Big Dreams

And I Will Always Love You

2012-02-14T11:42:00.001-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! And, no. This is not a post about the history of Valentine's Day nor is it about the difference between love and lust. It is simply a post about Jesus...and singing...and dynamite...and Whitney Houston.
          Have you ever wondered if Jesus sang? Personally, I think he did. With as many Bible verses there are about singing praises and making a joyful sound, it's not a stretch to think that he sang. After thinking about Whitney Houston's death, I thought about what a great song title (not necessarily the lyrics) for Jesus to be remembered by, "I Will Always Love You." That's what Jesus wants you to remember about Him, that he will always love you. No matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter how far you run; He will always love you.
          When I found out via Twitter that Whitney Houston had died my first thought was of the movie, "Bodyguard" where she absolutely nailed Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." In a matter of minutes Twitter was blowing up with the lyrics to that song. The trend continued to Sunday night at the Grammys where they gave a tribute to the late singer with Jennifer Hudson singing "I Will Always Love You."
Isn't it great that even though Whitney struggled with so many things in this life, she will be remembered by that song of love?
          Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, knows what it's like to be remembered after you're dead. In 1888, Alfred's brother died in France. Shortly after this the newspaper wrongly printed Alfred's obituary instead of his brother's. The paper criticized Alfred for inventing such a destructive weapon of war that claimed the lives of so many people. As he read his own obituary he realized that his life would always be remembered in a negative light. In 1895 he signed his last will and testament and in it he designated a large portion of his estate to establish a prize that would be given to those who exemplify great peace-making efforts, thus creating the Nobel Peace Prize. Alfred died in 1896 and left a legacy of peace. How lucky we all would be if we, like Alfred, could know how we'd be remembered after we're gone. Would we change the way we're living? Would we do things differently? Will our life be remembered for a life of love?

"If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."

--1 John 4:15-16

Walking in Memphis: A photo tour

2012-02-10T12:35:00.000-06:00

It was a Saturday morning in early November. The weatherman had forecasted a foggy commute the night before. I knew that was the recipe for some great photo opportunities of Memphis. I got up early, grabbed my gear, and headed downtown. I parked at the corner of Union Avenue and Main, or thereabouts. The sun was coming up and the fog was fleeing. I knew I had to work fast. So, I started walking. Here is what I saw.

I love shooting when there are long shadows. That falls usually around sunrise or sunset. It is a time that few people slow down to observe, but when you do, it's breathtaking how differently the world looks. Or eerie, depending on your mood I guess.

The rain the night before left some great reflection shots. Make sure you don't overlook these. They can turn out pretty sweet...not to mention that they are great for jumping in.

Vanishing points are neat to experiment with on trolley/train tracks...just watch out for trains.

A Beale St. sidewalk getting pressure washed was a nice surprise. The spray reflecting the low sunlight was a unique shot. I would've missed this had I not gotten up early.

Although the sun was getting higher, it made a cool contrast with the lit signs from the night before.

Some signs are good enough to merit their own photo...this is one of them. I like getting close to signs like this and shooting straight up. It makes for a different perspective.

I walked to the Lorraine Hotel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. As I was looking around, I saw these really colorful doors right behind me. Although I got several photos of the hotel, this gem was hiding in plain sight. Be sure you look around for the not so obvious photos just waiting to be taken.

I continued walking to South Main and stopped at one of my favorite diners, Arcade. It is the oldest diner in Memphis and they serve a great breakfast. It's a must see if you're downtown and like cool retro diners with a lot of history. ...and did I mention they have good breakfast?

On my way back towards Union I passed this building. By this time the fog had lifted and the sun was getting higher. I thought these shadows were photo-worthy.

As you can see, I like to take photos of the sides of buildings in the morning. Not sure why, but I like them.

You can't see it but the trolley driver was waiving frantically for me to move off the tracks. She gave me the evil-eye and a trolley toot when she passed. Good thing they go so slow or I would've been toast....speaking of toast, did I mention that the Arcade has great breakfast?

I'd highly recommend taking a walking tour of your own city some time. Be sure to take your time and take a lot of photos. You'll be glad you did. Remember these tips along the way. Happy shooting!

Is Your Story Simply a Scene?

2012-02-08T16:07:00.001-06:00

Should you make
your story smaller?

Not long ago in a land not so far away...okay, it was just last week in Memphis. Anyway, I was writing on my novel, like I try to do every day, when I thought, "this stinks." It wasn't that my whole novel stunk but that one of the storylines and characters stunk. I started with the idea that I could tie in his story to the overall storyline. It was going to have an unexpected twist and then a feel-good ending. Good story stuff, but I dreaded writing every word of his life. His part didn't even move the main story forward and he wasn't directly connected to the major conflict. I thought about killing him off but after a short deliberation I removed his chapters and put them in a folder for future use. It'll probably end up as a short story one day. Who knows?
   Where am I going with this? Well, it takes a strong story to support 100,000 words. Although it could be done, I doubt anyone would want to read a novel about making a sandwich. It's just weak...but I guess it depends on what kind of sandwich it is. Brains, alien flesh, and mad-cow ham would be cool...I guess.
   People often want to write about their personal stories; but really, unless you are already famous, nobody cares. For instance, let's say you graduated high school at age fourteen. I'm sure your story is great but do people want to read a fourteen-year-old's memoir? I'm sorry but unless you have 5,000 family members, nobody cares. Your story is probably fascinating but it may need re-scaling. Sometimes when you think you have a story to tell, all you really have is a scene.
   Instead of writing an entire book on your story, what if your story is just part of your protagonist's character development? Or, what if your story was told through another character that attended her genius niece's graduation and on the way got into a car wreck sending her into a coma only to wake up ten years later with her niece as her doctor? Cool, huh? What I'm trying to say is to think bigger. Sometimes the "big" events in our life have to shrink when we think novel-big.
   I often write scenes from my life as if they were fiction. They are usually played out through multiple characters though. It may be a conversation I overheard, a unique setting I saw, or even a personal event that I recount. These are fun because I'm able to write the story exactly how it happened. What better way to make a scene seem real to a reader than if it actually was real? You experienced the smells, the sights, and the feelings first hand and can place the reader into that scene with ease. Isn't that the goal: to get the reader to experience our stories whether fact, fiction...or both?

Decisions, decisions, decisions

2012-02-06T11:01:00.000-06:00

At a crossroad?

Today, everyone will be talking about two or three plays from last night's game: Brady's last hail Mary, Bradshaw's touchdown fall, and Manningham's sideline catch. Are these plays considered "game changers"? Sure. Are these plays worthy of the conversation between Monday morning quarterbacks? Sure. These were big plays but there were well over 100 plays between the two teams. Let us not forget the two-yard runs by Brandon Jacobs, or the 23-yard average kick returns by Jerrel Jernigan, or the field-goals by Lawrence Tynes. These seemingly meaningless plays set up the "big" plays that led to a Giants' victory.
   You've probably made four or five big decisions in your lifetime: your college, career path, who to marry, where to live. Those were big plays. However, there were a lot of meaningless plays leading up to those decisions. For instance, if you chose to go to X University, you didn't just pull that name from mid air. You might've known someone that went there and loved it. They might've had the major you were looking for. It might be the distance from home that took you there. All of these factors led to that decision of where you went to school.
   Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not onto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."
   When you seek the Lord and trust him with the meaningless plays, you don't have to worry about the big plays. God is directing your path. He will steer you to where he wants you to go. Are you still going to have to make the decision? Yes. If God opens up a door for you are you going to have to walk through on your own? Yes. God will direct your path but He will not take the steps for you; you've got to do the walking. Just ask Moses, Noah, and Abraham.
   You might be scared to face those big decisions but that's why God lets us practice with the "meaningless" ones. Think about this: was that catch last night the first catch Manningham had ever made in his life? Of course not. He's probably caught a million passes before. He was prepared for the biggest play of his life by making millions of meaningless plays before then.
   God is not going to lead you to a decision without preparing you to make the right one. When you're faced with the next big play of your life, remember all of the "meaningless" plays you've made previously and know that if you seek God and trust Him, then the decision you make will be the right one. Don't second guess yourself by saying, "What if I would've made this decision..." The "what ifs" in life don't exist so don't dwell on them. God is directing your path, walk down that road humbly with Him.

Seeing stars: Night Photography, a How To

2012-02-03T09:54:00.000-06:00

Today's topic is one of my absolute favorites. I'm discussing night photography with an extended shutter speed. This post is going to show you how to make awesome photos of the stars that makes them look like they're streaking across the sky. First, here's what you'll need:

A digital camera with a bulb setting (the B on the top of most SLR cameras)
A fairly wide angle lens. Usually the standard lens that came with your SLR will work.
A tripod (Any tripod will do. It doesn't have to be a fancy one.)
A clear night away from city lights.
A back-up battery for your camera.
A flashlight.
A digital shutter release cable with a locking option (they are very inexpensive)
A lot of patience.
Oh yeah...and maybe a compass. (I'll explain later)

When you see that there is going to be a clear night, grab your camera gear and go to a large field or somewhere by a lake. There's usually enough open skies there to get some really great shots. You'll want to be conscious of your surroundings because wherever you point your camera is what you're going to get in your photo. Below are a few examples of some decent shots.

Here are the 10 easy steps:

Secure your camera to your tripod and make sure your tripod is on a sturdy surface.
Set your camera to the B (bulb setting)
You'll need to adjust your aperture to a number between F2.8-F22. (Here's a quick lesson: The aperture setting is telling the camera how much light you're going to let in. The larger the number, i.e. F22, the less light is going to get in. However, the larger the number the more focused the image will be. So, I'd put my setting somewhere right in the middle. You want light to come in but you also want to have a little wiggle room on the focusing.)
Point your camera to the horizon or to where you see the most stars in the sky. Focus it to infinity...and beyond! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
Here's where the magic happens. Plug in your shutter release cable and step away from the camera making sure not to touch the camera. Press the shutter release button on your cable and lock it into position.
Now, you wait. I'd recommend waiting 15 minutes for the first shot just to see how well you aimed the camera. (It's important to remember that the camera will be exposing the image during the entire 15 minutes or however long you keep the shutter open. It's imperative that you don't touch the camera during this time.)
On my camera, it takes just as long to process the image as it did to expose it. For example, 15 minute exposure + 15 minutes for processing = 30 minutes for one shot. (Like I said...patience.)
Next, look at your photo and make adjustments to where you're aiming the camera.
Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6. This time keep the shutter open for 30 minutes or longer for more star streaks. (The stars will look like they're streaking because the earth is rotating.)
Finally, this is a fun trick. Use your compass to find the North Star. Center your camera on that star and repeat the steps. I've done that with one of the photos below and the result is really cool.

Here are some examples. Click on them for larger images.

The reflection on the lake is a nice touch. Keep in mind that it is about midnight when I took these shots. This one is actually focused on the constellation Orion. See the three stars in the middle? That's his belt.

Here is another one over a pond. The lights in the background are those of a city about 20 miles away.

This is the one that is focused on the North Star. When you center on this star it looks like all the other stars are moving around it. Kind of neat.

This one had a little different look to it since there was stuff in the foreground. But it turned out cool with the stars streaking in the background.

Happy shooting!

I Care that You Care

2012-02-01T10:06:00.000-06:00

This may or may not be a
scene from my novel
(it's an empty shotgun shell)

   After I finished the first draft my novel I sent it out to ten of my closest friends. These ten were considered to be my beta readers. I wasn't looking for them to edit the grammar or anything like that but I did want feedback on the overall flow of the book. Did the storyline make sense? Were the characters believable? What were some of their favorite scenes? What were some of their least favorite scenes? Who were their favorite/least favorite characters? Was there a point at which they got bogged down? Did they enjoy the point of view? Would they've been glad they read it had they not known the author? Would they be interested in a sequel? These were the kinds of questions I wanted them to answer.
   So far I've gotten some really great feedback. The parts of the book that I was kind of iffy on were the same ones that they were iffy on. They've given me great insight into what readers in my target audience are looking for. I love hearing back from my beta readers because I want to be a writer who is reader-friendly.
   I recently had a great conversation with one of my beta readers from Atlanta, Georgia. She left me a scathing message on my phone saying...and I quote, "I am so mad at you. We are not friends anymore and I never wanted to talk to you again. Call me back." I laughed when I heard the message and called right away.
   She told me that she was mad because I'd killed one of her favorite characters in the book. She'd grown to actually care about the character and cared about what happened to him/her. This might've been the best compliment I've received yet. For someone to care about what happens to the characters is what a writer wants to hear. Apathy is a writer's worst nightmare.
   If I can get my readers emotionally invested in the story and in the lives of the characters, then I've done my job. However, if the readers couldn't care less about the characters or the outcome, then I've failed miserably. Hate the characters and I've done my job. Love the characters and I've done my job. But please, whatever you do, don't say you don't care. That's like a dagger to a writer's heart...or a gunshot wound--whichever you prefer.

   P.S.- My Atlanta friend is still talking to me. I reassured her that she'd be happy with the second novel...until the end, of course--when I kill off all the characters that she loves.

When it Pours, Have Faith

2012-01-31T13:07:00.000-06:00

The past two weeks have been difficult for my family and friends. It started with one of my high school classmates losing her little son to cancer. Then we got news that one of our best couple friends was going through a horrible time in their marriage. And finally, just last Thursday my sister-in-law and brother-in-law received news that they'd had their second miscarriage in three months. Needless to say, things have been difficult for all involved with these situations. Is this series of events uncommon? Yes and no. It is for the people going through them but in reality everyone has had those "when it rains it pours" periods in their life. We've all been through times when we don't understand why things are happening and most of all, why they are happening all at once. If you've ever wondered, "Why me? Why now?" don't fret, you're completely normal.
When I was a young boy, my mom would cross-stitch. She'd sit in our recliner and I'd be at her feet gazing up at what she was doing. From where I was sitting, the bottom of the piece she was working on looked like a jumbled mess of knots and random lines and strings. It was an ugly mess. But, I was only seeing things from my point of view--from the bottom up. I'd ask her to let me see it when she finished and to my surprise, when she showed me the finished work, it was a beautiful picture. You see, she was seeing things from the top down and she knew exactly where each stitch needed to go. She knew where to make each knot and where to pull each string.

On a Beach Looking over
the Horizon

Much like me as a child, we see things in life from the bottom up. God sees things from the top down. At times our life looks like a jumbled mess of knots and random lines of string. But to God, he sees it as a masterpiece in the making. God doesn't make bad things happen to you, but he allows them to happen so that he can continue to shape your life into the masterpiece he's creating. One day we'll know what every knot and random line means, but until then, we have to have faith.

"Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely."1 Corinthians 13:12

It happens...sometimes

2012-01-23T12:50:00.000-06:00

Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump

Howwill you respond to “the call?” No, I’m not talking about a call to missions oreven a call from God. I’m referring to “the call” that brings youearth-shattering news. The call that wakes you up in the middle of the nightand tells you that you’re mother or father has passed away. The call from afriend that tells you they’ve lost their baby. The call that tells you yourmarriage is essentially over. The call from the police that tells you that your child has died in a car accident. The call that tells you one of yourfriends has taken his or her own life. How will you respond when you hear thechilling sound of your phone ringing at midnight and you know it’s too late forthis person to be calling you? If you’ve never experienced “the call,” then youjust haven’t lived long enough. Believe me; one day that call will come.

You’veheard it asked, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” That is a toughquestion. I can see the confusion in this but to answer it we have to take theblinders off our eyes. Bad things happen to everybody; how werespond to them determines what's really in our hearts. “Do what?”

Letme explain. Answer this for me, “Do only “good people” die from cancer?” Ofcourse not. Do only “good people” have ruined marriages? Of course not. The Bible tells us that we are all sinful. None of us are truly "good." We all need grace. With thatbeing said, bad things are going to happen to everyone. The true test comeswith how we respond to these situations.

Whentragedy hits our lives we can choose to trust God and rely on His infinitewisdom and grace and mercy and love. Or, we can choose to curse God and turnour backs on Him and try to “fix” things and become bitter. One of my favoritepreachers always said, “When you get older, you either become bitter or youbecome better.” That is so true. How you respond to tragedies in yourlife will either make you a bitter person or a better person. Choose to be better.

Inthe Bible, 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast your cares on Him (God) because He cares foryou.” God cares for YOU. He doesn’t hate you; He’s not trying to punish you; HeCARES for you. Sometimes bad things happen. Remain calm. Repent if repentance is needed. Forgive if forgiveness is needed. Keep your focus onJesus. Keep your integrity. Make decisions based on the hope you have inJesus. Accept that you can’t change the past but you can trust God with your future. Godreally does care for you.

“It happens…sometimes.”—Forrest Gump

(Just keeping it PG here for the little ones)

Reposition your focal point: Rule of Ninths

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

Last week we explored the rule of thirds. This week we areexpounding on that rule with the rule of ninths. No, we will not be exploringthe rule of 81^st next week—I promise. What is the rule of ninths?Glad you asked. It’s like you’re placing a tic-tac-toe board on your photo. Ifyou take photos with your iPhone, like me, they provide a grid option for yourcamera. Use it!

When do you use the rule of ninths? Well, it may vary but I like to use it when there is a solitary object that you want to include in either the background or foreground of a landscape. Here is an example of my yellow lab, Roscoe. (Follow him on Twitter @Roscoe_Lab) All these photos were taken with my iPhone.

The sun is in the top left ninth of the photo and it makes a really nice frame for the rest of the photo. (I also used the one third rule with the horizon.)

This is a shot of downtown Nashville, Tenn. Once again the sun is in the top left ninth with the horizon on the bottom third line.

This shell is at the top of the middle right ninth and the horizon is more or less on the top third line. The shell is definitely not centered, which is what we're trying to avoid with this tip.

Roscoe is located in the top left ninth, the horizon is on the top third line and your eyes are drawn to the bottom right ninth with the scattered pieces of stick.

The horizon is on the bottom third line, the sun is at the corner of the bottom right ninth and the tree stretches up to the top right ninth.

This is a skyline of downtown Memphis. The sun is in the bottom left ninth and the horizon is on the bottom third line.

This is the same photo we looked at last week but I moved the sun over to be at the top of the bottom right ninth.

This "rule" isn't an all-the-time rule. It is a good one to experiment with, though. It spices up a photo when you reposition the focal point in one of the nine ninths rather than it always being positioned in the center. Think about where you want the eyes to start and where you want them to finish when viewing the photo.

This trick works well on single objects but it's not limited to just single objects. Consider it just another tool in your photography tool-belt.

Homework: Try this one out. It's kind of neat to see the difference repositioning the focal point makes.

The Blank Screen is so Condescending

2012-01-18T11:07:00.000-06:00

Bill Shakespeare

Today I’m talking about discipline and scheduling. Both ofwhich were absent from my life last week. I have to confess, I only wrote 1,000words all week. That is pitiful since my goal is 2,000-3,000 per DAY. I guess Icould use the excuse that my wife was sick earlier this week and I got sicklater in the week. But it’s still not acceptable. I should’ve written more. Whoknows, the storyline might’ve gotten extremely juicy with all the meds I wastaking. We’ll never know.

Theproblem wasn’t that I was sick; it was that I wasn’t disciplined and I didn’tstick to my schedule. I schedule my writing time between when I get home fromwork and the time my wife gets home. That usually gives me about two hours tocrank out 2,000 words or more. Once I hit my goal I’m satisfied and put it upfor the evening. But, one thousand is not acceptable. Even if I’d written just1,000 words a day or even 500 words a day it would’ve been better than 1,000words in a week.

So,here’s my conclusion: write more! Even if I don’t feel like it or even if I’mbusy I need to put words on the page…or screen since I’m on a laptop. What I’velearned is that once I start the first paragraph it is hard for me to stopmid-scene. It also helps bring me back to the table if I have stopped mid-scene.It is much easier for me to pick up where I left off when there are words on apage rather than if it is a blank page. It’s just so blank. Staring at me.Judging me. Wondering what I’m going to write next. Tapping its fingers inanticipation. I sometimes feel like the blank page takes on the persona of Matt Foley, motivational speaker. “Well, young man what do you want to do with yourlife?”

“Well.Actually, Matt, I kinda want to be a writer.”

“Wellllll,la-de-freakin-da! We’ve got ourselves a writer here. Hey dad, I can’t see realgood. Is that Bill Shakespeare over there?”

I want to avoid "living in a van down by the river" so I try not to leave a blank screen. Sometimes simply typing one word helps me get thecreative juices flowing. Whatever it takes for you to write the next sentence,paragraph, or page…just write it.

Somepeople say, (and I use my snooty voice for this) “I only write when the musedances. I cannot write without being inspired.”

Isay, “Write. Write. Write and let the muse catch up to you.” You can’t be awriter without writing. You want to know what all best selling authors have incommon? They write!

Soforget about wherever and whenever you do your best writing. Just sit down,write and don’t edit until you’ve reached your quota for the day. HappyWriting!

We are not home yet

2012-01-16T09:02:00.000-06:00

The Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, TN.
Site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death

Today is the day we celebrate the birthday of Dr. MartinLuther King Jr. Now that I live in Memphis, the place where Dr. King was shot,I have a greater appreciation for his influence. I’ve often walked the streetsof downtown Memphis trying to visualize what life might’ve been like during thecivil rights movement. Although I cannot fully grasp it, I am thankful that, inmany ways, we have come so far from those days. But we are not home yet.

Thispoem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Eveningby Robert Frost paints a vivid picture of where we are.

Whose woods these areI think I know.

His house is in thevillage, though;

He will not see mestopping here

To watch his woodsfill up with snow.

My little horse mustthink it queer

To stop without afarmhouse near

Between the woods andfrozen lake

The darkest eveningof the year.

He gives his harnessbells a shake

To ask if there'ssome mistake.

The only othersound's the sweep

Of easy wind anddowny flake.

The woods are lovely,dark and deep,

But I have promisesto keep,

And miles to gobefore I sleep,

And miles to gobefore I sleep.

Wehave come so far from the days of slavery to Dr. King and now to PresidentObama. And even though the view is nice as we gaze upon the progress ofmankind, there are “miles to go before we sleep.” We cannot be narrow in ourscope. Slavery is not dead; it has just taken a different form. I’m referringto human trafficking and sex slavery.

Humantrafficking is real and it is a highly lucrative business. In fact, you mayhave contributed to the rise of this evil without even knowing it. How? Well,human trafficking and the porn industry are directly linked. If you’ve lookedat pornography, whether or not you paid for it, then you’ve helped fundhuman trafficking.

How?Pornography is a supply and demand business. The more people view porn, thehigher the demand. “But I don’t buy it; I look at free porn.” Well you arestill guilty. Here is a quick lesson on website revenue. Visits = page views =demand for advertisers = money for pornographers = money for human traffickers to purchase sex slaves.Got it? The more you view porn online, the more you’re funding sex slavery.

Howcan you help end human trafficking? Stop looking at porn. If youneed help, check out www.xxxchurch.com. They are there to help you. Admittingthat you have a problem is one of the many steps towards sanctification inChrist.

Knowthis: The eternal form of slavery to sin was destroyed through Jesus’ death ona cross and resurrection from the grave. To know Jesus is to know true freedom.Just as the great Dr. King said, “Free at last, Free at last! Thank GodAlmighty, we are Free at Last!”

How To Take An Amazing Sunset Photo

2012-01-13T17:33:00.000-06:00

Today's photo tip will instantly make you a better photographer. One of my favorite teachers of all time, Mr. Sleadd, taught me this rule seventeen years ago. This "rule", although most rules are subjective, will instantly upgrade your photo skills especially with regard to sunsets. This rule is the rule of thirds.
Look at a picture. Any picture. Now, divide it into thirds from top to bottom. Got it? Now, visualize these invisible lines on every photo you take from now on. These will be your horizon lines. You'll want to place the horizon that you are photographing along one of those lines depending on what else is in the photo. You rarely ever want to have your horizon in the center of your photo with the sun in the middle. Although there are some pretty photos taken like that, the rule of thirds will take your photos from Blah to Blahmazing! Here are some examples. The first three photos I took are of the same sunset at the same time of day from the same spot.

Photo 1: The horizon is on the top third line of this photo. It doesn't really work well, does it? Why? Well, the sunset colors get washed out because the camera is making sure the lighting on the foreground is correct. Since it takes more light to illuminate the foreground, the sunset colors disappear.

Photo 2: I deliberately didn't follow the rule of thirds here to show you the difference. Here the horizon is almost dead center. It's a pretty picture because the colors show up better in the sky but why would we want so much dark space at the bottom of the photo? It's better than the first one, but still blah.

Photo 3: Now here is a good sunset photo. The clouds are reaching towards you. The sun is almost gone. You've got the river ever so slightly illuminated and there is just enough darkness at the bottom to offer some contrast. Blah to Blamazing!

Here is an example of when you would align the horizon on the top third line. (It may actually be a little too high, but you get the picture. Literally.)

This one is a little more advanced as far as the rule of thirds goes. The horizon is on the top third line. But, if you look closely, the sun is on the left vertical third line and the "model" (my wife) is on the right vertical third line. It kind of makes an invisible tic-tac-toe board.

The more sunsets you shoot, the more natural this trick will become. You won't have to think, "Now where is that invisible line again?" It will just come naturally. And remember this: The best sunsets are the ones you watch. Try to enjoy the beautiful scene that is taking place outside the lens. Don't be so consumed in taking the perfect shot that you miss the beauty in God's creation.

Homework for this weekend: Take a sunset photo using the rule of thirds. E-mail it to me and I'll post my favorites next week. bryangill45@gmail.com. If not, that's cool too. Have a good weekend!

Truth in Fiction

2012-01-11T09:14:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday I wrote a chapter that was intense, to say theleast. I was putting a character through severe mental and physical anguish. Ihad to literally step away from my Mac to clear my head at one point. It wasintense. As I wrote each sentence, I thought, “What is my family going to thinkabout this chapter?” I can hear them now saying, “Bryan, is there something youwant to talk about? Are you sure you’re okay? I’m here for you if you need me.”

Myfriend Jason, who you can follow here, started calling me “Little OrphanGilley” after reading one of the more intense chapters of my first novel. Hesaid that I was reliving my subconscious past and writing all the bad scenesthat I’d suppressed over the years. He’s hilarious, seriously.

Mytwo sisters-in-law, (not sure if that’s how to spell that) after reading myfirst novel said, “It’s weird to think that all that was in your head…it kindaworries me, Bryan.” It was all in good fun. I actually took it as a compliment.I was just trying to paint a vivid picture that told the story truthfully. WhatI’ve learned the more I write is that honesty really is the best policy.

StephenKing’s book On Writing is one of thebest books about writing. I highly recommend it if you are thinking aboutwriting. In it, he stresses the importance of honesty in your writing. That’smy goal. It’s important to have honesty in your characters’ personality, theirlanguage, their thoughts, and their actions. For instance, psychopathic killersrarely say, “Oh, darn” or “Oh, fiddlesticks.” Just being honest, people.

Thisis why I hesitate to call myself a “Christian Writer,” which, in suspensenovels, usually means that the only difference is that there aren’t any dirtywords. I like to view myself as a Christian who writes redemptive fiction. Itis hard for me to write a chapter about a non-Christian villain and pretendthat he or she has the same convictions as a Christian. My characters are raw.They have real-life struggles and make real-life mistakes and decisions. I tryto make the bad guys bad and the good guys believable. When I say “believable,”I mean that they aren’t perfect and you can relate to them.

Allof this is in an effort to tell the truth in fiction. If my scene is about war,it’s going to be ugly because there is nothing pretty about war. If the sceneis about someone with an addiction, I’m not going to pretend that they don’tstruggle just because they’ve trusted Jesus. I’d be lying if I painted a prettypicture of real life and excluded the ugly. There may be glimpses of beauty inmy books, but they only arise after I paint the ugliness of reality. I thinkthat’s the key to calling it redemptive fiction—they have to be redeemed fromsomething. Sounds Christian to me.

Come on, Man!...er, Men!

2012-01-09T16:30:00.000-06:00

Where are you searching?

Recently I looked over my website stats for lastyear. With Google analytics I’m able to see how many people visit, where theyare from, and how long their visit lasts. I can also see how people find myblog based on the words they use in search engines. This is alwaysentertaining. Sometimes it’s the normal stuff like “Bryan Gill Memphis” orsomething similar to a title I posted. Sometimes it’s off the wall stuff thathas nothing to do with my site. For example, I still have no idea how someonefound my site by searching “Big Brazilian Booty Shakers”—but it happened.

Ilike to look back on these key word searches to see which pages got the mosthits. Looking back over the last year it occurred to me that there is a majorproblem in the world today. No, it’s not the people searching for big Brazilianbooty shakers. In fact, I don’t think the problem is with the people coming tomy site at all. What seems to be the biggest issue is that there is a fatherproblem in the world. Let me explain.

I’vewritten two posts about what boys should know here and here. I wrote a post on gaining my father’s approval here and it was published by Chicken Soup for the Soul, here. With all the 160+ other topics I’ve written about, those are the mostsearched for and viewed. It’s sad, really. It seriously breaks my heart whensomeone finds my blog by searching “How can I gain my father’s approval?” or“What should boys know how to do?” or “My dad hates me, how can I gain hislove?” It’s absolutely heartbreaking to read those queries.

What’seven sadder is that these seekers don’t have a dad present in their life toteach them these things. Or the case may be that the dads who are present,aren’t being intentional with their children.

I’mnot a father, but I know what one should look like. He doesn’t have to beperfect or know all the answers. But, he needs to be present and intentional inthe life of his child.

Soundfamiliar to our heavenly father? It should. God, our heavenly father, ispresent with us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was called Emmanuel, literally meaning“God with us.” The Bible also says that Jesus came to dwell with us. Is ourheavenly father present? You betcha. Was he intentional? Of course he was andis. Jeremiah chapter 29 tells us that God has a plan for us. He wants you toseek him so he can share the plan with you.

Justlike these people seeking my blog for things their dad should answer, we asChristians often seek sources other than our heavenly Father for answers. God is there foryou. He wants you to seek Him—to seek His word. When we seek Him, the Bibletells us that we will find him. Are you seeking him? If not, will you seek Himtoday?

P.S. If you're a father, be present and intentional with your child.

It's Photography, not Photocrappy

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

As a senior in high school I had the opportunity to be onthe sidelines of an Atlanta Falcons’ football game. A friend of mine worked forthem and gave us press passes for the night. It was an incredible experience tosay the least. I met Steve Young, Al Michaels, Boomer Esiason, and all 23 ofthe Falcons’ cheerleaders. I couldn’t tell you the score of the game but therewere definitely 23 cheerleaders.

Iwas reminded of this experience last Saturday when I attended the Liberty Bowlgame in Memphis with my friend, Jeff and his son, G-Man. We were thirteen rowsup from the bottom and could see all the photographers with their fancy camerasand lenses. I was a little jealous of all their cool equipment. During atimeout, Jeff pointed out to me how fast one of the cameramen could scrollthrough his photos and delete right there on the field. He was flying throughshots and deleting them just as fast.

Thistype of on the field editing has just come about in the last ten years or so.People use to never know how good their photos were until after they’d returnedhome or to the office and had the film developed. Now, if you’re a sportsphotographer, it can be done before the next play begins. It's quite amazing how farphotography has come. This is a great positive for the digital photography era.However, there are some negatives that are easy to fall into if you’re notcareful.

Justbecause you can take more photos digitally than you could with film, doesn’tmean that all the photos you take are going to be good. In fact, the morephotos you take, the more critical you should be of your photos. You shouldn’thave to settle for lower quality if you’re taking 100-200 shots of the samesubject. When I shot photos with film, I was happy if I got 1 or 2 good shotsout of a 24-exposure roll. Since I’ve switched to digital, the ratio has stayedpretty much the same. I’ll still get about 5-8 shots out of 100 that I’m reallypleased with. And by “pleased with,” I mean ones that I’ll actually showsomeone else.

Everyonewho posts photos to Facebook, Instagram, their blog, or website should use thethree rules of photography: Delete. Delete. Delete. I’m serious. You only wantto put your best photos out there for people to see. It doesn’t matter how manyyou have stored on your computer or otherwise, I’m referring to the ones youmake public.

Ifyou’re an aspiring photographer who hopes to ever make money off of yourphotos, you should never make a photo public that you’re not proud of. Raiseyour standards. Delete the bad photos. Delete the photos that look like otherones you’ve taken. Delete the blurry ones. Keep and share your best photosONLY.

Homework:Go through your photos and delete, delete, delete.

Struggling with Conflict

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

          Today is “Writing Wednesday.” Although I’m not quite sure if I like that phrase, “Writing Wednesday” or not. It’s a good reminder of what I’m supposed to blog about, but I’m just not sold on it. We’ll see. I thought about “Word Wednesday” but then I might confuse that with Monday’s topics on Faith as in THE Word Wednesday. It crossed my mind to use, “What I’m Writing Wednesday” and shorten it to WWW, but it seems the Internet has already taken those initials. I thought about calling it “Wednesdays We’re Jotting Down” but there again the whole WWJD thing has been done; I’ve got the bracelets to prove it. “Whatchmacallit Wednesday?”—that just doesn’t make sense. “Tha Whistles go Whoo Wednesday?” I need to stop. One more, “Whoop Whoop Wednesday?”… I’m done. Seriously. “Wiggidy Wack Wednesday.” Now I’m done. That’s the last one. I promise.
          Now, on to what I’m supposed to be blogging about—Writing. If you didn’t know, I recently finished writing my first novel. It’s a suspense novel about human trafficking. I’ve been editing it based on some great feedback I received from my beta readers, who are awesome by the way. But at the same time, I’ve been writing the sequel. As of today, I’ve written 11,000 words on the second novel. That means it’s about one tenth of the way completed. While I was writing last week, I found myself thinking about the third novel. That’s right, the third one. Even though I’ve not finished the second one and the first one has yet to be published, I’m plotting out the third book in this series. (It’s at times like this that Wiggidy Wack Wednesday sounds more appropriate.)
          I was struggling with the main conflict for the third book. What I had to begin with was a neat idea but it wasn’t strong enough to drive the entire story. I had to think about what would drive the entire novel, rather than just one or two chapters—or even half the novel. I stayed up until around 2:30am trying to figure out what was going to do this. What would drive the main character to act? I came up with some questions to ask myself as a guide for future novels.
          1. Are the consequences severe enough to cause desperate acts from believable characters?
          2. Is the conflict large enough to support the weight of the entire novel?
          3. Is my main character up to the task of resolving the main conflict?
          After asking myself those questions, I restructured everything. Then, I came up with a pretty strong plot line. I actually really like where it’s headed. I’ve said for some time now that I love the first novel but was more excited about the second one. Now, I’m more excited about the third novel than the second. I just have to keep pressing on towards the goal of finishing.

What makes a great conflict in the books you read? I’d love to hear your comments.

Really Preacher? Really?

2012-01-02T18:56:00.000-06:00

It’s college football bowl season. That means that fanseverywhere are glued to the television. I’m one of them. The thing about livingin the South is that football is everywhere. We’re passionate about our teams,conferences, players, and coaches—dead or alive. I’ve often heard ministerschallenge church-goers to be as passionate about church as they are about theirteam. I’ve probably had the same reaction as many of you have. “ReallyPreacher? Really? You want me to yell and cuss and throw stuff at you when you’re preaching? Do you really want me to start the wave to a Chris Tomlin song?” Idon’t think so. I know these ministers mean well, but do you really think Paulwould’ve challenged the Romans, “You should be just as passionate in church asyou are in the coliseum.” Not likely.

Passionis a tricky beast. We are most passionate about things in which we haveinvested time and energy…and sometimes money. I’m sure you’ve seen the dudes onTV who get caught crying after their team just lost. My first thought when Isee these guys is “Get a grip.” My second thought is, “He just lost a bunch ofmoney on a bet he’d placed.” It may or may not be true. He could just be a verysensitive guy who loves his football team A LOT. If that’s so, then bless hislittle heart; but I doubt it. More than likely he had something invested in thegame. He was passionate. The same goes for players who cry after the games.Now, this I get. These guys have invested their time and energy into playingtheir hearts out. They are emotional, and rightfully so. They are passionatebecause they’re invested.

I’mnot passionate about soccer. Why? Because I’ve never invested any time, money,or effort into the game. (Except for that one season as a third grader.) Manypeople all over the world love soccer. I’m just not one of them and thereforeI’m indifferent. I’m not passionate about it because I really don’t understandit. Many times we don’t invest in something because we’re not knowledgeable ofthe subject. For example, one time I went into a pawnshop looking for oldbaseball cards. I asked the man if he sold them and he said, “No, I don’t sellthem because I don’t know enough about them.” He didn’t invest because hewasn’t knowledgeable.

Isthat the reason we’re not passionate about church? About Jesus? About what Goddid for us? Could the reason we’re not passionate about those things be that wejust don’t know enough about them and have therefore not invested anything?There’s a great way to fix that. Read your Bible. We’re still early in 2012;why not try to read your Bible more this year? A great place to start is thebook of John.

Knowledge leads to making an investment, which leads tobeing passionate.

A new plan for the new year

2012-01-01T18:09:00.000-06:00

I’ve enjoyed blogging more consistently over the last month.It’s been neat to get back in the swing of things with all of the Christmasposts and sharing my thoughts. So, I’ve been thinking, “Why don’t I do thisevery month?” And I’ve decided to do just that. Not to mention that mysister-in-law threatened me if I didn’t keep posting. (She means business.) I’m not going to postevery day but here are my thoughts. I have three main interests in life: myfaith, writing and photography. I’ve decided to write about those things. Theplan is to write about my faith on Mondays, writing on Wednesdays, andphotography on Fridays.

Mondayswill be my thoughts on what is going on in the world and how I view them from aChristian World View. Wednesdays I will be sharing with you about my writingsin progress, helpful writing tips, and kind of a peek behind the curtain intothe mind of a suspense novelist. On Fridays I will give photography tips, showphoto examples, and extend challenges for the weekend. By the way, I LOVE Instagram. Follow me there at @bdgill45.

Ithink it’ll be fun. I’m not claiming to be an expert in any of these fields:faith, writing, or photography; but I’m a seminary grad who’s been a Christfollower for 26 years; I’m a published author working on my second novel; andI’ve been a freelance photographer for 17 years. Not that you care, but in caseyou were asking yourself, “What does he know about this or that?” The answer is“Not much, but I’m willing to share with you what I do know.”

Followalong, tell your friends, and journey with me this year. Please comment and share your own thoughtson Faith, Writing, and Photography. I’d love to learn from you as well. Also, in caseyou didn’t know, you can now access this site by going to www.bryangill.com.It’s a little easier to remember than the blog address itself. If you're on Twitter, follow me @BryanDGill

For Everything There Is A Season

2011-12-30T10:49:00.000-06:00

Cades Cove, TN in Winter

I was thinking about seasons today. How each one is uniqueand how I believe God specifically designs each one. Not going into all of thescientific stuff like plants going dormant and pollination and all, but hereare my thoughts.

Winter- The days are shorter and there is less sunlight.Think about if there were still leaves on the trees, how dark it would be. Withthe exception of evergreens, there aren’t shade trees in the winter. Shade plusshort days would make for an even darker season. The loss of leaves seems likeGod’s way of letting a little more sunlight into our lives.

Spring- The weather gets a little warmer, the flowers startblooming and the grass starts turning green again. There is nothing better toget you out of a winter funk than seeing the world coming back to life. Thecolor green has been proven to be a color that soothes your mind. Spring islike a breath of fresh air to the winter soul. It’s God’s way of telling usthat He hasn’t forgotten about us.

Summer- I love seeing large oak trees full of green leavesin the summer. With the intense heat from the longer days, the leafy treesoffer shade to shelter us. Not that the sun is bad, but the summer shade isGod’s way of offering protection from its intensity.

Autumn- The days start getting shorter and the long winteris just ahead. I think that the changing colors of leaves in autumn are muchlike a beautiful sunset that happens just before nightfall. It’s almost likethe world is dying gracefully. How depressing autumn would be and how bleakwinter’s arrival would be without God allowing the autumn colors to illustrate thetransition.

These are just some things to think about. God loves us andif we look hard enough, we can see His hand in every season of our life. Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 for a little encouragement today.

How to avoid the January Blues

2011-12-29T11:47:00.001-06:00

Okay, so Christmas is over. The family has left you. YourChristmas tree is still up but the presents are all gone. Your house is coveredin luggage, clothes, new gifts, and the random box of fruit you received from aco-worker. It’s almost January and you’re beginning to feel that seasonalsadness sink in. What do you do?

I’m no professional, but here are some practical ideas:

Open your curtains and blinds- Making your house brighter helps fight against the shorter days
Go on a cruise- That’s always a great idea
If you can’t go on a cruise then, in the words of my counseling professor, “Buy yourself a lamp.”- A well-lit house will bring life into the dormant winter nights
Go eat some hot wings- spicy foods release endorphins in your body, which actually makes you happier (so they say…it could just be the buckets of beer that most people drink with the hot wings. Just sayin’.)
Clean your house- a messy house will always bring you down
Rearrange a room- a change of scenery is good, even if it’s the same old furniture
Take down your Christmas tree- make it a fun night of getting things back to normal
Pray- spending time in prayer allows you to cast your burdens onto God—go ahead, He can take it.
Read your Bible- Don’t make a lofty goal of reading the Bible from cover to cover. Just read it and consider it a love letter from your heavenly Father. (a really long love letter)
If you do want to read the entire Bible this year, get a reading plan or a chronological Bible. Our church is doing it together. Those tools help guide you.
Eat chocolate- does this one really need an explanation?
Do something nice for someone else- the feeling you get from being kind to someone is much greater than the joy you received from any gift
Clean out your closet and give your old clothes to charity- this is a great time to consolidate your wardrobe. And plus, people need the clothes you’re not wearing. Go for a walk- exercising will actually give you more energy and let’s face it, we all need to do more of this.
Don’t sit in front of the T.V.- most of your shows don’t come back on until mid to late January anyway. Make something, do something, build something, read something, go somewhere—LIVE LIFE!

Have an Ordinary Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T10:30:00.000-06:00

“There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hillcountry of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, sonof Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other,Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.” -1 Samuel 1:1-2

Thisis the story of a woman, Hannah who was not able to have a child. She criedherself to sleep many nights praying for a child but the Lord would not haveit. Hannah prayed for a son and promised the Lord that when she did have achild, she would give him to God to serve him forever. You see, when it was theright time, God allowed Hannah to have a son. This child’s name was Samuel andwhen he was weaned from his mother, Hannah kept her promise. She handed over Samuelto a man named Eli, the priest where he would serve God forever.

Whyis this significant? What does this have to do with Christmas? Glad you asked!

Samuel’sparents were Ephrathites. (Easy for you to say, huh?) That’s important to notebecause Ephrathah is another name for Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. So let’srecap.

Ason, Samuel, was born in Ephrathah, also known as Bethlehem, to an unlikelymother because Hannah was barren. This son would later lead Israel in truth andrighteousness. He would also anoint David as king of the Jews.

Soundfamiliar?

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to be ruler in Israel

whose coming forth is from of old

from ancient days.”

Micah 5:1-2 (this was written before Jesus was born)

Let’s fast forward to the first Christmas Eve. A son, Jesus,was to be born in Bethlehem to an unlikely mother because Mary was a virgin.This son, Jesus would lead not only Israel but also the whole world in truthand in righteousness. He would be called the King of the Jews. He would be theSavior of the world.

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the daysof Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Whereis he who has been born king of the Jews?”

Matthew 2:1 (This was written after Jesus was born.)

God used an unlikely mother from an unlikely place to have ason who would be an unlikely king. God foreshadowed the birth of Jesus in the life of Hannahand Samuel. So the next time you think your life is not grand enough to be usedby God, be encouraged. God uses the most ordinary people and places to the mostextraordinary things.

I hope you have a completely Ordinary Merry Christmas!

How Not to Wrap a Gift

2011-12-23T17:05:00.000-06:00

Here's a little "How to" for your Christmas Eve Eve. If you want your gifts to look like I wrapped them then do the following.

Eyeball everything! A guess is just as good as a measurement.
Tear any excess paper instead of using scissors.
Get as many small pieces of tape as you can and put them on your fingers, legs and anything else near you. Trust me, you'll use them later.
When the paper doesn't make sharp edges b/c there's too much paper, use the tape from Step 3 to fix it.
When the ends of your boxes aren't covered with paper, take the scrap pieces of paper from Step 1, cut/tear out a square, and use the tape from Step 3 to cover the exposed box.
Tape, tape, tape
The golden rule is "It's always better to cut twice and tape the rest."
It's also a good idea to get creative on where you put the creases. Sometimes I put them on the edge. Sometimes I put them on the top. And sometimes they're diagonally across the sides. Don't worry about the look. Just be creative.
If you don't have wrapping paper, use an old newspaper, or a paper grocery bag. Or better yet, just put a bow on it and call it a day.
Gift bags are bad. But if you insist on using one, be sure to follow Steps 3 and 6 very closely.
Always tape the white boxes that you get from Dillards and other clothing stores. It's always fun to watch people try to get into them when they're being unwrapped.
And finally, whatever you do, if you want your gifts to look like mine, never ever ever let a woman do the wrapping.

Merry Christmas!!

Easy Christmas Ornament Recipe

2011-12-22T17:21:00.001-06:00

Today's guest is Tricia Cartner. She's a wife, mother of two, architect, seamstress, blogger, backpacker, high-pointer, and to top it all off, she hiked the entire Appalachian Trail with her husband, Jacob. I hope you all enjoy this easy-to-follow recipe for homemade Christmas ornaments. Also, she has two blogs that you all should follow here: her personal one http://www.thesolemates.blogspot.com/ and her business one http://www.critterbugandcricket.blogspot.com/.

Merry Christmas!

A few years ago my cousin reintroduced me to salt dough ornaments. I vaguely remember making them as a kid and I vaguely remember a few hanging on our Christmas tree. Now that I have kiddos, I love to teach them the tried and true crafts, the ones that have been around for ages because they are simple and require minimum supplies.

It was a pretty fun day in our home when I pulled out the peanut butter & bird seed and we smeared it on pinecones. You know you love that one, too! Anyway, that has nothing to do with Christmas. But - if you are looking for a fun craft to do with your kids that celebrates the season, why not bake up some “cookies” together. Only when they are done baking, I’d recommend you paint them and hang them on your tree (or give them to Grandma) instead of eating them.

Here’s the recipe:

Salt Dough Ornaments

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

½ tsp alum (in the spice aisle – it’s a preservative)

¾ cup water

Mix with hands.

Add a little water if too dry.

Roll out.

Cut shapes.

Use a drinking straw to cut a hole in each ornament.

Bake @ 250 for 2 hours.

Let cool and then paint.

Hang yarn or ribbon through hole.

Merry Christmas!

Tricia

Guest Blogger: Jason Wallis

2011-12-20T09:15:00.001-06:00

Today's guest blogger is Jason Wallis from the Cleveland, Tenn. area. Jason is a writer, runner, black belt, artist, minister, husband and dad of...er, I mean owner of two miniature schnauzers. Jason is an award-winning playwright. He's penned children's books, had movie scripts reviewed by Disney, and is currently working on a YA novel. Check out his website here at http://timjasonwallis.blogspot.com/. You'll want to keep up with this guy, he's very talented and funny. Also, did I mention he has 2,735 comic books? Awesome. Follow him on Twitter @timjasonwallis.

“It’s aWonderful Christmas Carol Story Claus on 34^th Street, Charlie Brown”

I loveChristmas! I can’t remember a time when listening to Christmas music didn’tmake me smile or cause me to tell people to shut up so I could hear the rest ofthe song. I love all the songs, the more classic the better. (Even thoughJustin Beiber almost ruined it for me.) I can’t get enough Christmasdecorations, ornaments, and lights. Oh the lights! As a child, I looked forwardto driving around and ogling at Christmas lights. Those inviting colored bulbsunified everyone. I enjoyed admiring the creativity and mocking the tackinessof some of the designs. (However, external illumination has brought thehistorical account of Santa driving a John Deere through the Nativity to life).

I’ve beenbrainwashed by Bing Crosby and I truly believe all Christmases should be white.I don’t even mind pushing through the crowds of soccer moms at the mall just tosoak up the Christmas decorations. The congested parking lots are annoying andI’ll have numerous flashbacks of "Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome" when a minivancuts me off, but my love of Christmas endures. It doesn’t take long at themalls before I grow impatient and our own tree, Pandora, and a “Christmas Story”satisfies my fix.

As a child myparents had a rule: “No one was allowed downstairs before 6.00 a.m. onChristmas morning.” I slept only a few minutes the whole night. My excitementand expectations wouldn’t let my mind rest. I had to do something. So,Christmas morning marked the only day of the year that I cleaned my room. Timecrept during the hours before 6:00 a.m. and I needed something to take my mindoff what lay beneath our tree downstairs. Needless to say, my bed making skillsrivaled that of a seasoned Marine.

Christmas is allso amazing. Except for the mall Santas. Those yellow-stained bearded old menscare the Jacob Marley out of me!

God bless useveryone!

Jason

Must Haves for your Christmas/Holiday Playlist

2011-12-19T11:45:00.000-06:00

These are the best versions of these songs that I've come across. I highly recommend listening to them and adding them to your playlists. You can get most of them off iTunes. Click on the link with Cassidy Robinson's name on it and you can get hers free. Enjoy! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tunes: Songs that are more

religous in nature

1. Oh Holy Night- Selah

2. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Morning- Casting Crowns

3. Cantique de Noel (The First Noel)- Andrea Bocelli (pretty much anything by this guy)

4. O Come All Ye Faithful- Third Day

5. Mary Did You Know- Mark Lowry

6. Breath of Heaven- Amy Grant

7. Sweet Little Jesus Boy- Casting Crowns

8. Ave Maria- Rachael Lampa

9. Christmas Makes Me Cry- Mandisa and Matthew West

10. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings- Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan

Holiday Tunes: These have little to do with Christ but they

are great songs around the Holidays

1. I’ll be Home for Christmas- Bing Crosby

2. There’s No Place Like Home for The Holidays- Perry Como

3. Where are you Christmas- Faith Hill

4. Spirit of Christmas- Ray Charles

5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas- Judy Garland

6. White Christmas- The Drifters

7. Winter Song- Cassidy Robinson (click the link to get it FREE from Noisetrade)

8. The Christmas Song- Nat King Cole

9. Christmas in Dixie- Alabama (because I’ve either lived in or have family in a lot of the cities they mention.)

10. Baby, It’s Cold Outside- Ella Fitzgerald

Guest blogger: Jeff Williamson

2011-12-18T09:55:00.000-06:00

Jeff Williamson is my guest blogger today. He's the Associate Pastor/Youth Minister at Union Avenue Baptist Church in downtown Memphis, Tenn. He is the leading authority on urban student ministry in the U.S. LifeWay and other organizations fly him all around the country to help other youth ministers with their ministries. He's a marathoner, skydiver, writer, husband, dad, but I call him my friend.

Check out his stuff at www.concretechurch.org and follow him on Twitter @jeff482. Enjoy!

I got "THE GIFT"...

In 1984 the most sought after Christmas gift was the"Entex Space Invader" hand-held video game. That's right...beforethere was Gameboy, DS, or a PSP there was Entex and yes the big man in the redsuit left one for me. It had to be the best Christmas morning ever! ThatChristmas was the first one back in our home after it burnt down earlier thatsummer. We got a 13 channel VCR (that’s a Video Cassette Recorder, FYI) and theSpace Invader Game!

While I still have the handheld game, everything else fromthat Christmas morning is all but gone. The neat part about Christmas at myboyhood home was that after all the gifts had been ripped apart we would stopand listen to Dad read the Christmas story. It was typically the one found in Luke. Dad reading thatBible story to us is the one thing that I recall from every Christmasgathering.

Sure, the gifts were great. The excitement of the morningwas like no other. But the lastinggift of Christmas is the best! That lasting gift is the one that arrived as the fulfillment of prophecies.That gift is the Son of God who came to earth and left with His ambition filledas the Son of Man! That gift is Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

Jeff

Roscoe's First Christmas

2011-12-17T09:15:00.000-06:00

For years Sarah wanted a puppy. She talked about it all the time. She talked about it so much that I got tired of hearing it and told her not to so much as utter the word "puppy" or "dog" or she'd never get one. Little did she know I'd already paid a deposit for a newborn yellow lab that she was getting for Christmas.
Here's how it went down. I'd made a photo book for her with pictures of all our family's pets and gave it to her as a gift. At the end of the book there were pictures of Roscoe as a puppy and then one of me holding him with the caption "Merry Christmas from me and your new puppy." That's when I walked in with Roscoe. Enjoy. Merry Christmas!! By the way, this song is "Spirit of Christmas" by Ray Charles. One of my favs.

How to Find the Best Christmas Gift

2011-12-15T16:00:00.000-06:00

WhenI sat down to write this post it was going to be a top 12 list of my favoritegifts I’ve received at Christmas. It was going to be funny and sweet and thenat the end I was going to say that Jesus was the best gift I’ve everreceived—which is the truth, by the way. Then I started thinking. Meh…who caresabout my gifts? I don’t remember all of them anyway. It would’ve been a prettyboring post except for the Jesus part.

Thatmade me think, what is the perfect, greatest, most bestest Christmas gift?

Itseems that families and friends can get in a rut around Christmas. Here’s atypical conversation that usually occurs somewhere between Thanksgiving andChristmas.

“Okay,so let’s draw names to see who you’re buying a gift for this year.”

Peopledraw names.

“Oh,good. I know exactly what I’m going to get him. That’s easy.”

“Uhh,I got her last year. Can I draw another name?”

“Oh,wait. I got my name.” laughs “Well, lookeythere, I just got it again!” laughs harder

“Okay,everyone knows the rules? Right? Only twenty dollars…and I mean it.”

Christmasrolls around and it’s time to swap gifts. Everyone passes out their “thoughtful”gifts that have conveniently morphed into gift cards. Because let’s face it,“they know what they really want and I’d hate to give them something they’dhate.”

Soundfamiliar? What’s the point of swapping gifts if everyone is basically givingout of obligation? Why don’t they just keep their $20 and buy themselvessomething? For years, my family was no different than this scene. But it hassince changed.

Fora healthy view of Christmas shopping, ask yourself these questions:

1. Why are you buying the gifts on your list?

2. Do you feel obligated to buy this gift or is a joy?

3. Are you refraining from buying someone a gift because theynever buy you one?

4. Are you only buying someone a gift because they always buy youone?

5. Do you feel like the person for whom you’re buying the giftwill be upset if he/she doesn’t get it?

6. Would you give this person this gift even if they didn’t knowfrom whom it came?

7. Do you have an ulterior motive for giving this person thisgift?

8. By buying this gift, will it put you or your family in astrain financially?

9. Are there other people you’d like to buy gifts for whoactually are in need?

10. Is giving this gift gratifying to you?

Theseare hard to answer in many cases. So, here’s my synopsis for the PerfectChristmas Gift. The best gift at Christmas is the one you joyfully give away tosomeone you desire to show love in a meaningful way without feeling obligatedor the need for reciprocation.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas songs that make you go, Hmmm

2011-12-13T14:34:00.000-06:00

1. Silent Night- Now, don’t get me wrong. I love this song. But was it really silent? I mean, come on, a woman was giving birth! There were thousands of people in Bethlehem to register for the census. Not to mention all the animals and shepherds. It was probably about as silent as Times Square at New Years Eve.

2. Santa Claus is Coming to Town- Here are the lyrics, “He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake.” What are we saying here? If we want kids to believe in the magic of Christmas, why are we making Santa out to be such a creeper?

3. Jingle Bells- I never understood why we sing this one at Christmas. Nothing in this song is about Christmas. Listen to the lyrics next time. You’ll see.

4. Frosty the Snowman- Again. Where’s the Christmas in this song? If it’s supposed to be a “Winter Song” then why isn’t it sung after Christmas? It usually only snowed in March where I'm from. Why don’t we sing it and Jingle Bells for Valentine’s Day? That holiday needs a song. (Although I guess Marvin Gaye has that one covered.) But, you get the point.

5. Oh Tannenbaum- Singing to a tree? Really? I bet this song started at Stanford University.

6. I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas- Seriously? A hippo? Where'r you gonna put a hippo?

7. I Like Christmas by Ali Lohan- I know this girl is only like 8 years old, but come on, man. This is pitiful. If you can read the title of this song then you’ve already mastered 90% of the lyrics. Add in a random Fa la la and you’ve got it.

8. Rocking Around the Christmas Tree- All right, this is a fun and catchy tune. However, who really has ever done this? I mean, if you’re literally going to rock around a Christmas tree it would mean that the Christmas tree is in the middle of the room. Nobody does that. It’s always stuck off in the corner of a room so you can hide the “bad side.”

9. Jingle Bell Rock- Have you ever tried to “rock” with jingle bells? It may be the most non-rock instrument ever. The triangle is easier to rock with for crying out loud. Go ahead, shake a jingle bell like you’re “rocking.” It’ll either sound like a Santa is running for his life or like a reindeer has a limp.

10. Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey- Any song that includes the words “Hee Haw” just needs to stop. I’m all about being culturally diverse, but this is silly.

11. I Saw Three Ships- What is this song about? Pilgrims? Jesus wasn't a Pilgrim. And why was he on a boat? What was he doing on a boat, for real? Especially on Christmas-Day-In-The-Morning. And how did this person seeing the boats know Jesus was on one of them? Was Joseph holding him up like Simba while a monkey sang a song that no one knows the lyrics to? This is just confusing. Ships? Really?

What are some others that I might've missed?

Starry Nights at Shelby Farms

2011-12-13T09:17:00.000-06:00

Shelby Farms is a large natural area, park-ish place right outside of Memphis. The first One Day was held there years ago for those of you who follow Louie Giglio and Passion. It's a cool place to take dogs, run, and ride bikes. Each Christmas they put on a light display for you to drive through called Starry Nights. It's a nice Christmassy thing to do if you're in Memphis. Sarah and I recently visited Starry Nights with a couple of our best friends, the O's. We all poured to-go mugs of spiced cider, piled into my car, and turned on the Christmas music ready for the show. Here's what we saw.

Welcome to the show! This is where we all looked at each other and said, "Wow, that's nice...is that a buffalo?"

This one was a green-energy promo. Emily thought that the "energy" being created by the windmill should've been created with green lights. We all agreed b/c she would know...she is a doctor.

We were all like, "Which way should we go?" Then we were like, "Let's ask this guy." He was so helpful.

I think "Kapow!" is the sound a candycane makes when it explodes.

Some of the comments in the car included the following: Terra Nova, the moon, gourds, and dinosaurs with three fingers.

This was pretty cool. We drove under these. I'm pretty sure the O's are going to do this to their yard.

When we rounded the corner to see this, the song "Away in a Manger" came on the radio. You would've thought that the heavens had opened up and God was smiling on us inside my car. It was destiny. (ps. doesn't the moon just add that "little something extra?")

Peace out!

Rules for Dirty Santa

2011-12-12T17:06:00.000-06:00

Unofficial Rules for Dirty Santa:

1. All gifts must be wrapped and placed in the center of the room.
2. Each person draws a number from 1 to the # of players. This is the order in which they choose gifts.
3. The first person must open a gift.
4. The second and all those following must either choose if they want to take a gift that has already been opened or open a new one.
5. If a person chooses to take a gift that is already opened, the person from whom the gift was taken now must choose to either take a gift or open a new one.
6. If a person's gift is taken from him/her, that person cannot take back the gift in the next turn. However, this gift can be taken back if a turn has passed between the taking of the gift and it is that person's turn again and it does not violate rule #7.
7. No gift can be taken more than twice.
8. After the person with the highest number has gone, the first player gets go choose whether or not he/she wants to keep his/her gift or swap his/her gift with any gift that has not been taken more than twice.
9. Once the first player goes after the player with the highest number has gone, the game is over.

Unwritten Rules for Dirty Santa:

1. You can re-gifted item, but it cannot be a gift you received from someone at the Dirty Santa party...or an in-law.
2. You must stay within the price limit that was agreed upon by the group. Thank you Michael Scott.
3. It is imperative that you know whether or not the party is a White Elephant Party, a Secret Santa Party, or a Dirty Santa Party. WEP- the gifts are gag gifts and are not intended for specific people. SSP- the gifts are intended for specific people. DSP- the gifts are not gag gifts and not intended for specific people.
4. You never want to be the person who brings the best gift. You would've been better off just keeping it and staying home.
5. You never want to be the person who brings the worst gift because next year you will be at home...all by yourself...with your crappy gift.
6. If you really like a gift, don't make a big deal out of it. That's the quickest way to lose it.
7. If you really hate a gift, don't act like you like it. Some nice person will let you keep it.
8. Homemade food is never an acceptable gift, unless your name is one of the following: Betty Crocker, Sister Schubert, Paula Dean, Rachel Ray, Mrs. Stouffer, or Martha Stewart.
9. Store-bought cookies are acceptable and are encouraged.
10. If you're the host, make sure there's enough food and drinks for your guests plus any unexpected visitors. Running out of either is a MAJOR party foul. Run out and you will be all alone next year like Crappy-gift-dude.

What's in a name: Bethlehem?

2011-12-10T19:55:00.001-06:00

The word Bethlehem is the combination of two Hebrew words: bethand lehem. Beth means house and lehem means bread. So, Bethlehem literally meansHouse of Bread. I don’t think it is any coincidence that Jesus, the bread oflife, was born in a city called the House of Bread.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Iam the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believesin me shall never thirst.’” John 6:35

Jesus said, “I am thebread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will liveforever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”John 6:51

“Then he took somebread and gave thanks to God for it. He broke it in pieces and gave it to thedisciples, saying ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to rememberme.’” Luke 22:19

You are the one for whom Jesus came to save. He was born in a city called the House of Bread. He lived, loved, died, and was raised from the grave as the bread of life. Remember that. Merry Christmas!

ps. No wonder I love Gingerbread houses...should we rename them GingerBethlehems?

Top 12 Christmas Movie Quotes of All Time Ever

2011-12-09T14:58:00.001-06:00

As I've gotten older I've realized that much of my vocabulary comes from movie quotes. Although I consider myself fairly educated, there are no amount of degrees that will keep me from using a movie quote somewhere in the conversation. "Know what I mean Vern?" I tend to catch and repeat short meaningless phrases that no one else remembers most of the time. This creates a problem for me when no one knows what I'm talking about and I'm left standing there looking like a babbling idiot. But, on the rare occasion that someone actually remembers the quote and acknowledges it, it makes my day.
In keeping with the spirit of Christmas and movie quotes, here are a few you may or may not remember. But trust me, they're in there! Merry Christmas

12. “Even if we’re horribly mangled, there’ll be no sad faces at Christmas.” –Mr. Grinch to Cindy Lou Who, The Grinch
11. “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” –Buddy the Elf, Elf
10. “If you really love Christmas, come on and let it snow.” –Billy Hack, Love Actually
9. “It's just like Santa's workshop! Except it smells like mushrooms... and everyone looks like they wanna hurt me.” –Buddy the Elf on his visit to the mailroom, Elf
8. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kiss you twice and then linger on the second one.” –Miles, The Holiday
7. “Are you serious Clark?” Cousin Eddy, Christmas Vacation
6. “Merry Christmas you wonderful old Building and Loan! MERRY CHRISTMAS!...Well hello there Mr. Bank Examiner.” George Bailey, It’s a Wonderful Life
5. “Well, I would greatly like to oblige, Mr. Collins, but I cannot make this reindeer fly…He only flies on Christmas Eve.” Kris Kringle, Miracle on 34^th Street
4. “HA! I still have a little magic left! I’m not such a loser after all!” Winter Warlock, Santa Claus is Coming to Town
3. “I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.” Linus, A Charlie Brown Christmas
2. “I didn’t really wanna run away. I just wanted you to find me and bring me back here and tell me things are gonna be okay—like they use to be.” Jessica Riggs to her dad, Prancer
1. “Sometimes seeing is believing. And sometimes the most real things in the world are those things we cannot see.” The Train Conductor, The Polar Express

All of The Lights

2011-12-08T14:51:00.001-06:00

Eachyear around late November people unpack their Christmas decorations in order toilluminate their home and yard for the Holidays. Some people down South whereI’m from, since they never took down last year’s decorations, simply just plugtheirs back in. I love seeing the different levels of creativity peopledisplay. The question is, what kind of decorator are you?

Youhave the Griswold-Wannabe houses that go all out with lights on the roof,sides, front and back of their house with no regard for their power bill because let's face it, it's Christmas.
Thereare the Christmas-threw-up-in-my-yard houses where lights are scattered wildly in thebushes, trees, and on the front porch...and possibly a pet. There is a minimum of twoilluminated blow-up decorations on the lawn and a random spotlight centered ona wooden cutout of Santa kneeling beside baby Jesus.
Thenthere are the We-love-spotlights houses that have anywhere from two to as manyas eight bright lights shining on the side of the house where a wreath has beenhung by a red bow. These houses also have garland and white lights wrappedaround handrails.
Next,there are the We-hire-someone-because-we-want-it-done-right houses thatlook like you cut them out of a magazine and pasted them in the neighborhood.Every light is perfectly straight and nothing is sagging.
There are the Whole-new-level houses, which has become a recent Christmas phenomenon. These houses have blinking lights synchronized to music, most likely a song by the Trans SiberianOrchestra. I’m amazed not only at the creativity but the time someone investedin making this happen. It's a Christmas miracle.
Andthen there is that one house in every city that has taken it upon itself tobecome its own version of O Little Town of North Pole Bethlehem. This house hassomehow managed to incorporate camels going to see baby Jesus with elves makingshoes. There are usually two stories told through the lights that seamlesslymerge at the climax: the story of Jesus’ birth and the Night Before Christmas.Also, if you drive by slow enough and roll down your window, you might justhear an old stereo or tape player playing Silent Night followed by Up on theRooftop. This house is the jackpot to decoration gazers.

Sarahand I love pouring a cup of hot chocolate, popping in a Christmas CD, anddriving through neighborhoods in search of these Christmas light enthusiasts. It’s something wedid before we were married and it’s something we’ve made into our own traditionas a couple. We love seeing all the different types of decorations and decorators. The biggerthe better in our opinion.

Whichhouse are you? I grew up in a We-love-spotlights house. If you are the otherhouses I described, I’d like to say thank you. Thank you for offering joy to somany people through your festiveness and holiday spirit…and for keeping mybrother-in-law, who works for the power plant, in business. Merry Christmas!

The Peabody Hotel Christmas Tree

2011-12-07T19:00:00.000-06:00

The historic Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tenn. is one of the best decorated places around each Christmas. The tree itself soars at least 30 feet in the air and garland and wreaths adorn all the rails. The place looks magical this time of year. If you ever get a chance to visit Memphis at Christmas make sure you eat some barbecue, see Graceland, and visit the Peabody Hotel. You'll be glad you did.

By the way, I took these photos with my iPhone. They make great wallpaper for your iPhone or iPad. Go ahead and take them. Consider it my gift to you. Merry Christmas!

Christmas 1990-something

2011-12-07T13:49:00.001-06:00

Didn't have a basketball photo.
This poinsettia will have to do.

Itwas Christmas morning, 1990-something at our house on rural route 4. The air was cold, trees were bare, no snow covered the ground but it was definitelyChristmassy outside. And inside as well.

My sister, Brandy and I woke that day to find the cookies and milk gone that we'dleft out for Santa. The celery that we’d left out for the reindeer was gonetoo, which was my brilliant idea by the way. Because everybody knowsthat reindeer eat celery—and magical flying dust, of course.

Presentswere pouring out from under the tree. We stood in awe. Presents wereeverywhere! Then we tore into the wrapped gifts like two Tasmaniandevils. Bows, ribbons and shiny paper flew as we exposed our gifts. When thepaper settled we were exhausted from all the unwrapping. Exhausted but elated.

Aswe were sitting and playing with our toys, mama and daddy said something that everykid wants to hear. “You might want to check outside. I think Santa left somethingon the carport.”

Thefirst thoughts that crossed my mind were 1- “there’s more?!” and 2- “I hopeit wasn’t the reindeer that left something on the carport—I’ll probably have toclean that up. Whose idea was it to feed the reindeer celery anyway?”

Needlessto say, we raced to the door and into the cold ignoring the “get your jacket!”cries from mama.

Westopped at the edge of the carport and there it stood seemingly 20 ft. tallwith a big orange ball at its base. A basketball goal! We immediately startedshooting. After thirty minutes of missed shots, dribbling off my toes, andchasing balls, we were ready to play a game of HORSE. Then, since neither of uscould make a shot, we shortened it to a game of CAT. It quickly morphed into agame of the-first-one-to-make-it-wins.

It’ssafe to assume that I didn’t win. You would’ve thought I was trying to ring thechimney with a bowling ball. I was horrible at basketball, and still am. Infact, I don’t think I ever won a game of basketball against Brandy. Sad, Iknow. And believe me, I would try. It wasn’t one of those, “I let my sisterwin,” type scenarios. I tried. She was good.

Thatbasketball goal was one of the best surprise-gifts we ever received from Santa.Until, of course, the year we got a go-cart and nearly killed each other withinthe first hour of driving it. But that’s another story.

So,this Christmas, surprise someone by putting a big basketball goal in their yard.Go ahead and dig a hole and cement that bad-boy. They won’t mind…I promise.Just kidding. But how great would it be if you did surprise someone thisChristmas with a random act of kindness or with an unexpected gift? MerryChristmas!

In need or in want?

2011-12-06T07:59:00.001-06:00

Thispast Saturday my cousin, Candy and I ran the St. Jude half marathon. It was herfirst attempt at a half but it was my second. Last year I ran St. Jude’s fullmarathon. However, this year’s race was a little different. I signed up to be aSt. Jude Hero, which meant that I was responsible for raising a minimum of $500for St. Jude Hospital. It meant that I was running for something bigger thanmyself. I was running for the children of St. Jude. We were able to see some ofthese children during the four-mile to five-mile stretch where we actually ranthrough the St. Jude campus.

WhenI rounded the corner onto Third Street in downtown Memphis, I heard theircheers. We funneled into St. Jude through a balloon arch with a live bandplaying to the side. Patients, nurses, parents, doctors, and enthusiasticcheerleaders lined the race path for the next half-mile. Bundled in knit glovesand beanies, they cheered and stuck out their hands to give us a high-five aswe ran by. By this point, my vision was blurred and I was afraid of losing mycontacts due to the amount of tears in my eyes. Trying to hold it together, Ifound that “little something extra” within me to run faster. And faster I ran.The louder the children’s cheers, the faster I ran.

Oncethe race path led us out of the St. Jude facilities, I realized that I wouldnot be able to keep up that pace. Unfortunately, I had to slow down and catchmy breath so I could continue. After that stretch of the race was well behindme, it still fueled me for the following eight miles. I just kept thinkingabout their sweet, smiling faces.

Ithink about a lot of things when I run/walk. There’s not much else to do whenyou’re traveling long distances on foot. God brought something to my mindduring this time. It was the question, “Do you spend more time with those inneed or with those in want?” That was a tough question to answer because notmany of my friends are truly “in need.” I mean, I occasionally visit thechildren of St. Jude, and I’ve been on mission trips before and I’ve given tothe foodbank. But in reality, I don’t spend much time at all with those inneed. Then the thought occurred to me, Jesus came to earth for those in need sothat we wouldn’t have to be in want.

Thinkabout that this Christmas. How can you spend more time with those in need? Ipromise, you’ll find that “little something extra” to pull you through theremainder of the Holidays when you do.

Top 12 Christmas Movies of all time ever

2011-12-04T16:00:00.000-06:00

Here is the definitive list of the best Christmas movies EVER! #1 is the best. You can disagree if you want to be wrong...just kidding. Now, your job is to watch them all and tell me what you think. Enjoy!

12. Santa Claus (Tim Allen)
11. Home Alone
10. The Polar Express
9. The Holiday
8. Mickey’s Christmas Carol
7. Prancer
6. A Charlie Brown Christmas
5. The Grinch (with Jim Carey)
4. Miracle on 34^th Street (the newer one)
3. Elf
2. Christmas Vacation
1. It’s a Wonderful Life

Honorable Mention:

A Christmas Story

White Christmas

Sweet Christmas Memories

2011-12-03T16:00:00.000-06:00

WhenI was younger, my mom and I would make Christmas candy to take to myschoolteachers as gifts. We would turn on Christmas music and spend the nexthour or so in the kitchen together. I always got to stir the pot while thesyrup cooked. This was a fun job because of the sweet aroma that hoveredabove the stove, but I preferred the job of taste-tester. I was really good atthat one. If only my poor teachers knew how much candy they DIDN’T get. "Merry Christmas Mrs. So-and-so. My mom and I made you HALF-a-jar of candy."

Anotherfun part of making candy was when we would get to break it apart after it hadcooled. We’d then put powdered sugar all over it. As if there wasn’t enoughsugar already in the candy itself, putting sugar on top of it seemed like agreat idea. We would make an assortment of flavors including cinnamon,peppermint, red, and green. And yes, red and green are flavors.

Sothat you all may share this special memory with me, I’m sharing the recipe with you. Go make a memory with your kids, friends, or parents. Kids, don’t try this without your parents. (You might burn down thehouse.) And parents don’t try this without your kids. (You’ll regret eating allthe candy by yourself…I promise.)

FYI,I’m available if any of you need a good taste-tester.

Ingredients:

3¾ cups white sugar

1½ cups light corn syrup

1cup water

1tablespoon of flavored extract (cinnamon, peppermint, red or green)

½teaspoon food coloring of your choice (I’d go with either red or green)

¼cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions:

Stirtogether the white sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan.
Stirwhile cooking over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil.
Withoutstirring, heat the mixture to about 305 degrees F (you will know when it’s donewhen you take a small drop and put it in cold water and it hardens)
Removefrom heat and stir in flavored extract and food coloring.
Pouronto a greased cookie sheet, and dust the top with confectioners’ sugar.
Letcool, (very important step…not yet ready to eat…trust me) then break intopieces.
Storein an airtight container. (We always used mason jars with lids)
Eat!

Photos 1: Christmas Tree

2011-12-02T18:13:00.000-06:00

Christmas 1980-something

2011-12-01T18:06:00.000-06:00

Oneof my earliest memories of Christmas was when I was three years old…or maybe Iwas two. I cant remember. But my parents could tell you. And so could my sister. As wellas a lot of our family and friends. It was the Christmas that I spent in thehospital. For the sake of adding drama, I'm going to say I almost died. (It may or may not be true) I’m not sure how it happened or what I did to get sick, but for thatChristmas I had Scarlet Fever. If you’re like me you’re asking yourself, “Isn’tthat something the first settlers got sick with?” or “Did he grow up on theOregon Trail?” No. I didn’t. It was just South Alabama. 'Nuf said.

LikeI said, I’m not sure how I got sick. I just know I was SICK. I had IVs and wasin a hospital bed and everything. I’m sure I received a lot of gifts thatChristmas but the one gift I remember the most was a box of bendy straws. Iloved bendy straws and I remember distinctly asking my babysitter, Deanna, for them. Likethe awesome babysitter she was, she brought me some with a bow on top.

So,this Christmas, make sure you give a sick kid some bendy straws. No, I’m kidding. This storyjust goes to show you that people remember kind gestures no matter how smallthey are. Make sure you don’t neglect the small seemingly insignificant acts ofkindness towards others this Christmas. Who knows, they may just remember it forthe rest of their life. Thanks Deanna.

25 Days of Christmas Blogging

2011-12-01T14:56:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas! I cannot believe it's already December 1st. That means it's time to really start getting in the Christmas spirit. To kick off this Christmas season, I'm going to post once a day for the next 25 days. Shocker. I know, given the less than sporadic posting I've done for the last year. These posts are not meant to inspire, amuse, or even entertain. They are just my way of reflecting on the season and what Christmas means to me. I hope you enjoy!

Why do we read what we read?

2011-08-09T16:28:00.009-05:00

As I was writing today, I started thinking about why we read what we read. The chapter I wrote today was very emotional. It dealt with a very timely issue and this character’s struggle was very vivid. This character shows the psychological struggle someone goes through when they’ve witnessed or been a part of a very traumatic experience. I started thinking about the question, “Would I want to read this?” (Of course I said yes. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read it, right? Totally just kidding.) But I think that is a serious question that will help me write what you all want to read. Then I started thinking, “Would my readers want to read this?” (Which, by the way, is the most important question.) I think that if I am not focused on that question, then I am wasting my time. This is not an issue of whether or not the content is readable, but if the writing is readable. Do I want to get the readers’ heart rate up when I’m telling this scene? Do I want the reader to see the conflict coming or do I want it to be a surprise?

Sometimes the most important question for writers is not “what” to tell, but “how” to tell it. I would love to get James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Mary Higgins Clark, and J.K. Rowling all in the same room. If that were to ever happen, how cool would it be to say, “Okay, I want you all to write a chapter about the psychological struggle someone goes through when they’ve witnessed or been a part of a very traumatic experience? GO.” I guarantee there would be five completely different stories written. Granted, James Patterson’s would only be two paragraphs long, but gripping nonetheless. The thing that makes each writer different is the thing that makes us like each writer.

So, that leads me to this little nugget of thought. How do you describe the books you like to read? Do you like it when there are a lot of moving parts and it is all tied together neatly in the end? Do you prefer one point of view in a very linear story line? Do you like long chapters so you can really settle in for long chunks of time? Do you like short and fast-moving chapters that force you to turn the page? Do you like happy endings or endings that leave you wondering what will happen next?

These are just things to think about. No one answer is right or wrong, it’s your opinion. Each one of the authors I mentioned are different and yet they are all successful. Is one style better than the next? For some people, the answer is yes. But it’s all a matter of preference. I know that, as a writer, knowing this helps me sleep better at night. It keeps my head straight when I think, “Oh no! Somebody is not going to like my writing,” or “Oh no! This person wrote a bad review of my book.” (Not that that has happened since my novel has yet to be published, but I’m guessing it will happen eventually.) Different people like different things. My goal is to write something that YOU will like. I want to write a style that will keep YOU coming back for more. YOU, the reader, should be at the front of every writer’s mind. Happy reading…or not. It’s your choice.

Weekly Photos 8-6-11

2011-08-06T12:32:00.004-05:00

I recently joined Instagram, an online photo sharing site. The Instagram app on my iPhone gives you different filters so you can alter your photos. So, for the last week or so I've been playing around with some of my photos. I really like the app and some of the photos look really neat with the filters. Here are some of my favorites. FYI, the streaks in the seagull photo are not from the filter, it is actually the lens refraction caused by the sun at the time I took the photo. I'll probably start posting a new batch every weekend. Enjoy.

The Vine

Wanna Play?

Flight

Well Used

Curtains

Do I know you?

2011-08-04T19:00:00.007-05:00

I have completed 1% of my novel. If my novel was a dollar, I have one penny of it. If it was a football field, I have one yard. If it was…I’m sure you get the picture. All that to say, I wrote 1,000 words today. It took me a while to find that perfect opening scene. Who would be in it? From whose perspective would it be? What do I want the main character to be doing? How do I get the readers to fall in love with her?…or him…or the main character? (I’m trying not to give away any details here.) After much thought and careful consideration, I figured that the best way to approach it would be just to start typing. So I did. I started with a scene and a character and went from there. I wanted the picture painted in the first chapter to show the kind of lifestyle these characters lived and then we could move into more drama and suspense.

It’s funny how when you’re writing, the characters take on a life of their own. It took a lot longer for this to happen in the first novel. But, I guess since this is a sequel, the characters already have a life of their own. ??? I’m not sure if that makes any sense. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that even in this first chapter, the characters have already come to life. That’s good right? Well, yeah. Kinda. You see the thing is that when you stop writing for the day, these characters are still alive (on paper, of course). For some reason, when I stop writing, I feel like they are all staring at me with folded arms like I’ve missed curfew. I picture them asking me, “Where have you been? Do you realize what time it is? Do you know how long I’ve had to wait in the back of this van with the psychopathic killer you’ve created?” (I’m not saying that there is or is not a scene in either book with a van and a psychopathic killer.) But, I am saying that I love these characters and their personalities.

As I was writing today, I started thinking, “Do I know these characters?” What I mean by that is, “Do I actually know someone like these characters and I’ve put them into the novel subconsciously?” I think the answer is…sure! Can I pinpoint who each one of them is? I think the answer is…no. Each character I create is a conglomeration of the many different people I’ve met throughout my life. Some fall under the same category, such as: sassy, or alpha, or passive. But no one character is a direct clone of someone I know personally. So, don’t worry. If I know you, you’re not in danger of being a character in my novel. But like the T-shirt says, “Be nice to me or I’ll put you in my novel.”

Question: Do you ever catch yourself reading a novel and thinking, "Hey, that sounds like something I'd say"?

New Novel Project has Begun

2011-08-02T14:08:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, I finished my first novel two months ago (May 2011). Since then, I've been editing it while I wait to hear back from an agent to whom I submitted it. No word yet, but I'm still hoping. If this particular agent that I've contacted doesn't wish to represent me I'll probably never write again...totally just kidding. I'll just move on to the next one. If no one wants to represent me then I'll probably never write again...no...seriously...I wont. JOKING! If I cant get it published traditionally, I'll probably e-book it, and try to audio-book it. Not the best case scenario but at least it'll be out there. In the mean time I'm going to start the sequel. I hope to keep you guys up to date while I write this one. I'm not going to give any spoilers but I do want to keep you all interested.

The thing about starting a new novel is trying to figure out what that first sentence is going to look like. What is the first word going to be? How am I going to draw the reader in from the start? There is something very exciting about the possibility of a blank page. I think that is why I like to buy journals. I have so many unused journals on my bookshelves because I'll buy them thinking of all the countless possibilities that could fill their pages. Think about that. The Declaration of Independence was once a blank page. Beethoven's 5th was once a blank page. To Kill a Mocking Bird started as a blank page. Anne Frank started her journal with a blank page. Those empty journals in my shelves are just waiting for something of note to be written on them. Granted, that we mostly use Word documents these days, but each "New Document" has the potential to be something great. It has to start with one word. One sentence. One paragraph.

So, here's to blank pages and unused journals and first words! (I'm raising my invisible glass). Now, I must start writing. My daily goal is 1,000 words. Hopefully by Christmas I'll have my second full length novel completed. We'll see.

p.s. Feel free to comment on what you've always wanted to put on your "blank page" or "unused journal." And, am I the only person in this world who buys journals and never writes on them?

First Draft of Novel #1 is Completed

2011-05-23T16:28:00.003-05:00

Well, it has taken two years but it finally happened. I finished writing my first novel last night around 8:30. Over the first 18 months I wrote 37,000 words. Over the past five months, I wrote 60,000 words. The completed first draft is 97,500 words long. That is 365 pages double spaced with 12 pt. font and one inch margins. The page count will change depending on how long the publisher wants it to be. They can change font size and spacing to fit their style. The important thing is that it is considered a full length adult novel (75,000-120,000 words). Now all I have to do is find someone that will publish it. ;)

Just a few things about the novel. It's a crime/suspense novel about human trafficking. I'm hoping to get it published in the secular market (but will not turn down the Christian market). I describe it not as a Christian novel, but as a novel written by a Christian. We'll see.

It's really funny, last night I lay in bed trying to think of what to write next but my mind was completely clear. I didn't have any people to save, no one needed to land a plane, everyone who was still living was where they needed to be. It was a neat feeling. During this process of writing I would leave characters in precarious situations. Each time I did that I felt like they were looking at me with their arms crossed and tapping their foot saying, "Really? You're just going to leave us like this?" It's kind of funny how real these characters seem to me.

I've got a little tightening up to do before I let anyone read it, but I plan on letting Sarah read it over the next two weeks. She's such an avid reader and I know she'll tell me the truth. I'm going to let it simmer for a few weeks and then read through it myself for the first time. That'll be interesting. So, there you go. Novel #1's first draft is complete. Novel #2 is just a few months away from beginning. (It's a sequel.)

Thoughts on the Rapture

2011-05-21T14:34:00.003-05:00

With all this talk about the Rapture of the Church, I wanted to chime in. Here are some thoughts on this whole thing. Some are serious and some are not so serious.

If all believers are predestined, will there be some people who don't know that they're saved? If so, how will they react when they are raptured? I wonder if they'll be like, "Man, Memphis is on the up and up. When did we get gold streets?"
When the trumpet sounds, I hope Louis Armstrong is the one playing.
What do you want to be doing when the rapture comes?
Say what you want to about Harold Camping, regardless of how crazy he may or may not be, when is the last time you were willing to face public disgrace and humiliation for what you believed the Bible says.
Never in my lifetime has talking about Jesus and his return been so easy. Are we taking advantage of these opportunities?
In thinking about the rapture, Christians, have you lived a life that you're proud of? If today is the day, are you pleased with what you did with your life?
Other than Jesus, who would you want to see first in Heaven?
What would the first question you'd ask when you got there?
What are three things you hope heaven will have that earth has? For me it's: Yoo-hoos, pets, and fishing. (I would say fried chicken but John the Baptist will be there so I think we're covered.)
If the rapture is not today, how will your life be different tomorrow?
How funny would it be if everyone in your church called each other (without the pastor knowing) and decided not to go to church on Sunday?

Mud Island Flood update

2011-05-18T14:41:00.002-05:00

Mud Island is slowly getting back to normal. The river is dropping at a rate of one foot per day. Today it is at around 43 feet. Last week the river crested at 47 feet. I don't want to down play the devastation that this flood brought the Memphis area, because there were areas which were completely under water. And several people lost their homes. However, much of the metro Memphis area was not affected.

When national media came into town with their big name "reporters" wearing waders and standing in areas of the river that were never meant to be stood in, the whole thing got blown out of proportion. Beale Street was NOT flooded. Downtown was NOT under water. And Mud Island did NOT nearly disappear into the Mississippi River. I know because I live there. Don't get me wrong, the lowest part of Beale Street (the far western part closest to the river) was covered at the intersection of Riverside Drive, but that area does not have any stores or restaurants. Downtown Memphis is open for business. In fact, I've been downtown almost every day. The only water came from workers cleaning the alleyway to Rendezvous' World Famous Ribs...the same way they do every week. If you were questioning wether or not to come to Memphis because of all the water, you should definitely still come. Everything is wide open for business and the BBQ is still the best in the world. Come on over.

This is the eastern side of the island that received the worst flooding on Mud Island. FYI, there is usually a large grassy area here.

This is the storage shed behind the Montessori school on Mud Island.

This is not usually a water park.

Quite the perspective on how much water this area took on.

It's kind of hard to tell, but this is just a park bench.

Mud Island Flood Videos Part 2

2011-05-08T21:27:00.001-05:00

Mud Island Flood Videos Part 1

2011-05-08T21:23:00.002-05:00

Mud Island Flood Photos Part 2

2011-05-08T21:13:00.005-05:00

Sarah is standing at the edge closest to the sidewalk along Island Drive on Mud Island. As you can see it is very close to the sidewalk. However...(scroll down for more)

This is the same point on the sidewalk. Notice how the road behind her actually comes up to her chest. So, there is about four feet to go until it reaches Island Drive at this point along the sidewalk.

Here are some sandbags in preparation for the water to rise.

This is the "new levee" that the city built to help shield Island Drive from the water. The new levee is where the old southbound lane for Island Drive was a few days ago.

This is a view down the sidewalk. For those of you that aren't familiar with Mud Island, The tree line off to the far right is the normal waterline.

A Great Night in Memphis

2011-05-07T07:48:00.003-05:00

What a great night in Memphis last night. Sarah and I met some friends for dinner and a movie to celebrate Sarah's birthday. First, we ate at our favorite Memphis steakhouse, Buckley's. New York Srip and Cilantro-Citrus Mahi Mahi. Amazing. Then we went to our favorite Memphis bakery, Muddy's. A Plain Jane and a Capote. Yum. After that we went to Target to kill some time. Then we were off to Mid-Town to watch the new movie, Something Borrowed starring Memphis native, Ginnifer Goodwin. Great flick.

It was just a great night all around. Today is actually Sarah's birthday but she has to work. However, we started it off with coffee and a walk around Mud Island. I'm not sure what we'll do tonight. She said that she wants to exercise and watch the Grizzlies game...exercise? Meh. Watch the Grizzlies? Yesss!

A River Runs Through...Memphis

2011-05-05T17:05:00.003-05:00

Keep us in your prayers as the water keeps rising. Mine and Sarah's stuff will be okay since we live on the second floor of an apartment. But, there are many others who will lose everything once the river crests. They're calling this the Flood of the Century.

If you look hard enough, you can see the number 45. That is the level of the Mississippi River. Major flood stage is 46 ft. and the river is expected to crest at 48 ft.

This is the first parking lot you see once you're on Mud Island from A.W. Willis Ave. On the left is Island Drive. In the distance you can see the Mississippi River bridge.

This is the...um. It's the...uh. Two circles...um. Lines...bicycle rack? Art? Anyway, you can see the water level juts right up to the edge of this piece of...work.

This weeping willow cried me a river. Get it? Mississippi River, Weeping Willow, Justin Timberlake, Memphis? Ok...Sorry. I couldn't resist. It was too easy.

The river feels more like a lake than a river.

Last Day Of Work...not really

2011-05-05T15:46:00.003-05:00

Ok, so today was the last day of Noonday, our lunch program for University of Tennessee Health Science Center students. I'm sad in a way because of the great students that are graduating. I've built quite a strong relationship with this class because they've been my leaders for the last two years. However, I've come to realize that this feeling will be the same every year. It's the nature of my job. Although I love my job, that aspect will probably be one of the "not-so-awesome" parts of it. It's like Sarah and I will be losing close friends every year. For that, I'm sad. But for the sweet Alumni-relations trips, I'm happy.

This summer will hopefully be full of writing since I'm not around my students on a regular basis. Although there is a long list of things to do even with the students gone, I hope to finish my novel. Right now I'm at 67,000 words. I hope to be finished by the time I reach 85,000. That translates into about a 300-340 pager. I'm really excited about getting it finished and letting Sarah and some close friends read it. Then, as they say, "people will start calling my baby ugly." But, critiques only make the writing better...right?

In case you don't know, the book is a crime/suspense novel.

I wasn't planning on there being a love interest in it but Sarah insisted. The funny thing is that the love interest is one of my favorite sub plots. Hopefully I will be finished before the end of May.

Our funny dogs

2011-02-09T14:50:00.004-06:00

A few weekends ago we went to Sarah's parents' house. All the pups got to play together and of course, I had my camera. Here are the funny ones. BTW, Roscoe is the yellow lab, Hershey is the chocolate lab, and Drake is the golden retriever.

"This is my I-got-the-ball dance."

"Must. Not. Let. My. Ears. Touch."

"Did you catch me a delicious bass?"

"Who put that leash on me?"

"I didn't get the ball. But, I got the dog that got the ball."

Photo set 5 of 5

2010-12-11T15:20:00.002-06:00

These photos are more conceptual in nature. They are some of my favorites from this summer.

"Building Sand Castles"

"Silhouette of Summer"

"Secure"

"Touchdown Jets!"

"Tranquility"

Photo set 4 of 5

2010-11-23T21:28:00.003-06:00

Sarah and I took a week off in early September for a vacation at her family's lake house. It couldn't have been a better time together.

Roscoe loved riding in the boat. However, this photo was taken just moments before we ran out of gas in the middle of the lake. Thankfully, two friendly fishermen came by and helped us get some gas. Life is always an adventure with us.

One morning during our vacation I was sitting out on the pier drinking coffee. I had my camera ready when out of nowhere, this eagle flew into the slough. He was literally there for 5 seconds. I was able to get a couple shots of him during those brief moments.

Sarah and I, along with our friends, Matt and Dana, spent a Saturday at Shelby Farms in Memphis this past Fall. The pups loved swimming and chasing each other.

Sarah and Roscoe posed for a picture while at the beach during our late October vacation. The Fall is my favorite time of the year to go to the beach.

Photo set 3 of 5

2010-11-20T22:15:00.002-06:00

These are Roscoe pics.

Pippie, on the left, is my dad's dog. She is part pit bulldog and part American bulldog. She is Roscoe's favorite friend. Oh yeah, she's the sweetest dog EVER! They loved running in the ocean together. It was pretty funny to see them hit a deep place...it'd catch them off guard and they'd splash really big. Too funny.

This is Otis, our neighbors' dog. Roscoe LOVES Otis, however, the feeling isn't mutual. We are at Shelby Farms in Memphis. The geese in the background didn't appreciate it when we'd throw the tennis ball in the middle of them.

This is just too funny not to post. Roscoe has that crazy "I've-got-to-get-that-tennis-ball-before-Otis-does" look in his eyes.

This is Roscoe's favorite place at the lake. Belly down on the pier with the remaining pieces of a stick he just chewed up. Life is good.

This one showcases Sarah's favorite feature of Roscoe...his nose.

Photo set 2 of 5

2010-11-20T13:23:00.002-06:00

Here are some bird photos I took this summer.

"Do not look at the giant human with the camera."

"I just love the way shells smell."

"Alright guys, let's practice the flying V" "But we're not flying." "I know, that's why we're practicing." "Hey! You in the back...pay attention!"

"Trying...not...to...touch...the....water!"

Can you find the bird?...It's a hummingbird flying right towards me.

Photo set 1 of 5

2010-11-19T20:25:00.005-06:00

These photos are from the things I did this summer. I thought that instead of writing stories about each trip I'd give a picture and a paragraph.

I kicked off the summer by leading a group of 19 on a health field mission trip to Jamaica. We put on a dental clinic, eye-glasses ministry, photography ministry, and children's ministry. FYI, I'm cleaning dental equipment in this photo.

This is one of 8 Memphis Redbirds games Sarah and I went to this summer. We love those games...and the BBQ Nachos!

Three of my best friends and I played golf the day of our ten-year high school reunion. I graduated with these two guys and the one taking the picture was my college roommate who didn't go to HS with us.

My dad and I flew down to Miami, Fla. for the Miami Dolphins/New York Jets game. It was a quick trip but an awesome one. We had a blast just having some good guy time. Oh yeah, I met Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester from Glee) in the Birmingham, Ala. airport. I got her autograph on the PEOPLE magazine she was in for Sarah...she's a big fan.

Sarah and I attended the Auburn/Arkansas game with two of our best friends from Memphis. Auburn won in a shoot-out. We had a great time. The game was sooo exciting!

It's been a while

2010-10-27T17:59:00.005-05:00

I guess you could say I've been a little bit busy lately. As many of you know, I work as the Baptist Collegiate Ministry director for metro Memphis. Part of my job is to facilitate a twice-a-week noonday lunch program for medical, dental, pharmacy and other health field students at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (formerly known as UT Memphis). Well, for the past nine years we have had a beloved employee cook the meals for us. She kept the place clean and made sure our students had a home cooked meal every Tuesday and Thursday. She was an icon at the BCM. Unfortunately, two months ago she had a series of strokes. She is doing better but has not been able to come back to work since then. But, as the saying goes, "The show must go on."

With the help of my wife, Sarah, we made things work. That was until she got a new job...yippie. Good for us, bad for me. That means that for the past two months I've been cooking and cleaning all by myself...in addition to my actual job responsibilities. Although I learned a lot in seminary, cooking for 100 students twice-a-week was not part of the curriculum.

The lunch program is not all we do at the BCM. We do several local ministry projects per year. One of which you can read about here. We also take short-term health field mission trips around the world. Last year we sent 41 on over-seas missions to Haiti, Guatemala, Jamaica, Philippines, and the Dominican Republic.

Aside from work, I've been working on my novel every chance I get. 500 words here, 2,000 words there. I try to write at least once a week. I'm about 1/3 of the way finished.

This summer was great, by the way. I didn't write as much as I wanted to but I was published in a couple new venues. I didn't keep this little blog up to date like I'd wanted to either. Sorry about that. I'm not promising to do better but there's always hope.

This week is special to me. I'll be celebrating my 29th birthday this Sunday on October 31! So, if any kids come to your house dressed up like monsters asking for candy, just know it's all part of the national celebration of my birth. ;) Have a good week.

Things to do this summer...

2010-06-26T11:47:00.004-05:00

Now that summer is here in full force I thought it would be good for me to make a list of things I wanted to do. So, here we go. (Just so you know, the things on this list may or may not get done and some of them already have been accomplished.)

Finish my novel by writing 5,000 words a week starting in June
Reflect on what I learned during my first year at UTHSC
Work on alumni relations strategy for my job
Attend more Memphis Redbirds games
Eat at a downtown Memphis restaurant every other week
Lose 15 lbs
Get published in new venue
Write a weekly blog entry
Travel to somewhere new
Get contacts and new glasses
Get up early (5:00am) at least 3 days a week
Help a family in need
Go fishing with my dad
Play golf with my wife
Go to a lake/ocean/river....any place that has water
....

Tell me what you plan to do this summer. I'd love to know.

31 Verses Every Teenager should know: Character

2010-05-21T16:09:00.007-05:00

Here is the latest 31 Verses devotional book I wrote for Student Life. It is 31 different stories about Old Testament characters that reveal one aspect of God's character. Each story includes a devotional and a set of reflective questions. Once it is released, it will be a great way for teenagers to learn more about God through Old Testament heroes. Expect it to be released this summer. I'll provide a link when it is available.

When I got home Sunday from a trip to East Tennessee I had a lot of mail. It was like Christmas. I had a check from Chicken Soup for the Soul for my story, my new issue of The Writer magazine, and 10 complementary copies of this little baby--31 Verses Every Teenager Should Know: Character. It was so fun to get all that writing stuff at one time. Even though those trips to the mailbox are rare, it still made me feel like a real writer for a brief moment. Then I had to open the not-so-fun stuff, like bills and junk-mail.

New Bible Study coming soon

2010-05-18T16:24:00.002-05:00

This is Student Life's newest Bible study. I was a contributor to this study writing 12 devotionals and 12 lessons. There are 8 sections in all and the two sections I wrote were entitled "Bridging the Gap" and "Next". I wrote 6 lessons and 6 devotionals for both sections. These are really great for students. They are packed full of excellent graphics and content to help teenagers grow closer to God. I highly recommend them. The study is scheduled to be available in June 2010.

April Showers...make you run faster

2010-05-17T17:00:00.006-05:00

April was a big month with seemingly everything happening at once. There was the whole Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Dad book news, a photo shoot, a Beast Feast at work, killing a really big turkey, flooding in the Mid-South, tornados popping up all around and a running milestone. The last one is the one I’m blogging about today.

The twins and I (and Roscoe) drove from Memphis to Nashville for the 2010 Country Music Marathon. We met JD there later that Friday night after we sat in traffic for several hours en route to the convention center for registration. We got in bed around 11:30 that night and had to get up around 4:30 Saturday morning. JD got up with us and drove us to the starting line. The weather was threatening to be severe but we hoped to “outrun” it (pun intended).

The sun had not yet risen when we got there. It drizzled a little while we waited in line at the port-a-potties but it stopped soon thereafter. While we walked around, not really knowing what to do before the race and pretending to stretch, we surveyed the thousands of runners. Walking across the port-a-pottied lawn, Rachel recognized the Christian music artist, Toby Mac. She and Sarah were star-struck as they passed by, however, I was much more bold in my approach and gave Toby a head nod. He nodded back. Since that highly uneventful meeting, Toby (that’s what I call him now) and I are like best friends. (I’m totally just kidding in case anyone who actually knows Toby Mac reads this.) So, after we saw Rach’s favorite musician, we pretended to stretch our way over to where he was. We were seriously like 10 feet from him. We pretty much did our pre-race stretch at the same place.

Some guy from The Biggest Loser sang The National Anthem and then the race was off. Rach, Sarah and I ran together for the first 3.5 miles and then I told them to run on ahead since they were running the full marathon and I was only running the half. There were rumors that the marathon runners would be redirected to run the half if the weather became severe. Sarah and Rach wanted to make it the whole way and I would have held them back had they ran with me. They were much faster than I.

So we parted ways and I ran. About every 3 miles I would walk for a couple hundred yards to stretch and then I would run again. I loved hearing the scuffling of paper cups along the Nashville streets, the cheers from supporters as they sat in their yards, and the sound of semi-trucks honking their horns as we ran across the overpass. Oh yeah, the scattered country music concerts along the way were a nice addition too. Mile after mile I came closer to my goal of 13.1 miles.

When I reached mile 12 it started drizzling again. The dark skies closed in on the city making the “Batman” building look more and more like a scene from a movie. The last mile seemed to take forever. It was the hardest mile of the whole race. When I crossed the finish line they gave me a medal and I got my picture taken. Then the bottom fell out. It rained hard for the next 5 hours. After the race, food was everywhere. There were cookies, bagels, oranges, apples, bananas, and weird fruity-gooey stuff. And yes, I ate a little of everything…including the goo.

I was supposed to meet Sarah and Rach at pavilion “G” after the race but I thought they were at least two hours away from finishing. So, I took my time and made a few phone calls as I made my way over to “G.” When I got there, Sarah and Rach were waiting for me. The race officials had called off the marathon for people running slower than a 3.5 hour pace. That disappointed the girls. They would not even put their medals on since they didn’t actually run the 26.2 miles.

After the race they decided to run the 26.2 miles a few weeks later at their parents’ house. That was a couple weekends ago. They finished the 26.2 miles at the running trail in Guntersville, AL while JD and I played golf (where I lost like 26.2 golf balls). All in all April was a great month.

The big book reveal!

2010-04-22T15:49:00.006-05:00

Well here is the big surprise! A little less than a year ago I was browsing a friend's blog. Susan at Stony River, always posts open markets at the end of her blog. This Chicken Soup for the Soul was the one posted for that day. I checked it out and it sounded like something I could do. So, I blindly submitted my story to them in hopes of hearing something back. Well, months passed and I forgot about submitting it, until I received an e-mail saying that I had made the first cut. The editor said there were around 4,000 submissions and they cut it down to about 200. Then about a month later they cut it to 120 and there was one more cut to make it to 101. I found out at the first of the year that I was selected to be in the book. Since the book wouldn't come out until April, I had to keep it a secret from my dad. I wanted to give it to him for his birthday, which is also in April. I only told a handful of people about it and they were sworn to secrecy.

Wednesday, I helped my uncle-in-law, Jackie with a photo shoot for a dance studio in Alabama and decided to drive home afterwards to surprise my dad with the book. When I handed it to him I said, "I thought about you and had to get this for you. That first story reminds me of you." He didn't know that the first story was about him. He opened it and was pretty much speechless. It was a neat moment for mom, dad, and me. I received payment up front and will not receive any royalties but, I hope all of you will buy a copy anyway! You can find one here on Amazon. They will make great Father's Day gifts. Be sure to read the first story (FYI: that's mine). Thanks for your support.

New news on the book front

2010-04-06T10:39:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone,

I received a phone call yesterday from my neighbor saying that I had a package on my doorstep that he'd picked up for me. I was at the coffee shop in Harbor Town on Mud Island doing some revisions on my most recent submissions to StudentLife for their bible study material. I had no idea what the box would contain but always get excited to receive packages. It is like Christmas; even if I'm the one who ordered it. Anyway, I got home and the side the box read Simon & Schuster. My interest was perked because they are a very large publishing house and I had not ordered any books. I tore open the top and threw out the padding to reveal 10 free copies of the book in which I was a contributor. I was PUMPED! I am not going to tell you the title of the book yet but I will tell you that there are 101 different stories compiled into this collection and mine is one of them. The editor I spoke with said there were over 4,000 entries and they chose 101. Opening that box was surprise number one.

Surprise number two came when I opened the book. Right there in the table of contents beside story #1 was my name. I was literally shaking I was so excited. My story is the first one people will read when they get this book. Crazy huh? #1 out of 101! Well, I am going to make the "reveal" next week sometime. But until then, start saving your money to buy a copy.

Big slacker with big news!

2010-03-17T11:16:00.004-05:00

Well, you've probably guessed that by my lack of posting that I haven't been running lately. That's right. I've been a big slacker. But, to my defense, we had company this weekend, I've had a cold for the past three days, daylight savings time happened, WORK, I took engagement photos for some friends and....what else is there? There's something I think I'm missing here. What could it be? Oh yeah, I just finished my second book for StudentLife!

That's right! I am so pumped about this one. It is 31 Verses Every Teenager should know about Character. It is a 31 devotion book with each devotion focusing on a different Biblical character. I just turned in the final set of devotions today and it should be out this summer. In the mean time, I will be working on one of StudentLife's Bible studies called Linked. I just received the go ahead from them and I will be doing 12 lessons and 12 devotions for the 48 study book.

But, all of that is not what I'm most pumped about for this spring. However, I can't tell you the big news yet. This is a time sensitive reveal. I can give you a hint, though. I've been published in a fairly well known book that will come out this April. I will tell you more about this exciting news within the month. Get excited. I hope you all will buy a copy.

1/2 Marathon Training: Day 5

2010-03-07T10:51:00.003-06:00

4 MILES!!!!!! WoooHoooo! It is so funny how today's four miles were easier than yesterday's two miles. We are in Albertville, AL this weekend for Woody's visitation and funeral so we ran at the Lake Guntersville walking trail. It is so pretty running there by the lake.

Sarah and Rachel, Sarah's twin sister, had to run their long run today too, but it was 16 miles. I started running with them after they had just reached the 14 mile mark. It was nice running with someone; even if it was for just two miles. After they finished their final two I turned on my pink ipod and ran my final two by myself. (I definitely need to get a different color cover for Sarah's ipod.) My body is getting use to running and so are my new shoes. I went to Breakaway running store in Memphis to get mine and I love them. They are Saucony and probably the most comfortable running shoes I've ever had. My feet feel great after each run.

Just as a side note; "Hold on tight to your dreams," by ELO is a fantastic running song. It helps me on the hills and tough spots of my run. Also, just so you know, I've been writing my blog postings immediately after each run. I mean, sweat is literally still dripping from my brow as I type. So, these are hot off the press. Have a great Lord's Day! Keep Sarah's family in your prayers today and tomorrow. It will be a tough couple days.

1/2 Marathon training: Day 3 and 4

2010-03-06T11:51:00.002-06:00

Well there was once again a slight change in plans yesterday with regard to training. I had great intentions of running once I got off work but when I got home I still had work to do. I thought about running on the treadmill but talked myself out of it. Also, I was a little distracted because Sarah's 94-year old granddaddy, Woodrow "Woody" Wilson Biddle, was not doing good at all. He's been sick or in rehab for broken bones since his wife of 70-years, Nanie, went on to be with the Lord last year. Sarah was with him last night at the nursing home in Alabama and I was just a little down thinking about him and what he's going through. So, day three will be referred to as a "rest day."

About midnight last night Sarah called me and by the sound of her tears, I knew it had happened. Woody passed on to be with Jesus last night and was reunited with his lovely wife in Heaven. We are all doing as good as expected and know that he is no longer suffering. However, we still hurt because we'll miss him. Woody was a man of God if ever I saw one. He loved his wife more than any man has ever loved a woman. His daughter, Janice was his world. They talked every day on the phone and for the past several months she visited him every day. He has three grandchildren by blood but countless is the number of those he adopted as his own. I am one of those; and thankful to be one. After I finish this post I will be going to Alabama to be with Sarah for the visitation and funeral.

With all that being said, it is hard to run when you can't see through your tears. But I pushed through anyway and am glad I did. It gave me a chance to reflect on Woody's life and the legacy he left behind. I thought about the fact that we never got to play that round of golf we'd planned. I thought about how he once told me, "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." I thought about his strong grip even with two broken arms. His love for God, family, strangers and his church. I needed that run.

I ran with Sarah's ipod today since mine weighs like 10 lbs. and is seemed like every song related to Woody in some way. I'm sure people thought I was crazy when I passed them. I can hear them saying, "What's up with the dude running and crying listening to the pink ipod?" Oh well, I'm okay with that. I was really happy after I ran. Don't laugh at me but I am pumped that I made it two miles without stopping! My lungs didn't burn as much and my feet weren't as heavy. It was a good morning.

1/2 Marathon training: Day 2

2010-03-04T16:32:00.004-06:00

Ok. I know I'll probably be given a hard time about this but I've decided to not run today. Stop laughing so I can explain. I was supposed to start Tuesday with 2 miles but I worked until 5:30 and we had dinner plans with friends at 6:15 and got home at 8:30. So, day one was shot. Wednesday was supposed to be 30 minutes of cross training but I decided to run Tuesday's 2 miles instead. (go me!) Today is Thursday, which was supposed to be 2 more miles but I don't think that'll happen since I have bible study tonight. I thought that since I took Roscoe on a 30 minute walk earlier today that would count for something like "cross training." (I got my arm workout in too because Roscoe saw a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that he wanted to play with. He's got a major crush on her.) I will run today's 2 miles tomorrow when I was supposed to do 30 minutes of cross training and rest Saturday. Then I will be back on schedule. Sunday will be my long run for the week with 4 miles. In my mind it makes sense. All that to say, "I didn't run today." Have a good night.

1/2 Marathon training: Day 1

2010-03-03T18:56:00.004-06:00

So here I am, rapidly approaching 30. I'm ten years out of high school. I'm 20 pounds over weight. I'm married with no kids. I have one dog and a full time job. I have a few goals before I turn 30 and running a marathon is one of them. When I began this year I thought that this Spring would be the year. However, when I couldn't find any shoes and my job consumed me for the first two months, those plans changed. My wife chose to push on with her marathon training and I chose to train for the 1/2 marathon. Today I started training with my new shoes.

I ran two(ish) miles. I didn't use my ipod (which was a big mistake.) Next time I will; however, if Zach Morris had an ipod, it would be the one I currently use. It is a dinosaur. The first part of the run was kinda nice. Then, it was all down hill after that 50 yards was over. (It felt like it was all up hill though.) I don't think that saying works in running stories. My feet felt like they were 1,000 pounds each. My lungs felt like they were being plucked apart with each breath. For some reason I couldn't stop spitting. (Gross, I know.) But then I started running alongside Sarah. She kept me going and then it was all over.

I guess you could say that apart from the burning lungs, the metallic taste in my mouth, my heavy feet and cold ears; it was a really good start to my goal of 13.1 miles. We'll do it again tomorrow. Bye for now.

New Devotional at My Ministry Blog

2010-02-16T11:05:00.002-06:00

Check out my new devotional at UTScrubs. It's about God...and Jesus...and rocks. Just check it out.

Easy as pie: "Delicious Caramel Apple Pie"

2010-02-14T13:43:00.007-06:00

Fellas, this is an easy way to impress your woman. I cooked it last night for Valentine's day. It's really easy. Give it a try.

About 5 years ago my family started having Christmas at my cousin's house in Troy, Ala. Everyone would bring their own dish and people would ooh and ahh over them. The problem was that I didn't have anything to bring. I felt left out. Granted that I was the only man other than my dad and my cousin's husband. So, I decided the next year that I was going to bring something for the whole family to enjoy at Christmas.

I wanted to bring a pie. An apple pie. The first couple tries were disastrous. Yummy but disastrous. That's when I started practicing my apple pie. This recipe has evolved from chaos to a pretty good dessert. Here is my recipe for "Delicious Caramel Apple Pie." Enjoy. Warning, it is very sweet. Very sweet.

Ingredients:

1 Green apple

2 14 oz. cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Graham cracker piecrust

Directions:

Remove the label from the cans of sweetened condensed milk

Place unopened cans in large pot

Cover cans with water and bring pot to boil on stove top

Boil cans in pot for 2 ½ hours (This caramelizes the milk)

Remove peel from apple

Cut apple into small pieces and remove seeds

Rinse apple pieces and drain in the sink

Pour apple pieces into graham cracker piecrust

Pour one can of caramelized sweetened condensed milk into the pie crust

Mix gently…very gently the apples into the caramel

Pour second can of caramelized sweetened condensed milk on top of apple pieces

Gently spread evenly

Place clear top on pie and let cool in freezer over night.

Remove from freezer and let thaw.

Serve. Eat.

Please let me know how it works out for you. I want your feedback.

World Famous Snowman!

2010-02-09T18:41:00.004-06:00

During our snow day yesterday we made two awesome snowmen. My friend, Matt and I made one in a competition with Sarah and Matt's wife, Dana. The girls made a scandalous snow bunny in a bikini named Eve and Matt and I made a traditional AWESOME snowman. Based on the controversial vote of three random kids passing by, Matt and I won the contest. (The results are actually being debated as I type.) Anyways, we knew our snowman was special when people began to drive from all across Memphis just to take pictures with him. Parents lined up just to have their newborn children pictured with the snowman, which we later renamed the Snowstud. Parents asked permission to tell their young children that they actually made the snowman...I mean Snowstud. We knew the Mr. Snowstud was special. However, it wasn't until today when we were watching the news that we realized that we had, in fact, created a world famous news worthy Snowstud. Pictured below are photos of said famous Mr. Snowstud.

Eve, the scandalous snowbunny in a bikini.

Mr. World Famous Snowstud

Actual screenshot from News Channel 5 video clip. Up in the top right corner is Mr. World Famous Snowstud. Oh yeah! That's right! (Eve is on the left, in case anyone cared.)

A year of Blogging

2010-02-09T10:19:00.003-06:00

One year ago my wife and I moved from Birmingham, Ala. to a small town on Lake Guntersville, Ala. We moved into Sarah's parents' lake cabin where we planned to take a 6 month sabbatical away from work and school. I decided to start a blog to record the stories and notable moments of our time off.

I'd never blogged before in my life. I'd never even read a blog. However, now that I've been blogging for a year, I've become somewhat addicted to it. As of late I haven't posted much simply because we've been busy. I'd like to change that. My goal this year is to post more than what I did last year and make this blog a part of my weekly routine.

Sure the stories won't be as interesting as living on a lake watching eagles soar above us as we drink coffee on a pier. But, life is always interesting if you're paying attention. Thanks for making my first year of blogging a fun one. Here are some stats collected by Google Analytics.

Visitors: 1,969
Visits: 5,814
Pageviews: 8,768
Countries with visitors: 58
Continents with visitors: 6
States with visitors: 47
Followers: 31
Posts: 100

I know these numbers are low compared to some of you Super-Bloggers. But I've enjoyed watching them pile up. I hope they'll be bigger next year...wink, wink, nudge, nudge. (Tell a friend.)

Snow Day in Memphis! Part 3

2010-02-08T17:43:00.006-06:00

Once we got to the park at Mud Island, Roscoe was so excited that he took off running. Sarah had just given me the leash and of course, my only job was to hold Roscoe and keep him from running off. Well, let's just say I didn't exactly do my job. In case you've forgotten, this is not the first time I've failed at my "one job." Check out that story here.

So, Roscoe ran. And ran. And ran. He ran all the way down the hill to the Mississippi river, down the running trail and then back up the hill. Sarah flanked him to the left and I covered the right side of the park. Which is pretty funny since I was trying to keep a one year-old lab from running past me in a 100 acre park. Right. Good thinking B. That'll work.

Well when Roscoe saw that we were running after him. He ran faster. However, he was so fast that we couldn't keep up and so he turned back to "play" with us. He ran straight to us. Faster. Faster. Faster. He looked like he was going to split right between the two of us and then he darted towards Sarah. He was flying at this point. Full speed ahead. Sarah squatted into her linebacker stance. Readied her feet. Cracked her knuckles. Focused her eyes and zeroed in on her target-Roscoe. He leapt. She lunged. Her hand grabbed his leash. He ran faster. Her wet gloves hindered her grip. The leash slipped through as he ran past her. (I of course was documenting this epic battle with my camera...I know, BIG help, huh?)

When we thought all was lost and Roscoe was gone for good, he ran back because he saw Sarah on the ground. He thought it was the perfect opportunity for a good licking to the face of his master-ette. Below are photos of the events that unfolded.

She's down and he's frisky.

Chewing the leash.

Eating the snow.

Sarah figured that since she was already down she might as well make a snow angel. What an optimist. When life knocks you in the snow, make a snow angel.

Snow Day in Memphis! Part 2

2010-02-08T14:09:00.003-06:00

So, I just realized that today is the one year anniversary of my blog. Cool huh? A year's worth of sporadic blogging and lots of new friends. Thanks to everyone for supporting me and my ramblings.

Anyways, now that I've got the whole reminiscing thing out of the way; here are some more fun things from the Memphis Snow Day.

One of my students text messaged me this morning at 6:15 with a message that read "no school." I was like, "What? Why?" Then I called our Cook-Maid, Ms. Maggie and asked if she was going to be able to come to work today. She said, "No. There is snow everywhere." Keep in mind that I was still in bed at this point.

I jumped out of bed and looked out the window. I couldn't believe my eyes. Snow was everywhere. At least 5 inches. So, we got dressed and went out to the park with Roscoe. Sarah and I thought it would be a good idea to try and sled on rubbermaid box tops. Well, I'll let you decide how it went.

Needless to say it didn't go so well. I'll have pictures of when Roscoe got loose in the park later today.

Snow Day in Memphis! Part 1

2010-02-08T12:10:00.003-06:00

Roscoe loves trying to catch snow balls.

He's such a pretty dog.

Hmm...Umm...He's such a pretty dog.

Snow angel?

This guy wasn't expecting snow.

Now on Twitter

2010-01-20T11:20:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone,
I just signed up for Twitter last night. I thought that since I am near the Internet more now than ever it would be a cool thing to try. So, follow me @BryanDGill. I'm not promising that there will be anything riviting on my tweets but you never know.

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-25T08:19:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas!!!! I hope everyone has a great day and safe travels!!

A Christmas Poem: Goodnight by Bryan Gill

2009-12-24T08:47:00.006-06:00

She lay with him in hay,

Her baby, King to be,

She gazed at him through tear-starred eyes,

She kissed his rosy cheek

She held her baby tight at last,

"Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight."

She lost him on their family trip,

And found him in the temple,

Now at home with family safe,

To think it was so simple,

She held her baby tight so fast,

"Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight."

She wept there underneath his feet,

The nails in dogwood deep,

They pulled him from the cross aloft,

She kissed his bloody cheek,

She held her baby tight, her last,

"Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight."

She went to prep his body,

The men said, "He's not here"

He stayed with them and she stayed near,

He lifted all her fears

Her savior left her sight in flight

"Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight."

My Adult Christmas list

2009-12-23T08:26:00.003-06:00

In years past I have made a list of all the things I want for Christmas either from the Sears catalog and more recently the Internet. This year my list is similar but a little different. I don't want much but if any of you can help, feel free to contribute to the cause.

12. Change-

I want my world to change but only after I myself have changed first.

11. Millions of Dollars-

I want millions of dollars to pass through my hands and into those more needy than me.

10. Peace-

I want peace with my past and peace with God. The kind of peace that only comes through THE peace on earth--Jesus.

9. To fall in love-

I want to fall in love all over again with my wife.

8. To see the world-

I want to see the world as Jesus does; not as my enemies but as friends worth dying for.

7. To live on the edge-

I want to live on the edge of God's liberal love and His conservative word.

6. To find love-

I want to find love in places that once seemed unlovely and in people that once seemed unlovable.

5. My name to be on dozens of boxes underneath my Christmas tree-

I want my name on the gift tags right beside the word "From".

4. Blessings beyond imagination-

I want my life to be a blessing to others each and everyday in ways beyond my comprehension.

3. A new set of keys-

The key to loving those who've hurt me, the key to humbleness amid success, the key to faithfulness through frustration, and the key to self-discipline in a self-indulgent world.

2. To travel the world-

I want to travel to family and loved ones' houses for the Christmas season.

1. Shiny gadgets and gizmos-

I want to have whatever tools it takes to keep in touch with my friends both past and present.