The Camping Trip (Part 1)

I have a real good friend named Jeff. I first met Jeff singing karaoke at a little shindig at a Christian house on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas. Looking back I don’t remember what he sang, or even if he sang, but I bet if he did it was really good because his voice is a mixture between Josh Groban and Enrique Iglesias. But what I do remember is that I wasn’t too sure Jeff and I was ever going to be friends. You see Jeff had facial hair. So naturally I assumed he was at least twenty-five. Turns out he wasn’t. We were both nineteen. It also turns out that we did become friends.

Fast forward a couple years, Jeff and I were thinking about going on a camping trip. I’m talking all out roughing it. Real men.

I had gone camping a few times growing up with my family. I always enjoyed it. There’s something about a terrible night’s sleep, waking up barely able to move, and needing to use the bathroom but remembering you had to dig a hole first, that always invigorated me. I loved the outdoors. Even today, I still love the outdoors; I’m just too lazy to actually go out there. Plus the sun hurts my eyes.

I began to recall those moments growing up, camping with my family, with great fondness, and the excitement for this new trip seemed to grow by the second. I even started working on a grunt. I figured if I was going to prove to everyone I was a real man, I needed to have a really good grunt. So I would sit in my room and practice my best grunt while listening to Jimmy Needham or Needtobreathe really loud so my roommate couldn’t hear me make a fool of myself with my pre-pubescent sounding attempts at grunting. I was ready to go.

Just a couple of days before we were supposed to leave, it became evident there would only be three of us taking the trip. It was just going to be Jeff, my roommate Mason, and myself. Mason and I have been friends for about as long as I can remember. We both moved into houses down the road from each other at about the same time when we were little. Whatever sport was in season is what we played in my front yard. It was in my front yard I took what were supposed to be my first steps to the NFL. We would talk about how we did in peewee, and I usually lied and said I was one of the best players on the team, when in reality I pretty much sucked. But despite my lies, he kept coming back over, and there we were, fifteen years later, getting ready for a camping trip.

In an attempt to show my manliness, I had thrown out the idea to the others, about not even using a tent. You know, just sleeping under the stars. Of course, much to my pleasure, that idea was shot down, and we decided on using a tent. But as it came time to go, there was one problem. It kept raining. And it wasn’t supposed to stop either. If this trip was going to happen, we were going to have to make a change in plans. Jeff brought up the idea of staying in a cabin. It was then my heart leapt for joy, because even though I was trying to be manly, in the end, I like beds, heaters, and toilets much more than dirt, rain, and holes in the ground.

So the next night, after I got off work, we loaded up in Jeff’s car to head to some cabins out in Dover, Arkansas. And under my breath, where the other guys couldn’t hear me, I let out a very manly grunt.

Stuff Of The Week

Well, it has been too long since I’ve put up a post on here. But rest assured, I have not forgotten you blogosphere. Things keep getting in the way, like school, work, and laziness. I do have some things planned coming up, though. I’ll have the next post in the “Lord, Teach Us to Pray” series in the next couple of days, as well as a fun post, hopefully, on a camping trip I went on last weekend.

The last couple of months I’ve been reading a lot. Last week I actually read 3 books. One of the problems I have had, however, is I have read so fast and took in so much information, I’ve had trouble retaining any of it. So starting now (I actually started a couple of days ago but I’m just now posting about it.) I am going to read one book a week. If it only takes me half a week to read it, then I read it again. But that is the only book I read for one week. I’ve heard of a lot of people doing this, and I think it is a fantastic idea.

But I also wanted to do something a little different. I do a daily Bible reading. ESV has a place on their website where they send you a daily reading from a lot of different reading plans to your email. I do the Bible in a Year plan. However, I’m still not in the Word as much as I would like. So every other week, my book for that week will be a book of the Bible. Reading it and studying it over and over again for the week. 

Also, while I was coming up with my plan for reading a book a week, I started thinking about all the music I own that I really don’t listen to. So I’ve also decided to do something similar with my music. At the beginning of each week, I’m gonna pick a cd, and that’s all I’m gonna listen to while I’m in my car riding around (excluding real long trips. A 3 hour trip and a 10 song cd on repeat doesn’t sound like much fun). Driving to work and school and back, I estimate I can listen to a cd about 6 or 7 times through in a week. Then the next week, I choose a different cd.

So each week, I will read a different book and listen to a different cd. Then, during the course of the next week I will post reviews of the book I read and the cd I listened to. Or if I read a book of the Bible, I might post some of the things that stood out to me or some verses I liked, I haven’t really figured out how I’m going to do those. Some of the books and cds will be new, and some will be older, some will be Christian, and some won’t. Just expect a little bit of everything. But be sure to stop by every Sunday to see what the book and cd of the week is. If you are a follower on Twitter, I will also be posting them on there.

One last note, congrats to the Yankees on winning the World Series. I’m not a Yankees fan, by any means, but they were, simply, the best team in baseball this year, and they deserved to win it all.

And just in case you were wondering, this week’s book is “Jesus Wants To Save Christians” by Rob Bell. And this week’s cd is “Find Your Way” by Acappella.

The Neily Awards – MLB

Well, the time has come for the little known, yet extremely important, Neily Awards for the Major League Baseball season. So without further ado, here they are.

American League Cy Young: Zack Greinke, Royals

With all due respect to C.C. Sabathia and Felix Hernandez, this should not even be a debate, in my opinion. I mean the dude barely gave up 2 runs a game. 2.06 is an impressive ERA in any era of baseball, but especially in today’s game which is skewed toward the offense. Plus he did it on a particularly terrible baseball team, which makes his 16 wins that much more impressive.

National League Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, Giants

Don’t get me wrong, I want Chris Carpenter or Adam Wainwright to win this award more than anyone. I just don’t see it happening. Lincecum won the award last year, which will make it tougher for anyone to dethrone him. Plus, I think he probably deserves it. The guy was absolutely dominant. Striking out far and away more batters than anyone else in the league, he also is right near the top of every other pitching statistic there is.

American League ROY: Andrew Bailey, A’s

Little stat for ya. The only closer in baseball with a lower ERA than Bailey was Mariano Rivera. Pretty good company for a rookie. The guy absolutely dominated.

National League ROY: Tommy Hanson, Braves

The likelihood is Hanson won’t get the award. The biggest reason is that he might not have been in the big leagues long enough this season to draw the attention necessary. But he was absolutely stellar for a Braves team that need someone to step in and produce. 11-4 in just about 2/3 of the season. That is enough for me to give the award to Hanson.

American League Manager of the Year: Ron Gardenhire, Twins

Gardenhoser did what he does every year. He takes a Twins team that really shouldn’t be very good, and he takes them to the playoffs. Even more amazing is the late run made by the Twins, overcoming a 7 game deficit in September, all without their former MVP Justin Morneau.

National League Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy, Rockies

I don’t know how many of these awards have ever been given to interim managers, but it is safe to say Tracy will be with the Rockies at least for a couple more seasons. In last place when he took over, the Rockies were arguably the best team in baseball after he took the reigns.

American League MVP: Joe Mauer, Twins

Seriously, this guy is a catcher and he hit .366? Winning what is already his third batting title, a record for a catcher, Mauer also hit 24 home runs and finished just shy of 100 RBIs. He is also the unquestioned leader of the Twins and an integral part of their remarkable run to the postseason.

National League MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals

He is the best player in baseball. I don’t know how much more there is to say. Pujols is making himself one of the greatest of all time, once again hitting over .320, as well as having upwards of 45 home runs and 120 RBIs. On top of that, he single handedly carried the Card’s offense until Matt Holliday arrived, and has a real shot at winning his second Gold Glove. Bobby Cox was even quoted as saying Pujols is the greatest defensive first baseman he has ever seen.

Speaking In Story

I will start by saying that I am no expert in public speaking. To be honest, I’ve only spoken before an audience a handful of times in my life. That being said, it is something I really enjoy. Throughout the years, many of the people in my audiences have given me really nice, unnecessary compliments. From the adults, I sort of expect it. They want you to feel good about yourself and give you support. But it is when some of the younger folks, especially those in their late teens, come and talk to you, that you can feel it really connected with the audience.

Isn’t that the whole point of speaking. Connecting with the audience and getting a point across. Incidentally, if you are trying to get more than one point across, you might want to consider cutting back. I’ve decided people’s heads start to explode after one point and they stop listening. But how are you supposed to connect with the audience? What is the best way to go about it? Honestly, I really don’t know what the best way is. Like I wrote earlier, I’m not a professional. But I will tell you what has worked for me.

It’s all about form. I’m not saying content isn’t important. It is of infinite importance. But it is not the content itself that will connect with the audience. Rather, it is how you present the content to the audience. Here’s what I do. First, I do a little praying to ask God to help me get everything worked out, and put in a way that will connect. Then I get to work on the content. For this part, I usually cheat. I call my dad. Here we usually have brainstorming sessions. Coming up with ideas about whatever the topic I am studying is. And by we, I mean my dad usually comes up with about five to my one idea. From here, I take the content and start working on it. I try to think of illustrations to support the content. I prefer things that have happened in my life, because I feel that anything real connects better. However, if necessary, I am not afraid to make up a story that sounds like it could have really happened. I also look for any area to add humor. I’ve had a couple of times where someone has told me that I used too much humor. They felt like they were just watching a stand up comedian. It has actually happened each year I spoke at Barton. But too be honest, I could care less. You see, humor is how I keep those not really interested in what I’m saying, interested in what I’m saying. Humor is a tool that, in my opinion, should be used more often. You see it a lot when talking to teens, but I think it should be used more in speaking to adults as well. I don’t understand why humor, or at least very much of it, is off limits on Sundays. If it helps to get my point across, you better believe I’m going to say it, whether you like it or not.

As I’m setting up my lesson, I try to think about what allows people to sit and watch three hour movies and be content. Really, it is all about anticipation. The person watching the movie is always wondering what is going to happen next. I figure, if it works for three hour movies, surely it will work for a thirty minute lesson. The biggest way to do this is something I learned from my dad. Never tell the audience what your lesson is about. You see it all the time. The speaker gets up and immediately tells you what his purpose is for the lesson. In my opinion, the moment the listener feels like they know what you are trying to say, is the moment they stop listening. As a result, I don’t want the listener to really know what the point of my lesson is until I’ve already started the conclusion. I want them to be taking a journey with me as we move towards a conclusion. The anticipation builds until the climax and resolution are reached.

Now, don’t get me wrong, preachers who use bullet points and alliteration are not wrong. It is just a different style. In my experience, a style that doesn’t work as well, but a style that has been used by many great speakers. This is just my viewpoint on it. Think of bullet point preaching as a trip where you have went to map quest. Before you even go anywhere, not only do you have the final destination, but you also know every turn and road it is going to take to get there. Now, I call this other way speaking in story. When you speak in story, I am the driver. I know exactly where we are going and what turns we need to take. But you have no clue. I never tell you where we are going. I don’t tell you when we are going to make a turn, I just make the turn. Sure, along the way you start to pick up clues where we might end up. But you never know for sure until I have parked the car at the destination. With the anticipation of what happens next, the thirty minutes flies by for the listener, and they are able to connect with your point.

I hope this was good. There are parts I wasn’t real sure how to explain it. This wasn’t necessarily meant as a how-to, since I didn’t really give you any specific directions. Just sort of an idea of what goes through my mind when I am trying to prepare to speak. You all have a wonderful day.

A Million Miles In A Thousand Years – Donald Miller

Donald Miller is my favorite author and in his new book he doesn’t disappoint. A Million Miles In A Thousand Years is another memoir style book. Basically, the premise is this. After Blue Like Jazz did real well, Don had trouble figuring out what to do next. His goal in life was to be able to the pay the rent with his writing. Now that he was able to that, he wasn’t sure what happens next. As a result he lost motivation to write and spent the next couple years dodging phone calls from his publisher.

Miller’s saving grace came in the form of a movie company who wanted to turn Blue Like Jazz into a movie. However, in order to do this, changes had to be made to the Don in the book, essentially because his real life wasn’t interesting enough to make a movie about. While writing the screenplay, Don attended a seminar to learn the basics of story. It was then that Don learned what it is that makes a story interesting. What it is that makes people care what happens to the main character in a movie. And he wonders if we can apply those same basics into our real lives.

So the rest of the book is Don trying to live out the basics of story within his life. It really is another brilliantly written book. Don is always a funny read, and at the same time, always says a few things that really make you think. Everyone tells a story with their lives, Don says, and the story you tell is contagious. This is a book about inspiring people to live better stories. Another great read from Donald Miller.

Same Kind Of Different As Me – Ron Hall and Denver Moore

So here’s the deal. I’m a member of Thomas Nelson Publishing’s blogger review team. This is something new I’m doing, and basically, I write reviews of books on my blog, and after I have written my review Thomas Nelson sends me another book for free. Well, the first book they sent me was a book called What Difference Do It Make, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. After doing a little research, I found out this book is a sequel to a book written a couple years back called, The Same Kind of Different as Me. I decided it would be best if I read this first book to give me a better understanding of what is going on in the second one. Luckily, my roommate had a copy that I was able to read.

Same Kind of Different as Me was a fantastic book. It is the true story of two men. The authors, Ron Hall and Denver Moore, tell the story of how their lives were intertwined in ways they could have never imagined. Denver grew up, essentially, as a modern day slave. The grandson of sharecroppers he knew nothing different. Meanwhile, Ron Hall was a millionaire art dealer. Not to give too much away, Denver ended up as a homeless man in Dallas, where Ron and his wife Deborah lived. Even though Ron and Denver are the authors, the story is really about Deborah. Drawn to work with the homeless, she insisted that Ron try to make friends with Denver.

The book is fascinating. Opening your eyes to some of the problems that still exist in America that no one tells you about. It is also a fun story about a friendship that no one expects, and what can happen to people when they allow God to run their lives. To me, it is a must read. If you would like a copy of it, you can get it right here.

As soon as I have finished reading, What Difference Do It Make, I’ll be putting the review up on here. But first things first, Donald Miller’s new book. Miller has turned into my favorite author, so I’m gonna read his new one, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years. So you can look forward to that review coming up, too.

Life Without A Cell Phone

I didn’t even have a cell phone until I started driving. But I don’t how I made it so long without one. It all started Saturday night. I was over at the Bledsoe’s house when my little brother, Tyler, called me. I answered but Tyler refused to talk to me. I thought that was rude of him so I hung up. I tried calling back. I looked at my phone and it said I was connected but I never ever heard it ring. To make a long story short, I did that about twelve times, and probably drove Tyler crazy by calling, realizing I couldn’t hear anything, then immediately hanging up. What happened next was terrifying. Tyler sends me a text message that says, “I think your phone is messed up.” He was right. The ear piece had stopped working. But do not worry readers of this blog, for I had a solution. For the next couple days, I had my phone on speaker. Sure, everyone could hear my entire conversation, and some people probably thought I was conceded. Too full of myself to care that I was bothering anyone by having speaker phone turned on. But I didn’t judge them. If they only knew the truth, how their opinion might change.

But then, out of the blue, it stopped working. I’ve had this phone for three years, so maybe it was just it’s time. But for three years it never even showed signs of slowing down. Then in the span of three days it is completely finished. So here I am, feeling practically naked without a cell phone. I really don’t even talk on the phone that much. Or so I thought. Only now do I really realize how much I used it. Just in the last couple days, there’s no telling how many times my roommate, Mason, has suggested I call someone or send a text, to then bust out laughing because he remembers I don’t have a phone. Even the lady at Verizon today. I go in to tell her that I need a new phone because mine broke, and I should be eligible for the upgrade price. Then she tells me a few things about how I need to be authorized on the account so I must call my mom. She writes down the number and hands it to me. After a rather long awkward silence, I inform her for a third time (I had mentioned another time during the middle of our conversation) that my phone is broken and doesn’t work. Then rather apologetically she allows me to use the store phone. Which brings me to right now, where I am trying to have a conversation with my mom over Facebook, because that is the next best way I have to get in touch with her. Not having a phone is not fun. How amazing is it we rely so much on those little pieces of technology goodness. Just thought I would share a little bit of what has been going on with me the last few days. Until next time, where I might have a phone update for ya’ll, be good.

This Weekend In Sports

Well, a lot of exciting stuff is happening around the sports world. Already, there have been two big upsets in college football. Oregon beat the mess out of Cal, and everyone’s darling, Miami, got smoked by Virginia Tech. As an Arkansas fan, it was tough to watch, but the Hogs got rolled by Alabama. Too be honest, I pretty much expected it, but it still doesn’t make it any easier to watch. All of the Ryan Mallett fans were reminded that he is still just a sophomore. Arkansas will be really good in the coming years. But not this year. The offense, while explosive, is inconsistent. Meanwhile, the defense sucks. Really, really bad. Easily the worst in the SEC. While the SEC is not known for great offenses, Georgia and Alabama have looked like offensive juggernauts against the Hogs. Good luck this year Arkansas. You’re gonna need it.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are gonna try to clinch their division, and a playoff spot, for the fourth straight day. All they need to do is win a game, or have the Cubs lose. Of course winning would be a lot more fun. They are gonna be in the playoffs, you just like them to clinch as quickly as possible so they can set up their pitchers like they want them for the postseason.

Tomorrow is another day for the NFL, and hopefully the beginning of a couple more fantasy football wins. Both of my teams won last week, so hopefully I can get a little win streak going. The Cowboys are the Monday Night game this week. I feel pretty confident going up against the Panthers. If the Boys can run the ball, they are gonna win.

And last, it appears Sam Bradford is going to see a surgeon this week in hopes of being cleared to play against Miami. Miami, even though they got beat today, is a good team. Oklahoma’s defense is good enough they can win with Landry Jones at quarterback. But if Bradford can play, that will give the team a much needed boost, and hopefully open some more running lanes for Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray.

Update: Cardinals clinched the division beating the Rockies tonight. Adam Wainwright picks up his 19th win. May he also be picking up his 1rst Cy Young very soon? I hope so.

Lord, Teach Us to Pray – Alone

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Matthew 6:6 (NIV)

THE NORM

We are a society that hates to be alone. The things expected of us always include other people. What are we supposed to do? Well, we are supposed to be popular and make lots of friends, and it is probably best to have a boyfriend/girlfriend or three by the time senior year rolls around. College life is about making more friends, and it is in your best interest to go out and do something with someone pretty much every single night. Of course, when the time is right, everyone is expected to settle down with that special someone and you better not wait very long to have kids. Because the longer you wait, the fewer kids you can have. In our society, the norm is having tons of people surround you at all times. Alone is not the norm.

THE ABNORMAL

So when Jesus calls us to pray alone, by ourselves, maybe it is harder than it appears on paper. Spending time alone is abnormal. Constantly distracted, most days we never quite get around to closing the door. We never quite get around to sitting for a couple of minutes. We never quite get around to alone. We never quite get around to praying. There is a place for public prayer. Whether it is in church, a small group, a Bible study, or even with a friend, we all can benefit from public prayer. But it is not the same. If private prayer was as easy as public prayer, we would all be prayer warriors.

THE DIFFERENCE

The difference comes in this. In our public prayers we can be very general. Instead of any specifics, we can ask for forgiveness in ways that others in the group are not really aware we are sinners. We say things like, “I could just use some help making sure God is my top priority.” At this point, everyone nods their head in agreement, for we could all use help making sure God is our top priority. But when you go home, when it’s just you and God, all generalities are thrown out. The truth is you can’t come within ten feet of your boyfriend/girlfriend without having sex. And however much you want to hide it, however much you don’t want to bring it up, God already knows about it and he has a way of bringing it up anyway. Praying alone is tough. It makes you admit you don’t have it all together.

THE PLACE

I encourage you to find a place for your alone time with God. Jesus tells us it is a necessary part of our prayer life. It can be anything. It could be in your car, at the park, or even literally in your closet – Any place as long as you are alone. Praying alone is not easy, but as Jesus says, your Father is waiting for you. He is there to forgive, comfort, and celebrate with. We are constantly bombarded with everything this world has to offer, but let us take some time to unplug from the world. Even if it is just for a little bit, let us remove ourselves from the chaos and take the time to be alone with God.

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Well, in light of the amount of study and preparation that must be done for the Gospel of John Project, I have decided to do another series to pass the time. The series will be 30 posts the way it is set up right now. I may, when the time comes, combine or omit a couple posts. Now don’t roll your eyes, I’m not talking about 30 posts in a row. The posts will be periodic, but a continuing theme. All the while, I will be doing my normal posts on books, music, life, and my personal walk with Christ.

The series is going to be called “Lord, Teach Us to Pray.” The name of the series comes from Luke 11:1, where the disciples ask Jesus that exact thing. This past summer, I got the opportunity to teach the college class at UCC for a couple Wednesday nights. I took the time to talk about the prayer life of Jesus and how we can use his example to thrive in our own prayer lives. But as I was teaching it, I had a real problem. There was much more to teach than should be taught in a couple of bible classes. There was no way I could fit it all in! And it was as I thought about that tonight I decided to do this series.

Like I said earlier, the series will consist of somewhere around 30 posts when it is all said and done. Each post will take either a specific prayer of Jesus, or a teaching by Jesus on prayer, and break it down. We will focus on how these teaching effect our lives and how to imitate Jesus’ example. When learning to pray, who better to ask than Jesus himself. That is what I am going to do in this series. So let us join with disciples to request, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

For those interested, the structure of the series is inspired by the classic Andrew Murray book, With Christ in the School of Prayer. If you would like your own copy of Murray’s book, you can get it right here.