What I've Been Reading/ Watching

Reading:

Lead, For God's Sake!: Todd attends NMC and has served as a Small Group Leader to Senior High guys. This modern day Fable is a fantastic read. I started it as our plane lifted off from Chicago heading to Amsterdam, and only put it down for food, bathroom and rest breaks on that flight. I was done with it halfway through my Amsterdam to Nairobi flight. I have a feeling this book is going to be fairly significant in leadership circles. It's engaging, entertaining, and full of insight and challenge on living life with purpose.

The leadership principles are valuable and applicable. It's well worth a read if you are in any area of leadership.



When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself : This was a timely book for me as I started it in the D.R.C. and inhaled the majority of it on my 44 hour journey home from Africa. The book is written by two Christian Economics and Community Development Professors who have had extensive experience in addressing poverty and short term missions. Traveling to multiple cultures as well as diving all in to our Kids In Need initiative has uncovered the complex world of world evangelism. I'm believing more than ever that the call of Matthew 25 (sheep and the goats) is just as significant and tied to the call of Matthew 28 (the Great Commission). Yet, how do you go about clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, etc. in a way that moves toward making "Fully Committed Disciples? This book has been a breath of fresh air and insight into my newfound angst and struggle over approaching missions with a healthy and holistic perspective.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who is consistently working with or leading teams on cross-cultural missions experiences, as well as any person who is wrestling how to best live out the Gospel.


Watching:

Date Night: Janelle and I went to this movie on our 10th anniversary. It made us laugh... a lot. After the movie, I commented to Janelle that you almost have to be married for a minimum of 5 years to really enjoy this movie. A little raunchy at points, but if you are a Steve Carrell and/ or Tina Fey fan, it delivers. I'd wait till it's on DVD to rent it, or hit the dollar theater as it's probably there at this point.




Iron Man 2: I'm one of those sensible people who believe that the original Ironman was actually the best superhero movie of the Summer 2008 (meaning it was better than The Dark Knight). Ironman 2 was fun, funny, action-packed, and worth the price of admission. A good start to the Summer. Probably not the best movie I will see this Summer, but I liked it. If you liked the first one, I can't see how you wouldn't like the second.

Reading/ Watching/ Listening To

Reading: Just finished Take Your Best Shot: Do Something Bigger than Yourself by Austin Gutwein and Todd Hillard. It's a 15 year old's journey to do something to seriously address kids being orphaned by AIDS (started when 9 years old). A must read for Junior and Senior High Students, and a great read fro adults as well (I was encouraged and challenged).The humor, inspiration, and practicality of the book is too good to pass up.

Watching:
Criminal Minds: I've watched a lot of episodes on A&E recently.
NFL Football: I love Sundays in the Fall.
My Daughter Grow Up: She's putting together sentences. The Disc Go Into the Basket: I've been disc golfing a lot.

Listening to:
Leeland: Love is on the Move.
NeedtoBreathe: The Outsiders.
U2: The full discography.

What I'm Reading/ Watching/ Listening To

The week at the Lake Edition:


Reading: Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Francis is the lead pastor at Simi Valley Community Church in California. I've been an off and on listener of his podcast over the past years. There are a few of my teammates here at NMC that are huge Chan-fans.

This was a great read for me. It is basically the very healthy rant of a Christian fed up with luke-warm living. Chan dares the American Church to actually step out and live the way the life the obsessed lifestyle the Bible outlines.
I found myself often saying, "that's why I signed up for this gig!" It brought out several intense journaling sessions and great conversations with Janelle concerning my current "Christian Lifestyle." It brought about 3 significant steps that will be taken by myself or by Janelle and myself (one outlined in my reading review).
It's a book that will go on my shelf with those books that I will likely read again. My big disappointment was reading this away from internet access as Chan has several points in the book where he directs you to his website to watch a video. Watching those in my return, I see how my reading would have been enhanced.


Reading: Matthew by Levi the Tax Collector
About one chapter in to Crazy love, I was incredibly convicted over my lack of Bible Reading over the past few years. I spend regular Time Alone with God in prayer and devotional scripture reading, but something just rose up in me to go back to inhaling larger portions of scripture on a regular basis. I made a commitment to read through the New Testament by January 1, and started with reading Matthew. My 4-5 chapters a day allowed me to look more holistically at the book and some big things jumped out.

• The incredible meticulous redemptive plan of God throughout scripture.
• The complete fulfillment of OT Law as found in the person of Christ.
• The call of Christ to mankind to die so that they might live.
• The incredible compassion and sacrificial love of Jesus displayed through his entire ministry and ultimately his death.

I'm looking forward to Mark.



Watching: The Dark Knight
Many are dubbing it the best movie this year. Some are dubbing it in the top movies of all time. Heath Ledger's performance being praised and surrounded with Oscar buzz.
I really liked it. It was a great movie. I'll be very honest, I think it got overhyped to me by the time I saw it. Christian Bale would have had to walk through the theater in his rubber suit to live up to the hype I'd received.
But, cool, intriguing, complex but not schizophrenic (Spidey 3, Pirates of the Caribbean) story line. Heath Ledger was top-notch, but so was Aaron Eckhart.
All that to way, it will go down as the #2 best movie I've seen this Summer. Iron Man is going to retain the top spot for me.



Listening To: Viva La Vida by Coldplay

If you like Coldplay, you'll love this.
If you don't like Coldplay, you won't like this.
I like Coldplay.

What I'll Be Listening To...

Just downloaded these from Itunes, and will be getting some consistent listening to while gone...

Jon Foreman's Fall and Winter EP's. Jon, lead singer for Switchfoot. He say's on his myspace page:

During my years in Switchfoot I have been fortunate enough to stumble across all sorts of songs as a songwriter- some are perfect for a rock band to play and others are far too intimate. Some need to be played in arenas with electric guitars, some deserve to be played with simply a cello and a bass clarinet.
Tim, Chad, and the boys, (and many of you) have been encouraging me to get the softer songs out for years. Now that we are independent, that dream of ours is finally coming true.
Over the course of the year I will be releasing 4 ep's, with 6 songs on each ep. The ep's will be seasonal: fall, winter, spring & summer.

The first two are out, and I'm loving them. Mellow, acoustic driven, artistic and full of imagery. I love Foreman's idealism and poetry.

The Almost - Southern Weather - Several students in our ministry love Under Oath, a screamo band full of passionate Christ Followers who are taking their message into some fairly dark places including the Warped Tour last Summer. I just can't get into them.
But, I'm loving drummer Aaron Gillepie's other band, The Almost. One of our students tipped me off to the band. It's got a great sound to it.




Rush Of Fools - Self titled Album. They were at NMC last June. They're coming again in May. I've not really listened to them much. Those who regularly listen to Pulse FM tell me they are getting played to death there.
Maybe it's good I don't listen to Pulse, because I'm loving these guys as well.

What I'll Be Watching

The purchase of my 80 gb Ipod has proved to be most valuable for longer flights.... This year I take two battery boosters with me that can recharge the ipod without having access to a outlet... very valuable considering the travel length between outlet accessible flights.

What I'll Be Watching:

Lost, Season 3... With Season 4 debuting 3 days after my return, what a perfect time to refresh where we're at in the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815? When I first watched this show, I figured it wouldn't be enjoyable rewatching. Quite the opposite. In going back, it's great to see how the writers were dropping hints all along, AND it's possible to pick up new clues in a second viewing.

What I'll Be Reading....

The Trip to India brings a lot of travel time (read previous post).

Lots of Travel time=Lots of reading watching and listening to.

So rather than telling you what I have been reading/watching/listening to, in the Next few posts I would like to let you know what the potentials over the next 10 days.


What I'll Be Reading...
I always take along a few books and end up diving into one.

I've read Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus in the Spring 2005. It left a profound impact on me.
Due to that impact, it has been required reading for every one of our High School IMPACT Short Term Missions teams. As I lead the team this year, I will be reading through it again. I'm looking forward to giving it another run through.







Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy. Huge Colts Fan. Tony Dungy seems to me to be done. I admire the way he has used his celebrity to display his faith with integrity and humility. Janelle gave me this book for Christmas. It will be read at some time. Will it be India? This I do not know.








Totally Wired by Anastasia Goodtein. I've mentioned the Ypulse blog on here before. Anastasia is not a Christian, but she has an incredible pulse on the current Youth trends and culture. As much as I try to keep technologically and culturally up to day, I'm behind the curve. I've also been looking for a good book to direct parents who would like to become more educated on Social Networking, cyberbullying, cell phones, itunes, etc.
Could this be that book?





The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World 2008 by Bob Sehlinger. It's official... the Prenkerts are Disney World Freaks. I also enjoy travel books. When will Katylynn's first trip to Disney be? If it happens in 2008, it will be toward the end of the year. So, I'll enjoy reading up on the many aspects of the "Happiest Place on Earth."

What I'm Reading/ Watching/ Listening To

Time away is a great time for me to dive into a book or two, a movie or two, and a song or two...
Here we go...

What I'm Reading:
GOD ON MUTE: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer by Pete Greig
Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog knows what a profound impact Pete's book Red Moon Rising had on me and my personal prayer journey.

What do you do when you're the leader of a global prayer movement that is seeing a proufound move of God, yet your own prayers for your ailing wive's life-threatening condition seem to be going unanswered?
In the Summer of 1997, I found myself in a circle of guys passionately praying over me for a healing from my diabetes. I truly believed that God wanted to heal me. We were (as far as I could tell) praying with faith much larger "than a mustard seed". I actually went for a 48 hour period without taking an insulin shot in a step of faith. I wasn't healed.
In the Summer of 2003, dear friend prayed over Janelle and I to be blessed with a baby. We'd been trying to have a child for about a year. That friend prayed in faith (and we both truly sensed it to be a "word from God") that Janelle would be pregnant within the year. A year passed, and no baby. Our prayers have continued, seemingly met by silence over the past 5 years.
This book takes a gut-level honest approach to the reality, pain and frustration of unanswered prayer. The 1st half is looking at the prayers of Jesus at Gethsemane and Golgotha as templates for the journey of unanswered prayer. The 2nd half takes a logical and scriptural look at the "why" of unanswered prayer.
I'm about 2/3 through the book. It has been full of "been there, done that", "a-ha", and "I can't read through the tears" moments. It has been the right book at the right time for me as I wrestle with God.

I'm planning to take two weeks to teach the content of the second half of this book to our students on Wednesday Nights in late September.

What I'm Watching:
Hotel Rwanda - When I got done watching this movie, I was mad at myself.
I was mad for not knowing anything about the genocide in Rwanda.
I was mad at myself for not watching this movie sooner.
I was mad at myself for doing exactly what Joaquin Pheonix's character said I (a bloated, sheltered American) would do... "I think if people see this footage, they'll say Oh, my God, that's horrible. And then they'll go on eating their dinners. " For me, it was popcorn.

I need to do something significant for those in the world who are being driven from their homes. It's happening all over the world. If you haven't watched this movie, be warned... it's disturbing; but I'd rank it up there as a "valuable watch" in the same vain as SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and SCHINDLER'S LIST.



What I'm Listening To:
I did a lot of journaling while I was on my blogcation. It was about catching up on the many issues/ lessons I've been going through. Most of the time I did my journaling to the sounds of birds chirping and watering crashing against the sea wall. As the day went on, the boats and jet skis started humming around on the lake. To battle with the sound, I found myself going to a four CD set called Classical Music for People who Hate Classical Music to serenade me as I continued in my journaling. I actually bought it to use the music as background tracks for videos.
I find Classical Music to inspire and sharpen my brain.

What I'm Reading/Watching/Listening to...

Time for a little update...


What I'm Reading
"Red Moon Rising" by Pete Grieg and Dave Roberts is the story of the 24-7 prayer movement that started among a less-than-likely group in England. Out of this movement, prayer groups, prayer rooms, and prayer vigils have popped up all over the world.
The book simply tells the story, but it also is a call to a new focus and vision when it comes to the need for prayer.
I'm about halfway through this book, and it's messing me up... in a good way.
I'm finding myself in dialog with God as I read.
I'm finding myself praying some dangerous prayers.
I'm find that I'm wrestling through some BIG "What Ifs".

I've already gotten several copies to get to my fellow staff members, key leaders, and key students.

You can see more about the 24-7 prayer movement by logging on to 24-7prayer.com.


What I'm Watching
Right now, this very moment, I'm watching Seinfeld.
It's the episode where...

• Elaine's boyfriend stops everything once he hears Desperado.
• Jerry claims he invented the umbrella twirl.
• George has the Sunshine Carpet Cleaners cult visit him, and gets upset that they don't try to convert them.
• Jerry gets tons of checks from Japan for the "Super Happy Fun Hour".
• Kramer takes some Japanese tourists around the city.
• Kramer has the tourists sleep in his oversized chest that Elaine's boyfriend gave him.

Just one episode with that many HILARIOUS storylines. Is there any other show that you can just start talking about an episode, and people just start laughing and talking together? The shows been over for 9 years


What I'm Listening to


Rich Mullins was a poet. His music style is not on the top of my list, but his lyrical style just resonates with me. Yesterday, when I went out for a walk, I hit my I-pod to play all Mullins songs. The song "Promises" hit, and the chorus rang true to me... I think I started singing out... probably looked like an idiot.

"If I stand let me stand on the promise that You will pull me through,
And if I can't let me fall on the grace that first brought me to You,
If I sing let me sing for the joy that has born in me these songs,

but if I weep let it be as a man who is longing for his home."

What I'm Reading/ Watching/ Listening to

The Vegas Edition

What I'm Reading...

Book #1 -Be the Change - Your Guide to Freeing Slaves and Changing the World by Zach Hunter
Zach is a 15 year old abolitionist. In 7th grade, he received a burden to do something about the world-wide slave trade that is still taking place today (in the book he sites that there are more slaves in the world today that at the time of the Civil war). Our New York Gospel Outreach (NYGO) team is reading this book together.
It's definitely written by a 15 year old. I mean that in a good way. It's definitely his thoughts, it' raw, it's idealistic, and it's challenging.
This is more than a book on slavery. It's about living out your passion and seeking to change the world for the cause of Christ. This is a great read if you're a teenager or if you work with teenagers. It would be a great book to go through with a small Group.


Book #2 - Sex God - Exploring the endless connections between sexuality and spirituality by Rob Bell
Rob is an incredible mind, a great communicator, and a significant spiritual voice to this generation. His first book, Velvet Elvis, was enjoyable. I had heard him speak on the majority of what he had written in that book. I haven't heard him speak on the majority of the content in Sex God (I'm not finished with it yet).
This book is about sex, but also much more than it. It's a look at the heart of sexuality as God intends it, and us seeking to get the the heart of where we've distorted sexuality. I've read several books and excerpts of books on purity and lust. This is a different approach. The challenge is to look to the core of what we're seeking after. The key saying over and over through the book is that "this is actually about that."
I'm enjoying it. It's messing with me in a good way.




What I'm Watching...
We saw three shows

1. Blue Man Group - How do you explain this show? It's postmodern Vaudeville. It's PVC Pipe Rock n' Roll. It's environmental satire. It's flat out a great show. If you're into unique, humorous, outside-the box creative humor, this is the show. I've seen them in Chicago as well. If you're looking for a great day or overnight trip with your groom or bride, I highly suggest heading up to the Chicago theater and catching the show. You won't be disappointed.

2. Ka - Janelle and I saw the Cirque Du Soleil show La Nouba when we were in Orlando 3 years ago. We both commented on how the 2 hour show rivaled the enjoyment and exhilaration of an entire day at Disney.
This show BLEW OUR MINDS. It's a story of two twins separated and their journey to reunite. The show took place in front, on the sides, and even over top of you. Acrobatics, singing, dancing... unbelievable artistic performance.
Both Blue Man and Ka reminded me of our creative Creator, and His desire for us to use the abilities and gifts he's given us.

3. Spamalot - I'm also a fan of cheesy satirical movies. At the top of the list is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Well, the Monty Python guys made the show into a Broadway Musical. This starred John O' Hurley (a.k.a. Peterman from Seinfeld, a.k.a. Dancing With the Stars Season 1 champ) as King Arthur. It was a riot. Most of the great scenes from the movie are there (sadly missing were the witch scene and the bridge scene - "what is your name?") along with a few additions to make the storyline flow. Very different show than the other two, but we had a ton of fun.





What I'm Listening to...

I'm a people watcher and an Eavesdropper when traveling. People's actions, reactions, conversations, and attitudes simply intrigue me. Las Vegas is full of interesting, inspiring, and heartbreaking stories. Here's a handful of statements I overheard while there...

The couple behind me on the bus - "I'm so glad we chose not to gamble. I feel like we got to spend more time together this way."

At noon, a lady in her 20s talking on the phone - "I'm still so hungover. I have no idea where I was and what I did last night."

A 40 year old male waiting in line at McDonalds - "Yeah, I cashed in about $2,000 at 3 am and started back to the hotel room. It was a good thing Jimmy found me, cause I was so gone I wasn't sure how to get back to the room."

2 ladies in their 50s while we're walking the strip - "It's too bad we head home soon. I love putting reality on hold while we're here."

A guy in his late 30s talking REALLY LOUD on his Cell Phone - "Yeah, last night I won $3,000 at the blackjack tables, then turned around and lost it all at the craps table." (oh man, I just wrote the word crap on my blog)

2 guys on the train to the Luxor - "Thunder Down Under (male strip show), let's go see it babe. It will be great!"

On the bus, A mom to her 2 girls (deep southern accent) - "You can have this place. Who wants to go on their vacation and walk this much? Plus there's so many people, so much noise. No thank you. We're hitting the beach in Florida next time."

husband to his wife (in their 60s)- "Let's pray, honey."

What I'm Reading/ Watching/ Listening To

A new installment...

What I'm Reading: The 7 Checkpoints by Andy Stanley/ Stuart Hall
As mentioned before, I meet with a group of 5 Junior Guys on Sunday Nights. We are starting a devotional journey together. The guys from North Point Community Church came together and asked the question... "What are the qualities/ characteristics we want to see present in our students as they exit High School." They summed them up in 7 checkpoints. The 7 week devotional takes you on a scriptural journey of self-inventory to consider how to implement these checkpoints into your life. I'm two days in, working on Checkpoint #1, "Authentic Faith."
I know this is meant for students, but it's already rocking my world. I'm excited about the journey that is ahead for us.


What I'm Watching: The Weather
This is crazy! We're getting dumped on right now. The drifts in the church lot were pretty awesome as I loaded p to head Last week, I could have spit and it would have been an ice cube before hitting the ground.
Not a big fan of snow, to be honest... but while I was driving home this evening, I looked out over a field, and it was beautiful. But now I've got to shovel it. Not happy about that.
Currently, we are enjoying a Blizzard warning, and a Winter Storm Warning.


What I'm Listening To: Oh Gravity by Switchfoot
I love these guys. They are dreamers. They are idealistic. Their songs make me smile, make me think, make me sing along, and yes, they even make me cry.
The Beautiful Letdown was absolutely incredible... one of the best albums ever... definitely in my top 5 (I smell a top 5 post coming sometime).
After about 15 listen-throughs, this album rivals Beautiful Letdown. American Dream, Awakening, Amateur Lovers, Dirty Second Hands, 4:12... catchy, thought-provoking, powerful.
I'm listening, and I'm liking.

What I'm Reading/ Watching/ Listening to Part 2

Like I said last post, while on Vacation, I did a lot of this...

What I'm Reading
Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries by dc Talk with Voice of the Martyrs

When I get ready to leave home for an extended amount of time, I'll grab 3-4 books. I'm usually in the midst of reading one of them. At the last moment, I grabbed a book I'd bought about 3 years ago. The "Jesus Freaks" series that Voice of the Martyrs has put together. VOM is a ministry I have deep respect and appreciation for, Bob Brock from NMC is on staff with them.
The book tells the story of individuals from the time of Christ to present day throughout history who have suffered persecution for their faith. Revolutionaries is a look at those whose suffering brought about significant change for the cause of Christ. This book is currently a part of my TAWG (Time Alone With God).
Each account is written in narrative form. It's simple reading. I would label this as "moments of perspective" reading. It's reminds me to be praying for my brothers and sisters in Christ who have a whole new level of understanding when it comes to Paul's words in Philippians, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

What I'm Watching
NFL Playoffs

While on the cruise, I had to find a TV to watch the Colts/ KC game. I was able to watch the Colts/ Baltimore game from our resort at Palm Springs. I love the drama of sport. The pacing and intensity of football games make for great TV. Also, I think the placement of games on Sunday make for perfect "sit back, take a nap till halftime, and watch the rest of the game" environment.
But, back to the drama...
..The role reversal of a stud QB and suspect defense with Indy. ...The construction worker who kicks his way to legendary status in Chicago. ...The legendaty coach who just can't win in the playoffs in San Diego. ...The golden boy QB turned field goal holder goat in Dallas. ...The team that seems to be inspiring an entire city in New Orleans.

I love the matchup in Indy this Sunday. So many great story lines.
...the Colts have been looking for that home field advantage in the playoffs. The year you wouldn't expect them to have it, they've got it at the most crucial point. ... the Manning (clearly better career numbers) v. Brady (clearly more rings) matchup. ... there's nobody else the Colts should be playing to get to the Super Bowl. ... most intriguing to me, New England's clutch playoff and Super Bowl winning kicker now plays for Indy.

Could we see a Chicago/ Indy Super Bowl Sunday???


What I'm Listening To
K-love Radio
I have some struggles with the CCM movement as a whole, yet most individuals I've met from the movement (Third Day Guys, Chris Tomlin, Toby Mac, others) seeem to genuinely love Christ and are seeking to use their talents for His cause.
So, the reality is that I am very unimpressed with the "Christian broadcasting" in our area. Song selection, repeated songs, DJs who make it sound like following Jesus is just always happy and perfect...
So, I tend to listen to ESPN AM radio, or my i-pod.
One night while going out, we forgot the i-pod, so we did a little channel surfing and came across 89.5 in Palm Springs... K-Love radio. About 10 minutes in (after hearing Thousand Foot Krutch followed by Chris Tomlin followed by a DJ talking about the harsh realities of the war in Iraq and the need for prayer for our troops and our president) I turned to Janelle and said, "I could get in to this station."
Here's the beauty, they broadcast all over the U.S. and their on-line. Take a listen here.

What I'm reading/watching/ listening to

For Janelle and I, vacations involve sitting beside a lot of pools. If I'm sitting by a pool, I'm usually reading something, or listening to something... sometimes both at the same time. With the upgrade to the video i-pod last October, it now can involve watching something (mac users, if you haven't plugged into the joy of handbrake or tubesock, you got to check 'em out.)

So, after being gone for nearly two weeks, you can enjoy several installments of What I'm reading/ watching/ listening to over the next few days.


What I'm Reading...
What Matters Most by Doug Fields.
Doug is the Youth Pastor at Saddleback Community Church and has been in Youth Ministry for 25+ years. He's written some of the most influential books in youth ministry, and his podcast is one of the best out there. But this 100 page mini-book is the most significant and important book he's written. A simple premise... we must learn to say no in order to say yes to what matters most. It's a straight-forward and blunt look at the overwhelming busyness that we find ourselves living in.
Doug writes this book specifically to those involved in Youth Ministry. Yet, it is a great read for anyone who has found themself thinking, "I just wish I had more time" or "I'm too busy" or when asked how their doing had a response of "I'm keeping my head above water."



What I'm Watching.
The Office; Seasons 1 and 2

What About Bob is one of my favorite comedies. It's painfully funny. The Office has taken painfully funny to a new level. I got seasons 1 and 2 for my i-pod for Christmas. Each episode is gauranteed to make me laugh-out-loud at least 4 times.
Dwight Schrute is the best comedy character on TV since Kramer (I know Michael Richards did some dumb stuff recently, but Kramer was great). If you're a fan and haven't seen Schrutespace (Dwight's blog), it's worth checking out.



What I'm Listening To:
Who You Are by the Desperation Band

Desperation Band is based out of the Student Ministries at New Life Church in Colorado Springs (the church has been in the news recently due to a scandal surrounding their Senior Pastor). Desperation Band has a great pulse on relevant worship music for Student Ministries. I found myself returning to this CD almost daily while on vacation. Sometimes for something to listen to while doing a little excercise; sometimes looking for something to participate in some personal worship; and sometimes to simply relax and listen.
One of their main Song Writers, Jared Anderson (Ready Now, Rescue, I am Free, Amazed) is going to be joining us for our On-Fire Rallies in March. It's gonna be incredible!

What I'm Reading/ Watching/ Listening to

A new feature here on the old blog. I value knowing what books, TV/Movies, and music people are getting into. So I'm going to let you know what I'm currently reading, watching and listening to.

I'm Reading:
High School Confidential: Secrets of an Undercover Student by Jeremy Iversen
Upon graduating from Stanford at age 24, Jeremy Iversen spends a Semester at a Southern California High School as a student. Only the school superintendent and principal know his true identity. Iversen (not a Christ Follower) recounts his experiences and interactions. He takes liberties with the timeline of events, but seeks to stay true to the conversations and quotes that students make.
Every parent and Youthworker should take time to read this book. It is not for the faint at heart. It is harsh, gutwrenching, and graphic. It is also a rare unblemished look into the life of the American High School. It is reminding me that one of the most significant mission fields in the world today is the American High School Campus.



I'm Watching:
The Prestige starring Hugh Jackman; Christian Bale; and Michael Caine

Basic Plot...Two magicians (Jackman and Bale) battle to be the greatest magicians of their time.
This is one of those "big twist at the end" movies. Crazy thing happened for me. I ordered a Large Diet Coke, and got a refill about 1/3 of the way through. As the movie neared it's end, and the "big reveal" was about to come, I found myself doubled over in pain from bladder pressure. I was faced with a dilemma... miss the big reveal, or pee my pants. It was a tough call, but I chose to relieve myself. Fortunately, I made it back for the big reveal.
A good movie. Not great, but worthwhile. Gollum is in it, so that's cool.


Also, I'm watching Monday Night Football right now. It's official; NBC Sunday Night Football is winning the battle for the best show. Production value, commentators, matchups... there's just no contest!


I'm Listening To:
First off, I probably won't be listening to Pulse FM very much in light of Corey's recent announcement. I applaud Corey's making a call to say no to a good thing in order to say yes to the God Things in his life.
I'm returning to an oldie of sorts. The Beautiful Letdown by Switchfoot would probably rank as one of the most influential albums on my life. I want Jason Miller to sing 24 at my funeral. What's really been connecting with me lately has been lines like...
I want more than just okay/
More than fine/
More than bent on getting by/
More than fine/
More than just okay

We were meant to live for so much more/
have we lost ourselves?

I want to see miracles/
To see the world change/
Wrestle with angels/
For more than a name
I'm more convinced than ever that there's more to this life than a lot of us are living. This album has been confirming what's been going on in my heart. Let the dreamers dream!!!