A Super Man

As a life-long Dallas Cowboys fan (um, yeah, I know...) it's pretty much impossible for me to cheer for the Steelers in the Super Bowl Sunday. But truth be told, I do really like their team and how they play the game. But, I'm definitely pulling for the Cards this year. In part, because it's such a novelty that they're there. But it's mainly because of Kurt Warner. I know his story of "former grocery store clerk to Super Bowl MVP" has been told ad nauseum, but it's so incredible, how could you not be down with a guy like #13? Kurt's willingness to put "first things first" (as the name of his foundation states) and give all honor and glory to God first is so refreshing. Especially in this day and age of pre-meditated touchdown dance celebrations and $137 million dollar contracts.

I ran across his personal testimony on his website which just makes me pull for the guy even more on Superbowl Sunday...and beyond.

Kurt Warner's Testimony

"I believe that the Lord has a plan for each of us that's better than anything we can imagine--even if that plan isn't obvious to us at every stage. He prepared me for this over a long period of time--in lower-profile locker rooms and the grocery store and in Europe, through all the personal tragedies and in spite of the people who doubted me along the way," Warner explained. "Whether I'm a Super Bowl Champion or a regular guy stocking groceries at the Hy-Vee, sharing my faith and glorifying Jesus is the central focus of my time on this earth. And the fact that I now have a podium, I believe, is no coincidence. I want to be a role model for Christ in everything that I do. Living my life for Him and showing people the beauty of that reality is my mission in life."

"Before I could devote my life to Jesus and start living my life for Him, I had to go through a lot of personal struggles, including a period a few years ago where I got a little caught up in things that aren't important--fame, money, lust...."

Warner suffered a series of disastrous setbacks in his career. He faced financial problems, family problems, even the sudden and tragic death of his wife's parents. All the hurts and the heartbreak caused Kurt to take a good hard look at his life--and what was missing from it. "Growing up I'd always put my life on one side and my relationship with God on the other. I knew God was there, but I only called upon Him when I needed Him or felt compelled to thank Him. Eventually, I realized I needed to live every day for Him."

No matter what happens on Sunday, Kurt Warner will be a winner in my book.

And...Action!

My buddy Matthew of Normal Watches just wrote this killer blog post that I wanted to share. In part, because he hits the nail on the head in so many ways. And in part because it was way better than anything I had to post today. Matthew's a great guy, I don't think he'd mind. Enjoy, and then go pick out one of his awesome trailblazing timepieces over at Normal Watches.


Off the bat, I’m supposed to use this opportunity to sell you a watch – but I’ll come ‘round to that in a sec.

I have to remark on what is the most obvious change in being a US citizen: President Obama. In just one short week, he has ordered Gitmo closed, has spoken directly to the Muslim world on an Arabic TV network, is pushing his $800B stimulus package through Congress like a pit-bull, has tightened up ethical and lobbying concerns in the White House, and has gone forward with his promise on getting our troops out of Iraq to re-focus on Afghanistan. My wife made the point that this makes her even angrier with former President Bush’s lack of action, and I have to agree.

It all underscores one of my favorite adages in the world: the best time to plant a tree was 15 years ago. The second best time is today.

No matter where we find ourselves as a country, as an individual, or even as a business, the best time for action is right now. To say that I’ve been inspired by Barack over the last two years puts me in the majority of the world – but to be inspired to action is where the bell curve slims.

Action. Action that may result in mistakes. Action that may result in accolades. But only action brings results. And the time for that action is not tomorrow, but today.

OK, quick plug for the watches. But I’ll let others speak for us:
Nylon Magazine: http://www.nylonmag.com/?section=article&parid=2541
BUST Magazine: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/3233808823_d571103a6f_o.jpg

If you haven’t buzzed over to our YouTube page to see the craziness there, you’re missing out on, well, something. http://www.youtube.com/user/NormalWatches

Three new watches are being manufactured right now, should be available in March. But of course we’ll take action when that happens.

Matthew
http://normalwatches.com

A Hat We Can Believe In

So here we are a week after the historic inauguration of our new President. I still have so many memories of this once in a lifetime day: the words from President Obama about rising up to face our challenges, the 2+ million people gathered to witness the event, and of course Aretha Franklin's inauguration hat.

This bedazzeled bit of bow-tied awesomeness was as impossible to forget as this unforgettable day. A tip of the hat to your hat, Mrs. Queen of Soul!

And the great news is that now you can order your own Aretha Franklin Inauguration hat ($179 retail, customized with Swarovski crystals) or
join the legions of Aretha Franklin's inauguration hat fans on Facebook. Join the cause, and show this hat the R-E-S-P-E-C-T it deserves!

What did we do before iPods?

Seriously. I have just the foggiest of notions of what it was like. I think it was a time filled with lots of "long blocks of classic rock" and "two-for-Tuesdays."

I bring it up only because over the past few weeks, I've been forced to travel back into to the bizzaro world of no ipod. Kids, don't try this at home.

I had thought my ipod had bitten the dust. It's an oldie (3rd generation!), the one with no video features and the old click wheel. But I LOVE it. 40 Gigs of awesomeness. Unfortunately I had disconnected it too quickly one day when trying to rush out of the office, and long story short, lost all my music. Now the good news is that the ipod itself is fine, so I've been slowly rebuilding it back to a new level of awesomeness. I call it my Steve Austin project.

Anyways, over this time I haven't been taking my ipod to the gym when I work out. BIG mistake. And just to prove to you dear blog reader just how big a mistake this was, I submit to you this actual playlist of songs that played during my workout today. I am not making this up. There's no way I could make up this selection of "music":

Song 1: "What's Love Got to Do With It" Tina Turner. I knew I was in trouble when I entered the weight room and this 80s slow jam was the first song I heard. Not exactly the tune you need when you're struggling on the lat machine.

Song 2: "Thunderstruck" AC/DC. OK, this is a little better. I'm definitely down with some AC/DC for a workout, althought if I was spinning it would definitely be something off Back in Black. This jam isn't their best, but it's also not their worst ("Jailbreak", anyone?)

Song 3: "The South's Gonna Do It Again" Charlie Daniels Band. Really!? AC/DC into the CDB!? That trainwreck of a segue should be outlawed in all 50 states. And Florida. I didn't think it could possible get any worse. Until...

Song 4: "The Neutron Dance" The Pointer Sisters. At this point I'm wondering if due to budget cuts, the radio station has trained a chimp to program the music. I have this running ice breaker in party settings, "What's the worst song of all time?" For years, I haven't been able to decide what's number 1: "Susudio" by Phil Collins or "We Built This City" by Starship. But now I know. It's neither. It's "The Neutron Dance" Don't believe me? Watch the video and argue differently. I defy you.



At this point I cut my workout short because it was getting too hard to handle. And then, almost as if on cue, I heard the DJ say, "Coming up next..."Hard to Handle" kicks off another long block of the best rock....

Riiiight.

Pray for the New Prez

No matter what side of the political fence you're on, I believe we can all agree that President (to be) Obama certainly deserves/needs our prayers and support. Max Lucado has posted a great site that has a prayer guide, specific verses and network of others who will be praying for our new president, his family and staff throughout this historic day. Check out prayforpresidentelect.com now and show your support.

YES WE CAN!!!!!

Messages from MLK

In honor of one of the greatest of all time, here are a few of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. "

"To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing."

"A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan."

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

"The time is always right to do what is right."

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom. "

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see."

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?"

"That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing."


Have a blessed MLK Day!
lance

Thought o' the Day - Appreciation

"If you appreciate the sunrise, it will become a more valuable part of your life, and you'll attach more worth to it. If you appreciate your friends, their friendship will go up in value, and it will be worth more to you. If you appreciate your good health, it will become more valuable in your life, and you'll see it as being more important."
- Taken from The Saint, The Surfer and The CEO, by Robin Sharma

If you are like me, you are so fed up with the doom and gloom reporting going on in the media today. Sure, there are major problems facing us individually and collectively as a country. But I definitely detect a Chicken Little "sky is falling" bent to most of the news reports I'm hearing.

So, more than ever, I've been turning off the news and listening/reading things that are uplifting. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to just stick my head in the sand and pretend that problems don't exist. But like Abe Lincoln says, "A man is about as happy as he makes his mind up to be." There's definitely a point where wallowing in negativity and pessimistic news items becomes counterproductive.

Which is why the quote at the top of this post was so meaningful to me. I am re-reading Robin Sharma's masterful book The Saint The Surfer and the CEO. The quote I pulled and shared here with you is really spot-on in so many ways. Sure the economy is in the tank and things are really tight for so many of us. But we can all be thankful that we are rich in ways that have nothing to do with money. Good friends. Good health. A loving God that provides through good times and bad. Now that's something worth appreciating.

Thought o' the Day

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when an adult is afraid of the light."

– Plato

Live From New York!

If you're like me and grew up on a steady diet of Mr. Bill and Mr. Robinson then you simply must read Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. It's thick (550+ pages) but it interviews anybody and everybody that has mattered on SNL, including writers, hosts, producers and stars (except you, Eddie Murphy!)

It's a blast, and the gossipy tidbits are awesome. For example, evidently Chevy Chase is a huge jerk (Will Ferrell said so). Chevy Chase and Bill Murray once got into a fist fight just before a scene (I guess if Chevy's such a jerk he probably started it). And everyone pretty much agrees, that Steven Segall was the worst host of all time. (No argument from me there).

More cowbell!