difficulty finding a very close parking spot (which turned out to be illegal and I was blocked in afterwards, but that's my fault and another story). As I walked into the former basketball arena concourse I was greeted by a multitude of VERY friendly and diverse volunteers. Each one smiled and offered a hand or hug as I passed, I accepted a few, but was anxious to get to a seat. Since I didn't know which way was which and I was by myself (easier to get one seat than more), I ended up sitting three rows from the front, almost right behind the Pastor and his wife, Joel and Victoria Osteen.
Having already been disarmed by the greeters in the hallway, I stepped in to a very impressive worship space and the music was already beginning to rise and I along with it. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I'm not the most overtly charismatic worshiper, but something about the atmosphere and music got me pretty excited, I was IN TO IT. Their Worship team looked a lot like the church, there were Hispanics, African Americans, and whites all jamming together and doing a great job. I was somewhat familiar with their style as their primary worship leader Israel Houghton has several CD's I've heard. I was not prepared for the variety of styles they pulled off very well, I must say that it was one of the best worship times I have been involved in at a church.
Before, during, and after worship, there were a few breaks for pep talks from Pastor Osteen and/or his wife. Joel Osteen is a unique character and is now probably best known outside of church circles for his two best selling books. Most of what he said on this particular morning could have come from those pages. He preached/pep talked a message on ancestral blessings from Deuteronomy 1:11 and 6:10-11 (how many of you have heard a message from Deuteronomy lately?). He has been widely criticized for his "Gospel Light" messages which emphasize a good attitude and the favor of the Lord, which he delivers with a constant smile. While I don't find his messages to have much depth, I always feel happy afterwards, and this was no exception. A memorable moment was when he used the illustration of giving his grandfather a tour of his first home and how amazed his grandfather was at the size of it, Joel said that he was living in the house because of the sacrifice and hard work of his father and grandfather, neat story, but the memorable part was that he got choked up and started crying for over a minute before he could continue (that part probably won't get broadcast on TBN).
The most lasting impression for me was actually neither Joel or Israel. It was when Victoria Osteen came up at the end of praise and worship to transition into the message, there was clearly still a lot of excitement in the air from the last song (Dance, Dance), and she got up and started to transition, when it became clear that she wasn't ready to do that. She started jumping and dancing a bit and then the praise went on for a few more minutes. As I said earlier, I've been in my share of pentecostal services and I'm not easily impressed by emotional displays, but I also am pretty good at spotting real worship when I see it. What I saw at Lakewood that day was real, and it was very cool.
As for the publicity and stardom that the church and the pastor have increasingly had thrown their way, I pray that God will use it positively and keep them safe. If there is one thing I've learned its that God can use anyone, even superstar preachers...
Lakewood is the largest church in the country according to just about everyone who tries to measure such things, in fact, by most counts they are about twice as large as the next largest church in the nation, that second one could be Northpoint, Lifechurch.tv, Willow Creek, Saddleback, or others depending on who you talk with. One thing that makes them different from all of the others I just mentioned is the fact that they are not led by their founding pastor. I actually think that is pretty encouraging for anyone involved in a church that IS led by the founding pastor, it shows that there is hope beyond the vision of that one man/woman.
But I digress, back to my impression of a Sunday morning (early service) at Lakewood. I arrived right on time and had no difficulty finding a very close parking spot (which turned out to be illegal and I was blocked in afterwards, but that's my fault and another story). As I walked into the former basketball arena concourse I was greeted by a multitude of VERY friendly and diverse volunteers. Each one smiled and offered a hand or hug as I passed, I accepted a few, but was anxious to get to a seat. Since I didn't know which way was which and I was by myself (easier to get one seat than more), I ended up sitting three rows from the front, almost right behind the Pastor and his wife, Joel and Victoria Osteen.
Having already been disarmed by the greeters in the hallway, I stepped in to a very impressive worship space and the music was already beginning to rise and I along with it. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I'm not the most overtly charismatic worshiper, but something about the atmosphere and music got me pretty excited, I was IN TO IT. Their Worship team looked a lot like the church, there were Hispanics, African Americans, and whites all jamming together and doing a great job. I was somewhat familiar with their style as their primary worship leader Israel Houghton has several CD's I've heard. I was not prepared for the variety of styles they pulled off very well, I must say that it was one of the best worship times I have been involved in at a church.
Before, during, and after worship, there were a few breaks for pep talks from Pastor Osteen and/or his wife. Joel Osteen is a unique character and is now probably best known outside of church circles for his two best selling books. Most of what he said on this particular morning could have come from those pages. He preached/pep talked a message on ancestral blessings from Deuteronomy 1:11 and 6:10-11 (how many of you have heard a message from Deuteronomy lately?). He has been widely criticized for his "Gospel Light" messages which emphasize a good attitude and the favor of the Lord, which he delivers with a constant smile. While I don't find his messages to have much depth, I always feel happy afterwards, and this was no exception. A memorable moment was when he used the illustration of giving his grandfather a tour of his first home and how amazed his grandfather was at the size of it, Joel said that he was living in the house because of the sacrifice and hard work of his father and grandfather, neat story, but the memorable part was that he got choked up and started crying for over a minute before he could continue (that part probably won't get broadcast on TBN).
The most lasting impression for me was actually neither Joel or Israel. It was when Victoria Osteen came up at the end of praise and worship to transition into the message, there was clearly still a lot of excitement in the air from the last song (Dance, Dance), and she got up and started to transition, when it became clear that she wasn't ready to do that. She started jumping and dancing a bit and then the praise went on for a few more minutes. As I said earlier, I've been in my share of pentecostal services and I'm not easily impressed by emotional displays, but I also am pretty good at spotting real worship when I see it. What I saw at Lakewood that day was real, and it was very cool.
As for the publicity and stardom that the church and the pastor have increasingly had thrown their way, I pray that God will use it positively and keep them safe. If there is one thing I've learned its that God can use anyone, even superstar preachers...
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Politics
I was born in Germany, my dad (from Detroit,MI) and mom (from Sutton, WV), were there as missionaries for the Church of God. Growing up I remember watching Ronald Reagan in Berlin and realizing how close that was to me! We moved to Tennessee when I was 11 and from then until college, I became increasingly interested in politics. In fact, I was the first President of the Tennessee Teenage Republicans. My entire high school, and much of my college career, were spent planning towards my future run for the Presidency (seriously!). As I look back now, having just passed the birthday which makes me officially old enough to run for Senate, I realize that much of my idealistic exuberance may have been misplaced. I saw a great speech tonight from an excellent orator and politician (Barack Obama) as I sat here, I realized that I don't want to be that guy. I want to make a difference in the world and that is very hard to do, but I think it's pretty well impossible to change the world for the better as President. So, my disillusionment complete, I am going to bed.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Nashville, TN
It's that time again, another businessman's guide to a southern city. Of course, you don't need to be a businessman (or woman) to read and use the recommendations herein. Nashville is one of my favorite southern cities, offering both the great friendliness that personifies the south, while also being large and metropolitan enough to have anything you could want to eat or do. It is the Capitol of Tennessee, which was the last state to cecede and first to rejoin the Union in "The Great War of Northern Aggression".
Tennessee is in many ways three seperate states, the mountainous conservative east with Knoxville and Chattanooga, the agrarian and low lying west with Memphis and the Mississippi delta, and the middle which sits on the shelf that is the cumberland plateau, which houses horse farms and the afformentioned capitol of Nashville, as well as Tennessee Sippin' Whiskey (or Whisky to some).
Things to do-- Nashville is a large metro area of over a million people, so there is something for everyone here. Being "Music City", Nashville lives up to the name with live music nearly all day every day somewhere, usually a good first stop is Broadway downtown, there you'll find The Stage, Wildhorse Saloon (Country as well as names from Pat Benetar to Hootie and the Blowfish), and my personal favorites Tootsies Orchid Lounge (two stages and great local performers) and Buck Wild Saloon (Karaoke often). B.B. Kings has a great spot on 2nd Ave right by Coyote Ugly. The Westend/University area has lots of bars, dance clubs, and dives, my favorite is the Flying Saucer, great selection of brews and decent food. The Bluebird Cafe is a Nashville INSTITUTION.
For sports, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, NHL Predators, and AAA baseball with the Sounds, and it wouldn't be the South if you couldn't get some college football, the SEC doormat Vanderbilt, while a prestigious academic school, is always counted as a W for the other conference schools.
The state capitol, worth several hours to tour, literally sits on capitol hill, so downtown is not overly friendly to pedestrians due to the up and down, but it's nice. My favorite daytrip would be to head out to one of the two middle Tennessee Whiskey distillers, the world renown Jack Daniels, or my favorite and much more interractive George Dickel Distillery in Cascade Hollow, if you don't know what a "Hollow" is, that alone is reason enough to check it out! Of course, no trip to Nashville would be complete without a trip to Ryman Auditorium and/or The Grand Ole Opry. President Andrew Jackson's home is also a neat tour in the Nashville area and if you're a country music fan, you can do star home tours as well.
Where to Stay-- Being the largest metro area in Tennessee and one of the largest in the south, there is no shortage of hotels, the best are downtown and include Union Station, the Renaissance, a nice new Homewood Suites, and my favorite and Tennessee's only 5 star/5 diamond hotel The Hermitage, which sits directly across the street from the state museum and the Capitol. If downtown isn't your spot, or you'd like to be a little closer to the distilleries, Murfreesboro has a brand new Embassy Suites. The largest hotel in the world without a casino is also right here, The Opryland Hotel is a city in itself, boasting over 2,500 rooms, it is truly a destination and within walking distance of Opry Mills Mall and The Grand Ole Opry itself.
What to Eat-- This is a very good food town! If you want local, Jack's BBQ is the real deal, nothing fancy, but very good meat AND sauce, a rare combination. One of my favorites is The Standard at the Smith house, this one IS New South at its best, a great blend of old recipes and ambiance infused with the best of a big city, it is also a lunch hangout for lots of local music industry types. The city also has a growing number of "Big City" places, chains like Ruth's Chris and The Palm as well as local uppity spots like Watermark, all are good. If you're looking for different, Gerst Haus is one of my favorite German restaurants on this continent! They do it right, and they also have a good selection of american fare for the pickier eaters in the group. Bosco's is a good local brew pub with better than average food, they also have a Big River Grill which is a can't go wrong stop for food and beverage. The best combination of show and substance may be The Capital Grill (not the chain) that is in the Hermitage Hotel, it is THE place where the lobbyists take the stage legistlaters to make things happen, and the food and atmosphere are both wonderful.
So there is the five minute wrap up. Nashville is a great town for young and old, rich and poor, alone or with the family and friends.
Tennessee is in many ways three seperate states, the mountainous conservative east with Knoxville and Chattanooga, the agrarian and low lying west with Memphis and the Mississippi delta, and the middle which sits on the shelf that is the cumberland plateau, which houses horse farms and the afformentioned capitol of Nashville, as well as Tennessee Sippin' Whiskey (or Whisky to some).
Things to do-- Nashville is a large metro area of over a million people, so there is something for everyone here. Being "Music City", Nashville lives up to the name with live music nearly all day every day somewhere, usually a good first stop is Broadway downtown, there you'll find The Stage, Wildhorse Saloon (Country as well as names from Pat Benetar to Hootie and the Blowfish), and my personal favorites Tootsies Orchid Lounge (two stages and great local performers) and Buck Wild Saloon (Karaoke often). B.B. Kings has a great spot on 2nd Ave right by Coyote Ugly. The Westend/University area has lots of bars, dance clubs, and dives, my favorite is the Flying Saucer, great selection of brews and decent food. The Bluebird Cafe is a Nashville INSTITUTION.
For sports, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, NHL Predators, and AAA baseball with the Sounds, and it wouldn't be the South if you couldn't get some college football, the SEC doormat Vanderbilt, while a prestigious academic school, is always counted as a W for the other conference schools.
The state capitol, worth several hours to tour, literally sits on capitol hill, so downtown is not overly friendly to pedestrians due to the up and down, but it's nice. My favorite daytrip would be to head out to one of the two middle Tennessee Whiskey distillers, the world renown Jack Daniels, or my favorite and much more interractive George Dickel Distillery in Cascade Hollow, if you don't know what a "Hollow" is, that alone is reason enough to check it out! Of course, no trip to Nashville would be complete without a trip to Ryman Auditorium and/or The Grand Ole Opry. President Andrew Jackson's home is also a neat tour in the Nashville area and if you're a country music fan, you can do star home tours as well.
Where to Stay-- Being the largest metro area in Tennessee and one of the largest in the south, there is no shortage of hotels, the best are downtown and include Union Station, the Renaissance, a nice new Homewood Suites, and my favorite and Tennessee's only 5 star/5 diamond hotel The Hermitage, which sits directly across the street from the state museum and the Capitol. If downtown isn't your spot, or you'd like to be a little closer to the distilleries, Murfreesboro has a brand new Embassy Suites. The largest hotel in the world without a casino is also right here, The Opryland Hotel is a city in itself, boasting over 2,500 rooms, it is truly a destination and within walking distance of Opry Mills Mall and The Grand Ole Opry itself.
What to Eat-- This is a very good food town! If you want local, Jack's BBQ is the real deal, nothing fancy, but very good meat AND sauce, a rare combination. One of my favorites is The Standard at the Smith house, this one IS New South at its best, a great blend of old recipes and ambiance infused with the best of a big city, it is also a lunch hangout for lots of local music industry types. The city also has a growing number of "Big City" places, chains like Ruth's Chris and The Palm as well as local uppity spots like Watermark, all are good. If you're looking for different, Gerst Haus is one of my favorite German restaurants on this continent! They do it right, and they also have a good selection of american fare for the pickier eaters in the group. Bosco's is a good local brew pub with better than average food, they also have a Big River Grill which is a can't go wrong stop for food and beverage. The best combination of show and substance may be The Capital Grill (not the chain) that is in the Hermitage Hotel, it is THE place where the lobbyists take the stage legistlaters to make things happen, and the food and atmosphere are both wonderful.
So there is the five minute wrap up. Nashville is a great town for young and old, rich and poor, alone or with the family and friends.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
August Books
I am nearing the completion of my August batch of books and just finished a very interesting one, The Shack by William P. Young. It has been getting a lot of word of mouth advertising and my wife is going to read it for her september book club, so I grabbed it too. It's definitely a little different, but worth the read, check it out! The author will also be speaking at my favorite conference, Catalyst in October, that's also worth checking out!
Still wrapping up Made to Stick, It, and Axiom...more on those later, and look for my next post about Nashville, TN, a very cool town.
Still wrapping up Made to Stick, It, and Axiom...more on those later, and look for my next post about Nashville, TN, a very cool town.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
My workout
I have recently started making a conscious effort to get into better shape. To that end, I have a few things I am doing. I have a pretty good treadmill and the cleveland greenway is a great break from that monotony when I run and keep track of my distance via nike plus. I also have an AbLounger and some free weights and I am doing push-ups. Lastly, to break up routine, I look for other active things to do, the two recurring ones to this point have been playing basketball with Kevin Stover and going to the park with my son.
So there are the calorie burners, on the consumption side, I've started eating more fruits and veggies, whole grains, and low fat proteins, trying to limit calories to around 1800. The plan is that this will help not only lower weight, but more importantly, increase my energy and overall health. The goal is that I will be a bathing suit stud in time for a winter cruise...look for some pictures!
So there are the calorie burners, on the consumption side, I've started eating more fruits and veggies, whole grains, and low fat proteins, trying to limit calories to around 1800. The plan is that this will help not only lower weight, but more importantly, increase my energy and overall health. The goal is that I will be a bathing suit stud in time for a winter cruise...look for some pictures!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Saturdays
I know that for many people, saturday is the highlight of the week. Personally, it usually seems anti-climatic. It ends up being the day of yard work, house cleaning, and general busyness.
The thing that makes a handful of saturdays exceptional, is College FOOTBALL season, which starts officially today, though next week it really starts to ramp up.
Today should be a good one! The Southern Brewers Festival starts at 2 p.m. in downtown Chattanooga and should be a blast, then we are having some friends over for dinner later...
I better get started with the house cleaning and yard work right now!
The thing that makes a handful of saturdays exceptional, is College FOOTBALL season, which starts officially today, though next week it really starts to ramp up.
Today should be a good one! The Southern Brewers Festival starts at 2 p.m. in downtown Chattanooga and should be a blast, then we are having some friends over for dinner later...
I better get started with the house cleaning and yard work right now!
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