Merry Christmas!

Well, it’s almost Christmas Day. I’m at my parent’s and we’re going to celebrate Christmas tonight. Due to work and being out of town, I’m not going to be able to post in the next couple of days, so I wanted to go ahead and wish all of you a very merry Christmas from me. I hope it is an uplifting season. I don’t really have much to say, so I decided to post a video of my favorite Christmas song being sung by one of the best vocalists there is, David Phelps. Enjoy!

Stay Connected With Neil’s Diamonds

Hey everybody. I just thought I would stop by and let everybody know about a what I think is a cool new feature on the blog. In the upper part of my sidebar, there on the right, is an option to subscribe to get email from the blog. I know I tend to be a little bit of a streaky blogger. I might have four or five posts one week, then go a couple of weeks without one. But now, buy subscribing for emails, you can make sure you have always read the latest post. You never even have to come back to the site. As soon as I am finished writing it, the entire post is sent directly to your inbox. Just a little something I thought might make things a little easier for my readers.

Oh, and in celebration of the holiday season, I added a little snow to the blog. I have a couple of sports posts coming up. One about the Heisman Trophy finalists, my second annual College Football Neily Awards, plus some other stuff I have yet to think of. Love you, bye.

The Camping Trip (Part 2)

The Camping Trip (Part 1)

Until just recently, I always drove with the windows up. However, in an effort to save gas, and consequently, money, I decided to cut the A/C and roll down the windows. And I must say I don’t think I can ever go back. (Except when it is really cold. Or really hot for that matter. Actually, the more I think about it, it still has to be pretty perfect weather for me to keep the windows down.)

 But there we were. Kid’s taking on the great wilderness. Like birds flapping their wings to learn for the first time they can fly. But we were driving down the road with the windows up, and let me just say the car was getting a bit stuffy. I was definitely ready to get to the cabin, if for no other reason than to just get a breath of fresh air.

 As we pulled up to the office for the cabins, my mind quickly moved from fresh air to whether or not I would survive the night. There was a lone streetlight in the parking lot, which was just bright enough to give light to nothing. It felt like we were driving into a scene from a horror movie. We decided that someone needed to go check and see if the door was unlocked. I volunteered Jeff, mainly because I was afraid I would pee on myself if I moved.

 The cabin was pretty small. Not something you would stay in for vacation, but definitely better than sleeping on the ground. It even had a TV. But every time we turned it on, a breaker was thrown and the electricity would go out. (It was at this time I expected someone to jump out of the closet with a hatchet.)

We spent a little time chatting, eating brats, and what not. I mentioned to Jeff that I had never owned anything camouflage before. He was nice enough to give me a camo hat that he had. And I figured that since I had a camo hat, I was a real outdoorsman. So I spent the rest of the weekend talking about hunting and Muck boots in a strange accent.

 Mason was having to write part of a movie script for one of his classes, so Jeff and I thought we would help him out. You know, make sure he has a real vision of the entire movie, as well as making sure his ideas didn’t suck. We had this real awesome idea for the movie. One where a little girl comes from the future to tell a man that he must save her life. I say “we” had a good idea. It was mainly Jeff and Mason’s idea. For some reason, they thought all my ideas for the movie were real dumb.

 I had just thrown out an idea about how the girl could have been a former student in her hero’s karate class, which Mason welcomed with, “Maybe you should just be quiet,” when my life changed forever.

 At this point, I was getting a little tired, as well as being frustrated because my awesome ideas weren’t being taken seriously. I felt like Tom Green on The Celebrity Apprentice. So I hugged onto a pillow and rolled over on my back. And if not for Jeff, I would be dead right now. Because I am very trusting, I sat still as Jeff killed a spider which was ready to pounce. For sake of the story, it turned out to be the most poisonous spider in the world!

I had trouble sleeping because my mind was going a million miles per hour. I searched every inch of the cabin for spiders, which I suddenly had an extreme fear of. I also couldn’t get over the fact that I would never be a real man until I had me a pair of Muck boots. Plus the bed pretty much sucked. I think I might have preferred the ground.

 As we got ready to go the next morning, it was bittersweet. We had survived (Although just barely). But as we left, it felt good to know that what started as a trip with two men and one scared little boy taking on the great outdoors, three men were returning. That’s right, Jeff had become a man.

The Camping Trip (Part 1)

The Camping Trip (Part 2)

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.

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.

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.

A Fresh Beginning

Sometimes you just have to start all over. I must say that is how I’ve felt for the last month or two when it comes to Neil’s Diamonds. And so I’ve done it. I decided to start over. And I must say it feels pretty good. I have had a lot of good posts going around in my head, and now I feel comfortable putting them on the blog. Maybe you don’t understand why I deleted all my old stuff, but it was something I had to do. Consider it a mental block if you will.

For the new Neil’s Diamonds you can look forward to more pictures, videos, and stuff like that. I am going to review a lot of music, books, and movies. I will have my usual thoughts on religion, and simple updates on how life is going. I will still be doing my causes series whenever I find an organization I like. I will be doing a series shortly, highlighting the folks I have in my blogroll. I will also be giving you updates and sneak peeks at the book I am working on. Something called The Gospel of John Project. I hope you have enjoyed the blog in the couple years it has been around, and I hope you continue to enjoy it long into the future.