Jimmy Fallon does Jeremy Lin parody to Pearl Jam's Jeremy

This is Jimmy Fallon at his very best in my opinion. I'm fairly indifferent to Fallon usually, but love Pearl Jam, and this mashup for Jeremy Lin of the NBA's New York Knicks is exceptionally well done!

Conflict resolution - crib sheet

1)  Is it worth it?
-Is this conflict worth it?  We fight over stupid things.  Are you trying to prove a point or make progress?

2)  Same team
-Spouse/family = same team. Nobody loves you more.  They're invested in you, they have skin in the game.

3)  Appropriate response
-Don't make mountains out of molehills.  Behave like an adult. 

4)  Grace
-Grace is unmerited.  Don't be the stopping point of grace.  Jesus gave it to you, pass it on.

5)  The problem isn't the problem
-Our anger leaks out sideways.  So we're angry about something and it manifests elsewhere.  Even towards people who weren't part of the initial problem.


This is just a collecting point for some of my thoughts that others might find useful.

I Am Second - Book Review

I am Second on Amazon.com

My first exposure to I Am Second came about a year ago – long before I got the book.  I saw a link to one of their videos, clicked through, and was immediately impressed with their work.  Earlier last Fall I used a series of their videos as conversation starters with the teens in our church.  Powerful real life testimonies from some of the people the students look up to really were great fuel for faith discussions.

So when the book came out, I knew that I was going to read it.  I entered in with high expectations, and the book met and even exceeded them in many places.  First, I was impressed by the number of interviews they used.  I had seen a handful of the videos for the people featured in the book, but that didn’t dissuade me in any way from reading about them all once again.

Another strength of the book is the diversity of those whose stories they are featuring.  It ranges from Korn band member Brian “Head” Welch, MLB player Josh Hamilton, MMA fighter Vitor Belfort, US Army Captain Chris Plenkenpol to Pastor Nate Larkin.  The stories are their stories (and many others) about real life and real struggle and the real healing that is needed in our world – healing that can only come from Jesus.

As a warning – I wouldn’t recommend the book for young readers.  There are places where the reality of the stories are graphic (not in a perverse way) and cover content that young eyes and minds don’t yet need to be exposed to.  But for everyone else it is gritty and real and inspiring and hope giving.  The stories are all well crafted while yet allowing the voice of each individual to come through loud and clear.  You can read the book a chapter at a time, and in any order, or cover to cover.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.  I did not pay for it, but was not paid for the review, nor was there an agreement (implicit or official) that I would give it a favorable review.


Josh Hamilton:


Brian "Head" Welch:


Colt McCoy:


Nate Larkin:


For more I Am Second videos click here.

Sam's Club - awesome customer service experience

From time to time I point out here on my blog some of the failures in customer service I experience.  I also like to point out when someone really gets it right, as is the case below.

Yesterday I bought a "dozen" red roses for my wife for Valentine's Day from the Sam's Club in Mankato, MN.  When I presented them and she started to cut stems and arrange them she quickly came to realize there were only 10 flower in the bundle.

Odd.  I'm pretty sure the signage said a dozen.  A dozen is the standard unit of measure for roses at this time of the year.  So I decided to contact Sam's Club today online about what happened.  Mistakes happen, and I guess they could've been selling groups of 10 to hit a price point (I doubted that, but was only 99% sure).  I said in the message online who I was, what my member number is (so they could look the transaction up) and what happened.  No complaint beyond that, just more of an FYI and to verify it was supposed to be a dozen and not ten.

Three hours later I had a personally typed message from the manager in charge of that department in the Mankato store.  I had contacted the company through the national web site, so I assume it had to go through a couple of levels of people before it made it back to the local store.  In that message the manager apologized, stated that he went out immediately and double checked their inventory to make sure there weren't others, and the assurance that they would send me a gift card for the price of the flowers "plus something extra for your time".

Wow.  That is over the top impressive customer service.  While I am obviously a member there, and would continue to do business there, that is still a difference maker in terms of how I have been treated.  I wasn't looking for nor expecting a refund honestly.  It was just 2 flowers, and my wife still knows I love her.  So needless to say - I'm impressed.

Good job Sam's Club!

Enemies of the Heart - by Andy Stanley

In typical Andy Stanley form, Enemies of the Heart: Breaking Free from the Four Emotions That Control You is a well focused book with lots of practical and applicable real world wisdom.  I have always enjoyed Andy Stanley’s ability to communicate difficult truths in simple ways, and that holds especially true for the four subjects he tackles in this book – namely guilt, anger, greed and jealousy.  He has the ability to be piercingly insightful from a biblical perspective, while maintaining a very disarming “aw shucks” kind of humor.

I have read a handful of Stanley’s other books, and for me at least this was the one that I least connected with on a personal level, but only because I feel I don’t have deep struggles in these areas (not that I don't struggle with them at times though).  But where I found it incredibly useful is that as a pastor it both gives me some insight into others, and equips nicely with some tools and ideas for helping people work through their struggles in life in these areas.  I see a sort of symbiotic relationship between this book and Pete Scazero’s books on Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and Church.

The book is divided into four sections, with the first portion being focused on helping us understand that sin is a heart issue.  Of the four sections I found this to be the most “review” like portion, but interesting nonetheless.

The second section covers what Stanley calls the debts that we have as a result of our sins.  This is where the book really begins to hit its stride, and is the segment that is probably the most eye opening for most people.  He manages to clarify the bondage(s) we have in sin with great clarity, showing how we get stuck on our guilt/anger/greed/jealousy.  This portion alone is worth the price of the book just for the awareness of the state of sin in which we often live that accompanies our reading this segment.

Part three moves into the nuts and bolts practical application of confronting and combating these areas of sin in our lives.  While it isn’t quite on the level of simplicity and wisdom found in Proverbs, it isn’t all that far off, and is far more cohesive in overall thought since the scope is narrowed down to just four areas.

Part four was in a sense an unexpected (short) bonus.  Stanley could’ve stopped after the third section, but in section four he goes on to help us focus on the bigger picture issue of how our sin and the way we deal with them impacts the world around us – especially in our family relationships.

At the back of the book are some questions that go along with each chapter that would serve a small group discussion well.  From beginning to end a very good book, one that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to my family, friends or flock.

This book was given to me by Water Brook Multnomah Press for review.  I am not paid for the review in any way, nor must I give it a positive review.