genuine.

I want to be like Jesus. I want to. But can I? How am I supposed to know what being a true believer really means in America? The older I get, the more I wonder if tradition has taken the place of truth. We make such a big deal out of going to church and wearing a suit and tie and singing a few songs before we gorge ourselves at the buffet downtown. But, then when it comes to the nitty-gritty ugly parts of Christianity, we all fall so short. There is such an importance placed on "appearing" like a Christian. Christian t-shirts, Christian bumper stickers, Christian magazine, Christian channels, Christian bookstores, Christian day care, Christian amusement parks, Christian coffee houses, Christian music. If there is so much CHRISTIAN in America, then why are there so many hurting people? Should America be free from sadness, free from poverty, free from sickness, and free from depression...that is if we are a nation of "Christians?"

Does Jesus honestly care about what I wear to church. Does He honestly care if I listen to secular music? Does Jesus really care if I drink alcohol? Or is He more concerned with the way I care about the hurting? Or does He care more about the way I help the poor and the widow. Isn't He more concerned with the way I control my tongue when I want to gossip about someone? I wonder how many of the "rules" that Christians have are from the Lord and how many are simply from tradition. It's as if we place so much importance on trivial things and no where near enough on Biblical guidelines.

So how am I supposed to know how to live like Jesus? I certainly can't get my wisdom from the television. If I watch religious TV, I'll see an elderly woman dressing like a prostitute. If I watch religious TV, I'll hear an emphasis on giving money and how that will in turn make the Lord give you more money. If I watch religious TV I'll see people distorting the Gospel. But, sadly, what I will NOT see on religious TV is how to come to know Jesus. I will NOT hear anything about coping with the loss of a loved one, or dealing with my unbelief, or caring about third-world children with AIDS, or being kind to the guy who treats you like crap, or trusting Jesus when everything in the world makes you want to give up.

Where do I turn? I think I turn to the Bible, but sometimes its hard to read. Sometimes its hard to understand. Sometimes its boring (why does the Lord want me to read Leviticus?). I WANT to love Jesus. I WANT to follow Him. I WANT to tell other people about His plan. I WANT to die to myself everyday...but how do I do it genuinely?

leadership.

the W.E.D. way

There was nothing special about his beginning. Small town...small means...but large ambition.

I can't quite figure out why I am so fascinated with Walt Disney. It's been something that goes back as far as I can remember. I used to watch the Disney Channel when I was a kid and stay up late just to watch the old clips of Walt introducing cartoons and his TrueLife Adventures.

I suppose I can thank my Mom for a lot of the fascination. I grew up with Mickey Mouse cartoons and stuffed animals. My first trip to Disneyland was when I was 6. Event then, the concept of magic and wonder was evident. I later went to Walt Disney World when I was 9, then again when I was 12.

My first trip to EPCOT really sticks out in my mind. There moments when I felt as though I would grow up overnight while there. The attractions made a kid like me feel like the world was massive and the future was just as big.

I began to really read about Walt after my Walt Disney World honeymoon. I found a book by Bob Thomas and just tore it apart. I loved it! It was so amazing to read about this guy who failed several times, but always let his belief in the imagination and the possibilities of the future guide his ambition.

I wish I could be more like Walt. He had a goal and he achieved it. He wanted to be an animator...now we have animation as an Oscar category (Beauty and the Beast was actually nominated for Best Picture before the animation category). He wanted to build a small park for he and his daughters to enjoy together...now we have Disneyland. He wanted to explore the possibilities of a vast amount of land and creativity...now we have Walt Disney World. He was - IS amazing! I wish I could have met him. I wish I could just spend a day with him and ask him question after question. But at least he left his legacy for me to enjoy and like him, enjoy with my little girl.

teddy roosevelt

I wish I was like Teddy Roosevelt. He was a man. The guy endured the death of his wife and mother on the same day. He joined the ARMY after a war with Spain had already begun and created the (appropriately titled) Rough Riders to do some serious damage to the enemy. This lion-hearted man was a ferocious competitor and politician. I am envious, not only of his deteremination and strength, but also of his character.

Roosevelt was a family man. Like his father, he was gentle. He was kind. He spent time with his kids. He did the things that make sons and daughters proud of their dad. He told ghost stories and swam in rivers in the frigid cold. Roosevelt loved his family.

Teddy loved his country. He spent much of his presidency trying to make the workplace safe and creating legislation that ensured companies were behaving themselves. He looked out for the little guy while giving the big guys what they deserved.

Austin: the series

Seriously, am I on a reality show? Wasn't there a movie about that...Truman Show...EdTV. I can't be real. I can't really be who I am. Sometimes I surprise myself by the things I say, the things I do, the things I DON'T do. It all either must be a new stupid reality show or some kind of cosmic practical joke.

Are my friends just actors? Are my family member paid to love me...because I can't imagine someone loving me on purpose. I hope millions of people aren't watching me because then they know who I am...the guy who has secrets, who keeps things to himself, who fails every day, who makes choices that hurt other people, who almost never shares his faith.

I wonder if things would change if I knew I was on TV. I bet I would be a much better person knowing that millions of people were watching my every move. I'd work out everyday, and I'd say cool things like, "catch you on the flipside" in random conversation, There would probably be a better storyline too. Cars would be chasing me, men with eye patches would be trying to kill me and I would do a lot of martial arts while flying through air and shooting people.

I wonder if I would hear my own soundtrack? I hope John Williams is available. Would it be stealing if the Indiana Jones theme played behind me as I did mundane things. I can just hear that song playing as I check my email, or as I let the dog out, or change a diaper, or watch Survivor, or type a stupid post on my blog, or decide which boxers to wear in the morning. But then, when I kissed me wife, the music would change to something much more romantic. Something like the "Luke looking at the two moon of Tattooine" song from Star Wars...that would be great!

Larry Bird highlights!

Mr. Brent is back!

my favorite place on earth.

i love the monorail!

No no no, please no.

Shia LaBeouf in Indiana Jones 4?

Source: Ain't It Cool News

February 18, 2007

Ain't It Cool News is reporting a rumor that Disturbia and Transformers star Shia LaBeouf might play the role of Indiana Jones' son in the fourth installment:

The thing is, we know Spielberg loves La Beouf right now. DISTURBIA became a pet project for The Beard, and it evidently came out well. TRANSFORMERS is a big deal for the company, and a lot of the weight of that falls squarely on the shoulders of Shia. So as much as I pray that there's no Indy Jr., I’m starting to think that this may in fact be true.

The fourth film

Psalm 121- A Pilgrim's Song

I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

He won't let you stumble,
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life!
Israel's guardian will never doze or sleep.

God's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.

God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.

The memories are better than the moment.

Tumultuous pinprick, screech of airplane tires.
Cash in hand, heart in the vault

I see you from 35,000 feet
But I can't feel you from an inch.

Here there is no shelter.
Here there is no warmth.

The memories are better than the moment.
This frailty is suffocating.

I cart my heart in a briefcase
I tattoo your name with an inkpen
I photocopy your picture so I don't forget
I love you...at the moment

Money is time and time goes fast.
We can make it fun, but I doubt it will last.

God, help us.

doxology.

My heroes are slowly fading away.

older

When I was a kid, everything seemed huge and neverending. It seemed to take days to travel to a town 20 miles away. My Dad was the tallest man alive (and strongest). It seemed like my 16th birthday would never get here and I would never be able to drive. The world was massive and my life was just beginning. I can remember going to EPCOT at Walt Disney World when I was a kid and thinking that I would be a scientist one day who made cool experiments...the kind that EPCOT would show off. I remember thinking that my life was going to be that of a rock star. I would be famous, and I would be happy.

But that was my youth.

Here I am 29 years removed from the safety of the womb and my umbilical cord, set adrift in the scary open sea of independence. I have a wife, a child, a house, a dog, a job, and debt. But I am strangely happy. I'm not a rock star. I have no scientific research on display at EPCOT. I am not famous (to the world). But I am at ease.

But there is still regret and sadness.

The people I love are getting older. Family members are dying. Joints are getting arthritis. Stamina is reducing. Heroes are retiring. It's bizarre, but its something that everyone must endure. Sadly, it's only going to get worse, and I guess the trick is to learn to deal with it before it nails you to a tree. No, I don't want to get older. No, I don't want to lose family members. No, I don't want things to change. I want to go back and do it all over again and change a bunch of things.

Like what?

More time with family doing silly things.
More time reading the Bible.
More time appreciating the sky on a summer evening.
More ice cream.
Less time in front of the television.
More time holding my little girl.
More time emphasizing the good things in life instead of the bad.
More time laughing with my wife instead of causing her grief.
More time playing music with friends.
Less emphasis on the mundane, and more on the enjoyable.

I would just be a better person and do more to steer people to Jesus.