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.