tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76874832012-02-16T04:29:12.677-06:00The stuff that pulls at me.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.comBlogger621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-18681969235137531492007-06-19T23:12:00.000-05:002008-12-08T16:02:01.343-06:00

So I had to change the background color of my blog so it didn't remind me of poo.I see a lot of it these days.So if you're wondering where I have been, and what I have been doing, well.........here they are!Samuel Kyle and Georgia Kathleen came into the world on April 22, 2007. It's kinda crazy....I'm a Dad! Now, I am no Bill Cosby.....but there are some things that I became completely aware of

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1153723411158584322006-07-24T01:25:00.000-05:002006-07-24T01:44:31.580-05:00

God's the one who rebuilds Jerusalem,who regathers Israel's scattered exiles.He heals the heartbrokenand bandages their wounds.He counts the starsand assigns each a name.Our Lord is great, with limitless strength;we'll never comprehend what he knows and does.God puts the fallen on their feet againand pushes the wicked into the ditch.~Psam 147

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1149289353720743402006-06-02T17:44:00.000-05:002006-06-02T18:02:52.746-05:00

Unfortunately the title for this entry is not about pregnancy.I wish. We wish....that is Kristin and I. Maybe soon. Who knows?The title for this entry is in regards to the Family Reunion/Birthday Party Kristin and I were just in Tennessee for. Last weekend we were in Tellico Plains, TN for our annual family reunion and celebration of my Grandparents 90th birthdays. My Grandma and Grandpa. 90

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1147133468059132222006-05-08T19:08:00.000-05:002006-05-08T19:11:08.060-05:00

For those of you who have not seen the trailer's for Kyle's film please click on the banner to your right to see them. I hadn't looked at the site in a while and went in and watched Trailer #2. It left me speechless for a good 30 minutes. Kyle was a great friend and I think that this film will be a testament to his character and mission. Please support it if your heart leads.

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1146619139842164022006-05-02T20:12:00.000-05:002006-05-02T20:19:12.523-05:00

Hello friends.I feel like I have abandoned my duties as fellow blogger and friend.Fear not.I have merely been gainfully employed!Training at Dell these past 7 days has been tiresome but fun!I am learning a lot and very excited to get my team at the beginning of July.For those of you who have not heard I am a Sales Manager at the Dell Call Center in McGregor, TX. Just a few miles west of

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1144256487657999072006-04-05T11:00:00.000-05:002006-04-05T12:01:27.716-05:00

So Meg asked me the other day what my top three favorite wines are. So I thought I would wax poetic about the grape and proceed to give my humble opinion.First of all the disclaimers:1. While I did go to Culinary School I am by no means a connoiseur! My experience is mainly from restaurant work as a cook and server, and as a fan of the vino myself.2. I am a bit of a wine snob. I don't care if "

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1143835642113066332006-03-31T13:44:00.000-06:002006-03-31T14:07:22.500-06:00

I have made some changes in my links over the last couple of weeks and just wanted to drop a note about some of the stuff that's going on in the sidebar........The bulk of the blogs I read are friends from UBC, my church, they include:Tom, Craig, Adam, Amanda, Janalee, David, Jen, Jordan, Blair, Ben, Harris, Singleton, Carney, Katy, Meg, Candace, and Scott. Actually the last two I had the

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1143736063876977102006-03-30T09:59:00.000-06:002006-03-30T10:27:43.936-06:00

the Blog editionSo I spoke at the Hub on Wednesday night. I had a good time...I'll be honest, I started off a little shaky, but then I found a rhythm and began to feel like my old self again.I found this poem that began as my inspiration for a reflection on Lent. It goes a little something like this:I am a story hoping to unfoldas my future meets my pastI am a talewaiting to be toldwith the right

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1142962055018773012006-03-21T11:11:00.000-06:002006-03-21T11:27:35.090-06:00

*I have had one interview (was offered the job) and another invitation to sell DirecTV with an old friend of mine since I have been back in Waco. Another interview to go at Dell....keep your fingers crossed.....still looking.*Went down to my Dad's last week to spend some time with him and my sister and the nieces. Went fishing. Lost my glasses to the depths of Lake LBJ....oh well. Bought new

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1142054165248569592006-03-10T22:55:00.000-06:002006-03-10T23:16:05.290-06:00

Happy Birthday Mom........In the months following my mom's death back in 2001 I made a decision.That we, my wife and I, would celebrate my mother's life, not her death.In the past 5 years my wife and I have done a number of things to commemorate her life on her birthday:We got fried chicken (a favorite of my mom's) and had a picnic on the Suspension Bridge in Waco.We ate at sandwiches from the

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1141798051153787552006-03-07T23:31:00.000-06:002006-03-08T00:09:45.473-06:00

Albums I am taking with me as I drive to Waco:*Synchronicity ~ The Police*The Joshua Tree ~ U2*The Essential Johnny Cash*The Essential Willie Nelson*The Garden State Soundtrack*My Spymix (Songs featured on Alias including:Blur, Wyclef Jean, Peter Gabriel, and Depeche Mode)*My Valentine Mix (including Aqualung, Tristan Prettyman, Lyle Lovett, and Elvis Costello)Things I intend to think about as I

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1141265969205512332006-03-01T19:46:00.000-06:002006-03-01T20:19:29.260-06:00

Homeor: Where you lay your head is a pillow not a metaphor for something that is a lot more philosophical in nature than practical.I personally like the alternate title, even if it is lengthy.So here's another quote from Donald Miller:"Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons." (from Through Painted Deserts)So I am

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1140934775906081792006-02-26T00:08:00.000-06:002006-02-26T00:20:23.606-06:00

My Wife and I had an argument last week......and we argued well.When the dust settled and everything was said that could be said we looked at each other differently.Don't worry, it was a good different.It was the kind of look that let you know that there was nothing left to fester.Nothing pulled back or unsaid.Not even an ounce of animosity or anger.No resentment or regret.Only catharsis and

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1140812122185260532006-02-24T12:16:00.000-06:002006-02-24T16:02:16.996-06:00

"Jesus said, 'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."Matthew 22. 37-40 The MessageI get really pissed off when good Christians say stupid,

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1140573996784067042006-02-21T19:54:00.000-06:002006-02-21T20:06:36.836-06:00

Hello......I thought about it and decided not to retire the site......funny thing is, I forgot why I got a Xanga account in the first place!It was to post a comment on a friend's site!!I remember being initially perturbed that I had to be a Xangan to comment on a Xanga site.Anyhow......I'll keep this one, but I might move things around a bit.I guess I just got restless.....wanting something new.I

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1140503543914440282006-02-21T00:29:00.000-06:002006-02-21T00:32:23.923-06:00

Hello Friends..............I think I am retiring the site. Not out of blogging......I think I am jumping ship to Xanga. I'll post some stuff on this site here. Tell me what you think.....

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1138831915384278552006-02-01T15:11:00.000-06:002006-02-01T16:11:55.480-06:00

What I'm Reading.....If you have never read this book....do yourself a favor and pick it up. It's quite amazing. It's a little A River Runs Through It and a little Big Fish. The characters are vivid and well-drawn, and the most miraculous thing about it....you care about them right away. I honestly don't know how he did it, but there is no space between you and the page, it completely pulls you

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1137907493836583592006-01-21T23:10:00.000-06:002006-01-21T23:24:53.846-06:00

So...I turn 32 this upcoming Tuesday.No big deal, right?It's not that I am getting "older."Or that I am not as fit as I once was (getting a little soft, I must admit).It's that I am tired.Mentally, spiritually, physically........I honestly don't know what to do to make myself wake up.After Kyle died, It seemed as if the motivation came back.To do something great and be a better person.To live up

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1136490160775631852006-01-05T13:41:00.000-06:002006-01-05T14:00:25.613-06:00

My computer won't allow me to show you a picture......so let me paint one for you.Inches.Two inches to be exact.Two inches are what separated USC and their Third National Championship in Three Years......All my Texas friends will tell you that their Longhorns defeated my Men of Troy.I would have to disagree......the Longhorns did not disassemble the Trojans.Vince Young did that all by himself.I

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1135412351760254632005-12-24T01:46:00.000-06:002005-12-25T23:41:08.150-06:00

To love God is to love people.Spend some extra time with your family and friends this holiday season.If you play games, or sing carols, do so in exuberance.If you cook for your family add a little extra butter or pork fat.Hug a little longer.........linger, don't be restless.Enjoy it while you can.To embrace beauty is to see everything the way that God sees it.Beauty is truly the measure of a

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1134812813606646802005-12-17T02:48:00.000-06:002005-12-17T03:48:10.996-06:00

there is a bottom to my griefi've been there many timeswhere the only thing i can dois look up and see the light i'm not a porcelain china dollwith a smile plastered to my facei have experienced enough sorrowto realize the miracle of grace the rhythmic ache of my guiltreminds me of what i am notnot worthy, not happy, not finishednot taking note of what i've got yet the hope that belies all

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1134638474589553642005-12-15T03:09:00.000-06:002005-12-15T04:20:27.140-06:00

Howdy-ho neighbors, it's me again!I meant to say something about some of the new features of the site.Bravenet has some pretty cool stuff that you can play with....If you have been to the site and don't mind telling me about yourself (but don't want to post), please sign in on the guestbook. I added it really just to see where everyone is from.The second thing is that I have added and subtracted

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1134636670494823572005-12-15T02:28:00.000-06:002005-12-15T02:59:07.733-06:00

hello friends.......it's another late night.I haven't been to bed before 2am in a very long time.I don't know what my deal is.Actually tonight I do.......Kristin and I went to see one of our favorite bands tonight at the Marquee Theater in Tempe.Nickel Creek was amazing as usual.....this is the third time for us to see them.Oddly enough.....it was also the third state that we've seen them in.The

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1134590437870113912005-12-14T14:00:00.000-06:002005-12-14T15:03:42.086-06:00

Okay. I just recently had a fun exchange with a couple of guys regarding C.S. Lewis' intention for writing The Chronicles of Narnia. You can find it here. The posts are chronological from the bottom up. Check it out if you'd like. In fact bookmark that site if you've never read it. Cory's a friend and has a lot of great things to say. Check it out.So on to my main point today that has been

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1134088875652283752005-12-08T18:37:00.000-06:002005-12-08T18:43:59.053-06:00

I never saw an ugly thing in my life: for let the form of an object be what it may - light, shade, and perspective will always make it beautiful.~John ConstableThere is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.~Sir Francis Bacon There are things that I am convinced become more beautiful with tragedy. The splashes of black across an otherwise brilliant array of colors

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1133549588157419262005-12-02T12:21:00.000-06:002005-12-02T12:55:36.313-06:00

Embrace BeautyIn Kyle's book he references an article by Brian McLaren that I would like to share with you regarding this 1/3 of our modern shema. It goes like this:I go to a movie. In this movie there are murderers, sex addicts, thieves, and thugs. But even among these desperate and damaged characters, there are moments of tenderness, forgiveness, loyalty, honor, and honesty. As the story

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1133131735986683682005-11-27T16:25:00.000-06:002005-11-27T16:53:06.250-06:00

I have been thinking lately about our mantra.We have always (it seems that way now) said it as a goodbye on Sunday.Benediction.But now it has become more.It's a way to remember, our Ebenezer, if you will.It has become our shema.Love God.Embrace Beauty.Live Life To The Fullest.What does it mean?Love God is so deliciously ambiguous.It's an action.....but what do you do?How can you love something

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1132259581820974392005-11-17T14:02:00.000-06:002005-11-17T14:33:01.880-06:00

One of my earliest posts when I started this over a year ago was written after I lost a professor and mentor of mine to cancer. That loss, while difficult, was easier to deal with than this more recent tragedy of losing my pastor, and friend, Kyle Lake.After re-reading that post on brokenness I feel obligated to follow it up with additional thoughts.......Henri Nouwen goes on to say in his book

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1131593414559601852005-11-09T20:50:00.000-06:002005-11-09T21:30:14.626-06:00

I was going through some old papers the other day and came across a Moleskine journal my sister gave to me once, I think as a Birthday gift. They are the coolest little notebooks.....great for the writer on the go.Anyway, I always cringe when I read some of my old stuff......most of the time I allow it to fall by the way side (procrastination) and when I attempt to pick it up again it has become

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1131512761373983092005-11-08T22:50:00.000-06:002005-11-08T23:08:12.293-06:00

"I am a part of all that I have met." ~Lord Alfred TennysonI have been getting posts/notes/e-mails from folks that I haven't heard from in quite some time. It's nice to hear from old friends. Now only if I can become more determined/disciplined to keep up communication and be a better friend.Sometimes I get too insulated in my own life.I forget that the friendships that I have forged along the

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1131401993846216262005-11-07T16:15:00.000-06:002005-11-07T16:20:46.686-06:00

I am the one on the left......if you were wondering.This is my dog Cash, as in Johnny.We anxiously await the new Johnny Cash biopic Walk The LineCheck it out......we can't wait.

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1131341422684755732005-11-06T23:19:00.000-06:002005-11-06T23:30:22.696-06:00

In light of what has happened I have laid aside all of my foolish habits of laziness and procrastination. Well, we'll see if it sticks. I have to be honest with myself.That's been the issue lately.Honesty.Like my friend Adam said on his blog....I lost my friend, my pastor, my spiritual mentor, and my rabbi.I should have been there last week.Not because I could have done anything for him.....

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1109033634182950952005-02-21T18:29:00.000-06:002005-02-21T18:53:54.183-06:00

Hey guys........thought I would write today, but I couldn't muster up enough energy to continue the story......I am still pondering a title for it, any ideas?Work was strange today.A bit "out of body" if I was to try to describe it.I felt like crap all day and it doesn't help that I am now answering to somebody I trained who has no common sense.....frustrating at the least.Leo?Are you out there?I

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1108938656997477342005-02-20T16:26:00.000-06:002005-02-20T16:30:56.996-06:00

Okay....so I'm no John Grisham.I don't know. I am having fun. It may seem dark, but I think that there is something truthful going on here.As I ponder a title........how does good turn bad?how does Spring (symbolic of new life) sour?what mistakes have we made that could turn our lives upside down?think of these things....

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1108938207468696932005-02-20T15:29:00.000-06:002005-02-20T23:06:17.766-06:00

Later that day.....somewhere south of Tijuana, MexicoMason Thomas squinted out onto the beach watching the waves ebb and flow and wondered how long it would take for the average 30 year old to drown. If they were unencumbered, say.... without two ten-gallon buckets of hardened concrete affixed to the ankles, it would probably take at least fifteen or twenty minutes. First you pass out from the

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1108769546213760322005-02-18T17:28:00.000-06:002005-02-18T17:32:26.216-06:00

I hope that this new venture doesn't freak y'all out.......I don't know, I just always have these stories bumping around in my brain.I thought I would spill them out to you.Be gentle.I am going to have to count this short commercial break towards my total....We're having computer issues, and I don't know when I will get back to the story.I haven't thought of a title....I really haven't thought

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1108705402013529032005-02-17T23:02:00.000-06:002005-02-17T23:48:36.546-06:00

Jan. 1, 2005Nelson knew that he would never step foot on an airplane again after what happened last summer. In fact he became so stalled, immobilized really, by his fear that he couldn't be around people much at all either. His parents decided it was time for him to come home and recuperate. But a 34 year old....going home to his Mommy and Daddy? No....he couldn't do that. He would have to make

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1108512549267104142005-02-15T18:09:00.000-06:002005-02-15T18:26:52.426-06:00

What I am listening to right now.... This is the group that I added to my links just the other day.This is their first full length CD....also their first major release.Very eclectic....you can hear some country in certain tracks.......favorite has to be Golly Sandra.Which, coincidentally, was the only track on the album produced by the Artists themselves.Think early Sixpence (especially the

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1108428667558349552005-02-14T18:24:00.000-06:002005-02-16T13:30:22.750-06:00

I don't mean to be cynical.Really I don't.I guess I should be lucky to have such a wonderful wife to be able to celebrate this economically-driven holiday with.I just feel bad for everyone out there that doesn't have that special someone to celebrate with.I find that now that I am married....that it pretty much comes up in every conversation that I have.It's always...."My Wife did such-and-such"

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1108349600728630982005-02-13T20:20:00.000-06:002005-02-13T20:54:57.090-06:00

Soooo........This edition might be a little short.I am exhausted.Tom, Beth, Kristin and I were superfans to our super athlete friend Jana today.Here's us all of us at the finish line.After watching a number of runners finish up at the 26th mile I came to a realization.I need to accomplish something in my life.I don't feel like a failure necessarily......but I also don't feel like I've really been

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1108249191148532092005-02-12T16:48:00.000-06:002005-02-12T17:00:13.553-06:00

I made it to the second day!!!!So......as you can see my three entries for yesterday catches me up to today.Woke up late today...not as late as I would have liked, somebody was showing the house at 11 am.Kristin and I went and had a late breakfast with Tom at Harold Waites (Never been??? It's a Waco must....try any of their omelettes...to die for!)We are getting ready to go down to Austin to

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1108177668306659482005-02-11T20:56:00.000-06:002005-02-11T21:07:48.306-06:00

You might have noticed that I have added a couple of new links on the side bar.The first is in the music section for a band named Eisley.Very impressive young group of musicians from somewhere here in Texas.....I think.They toured with Coldplay....pretty cool for some young'uns.The second link is under the Authors section.YES!! The Author's Section.If you have never read Steve Martin's work run

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1108172815034318752005-02-11T19:23:00.000-06:002005-02-11T20:10:56.770-06:00

I have some incredibly talented friends.It may seem like name-dropping, kind of like the time I met Ray Charles in DFW. I tell that story, or the one in which I was actually in a voice class with Ben from Growing Pains (his name was Jeremy), to see how people react.I am weak. And human. I like people to like me.But that's not what this is about.Back to my incredibly talented friends. Their names

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1108171338467674352005-02-11T19:06:00.000-06:002005-02-11T20:14:37.246-06:00

Hello friends, neighbors, lovers and saints........This Lent I am going to take something on rather than give something up.If I was brave I would give up something that I love....like television.But since we both know that would never happen.....I've decided on something more creative.Since my New Year's resolution of writing twice a week did not happen as discussed I have decided to kick the

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1105662434204117592005-01-13T18:14:00.000-06:002005-01-13T18:27:14.203-06:00

I don't know why I do this. I get all pumped up about the Blog and then proceed to go more than a month without writing. Well.....this is it!! I am making my first resolution of the new year (everyone knows the losing-weight-exercise-more resolution won't make it to February). I am going to make a point to write at least twice a week. I'm not going to do it on the same days every week (too much

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1102294162155748642004-12-05T18:49:00.000-06:002004-12-05T18:54:41.350-06:00

I feel like I need to continue with this discussion of God' will. I appreciate the feedback that y'all have contributed. Today in church we saw a video that seemed pretty provocative at the outset....and then, after some time thinking about it, I really think I understand. The video discussed the nature of being a disciple. What it meant to "follow" a Rabbi. The narrator discussed the method

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1102047453869854932004-12-02T21:52:00.000-06:002004-12-02T22:20:05.133-06:00

Wow........I just went to the bathroom. I didn't mean to be gone so long. Ha! That's funny. I am not sure why I have fallen off the blogging wagon so quickly....but here's to getting back on and trying again. I hope that this finds everyone good and well and fine. I am none of those things. I have been demoted at work. First it was just in responsibilities. Then came the title and the money.

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1098917478526994672004-10-27T17:37:00.000-05:002004-10-27T17:51:18.526-05:00

Hello friends. Wow......by now I might not have friends that come back to me because I have been a bad, bad blogger. So much going on.....I really need to use this (even if no one is reading) to blow off some steam. A lot has happened in the month or so since my last Blog. Work has been getting worse for me.....stressful, crazy, hard. Thoughts of PhD's, much like sugar plums, are dancing in my

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1095460576624020872004-09-17T17:36:00.000-05:002004-09-17T17:57:27.443-05:00

genius loves company This is what I have in my CD player right now. My wife surprised me and brought this home from the store the other day. I haven't always been a Ray Charles fan, I guess the older I get the more I appreciate the genius of his music. He was a barrier breaker. Pop music, Soul, Blues, Country....you name it, he's sung it. If you would like to experience something

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1094699499581655132004-09-08T22:11:00.000-05:002004-09-08T22:36:30.106-05:00

Recently I have been reading some old friends. Books that were, up until now, "required reading" for a grade in a class. At the beginning of the summer I picked up To Kill A Mockingbird, and plowed through it like a People Magazine! It was enjoyable to read something that I once thought was tedious! Just a few days ago my wife brought me home a hardcover edition of The Catcher in the Rye. What

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1093315485565354962004-08-23T21:42:00.000-05:002004-08-23T22:21:50.546-05:00

Hey folks........ I have probably started and stopped an entry at least 4 times in the last week and a half. I couldn't think of anything to submit to y'all and honestly have not had the energy to write! Work has been hell lately, which is funny considering that I work in Christian Retail! Get it? I have been logging approximately 50-60 hours a week the last month or so and it all culminated in

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1092356165355014382004-08-12T19:13:00.000-05:002004-08-12T19:16:05.356-05:00

"Father, in your goodness grant us the intellect to comprehend you,the perception to discern you,and the reason to appreciate you. In your kindness endow me with the diligence to look for you,the wisdom to discover you,and the spirit to apprehend you. In your graciousness bestow on me a heart to contemplate you,ears to hear you,eyes to see you,and a tongue to speak of you. In your mercy confer

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1092008113812611992004-08-08T18:33:00.000-05:002005-11-08T16:20:40.853-06:00

Hi all.Welcome to the new In-Between!!Sometimes I get bored with things where they are and need to change it up once in a while.My wife does that with the furniture. I hate that. I will be gone for a weekend and come back and the bed has been moved and dressers have been relocated. It's not right. I have no doubt that one of these days I will come home and she will be flat on her back because she

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1091592516818014482004-08-03T23:06:00.000-05:002004-08-03T23:08:36.816-05:00

I don't know what to say...but I feel compelled to write. Have you ever felt incomplete? Truly unfinished? Like there is some part of your soul that is in the yet-to-be-used piece pile of your own personal puzzle? Sometimes I feel like I am the second rate "B" actor version of the role I was supposed to be. And it has nothing to do with a missed career or a failed marriage or some dream that I

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1091501739869503982004-08-02T21:52:00.000-05:002004-08-03T19:01:32.136-05:00

I went to see I, Robot on Saturday. I thought the story line was compelling, it was visually stimulating and had enough theological and philosophical content to keep the Asimov diehards happy. If you have not read Isaac Asimov's short stories, do it. They are must-reads for anybody interested in how pop-culture and pop-literature deal with issues of sovereignty and predestination. Now is the

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1091405794178802012004-08-01T19:50:00.000-05:002006-02-02T20:04:41.823-06:00

The object of my most recent obsession is poker.I bought some poker chips off of ebay (11.5 grams, suited, ceramic w/dark wood carrying case); I downloaded Downtown Texas Hold'Em onto my cell phone so that I could play poker when I was bored, and I bought this book. The Biggest Game in Town is "...probably the best book on poker ever written." (Evening Standard, London) I just bought it yesterday

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1090886924640070972004-07-26T19:08:00.000-05:002004-07-26T20:19:24.536-05:00

The Hollywood "Dream"  This is another picture that really destroys me. I am such an entertainment addict. Movies, TV, music, books, magazines, etc. I absorb more trivial knowledge watching TV and reading entertainment news that serves no purpose other than my own enjoyment.  I have recently been thinking about this thing called "celebrity." What is it, and how is it bestowed upon the most

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1090552658521756402004-07-22T21:58:00.000-05:002004-07-22T22:17:38.520-05:00

My lovely wife Kristin gave me as a gift for graduation the hardback series of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. What an amazing gift it was. If you have not read it you absolutely need to. Do not hesitate because they are "children's" stories. There is truth, beauty, and possibly most important of all....innocence, in these books. I am only on the second book of the series, but they read

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1090468849681026322004-07-21T23:00:00.000-05:002004-07-21T23:00:49.680-05:00

I love this picture. This is the Capitol Records building in Los Angeles with a mural of Jazz Musicians in front of it. There is something dirty and gritty about jazz music that speaks to my soul. Its driving beat syncopates with the flutter of my heart. Dissonance and harmony play simultaneously to create a perfect, improvised moment. Jazz music is a lot like our relationship with God. A flutter

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1090454623780265432004-07-21T18:46:00.000-05:002004-07-22T00:30:55.326-05:00

I said goodbye to my friend today. "Friend" seems like such an inadequate term for it though. He was, as I have said before, a mentor, but he was also my teacher, spiritual advisor and confidant. I could not have asked for a more sensitive person to see me through some of my toughest moments. When my mother passed away Dr. Conyers served as a shoulder to cry on and as a neck to hug. His

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1090383250092603292004-07-20T23:14:00.000-05:002004-07-20T23:17:47.796-05:00

In Henri Nouwen's beautiful book, Life of the Beloved, he writes, "Our brokenness is so visible and tangible, so concrete and specific, that it is often difficult to believe that there is much to think, speak, or write about other than our brokenness." He goes on to say later in the same chapter that "perhaps the simplest [thing] would be to say that our brokenness reveals something about who

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687483.post-1090299029164270952004-07-20T01:49:00.000-05:002004-07-20T00:41:14.453-05:00

Hi folks......I just find out that a mentor of mine passed away this weekend. I don't want to get all melodramatic and cheesy, but it is in these times that I really start wondering how much I allow those that I trust and believe in to truly affect the way I live my life. Does that make any sense? Don't we elevate certain people in our lives to deity and then minimize their affect on us? It's

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09046316975047121753noreply@blogger.com2