Sharks...Beluga Whales...Oh My!

Super excited to be bringing the awesome to the ATL. We're heading down for fall break with the kiddos to check out the Georgia Aquarium. Home to lots and lots of fish. And this guy. Can't wait!

Not Afraid

Love him or hate him, Eminem's story from the streets of 8 mile to where he is today is a pretty incredible look at redemption and overcoming all odds. Here it is as profiled on 60 Minutes.

Audience of One

I have a very addictive personality. Sometimes this is healthy (see: obsession with playing basketball). Sometimes, not so much (see: drinking in college). Often, the thing that I obsess over the most is a particular band or song. That was the case this week, as I literally have listened to Audience of One by Rise Against 47,834 times. Yes, I counted.

I've been a fan of Rise Against for a couple of years. But or some reason I had missed this song, until my new musical BFF www.grooveshark.com randomly played it for me. So good.

Here's the video, which also shreds. Love the line: "We're ok, until the day we're not. The surface shines while the inside rots..." Rock it!

Vegas Baby?

I'm about to take off to Sin City. I'm going for business, but let's be honest, they'll be plenty of fun mixed in there, too. It is Vegas, right? But I head their with totally mixed feelings. Not that I won't have fun. Actually, it's for fear that I'll have TOO much fun.

Having worked in advertising forever, I've always been impressed by the genius of the "What Happens In Vegas, Stays In Vegas" tagline. It's brilliant. It perfectly captures the essence of what our dark sides want Vegas to be.

Big thrills. Total indulgence. Zero consequence.

But we know better, don't we?

You can drink all night, but the hangover will be there in the morning. You can open your heart to lust, but eventually realize there's no way to quench its thirst. You can spend money like there's no tomorrow, but there always is.

The check always comes due.

Maybe THAT should be the tagline for Vegas. It's not nearly as catchy as "What Happens In Vegas..." but it contains much more truth.

Rainbows

A friend of mine told me a great story. He looked out the window one morning and saw this incredibly beautiful rainbow. He said it was so stunning, he got super excited.

OK, not as excited this guy.



But that was only because he saw a SINGLE rainbow, not a DOUBLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAY!!! Nonetheless, my friend said it was incredible and so he went downstairs to grab his younger daughter to show it to her.
So she comes upstairs, looks out the window and screams with delight. I'm not sure if she broke into tears like double rainbow guy, but she was estatic.

After a minute or two, she belts out "OH THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!"

So my friend, naturally, thinks about what an awesome dad he is and says to his little girl, "You're welcome, sweetie."

At that point, he said she shot him this look and said, "Not YOU...I'm thanking God!"

Which is just so brilliant.

I think that story perfectly illustrates what Jesus tells us about having a heart and faith like that of a child. So many times we think it's all about us. But it's really about the maker of us. That level of appreciation and gratitude is what God wants.

So while it's easy to make fun of double rainbow guy for being so over the top, the more I think about it, maybe he's onto something...

Yesterday Ended Last Night

Here's a tremendous thought that I read and adapted from the always tremendous Dr. Chris Stephens:

"One of the greatest issues holding you back today is your yesterday. Jesus' death on the cross paid for ALL of your sins and shortcomings. So if you are going to reach your peak performance and potential you must put the past where it belongs: behind you."

Or as the great Zig Ziglar (who has the greatest name this side of Peerless Price) says "Yesterday really did end last night and today really is a brand new day."

Sacred Hoops

"Like life, basketball is messy and unpredictable. It has its way with you, no matter how hard you try to control it. The trick is to experience each moment with a clear mind and open heart. When you do that, the game -- and life -- will take care of itself."
--Phil Jackson, Sacred Hoops

I've never cheered for a Phil Jackson coached team. Growing up a die-hard Detroit B-Boys fan, his Bulls were always "the bad guys" to me. (I know, I know...) But I may actually cheer for him in the coming year. In part, that's because he's about to retire and the Lakers are the only team that can stop LeBron and company this year. But it has more to do with his amazing book I just read: Sacred Hoops - Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior.

I was hooked right from the title. Basketball and Faith aren't just two of my favorite topics. To me, they are woven together as one. I can find as much beauty and inspiration from a beautiful sermon or testimonial story of redemption as I can in the perfectly executied pick and roll. Jackson is of this camp, only he's executed it at the highest level of professional sports.

It's amazing to hear his take on his spiritual journey, and his journey to winning 3 consecutive NBA titles (which he's going for again for the third time). He describes himself as a "Zen Christian". I'd always heard his handle of "The Zen Master" - but what was really eye-opening to me was to read about his upbringing. He was the son of two hard-core Christian fundamentalists. His father was a pastor and his mother about Bible-drilled Phil and his brothers to death. It's cool to see how he still embraces the compassionate, redemptive side of Christianty, while adding those same elements of Zen/Budahism into his coaching philosophies.

Trying to convince MJ to do less so the team could win more being the ultimate test of faith.

If you're into bball and spiritual journeys, this book is just for you.