Remember THIS POST a couple months back?  Check out what he’s been doing with FBC Houston.  This stuff is just breathtaking to me.  I’m curious though how difficult it is to maintain equipment/excellence and how you keep it from getting a little stale…either from lack of available content, over-stimulation, or even from desensitizing people after prolonged use.  We use some architectural projection at Watermark that’s nowhere near this scale and even we struggle to find good content to keep it fresh.  I love it though.  Any thoughts, Camron?

So I finally broke down and bought an iPhone.  I had held out because I didn’t want my phone to dominate my life like it did during my brief stint with a Treo a couple years back.  I’d have panic attacks if I couldn’t find it or left for work without it.  That’s just not healthy.  But I decided to make the compromise by vowing not to have my work email sent to it, just my personal.  I really think I made the right decision.  My phone isn’t constantly chiming during meetings like everyone else’s phones on staff.  I also love Twitterific and the Facebook app.  Not to mention the ability to make my own ringtones.  Now if only I can find a college football app that will update scores in “real” time.  I would think this idea was a given, but I’ve not found one that really does that yet.  Suggestions?

I find myself reading CNN and Drudge far more than Fox News nowadays.  I don’t have a problem with Fox leaning right…it’s just that they’ve been so sensationalistic lately with borderline obnoxious headlines.  Come on, guys.  You’re losing your integrity.

I’ve kind of rediscovered Digg recently.  Not sure how we grew apart, but we’ve kind of been seeing other people over the last two years.  I hope we never fight again.  Digg and FARK are the best sites for random news.  I highly recommend them.

Love how the new iPod nanos are back to their original design.  Those squat ones were awful.

Lines for gas are getting out of hand in Dallas.  Stupid Ike.  Sposed to hit around midnight here.  But we’re only supposed to get lots of rain.  Should be exciting.

Still mourning VT‘s first week loss.  Feels like everyone lost that week.  I mentioned that to my new Tech Arts co-worker Blake; to which he replied, “well…only half of them lost.” *zing!*

Been watching the entire X-files series over the last couple months.  I’m in Season 4 and it’s tremendously better than the earlier seasons.  Even the standalone episodes are much better.  Also, apparently Terminator is back on.  I missed the season premiere.  You need to check out this show if you’ve ever liked the movies.  It’s solid.

Ok, that’s it for now.  I’ll have the Echo post up in the next couple days.

I wish I could now say that I did.

I’ve been spending a lot of time watching the DNC and RNC over the last week or so and I kind of feel myself swinging back towards my conservative foundations.  While I still think McCain is old as dirt, I can’t say with a straight face that I think Obama knows what he’s getting himself into should he be elected.  He just doesn’t say anything!

He also started to lose me during the whole oil crisis.  Prices were soaring and the economy tanking and Obama claimed he was against exploratory and offshore drilling because we would not see any returns on those projects for many years. In other words, it wouldn’t help the then-current crisis.

OK, Hold up.

Let’s look at this logically.  Oil is at an all-time high.  Oil has only continued to rise over the last several years.  The dollar is tanking.  While I see his point, I feel he completely misses the fact that nothing is going to change in the next several years unless we act NOW.  Let’s get this drilling showboat on the road NOW so we can avoid this as much as possible in the FUTURE.  I’m really not as smart as most of my friends think I am, but that’s just common sense, Mr. Senator.  Moron.

You reap what you sow.

But then there’s stodgy McCain.  The Dems have a point in reminding us that even McCain himself has stated that he has stood by 90% of the decisions President Bush has made.  And while I think Bush’s legacy will only be accurately reflected through the lense of a few years’ time, I can’t help but think that McCain is too much of the same.  This country NEEDS change.  Not because of one man’s controversial term of office, but because America has dug itself a hole.  A diplomatic hole.  An economic hole.  Insert your favorite qualifier.

However.

Enter Sarah Palin.  Talk about a game-changer.  She’s not perfect, but she was a brilliant choice for the GOP campaign.  She’s everything McCain isn’t.  Young.  Spunky (without coming across as mean).  Female.  You name it.  She didn’t say much in her speech at the RNC either, but I get the impression she’s more the maverick that McCain claims to be.

Now if only the VP actually did anything worthwhile.

And yet despite my argument for change not 2 paragraphs above, my vote has swung back towards McCain for the time being.  But that may only be because I don’t believe Obama has what it takes to protect America from terrorism.  I’m not saying Bush does.  I’m not saying McCain does.  But when it comes down to it, Republicans represent the Daddy of government.  You turn to them because they’ll protect you from outside harm.  (Democrats represent the Mommy.  You turn to them when you need a helping hand.)

Who knows where I’ll stand next week.

Do you think there’s enough room in that little voting booth to flip a coin?

This conference is not for me.

Don’t read that the wrong way.  I’m not saying it’s without value, I just don’t believe I’m the type of guy who this conference can really speak to.  I’m just not that guy who’s going to go plant a megachurch.  I’m just not that guy who’s going to be CEO of a Fortune 500 some day.  I don’t have the patience or the charisma.  I’m just not that guy.

Now, Hybels is that guy.  While I don’t always agree with him, I have the utmost respect for his experience in leading others.  While I’m not normally impressed by his speaking, he did say one thing that had me on the verge of ovation.  He was talking about a day a few years ago when he had an extremely busy schedule to keep (not unlike most people in vocational ministry) when a guy he knew begged him to come and talk to him for a while over lunch.  While slightly annoyed, Hybels agreed to meet him and went on to have one of the most important counseling sessions he’d ever had.  And during the conversation, it struck him:

“This is church.”

It’s not the buildings.  It’s not the meetings.  It’s not the strategy sessions.  It’s not even the services.

He’d been so busy with the logistics that he had forgotten that ministry is all about changing lives for the Kingdom. Let me tell you boys and girls, I’ve met a LOT of so-called “successful” ministers over the last few years and I can ashamedly tell you that not many actually understand this.

I hate the word “church” nowadays just about as much as I hate the word “Christian.”  So my version of Hybels idiom is this:

This.  Is.  Ministry.

You can have the best technology, programming, and butt-filled seats in the world, but if you’re not changing lives for the cause of Christ you’re just wasting everyone’s time…including your own…including God’s.  It was really cool to hear Hybels affirm that.

My only complaint about the Leadership Summit is that it promotes itself as secular/corporate-friendly because it features leaders from all over who are not necessarily believers; the purpose being to provide a place where we can learn from their experience and therefore influence others to our respective causes.

Well, that’s all good in theory.  But this year’s conference wasn’t even close.  It was for church leaders.  Every bit of it.  Not intentionally, mind you, but it was what it was.  Watermark felt so bad for all the businesses that took 2 days off to bring their staff to the Summit that we offered a full refund for those that didn’t feel it met their expectations.

Anyhow…I’m no “Level 5″ leader.  I’m just not.  That’s not how God wired me.  Instead I’ve always been the guy standing behind that guy.  A utility man, if you will.  The guy who picks up all the pieces when the crap hits the fan as well as the guy who’ll hold the leader up the highest after a victory.

And you know what?  I’m not ashamed in the least to be that guy.

I’m proud.

I’m going to try and post about the Willow Leadership Summit later this week, but the annual Launch Retreat for Watermark Young Adults is this weekend and I’ll be working my tail off to make sure that comes together in time before I leave Friday, so no promises.  But I did see THIS (via gizmodo) today.  It looks like Burj Dubai is almost complete.  This tower is NUTS!

Between my New Orleans/Atlanta trip for Zack and Meredith’s wedding, the Willow Creek Leadership Summit and ECHO conference (both hosted by Watermark), Matt’s been a busy boy the last couple weeks.  Rest assured that this blog will live again with posts about all those things.  Let’s get things started.

Wow.  What a great time I had in NO/ATL.  It all started with me flying down to New Orleans on Wednesday to meet up with Zack.  For those of you who don’t know, Zack is more than my best friend.  He’s about the closest thing I’ve ever had to a big brother.  To get to be with him over these next few days was such a blessing.  I helped him get his new house in order that night and then he and I and Nora the golden retriever hopped in a car and set off for Atlanta.

Nora and Uncle Matt got to be buddies.  And no, it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I might’ve slipped her a few cheese fries here and there.  Nothing at all.  Nora loves me.  More than you.

We spent most of the rest of Friday running errands like picking up tuxes for the other groomsem as they arrived.  It was a blast to get to see Zack’s brother Andy as well as Kristy, Mike, Chad, Nic, and April again.  It’d been a few years.  It was even more awesome how we all just fell right back into step with each other…cuttin’ up like it was 2003.

Zack’s bachelor party was perfect I think…even though hardly anything actually went the way we planned.

And what can I say?  The wedding was beautiful.  It seems like Zack and I have been talking about his wife since the day we met.  To see God bless him and finally deliver him an amazing woman was incredible.  Our friend James gave me a hard time afterwards because while all the bridesmaids were standing stoic…there was Matt…crying like a baby.  It was awesome.

The reception was fun.  Zack had Graeter’s ice cream instead of a groom’s cake and there was bottled Cheerwine…something I hadn’t had since moving out west.

After the happy couple pulled out to go seal the deal, the entire wedding party hung around an extra night to go hang out with each other in Atlanta.  I had a blast.  It was just so good to see everyone again.  Did my heart wonders.  I have some amazing friends and it was awesome to share and celebrate Zack and Meredith’s moment with them.

There’s more to talk about here, but I’ll save it for another day.  It’s just incredible to see just how good God is when he’s allowed to move in his own damn time.

So to Zack and Meredith:  friends worth waiting on!

Engadget

FARK

Wil Wheaton

Digital Bits

HiDef Digest

COLLIDE

Drudge

UPDATE:  Just saw THIS LINK via COLLIDE.  Quote of the day:

DreamWorks Animations CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg confirmed the details in a recent interview with Comingsoon.net saying “Lucas is excited about it” and “He isn’t going to put a product out, I think, that isn’t anything other than first rate.” (emphasis mine)

Katzenberg has obviously never seen Episode 1.  Never Forget!

I remember the first time I drove her.  I just took her around the neighborhood where her previous owner lived.  I was going to be her third.  Her very first was Bill Gatton himself.  He had her shipped over from Japan, met her in San Fransicso and drove her across America to her new home.  She was unique from the other Special Edition Accords in that she had an all black console and dash which starkly contrasted the tan leather interior.  At first my dad was wary, thinking she’d been wrecked and it was a replacement dash.  But I loved it from the very first time I laid eyes on it.

I remember her getting stuck in the snow over in Rhea Valley after paying a visit to Noonie’s. JayAre‘s car stopped at the top of a hill (we were going one at a time to keep from having to stop) but I didn’t see him until I was almost on top of him.  I had to stop, killing my momentum.  Not even her front-wheel drive could get her going again.  A bunch of us had to get out and literally spin her around in the snow so I could go back down the hill. (Reverse just sent me straight backwards.  Turning didn’t work on the ice.)  It took several of us pushing to accomplish the spin.  And many days later, I noticed two small dents just above her front left wheel.  It really bothered me because I thought someone had hit her.  Then, weeks later, I was resting on my hands, leaning on the side of her when I realized the two dents were spaced exacty the same distance that two hands would have been spread if someone were trying to push on her.  I arbitrarily blame Tim.

She’s displayed so many of my colors over the years.  She proudly wore the “JB” and later the “B” from my football helmets.  She’s worn several incarnations of the mighty “VT.”  She’s proclaimed Isaiah 26:8 while all the while giving shout-outs to Native.  She was always so fly with all her windows down and moonroof open.

She’s taken me so many places and brought me back from many more.  She was with me on October 1, 2001 when me and a bunch of almost-strangers who would soon become my very best friends went up to UVA for my very first exposure to Passion…which would eventually lead to my faith in Christ.

She’s done me well.  She’s lookin a little rough around the edges but she still runs as well as anything on the road.  She’s got some battlescars, but I love every one of them.  But my stewardship of her is coming to an end.  She’s been a loyal friend for 9 years…and now it’s time for someone else to take her into retirement.

As a tribute, here’s a shot of her in her glory days…being the albeit reluctant participant in the infamous Prank War of 2003.  She may be playing dress-up against her will, but there’s never been anything that didn’t look good on her.