Missional Living

Since I was a freshmen in high school, I’ve loved Dan Fogelberg. (No, it wasn’t ALL hair metal…). Same Old Lang Syne and The Leader of the Band weren’t just songs on the radio–they were experiences. And years later, they still take me back to that freeze-frame moment they created. In fact, I’m a sap: I only listen to Lang Syne at certain times because the place it takes me to is almost sacred.

Fogelberg, 56, died today after an almost 4 year bout with prostate cancer.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Jean, and his famly and friends. A guy I would have loved to have known better, he loved the tonal qualities and subtle range of the acoustic guitar. He loved to laugh and abuse the English language. He loved rock and roll. He always thought he’d quit the music business..but never the music. He was blessed with the never-ending gift/curse of music. And wasn’t cool enough for MTV. And he defined success as having just one person listen to his work and say, "Wow! Thanks for writing that!"

"we tried to reach beyond the emptiness, but neither one knew how…"

Wow! Thanks for writing that.

Here’s a live video to take us back.

It’s the story of a mother who gave birth to a son. And the son who holds the fate of the world in his hands.

Her name is Sarah. Not Mary.

I gotta admit, there’s only about two shows on television I watch with any commitment, so when the announcement came that my one-of-two favorite shows, Heroes, would NOT be aired beginning in January, I fell into a panic.

But God is good. FOX announced the upcoming Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

 After viewing several trailers online, you’ll see why this one is my favorite.

If you want more of the plotline, watch this.

As you know, we were already supposed to change over our collective clocks this past Sunday, but Big Brother decided that we needed an extra couple of weeks of Daylight Savings Time. But it goes further.

TreeHugger Labs ran the numbers and has determined that If DST runs half the year for an hour a day, that is fully 1/48th of our total exposure to the sun that could be eliminated with the cancelling of Daylight Saving Time, almost 2% of solar heat gain annually.

That’s huge!

Read the whole article here.

Of course, you’ve seen the picture of Pope John Paul II as appeared in the fire.

Evidently it’s been crashing some religious websites from all the hits…

Perhaps it wasn’t JP after all. Maybe it was actually Johnny Storm…

But that’s just me. Either way…

‘Flame on!’

Mythology says that when the bird felt its death was near (every 500 to 1,461 years) it would build a nest of aromatic wood and set it on fire…and then die among the flames. Then, a new phoenix would spring forth from the pyre, reborn.

Reborn. Ahhhh…..

After an insane summer, and 9 days of vacation, I am feeling reborn. Sunday was a great day with the return of By Design, our worship band, and it felt good to be back in the saddle. Unfortunately (?) we played both services, so I missed out on hanging with our students in the youth center that morning. (But Overhaulin’ is just around the corner this Wednesday…)

On Monday, Stan and I began our 10-day Diet of Daniel to help jumpstart our bodies and minds to a healthier us. It’s basically a 10-day fast of anything with water, sugar, flour, or red meat…so bring on the grilled chicken salad. And lots of it. I’ll be sure and update my progress regularly. (Last time, I lost about 12 pounds in ten days, and, while it’s more of a detox eating plan, the weightloss is definitely a bonus!)

Also, Monday kicked off my training for the Scott and White Half Marathon. I’m shooting for going to Waco on October 28 and spending 2.5 hours trying to cover 13.1 miles with my iPod and a smile. (The smile is optional; the iPod is not.) Since it’ll be my first 13.1 miler (I had some IT band problems training with the ATT marathon—primarily because I forgot I’m human…) I’m not shooting for any particular PR time (personal record), …I’m just hoping to finish and finish well. So, I’m in for some pretty intense training in the next 11 weeks–long runs, intervals, speed work, lots of water…and TONS of rest. Me and my Sauconys are going to be logging quite a few miles together. It’s always good therapy: I can worship, I can pray, I can think…and there’s no phone, so, for anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour and a half, I’m basically untouchable. See why it’s addictive?

Meanwhile, I’ve got an inbox full of items that need attention, current events and theological insights that are awaiting their blogworthiness, and a Moleskin journal scribbled with song lyrics, quotable thoughts and ramblings on deck for your insight and contribution. Unfortunately, I also have a load of calendar requests, promotional projects, end-of-summer send-offs and back-to-school ramp-ups to attend to…

So…the question is how do we balance our lives successfully in order to not burn out like our buddy, the Phoenix? What are things you do to incorporate a regular Sabbath rest into your life? How, especially in ministry (which is designed by God Himself to kill you), do you not become a statistic of burnout? Of breakdown? How do you balance yourself? Remember, this journey is a marathon, not a 50-yard dash…and we’ve got to finish well. 

Here in Central Texas, we're under a Winter Storm Advisory/Watch. There are about 4 days in the year that we have a snowball's chance of …snowballs. So, we've spent our MLK day cooped up from icy roads, freezing precip, and a pretty stiff north wind. 

Cool.

Tonite, it's supposed to get worse. Tuesday is forcasted to have a high of a whopping 28 degrees I last heard.

Reminds me of another reason why Jimmie needs an iPod: B.B. King and Albert Collins' duet of "Stormy Monday"(recorded live, 1993). Get it here. Order up a Drive By (20 oz. of coffee with a triple shot of espresso, add a dab of 2% leche), close your eyes and let the soul roll. Take 6 minutes out of your day and enjoy.

"Well they call it Stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad."  

…who made this possible. Thanks to everyone I selfishly used, and even for those who used me. Thank you to my wife and kids for their undying love and support. Thank you to all the bloggers and chatters who've agreed with me and flamed me and boycotted me. 

Thank you to those who've encouraged me to pursue myself and who've wiped their feet on my dreams. Thank you for the selfish indulgence of following my own dreams of personal gain and ego, rather than some lofty, noble cause like curing AIDS or pursuing world peace.

Thank you to TIME magazine for naming me their Person of the Year.

Today is the birthday of the NRA-backin', Motor City Madman, Ted Nugent (58). Visit Tribe Nuge and drop the 'ol craveman a note. And remember: If God didn't want us to kill and eat animals, he wouldn't have made them outta meat. 

(here's another reason Nuge and I are cut from the same cloth…)  

It's official!

Thanks to Virgin Mobile, the MVNO targeted to Gen-M subscribers has gone multi-culty with a celebration called Chrismahanukwanzakah. TODAY (Dec. 13) is the official holiday, with ringtones, e-cards and other m-commerce offerings to suit any religious persuasion.

As a company statement puts it:

“Since Chrismahanukwanzakah comes during the busiest selling season of the year Virgin Mobile created a gift line (1-888-ELF-POOP) where holiday shoppers can call for advice on what to get even the pickiest Chrismahanukwanzakahan. Is your cousin a Pagan? Married to a Jew? Brother- in-law a Muslim? No problem! Help is one toll free call away. You'll be put directly in touch with one of Virgin Mobile's Chrismahanukwanzakah characters to find out what Pay As You Go wireless phone will make the most appropriate gift.”

It goes on (really): “In addition to the gift line, Americans can catch the Chrismahanukwanzakah spirit by sharing e-cards and special "blended" holiday carols found at www.chrismahanukwanzakah.com. Virgin Mobile advertising spots featuring the madcap collection of Chrismahanukwanzakah characters will begin airing in early November. And back by popular demand is the Chrismahanukwanzakah holiday anthem, "We're All Snowflakes," which can be downloaded as a ringtone at www.virginmobileusa.com.”

Still not convinced? 

Call 1-888-ELF-POOP.

Sunday, December 3 marks the birthdays of two influential people in the culture of my life. I'm sending them both birthday cards…

Ozzy Osbourne, rock icon…

and Jim Richards, Executive Director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention
 

To bring balance to the Force, view lyrics to Ozzy's Bark At The Moon, and the Baptist Faith and Message .