Archive for May, 2010

Start Your Mondays with Wine (15 Logos)

Monday, May 31st, 2010

Here we are. It’s a Monday, a beginning of the week. I’m sitting in Geography class on this particular Monday morning, listening to a presented video with three sound tracks attached to it (and one of them is country!). So I’m starting this week at the very bottom.

But to be encouraging, I’d like to share with you a few great moments of creativity. There is one area on the internet and in digital media that takes its branding seriously – and that is in the area of wines. Most of us don’t have a clue what makes a good wine, so we truly go with whatever label looks the coolest. Hence, good design is important to wineries. In three weeks, I’ll be back in Canada’s wine country (Niagara). For now, I can dream on my Monday morning.

Hand Drawn Goodness

I can appreciate the work that goes into a hand drawn label, so I truly appreciate a wine company that would invest in branding like this.

Beware of Fruit Juice

I don’t think I’d want to actually drink this wine, because it reminds me of a fruit juice bottle. Perhaps this is a Monday wine…

Just Cool

I frequently rant against “designers” who are so full of innovative ideas, but this bottle is cool, especially when you consider what you’d normally pick up at your local wine store.

Can’t Drink Just One

This bottle is a stroke of genius. If you buy one of these bottles, you’ll be curious to buy them all. After all, no one likes a half-finished puzzle.

Shout out to the Rowaans

I’ve got some friends in the Niagara Region who are bee farmers, so I can appreciate the work that goes into wine.

Wine for Geeks

I’m not sure that I want my wine to be related to computers, but I still like black bottles.

Naked Wine

The best designs are the simplest. I’m always preaching that the best logos are the ones that try not to say too much. Just. Keep. It. Simple.

Drinking in the Art Gallery

This bottle reminds me of an art gallery (in a good way). I’m drawn to the shapes and styles of the bottle.

Moonshine for Winos

This bottle makes me laugh.

Don’t Touch

I like these designs so much that I would never drink what is inside. These would be the centerpiece that is on display on my shelves every spring.

Buy it for the Box

Yeah, yeah, the wine is good. But look at the packaging!

Wine…shots?

I’ve had wine from a box. From a bottle. But never from something that looked like this.

Blind Brilliance

Coolest. Bottle. Ever.

Don’t Get a Sliver

We get involved with words too much sometimes.

Don’t Drink with Hunters

Yeah, I realize that these bottles are lined up perfectly, and will never look this good in a store. But it still looks cool. Wine bottle collecting anyone?

Plane Ticket to Escape

Try this on your next flight.

Here’s Looking at You

Ever notice how we don’t put modern people on wine bottles? No one wants to look at someone looking at another week of work, right?

Posted in home, review | No Comments »

Today I Changed the Universe

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

“It wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t like I meant to do it.”
[Shaun Smith, changer of the universe]

Today I changed the universe as I know it. You’ve probably heard the expression “When a butterfly flaps its wings on one side of the world, it causes earthquakes on another side.” I may have butchered it, but essentially the saying is that everything in the world is connected in some way. Sort of like a cars crashing on a busy highway, or Celine Dion being associated with sinking ships.

I was shopping for shoes and came across a really nice pair in under 20 minutes. And they were on sale. I took a spin (not literally…I just walked in them around the store) in my new shoes and they were comfortable. The chances of these things happening are about as remote as having a really sexy driver’s license photo. It was like I was secretly in a shoe ad for Sport Chek. I was in the zone, as their ads say, and my shoes were going to lead me to great things.

Then it happened. I noticed that the right shoe wasn’t cut the same way the left shoe was. A factory defect. So I did what any innocent shopper would do…I asked if there were any other size 13 shoes in that style. The girl walked to the back and, lo and behold, they did. Who on earth stocks more than one pair of size 13s? Shoe shopping for me has always been a matter of picking ten different shoes that I sort of like and hoping that the store has one of them in a size 13. “Sir, we don’t have that style of shoe available in that style in 13. Would you like these pink ones instead?”

“Absolutely. They bring out the color in my eyes.”

Back in the present, I sat with my two boxes of size 13 shoes and compared them. Did I mention that I really liked the original left shoe? That sounds like I’m trying to justify what I did, but mostly I’m recording it for posterity. Remember, this is where the world changed.

I did a little look around the store, kind of secretly, and I exchanged the right shoe with the poor cut for the right shoe with the really good cut. That’s right. I took the right shoe’s partner and I gave him (they’re male, they’re my shoes) a new partner. I felt kind of guilty (really!), like I had broken up a lifelong relationship or had destroyed some long standing ritual observed by Nike, Asics, and the like. I heard factory-loud alarm bells going off at shoe factories in Nicaragua, China, and just over the border in Mexico. Their collective flashing-red factory warning lights and people gasping in disbelief echoed through my soul. Who knows, perhaps each pair of shoes is weighted differently and the person who gets the other pair will suffer a career ending injury due to shoe weight-balance issues. Maybe one of Canada’s future Olympians will pick up that shoe, stumble because they’re not a “perfect” match and lose out on Owning the Podium: The Summer Edition. They should come with a warning label, really.

It’s not my fault, really. But I just wanted to let you know who changed the world today.

I did.

Posted in bokchoy, home | 2 Comments »

New Mac Store: Opening Day iPademonium

Friday, May 28th, 2010

This morning I awoke to the reminder that the newest Mac store is opening in Edmonton. It was on the front page of the Edmonton Journal. We already have another one, which brings us to a grand total of two. Only Toronto, Vancouver (?), and Edmonton have two Mac stores in their entire cities, so that means we’re special, people will randomly cheer for us, and the grass is greener when we walk on it. Thank you, Apple.

I wasn’t surprised to see a few die-hard Mac fans waiting in cars and in the mall from the day previous (I believe the technical term is “camp out”, although you’re not allowed to have campfires and raccoons aren’t anywhere near your campsite) waiting for the opportunity to the be the first in the door. Some people waited 21 hours in line. And of course, there were light blue t-shirts for the first 1,000 people.

All this wonderful Mac news for the city of Edmonton, so I figured I should get in on the action. After all, the Light Rail Transit travels right past the store, so I figured I should pay homage (and get a shirt). After all, this is Apple!

Oh, I should mention, the NEW IPAD WAS THERE TOO! Now available in Canada! Wow! Something I didn’t know existed, but I now need!

So I hopped off the train, walked into the mall, and there it was…the new Mac store (this is condensed. I actually got lost twice and went in the wrong direction). And as I walked in, there was only one thing on my mind…“this is an awful lot like the other Mac store.” In fact, it pretty much is the Mac store. “And the computers and everything for sale…I’ve seen this before.” I can’t imagine a true-blue die-hard camper ever thinking that. I rebuked myself and walked in.

Immediately I knew there was something different about this store. Something that looked like an iPod but bigger. Sort of like when you throw little rocks in a lake, eventually you want a really big one that splashes everyone and makes a big Kersplooosh! So, I looked, and looked, and then I noticed that everyone was crowded around these large iPod devices, that reminded me of bigger versions them.

I should backtrack for a moment. I like Apple. I like Apple products. But I like what they do for me, not just owning them because then I’m somehow cooler and people applaud me and the grass gets greener under my feet. So when I saw the iPad, and how people camped out for them last night (or bought them in advance), waited 21 hours in line, I gasped (someone in front of me was wearing perfume). And then I breathed again.

Not to say iPads aren’t great. I’m absolutely certain they are because I really like my iPod. But for those few who have to have it right now, it’s sort of a little…sad? It’s like we’re caught up in consumerism, and we’ve bought fully into it. I walked straight to the table with lots of people around them, and tried out the iPad.

Wonderful. Excellent. Wonderment. Or something a little less. Yes, mac fans, the iPad is cool. It’s so much smaller than my laptop, and will permanently remove this hump from my back from lugging around my 3 pounds of MacBook Pro. And it’s so much bigger than my iPod, which clearly isn’t large enough because not everyone can see when I have one. Eventually, I might buy an iPad, but not for the reasons that people are screaming about. My clients don’t really care whether they view my digital creations on a laptop, an iPad, or a Bright Light display (THAT would be revolutionary). I’m not yet blind enough that I need backlighting to read a book. I don’t need more apps for my apps, or even another smaller computer to lug around, or to be seen (and heard) with the latest gadget from a super-cool company that has marketed itself very well. I’m pretty happy with what I’ve got.

Or maybe I’m just deluded because I didn’t get a light blue t-shirt with a little apple on it.

Posted in home, review | No Comments »

15 Great Coffee Logos

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

I like logos, especially when they’re creative. I’ve found that, no matter the area of business or marketing, people are quite content with an ugly logo. Clients often feel they need to communicate everything about their business in one logo, and they have to make it blatantly obvious. Sort of life Christian movies. Nothing can be left open to interpretation. Logos like these should be categorized as caveman clubs, because all they do is beat you with message.

I don’t think anything is much cooler than a good coffee logo. When you walk into a coffee shop, it’s all about the experience. And if your week is like mine, you need something extra to keep you moving until the end of Friday. With that, I’ve found 15 pretty cool coffee logos to help keep you on the straight and narrow, and perhaps inspire you that last little bit.

Bringing the funk, like the originality:

Easily my favorite logo of the bunch:

Although this rings in at a close second:

And if coffee logos don’t help you today, perhaps this one will (as a last resort).

Posted in home, review | 1 Comment »

Ability Films

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

There are moments when you’re grateful to be a part of something larger than yourself.  My company at underCurrent media teamed up with a friend of mine to name, brand, and (eventually) launch the website of Ability Films. This is their first film, featured on YouTube. It’s been featured on MMA Canada, seen by MMA stars, and most importantly, shared an important story all across the World Wide Web. Have a look into the first short film of Ability Films!

Posted in inspire | No Comments »

The May Long Phenomenon

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

If you’re in Canada, you just experienced the rare phenomenon known as The May Long Weekend. It’s an annual holiday in Canada (officially known as Victoria day) where campers enter into the “summer” and experience their first taste of camping. Judging by how many campers I passed on the highway coming from my cabin, I’d say much of this part of Canada (Alberta) at least attempted to sit around a fire and eat marshmallows.

However, if you’re a new Canadian citizen, or haven’t tried camping before, I believe it would be fair to allow the May Long Camping Experience to be a part of the Canadian citizenship requirements. Here’s why:

1 – Camping on May Long Weekend allows each Canadian citizen to experience every season of Canada. Winter? Yes, it usually snows on May Long Weekend. Sure, it can be +30 degrees Celcius in the weeks (and days) before (as it was this year, where we had snow one week, +30 the next, and frost the next). It also will be very sunny and warm on May Long (but only for a few minutes, before surprisingly strong winds sweep across, reminding us of Spring). As you’re gathering your camping chairs and lawn darts, and frisbees from the neighbors campsite, fall (or Autumn) will be ushered in in the coolness of breeze that brings calm to the shifting winds. It is at this moment that you’ll meet your neighbor(s) of the campsite, who turn out to be very nice.  You’ll remark that the winds have calmed somewhat, and perhaps tomorrow will be a better day.  That’s how you’ll go to bed in your tent the first night (also cursing yourself for trying the camping experience). The next day of camping will bring a cold front down from a place that you can only picture as icebergs and polar bears, and at that point you’ll be tempted to pack it in. Don’t listen to these American voices! Let everyone else (including your neighboring campsites, no matter how nice they are) pack up and grumble. The minute that they are on the road, the clouds will part and sunshine will be ushered in (welcome to Summer). At this point, you’ll experience the best camping of your May Long Weekend life, and you’ll come back year after year for the same experience.

2 – Frustration and Elation. These are two key emotions to the Canadian citizen.  These emotions do not frequently present themselves in summer, but rather show up towards the end of winter and through spring.   As a young citizen of Canada, you will likely experience these two emotions in the most extreme sense of the word.  Generally, young Canadians do not have the means to extricate themselves from the problem of Canadian weather, so they frequently endure the frustration of a perfect day spoiled by a freak storm (usually characterized by promises of +25 degree weather, a trip to the lake, and a horrible gust of Arctic air that brings sleet, snow, and a few angry penguins).  As a Canadian gets older, they wisely deal with their frustration by visiting Expedia.ca and flying down to Palm Springs.  This is called the Snow Bird effect, and is a sign that a Canadian has built in a counseled plan of living in a geographic location with consistent weather, such as your friendly neighboring desert (south Alberta does NOT count here).  When an older Canadian begins to repeat the phrase “Floridda”, “Feeenix”, or “Copocabana”, that is generally a sign that the Snow Bird effect has him or her in its grip, and the nearest travel agent should be called in.

3 – Endurance.  This is one trait that Canadians love.  Especially Canadian employers.  If you find yourself on a May Long Weekend camping trip, then chances are you will arrive at Tuesday feeling ripped off, like you need a vacation, and you might as well take it this week to compensate for the horrible long weekend.  That’s fair.  Canadian employers will expect that (and should, unless they are an older Canadian and have already ventured to Snow Bird land).  In this case, most Canadian workers will endure the rest of the work week, muttering under their breath on their way to their most unproductive week in the history of unproductive weeks.  Feel free to learn the grumble of Canadian Long Weekenders.  It’ll make you seem like you’re choosing to move past injustice, choosing to serve the Canadian company for which you work, and you’ll get to experience the most creative ways that you can not work while being at work (think beyond extra hours of “networking”…think organizing your desktop folders by the colors of the Canadian seasons and duct tape art).

THAT will teach Canadian weather to mess with your hard-earned Long Weekend.  It might even get you willing to try it all again next year.

Posted in home, review | No Comments »

The Promise of Community

Friday, May 21st, 2010

“Religion is an organized structure; spirituality is an individualized internal process.”

I overheard this comment from a colleague, and I thought this was an interesting insight into culture. Religion as an organized structure is certainly true, but is spirituality at its fruition an individualized experience? From the teachings of Christ, it is simple to see that spirituality begins as an individual experience. However, I believe that North American Christians have stopped there, and left it as a personal experience, accountable to no community or group.

I’m quite comfortable talking about religion. My background degree and experience is steeped in religious theory and practice. As I’ve changed professions into a more public sphere, however, I’ve noticed that there is a huge amount of uncomfortability when it comes to discussing religion. Just as an example, I used to be referred to by my group of teens as “The Pope”. This was mostly due to the fact that I was the last member on a church staff, so it would have been difficult to fire me, and partly because I have a great love of really big hats. A few months ago, I made reference to the Pope in a half-humorous-but-still-respectful way, and was cautioned to be very careful…by a man professing no particular faith system (which was great, and led to a great discussion).

All this to say, when have we become so fearful of religious or spiritual discussion that we resort to hiding behind “personal choice?” More importantly, has the Christian community embraced the notion of personalized spirituality as a result of culture sapping its power? As a former youth pastor, the most frustrating aspect of the profession was the differing opinions of community. The community, as some saw it, was limited to the Christian kids under the umbrella of the church. My community, as I felt it was, was any person who came into my path and sphere of influence. I feel like God would say the same thing.

All of these thoughts came into play when I stumbled across this interesting building. As a Canadian citizen, one of the most valuable resources that people treasure is land. The further away from one’s neighbors, the more valuable the land. This building, however, seems to go against that. Interesting. A building of people living in the same community. Seems like a paradox, or an oddity.

Or perhaps an essence of the teachings of Christ.

Posted in inspire | No Comments »

Things that Make Me Laugh: Thursday Edition

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

I realize the difficulty that Thursday puts me in.  The end of the week is in sight, but it’s still out of reach.  It’s like running around a track, and the coach yells from the sidelines, “Keep running!  Only one more lap after this one!”  Not exactly encouraging, but not discouraging either.

So with that, let me make your Thursday a little more bearable (and unproductive).  This is quite possibly my favorite video of all time. The kid setting up his friend reminds me of John Krasinski from The Office. He’s got the haircut, and as he sets up his friend for the pain train, he’s calm, cool, and collected.  And when it’s all over, he wipes off his hands and gives a little laugh. It’s like a walk in the park of pure comic genius.

Posted in bokchoy | No Comments »

The Ivory Tower of Academia

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

I am currently in class at the University of Alberta in my final year for my Bachelor of Education.  I am literally sitting in class at this moment, listening to (thankfully) two profs who have experienced life outside of the Ivory Tower.  As a mature student, I have experienced great difficulty in returning to the theoretical realm of academic…fruitfulness.  That’s a good word.  Fruitfulness.

So as I’ve been surfing for mindless entertainment, relevant facts, and mindless entertainment, I stumbled across a few contributions from students.  If, as a teacher, you can’t laugh at this, then perhaps you should consider another profession (or have a sense of humor transplant).  Some of my favorite student contributions, as found across the world of the internet.

Posted in bokchoy | No Comments »

The Newest Video Game Revolution

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

I’m currently sitting in an education class at the University of Alberta learning about technology.  We’re discussing the appropriateness of Facebook, Twitter and the use of cellphones.  So I, as a media consultant and future teacher, thought of the time when I was a kid and technology was something that only the select few really cool friends had.  Atari was one of them.  We used to visit friends once a year, and these friends had Ladybug on Atari – the precursor to Pacman.  One person playing on one big bubble screen with a joystck, steering a ladybug away from the big monsters whose legs never moved.  Classic.

So allow me to introduce the newest revolution in video gaming.  One player bubble screen bleep-bloop music.  Better than Pong.

Welcome to the newest revolution in gaming.

Posted in bokchoy | No Comments »

Wired for Relationships

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Regardless of whether you are an evolutionist, a creationist, or an-aliens-brought-me-and-my-friends-aboard-their-latest-model-rocketshippist, there is one fundamental element built/bred/evolved into humanity.  We are wired for relationship, whether that be with fellow humans, nature, or both.  So I thought this might be an excellent time to show you what I’ve stumbled across on the internet.  Just another sign that despite the bounds of religion (be it atheistic, Christian, or otherwise), it is indisputable that we are created (or exist, if you will) for relationship.  To me, that points me back to a Creator, despite if used the methods of evolution or creation (and, most likely not aliens from another planet…sorry guys!)

Posted in inspire | No Comments »

The Light of Creativity

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Creativity Tuesdays. Tuesdays are a difficult day, because you’re still looking at the majority of your week. It’s hard to be inspired or creative. So let this be a small spark of creativity that will lighten the rest of your day.

Posted in inspire | No Comments »

Why Church?

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

I’m excited to go to church. I’ve woken early, driven 45 minutes down the highway, and arrived at church with time to shake the greeters’ hands, make small talk in the foyer, and find a comfortable seat.

How very spiritual of me.

I listen to great worship music, engage with a thoughtful and informative speaker, and  leave with the five-hundred other very spiritual people who have made the trek to church this morning.  I walk across the street to a coffee shop, sit down in huge comfy chair and think:

“Why is this church stuff so important?”

Attending church has been a mixed blessing for me.  As a former youth pastor, church has been both a sanctuary of thoughtful challenge, healing, and creativity as well as a battleground of intimidation, pressure, and mistrust.  I have participated in church services where protection-ism and tradition dominate.  I’ve sat in services where the greeting from the front is about as authentic as the soap-water coffee in the back.

I’ve also had the joy of experiencing seasons of patient healing, where a body of people has surrounded me and loved me back to health.  I’ve seen what church can look like when people drop the agenda and engage in relationship.  I’ve experienced church where the overriding desire was to live life together, and to be real and authentic and it has all happened, surprisingly, within the walls of a church.

Mixing the C’s

When talking about church, it’s important not to get confused between big ‘C’ Church and small ‘c’ church.  So often, I hear that it’s important to attend church on Sunday morning, as if that’s as far as affiliation needs to go.  And so many people approach Sunday as the day given to God, and walk out the doors having completed their duty of faith.  They focus on the small ‘c’ church, where programs and outreaches and bible studies take place.  It reduces faith to a to do item in my calendar.

If that’s the apex of the Christian faith, then I’m not interested.

Church is more than just a meeting. Church is all about being a community where inspiration to do greater good takes place, where deeper love is explored, where enriching relationships occur, where authentic living is the goal.   Church is supposed to be a community where individuals are cared for, where gifts are used effectively, where I am challenged to grow beyond myself.  This is the capital ‘C’ Church that I so frequently yearn for.

I have heard the analogies that the church is like a campfire, where I need to return on a weekly basis to warm up my soul.  Or that the church is a well of water, where I can drink and be refreshed and then reenter the weekly desert.  The reality, however, is that church can become a bit mundane, and I struggle to keep it from becoming a religious duty.  In my own years of youth ministry, there were many times when I found myself glancing at my watch, waiting for the end of the service.  I was frequently more refreshed by the football game after church than by the service itself.  And again, the question arose:

Why is church so important?

The small ‘c’ church can be a time where we  catch a glimpse the capital ‘C’ church, even amidst the programmed service.

Programmed whispering

1 Kings 19:11-12 reads The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”  Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

A gentle whisper.  I expect God to show Himself using the grandest methods available.  After all, He is God, isn’t He?  So in my own life, I look for the powerful wind, the earthquake, the fire.  In church services, I have defaulted to looking for God in the sermons, in the worship music, in the altar call.  And that is good, and God can be found there, but sometimes, God is calling me to something quieter.

A whisper.

If you find yourself at church, looking for God in the big elements of the service and not finding Him, consider that God may be there whispering.  The problem with whispering is that it requires effort to hear.  It involves an expectant perceptivity where you and I believe God will speak to us in any circumstance – even if it’s not in the schedule.  Whether you feel your church is the best in the world, or needs improvement, as long as it’s biblical, God is in that service.  Remember Matthew 18:20.  In The Message it looks like this, “when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”  One of the main reasons church is important is simply this – we go because God is there.

Hiding the Church in the foyer

For me, hearing the whisper of God at church happened quite by accident.  I was running in between the sound booth and the stage (ah, the life of a youth pastor) and was stopped by an elderly woman who wanted to talk.  And as we talked, we talked about meaningful things.  Amidst the rush and pressure of the church Sunday program, I was met with someone who wanted to engage meaningfully.

We missed the worship, and we very nearly missed the sermon (and I was preaching).  Yet I went away from the service with a taste of God’s vision for the church.  Through the moment with my elderly friend, God whispered truths of love, meaning, and hope into my life.  I witnessed a miracle in the foyer, while the worshippers filled the sanctuary with music.

Since that time, I’ve learned to be more attentive to the capital ‘C’ church.  I watch for those moments when God’s vision for the Church comes alive.  I anticipate moments when we get it right, when people who are hurting, who are thriving, who are living life surround me and together we listen for the voice of God.  If that happens on Sunday morning, or in a Bible study, or as while throwing a frisbee together with friends in the park, God is whispering.  This is the lifeblood of the Church.

How do we become more aware of the voice of God through the Church?  It’s less spiritual than you might think.  Here are the things that I’ve found are helpful in my own life:

> Live Expectantly. Pray that God would allow you to hear from Him today.  As you walk through your day, don’t attempt to manufacture some deep spiritual experience.  It will happen, and it may be something as simple as a two-minute conversation.

> Watch Actively. This is key to the whole experience. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah is instructed to go out and stand.  Watch for the voice of God, but let His gentle Spirit be your guide.  To often I wait for the momentous movements of God and I miss out on the small intimate moments.

> Reflect Wholeheartedly. When those wonderful gentle whispers happen in my own life, I make sure to say thanks to God, because He speaks so much love into my life in those moments.  This is not a forced moment of long prayer times; it often is more heartfelt with a simple thank you for God’s goodness.  It is these moments that keep my own spirit gentle and tuned in to God’s voice.

I’m excited to go to Church this week.  I’m looking forward to meaningfully engaging with those around me.  But most of all, I’m excited to hear from the gentle whisper of God.  After all, that’s the foundational essence of the Church.

Posted in spirituality | 1 Comment »

Suing Jesus

Monday, May 17th, 2010

We live in an age of entitlement.  The plans of our lives need to happen, and they need to happen immediately.  If we want something, there is very little to stop us from purchasing it.  Getting in shape, making more money, achieving our goals – all of these are accomplishments that, if we had our way, we would have now (or in the next week) with as little effort as possible.  This sort of thought is evidenced in our culture, as found in this article on CNN.

What happens when life doesn’t play by our rules?  I love the ending line of the article, “this is not what we had planned.”  It’s as though putting time into advancing our education, investing our effort into some unseen future, or planning for a favorable event to occur automatically guarantees success.

Coming out of college, I felt letdown by the fact that I couldn’t make the transition from four years of higher education into the exact job that I wanted.  I invested the time, effort and money into my future.  Yet my place of employment, while not terrible, was not the dream job I’d envisioned.

How could life be so unpredictable?

I’ve found that these same feelings of entitlement often creep up in my faith.  So often, I feel discouraged by the fact that my relationship with God “isn’t good enough”.  It is not deep enough, emotionally-involved enough, flashy enough.  Even during times when I’ve checked off all my spiritual guidelines for the week, I frequently find that my faith chooses not to move any discernable mountains.

Thankfully, God builds in to us using more impacting, long-term methods.  2 Peter 1:5-7 tells us that we are to “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”  These are the working tools of a God who wants to see us grow into mature brother and sisters in Christ.  So I need to constantly remind myself that God knows better than my tyrannical feelings of entitlement do.  And I need to ask myself, am I living the life that God wants for me, or am I listening to the voice of entitlement? God wants to build into me a character that will last, no matter what life chooses to throw at me.  And that is more than enough.

Posted in spirituality | No Comments »

The Muppets Still Rule

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Friday is here! When you’ve been around as long as U2, and are equally as popular…

The Muppets still rule…

Posted in inspire | No Comments »

Leaving a Legacy

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Moments.

They show themselves in the morning cup of coffee, through a friend, in the warm sun. They resonate to the deepest part of my soul. They surface throughout the day, brush past my emotions, and linger. They are stories of people who have loved and been loved. Moments. They nudge.

I recently read about a mother from Edmonton who was living her last Mother’s Day. On the front of the Edmonton Journal was a picture of her and her two kids, 13 year old son Brett and 16 year old daughter Taryn.

Her name was Tamara Campbell. She talked about loving her kids and, in her unique circumstance, about taking no moment for granted. The picture in the headline of the article shows her smiling and being close to her kids. And in that smile I see an authentic love of a mother who cherishes every moment with her children and loved ones. This picture was, after all, taken before her last Mother’s Day. She was fully aware of this. She had terminal cancer.

She passed away two days after Mother’s Day, two days after sharing her story with the world.

This shared moment has deeply impacted me. Her story touched the community of Edmonton. And yet it was compellingly simple. She loved her kids, her family, her friends. She served as a nurse at a children’s hospital, caring for families with kids afflicted with cancer. Most importantly, she loved. This is her legacy.

It is in these moments of simple realization that I am drawn to understand what is truly important. I spend so much of my day dreaming of something I’d love to own, or an activity I’d like to do, or who I’d like to talk to, or how much money I’d like to make. As Henry Thoreau wrote, It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?

The simple reality is this: God surrounds me with people that I can love right now. My legacy is not who I coached, or what I accomplished, or what I built or scratched together. My legacy is who I loved and how I did it.

So as I plan out my next steps in today or tomorrow, and schedule how I am planning to live the next few moments or days of my life, I need to remember the simple realities. The legacy of my life. I need to remember to play with my kids with reckless abandon, to love my family with boundless passion, to embrace my friends with grateful joy, and to welcome those strangers that have been put in my path with endless hope.

These are the moments that move me.

(If you’d like to read the original story, it’s found here)

Posted in spirituality | No Comments »

Things that Make Me Laugh: Thursday Goodness

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Sometimes it is good just to stop and have a laugh. And not stand close to friends with a bat.


Painful Dizzy Bat Nutshot – Watch more Funny Videos

Posted in bokchoy | No Comments »

Can a regular person do P90X?

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, you have heard me blog about doing P90X with my wife. We have two kids at home, we both work full-time, and I go to school over full-time. If you do the math, that means we don’t have lot of extra time. Add to the fact that we have both been sick for the past four months with various illnesses brought in by my wife’s new day home, riding public transit, and being in different schools, and there would be good reason for us never being able to attempt even one week of P90X.

However, that’s not the case. We have made time in our busy schedules for P90X, and we’ve been rewarded for it. We’re now at month 4, and we’ve been taking the “slow train” of P90X success. Because of life, we have attempted to do 3-6 workouts per week with P90X, and see if we achieved any real results.

Well, the verdict is in. After the last few months of playing “find the new muscle”, we’re convinced that P90X is built for the average person. Yes, it is incredibly demanding. But that’s the point.

My wife dropped 15 pounds in the first few weeks. I lost 2, but more importantly, began to feel like I was a little more “firm in the cage”. After every workout, I was exhausted. But as Tony Horton says, I kept pressing play. Incredibly, my starting amount of pullups was no more than 8 during an entire workout. Now, I’m up to approximately 24. And it’s not a result of bigger arms, which is the selling point for many workout programs. It’s because my core is stronger. Situps! Crazy!

Now, to be clear, we are not sponsored by P90X, or a part of the Beachbody team. If you were around for the first version of this site, you saw an incredible amount of Beachbody coaches wanting to come alongside me to encourage me to greater success. Beachbody is a well-oiled marketing machine. But I am certainly not part of it (but the ads on my site probably are, so have a look if you’re super curious). I am extremely suspicious of any program that markets itself well (think Buns of Steel from back in the day). But if something works, then you have to hold on to it for dear life. So count me as a super-satisfied customer who will continue to blog about P90X as I go through its paces.

Now if I could steer clear of sickness for a few days, then I could get back to working out…

Posted in review | No Comments »

Shock and Awe: The Inspire Edition

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Be inspired.  It’s good for you.

Posted in inspire | No Comments »