Thursday, January 31, 2008
Celebration
As I was driving home last night, I heard a song on the radio that caught my ear and made me think. I didn't even catch the name of the song or who it was, but here were the lyrics that caught my attention. "Open your eyes, open your eyes, and see that life is beautiful. Promise that at my funeral you won't cry." That's probably a really bad paraphrase actually, but it made me reflect on how great life can be if you really look at it. How many times do we take the time to appreciate things we have, relationships, our family, our friends, our jobs, our lives in general. I know this song wasn't a Christian song or anything, but it made me extremely grateful for the life I have. Yeserday, work was absolutely crazy. I remember text messaging Lindsay a few hours into the morning telling her that "today sucks". At the end of the day, looking back on it, it really wasn't that bad. And I can say that because I know that if I didn't have God in my life, my day probably would have sucked a whole lot more. The last part of that song really made me think about the end of my life. Wouldn't it be awesome, if when we passed away, we could celebrate life instead of mourn death. I mean, in all reality, don't you think when we get to Heaven we are going to be so thankful and celebrate the fact that we get to spend eternity in God's presence. I want that at my funeral. I know people will be sad, atleast hopefully, but I want people to know that I enjoyed my time with them on earth, but I am celebrating in God's presence in Heaven.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
My Life
To copy a great friend and present to you my life in 10 songs, here is the soundtrack of my life.
1. Man on the Moon by REM
This song has one distinct memory in my head that brings me great joy every time I hear it. There was a day that I was spending with my late father in his boat on the lake. The day was bright and sunny, with a cool breeze. We just strolled around the lake listening to the Best of REM albums. It was a great day and a great memory.
2. Somewhwer Only We Know by Keane
This song helped me get through my summer in Northern Ireland away from Lindsay. Not once did we get to talk on the phone and only a few times we were able to talk on chat. We did get to email back and forth about once a week, but we usually gave each other a place in which we could go to (in our minds) to be with each other when we missed each other. This was a great way for me to enjoy her as I missed her. This song makes me think of those times.
3. The News by Jack Johnson
When I think of things that are wrong with this planet, this song comes to mind. "Why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die, atleast they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eye." People, in general, are selfish beings who care about things that most closely affect themselves and their immediate surroundings. This is why I want to go somewhere in the world that is neglected by most and has people who are in need.
4. No Such Thing by John Mayer
This song introduced me to one of my great musical loves. John was my first real concert in Noblesville, IN, where I saw him perform live with the likes of Counting Crows and David Ryan Harris, who I also both enjoy. But John's lyrics have a special place in my heart and this was the first song I fell in love with. It's probably not even my favorites of his, but it is a fun upbeat song that brings me great joy when listening to it.
5. Beautiful Day by U2
This song is simply amazing. It was also a song that was very present for me during my time in Northern Ireland. It reminds me of the beauty that I found there through God's spectacular creations. I specifically remember one day when I spent most of the day lounging in parks on a unusually sunny and warm day in Dublin. It is strange, because Ireland is not typically warm and sunny, but for much of the summer I spent there it was exactly that. And this song signifies how I feel about my experience there.
6. Youth of the Nation by P.O.D.
In a time when I was becoming more and more independent from my parents, this song became prevalent in my life. I was making big decisions in my life, I was learning about God, and I was moving forward on my path of life. The summer that I really started listening to this song, I had made the decision to dedicate my life to full time ministry, most likely (at the time) in mission work. This is something that I am continuing to pursue to this day. I also remember one camping trip, where myself, and three buddies from church went camping for about 3 days by ourselves. It was an extremely great trip and somewhat of a liberating experience. I remember listening to this song in my dad's truck as I had my CD player hooked up to his cassette player deck for much of that trip.
7. Greed, Hate, Envy by Nelly
Now this song isn't particularly good, especially in regards to the Parental Control Advisory. The song is obscene and in your face, but that is what I like about it. That's also why I listened to it so often on Basketball bus rides or in the locker room. It got me pumped up and put me in an angry mood, which I thought was where I needed to be when I was getting ready to battle on the court. It was especially played over and over again when we lost. I would listen to the same song the whole ride home on the bus. I am not one who enjoys losing at all, and I am generally steaming when it happens. This song brings back a lot of great memories of high school basketball.
8. Just the Two of Us by Will Smith
In a time of great change and great significance in my life, I listened to this song often. This CD came out when I was about 13, which is when I stopped visiting my dad and was adopted. The songs real meaning has to do with a father always being there with his son. I immediately latched on to this song because of that meaning and the things that I had gone through with my own father.
9. Hey Ya by Outkast
Freshman year of college could be summarized by this song for me. It was an incredible year in which I have made some life long connectiongs and friendships. I had a great time in my new experiences that year and I will never forget them.
10. I'll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy & the Family
This meaningful song originally by Sting, and redone by Puff Daddy for the loss of his close friend Notorious BIG introduced me to rap. Maybe not introduced me, but atleast pulled me into liking it, which was a good decision. I originally loved listening to Puff Daddy and Mase for that matter, until Puff Daddy went to P Diddy or Diddy or whatever he is going by these days. Those original songs that brought me to enjoy rap and especially this song is the reason it makes my list.
1. Man on the Moon by REM
This song has one distinct memory in my head that brings me great joy every time I hear it. There was a day that I was spending with my late father in his boat on the lake. The day was bright and sunny, with a cool breeze. We just strolled around the lake listening to the Best of REM albums. It was a great day and a great memory.
2. Somewhwer Only We Know by Keane
This song helped me get through my summer in Northern Ireland away from Lindsay. Not once did we get to talk on the phone and only a few times we were able to talk on chat. We did get to email back and forth about once a week, but we usually gave each other a place in which we could go to (in our minds) to be with each other when we missed each other. This was a great way for me to enjoy her as I missed her. This song makes me think of those times.
3. The News by Jack Johnson
When I think of things that are wrong with this planet, this song comes to mind. "Why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die, atleast they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eye." People, in general, are selfish beings who care about things that most closely affect themselves and their immediate surroundings. This is why I want to go somewhere in the world that is neglected by most and has people who are in need.
4. No Such Thing by John Mayer
This song introduced me to one of my great musical loves. John was my first real concert in Noblesville, IN, where I saw him perform live with the likes of Counting Crows and David Ryan Harris, who I also both enjoy. But John's lyrics have a special place in my heart and this was the first song I fell in love with. It's probably not even my favorites of his, but it is a fun upbeat song that brings me great joy when listening to it.
5. Beautiful Day by U2
This song is simply amazing. It was also a song that was very present for me during my time in Northern Ireland. It reminds me of the beauty that I found there through God's spectacular creations. I specifically remember one day when I spent most of the day lounging in parks on a unusually sunny and warm day in Dublin. It is strange, because Ireland is not typically warm and sunny, but for much of the summer I spent there it was exactly that. And this song signifies how I feel about my experience there.
6. Youth of the Nation by P.O.D.
In a time when I was becoming more and more independent from my parents, this song became prevalent in my life. I was making big decisions in my life, I was learning about God, and I was moving forward on my path of life. The summer that I really started listening to this song, I had made the decision to dedicate my life to full time ministry, most likely (at the time) in mission work. This is something that I am continuing to pursue to this day. I also remember one camping trip, where myself, and three buddies from church went camping for about 3 days by ourselves. It was an extremely great trip and somewhat of a liberating experience. I remember listening to this song in my dad's truck as I had my CD player hooked up to his cassette player deck for much of that trip.
7. Greed, Hate, Envy by Nelly
Now this song isn't particularly good, especially in regards to the Parental Control Advisory. The song is obscene and in your face, but that is what I like about it. That's also why I listened to it so often on Basketball bus rides or in the locker room. It got me pumped up and put me in an angry mood, which I thought was where I needed to be when I was getting ready to battle on the court. It was especially played over and over again when we lost. I would listen to the same song the whole ride home on the bus. I am not one who enjoys losing at all, and I am generally steaming when it happens. This song brings back a lot of great memories of high school basketball.
8. Just the Two of Us by Will Smith
In a time of great change and great significance in my life, I listened to this song often. This CD came out when I was about 13, which is when I stopped visiting my dad and was adopted. The songs real meaning has to do with a father always being there with his son. I immediately latched on to this song because of that meaning and the things that I had gone through with my own father.
9. Hey Ya by Outkast
Freshman year of college could be summarized by this song for me. It was an incredible year in which I have made some life long connectiongs and friendships. I had a great time in my new experiences that year and I will never forget them.
10. I'll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy & the Family
This meaningful song originally by Sting, and redone by Puff Daddy for the loss of his close friend Notorious BIG introduced me to rap. Maybe not introduced me, but atleast pulled me into liking it, which was a good decision. I originally loved listening to Puff Daddy and Mase for that matter, until Puff Daddy went to P Diddy or Diddy or whatever he is going by these days. Those original songs that brought me to enjoy rap and especially this song is the reason it makes my list.
Friday, January 18, 2008
it's a Brave New World
I just read this article online regarding stem cell research and that whole bag of worms. I'm not really going to make any statements here regarding my thoughts on cloning or the destruction of embryos and all of that. I simply posting the article and asking a question in which I find interesting.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1704580,00.html
Now read through. Does this in anyway remind you of the Aldous Huxley book, Brave New World. If you have read this book make note of the term "somatic cell nuclear transfer". If you have not read this book go out, get it, and read it. It is a great book. I am just interested to hear any responses.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1704580,00.html
Now read through. Does this in anyway remind you of the Aldous Huxley book, Brave New World. If you have read this book make note of the term "somatic cell nuclear transfer". If you have not read this book go out, get it, and read it. It is a great book. I am just interested to hear any responses.
New post, old inspiration
My very first mission trip that I ever embarked on was to Haiti. While I was there I had a lot of experiences that I am very fond of and most have helped shape who I am today and what I want to do with my life. So this photo reminds me a lot of that experience there in Haiti, which sort of solidified that mission work was something that I really felt called to. I had already felt that calling a few years before this first trip, but my time there in Haiti made it all more real for me.
The little girl in this picture brings me to the core of my inspiration for the mission work I plan on doing. Our team made a trip over to the Island of Tortuga for a day's worth of VBS and playing with kids. This little girl was there sitting in a hut on the ground, with nothing but an old dirty t-shirt on. I instantly fell in love with just about every single child I came in contact with that entire trip. Life has moved on and changed in different ways since then, but I can always go back and look at the pictures of those kids to remind myself of my life's passion.
The little girl in this picture brings me to the core of my inspiration for the mission work I plan on doing. Our team made a trip over to the Island of Tortuga for a day's worth of VBS and playing with kids. This little girl was there sitting in a hut on the ground, with nothing but an old dirty t-shirt on. I instantly fell in love with just about every single child I came in contact with that entire trip. Life has moved on and changed in different ways since then, but I can always go back and look at the pictures of those kids to remind myself of my life's passion.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
I am having hunger pangs
So my wife has started this new diet, which in turn means I have started this new diet. This diet consists of me starving. Last night for dinner I had 4 ounces of cod and a mound of asparagus. Needless to say, this did not fill me up, nor was it all that tasty. My lunch consisted of a salad with almost no dressing and some turkey on it. It was actually pretty good, but not filling. I did get two snacks yesterday, about 20 almonds in the morning and a few strawberries in the afternoon. Oh, I forgot the blue berry smoothie that I had for breakfast yesterday. I'm not exactly sure how long all of this is supposed to last and I'm afraid to know.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Best Team Ever (Or my favs)
In an attempt to make a post that is not as overly sensitive and girly as my last, I now start with something else that is inspiring to me, sports.
Indiana is the place where basketball takes precedent over pretty much everything else in the state except corn, and in my case Notre Dame Football. But, following in the foot steps of a few friends of mine, I will create my all-time favorite IU basketball team, not UK. Who, by the way, is aweful this year and could not match up against a much better IU team even without our two starting guards. But anyways, here are my top 5 players (not the best, but my favorite) and a few honorable mentions.
#1 - Dane Fife - he solidifies everything there is to know about Indiana basketball. He was an amazing defender and that was his first priority. Other than the one time I almost had a heart attack as he fould Jason Williams on a 3 point attempt in the most exciting IU basketball game I ever watched, I never saw him make dumb mistakes on defense. He was also a great shooter, which IU is also known for.
#2 AJ Guyton - This guy was lights out and amazing to watch. As I started to really get into IU basketball he was in his hay day, dazzling defenses and putting up points. He could score from anwhere on the floor and was smart enough to do it. I love watching him play.
#3 - Isaiah Thomas - this is not a real picture of Isaiah Thomas. This is some guy who looks like him and has been pretending to be him. The real Isaiah Thomas was an amazing basketball player. I can't really say I liked him when he was on the Pistons. I've never really liked the Pistons at all, and I definitely never liked the Pistons when they were playing against Jordan and the Bulls. But I cannot argue with his talent.
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#4 Calbert Cheaney - this southpaw could blind you by his natural ability and skill if you were not careful. He is one of the last top tier College players to actually stay all four years. My uncle was at college there at IU when Calbert was playing and he had told me he was one of the most gnarly guys on the planet (Direct quote).
#5 Damon Bailey - I will use this link as my only proof of this number 5 selection, along with all of the Damon Bailey basketball camps I went to as a child.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Graphics/GameAction/19931204Indiana.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/statistics/games/19931204Indiana.html&h=338&w=262&sz=36&hl=en&start=19&um=1&tbnid=-REJ9I2VIrVexM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=92&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddamon%2Bbailey%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den
Honorable Mention #1 Errek Suhr - most of you probably have no clue who this even is. He is 5'9" 160 lbs. So it is fitting for me to like this guy. He was from Bloomington and he walked onto the team and eventually earned a scholarship. I enjoyed watching him play simply because he worked probably harder than anyone else on the floor when he was out there. He was like lightening in a bottle. He brought energy to the team and was a great shooter.
Honorable Mention #2 AJ Moye - I loved watching this guy play. He always came off the mention and had a spark. He played tough, he was always around the ball, and he was on the team that upset Duke in the Semi-finals. I think it is fitting that I chose two guys that are referred to as AJ, considering my initials are AJ and the only person ever to call me that was my uncle who went to IU.
Indiana is the place where basketball takes precedent over pretty much everything else in the state except corn, and in my case Notre Dame Football. But, following in the foot steps of a few friends of mine, I will create my all-time favorite IU basketball team, not UK. Who, by the way, is aweful this year and could not match up against a much better IU team even without our two starting guards. But anyways, here are my top 5 players (not the best, but my favorite) and a few honorable mentions.
#1 - Dane Fife - he solidifies everything there is to know about Indiana basketball. He was an amazing defender and that was his first priority. Other than the one time I almost had a heart attack as he fould Jason Williams on a 3 point attempt in the most exciting IU basketball game I ever watched, I never saw him make dumb mistakes on defense. He was also a great shooter, which IU is also known for.
#2 AJ Guyton - This guy was lights out and amazing to watch. As I started to really get into IU basketball he was in his hay day, dazzling defenses and putting up points. He could score from anwhere on the floor and was smart enough to do it. I love watching him play.
#3 - Isaiah Thomas - this is not a real picture of Isaiah Thomas. This is some guy who looks like him and has been pretending to be him. The real Isaiah Thomas was an amazing basketball player. I can't really say I liked him when he was on the Pistons. I've never really liked the Pistons at all, and I definitely never liked the Pistons when they were playing against Jordan and the Bulls. But I cannot argue with his talent.
.jpg)
#4 Calbert Cheaney - this southpaw could blind you by his natural ability and skill if you were not careful. He is one of the last top tier College players to actually stay all four years. My uncle was at college there at IU when Calbert was playing and he had told me he was one of the most gnarly guys on the planet (Direct quote).
#5 Damon Bailey - I will use this link as my only proof of this number 5 selection, along with all of the Damon Bailey basketball camps I went to as a child.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Graphics/GameAction/19931204Indiana.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/statistics/games/19931204Indiana.html&h=338&w=262&sz=36&hl=en&start=19&um=1&tbnid=-REJ9I2VIrVexM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=92&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddamon%2Bbailey%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den
Honorable Mention #1 Errek Suhr - most of you probably have no clue who this even is. He is 5'9" 160 lbs. So it is fitting for me to like this guy. He was from Bloomington and he walked onto the team and eventually earned a scholarship. I enjoyed watching him play simply because he worked probably harder than anyone else on the floor when he was out there. He was like lightening in a bottle. He brought energy to the team and was a great shooter.
Honorable Mention #2 AJ Moye - I loved watching this guy play. He always came off the mention and had a spark. He played tough, he was always around the ball, and he was on the team that upset Duke in the Semi-finals. I think it is fitting that I chose two guys that are referred to as AJ, considering my initials are AJ and the only person ever to call me that was my uncle who went to IU.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
The First
I figure that my very first post can answer the question I am posing to any readers that make their way onto this site; what inspires you? I ask this question with the picture of my wife on a beach in the Dominican Republic in mind. This picture inspires me in several ways.
The first of which has to do with my creator. I really think that you can find some kind of beauty in almost anything. This picutre provides a small glimpse of God's artistic abilities in the creation of this earth. This picture simply reminds me of how great God is and provides me with another great example and reason to love Him.
The second reason this picture is because my wife is there in the picture. She is another great resemblance of God's love for me and His extraordinary beauty. She is also an inspiration in quite a few of my everyday tasks, such as the dishes (which I have come to dislike greatly), work, some of my reacreational avenues (not xbox), and probably a lot more. She spurs me on to be better.
Another reason this picutre is inspiring is because the photo was taken on our honeymoon. This points me directly back to my wife, it just reminds me of our marriage and what it means to me.
There may be more inspirtional themes that I could take from this picture, but the last one, and quite a bit less important then all of the previous ones is that I am fond of taking pictures and I took this picture. So it inspires me to continue doing so.
So this is my first post. I may continue to do something similar to this weekly, but I'm not exactly sure yet.
The first of which has to do with my creator. I really think that you can find some kind of beauty in almost anything. This picutre provides a small glimpse of God's artistic abilities in the creation of this earth. This picture simply reminds me of how great God is and provides me with another great example and reason to love Him.
The second reason this picture is because my wife is there in the picture. She is another great resemblance of God's love for me and His extraordinary beauty. She is also an inspiration in quite a few of my everyday tasks, such as the dishes (which I have come to dislike greatly), work, some of my reacreational avenues (not xbox), and probably a lot more. She spurs me on to be better.
Another reason this picutre is inspiring is because the photo was taken on our honeymoon. This points me directly back to my wife, it just reminds me of our marriage and what it means to me.
There may be more inspirtional themes that I could take from this picture, but the last one, and quite a bit less important then all of the previous ones is that I am fond of taking pictures and I took this picture. So it inspires me to continue doing so.
So this is my first post. I may continue to do something similar to this weekly, but I'm not exactly sure yet.
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