Ben & Jerry's

So I went to Wal-Mart on Monday night...something I do not usually do! (I love the variety at Wal-Mart...but it seems there is only one or two lines that are open every time I go...maybe that's God working on my patience!). BUT--this trip turned out to be an amazing blessing because...For the first time in my life I bought some Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

I am a self confessed ice cream snob...and have said on this blog that I am usually a Bluebell man...BUT as I walked down the ice cream aisle in Wally World, the Ben & Jerry's got my attention. So I looked at it & decided to buy it...it's called "Half Baked."

So I've got this pint of ice cream and on Tuesday afternoon I decided to eat it--BUT before I did I snuck a glance at the nutritional information. BAD IDEA! Obviously Ben and Jerry have no regards for health--but after tasting the ice cream I feel that I am ok with that!!!

This was a new experience for me--and I LOVED IT! I got out of my ice cream rut & pushed the edge!!! That's the way we need to live life--push the edge, try something new!!! And let it go beyond ice cream--take it into your walk with God, your marriage, your workplace--ANYTHING! One of the things that is a shame when it comes to us human beings is that we allow ourselves to fall into boring and predictable lifestyles--we are creatures of habit and we resist change...but God wants us to be creative!!!

If I only had a brain

Looks as if this guy could use a brain too...

The Best Advice I Ever Got

A friend of mine asked me this afternoon, "what's the best advice you've ever received?"

I have to admit it was really hard to narrow it down to one. I thought about one of my professors in college who said something I'll never forget: catch people doing things right. I thought about Clark Griswold's advice in Christmas Vacation: do it right and do it big. I thought about my favorite philosopher, Jack Handy (from Saturday Night Live), who said: if you drop your keys in a river of molten lava let 'em go man 'cause they're gone. And I thought about quoting Qui Gon Jinn (from Star Wars) who said, "Your focus determines your reality."

I've gotten lots of great advice over the years, but the most unique was a life-changing bottle cap. I was drinking a Nantucket Nectar one day and the saying on the bottle cap became a personal mantra: if everyday was a good day there would be no good days.

Not bad for a bottle cap! All of us want every day to be a good day, but if every day was a good day there would be no good days because there wouldn't be any bad days with which to compare the good days to. It's the bad days that help us appreciate the good days! Sickness helps us appreciate health. Failure helps us appreciate success. Debt helps us appreciate wealth. And the tough times help us appreciate the good times.

God can even turn our worst day into our best day.

Here is what I know for sure: God is in the recycling business. He takes our pain and uses it for someone else's gain. That is precisely what Christ did on the cross.

So whether you're having a good day or a bad day, remind yourself that God is God and God is good.

New phone

I just picked this up yesterday. The new Samsung T509. It has got to be the sleekest looking phone I have ever seen. It is currently the thinnest phone on the market (according to all of the reviews I've read).

The display screen is what really impresses me. I've never seen anything this crisp and clear on a phone before.

Mapping Religion in America

I can't remember where I ran across this site, but it's pretty interesting. Maps of the United States that indicate where the largest segments of various denominational and religious constituents reside.

Game of Shadows

I’ve been reading (like everyone else) “Game of Shadows,” the book about Barry Bonds and steroids and the BALCO scandal. It’s quite a remarkable feat of reporting. What's striking about it is something that you might not notice—which is the absence of obvious lawyering. If you ever write something even remotely critical of someone, the lawyers invariably go through it, and before you know it your words is strewn with “apparently” and “allegedly,” and “according to” and so-so “denies. . .” There’s almost none of that in “Game of Shadows,” which is amazing considering the book accuses, in devastating detail, several of the biggest names in sports—Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones, among others—of being serious steroid users.

When the book first came out, and several baseball writers predicted that Bonds’ reputation was destroyed and his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame seriously damaged, I thought they were overstating things. Now I’m not so sure. “Game of Shadows” is a death sentence for Bonds. More to the point, it’s impossible to read the book and accept that Bonds has a right either to the single season home-run record or, assuming he keeps playing, the career home run mark.

From the moment he started his late career surge, everyone who knew anything about baseball suspected mischief. “Game of Shadows” points out that Bonds had the second, ninth and tenth greatest offensive season in baseball history at the ages of 36, 37, and 39 respectively—and the average age of everyone else on that list (Gehrig, Foxx, Ruth and Hornsby) is 27. No one—no one—turns himself into one of the greatest hitters of all time in his late 30’s. His home run record should have been denied as statistically implausible.

Free Cone Day!!

It's a national holiday today. If you've got a Ben & Jerry's near you it's free cone day. I'd hate for anyone to miss this once-a-year opportunity!

The Titan

My brother and I will be riding this today. It's the Titan at Six Flags Over Texas. It will be a fun day of roller-coster riding with my baby bro.

Then tonight, Audia Adrenaline, Kutless, Hawk Nelson, and Disciple will be in concert there. What a nice way to spend Good Friday. Must remember to bring my earplugs!!

Growling stomachs

Just thought I'd share a Gracie-ism. Gracie is my 4-year-old niece. Out of the blue the other day, Gracie said, "It's a good thing God made food." Amen to that. But I love Gracie's rationale. I asked her why. She said, "So our stomachs don't growl."

Of course! Silly me!

Out of the mouths of babes...

Round and Juicy

Is it just me, or is "round and juicy" sort of an odd way to describe a cup of coffee?

American Idol Musings

5 Thoughts about last weeks American Idol and this week's Queen theme. Here we go:

#1 - Mandisa was one of the best singers in the competition. That she got voted off before Bucky is an insult.

#2 - Bucky was in his "Country Zone" and still didn't sing well. Why you might ask? Because he's not that good of a singer. I hope he does "Who wants to live forever?" (From the Highlander movie soundtrack).

#3 - Who wants to hear someone do the theme song from Flash Gordon? "Flash.....AAAAAAHHHHHH!" That would rule! I would vote for that person just out of principle.

#4 - Another One Bites the Dust - No one will do this song, because of its potential implications. I love the song, but no one wants to sing that song and then be the one who bites said dust. By the way, is there any question what EVERY headline will be next week when Bucky leaves?

#5 - Chris - I told a friend of mine the week before that Chris would do "Higher Ground" because the Red Hot Chili Peppers did a cover of it (On their Mother's Milk album for those keeping score at home). My prediction for Chris this week: "Stone Cold Crazy". Why? Because Metallica did a cover of it (It originally appeared as the B-side to the "Enter Sandman" single and can also be found on Garage Inc.

Starbucks and Akeelah

It's here. Starbucks marketing for the the new movie, Akeelah and the Bee. It looks like they have paired the marketing with their new Blackberry Green Tea Frappuccino.

I have to admit, when I first heard that Starbucks was going to be marketing movies I was not real excited about it. Still am not. If I want movie ads, I'll go to Arby's or Burger King. But - I will say that it doesn't feel like movie marketing, which I appreciate...

Anywho...the Blackberry Green Tea Frappuccino was great! No caffeine (bummer...), but a nice alternative to the coffee based frappuccinos or other coffee drinks.

Reactive Christianity

I keep having this recurring thought: I'm tired of reactive christianity. Reactive Christianity is an oxymoron. Jesus was counter-cultural. Jesus was proactive. Yet that is how so many of us live our lives. Faith, by definition, is proactive. Faith takes the initiative. We have a core value: playing it safe is risky.

I think there are safe Christians who try not to do anything wrong. And there are dangerous Christians who aren't afraid to take God-ordained risks and seize God-ordained opportunities.

I had an hour-long conversation with someone today who is exploring issues of faith. I challenged him to cross the line and begin a new chapter. And he wasn't quite ready yet. But I don't think I've ever been more straight up. I'm absolutely convinced that every problem we have is a symptom of a deeper issue. I believe that a relationship with God is the solution to all of our problems! I just decided not to tip toe. I decided to call a spade a spade.

I think there comes a time where we have to give expression to Romans 1:16: "I am not ashamed of the Good News." I'm proud of who God is and what God has done! Let me share two personal definitions.

Evangelism is bragging about God to others.
Worship is bragging about God to God.

That's worship evangelism!

The Power of Late Night Infomercials

How anyone can get excited about this really beats me.

Worse yet, how they were able to get me to pay attention long enough to actually look the name up online and blog about it REALLY worries me!

The Bible in Lego form

This is a really cool site that I found last night. I'm going to do something with this. I haven't figured out what, but I'm going to do something with it! Check it out!

Crazy week

I apologize for not posting anything for the last week or so, but I have a good excuse. On my way to church last week (3/26) I was in a head-on collision with a hotel passenger van. Yes, you read that right. It totaled my 4Runner, but thankfully there were no injuries.

The one thing that really concerns me is that my airbags did NOT deploy. Needless to say, I am quite disappointed with Toyota. One would think that if a van hits you head on at 50 mph, that your airbags would go off. It didn't happen.

So, in light of that, my insurance did come through for me, and I purchased a new Honda Accord EX fully loaded over the weekend. The car is even equipped with Bluetooth. Sweet! I figured with gas prices on the rise these days, a gas guzzling SUV is the last thing I need.

I've attached a pic from the accident.

Yes, Switchfoot Rocked last night!!

It was the first time for me to see them live. We had great seats and they played for over 2 hours. Well worth it.

Switchfoot

Look what arrived in my mailbox yesterday!! Yes, that's right folks...I am going to the Switchfoot concert next week with my good friend (and guitar genius!) Chris Mciuan.

I guess the coolest thing about it is that they are playing in a smaller venue at The Ridglea Theater near downtown Ft Worth. Really up close and personal. I think the place might hold a couple hundred people tops.

The downside to this, is that we'll all be packed in there like a can of sardines!

Free Starbucks coffee yesterday

Well folks, it's true. Starbucks gave away free cups of coffee yesterday between 10am - 12pm at ALL of their US stores.

That's right, every Starbucks gave away a "tall", 12 oz. cup of regular coffee to anyone who drops by and mentions the name "Keith Hollaway."

Ok, that last part isn't true...

So did you go? Did you get caffeinated?? For FREE??

I didn't, since I've been off caffeine for close to a year now, but anywho...

PS - Check out Starbuck's new site where you can follow the journey of the Starbucks coffee bean from farmer to customer and beyond.

Raising Kids

This past weekend at CCC we had a parent/child dedication. My good friend Brian's youngest Joseph (or as I like call him Joe Ben...his mother hates that) was dedicated.

What makes this such a significant and important time is the public commitment that is made by the parents that says, "We believe that God's way is the best way to raise our children."

This also signifies a recognition that it is the PARENT'S responsibility to spiritually raise their children. This is not something that can be delegated to the schools, government or even church. (I'll stop there because I think I might start preachin...)

And so as a church community, the best thing we can do is help equip the parents to raise their kids and make the primary spiritual investment in their lives. Because what happens in the HOME is more important than what happens at church.

I heard someone once say, "Relationships with parents will happen more often, last longer and go deeper." So true...

Stop! Hammer Time!

I must admit that among my music collection I possess a cassette copy of the classic 1990 album "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'em" by MC Hammer. And I could still probably remember the words and rap along to "U Can't Touch This" if I wanted to.

Well I was interested to discover today that the man is still kickin, and even has his own blog : Look Look Look - MC Hammer Blog. Unlike other "celebrity blogs" this one appears to be legit (in fact you might even say it's too legit to quit! LOL!!) - it's well written and reasonably interesting, detailing Hammer's musings on music, baseball, and fatherhood, including a reflection on the fatherhood of God.

Now if only I had my iPod with me here at the office, I could crank up some Hammer style hip-hop, dust off the baggy pants, and break it down.

Apple

I went to my local Apple store here in Dallas today, I almost got ran over as I saw this.
It turns out to be some clever new marketing for Apple's new ISight Macbook.

Sign of the Apocalypse?

Kevin Covais in the top 12? Are you kidding me? Are my eyes (And ears) deceiving me? How could America have voted for Kevin and not Gedeon? This is an outrage! Did I think Gedeon was going to win? No! My guess was that he would come in 3rd. Taylor would come in 2nd and Mandissa would win! At least that's the way it's supposed to be.

This must be a sign of the Apocalypse. Friends, Kevin can't sing! Can you see that kid on the cover of a CD? No, you can't. Why? Because he can't sing and he doesn't have a marketable look. Am I taking this too seriously? Do I watch too much TV? Probably. I think Gideon was robbed! He has a great voice and good stage presence. But Kevin, come on. The mic stand has more stage presence than him!

All I know is that if Kevin wins, I'm going to run for the hills because this will prove that America has gone completely insane! Any thoughts here? Am I being too harsh? Don't bother answering that question. The answer is yes! But did you agree with the other people who got voted off?

Here's my last thought on the show: Next week people have to sing a Stevie Wonder song? This doesn't play well for Chris (or Bucky for that matter). I think they need to have the genres be a bit more broad, like a 70's song - this way someone can sing something by the Village People and another person can sing something by Kiss. (How awesome would it be for Chris to come out with Gene Simmons make-up and breathe fire? - In fact, I think I'd rather see Kevin do it!)

Random American Idol Thoughts

After watching American Idol this week, I've come to the following conclusions:

#1 - Simon is always right! - People don't like what he has to say, but he's always right! Paula is too nice. Randy is trying to be cool, but Simon tells it like it is!

#2 - I think Paula was drunk on Thursday night! - She was acting way weirder than normal.

#3 - For a musical competition, why is the theme song so lame? - Don't you think that could do a lot better?

#4 - Have you seen Randy's watch? - Major bling!

#5 - Kevin should have gone home - He's a nice kid, but way out of his league.

#6 - Is anyone sad that Brenna is gone? - I don't know if I've ever been happier...

Following A Schizophrenic God

I was up at 5am this morning to get an early start on my day and decided to stop by a cafe for a quick breakfast and to do a little journaling and reading. These past couple of days I've been thumbing through a book entitled, A Glimpse of Jesus, written by Brennan Manning.

The book has got me thinking about my spiritual environment growing up and just how much influence that held in my perception and relationship (or lack therof) with Christ. And it's amazing how contrasting that is to the relationship I have with God now. It's really the difference between following a schizophrenic (sometimes happy/sometimes angry/sometimes ready to strike me dead because I cussed) God and following a God who loves me unconditionally to the very core of my being.

Growing up, my relationship with God was anything BUT secure - partly because I was never certain of where I stood in that relationship. In Manning's book, he quotes from a letter he received from a young person that really echoes my past to a large degree. Here's the quote:

"I got involved with a youth group at my church that made me fear my salvation and be afraid of God. It was a terrorist spirituality, and I decided that there was no point in going to church anymore."

Manning goes on to write this:
"The church, in all its structures and facets, should contribute to the resolution of self-hatred rather than write another chapter for the script."

I'm reminded this morning why I have such a passion within me to introduce people to a relationship with their Creator who loves them unconditionally, who accepts them just as they are and who desires to lead them in a journey that never ends and only gets richer over time.
If my children (whenever I have them) can grow up secure and confident in the love that their Father has for them, I will be thankful. If the people whom God has entrusted me to lead can join in on the journey of following a God who sees them not as they are - but who they have become because of Jesus - I will be thankful.

AirlineMeals.net

These are the kind of blogs I end up finding late on Sunday nights when I'm sitting in front of my computer wondering why in the heck I'm not in bed.

Airline Meals.net - a blog dedicated to photos of airline meals from all over the world.

A DJ with skill (at last!)

Just had to pass this on. View the video here.

Meebo

Not sure how long this has been around, but I've just found it and it seems like a great tool. It's called Meebo and it's a web based instant message platform that merges MSN, Google Talk, AIM and Yahoo all on one screen. It's kind of like Trillian - but web-based. You can also create an account so all you have to do is login with one user name and be automatically connected to all of your IM accounts.

Four Things Memo

Just got tagged by a friend of mine. I guess there is a blog virus going around called "Four Things Memo." Far be it from me to stop spreading a virus! Cough... Cough...

Four Jobs I've Had

-Camp counselor/Lifeguard (a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!).
-Marine Biologist (yes...I'm serious on this one. I do have a degree in it).
-Account Manager/Telemarketer (you've probably hung up on me!).
-National Gasoline Mgr (I am the one responsible for your high gas prices!).

Four Places I Have Lived

-Denton, TX (hometown sweet hometown)
-Galveston, TX (mosquito paradise)
-Plano, TX (hated every second of it)
-Grapevine, TX (notice all of these are in Texas?)

Four Movies I Can Watch Over & Over

-Field of Dreams (possibly the greatest movie ever)
-So I Married an Axe Murderer (Mike Myers best..."HEAD...MOVE!!!!")
-The Fifth Element (Chris Tucker at his funniest)
-Matrix: Reloaded (it sounds great on my Bose system at home!)

Four Shows I Like To Watch

-Seinfeld
-Cheers
-Boston Legal
-Amazing Race (I love to travel!)

Four Foods That I Like

-Anything from Mi Cozuelas in East Dallas (you'd better speak Spanish)
-Po' Melvins (the best home cooking...besides Mom...in DFW)
-Babe's Chicken (the BEST all-you-can-eat chicken fried steak!)
-BD's Burgers (a small joint in Utah that I found a couple weeks ago...awesome!! Must return).

** all of these are small-hole-in-the-wall places...in my opinon the best!

Can you smell it??

The Superbowl means 1 thing to me (Especially when the Cowboys aren't in it): it means that pitchers and catchers report for spring training in 8 days! Yes, sports fans, it means that in Arizona & Florida there will be Spring Training Baseball in less than 2 weeks! Add the World Baseball Classic into the mix and you've got life as it should be! Life isn't the same during the baseball off-season.

There's only so many times I can watch my 2 DVD's of the 2004 Baseball season (Well, that's not really true). But the point is, I can't wait until this season! The Rangers have put together a good team and have finally focused on pitching and defense. The Yankees, on the other hand have a very potent line-up, but their weakness looks like their pitching!

I don't think the Red Sox will score as many runs as they have over the last 3 years (Who by the way, led the AL in runs scored for each of those years). But they will also allow less runs.

Back from Utah

I finally made it back home last night about 9:30pm from the ski trip. Thankfully, the flight was early, and I got to watch the Superbowl on the plane, 2 bonuses!

Deer Valley, UT, was without a doubt the absolute best skiing conditions I have EVER experienced. All in all, it was the best ski trip I've had in recent memory.

Major kudos and props to my brother Drue for planning the trip and for giving us a place to sleep. It was indeed an immense blessing to spend the week with he, Trey, Scott, Cash, Cannon, and last, but certainly not least...my bestest friend in the world, Charles (who is still there BTW...you dog!).

As promised, here a few pics.

T-minus 6 hours until departure

Flying out this evening to Deer Valley Utah (via a stop in Denver, then Salt Lake City).

The forecast is for snow every day. Looks like it's gonna be a cold trip. I've attached a pic from the resorts webcam. It looks freezing cold!

Amazingly, I got all packed last night and was able to get everything into 2 carry-ons! I absolutely hate waiting at baggage claim.

One other cool thing is being able to check-in for the flight online. Got the boarding passes printed out from my computer, so I can just proceed through the security.

Fast paced

The pace is really beginning to pick up around here. I have to swing by my eye Dr's on the way home to pick up some contacts, then I have to pack everything for the Utah trip tomorrow.

The Stars game was awesome. We sat in the "VIP" section, and got to park underground underneath the arena. We even had our own private elevator that had an operator asking us where we wanted to go. We were stylin'!!!!

The Stars won in OT, 3-2. A little to close, especially since the Sharks are in last place, but hey, a win is a win...

Stars

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know by now that my 2 most favorite sports in the world are baseball and hockey.

My buddy Jeff scored some platinum level seats for the Dallas Stars game tonight, and he invited me to go along....can you say "SAHHHWEEEET!!!!???!!!???"

So it's off to the American Airlines Center tonight to watch the puck drop at 7:30.

I have a very busy next 2 days preparing to jet to Deer Valley, Utah for some ski fun on Wednesday, so my blogging may be light until then.

GO STARS!!!

All Good Cafe

Tonight I am headed to the All Good Cafe in downtown Dallas with my good friend Drue for some awesome food (so I've heard...never been there before) fellowship, and to hear a local Christian musician crank out a few tunes.

I'm always up for trying new restaraunts, so this should be a fun adventure. I'll update later with a report on how the food was.

Flying insects

I am reading through Deuteronomy in my devotions. Here is a verse that really challenged me today. Deuteronomy 14:19 says, "All flying insects are ceremonially unclean for you and may not be eaten."

I wrong "Dang" in the margin of my Bible next to that verse.

Seriously, I'm feeling so spiritual today. I finally found a commandment I'm not even tempted to break. I'm on top of the world :-)

I've never broken this command. On occasion, a flying insect has gotten inside my mouth. But I cough religiously. I've never swallowed.

Some commandments are just easier to keep than others :-)

If you've never eaten flying insects reach around and give yourself a pat on the back today!

Deep thoughts.

New camera

Almost 2 years ago I purchased my first digital camera, a Sony DSC P72 that was 3.2 megapixels, and lasted about 2 weeks before it was stolen at the lake. I had to replace it quickly with a Nikon Coolpix 3200 that was 3.2 megapixels.

Back then both cameras retailed for $250. Fast forward to today, and I was able to pick up a Sony Cybershot DSC W7, that has a whopping 7.2 megapixels for the EXACT SAME PRICE. It's amazing how quickly technology continues to get cheaper and cheaper so stinking fast.

We'll see how well this bad boy performs when I head to Utah next week.

Gonna hit the slopes!!

Yesterday I mentioned briefly that I am planning to go skiing next week. A very good friend of mine has graciously invited me and a few (ok...9) other friends out to his vacation home on the slopes of Deer Valley, Utah.

There's a few of reasons why I am so stoked about this trip.

#1- It's gonna be cheap...that's always a good thing.

#2- I've never skied Utah before, and Deer Valley is the #1 rated ski resort in the US (that is according to the readers of Ski Magazine).

#3- It's in Park City, and with the Sundance Film Festival just ending, maybe we'll spot some celebrities!

I'll be flying out next Wednesday and will hook up with my good friend Cash at the airport in Denver, then my best buddy Charles will meet us in Salt Lake City on Friday.

I'll try to post some pics while I'm there!

Taking your prayer life to the next level

I'm digging my new prayer journal.

I haven't kept one in a long time, but I feel like it is taking my prayer life to another level. Here is the realization I had today. Writing down my prayers doesn't allow me to pray generic prayers. It forces me to pray specific prayers.

A few years ago I read something Yonggi Cho wrote: "Don't pray vague prayers." That challenged me beyond words. Vague prayers are a cop out. You don't require any faith. And you never know if God answers them because they're so vague.

Here's my challenge: don't pray generic prayers.

Get specific. I'm praying for for specific things for specific people. It's often a single word that I'll write next to their name. For example, I'm praying for different fruits of the spirit for different people.

Oswald Chambers said, "Let God be as original with others as he was with you." I live by that motto. God works in different ways at different times in different people. That's why I tend to be descriptive instead of prescriptive in my blogging. But if you want to take your prayer life to the next level I have a prescription: a prayer journal.

Starbucks in Sheffield, England

Thought this was cool... It's a walking tour to Starbucks in Sheffield (UK) courtesy of someone named Rachel.

I love the character and history seen in these pictures! I especially love the character of this Starbucks! Depresses me when I think of the Starbucks across from my home in a #!&*! strip mall.

Don't get me started...

Here's the link to the Starbucks tour.

Demotivators

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I have been swamped with work, and I'm preparing for my ski trip next week. More on that to come...

Anywho...

Anyone find themselves irritated by those motivational posters you sometimes see in corporate offices and other places, praising the virtues of teamwork, persistence, creativity etc? If so, then I may have found the site for you. A friend send me an email with a bunch of "de-motivator" posters, which look the same, but have a quite different sort of message...

These posters can be found here.
Seems as if this is a company devoted to lowering people's expectations.

Top 10 Sayings of 2005

Anywho

Wonder Twin Powers Activate!

We put a man on the moon!

Heeeeyyyyy (hold the high-pitched "ey") A great way to set that up is to ask what horses like to eat :)

Lucky--Napoleon style

Don't listen to what people say--you're a winner! This is my standard line before we share "wins" during staff meeting at work. It makes the staff feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Praise the Lord and pass the popcorn! You can say that again.

Praise the Lord and pass the popcorn!!!

Let's make like a church and split. You can substitute "banana" for "church" :)

Stop!! Hammer time...

It's for the kids--say this right before throwing your spare change on the ground

Top 10 Lessons I learned in 2005

1) Who you know is more important than what you know

2) Dream God-sizzed dreams

3) Normality is overrated

4) Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God

5) I'd rather have 1 God idea than 1,000 good ideas

6) So Far So God

7) The Holy Spirit will complicate your life in ways it should be complicated

8) Sometimes it takes a shipwreck to get you where God wants you to go

9) God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go

10) Enjoy the Journey

Going Retro

Just thought I'd share one of my "holy experiments" in 2006.

I'm going to keep a prayer journal in 2006.

Here's why: I need to do a better job of keeping track of the things I'm believing God for, the things I'm grateful for, and the God ideas I get while praying and reading Scripture. I think it'll help me track my relationship with God.

One key to spiritual vitality is mixing it up. It's been years since I've kept a written prayer journal. I have a personal journal that I keep, but no prayer journal for a while now.

So I'm going retro.

For what it's worth, one of my "top 15 scriptures" of 2005 was II Corinthians 10:5. It says, "Take captive every thought." We tend to think of this verse in negative terms--arrest tempting thoughts. And that is half the battle. But the other half is capturing God ideas. Journaling and blogging are the keys to idea stewardship.

By the way....I had several Top 10, whatever lists, of 2005 that I'll be posting later today.

The Sock Monkeys

This is what you happens when you find yourself really, really bored while driving through the middle of Texas with no T-Mobile service.

It's the Sock Monkey.

Don't tell anyone, but there are really 2 monkeys. Because of their age, they both have to take turns for the photo shoots. State law prohibits them from working too many hours in a row (kind of like those little Olson twins back in the day...)

Let Your Yes Be Yes

A friend of mine said something yesterday that I thought was so quotable. He said, "I don't want to say yes just because it's hard to say no."

What a great rule of thumb.

Don't say yes to something because it's hard to say no :)

That's a great reminder for a "people pleaser" like me!

Jesus said, "Let your yes be yes."

I like the NLT translation: "Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will,' or 'No, I won't'."

What have you been saying "yes" to because it's hard to say "no" to?

Google Fight

Wanna fight? This is fun. That is, until you realize that you aren't nearly as popular as you thought. :) It's called Google Fight. You type in two search queries and GF will tell you which query is most popular. Here are a few that I tried:






Keith Hollaway VS. Juan Valdez = WINNER: Juan Valdez (but barely...)

Keith Hollaway VS. Howard Schultz (CEO, Starbucks) = WINNER: Keith Hollaway (can you say FREE COFFEE?!)

Keith HollawayVS. Bill Hybels = WINNER: Keith Hollaway (by a LONG shot mind you.)

Keith Hollaway VS. Rob Bell = WINNER: Rob Bell (ooooh....look at me! I know Hebrew!)

Keith HollawayVS. Tammy Faye Bakker = WINNER: Keith Hollaway (should this make me feel good?)

Here's the link:

http://www.googlefight.com/

Go ahead...try it...tell me how you did.

Had to pass this along

One of THOSE days...

This is the scene on my desk as of 9:59am.

Those are 3 empty caramel apple ciders.

Not good...

Circadian Rhythm

I don't know if anyone really cares about when I get up and go to sleep :-) But I thought I'd post about it anyway.

I've always been fascinated by circadian ryhthym. We all have an internal clock that determines how we tick throughout the day. For what it's worth, I believe in siesta legislation :-) I think the world would be a better place if everybody took a nap mat to work with them and took a ten minute cat nap each day :-) And eat some nilla wafers while we're at it :-)

Anywho...

Last January I started getting up at 6:00 AM. My most productive hours are before 9 AM. That's when I do my best thinking, writing, and praying.

I have a father who gets up before the roosters :-) And I see the way it helps him keep his spiritual edge. So I wanted to emulate that. I also see references to Jesus getting up while it was still dark. I think it was a pattern in his life.

Having said that let me say this. I think there are larks and owls. There are "morning people" and "nocturnal types." I think we've all got to find a ryhthym that works for us.

I've also discovered that I need to mix it up every once in a while. That's what I'm doing right now. I've felt really exhausted at the end of the day lately. And I have almost no creative energy in the afternoons :-) So I've switched things up from Thanksgiving till the New Year. It's hard to get up super early when the days are shorter and the weather is colder. So I'm sleeping in a little later these days. I'll go back to 6:00 AM in January, but my work day doesn't get started until 7 or 8 AM these days.

So why post about sleep patterns?

Because rythym is huge! One of the ten commandments is about resting on the seventh day. We've got to find a ryhthym between work and play. We've got to make sure we're re-creating. In fact, re-creation is the key to creation. I don't know that I've ever thought about sleep stewardship :-) But we've got to live somewhere in between sleep deprivation and laziness :-) We've got to push ourselves and take care of ourselves.

I'm not sure whether you're a lark or an owl, but here's a thought. If you're pursuing your God-given passions you'll have down days like everybody else. But most days that God-given passion will get you up early and keep you up late :-)

Nothing is as de-energizing as sin--living outside the will of God. And nothing is as energizing as pursuing a God-given passion--living inside the will of God.

Isn't that what Jesus said in John 4? His "food" was doing the will of the Father. Pursuing a God-given passion has caloric value!

Snow!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Ok, it's officially winter. Now lets plan the ski trip!

Truck Ads

I did a post on sidewalk art a few months ago. These 3D truck ads are a-mazing! I love creative adversiting!

I'm always thinking and praying about new ways to communicate the gospel. Luke 14:23 tells us to "compel" them to come in. It means to demand attention. If we're really "about the Father's business" we've got to be compelling. I know there is a fine line where a sacred message can be turned into a gimmick that does more harm than good. But the greatest message deserves the most compelling marketing!

Narnia on it's way

I am fascinated by the etymology of ideas.

I'm getting fired up about The Chronicles of Narnia movie coming out and I'm prepping myself to see it, so I'm doing some research and reading. Just thought I'd share some Narnia etymology.

C.S. Lewis traced the idea for Narnia back to a picture he saw when he was sixteen years old. He once wrote an essay titled "It All Began with a Picture." He explained "the lion all began with a picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood. This picture has been in my mind since I was about sixteen. Then one day, when I was about forty, I said to myself: 'Let's try to make a story about it'."

It started with a paragraph on a scrap of paper in September of 1939. It wasn't till almost a decade later that the first book: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, was written.

All the ideas and characters in the book have an etymology. Lewis said he made Aslan a lion because Jesus was called the Lion of Judah. And he had been dreaming about lions when he started writing the story.

For what it's worth, Lewis sent a draft of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe to Owen Barfield and his wife Maud read it. She was concerned that kids would read the book, walk into the closet, and accidentally lock themselves in. Lewis added five warnings in the book about not closing and locking a wardrobe door. One little boy in Oxford did take a hatchet and chop a hole in the back of the family wardrobe hoping to find Narnia :)

One more idea etymology. Lewis got the name Aslan from The Thousand and One Nights. Aslan is turkish for lion. He saw the word in a footnote of Edward William Lane's classic 1840 translation.

It took Lewis more than four decades to turn an idea from a picture into a series of books that have sold 85 million copies!

The etymology of ideas is an amazing thing!

Nice crib for sale

If you're interested in buying a home, a great place in Downtown Boston has just come on the market. Just blocks away from Fenway Park, Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox leftfielder and 2004 World Series MVP has decided to sell his crib. It's a 4,500 SF penthouse pad atop of the Boston Ritz-Carlton hotel. Asking price: $6,900,000. You can see the place here http://re.boston.com/+Comshare/VUListing.asp?Lid=1750-1 and get a virtual tour. So this is what $20 million a year buys you.

Too much Chinese

Is it a good thing or a bad thing when you ring up the local Chinese restaurant and the guy knows your name as soon as he hears your voice? As soon as I started giving my order last night the young guy on the phone said "Is that Keith?" and when I said yes he replied "Thought so." Wonder if his memory is that good for all his customers, or perhaps it's just that we eat far too much Chinese take-away.

Criticize by Creating

Permission to speak frankly?

One of the things that drives me crazy is people who criticize by criticizing :) Don't point out a problem unless you're willing to be part of the solution! You know what I'm saying? The Pharisees criticized by criticizing! There was nothing redemptive or constructive about it. Jesus was a truth-teller and grace-giver.

I'm just not into boycotting--a form of criticizing by criticizing. Paul could have boycotted the aeropagus because they were worshipping false gods. But he decided to compete for the truth. I'm not saying there isn't a time and place to boycott things, but I think the church is called to present better alternatives across the board.

I can't believe I've never read this before as much as I read, but I just came across a Michelangelo quote. But it's more than a quote. It was Michelangelo's modus operandi. He said, "Criticize by creating." I love that. Alot.

That gets so close to the heart of what I believe. I think God wants to redeem and sanctify our competitive streak just like he wants to redeem and sanctify every other part of us. We're called to compete for the truth! The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet.

Let's not just curse the darkness. Let's light a candle.

Let's not just criticize. Let's create.

The Roof is on Fire!

Being the good brother that I am, I took my brother to lunch this week because that's what good brothers should do....

After stopping by Colters BBQ and finding out that they were out of the BBQ spare ribs, I decided to take him by probably the best Szechuan restaurant in the DFW metroplex are called Lao Sze Chuan where I ordered my favorite Szechuan dish called Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken.

Take a look at this dish ( but BEWARE - you'll feel the heat just looking at it!):

Isn't that just absolutely evil? Oh man. I ate leftovers for lunch yesterday and my mouth was ON FIRE.

Dry Chili Chicken is made of small bits of chicken lightly dusted with flour and other spices, fresh garlic and ginger slices and then stir fried with a LOT (and I mean A LOT) of red chili peppers. This one will definately make you slap your grandma! WOW.

Gotta go...need a drink!

Empty Inbox

Is there any better feeling on a Friday than an empty inbox?

It's literally been weeks since my email inbox has gotten down to zero! But it just happened. Well, almost...I'm down to 1 (thanks for the email Melissa!) Man, it feels good. It feels like the occasion should be celebrated.

You know how there are dog people and cat people? I think there are phone people and email people. I'm definitely an email person. I love it. But sometimes there is this internal angst because there is almost always an email in my inbox.

So I'm enjoying the moment until my inbox informs me "You've got mail."

No Tengo Dinero

Had a funny experience yesterday afternoon :)

A few months ago I bought a shirt that said No Tengo Dinero. For all the non-Spanish speakers out there that means "I have no money." I bought the shirt because my brother Lance and I have this longstanding joke about how poor my Spanish is. But I claim to be his "Spanish mentor." So I bought the shirt to flaunt my Spanish skilzs.

Anywho...

I went over to the bank yesterday, and I was wearing that shirt. It was totally unplanned. I've only worn the shirt twice. But it dawned on me as I was walking in to the door: I'm going into the bank wearing a shirt that says "I have no money."

It cracked me up!

Fortunately, I don't think any of the bankers spoke Spanish!

Hasta Luego!

Mercy to worship

Romans 12:1 says, "In view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices."

It doesn't say "In view of your righteousness." It doesn't say, "In view of your brilliant mind or witty sense of humor." It doesn't say, "In view of your impressive spiritual resume."

It says, "In view of God's mercy."

The prerequisite to worship is mercy. And the prerequisite to mercy is doing something wrong. So if you've done something wrong you qualify for mercy. And if you qualify for mercy you qualify for worship.

Here's my point: don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God.

Here's the challenge. I came across some research last week that suggests that we talk to ourselves 50,000 times a day. And studies have found that, on average, 80% of self-talk is negative. "I'm not good enough. I'm not smart enough. And, doggone it, people don't like me."

One of the enemy's tactics is to get you to focus on what's wrong with you. Why? Because you'll get so fixated on your problems that you'll totally forget how good and how great God is. We need to stop focusing on what's wrong with us constantly and start focusing on what's right with God. I honestly think that is the key to worship!

I like the way The Message says it, "Embracing what God has done for you is the best thing you can do for Him."

Here's the difference between religion and Christianity. Religion is focused on what we can do for God. Christianity is focused on what God has done for us.

It's for the kids

Every once in a while I'm impulsively goofy. Alright, pretty frequently :)

When I paid for breakfast yesterday I got three pennies in change and I threw them on the floor of Chick-fila. One of my co-workers looked a little bewildered like "Why did you do that?" I impulsively responded, "It's for the kids."

I know that throwing change on the ground seems like poor stewardship, but finding pennies on the ground can make a kid's day. I loved finding change as a kid! That totally made my day!

So all day long I decided to throw my change on the ground and say "It's for the kids." Try it out.

It's for the kids!

Diddley-Squat

Ephesians 2:8 says, "God saved you by His special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so that none of us can boast about it."

A few weeks ago I had a thought: without God we're Jack Squat. I had a similar thought this week: we don't deserve diddly-squat. That's my spiritual starting point.

A sense of entitlement is the beginning of the end spiritually. Repentance is coming to a point where we recognize that we don't deserve diddly-squat. When you start there then you recognize the reality of James 1:17--"whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above."

Here's the bottom line: It's not about what you can do for God. It's about what God has done for you.

Every time we kneel at the foot of the cross we are reaffirming that truth. We go back to where it all began. We go back to the place where our sin met its match-the grace of God. And we discovered that "where sin abounds, grace does much more abound."

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of His grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. Every day should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace alone.

Human Billboard

I know this is "old news" but I just read about Andrew Fischer in the November issue of Entrepreneur magazine.

He is the founder of humanadspace.com . He got a great idea for a business venture earlier this year. He decided to rent his forehead as advertising space. He went on ebay and auctioned it off. A pharmaceutical company won with a bid of $37,375. That's one expensive noggin!

For what it's worth, I'll rent out my forehead to any blog readers for half-off! $18,687.50 and my forehead is yours for a month!!