This Guy Falls Down

Does the web change the way we read?

Izzy did a post about this a while back, and as much as I hate to admit it, I agree.  Since i have been involved in blogging, my reading habits have changed dramatically. 

Some changes are for the better.  I used to subscribe to the newspaper and no less than four magazines.  And I felt obligated to read them.  I quit both of those habits over the last couple of years, and I don't miss them.  Not much anyway.  Great articles still have a way of getting noticed.

More importantly, I think my attention span is changing.  Because of the RSS powered blogosphere, my brain wraps around little bites (bytes?) of information quite well, but if there's a longer article, it's really got to grab me or I will move on to something else.  Sadly this is the case with books.  I just don't have much patience for nonfiction these days.  It's got to be earth shattering for me to read a whole "how to" book. 

Fiction is another thing, though.  I'm sure there are some great "story" blogs out there.  Please let me know if you know of any.  But there hasn't been a substitute for a captivating work of fiction.  And a lot of that has to do with the experience.  I'll curl up with a book, but not my computer.  And as cool as Macs are, I am not going to take my computer to the beach.

It will be interesting to see how this unfolds over the coming years.  We've already seen the world of print media start to unravel as the ground beneath us continues to shift.  And I have watched firsthand as the music industry has changed dramatically. 

But what about books, especially fiction?  Do you still read them?  If not, where do you get your story from?

(this post is a belated contribution to Watercooler Wednesday!)

Coming Soon: The return of the Summer Reading Club

Stay tuned for details, but I plan to host another Summer Reading Club right here on this blog.  The "club" will begin June 1st and run through August 20th.  Just like at the local library, all you have to do is read a bunch of books of your choosing during that time.  I will try to compile some kind of "list" of who all's involved and what books they've read.  If anybody has any ideas on how to put said list together, I'm all ears!

I'm out of town for the next two days but I hope to give you some more info later this week!

There isn't a statue of a critic

OK, as part of Positive Post Tuesday, this is supposed to be about somebody specific.  And I guess it is.  It's about YOU:

There will never be a statue of a critic.  Try me - go to your town square.  There might be a war hero or a Civil Rights activist or a boll weevil*, but no critic.

Why?  Because it's too easy.  Critics are twelve for ten cents.  If critics are worthy of a statue, we've got a lot of statues to be building.

I challenge you.  I defy you.  Look for the good in the world and talk about that.  Be an encourager.  Take risks.  Fly in the face of critics.  Be great.  You might get "criticized".  It might even hurt.  But stick to your guns.  Try to make the world a better place.  Look for heaven on earth - that's literally what Christ called us to do.

Avoid being a critic at all costs.  It's no fun, and it brings people down. 

I'm going to say it one more time: find the good and praise it. 

If it's not there, make your own.   Is all the art out there bad?  Make some good art. Are all the blogs out there bad?  Make a good blog.  Is all the news out there bad?  Make some good news**.

Maybe one day they'll make a statue of you.

(It is the goal of this blog to find the good and praise it.  This post in particular is part of Positive Post Tuesday, hosted by Mr. Brody Harper.)



* In Enterprise, AL they literally have a statue of a boll weevil.

** Hmmm. Sounds familiar doesn't it?  Check out Luke 2:10

When Memorial Day became real for me

I love Memorial Day. It's really close to my birthday and anniversary, so those three days all close together always make this week feel kind of festive. And it's the day that summer becomes a cultural reality. Yes, the Earth hits some arbitrary point in the sky in June and we say it's summer, but this is the weekend we fire up the grill and get out the swimming gear. It's awesome.

But Memorial Day is about so much more than that. Thankfully, we live in a day where casualties of war are less common than they used to be. I don't think people mean to be disrespectful when they celebrate Memorial Day without thinking of the significance of the day. We are just more and more removed from the sacrifice our soldiers make every day.

It became a reality for me one morning this past January when Third Day flew on a cargo plane from Iraq to Kuwait. The day started out kind of upbeat, as we were done with the "work" part of the trip and were beginning our long trek home. Then our escort informed us that there would be a fallen soldier on the flight with us.

It became more than a reality, and a permanent fixture on my subconscious mind, when we stood a short distance from the plane. A long line of soldiers stood at attention as a flag-draped casket was loaded into the cargo bay. We were all in tears. As sobering as that moment was, it really helped us put our trip in perspective. The sacrifice is real. These brave men and women are literally putting their lives on the line every day, and they deserve our gratitude. Especially those who don't make it home.

So this year, on Memorial Day, I have a tangible person to think about. His name is Richard Burress. God bless you, and thank you for your sacrifice. You will not be forgotten.

Tumbleroll

If you'll look to your right, you just might see your name.  If you have a tumblr site, that is.  At the suggestion of Corrine, one of the brave souls who has joined me in tumbledom, I created this "tumbleroll".

If you tumble and you're not up there, it's because you didn't heed the words:  "Follow me, and I'll follow you."

If you don't tumble, you can set up an account and start a tumblelog in the same amount of time it took you to read this blog post. 

Psst - did I mention you can add comments and that your tumblelog shows up on Technorati?  I'm just sayin', that's all...

No words, pt. 2

Romans 8:26-27 (New International Version)

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

(thanks Adam Riggins for sharing this verse with me)

 

In Memory of Maria

I'm going to take a break from the "50 blogs" idea today to tell you about the blog the Chapman family has set up in memory of their little girl Maria.  As heartbreaking as that story is, it is amazing to see the outpouring of support from Steven's fans and community.  And the fact that they chose to give us the opportunity to "meet Maria" by means of a cute little video of her and her Daddy speaks volumes.

In Memory of Maria

No words

Last night, after hearing the news about the Chapman family tragedy, I was in the car and heard his "Cinderella" song.  I don't think the radio station meant it as any kind of statement - it was probably programmed automatically.  I thought I would cry or get mad or change the station.  Nothing.  It was one of those rare cases where a song isn't enough.

This morning several well-spoken and well-intentioned bloggers have posted thoughts about the situation.  I'm sure they're beautiful.  I started reading a couple of them but my eyes glossed over.  Nothing.

This is one of those situations where people don't know what to say so they encourgage people to pray.  I've "prayed" a lot last night and this morning, but those prayers have been mostly wordless.

 

Words are an attempt to communicate what you're thinking or feeling.  Sometimes words are not enough. 

And the only word that keeps coming back to me is "Why?"

Watercooler Wednesday: Musical guilty pleasures

We've all got 'em.  Those bands we listen to at full volume and then hide the CD when somebody else is getting in the car.  We go to the show and our friends scratch their heads.  You know - the things that make you go...huh?

For me, '80's metal would be almost too obvious.  I rock, it rocks.  I play guitar, they feature over the top guitar solos.  So that's out for me, but it might work for you...

For me, country music is out.  Too easy of a target.  As a Southern Caucasian male, it is part of my psyche.  Try it sometime:  go up to a white dude from the South, even if they're wearing a Devil Wears Prada t-shirt and tattoos, and start talking about Clint Black or Kenny Chesney.  They may not actively listen to it, and they may even want to fight, but they know it enough to carry on a conversation.  Not to mention that it kind of rules.  So that's out for me, but it might work for you...

So here are a few artists that DEFINITELY cut the bill for me:

1. The Bee Gees:  As a rocker, it is my duty to hate disco.  And I do, most of the time.  But the Gibbs are among the finest songwriters ever.  I think they were the second band I really got into as a kid (right after KISS), so there's a nostalgia thing there, too.  You should be dancin, yeah.
2. Lionel Richie:   Again, probably one of the greatest living songwriters.  I had a friend when I was in the fifth grade whose dad had a convertible.  I remember going to White Water in the convertible and listening to Lionel Richie.  "We were runnin' with the night!  Playing in the shadows!"  Good times...
3. Kenny Rogers:   Go watch Six Pack and you'll get it.  A little trivia for you:  two of his biggest hits, "Islands in the Stream" and "Lady", were written by #1 and #2 respectively.  Hmmmm...
4. Milli Vanilli:  Say what you want, I don't care.  Milli Vanilli made some of the most fun music EVAH.  I don't care that they didn't sing it.  SOMEBODY did, and it's amazing.  A little bit of trivia: their album is the only gold-selling album in history to be out of print.  You have to buy it on eBay.  I think I will!
5. John Denver:  Love, love, LOVE me some John Denver.  I don't know about you, but sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy.  You got a problem with that?

Alright.  I opened up the closet and aired out some ugly but awesome secrets.  Now it YOUR turn!  What are some of your "musical guilty pleasures"?

This post is a part of the awesomely amazing, educational and informative, Watercooler Wednesday series, hosted by one Randall Elrod...

More Tumblr coolness

The "Dashboard" page.  Once you get used to it, it's pretty dang cool.  It's a feed of all of your posts that you can edit, or you can create a new one.  But you can also configure it (with a single click) to show a feed of all of the tumblelogs you follow.  I think Doc here is trying to say that when this baby gets up to 88 mph, you're going to see some serious @$&#...

I figured out how to add comments to your tumblelog.  I set mine up as an experiment and to show that it CAN be done.  Not sure if I'll leave it, but it's there for now.  Go to Disqus to see about doing it yourself...