1. On Sunday I heard a pastor confess in an opening prayer for worship, he was not excited to be there. I cannot tell you how much that meant to me and my wife.

2. George MacDonald said it is the unseen which has the most influence on us.

3. The whole “what/who is missional?” conversation is weird to me. Shouldn’t we pick words that have been around awhile to get worked up about?

4. Wait, does U2 count as Christian Music?

5. The idea that “anybody can preach” is only a college sophomore’s late night debate from “everybody can preach.”

6. Evangelism is not the message.

7. It’s probably true, people walk away from the faith because Christians’ lives don’t match up with what they say they believe. But my guess is people walk away because they think their lives have to match up.

8. You know those cars you see every so often with dozens of cheesy Christian bumper stickers all over the back. That is what Twitter has become in my world. So I’m trying to remove the stickers. Or better – get out of their lane.

9. The proof that grace is scandalous is how often it is kept under lock and key and when it is brought out it is disguised in the robes of ethics.

10. The most practical truth is that you can do nothing.

1. Stores which cater to women should provide spaces for men. And when I say ‘should’ I simply mean, it would be great marketing. “We have a den complete with a TV and couches for your husband to relax while you shop. That way you don’t have to hurry and he is no hurry!” The fact that no store – that I know of – has done this, is proof of the demise of our society.

2. A lot of people talk about how people like me are scared to live downtown and shop downtown, etc. Well, we have our own dangers here.  Every time I go into the second-hand bookstore down by the Galleria, they take my money while smiling at me. Danger is everywhere.

3. I am tired of this abnormal cold down here in Alabama. I thought about blaming God but decided it was more chic’ to blame Sarah Plain. But then I thought, “All the cool kids are doing that. I’ll blame Rush Limbaugh.” But then I thought, “That is soooo 1995. I’ll blame Mark Levin.” And then I went to Glen Beck’s website…site? Like a gun site? And all of a sudden I wanted to harm people. It was weird.”

4. First they blame Plain for the Tucson shooting, then the Gun (bullets are always ignored and get away scot free), then Tea Parties (my daughter was horrified) and now Heavy Metal.  But I have a theory. Has anyone asked if he used AT&T’s wireless internet service. That could put a guy over the edge.

5. Wait. There is a movie coming out about Jason Bieber. How long could this movie be?

6. So Sarah Palin caused the Tuscon shooting and global warming caused the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. I want you all to remember this. This is why I am not a liberal and never could be. Liberals say things they do not believe and then ridicule you for not believing it.

7. If they do bring back the Wooly Mammoth, expect it have a lawyer and sue Fox News for it’s previous extinction.

8. My first generation iPhone is not working all that well. In fact, it is dying on me. It freezes up and does not receive calls and sometimes I get voice mails days later if at all. All of this is good preparation for an iPhone 4.

9. If Cam Newton’s father was at the BCS National Champioship game then we know who to blame, don’t we? Conservative talk radio.

10. I am so tired of hearing about everyone’s troubles, I have not had bacon in days.

Can you be a foodie and still like hot dogs with a fervent passion? Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches? Frozen Pizza?

1. After going on the offensive, you should probably expect people to be defensive. It makes sense.

1. I would like to first thank all those who are making obnoxious comments about Auburn winning the BCS National Championship. It makes it way more fun.

2. My wife actually saw more going on than the ESPN commentators. She saw that Cam’s interception was  tipped and they never pointed that out. She also was incredulous that the commentators were wondering if the ball got out of the in-zone on the safety. She’s a looker too.

3. This might have been the only game we watched from beginning to end all year.

4. We had to watch the game on the internet (ESPN3) and they kept showing the Roll Tide commercial over and over. Classy ESPN classy.

5. Auburn fans love Auburn and being an AU fan even when they lose. A National Championship is just icing on the cake.

6. Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why not put a TV in the box with the commentators so that the millions of people watching on TV are not minutes ahead of them on actually knowing what is going on? In the game. They are commenting on.

7. OK, OK…Chizik was a good hire. I take it all back.

8. This is my 3rd undefeated season as a fan.

9. I always thought it would be hard to match the ’93 season. It was.

10. I believe in Auburn and love it.

1. I am trying to think of something worse than being stuck in the house with 3 small children and no power – nothing is coming to mind.

2. If we get an ice storm and lose power, I’m blaming George W. Bush.

3. Soooo, do I look like a fool now and go get lots of batteries and other essentials or look like a fool later and play it cool now?

4. I can’t believe I paid all that money for a new TV and it does not take batteries.

5. The good news about losing power is that if the power goes out, we have to – so as to not be wasteful – eat what is in the fridge. Also, because of all those kids in China starving.

6. Here is a shot of me on Monday morning.

7.  I think this is the fifth snow Birmingham has gotten since we moved back just over a year ago. You can thank me in the comment section.

8. If Steve Jobs cared about those of us who could might possibly be caught in winter storm without power, he would provide tethering.

9. You know all those people who are frown-faced naysayers who say, “I’ll believe it’s going to snow when I see it!”? I say we call them, Eustace Scrubb.

10. In light of my first thought, I wonder how the grandparents would fare with the kids…

1.  My son and I looked at Star Wars toys for a long time today at Target. It was a special moment.

2. Woah.

3. Just got another late Christmas present today. It was BBQ and I almost cried when I realized what it was.

4. Very thankful for this, as my phone has been freezing up on me for the past few days and acting very strange for a month.

5. I just took a 2 hour nap and it was incredible.

I am up with a sick daughter but not up enough to finish a post tentatively titled, “Stop It: In Defense of the American Dream.” So here are some early morning thoughts which I may disavow later in the day…

1. Thanks to whoever left me the Target gift card in my box at school. It made it possible to buy our first TV since we got married back in 1999.

2. Because of this I am now starting to dream about Narnia nightly.

3. It looks like we could get snow this weekend and I’m as anxious as my kids about it.

4. For some reason we have let the word ‘consumer’ become a bad word. But if I am consuming a product, it is a product someone with God-given talent produced. I’m not sure it’s so simple as we think it is. Right Now I’m consuming a 32 inch flat screen. And Aristocats.

5. Why am I so tired?

Since seminary I’ve been gathering books on art and trying to learn about a subject and discipline that escaped me for so long. I’m no expert, of course and have never claimed to know much. But there is art I like a lot and art I do not like.

For years I have bemoaned the artistry of Thomas Kinkade. When I picture the quaint, fairy-tale like house beside a perfect stream nestled among picturesque hills and vales full of glorious trees, I would decry such “precious moments-ness.”

But if I am honest -which is hard in matters of art – I must admit how much I would like to live in a place like that. Mainly because I want all the fairy tales to be true. There is not so deep inside of me a longing for all that he is trying to capture. I am sure it is not cool. And it is not technical. But if I were to stumble upon such a scene, I am sure it would bring me joy. And I cannot imagine for moment saying, “No, No, this is all wrong! Too perfect!”

Certainly, I cannot be alone. For even the most discriminating artists and critics would, if on a hike, be glad to come upon such a place and be glad to take tea in such environs.

1. I looked at Twitter the other day and was sad I did so.

2. If Willie Nelson sings “Amazing Grace” is it ‘Christian Music’?

3. I ran out of soap and used my wife’s fruity soap. It was awesome.

4. Wife: Will you put that Radiohead album on my iTouch. Me: I love you.

5. Bacon.

6. You know what would be a really radical life? This.

7. If Willie Nelson sang ‘Amazing Grace’ right now, would it be “Contemporary Christian Music”?

8. I read Phantastes by George MacDonald to prepare for this. I have no idea if it is a good book but I cannot stop thinking about Cosmo and all his adventures.

9. I have no desire to take my Christmas tree down. And the lights we hung outside have been dubbed winter lights.

10. My wife dominates me on the Wii. She also looks nice while doing so, which makes it a little easier to handle. But not much.