A Masterpiece
Revolve :: Ontario, CA. Doors open in one hour…
Just bought Donald Miller’s new book. Haven’t started reading it yet but I had the chance to hear him speak last week about how our lives can become good stories at a devotional that Dave Ramsey puts on for all of his employees. Listen to an excerpt here.
I remember hearing Don speak several years back while I was attending school at Belmont. I walked away thinking that he would make a good comedian because he was able to make life’s simple experiences incredibly entertaining. He gave a challenge to all the guys in attendance. He said, “I challenge you, each semester, to ask out one girl that is completely out of your league. BUT, if she says ‘yes’, it doesn’t count.” I never did that but I thought the idea was funny. He had the entire audience rolling. But he wasn’t trying very hard. That is a rare gift.
I’m excited about his new book. The idea of what makes a “good story” is universal but I never thought of telling a good story with my everyday life. His talk last week really challenged me to be conscious of the ways I can turn my monotonous everyday routine into a masterpiece. I’m not really sure how I can do that but I’m thinking it’s a good step to be aware, to look at my life from a different perspective. It’s a little unnerving to imagine a theater full of people watching my life as it unfolds but that thought also gives me a much needed challenge.
On the topic of story, I’ve been noticing how powerful simple stories can be. I saw UP! in theaters a few months ago and was blown away by the first ten minutes of that film. In that short amount of time, the filmmakers were able to take me from knowing nothing about two characters to being on the verge of tears because of what they had gone through. It took me ten minutes (maybe less) to identify with the characters, to really feel for them. In my opinion, that is one of the best examples of story craftsmanship that I’ve seen. Similarly, I’ve noticed how powerful the art of story can be in other forms. Forms such as….dancing. YES. Dancing.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch this. I realize it may seem a bit insane but seriously, watch it. And feel free to make fun of me.
I was blown away by that the first time I saw it. I like to dance (more like shake my body to a rhythm) but I never thought a choreographed dance could tell such an incredible story. It made me wonder if a dance can tell a good story, if the first ten minutes of an animated film can tell a good story, then surely my life can too.
How to be a Good Brother (pt. 2)
First things first: My little brother took care of me in Knoxville this weekend. Was riding back from the Revolve Tour in Charlotte with my girlfriend and her mom and we popped a tire just outside his apartment complex. He dropped everything cool that he could have been doing and spent his night taking care of us. Awesome.
When I wrote the “How to be a Good Brother” post, I put “(pt. 1)” next to it thinking that I would expand the next day. But I never did. Honestly, I got tired of writing and let procrastination take over. This happens often because I am easily distracted.**
But now I continue.
I saw this list (picture) on “how to be a good brother” from eHow. And I wasn’t impressed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great list…if you want your relationship with your brother to end up like something out of a movie from Sherwood Pictures (all of which I think are laughably unrealistic). I can expand if anyone cares.***
Their list needs an addendum.
I’m still learning how to be a good brother but I know that it begins with sacrificing one’s self and ends with never letting your brother(s) win at anything that demands a declared winner.
That’s the way the world works. For instance, little brothers are to never beat their older brothers in anything that requires physical ability. 1 on 1 basketball with a friend can go either way, but when an older brother plays his little brother, the eldest should do everything in his power to make the youngest feel the shame of loss (in love). Even if it means tearing the goal down or creating your own games with your own rules. This is called pride forming memories. If you suddenly discover that your younger brother is bigger or more athletic than you, this is a good time to express an unexplained exhaustion or an abrupt sickness, both of which never end.
Between sacrifice and never losing at anything, there are all sorts of great and wonderful things that come with being a good brother. Yes, I’m sure it’s great to take care of your nieces and nephews (see rule 2) but what Mr. eHow doesn’t suggest to you is that you should make a continual practice of spoiling your nieces and nephews by feeding them cake and ice cream for dinner and sending them home far too wired for bed. I have not tried this yet but I’m sure this practice is a huge part of being a good brother. Never pass up an opportunity for a good practical joke.
Things to consider:
1.) Hide your brother’s plate of food whenever he takes his eye off of it.
2.) When your brother(s) visit you for vacation, be very nice to them while hiding the fact that you’ve short sheeted their beds.
I say all of this because I wanted to make fun of that list and because I’m incredibly thankful for the family I have.
** Each word is a link to a site that, at some point, has distracted me for 1 hour or more.
*** I’m sure you don’t care but someone please care enough for me to digress.
Revolve :: Charlotte
It’s week three of the Revolve Tour. This weekend we’re in Charlotte. I’m going to miss this tour when it’s over. Jeff Venable asked me the other day if I was enjoying the tour and I told him that I felt like I was dating a girl that I really liked while knowing that we would break up in three months. What I mean is that I’m really enjoying myself on this tour but I’m also sad that it’s going to be ending soon. I love this ministry. It gives me so much joy to do what I love while reaching people for Christ.
I had the chance this week to do a monologue for the First Priority launch in Nashville. I wrote the monologue but didn’t do a very good job preparing for the event. As I ran my lines through my head backstage, I realized that I was so focused on being good, so focused on looking awesome that I was getting in the way of what God really wanted to say through me. It was a humbling moment and I started repeating a prayer: “Get me out of the way, God…”
I have the same prayer for Revolve. I love what I do. But it isn’t about me.
When I got up this morning I walked around my room with a Tylenol PM hangover until I realized that there was an office building with giant windows directly across from my room. I didn’t see anyone looking at me but I’m sure they were. How embarrassing. I closed my blinds and read about the Letterman incident from last night and realized that I’ve been watching too much Lie To Me (picture). Honestly, I don’t really care about Letterman’s secret life but what shocked me the most about the whole incident wasn’t Letterman’s actions, it was the audience reaction. I was confused by all the applause.
“It seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man’s life is made up of nothing, but the habits he has accumulated during the first half.”
-Fyodor Dostoevsky
We have to let these situations be a lesson to all of us. As a young adult, I have to realize that this time of my life is not a time to “live it up” but a time to develop good habits that will carry into my adult life.
My shuttle pick-up to the arena is in twenty minutes. The End.