Chris's Musings

As ridiculous as the title may sound, I actually did this during lunch today.  I had fully intended to use my lunch to work out... make a run by LA Fitness for a 30 minute treadmill session and then bring a Chick-Fil-A chargrilled sandwich and a fruit cup back to my desk.  That plan got a wrench thrown into it when a meeting went long, 12:30 rolled around, and I just needed to grab something quick and come back.   So, since McDonalds just happens to be the only logical quick lunch based on where my office is, I decided to settle for that and get one of the salads there.  I ordered the Premium Southwest Salad with a Diet Coke and came back to my desk.   First of all... I'm impressed!  This salad is actually good!  No brown lettuce and a good assortment of greens in the mix.  Also, the southwestern flavor was really well done, and loved the lime glaze over the chicken (a bit too heavy on the tortilla chips, but you can toss some of those aside).  I ordered the salad with grilled chic...

Of course, on occasion we Buckhead and Northpoint members/attenders have whispered in the back halls... it's obvious that the high degree of fashion sense of our worship leaders have now made the quasi-prime time :-) The Stuff Christians Like "Metro Worship Leader Test" How does your church score? :-)

Time with family is good... especially of the chilling out, slower pace variety.  Given how crazy the last couple of weeks have been, I've deserved the break :).   Christmas Eve started with a 1/2 day at work, meaning a round trip to Conyers , GA, and a flurry of activity that is not conducive to letting your mind veg into Christmas vacation bliss.  It did include an hour and half call where I walked one of our sales guys through the Salesforce .com application and he picked it up really quickly... ahhhhh , accomplishment.  I went upstairs to visit my IT support guy to share the good news, and they were playing Jedi Knight on the projection... good times :)... I would have liked to have traded places.  A slow day in a work-hard-play-hard IT group usually involves a little craziness or high-tech toys.  I still prefer marketing, but arcade downtime does sound like a good job perk :) So, I get off at around 1- ish from the half day and get dropped off at the airport by my friend Sea...

I figured that I'd make an effort to put out my Christmas gift wishes... 2 1/2 days in advance of the big day.  You know, in case you haven't figured out what to get me :-) or are just looking for a clever way to be "patriotic" and spend some more money... haha. 1.) I love music, so iTunes cards can always be used... as could a phatter iPod with some video capability :) 2.) Have you driven around Atlanta lately?  Anyone who has knows that we'us needs GPS... Garmen, TomTom, whatever. 3.) Buy yourself a fuel efficient car and keep gasoline at $1.55/gallon :) 4.) Starbucks, Starbucks, Starbucks!!!! 5.) You know, I was in the Perimeter Mall last weekend browsing clothes, and I think I may need an update on what's cool.  Advice, more so than threads... but threads aren't too bad.   6.) A traveling crew to Italy next year!  I want to do it, and I got the vacation! 7.) A voice like the lead singer from LifeHouse.   8.) A pill that can make key lime pie fat free. ...

Cool stories... :) enjoy.  

1 Kings 6:1a - "In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt..." You know, I consider myself extremely blessed to not only go to a great church that focuses on ministry and giving out our faith, but also a (to be completely honest) church that meets in a really cool church... for example: We have an escalator!  How cool is that. The sound system in the main auditorium where we have worship services... state of the art. Check out the artwork in Wauba Land (our environment for pre-school children), it is a freakin' awesome and artistic rendition of creation developed by a very creative member of the Northpoint community. The large group rooms in Upstreet and the KidStuf theater are also pretty darn cool too. However, it was nothin' compared to what Solomon built God for a temple. I'm reading today in my QT about the building of temple (1 Kings 6), and I have to tell you that it would put any building project in Buckhead or Midtow...

Ever watch a movie like "Aladdin" and start wondering what you would do if you found a genie in a lamp and had three wishes at your disposal?  I think all of us have something (or a set of somethings) that we would freely provide to that spirit, in the persona of Robin Williams of course, and make our wildest dreams come true... But, since there really is no such things as genies in lamps (as far as I know), what about this? What if God walked up to you one day and told you that He would give you ANYTHING you wanted... a blank check.  Whatever you want, He'll do that for you.  Let that simmer....   What's on your mind now?  :-) Let me think here.... How many zeros are on the number in your bank account now?  Is there a "B" assigned to your net worth? What's your title (CEO of course) and where is your corner office? What's her name?  (guys)  What's his name? (girls) What exotic place is your posh house in? How big is your fan club?   I suppose th...

As an Aggie basketball fan, I have become recently glad that the program is heading in the direction it is heading.... and also less so sad that our former coach Billy Gillespie decided to bolt for greener pastures in Lexington. Seems that BCG is getting a well-known reputation for finding recruiting rules loopholes at every turn... and one can only think that if these actions aren't illegal today, they probably will be soon. Also, these are the partially-legal things we know about... there could be rules infractions he's committing at UK that we don't. But, for the partial rules infractions, the list is as such: 1.) Signing an 8 th grade kid... most people think this is too early for a program to go out and get a verbal commitment from a player. 2.) Moving up Midnight Madness to get an early bead on recruits... I thought this date was set as the first official practice date set by the NCAA... apparently that's not true. Technically, Midnight Madness is considered...

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." - Ephesians 5:1-2 "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:15-16 "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:21 Over the last few weeks, maybe longer - I'm not so sure, I have been in a number of conversations with friends of mine about dating in the church... or perhaps, why people in the church don't date or seem to be very closed about dating issues.  In fact, I think the frustration with a lot of Christian singles is not in the dating scene but in the lack of transparency in the dating scene.   I believe this line of thought started for me with a conversation with a married friend of mine over breakfast a month ago... we got...

Obviously, you can probably tell that I am more of a "car" guy than a "banking" guy, because of the number of posts I have made about the Big 3 vs. AIG ... LOL Well, it appears that Bush and the Congressional Dems have a deal worked out. $15 billion of taxpayer money being thrown into three failing companies, and perhaps more to come. There's no guarantee that this thing is going to make a huge difference given that these companies have been consistently losing market share to more reliable makes (Honda, Toyota, etc.) for a long time. And it's not American-made cars that are failing, it's more-so the American brands that are... in fact most of the Toyotas , Hondas , and Nissans you buy in the U.S. are manufactured here in the States. My 2000 Honda Accord (that I bought in 2000) built in Marysville , OH was quite good. The thought that congressional oversight and a politically appointed "car czar" is the magic bullet is, IMHO, quite absurd. I...

For all of us conservatives complaining about the country going to hell (socialism) in a handbasket with Obama coming into office, I've got news for you... George W. Bush is doing a pretty good job at getting us there on his own. Next up: the U.S. Big Three car manufacturers . Dick Morris was on H&C last night talking about this, especially with the revelation that the proposed auto bailout package... and that it is estimated with the bank bailouts and the car bailouts (resulting in the US government taking ownership stakes in these companies) that the government may represent over 50% of the US economy by the end of the BUSH administration . Yes, that's right... Bush... the "conservative" President Bush. So, the latest proposal on the domestic auto bailout is for a $15 billion bailout, with lots of strings attached (including the resignation of the CEO of GM, not sure who else was on the chopping block), a 20% ownership stake in the auto companies, and the appoi...

With all of the "White Elephant" parties coming up, I'd like to offer up a public service announcement for the good of all of us :-) Some guidelines that may come helpful: ReGifting do's and don'ts guide Merry Christmas and may you get to keep the gift you want at your white elephant party.  

Check out all of the other stories from the event after you've read :-) @   www.givingupchristmas.org With all respect to the other Holiday festivities that I'll be participating in this year and all of the family gatherings... TODAY, I had the coolest Christmas experience that I think I've ever had in a while, and will probably not be topped at all this year.   This morning, Buckhead Church threw its singles Christmas party... that's right, it was in the morning... and the program for this event was a well guarded secret.  The party itself was pretty cool, we paid $5 to attend this event where we were fed Chick- fil -A chicken biscuits and coffee and participated in tables of 8 in a trivia game in which we could win money.... my team did very well (we had a lot of peeps that were very "up" on Christmas so we won a lot of money... AND had the opportunity to get in front of 1,000 people and sing karaoke... a lot of fun too for extroverts like myself).  Here...

Oh, those wacky Big-Three Car Executives.  So, they start out riding in their private jets to go ask Congress for a $25 billion bailout.  They are criticized for coming to DC so lavishly and having no plan so they are told to go get a plan. So... this week, they DRIVE to DC in "green" hybrid vehicles (a good thing to do if you're trying to sway a bunch of liberal legislators, I would think).  And their plan is... They want MORE money... LOL :-P GM and Chrysler both didn't come up with any plan other than... bail us out or we take the economy with us.  Now, they've raised their demands from $25 billion to $34 billion.   Ford actually had a plan... wasn't too bad.  They wanted a lifeline but admitted they may not need it.   By the way, to GM and Chrysler... I'd probably want to see your business plan too before loaning you a bunch of cash that I'm pretty sure you're not going to pay back.  Giving a speech that is akin to holding my financial future h...

In the spirit of the season, I wanted to take some time to remember the things that I am thankful for... which is something we should do when everything that we see on the news and shouting at us from culture is bad news and gloom and doom.   What I am thankful for: 1.  That God has always taken care of my needs and has never let me down. 2.  I grew up in a family where my parents are committed to one another and continue to today. 3.  I have been given the intellect, creativity, and go-getitness (is that a word) to achieve what I've had the privelege of achieving today. 4.  Jesus went to the cross for me so that I can live with Him forever, and then reached out to me so that I can know him personally. 5.  Great friends 6.  To have been able to see much of the country and experience cultures other than my own. 7.  For the ministry that God has given me at Buckhead Church 8.  For God's teaching me and strengthening my faith through trials... that trials have not been wasted but ...

In case you didn't get a chance to be at Buckhead Church on Sunday (or one of the other NPCC campuses earlier), Andy Stanley started up a great talk about "who you listen to."  Given the influences that we invite into our lives, the questions he posed to us on Sunday were extremely important.   (if you want to get the questions, I highly encourage you to listen to the talk... www.buckheadchurch.org/messages) :-) In a little bit of a transition point in my quiet times this week, I turned to read the story Andy pulled from on Sunday (2 Chronicles 18).  What I found in the story got me noodling a little bit, and it was related to the part of the story that was left out of the talk on Sunday.   Now, I'm going to entice you to both read and listen to the talk :-) Ahab obviously listened to the wrong voices in his decision making, as did his ally from Judah.  To paraphrase, Ahab wanted to go attack this city of the Arameans to increase his power and in "inquiring of...

I'm laughing, again.  Somehow, some big conference elites somewhere are trying to sell college football fans that the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) is a flawless way to determine who should play for a national college football championship.  Every year, the "system" flirts with controversy, and manages to bring up some really good points over the years.   One of the classic arguments that they like to bring up is... "Every game counts" Hmmmmm .... what about Texas 45, Oklahoma 35?   In the BCS standings now, guess who's #2?   OU ... who's #3?  t.u.  ....Every game counts, eh?   Apparently , "what have you done for me lately" and a bunch of computers spitting stats count a lot more now than the results on the field.... too funny.   In a twist of fate, the Big XII South, arguably the best division in college football, has a three way tie for first place with three teams at 7-1 (11-1 overall) and all ranked in the top 7 in the BCS standings.  ...

By the way, I'm over the presidential election last week.   Historical , monumental , decisive .  America wants change, and to tell you the truth with the discourse, non-transparency, and rampant wasteful spending we have seen in the government for the past (God knows how many) years, we need (and deserve) change. What we didn't vote for, I believe, is the far left agenda that is now being talked about, sometimes secretly and sometimes not-so-secretly, as a result.  Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House) and Harry Reid (Senate Majority Leader) have some ambitious plans for our country... and with Bush's veto pen in hand and parity in the Senate these were largely kept at bay.  Some may be good for our country, but some (like government health care and potential confiscation of 401K plans) are not so much.  Now, with gains in both houses of Congress and a liberal president in the White House, some of these could move from rumor to highly discussed realities.   Which is why it...

A continuation of the last post... More things I really love: 1. That Trader Joe's pumpkin bread (with the pumpkin butter) warmed up with a good cup of coffee 2. Omelets... and I make a mean one :) 3. Late brunches out... haven't done this lately but love it when I do. 4. Repeat 3, but at Thumbs Up Diner in Edgewood :-) YUM! 5  Repeat 3, but at The Flying Biscuit. 6. Saturday workouts  7. The feeling you have after a spin class and a little rehydration 8. Sitting at a couch at Starbucks with my laptop, coffee, and people watching 9. Party-style 5K and 10K's... the Jingle Jog's coming up!  :-) 10. That Switchfoot "Awakening" video. 11. Girls who know in their heart that they are princesses and choose to humble themselves and serve others. 12. Andy Stanley's knack for making scripture applicable and personal 13. Louie Giglio's passion and challenges 14. Gregg Matte's knack for finding application whenever her teaches, no matter where he is in a book ...

I'm stealing shamelessly from a friend's blog... I liked it so much that I had to use the idea: 50 things that I really love (not in any order and not an exhaustive list): 1.  Healthy food that makes you feel good 2.  Discovering a new, unique, and interesting place to go out 3.  Attending a baseball game a classic ballpark 4.  Repeat 3:  But with a team steeped in tradition (like the Cubs or Red Sox :) ) 5.  Chicago-style pizza, in Chicago 6.  Freebirds burritos 7.  Tex-Mex, in Texas 8.  REAL country dancing (two-stepping) 9.  The first ski run on a clear day after 5" of snow drops on the mountain 10. Repeat 9, but do it after Fresh Tracks breakfast on top of Whistler 11.  A girl who is attractive and modest 12. Repeat 11, but add a quick wit (slightly sarcastic) to it.  13. Repeat 11 & 12, but add a passionate love for Jesus. 14. Hanging out with someone like 11,12, and 13 15. Watching Jack Bauer kick some tail 16. Great Italian food 17. Hiking on a crisp day in the ...

the next time I see a Seinfeld episode where George has to go into Steinbrenner's office...

Now, I want no spoilers... I haven't been the Buckhead Church worship service yet, but when I was down in the Resource Center talking to my friends after Upstreet I couldn't help but catch a few snippets... so the material that I'm blogging about is "enough to be dangerous" but I couldn't help myself :) It has been interesting to observe the divergent reactions of myself and other folks in my social circle this week as the results from the long, painful, tiring election have transpired.  One one hand, many of my liberal friends are in a state of euphoria, for the first time in a long time putting American flags up and talking about how great our country is.. on the other hand, many of my conservative friends are talking as if this is the end of the world (literally), evoking images of Orwell's 1984, the Great Tribulation, etc.  Seems a little strange...  To be fair, I am glad that not everyone in my circle is reacting in (either) way.  I mean, I'm a...

If you haven't seen John McCain's speech on Tuesday, it's worth taking a look at.  In defeat, this may have been one of his finer moments in this election.  This speech highlights why I voted FOR John McCain and not against Barak Obama this year - the man commands respect and is a man who has earned it in my mind, even though America did not choose him to go to the White House :-(.   Now, like the elder George Bush in 1992, John McCain moves into the role of being the elder Statesman.  President Bush 41 is a man worthy of great respect, both in his 4 years as President and even more in his life since the presidency.  He handled defeat graciously, and I saw a lot of that in John McCain this week.   To reiterate one thing he said, let's not as Republicans do to President Obama what our friends on the other side of the aisle have done to President Bush... or what many of us have sadly done to President Clinton in the 90's.  Let's not be haters... let's give re...

Okay, people... seriously?