Songs We Wish We’d Written – Wounded
Wounded by Third Eye Blind - Surely you've realized by now my love of Third Eye Blind. I only recently discovered this song, which is a good thing because if I'd discovered it 10 years ago when it came out, I would have worn it out in a matter of months. (I mostly avoided the "Blue" album, but I'm coming to enjoy it more and more.) This song is just soaked in a multitude of emotions. I'm not sure that this live recording really captures all of it.
Check This Out
I've been working on two websites that launched this week. If you get a couple of minutes, check them out. Big thanks to Jeff and Dan for lending a helping hand along the way.
Life Stream Health Centre Weight Loss
Revisited: How I Read a Book
REVISITED: I figured that, after last week's massive book post, it wouldn't be out of line to re-hash this post from July 2009. Some content has been adapted to make it more relevant. So, if you've already read it, it might be worth checking it out, again.
Several people have commented about the amount of reading that I do. So, I thought I would give you a little bit of insight into my process of reading a book. I'm currently "processing" a book that I just finished reading The Thank You Economy, so the concept is fresh on my mind. (It should be noted that this only really applies to non-fiction books.)
I start by simply reading through the book at my leisure with a hilighter or pen in hand - I prefer the Bic Brite Liner. I highlight or underline anything that really captures my attention as I read, but don't spend too much time dwelling on it. Once I've finished reading the book, I go back to the beginning, taking my learning journal with me. (A learning journal is a small journal that I keep with notes about books I've read, quotes I've heard, ideas, or random thoughts.)
I go back through the book page-by-page reading the highlighted passages. Anything that stands out this time, I re-write in my journal. This is good because, for me, the act of writing down further cements it in my mind. I usually am able to boil down a 200 page book to about 5-6 pages of written quotes. (I know that this is a great disservice to the author.)
This makes it super easy when I want to cite a quote or review the content of a book. About every 6 months I'll go back through my learning journal and compile the best out of the 5 or 6 books that I've read and boil that down to several pages of key ideas that I want to reflect on.
I know that this may not be for everyone. In fact, it's probably not for most. But, if you want to be able to retain more from what you read, it might be worth a try.
Anything work better for you?
(photo by liveandrock)
Required Reading
I've had a bit of free time to read and think recently. I've revisited some old favorites and picked up a few new. This is my required reading for all friends and colleagues for the year:
Let me give you small bite of context:
- The Fourth Turning - the next generation (those kids that are in elementary school up through mid-high school right now) are going to be artists in every sense of the word - visual art, music, design, even making work itself into art (see Drive).
- Bowling Alone - somewhere between our great-grandparents' generation and now, our sense of community has eroded. We must re-build it to strengthen our neighborhoods, schools, children, even ourselves.
- Hello, I'm Special - Pop culture has told our youth that "You are special! You can be a star!" Social Media tools have the ability to make that dream a reality worldwide. Even those who never achieve fame, will still conduct themselves in that manner.
- Customer Satisfaction is Worthless - Simply providing a satisfactory service is not enough. You must go above and beyond. You must convert your customers into Raving Fans. (see Thank You Economy)
- Drive - Find better ways to motivate your employees than simple rewards/consequences. Most people (especially the artists of the next generation) will find more motivation in creativity and the opportunity to challenge their own abilities than in monetary rewards. Furthermore, once you attach a $ sign to a certain behavior, that compensation will always be expected for said behavior.
- The Thank You Economy - Social media opens up the opportunity for companies to not only push content out to their customers, but to engage in conversations and listen to them. Doing this well can be cheaper than traditional media and can lead to higher fan conversions.
I laid these out in this specific order because there is such a clear line between them all. The stuff Vaynerchuck says nearly quotes Fourth Turning. It's wild. There's something big on the horizon. Read all of them and I swear you'll get a glimpse of the next 30 years. Read one of them. Read all of them. Then - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - come talk to me about it.
What I’m Listening To: April 2011
Cee Lo Green: The Lady Killer - I hesitated on this album at first because of my natural proclivity toward avoiding what everyone else thinks is cool. But, then, there's usually a reason that they think it's cool. The 30 second samples on Amazon didn't really get me going on it, but then it's hard to take something this massive out of context. It's a great piece of art that reminds me a lot of John Legend, but with more funk. Download:" Bright Lights Bigger City", (The Song Otherwise Known as "Forget You"), "Love Gun".
Brian Wilson: Smile - I think that if it had been released in 1966 as originally intended, this record would have cemented the Beach Boys reputations as on par with (perhaps surpassing) The Beatles. It is lightyears ahead of its time. Well, it would have been. It's release in 2004 subjected it to the "benefits" of modern record-making. While it is still full of heart and soul, I doubt that it maintains all the ethos that it once had. Download: "Heroes and Villains", "Good Vibrations", and "Surf's Up".
Looking Glass: Looking Glass - Ok, I'm not really listening to the Looking Glass record. But I'm absolutely digging "Brandy", just as I always have. Best quote from YouTube regarding the track - "Silly girl though Brandy, falling for a Sailor. Find yourself a nice regular guy like Fireman or an Electrician or something, LOL". Download: "Brandy"
Foreword to a Bigger Thought
I've been working on an epic manifesto on social media. I've written and re-written it. It still requires some smoothing around the edges. In the meantime, I came across this youtube video featuring Gary V. He basically gave voice to exactly what I've been thinking. I'm linking out to it rather than embedding because it does contain some "salty" language both in the video and in the comments on youtube. He hits the nail so square on the head, that it commands watching - just know going in that it may be mildly offensive.
Why My Wife is Wonderful
In case you didn't know, my wife is wonderful. There are many reasons why. Here are a few:
- She loves Jesus and seeks to honor Him
- She loves others, even those that she has never met, and prays ceaselessly for them
- She loves our kids and works hard to do what is best for them
- She loves me and encourages me even when I don't deserve it
- She is fun and funny and is always looking to make me laugh
- She is responsible and conscientious in a culture where neither one is the norm
- She is beautiful and doesn't have to try to be
- She is wise and skillful in the work she does, always infusing her work with compassion
- She is creative
- She likes to prune the trees and bushes (not my strong-suit)
- She makes sure that others feel included
- She has a strong sense of right and wrong
Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. - Prov 31:29 (ESV)
Monday Morning List
Friday:
- Took Lincoln to the Dr. but turns out he just has some allergies
- Painted our guest bathroom
- Watched The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It was always my favorite book in the series, but so far I've been disappointed by every sequel in the film series. This one wasn't a bad movie, it just lacked the heart of the book
Saturday:
- Grocery shopping with Lincoln
- Bought him a big boy bed on CraigsList
- Prepped his new bedroom (old playroom) for painting
Sunday:
- Church
- My friend, Ryan, helped me paint the new bedroom
- Sold some stuff on Craigslist (pretty much paid for the bed we bought on Saturday)
- Cooked some very tasty turkey burgers
We’re All Alike
There are two powerful effects that the gospel of grace has on a person who has been touched by it. First, the person who knows that he has received mercy while an undeserving enemy of God will have a heart of love for even (and especially!) the most ungrateful and difficult persons. When a Christian sees prostitutes, alcoholics, prisoners, drug addicts, unwed mothers, the homeless, the refugees, he knows that he is looking in a mirror. Perhaps the Christian spent all of his life as a respectable middle-class person. No matter. He thinks: "Spiritually I was just like these people, though physically and socially I never was where they are now. They are outcasts. I was an outcast."
Tim Keller
Ministries of Mercy
excerpted in Gospel in Life, 107
____________________
This is Illogical Theology.
"...because God doesn't make sense"
.jpg)
