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You have just stumbled upon the largest thing to hit the blogging world in history. No, this is not a joke. Yes, this is a long post, but it is extremely important that you read it!

Why is it so big? Because at least 30 (and hopefully more soon) other active blogs on the internet have joined forces to make a difference in the world. A few days ago, I wrote a post about things we take for granted. I said something big was coming, and here it is.

There are over 1 billion people in the world who do not have access to clean drinking water. This is a problem for obvious reasons, but here are some interesting numbers/thoughts on how it effects people:

- In Africa, women and children spend 40 Billion hours walking to find water that is muddy and not safe for drinking, but it is all they have
- Without water, they cannot irrigate farms and provide food
- You have all heard of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Many experts say that there is medicine available to slow the effects of HIV and help people deal with it, but there is not enough water to make it effective.
-4,500 children will die today because they do not have clean water
- Clean water and sanitation education can reduce water related deaths by 45%
- Every year, 443 million school days are lost because kids are trying to find clean drinking water.
- For every dollar donated towards clean drinking water, there is an average of $12 in returns for the people. In other words, clean water makes the economy work.
- Check out the nifty pie graphs and other cool stats by clicking here.

Charity: Water, is an incredible organization. They have private funding, which means that 100% of your donations goes towards clean drinking water. You may not realize it, but that is rare in the non-profit world. Often times, much of your donations go towards paying the bills or advertising. But when you donate anything, it all goes to clean drinking water. They go into communities and build wells with clean drinking water that offer hope to people who have none. Villages build community around these wells and grow as a people in incredible ways.

Here is a really cool video about the organization from last year. If you don’t read anything on this page, watch this video!:

So what is the big deal going on? Well, I don’t have a September birthday, but one of my friends, Tyler Stanton, a hilarious blogger, decided he wanted to make a difference anyway. So he organized 30 bloggers who are going to work together to raise $30,000 to provide clean drinking water for people around the world. Now, $30,000 is a lot of money, but I believe we can make that goal. I think we can even surpass it. I want to double it! But we need your help.

There are a few things you can do that would really make a difference.
1) Donate $20. Why $20? Because $20 provides clean drinking water for 1 person for 20 years. You will literally change someone’s entire life with just $20!
2) Share this cause with people! Do it through facebook, e-mail, twitter, youtube, or your own blogs. We want a huge network and we want to give these people a new story that is full of hope.
3) Stay updated with the action! One incredible thing about Charity:Water is that they keep track of where your money is going. They will post pictures and video of the well you helped build, show you on Google maps where exactly it is going, and keep you updated all the way through.

If you would like to donate or share our donation page, you can find it at http://mycharitywater.org/30. You can also visit this page to stay updated on how the fund raising is going.

Here is another great video about where exactly the donations this September are going:

Thanks everyone! Remember, all donations and people should be sent to this website: http://mycharitywater.org/30.

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I saw a movie the other day that took place after a great war that destroyed much of the world. Few people were left alive and much of modern convenience was lost. The biggest loss, however, was the availability of water. During massive nuclear war, I guess most water gets contaminated or dried up. I can’t say for sure because I have never experienced this sort of event.

One of the main characters was younger and had never experienced life before the war. She asked an older man who had lived before the fallout what life was like back then. One of the things he said really struck me, “People had more than they needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn’t. We threw away things people kill each other for now.”

There are countless precious things in our lives that we totally take for granted. For instance, I don’t think there has ever been one day where I was legitimately concerned about getting food. I have always had a roof over my head. I have an incredible wife. I actually love my job. Sometimes we grow to think we deserve those things we experience with frequency, but really they are all precious gifts and deserve or admiration.

I saw this video about what life would be like in America without our most important resource: clean drinking water. It is pretty chilling, but definitely worth a minute of your time. Here we go…

I am going to close with two things. First, I think it would benefit all of us if we spent some time everyday actually thanking God. I don’t mean going through the motions, I mean literal, thoughtful thanks. Doing so will give you greater appreciation and joy in life. Second, something big is going to happen related to all of this in a couple of days, so stay tuned. When I say big, I mean the biggest thing this cheesy blog has ever been a part of.

Anyone out there want to express some appreciation?

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1) Nicest website for people like me who are incompetent with color matching: Kuler. Seriously, this thing is amazing.

2) Nicest use of a slide:

3) Nicest quote on today’s man: “The marketing sweet spot for many companies is young men ages eighteen to thirty-four. These guys don’t know what it means to be a man, and so marketers fill the void with products that define manhood by what you consume rather than what you produce.” From an article by Mark Driscoll found here.

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I just finished reading C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy and really enjoyed it. Lewis is one of my favorite authors and the Space Trilogy is a good example of why. He is a brilliant writer who is able to write incredible stories that are full of theological truth. While I cannot get into a full book review now (although I would love to), I do want to talk about a half page that really stuck out to me. If you have never read the books, don’t worry, this is by no means a spoiler.

Two characters, Arthur and Camilla Denniston, are having a conversation with another character named Jane Studdock. They live in England and it is, not surprisingly, a foggy day. The Dennistons are explaining to Jane that they love all kinds of weather: fog, snow, rain, whatever it may be. She tells them that she can try to like crazy weather, but, “I don’t think I should ever learn to like rain and snow.”

“It’s the other way round,” said Denniston. “Everyone begins as a child by liking weather. You learn the art of disliking it as you grow up. Haven’t you ever noticed it on a snowy day? The grown-ups are all going about with long faces, but look at the children–and the dogs? They know what snow’s made for.”

“I’m sure I hated wet days as a child,” said Jane.

“That’s because the grown-ups kept you in,” said Camilla. “Any child loves rain if it’s allowed to go out and paddle about in it.”

I think Lewis makes a brilliant point in this brief dialogue. For some reason, we lose some of that zeal for life that was so prevalent as a child. Maybe it is because we have more responsibilities or because we have lost more of our trust for the world. Maybe it is because we become too worried about what others think or because of some misguided notion that adults just shouldn’t play too much.

I, for one, like the idea of maintaining my youth. I am not, by any means, saying I want to disregard my responsibilities. I do, however, want to live life with enthusiasm. I want to trust God to handle the big things that are beyond me and not spend my life worried. I want the faith of a child. I want to ignore the criticisms of people who are not enjoying life and are therefore prone to criticism of those who are. I want to have fun!

Some of my favorite memories are in the rain (read about the time I fell in love with Morgan here). I still love playing in the snow too. Granted, it is a pain when one gets stranded somewhere without a change of clothes or a tooth brush, but that sort of thing would be amazing for a kid to experience. Life is an adventure, and we have to choose whether or not we will take on the challenges with gusto, or spend our time complaining and rob ourselves of the joy of life.

What do you think? Is it a good thing to take on life’s challenges with the heart of a child?

If you are interested in the Lewis Space Trilogy, you can get them here: The Space Trilogy

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1) Nicest new Worship Song. I love it. Forever Reign Click that link, listen to it, now. Seriously. And turn the bass up.

2) Nicest last second win of the day by the Braves (and 3rd out of last 5): Derreck Lee’s First Braves game

3) Nicest Conference you should come to: EMPOWER!
Learn about it HERE
Sign-Up HERE
Facebook event HERE

4) Nicest attempt to make a mini-van look cool:

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1) Nicest way to pass the summer: Red Neck Water Skiing

2) Nicest way to send a message to the man: Phonebooks

3) Nicest hot air balloon in the galaxy:

4) Nicest explanation of who the key grip, the gapher, and the rest of those weird people in movie credits are: Check it out

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I think it is time that Nice Finds became a weekly column. Sure, I am ripping off other blogs. But this is a great way for people to see cool stuff! I am going to be “unique” by never having the same number of Nice Finds. I might even comment on some, although you probably don’t care about the comments.

1) Nicest fake trailer of my favorite game as a kid:

2) Nicest way to create a font based on your own handwriting:

3) Nicest example of how I would want to run my business:

4) Nicest song written by a friend (share this and help him win):

5) Nicest explanation of how the best soundtrack of the year was made:

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I love fiction. One of the reasons I love fiction is because it is often full of truth that we could not fully understand if we did not hear it in the form of a story. Today I am going to talk about one such truth from one of the greatest movies of our lifetime: Inception.

If you have not seen Inception yet, I highly recommend it. From a storytelling perspective, it is the most original film I have seen in years. I want to write a full review and give my theories, but I don’t want to spoil the movie for those who have not seen it. There is, however, a theme in the movie I want to talk about.

The story is all about people who “share dreams.” In the dream state, they are able to steal information from important people and use it to their own ends. Some people who enter the dream state too much, however, begin to have difficulty determining what is real and what is in the dream world. Interestingly, the movie suggests that reality is what we make it.

This is a really interesting point, and I think it can be taken two ways: one negative, and one positive. First the negative- Relativism has become popularized in today’s world. If you have never heard of relativism, it is essentially the belief that, “what is right for you is right for you, and what is right for me is right for me.” In other words, you can believe whatever you want and it will be true! While this belief sounds great and fun, it is totally bogus. If you need proof, just punch someone in the face. When they get mad at you, explain to them that it was “right for me” to hit you in the face. You won’t get very far in life this way.

On the positive side, however, there is a lot of truth to saying reality is what we make it. I have learned (and will continue to learn) over the years that your attitude impacts how you experience the world. We can choose to be happy about something, or choose to be angry and upset about the exact same occurrence. For instance, when a trial comes in your life, do you choose to become bitter? Or do you choose to see it as a learning experience and endure through it?

Abraham Lincoln (is it just me, or does anyone else think I am being overly dramatic by quoting him?) once said, “People are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” And I think he is right. Our reality can be whatever we want, and it is my hope that I will always choose to perceive reality in light of the Gospel and God’s work in my life. It is only by doing so that life can truly be appreciated, that I can choose to rejoice amidst trials and suffering, and that I can make a lasting and positive impact on the world.

What do you think? Is your reality what you make it?

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I love original music. While I don’t usually get the chance to go to coffee places or concerts and hear people I do not know, someone came to me last night. We hosted a concert for our parents and volunteers last night and Jonathan Kingham was there and was one of the Nicest Finds ever.

Not sure who the other guy is, but just press play while you read this post

Jonathan is an incredible musician who’s lyrics are creative and even though they go deep quick, are really easy to listen to. He was an excellent performer and really funny. All he had was an acoustic and his voice, but that was more than enough. At one point he did a cover of Bobby Brown’s “Every Little Step I take” and in the middle of it broke into some freestyle and sang about random people in the audience. It was very impressive. I liked his performance so much that I bought not one, but two of his CDs on the spot.

Freestyling at 4:30 minutes

I also love his music because even though he is not under a Christian label and plays in secular places, he loves God and his lyrics often reflect that. I’ve said this several times, but the creative world needs more people who know Jesus and Jonathan Kingham gives me hope. This guy is going to make it big soon, and now you can say you knew about him before anyone else did. Check him out Here or buy/sample his music here or here

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Movies are a huge part of our culture. Their messages can be very influential, and so whenever I see a movie in theaters I may just post a review/analysis of it. Here we go…

Toy Story is one of the few movie series that I literally grew up with. I can still vaguely remember seeing the first one in theaters and being blown away by the Computer Generation that looked sooooo cool. When most animated movies have a sequel, it is usually a stinker. Come to think of it, it is extremely rare for a sequel to surpass the original. Toy Story 2 was one of those exceptions. I loved the second one, maybe even more than the first. And now, years later, now that it is time for Andy to go to college we get Toy Story 3. Surely the 3rd movie in a series can’t get better right? And yet, somehow, those geniuses at Pixar found a way to make Toy Story 3 the best movie in the series!

Toy Story 3 had everything a good movie should. An incredible opening scene, funny jokes, very funny jokes, great characters, an intimidating villain, huge obstacles to overcome, and it was even touching. While most sequels don’t put forth as much effort because they know they can make money off the movie name alone, Pixar refuses to do this. You can tell they put years into this film, thinking through the plot and how to build upon the first two. It doesn’t even feel like an add-on, it feels like closure to the series. It is a testament for all of us about going that extra mile to make sure our creative work is done well and never settling.

As for the new characters, I loved Ken. He might have been the funniest character in the whole series. There is also a character named Mr. Prickle Pants that I got a kick out of, but I wish I could have seen more of him. The new villain is also fantastic, and surprisingly sinister. The classic characters are all still here in rare form, and Rex sticks out to me because I think I laughed at every single line he said in this movie.

I enjoyed the message of Toy Story 3 as well. As with all Toy Stories, the importance of friendship and sticking together is highlighted. There are a couple scenes at the end (don’t want to give them away) where you can really see and feel how important the bonds of friendship are to these toys. There is also a great picture of evil. The villain makes it seem so appealing, but once you get beyond the nice packaging, you realize how twisted it really is. In our lives, sin almost always looks like a good idea. But once it gets started, we realize how unsatisfying it can be, and often it is too late to avoid massive consequences. The theme of loyalty was also present in the movie, and I think that is an important one for our culture as well. Too often we try to take the easy way out and just give up when we face trials, but we should never do that! And Toy Story 3 shows this extremely well.

So I loved Toy Story 3. I recommend it to anyone. It is safe for everyone, and it is brilliant. Anyone else seen the movie? Any thoughts?

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