I have always loved sports. One of my favorite claims is that I never played organized sports in school yet I’m able to hang in there with guys that have—basketball, baseball, football, whatever. I’m not all-world by any means, but I have no problem stepping into any game and feeling confident that I won’t be making a fool of myself. I even lettered in college for Intramural Sports (got a jacket and everything!).

This Fall I joined two new athletic ventures. The first was a City Softball League. I’ve only played church ball since college and this was a definite step up in skill level, as well as atmosphere. The second is a Tuesday night basketball group. You have to be 25 or older and from Clinton. Typical players include the police chief, local restaurant owners, and teachers (Everyone there seems to be 6′ 5″ and can drain three’s like Reggie Miller.)

Both of these have been stretching opportunities for me. I’m a pretty introverted, home-bodied kind of guy, but I’ve met some really cool people in the last couple months. It’s funny how simply stepping into a game can build your confidence and increase your exposure to the community around you.

I guess my parting thoughts are to find a game to get into. You can’t see what you’re made of by sitting on the sidelines.

A couple months ago as part of our MuteMath VIP package Jason and I traveled to Grand Rapids to sit on a tour bus and listen to the new album, Armisitce, before it was available to the public. One of the songs that stood out to me was Clipping. I remember distinctly looking at Jason and saying that this is a great song for a church to use leading into a sermon.

It remains one of my favorites on the album, not only because of the great music but because it resonates with me so much.

In the last year I’ve been coming to a point in my life where I just don’t feel like fighting people who disagree with my beliefs—religious, political, sports, whatever. I’m very happy in what I believe, and I’m very willing to listen and learn from others, I just feel no desire whatsoever to fight or argue with anyone, on anything.

I know how it happened. It was a combination of more church infighting, and “christians” acting like tools during the presidential election. I feel passionately about many subjects, but if you’re wanting to fight me on the subject, or threaten to (or actually) leave me because of it… good riddance.

I’m just not sure if that’s a good place to be or not. Seems like I should be more willing to fight for people or ideas. But honestly, I’m not. At least right now.

Clipping — MuteMath

Feeling overload
Carrying bottled skies around
I’ve been drowning all along
Wearing out in a faltered sea
And I give up

Common sense failed again
Meddling in a foreign scene
Foreign dream
Time won’t spare another sun
Daring me with another choice another choice

Anymore I don’t know who to fight anymore
I don’t know what is right anymore anymore

Anymore I don’t know who to fight anymore
I don’t know what is right anymore anymore

Anymore I don’t know how to feel anymore
I don’t know what is real anymore anymore

Anymore I don’t know who to trust anymore
I don’t know what I want anymore anymore

Anymore I don’t know who to blame anymore
I don’t know what to say anymore anymore

Anymore I don’t know what I want anymore
I just don’t know anymore

Only three things of note this month…

1. Saw Paramore and Paper Route in concert at the Filmore in Detroit with Jason and Levi. Such a great show! I only wish we had better seats, but I’m sold on Paramore, and Paper Route is better live than I’d even hoped for. I’d go see both of these bands again.

2. Participated in an epic MuteMath concert experience. I’m still putting my review together on this one, but wow. Even after having seen them live 4 times before, this was hands down the best concert I’ve ever been to.

3. Halloween! Tried to watch a bunch of creepy-type movies this month (Zombieland wins hands down), and decorated our porch and lawn. This was the first year we stayed in Clinton and handed out candy. Good times! Tanner went as Harry Potter. Picture to come soon.

I also started playing basketball on Tuesday nights. I hope this Wednesday I don’t feel as bad as I did last Wednesday.

Looking at the calendar, I’m going to have quite a month in November. Can’t wait!

Books Read in October:
Zip.
Zilch.
Nada.

Movies Watched in October:
Zombieland – 5/5
The Brothers Bloom – 3/5
17 Again – 3/5
Sugar – 5/5
Year One – 2/5
Away We Go – 3/5
From Dusk Till Dawn – 2/5
Land of the Lost – 2/5
Shrink – 4/5
Young Guns – 4/5
Where The Wild Things Are – 5/5
Full Battle Rattle – 3/5
Management – 2/5
12 Monkeys – 3/5
Law Abiding Citizen – 4/5
Scream – 4/5
Running The Sahara – 5/5
Scream 2 – 3/5
Rocket Science – 5/5
Scream 3 – 2/5
Fight Club – 5/5
Event Horizon – 3/5
Young Guns II – 3/5
An American Wolf in London – 2/5

Previous Months:
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009

Big year for books! A full-term pregnancy into 2009 and I’ve already read, or listened to, 30 books (as well as the New Testament). Quite honestly I have no idea how I’ve done that, especially considering my rigorous movie watching regiment. None-the-less I’m happy to finally plow through some of these books on my bookshelf.

Here are four remaining books on my To-Read-In-2009 list:

Frankenstein – Mary Shelly
State of Fear – Michael Crichton
Team of Rivals – Doris Kearns Goodwin
Hot, Flat, and Crowded – Thomas L. Friedman

And I’m chomping at the bit to read these:

Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
Pagan Christianity – Frank Viola & George Barna
A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle
Scared – Tom Davis
The Hundredth Man – Jack Kerley
Organic Church – Neil Cole
The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore – Jake Colsen
Sticky Church – Larry Osborne

This just in! There are 2 new books coming out soon that will surely jump to the top of my list:

SuperFreakonomics – Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner
What the Dog Saw – Malcolm Gladwell

I certainly have my work cut out for me.

Swim – Jack’s Mannequin

You’ve gotta swim
Swim for your life
Swim for the music
That saves you
When you’re not so sure you’ll survive
You gotta swim
And swim when it hurts
The whole world is watching
You haven’t come this far
To fall off the earth
The currents will pull you
Away from your love
Just keep your head above

I found a tidal wave
Begging to tear down the dawn
Memories like bullets
They fired at me from a gun
A crack in the armor
I swim to brighter days
Despite the absence of sun
Choking on salt water
I’m not giving in
I swim

You gotta swim
Through nights that won’t end
Swim for your families
Your lovers your sisters
And brothers and friends
Yeah you’ve gotta swim
Through wars without cause
Swim for the lost politicians
Who don’t see their greed as a flaw

The currents will pull us
Away from our love
Just keep your head above

I found a tidal wave
Begging to tear down the dawn
Memories like bullets
They fired at me from a gun
Cracking me open now
I swim for brighter days
Despite the absence of sun
Choking on salt water
I’m not giving in
Well I’m not giving in
I swim

You gotta swim
Swim in the dark
There’s no shame in drifting
Feel the tide shifting and wait for the spark
Yeah you’ve gotta swim
Don’t let yourself sink
Just find the horizon
I promise you it’s not as far as you think
The currents will drag us away from our love
Just keep your head above
Just keep your head above
Swim
Just keep your head above
Swim, swim
Just keep your head above
Swim

Enemy Among Us – Paper Route

Fell into a hole my ears were ringing
Followed every rule and kept repeating
Could I be a fool?

In the silence, you’re the first one that I turn to
You’re the first voice that I turned to
In the absence of my own

There’s an enemy among us
There’s an enemy among us
And he stole as best he could
He stole as best he could
An enemy among us
There’s and enemy among us
He stole as best he could
Our hearts like an enemy should

And when I awoke my friends were sleeping
I put on my coat to keep from freezing
Something isn’t right

In the silence, you’re the first one that I turn to
You’re the first voice that I turned to
In the absence of my own

There’s an enemy among us
There’s an enemy among us
And he stole as best he could
He stole as best he could
An enemy among us
There’s and enemy among us
He stole as best he could
Our hearts like an enemy should

In the silence, you’re the first one that I turn to
You’re the first voice that I turned to
In the absence of my own

There’s an enemy among us
There’s an enemy among us
And he stole as best he could
He stole as best he could
An enemy among us
There’s and enemy among us
He stole as best he could
Our hearts like an enemy should.

» Football is back!
» Michigan already has more wins than last year!
» The Lions finally win a game!
» The Tigers are finishing strong!
» Fall softball is finally fun.
» Drove Grandma-In-Law to her family reunion in Alabama. A very quick weekend trip but enjoyed getting back on the road again. Enjoyed some out of this world catfish, hushpuppies and sweet tea.
» Lots of great music loaded up this month!
» Small group is picking up steam. So glad Steve has joined us!

The big story this month is that I failed at my goal of reading the New Testament in September. A bunch of reasons, mostly excuses, but I plan on wrapping it up before Monday. It’s been a huge learning experience and I plan on doing it again, and often. I’ll probably do it every couple months or so, switching up translations each time. The Message really threw me for a loop. Next in the que is the old standby NIV.

Books Read in September:
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
Drops Like Stars by Rob Bell

Movies Watched in September:
The Pickup Artist – 3/5
The Hunting Party – 3/5
The Deer Hunter – 4/5
Michael – 3/5
Spirited Away – 2/5
Romeo + Juliet – 4/5
Adventureland – 3/5
Take Out – 4/5
Cape Fear – 3/5
I Love You, Man – 4/5
Casino – 5/5
Trouble The Water – 5/5
Sunshine Cleaning – 4/5
O’Horton – 4/5
The Cider House Rules – 4/5

Previous Months:
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009

Donald Miller’s Searching For God Knows What was one of the first books I read when I first started my journey of spiritual discovery several years ago. Since then I’ve bought, read, loved, recommended and loaned out every one of his books. So when his newest book finally started to take shape, you can imagine how I’d be scrambling to get my hands on one.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years fits nicely with his other works. It’s another collection of thoughts and stories by Miller as he continues his own journey of spiritual discovery. In this book he takes you through some lessons he learned as he worked with a couple producers in developing a screenplay for his book Blue Like Jazz.

Along the road he learns some valuable lessons on story and how it relates to all of our lives. Just being able to appreciate Millers points of view and style of writing are enough for me to like this book, but this one more than the rest actually has me contemplating my own story, or stories, on an almost daily basis. And for that, it has been an invaluable read.

» Read The First 30 Pages Here

» Listen to Donald Miller Speak On His Million Miles Tour

Do you ever wonder if one of God’s decisions hinges on whether or not you (personally) pray about it?

IF SO… isn’t that scary?

IF NOT… why pray?

P.S. Please pray for my brother-in-law, and friend, Eric. He’s “under the knife” as we speak.

** Notes taken during my goal of reading the New Testament in September. I’m reading from The Message version.

• I don’t think I’ve ever read the first 25 verses of Luke 1 in my life.

• I am however finally seeing a lot of the stories I heard growing up that I didn’t see in Matthew or Mark.

• “Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.” (6:46-47)

• I’m still confused why Jesus kept telling people not to say a word about his miracles.

• One of my favorite lines: “One of the religion scholars spoke up: “Teacher, do you realize that in saying these things you’re insulting us?” (11:45)

• It’s really hard to read these gospels and wonder where Christians are coming from when they claim that we should “teach a man to fish so he’ll never go hungry” vs. just “giving a man a fish” when he’s hungry. Jesus seemed pretty fine with give-to-others-at-the-expense-of-yourself system of giving. Encouraged it actually.

• “A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives.” (13:24-25)

• Another much repeated, confusing line… “Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard.” (21:23) I wonder what that means.

• Luke is the first to mention the healing of the ear. Wonder why the others didn’t mention it. (22:51)