I wear plaid. I'm a blogger.

I sit down at the piano to play the same piece I've played a hundred times before but this time my heart races, my pulse quickens, my fingers twitch. What is different? The recorder is listening. It is amazing to see how the human mind reacts differently under pressure compared to free time. Once the record button is pushed, there is no going back, no redos, no fix-it spots. Either you spoil the recording or you nail it. Sure, you can go back and do another take, but the same problem will be true for that take--you've got to nail it then too. Yet, in spite of this added stress, it is far more "fun" to play for a live audience, or a live recorder because of the added pressure of the outcome. The same way it is more enjoyable to play a game with scorekeepers and an umpire compared to a pick-up game in the backyard. This is why a YouTube video consisting of one take is so much more thrilling than multiple camera angles and patching together of various takes. This i...

We've all heard the familiar adage: "Do as I say, not as I do." It's a cover up of our own shortcomings. It's a way of saying, "Look, I know what the right thing to do is here, but I probably won't do it, but you should." At any rate, at some point we all have felt like the victim of this phrase and we have probably all used it, much to our own chagrin. A couple days ago I was reflecting on Jesus challenge to "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them everything I have commanded you." ( Matt 28:19-20 ) If we are called to be Jesus' disciples then that means we ought to say and do the things that Jesus says and does. It's only logical, right? Well I have spent much of my life reading through the gospel narratives, listening to weekly sermons, reading Christian literature, and studying the Bible in small groups. While I consistently learn something new every time I read the Word of God and focus on Jesu...

Everyone loves a good story. Most of us read the story from the front to the back, because we enjoy the way the plot unfolds--we love the twists and the turns and the unexpected finale. And the thing that makes a good story good is equal parts predictability and surprise. We have to have some structure to the story--some predictable patterns that we can pick up on in order to fully picture the setting of the character. There need to be expected points in the story where our main character meets someone else; there needs to be a moment of tension and struggle where we see the character wrestle with some inner or outer enemy. But then there also needs to be some surprises planted along the way. Moments where we learn something new about the character that we didn't know before. Moments where the plot takes an unexpected turn that we would not have guessed. Because, after all, if we can predict the whole thing, we might as well not read it to begin with! Katie loves ...

Shock absorbers are wonderful things. You would never know that they are there until they aren't, and you never appreciated them so much until you had the alternative.  Do you remember riding in your favorite Radio Flyer wagon as a kid? Let me take you back to that experience: you and a friend grab the metallic wagon and start heading up the colossal hill in the backyard (which was really only a rise in the pavement when you went back to visit last summer...they must've knocked it down since the last time you were there). You are forced into a shouting match all the way up the hill because the wagon is bouncing and chattering all the way along the rough asphalt driveway. There are likely a couple pebbles in the wagon from the time you were transporting your latest rock and dirt collection from the side yard to the backyard at your father's request and the remnant rock collection is only adding to the din. Once you reach the top of the slope, you both hop in the wagon a...

The other day I was listening to 93.3fm in Cincinnati and a song came on called " The Motions " by Matthew West. If I may add my interpretation, the lyrics represent Matthew West's own challenge to live more passionately and vibrantly for Jesus Christ everyday and not just getting by with second-rate Christianity. The chorus reads like this: I don't wanna go through the motions I don't wanna go one more day Without Your all-consuming passion inside of me I don't wanna spend my whole life asking "What if I had given everything?" Instead of going through the motions Pause. I have been training to run my first marathon, the Cincinnati Flying Pig . It is a fun way for me to push my limits and challenge my body (especially in light of Katie carrying twins right now and experiencing the same challenge of reaching physical limitations in her body...in many ways, the marathon is my twins--metaphorically). Through the training I keep tellin...

I had an epiphany today. I'm still trying to hash it out so bear with me, but here's what I'm thinking: relationships are built on, structured around, and dependent upon shared experiences. From a Godly perspective, every instance of our lives is spent creating memories that we intend to share with people. Picture the following familiar scenario: "Hi honey, how was your day?" Good, I got a lot accomplished today: attended this meeting, ran that stat sheet, had lunch with this group of people, blah blah blah.  "Wow, sounds like you had quite the productive day! I ran such and such errands and put our child down for a nap at this time but then he woke up at that time and we have been nonstop ever since!" Oh man, that sounds like quite the hectic experience! I don't know how you do it, but I sure am glad you do. What would you like to do this evening? And on goes the evening of our productive little hypothetical couple. You see, they spent...

Ever heard the adage: you're only as good as your tools? Well it's untrue. This past week my family and I had the enjoyable opportunity to visit some friends in San Diego, California. While we were there we were able to visit the Taylor Guitar factory and get a guided tour of the factory. They showed us everything from how they cut the wood, glue it, dry it, cut it some more, shape it, sand it, and finish it. The tour was a very cool experience and very worth your time if you ever have a chance to see it. During one part of the tour our guide gave us a story about how Bob Taylor chooses the type of wood that goes into his guitars. Naturally, Bob likes to choose the nicest, most resonant woods to go into his product in order to make a better guitar. But our guide told us that Bob is also more concerned about sustainability in his company than he is about making sure he is using the most high-end woods. The guide explained that Bob would tell other guitar manufacturing com...