Visiting Barron at UT
So i am sitting here in the Melrose Hall dorm at the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, TN. I decided that since it was the week before school starts for me, I would spend some time away from Franklin and hang out with one of my friends, Barron. Actually, Barron decided i would come. You see, I have a hard time making decisions, especially decisions that involve any kind of surrounding change. Translation – I like the status quo, and tend to err on the side of caution way to often. I also tend to feel guilty when i am having fun, like I should be doing something else. But Barron straightened me out in short order and here I am! Barron is majoring right now in Journalism and Electronic Media. This Friday, he is going to audition in Birmingham for All Things To All People. All Things To All People is a drama group that performs at Student Life events all over the country. He would be perfect with them. I am really praying for his success! So UT is pretty cool. I had this picture of what college life was like, and what I am experiencing here is somewhat the same and somewhat different than what I expected. Barron has the pleasure of rooming in a dorm hall that was built after WWII and was recently declared not sufficient for student inhabitation. Nice. However, they decided they would house students there for one more year. Lucky Barron. Anyway, I have thoroughly enjoyed the lots of rest, lots of food, lots of free time. One of Barron’s friends named Steven has been spending some time with us. All in all, this week has been a unique experience for me, on many more levels than I have room to discuss here.
Road Trip
This past weekend, we took our junior high guys on a road trip. It was a blast!!! We hit Birmingham, Atlanta, and Chattanooga in three consecutive days. As with any road trip, we encountered some set-backs along the way. Some made me downright mad. Evidently, the people of Atlanta take a weather prediction of partly cloudy and a high of 38 to intense to have church!!! I was greatly looking forward to attending Buckhead Church…and the World of Coke museum. Regardless, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between our short weekend excursion, and the biggest road trip of all – life. Sometimes things happen, you have a plan, it gets shattered by absurd circumstances, by decisions made by mysterious figures that you will never know. Other times things are going along great, you get to hang out with your friends and enjoy a weekend of almost complete relaxation. I guess what I am trying to say is that we need to just learn to be content, and being content doesn’t mean not wishing we could have visited the Coca Cola museum, but being satisfied with what we do have, to be in the company of some great brothers, and build relationships that will last a lot longer than a weekend. Oh yeah, i also learned that thirteen year old boys don’t really care about washing their feet…or smelling good in general.
CES 2008
Well, if you didn’t know it, I absolutely love technology. I read the blogs, I drool over the newest, coolest, and greatest. And CES 2008 is turning out some pretty cool new stuff. As a video editor, I am very excited to see some really big monitors coming out. Especially the super big curved one from Alienware! I wish I was there to try it out!!!
Simple Conversations
Here’s the new promo for our upcoming series. I am really excited about it. It’s called Simple Conversations, and it is just what it sounds like – a laid-back look at some of the foundational beliefs of our faith. No flashing lights, no craziness, just the basics. Our church leaders wisely understood that this type of series is not only beneficial for “seekers”, but also a refreshing breath for those of us who spend way too much time complicating this whole Christ-following thing. So if you’re in Franklin, TN, be sure to stop by.
Missing Christmas
Well, I obviously haven’t blogged in quite a long time. The last 5 weeks went by in a blur. It feels like just yesterday I was thinking, “December first! Only 14 more days until Christmas!” I’m not quite sure what happened next. Each week I went to church and listened to our pastor preach a wonderful series called Missing Christmas. He pleaded with us to not get too caught up in the busyness of the season, to relax, take some time to breathe. Did I agree? Absolutely. Each Sunday, I got super fired up to attack this season with a new simplistic viewpoint. Did I succeed? Nope. Failed. I missed Christmas. I’m not saying I didn’t think about the wonderful gift of Jesus, or marvel at the fact God sent His only Son for me, but I let life get in the way. I darted here and there, seeking the elusive GPS I desired to give my family. I stayed up too late, and slept too late. I got stressed over the smallest things, and got to the point where I just wished I didn’t have to shop or celebrate. I just wanted to relax. I learned my lesson though. As I start this new year, I am determined to make time for the really important things, not hope it magically appears, cause that never happens. Make time. Purposely.
Guitar Hero III
I got to borrow Guitar Hero III this past week from couple of my good friends, and it rocks! Incredibly addictive though. I would have a tough time getting anything done if I owned it myself. Anyhow, after much practice, this is the best I could do. What’s your best?
Home for Thanksgiving
So I am sitting here at my computer, alone. For some reason it doesn’t feel like tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I wish my house was bustling with activity in anticipation of tomorrow. I am glad I have my parents and sister here, but at the holidays, I love people. Lots and lots of people. Tonight, I am working, designing a web site. So I fire up iChat, a solution to my loneliness, and I feel even more alone…somebody get online!
Postgame Wrap-Up
Tomorrow is a big Sunday for Ridgeview. We are ending our Halftime series with a huge party. We have a guest speaker (who just so happens to be my good friend Paul Kevetter), a guest worship leader, and everyone will be sitting at round tables, not in rows of chairs. After the service, we will all share a meal together. Tomorrow is important in another way as well – we have 5 people getting baptized! These 5 people are different in so many ways, yet they have all chosen to start out on the same journey, and publicly declare their faith. I get so excited when I see people get baptized. I feel like I am watching my favorite team win the World Series, times two!
Leeland – Opposite Way
I just had a “sneak preview” of the new Leeland album Opposite Way and let’s just say February 26, 2008 can’t come soon enough.
LEOPARD!!!
It’s finally here! For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about click here. I braved the lines at the Nashville Apple Store to be one of the first. (Actually I just wanted the free t-shirt!) First reaction after 30 minutes: Amazing. 300+ new features. Here are my favorites:
- Quick Look – This is the start of something crazy. Not having to open any programs to view your files (virtually all files, any format) = time saver.
- SMS Messaging from iChat – Another time saver. I can still type faster on a keyboard than a phone, so anytime I need to send a quick text to someone away from their desk, bam!
- To-do List, Notes, and RSS Feeds in Mail – The to-do list and notes will help me a bunch, the RSS feed just a bonus.
- Stacks – No more spending an extra click closing the Finder!
There are little things here and there that will take time to get used to (or maybe even get fixed), but overall a very solid OS X.
FOR GEEKS ONLY
The install went smooth as butter until the end. After it had installed and restarted, everything went crazy. The menu bar was missing, the Finder wouldn’t open. Craziness. Thankfully, a quick restart solved everything. The only issue I have come across so far is that the iChat and Photobooth camera resolution looks HORRIBLE. I am using a Logitech Ultra Vision, and the pictures and video chats looked great before. More to come as I experience the little details. I love the big icons and the new dock. Be sure to click the picture above for a full-screen look.
