Naughty or Nice?

Love this video of Jack Bauer interrogating Santa.

Metrosexual Dreaming

A couple weeks ago I took the Metrosexual Worship Leader Quiz and (depending on who you talk to) scored pretty high.

I may have some "metro" tendencies. I like to think of it as more of an artistic bent though.

When I sit down and think about what I want to do with my life, a lot of ideas come to mind. I'd love to get involved in video production. Not movies, but more documentary/real life kind of stuff. Do video work that inspires and moves people.

I'd love to work for a clothing company (here's the metro). Clothing is art, that people wear! It's amazing!

I'd like to grow a creative environment where musicians, artists, photographers and other creative types can come to seek refuge. A place where art is used to create a better future.

Maybe that's why Jedidiah is so close to my heart. They seem to encompass everything I could see myself doing in the future. I wonder if a company like that could make a go of it in Central Ontario?

Any other metro-guys want to join me? Ladies are welcome too.

God Of Second Chances

Let me set the stage for what you are about to see.

Carlos ( or "Los" as he's known) is shooting some promotional material for his upcoming album. His next location is in a really sketchy end of town, he sets up for the shot and starts playing "God Of Second Chances."

Then Danny (a homeless guy) walks up to Los, kneels down on the pavement, starts crying, puts his hands up in the air and... well watch the video.

WOW.

3 Tough Days

When we "bought" our new house 2 years ago, people said aside from divorce, buying a house is the most stressful thing you can do.

I laughed it off. ("Come on, I've moved before. It's no big deal.")

Well the last 3 days have proved me wrong! I take that back, the last 2 years has proved me wrong.

Wondering if we'll ever move in, visiting an empty lot with a couple months to go, to starting to look elsewhere for a house, to picking the cabinets and colors, it was a real roller coaster. Mix in Crystal losing her job one year ago and a 7 month stretch on one income and looking back I laugh. This is not how we planned it. That wasn't supposed to be part of the story.

The last 3 days had its own share of stress. From emergency trips to Toronto to fill out paperwork, to spending all day on the phone (or on hold) with insurance companies, lawyers and the bank, to having my cell phone ring off the hook with another unexpected snag in the process, it's been a busy (and hectic) couple of days.

There were times along the way where I wondered what was wrong with me. I wasn't stressing at all. To be honest, I wondering if my stress meter was broken. My wife just lost her job and we're trying to save for a house, I should be a wreck. I wasn't. I like to think God sheltered me from those stressful feelings. But a couple weeks ago I made the mistake of asking God why I wasn't stressing, like I wanted the stress.

Well I got it.

The last 3 days I've felt nauseous, lost my appetite and was sure I was giving myself an ulcer. I hated it. The stress was overwhelming at times, and it was not fun.

But at 5:08 today, when I stuck the key into the door lock and entered our new home for the first time (as the owner) it was all worth it. I LOVE this house, and looking at the glimmer in Crystal's eyes I know she does too.

I can't wait for the BBQ's, the celebrations with friends, the opportunities the have people over for dinner, the family Christmas get-togethers. The opportunities to share, connect and dream.

There is no way this house should have happened. The timing, the issues, the uncertainty. I believe God's blessing was on this entire house process and I want to honor that by using it in a way that pleases him.

I'm not sure what that means, but I'm excited for what God has next for us. He hasn't let us down yet!

It's Just Water

The water was shut off in my building today.

I knew it was coming.

They had signs posted all over the place the past couple of days. Something about replacing some valves.

Anyway, it totally bummed me out. I tried to brush my teeth - no water. I tried to wash my bowl after downing my morning mini-wheats - no water. I was going to shave and shower - no water.

Of course I could just walk across the parking lot into the health centre and shower and shave there. (Which is what I did). But as I was washing my hair (in the communal shower with the 2 hard-boiled senior citizens who had just enjoyed the hot tub) my mind wandered to Africa.

Here I am, upset that I had to walk across the parking lot and avoid making eye-contact with the saggy skinned man next to me in order to take a shower. Meanwhile there are MILLIONS of people that are DYING because they can't get clean water. And I think I've got it bad?

I don't want to over-spiritualize it, but God got my attention today. All it took was a tiny little inconvenience to reveal how selfish and petty I really am.

Check out THIS SITE. It's the story of one man who had it all, (money, power, respect) and knew that there was more. It's an amazing story, and you can be a part of it.

Maybe this Christmas you could take a couple minutes and maybe even drop a couple bucks to provide some clean water for someone who desperately needs it. CLICK HERE, save a life.

I Love Creativity

I love creativity. Especially creativity in marketing and advertising. I think good commercials can actually be more entertaining than the program you might be watching. Problem is that good creative advertising is often shot down in favor of squeezing in more information. (But I want to make sure people know we're offering 10% off USB Lava Lamps) There are times, however, when creativity is allowed to roam free, and the result? Something like THIS.

JetBlue hits a homerun with this fake catalog idea. Creative, memorable, and gets the point across. Let me ask you a question: What's more effective, this fake catalog? Or some ads that jam that same information down your throat with no creative touch? " (JetBlue gives you more leg room, free snacks and live tv...)

So let creativity run free!

Think You're Tough?

THIS is why I think hockey players are the toughest people in the world. AN SUV! They might not be the most intelligent or well-spoken people, but they are tough.

Do What No One Else Is Doing

Yesterday I posted about churches doing something new in an effort to reach new people. Well today I have another example of a church that seems to be trying something new. Soul City Church is leveraging social media to build a new kind of church. Good on them! I think we need these kinds of out of the box thinkers to take the church to the next level.

I heard a guy tell the story like this: 30 years ago Amtrak was faced with a decision, do they evolve with the changing times (air travel was gaining in popularity), or do they stick with what they've been doing all along (trains). They decided "We do trains. We're a railway company." This decision cost them HUGE! Had they looked at it a little differently and said "We're in the transportation business" they would own the airlines.

This can apply to everyone. The local tv stations that are asking for more money, are they in the tv business, or in the media communications business? (including youtube, blogs, twitter & facebook) Publishers, are they in the book business or in the education and entertainment business?

Sure PC's have taken a beating lately with Apple's resurgence, but IBM made the jump from business to personal computing and in the process managed to avoid irrelevance. Had they said "we're in the business of computers for corporate use, I'm not sure if we'd have the joy of using Windows 7.

Just something that has been on my mind lately. Are we embracing new technology and thinking big picture, or are we just a "train company?"

What No One Else Is Doing

"To reach people no one else is reaching, we must do things no one else is doing" - Craig Groeschel


I LOVE that quote. People ask me why I attend the church I do, (I'm not really sure why they ask that), and that's why. My heart is for the 90% of people in Central Ontario who attend Bedside Baptist (with Pastor Pillow & Sister Sheets) on Sunday morning. The people who have no interest in going to church. The people my church is trying to reach. Georgian College is just down the street from the studio here in Barrie, and of the 10,000 students that attend Georgian, how many of them are going to a church on Sunday? How many of them are going to the bar on Thursday or Friday night?

Is my church perfect? No. Far from it. Do they hit a homerun with everything they try? No. But that's not why I go on a weekly basis. I believe in their vision to reach people that no one else is trying to reach. I believe in taking risks and trying something new, even if it bombs. I believe in trying something that no one else is doing, in an effort to reach people no one else is reaching.

Why do I go to the church I do? That's why I go to the church I do.

Who Doesn't Love Non-Fiction?

Let me start off by saying I did the Purpose Driven Life thing and (while it was good) it didn't blow me away. Rick and his Hawaiian shirts didn't score many points in my books. HOWEVER, I am a fan of Rick Warren, but not for that book. I'm impressed with how he has dealt with the fame that accompanied writing the best selling non-fiction book of all time (other than the Bible). His stance on a lot of hot-button issues, his unwillingness to pervert the gospel and his genuine desire to see people reached for Jesus have scored him big points with me.

I read an interesting transcript of a panel discussion (I guess) from a pew research forum in which Rick covers a lot of ground, including his finances.

I actually retired when the book came out. Most of you know that I tithe 90 percent. When you write the best-selling book in English history, second to the Bible - The Purpose Driven Life is the most translated book in the world except for the Bible. It's in over a hundred languages. Friends, it's tens of millions of dollars. The income is tens of millions of dollars.

He goes on to talk about his 90% tithe and the various charities he's started. Really interesting stuff!

It's too bad the guys who get all the press are the ones who condemn the Teletubies and try to burn Dan Brown's books.

Check out the full transcript HERE