Up to 5/8 now…
Month: January 2008
3:10 To Yuma
A few years back, Tombstone topped my list of the best western movie. The plot, acting and (of course) the OK Corral battle were awesome.
Then, along came Open Range. Beautiful scenery, great acting and probably the best gunslinger showdown in the history of westerns. It’s one of the reasons I have the JL system installed in the xB.
Now, 3:10 To Yuma has once again made me challenge my favorites. This is easily one of the best western movies ever made. It has all the elements of a great western (guns, honor, heroism, guns, cows and oh yeah, guns) along with an awesome storyline and a great cast.
If you needed anymore encouragement to go out and rent it, just remember, it stars Christian Bale. Easily one of the best actors around these days. Do yourself a favor, go rent it. Tonight. If you don’t like it, let me know what you think is better so I can watch those too.
The 2008 Reading Journey
When I was a kid, I read ALL THE TIME. When we planned our family vacations, we’d go to the library before we left and pick out some books to read on the road. Might sound nerdy, I know, but I really enjoyed it. Reading is just something I’ve always loved doing.
You’d think I would have an incredible amount of books racked up over the years. You’d also be wrong. As I got older, reading started to fall by the wayside. I probably read three books total in my 5 year career at Guitar Center.
The teener-tiner bookcase I have has a measly three shelves on it.
The first is taken up by small things like pictures, communion juice, a music box and other such stuff.
The bottom is job related with budget guides, administration stuff and an in-case-of-emergency flashlight.
The middle shelf is full of all my books. Some of which I have read, but most I have not. I have leadership books, biographies, works of fiction and more.
This year, I am setting a goal of reading a book a week. I know that might sound lofty, but I was reading about a book a month for the better part of last year. LifeChurch.tv is really good on people development and I was given 10 or so books when I started that the team went through. It was a really great for developing me as a person and a leader.
Here’s the plan:
I have now separated my shelves into a section of books I have read and books I have yet to read. (Check it out HERE) I think with an hour a day focused on reading, I can achieve this goal. First up will be Under The Overpass by Mike Yankoski. I chose this one because I actually considered dropping everything a few years back and living as a homeless person for awhile. Just to see what it is like.
The journey will start on Monday, January 14th and continue through the next 35 weeks. That’s how many books I have to read and doesn’t count any I might pick up along the way. (Note: I really want to read Deadly Viper Character Assassins so if you have an extra copy, let me know!)
Let me know what you’ve read lately, or if there is anything I absolutely MUST read…
Who Did You Want To Be?
I recently saw a bumper sticker that read, “Remember Who You Wanted To Be”. It’s crazy how profound bumper stickers can be in that small space, isn’t it?
It really made me think. Do you remember who you wanted to be? I’m not talking about when you were five and wanted to be an astronaut, Police Office, NASCAR racer or anything like that. I am talking about when you were in High School or College and you had dreams and aspirations which seemed to get lost as you went through life.
For me, it was to be in a touring band, playing music and ministering to people there. I played consistently from age 17 until I was 25 and my family moved to Oklahoma one year ago. It’s not that I don’t want to play anymore, it’s that I don’t know very many people out here in the “scene” and I’ve had a rough time connecting with other musician’s. I realize I am most likely not going to be touring very much any longer, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still attain what I once held so dear.
This year, I am going to strive to get back into the music scene. Live performance, studio sessions, recording other bands, mixing and even mastering projects. I am going to rehearse, by myself, in my home studio. I have been too complacent for too long with the gifts and talents the Lord has given me. It’s time, once again, to put it all to use.
Remember Who You Wanted To Be?