Top 5 Blog Posts I’ve Been Reading:

1. ChurchMarketingSucks looks at the Church Banner #FAIL? Apparently, the WTF Banner is on purpose.
2. Seth Godin tells us that Attitude Matters
3. Pastor Steven Furtick reminds us that the Sermon Ships Every Week
4. I’ve got the iPad but StuffChristiansLike.net challenges me to avoid coveting the Fancy Pulpit to match
5. Michael Hyatt reviews all the latest reading devices from the Kindle to the iPad

Top 5 Albums I’m Listening To:

1. Kingdom Come by Elevation Church
2. Switchfoot iTunes Session-EP by Switchfoot
3. Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons
4. We Cry Out by Jeremy Camp
5. Suburbs by Arcade Fire

Top 5 Books I’m Reading:

1. Almost Christian by Kendra Creasy Dean
2. Church Planter by Darrin Patrick
3. Exponential by Dave & Jon Ferguson
4. Permission to Speak Freely by Anne Jackson
5. Lasting Impressions by Mark Waltz

Top 5 Tweets of the Week:

1. @TimSchraeder: Thank goodness Jesus said the church would prevail… despite WTF and Koran-burning churches.
2. @ScottMcClellan: Friends don’t let friends buy purple jeans. Unless you’re friends with Prince- he’d probably give you the go ahead.
3. @CSLewisDaily: As long as he doesn’t convert it into action, it does not matter how much a man thinks about his repentance.
4. @ConanOBrien: Facebook is trying to trademark the word “Face” I am going to trademark the word “aceboo” and then wait for the dollars to roll in.
5. @StevenFurtick: I may or may not have made a Boyz II Men playlist for Furtick family supper background music tonight. I may or may not know every vocal run.

I have been diagnosed with Insomnia since 2004. Most nights, regardless of any rhyme or reason, I have trouble falling asleep at an hour most of you deem acceptable. I have a prescription sleeping pill that I rarely take because A) they are stinkin’ expensive and 2) I often think I’ll go to sleep at a decent hour and then 3am rolls around and I don’t want to take a sleeping pill that late/early. That means, while everyone else is sleeping, I have to fill the quiet hours with activity. Here are the Top 5 Things I Like To Do When Battling Insomnia:

1) Read- No earth shattering news there. I love to read and if my brain has the ON switch flipped I might as well log some hours in between the pages of a good book.

2) Pick Up My Son- Every few hours (minutes?) I’ll sneak into my son’s room, pick him up, give him a tight squeeze, and then put him back in bed. Usually I can do all this before he makes a peep and wakes up Mom.

3) Food Network- I love “Unwrapped” and it is the perfect show for an insomniac. First of all, the show requires zero critical thinking skills. Sugar and corn syrup goes in the big vat, goodies come out, kids eat goodies. Brilliant! Plus, watching machines move candy down the conveyor belt is rather hypnotic. It is all good until “Iron Chef” comes on and then I’m sitting on the edge of the bed. “The Secret Ingrediant is….PAPYAAAAAAAAHHHH!“ Forget sleep now!

4) Stare at the Ceiling While Rolling From Side to Side- Usually there is at least an hour of trying this sleep technique. Not really effective. At. All.

5) Finish What I Started Earlier In The Day- Many a class or lesson have been written in the wee, small hours of the night. Not because of procrastination but because I found myself wide awake. Some have wondered how I get so many things done and the secret is that I often have a few more hours to work then the average person. While this insomnia is a curse, it does allow me to get some things finished at a faster pace. Believe me though when I say that there isn’t really a bright side to not sleeping. Getting things done is not a substitute for sleep depravation. The person that tells you otherwise is not to be trusted. That person is probably a robot and we all know how I feel about robots.

There you have it- My Top 5 Things To Do When Battling Insomnia. If you find yourself up late at night, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone! Happy sleeping everyone! Have a good night’s rest.

I’m sitting here on the couch watching the tail end of the local news. Everyone in the house is asleep. I’m about to pack up the laptop and spend a few minutes reading before I head off to bed. As I sit here I am just taking a moment to reflect on my day. I am one blessed dude. Here are five blessing that I am thankful for right now:

1. My Family. We had some family photos taken over the weekend. Hewson celebrates his first birthday next week so we had a few pics taken to commemorate this season of our little family. I have a beautiful, loving, kind, and compassionate wife. I have a beautiful son as well. Life is God and God has blessed me beyond my wildest imagination.
2. My Students. Some people like their jobs. I love my job as a youth minister!!! Tonight we had Bible study at the house and we shared a meal together. There is nothing better than scripture and steak.
3. The Gospel. I know that Jesus Christ is Lord of All. I know that God sent His Son to destroy sin and death. I know that Jesus was raised to life by the power of the Holy Spirit. I know that The Holy Spirit lives in me and helps me in all that I do.Have you ever stopped to give thanks that you too know the Gospel?
4. Health. I am healthy and my family is healthy. I am always thankful for this. Of course, even if sickness does strike us we will still be blessed. For now, we give thanks for the good health that we have.
5. Opportunities. God, thank you for the opportunities you have placed before me. Each day brings new opportunities and each season brings great choices. As summer approaches I pray that you will help me make the most of every opportunity afforded to me and our ministry.

What blessings are you thankful for right now?

To mark our 5th Anniversary of the blog I thought I would share with you the Top 5 Reasons I Blog. Enjoy!

1. Digital Journal- My blog is a digital journal where I can collect thoughts, ideas, web links, news stories, events, and pop culture touchstones. Some days I can blog the lyrics to a song or write about my favorite tv show. Other days I can post a review of a book I’ve read or meditate on some scripture that is feeding my soul. Welcome to my digital journal.
2. Pontificate- Those of you who personally know me can attest to the fact that I love to talk. It was once foretold (when I was a mere child) that I would grow up to be either a lawyer or a preacher. On the blog I get to be both and everything in between.
3. Develop My Writing- This is obviously a work in progress. I started my blog to help me develop some skills as a writer. It is my hope to one day publish a book and the blog helps me think through the elements of writing in a way that is both practical and public. Learning to write for an audience has been a great challenge for me. Thanks for being part of my experiment.
4. Connect With Others- Since starting the blog I have had the opportunity to meet with other bloggers at conferences, I’ve been invited to write for a few publications, and I have been able to correspond with a few of my favorite authors. Blogging has been a great way to connect with other people, new ideas, and different communities.
5. It’s Fun- I get a great sense of satisfaction when I publish a post. Sometimes it takes me a few minutes to write a post and sometimes it takes me a week to churn out a post. Regardless, I enjoy preparing, writing and publish content on this blog. Most hobbies come and go. I’ve been doing this for over 5 years now. It has been a fun, fun endeavor. Thanks for coming along on the journey!