I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried to squeeze out the last drops of summer these last few weeks. Although fall is by far my favorite season, there’s a part of me that is hesitant to admit summer is coming to a close.

So we ate lots of popsicles.

We stayed up late, as if Tuesday is just a Tuesday and not a “school night.”

And we went to the neighborhood pool as often as we could before it closed on Labor Day.

That’s why, for two weeks, I rode my bike to the pool with my two daughters.

L.E. (my 8 year old) rode her own bike. And McRae rode on the tagalong. A tagalong is a single wheel that attaches to the back of an adult bike. McRae loves riding it, but she was too tired to ride it home after the pool. So she rode with my wife in the car, and I pedaled home by myself, with no one on the tagalong, which made me look like the worst dad in the world.

Did my kid fall off and I didn’t notice? Am I just some creepy guy who rides around the neighborhood with an extra seat attached to his bike? Have I stolen the bike from another father who rode it to the pool with his kid? I don’t come out looking great in any of those options. And when I tried to tweet about it, that didn’t work out so well either. Here’s what I tweeted:

(more…)

A few months ago, I ran into my friend Ben Arment at the 99% conference. I said to him, “I wish someone would do a really high quality movie about the life of David. It’s an unbelievable story, and I’m waiting for someone to tell it in a film with unbelievable creativity.” I don’t know if those were my exact words, because I write better than I talk. I probably said, “Me want David movie. Would be so awesome. Yeah!” But that was the gist of our conversation.

Ben laughed and then said, “Are you kidding me? That’s the project I’m working on right now.” It turns out that Ben and Santino Stoner from Nooma, are producing a movie about David & Goliath. And they’re doing it in an incredibly creative way with the goal of having one thousand premieres. Visit the site to learn more.

But the question I have for you is pretty simple:

What story in the Bible would you like to see told in film?

I think the story of David will make a phenomenal film. What’s another story or a parable or even a verse that you think begs to be shared via the medium of film?

Last night, my wife saw a review of my book Quitter on Amazon. Upon reading it, she immediately said, “You need to post this.”

I read it. She was right.

I don’t know the girl who wrote it, but if I ever have the chance to meet her, I will thank her tremendously for her honesty. What inspired her to say, “It sucks?” I’ll let her tell you in her own words:

I feel like a jerk telling you to read this book. I loved reading it but hated the implications. Jon Acuff cuts right through all the crappy excuses that we put between us and our dreams. This book haunts me a month after I finished it. I can’t fritter away time on the internet anymore with a clear conscience. I wake up earlier so I can take time to write and focus my thoughts for the day. I find myself trying harder and doing more work at work. It sucks. I miss my life as a slacker.

Acuff writes from his own experiences not in a show off way but in a clever way that gives him credibility. I laughed and cried a little, but in a cool way, not an overly emotional wreck kind of way. Acuff is ridiculously likable which is probably best for him because if I didn’t like him, I might try to kick him in the shins for suggesting that a work ethic in your current job will help you prepare for your future dream job.

If you’re taking time to read this review, you obviously have time to read something more substantial like a book. Go ahead and buy Quitter. Read it yourself. Give it to your whiny friends who can’t figure out why they’re not living their dreams. Call your brother or sister and read it to them over the phone. Give it to your kid in the basement who thinks it’s normal to live with parents 10 years after graduating from college. You could also do what I did and give this book away with a break up note to your boyfriend, gently implying the relationship is doomed because he won’t put away the X Box and become a grownup. So yeah, buy Quitter once, buy it twice, buy an entire case of books. I know you know people who should read it. My guess is you might be one of them, too.

(It’s guest post Friday, and Some Guy is back with another great post!  If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how.)

Christianizing Reality TV Shows by Some Guy

The idea that inspired Jon to start SCL was that Christians like making Christian versions of secular things.  We have done great in music and are making progress in the film industry, but we have been neglecting television.

I know we have some television stations and channels that carry preaching, dramas, or discussion panels.  Those are fine and all, but that’s not keeping up with what’s popular in the world right now: reality TV.

(more…)

I first met Al Andrews when I was in kindergarten. He went to college with my dad and so I grew up knowing him as a hilarious family friend. Then, last year when we moved to Franklin, TN I met him again. He runs a non-profit counseling center called “Porter’s Call” for musicians and their families because Nashville tends to chew those people up. He and I meet every two or three weeks right now to talk about art and life and how you can get successful without wrecking both.

Recently he launched something called “Improbable Philanthropy.” Basically Al decided he wanted to be a philanthropist and give away a ton of money. Then he realized that required having a ton of money, which he doesn’t have. So, after learning Eric Carle sold 29 million copies of the Hungry Caterpillar, he came up with a 6-step plan:

1. Write a children’s book.
2. Find an illustrator.
3. Self publish.
4. Get on Ellen and other talk shows.
5. Sell a truckload of books.
6. Become a philanthropist.

And he’s actually doing it! “The Boy, The Kite & The Wind” released last week and it is beautiful. The funny thing is that people keep asking Al, “What’s your angle?” But there’s not one. He’s giving 100% of the net profits away. He’s using the money to give scholarships to Ugandan school children and build child survival centers in India and a lot of other cool things.

I bought 11 copies of the book. I’ve never bought that many copies of a book. Why did I do it? Because I love what Al is doing and I love when people find creative ways to change the world.

You can buy a book right here.

Last week my friend’s band, Selah, released a new album. The morning it released, I told my wife, “I’m going to get Todd’s new album. I mean really get it. I’m going to buy it on iTunes, not just Spotify it.”

What’s Spotify? It’s hard to describe, but its basically a music subscription service that, for $9.99, allows you to listen to virtually every song ever made. And you can put them on your computer and your iPhone and listen to them when you’re offline. And it’s legal. And I’m almost positive I’d be stealing from my friend Todd.

You can’t Spotify friends, right? Or Rdio them. Or bootleg them. Right?

Can we get some sort of ruling on that? Is that covered in the Bible anywhere? When Elisha and Elijah released their album “!Double E!” did they get into a scrap with Ahab and Jezebel over distribution rights?

Anyone?

Can you Spotify friends?

Note to self:

If you write a tweet about Lil’ Wayne and that tweet gets retweeted so many times that it ends up on the homepage of Twitter, Lil’ Wayne fans will do virtual drive by’s on you.

Lesson learned.

I had Lil’ Wayne on my mind because recently, I wrote about “Things I shouldn’t even know exist.” I included a list of pop culture items I enjoy, but probably shouldn’t be spending a whole lot of time/head space with. Things like the show “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” or Lil’ Wayne’s music.

Do you know what my favorite type of response to that post was?

(more…)

Stop.

It’s enough.

Before Twitter existed, did you ever go to a Chinese restaurant, take out the tiny slips of paper from the fortune cookies and use them to write down your thoughts on Premillennial Dispensationalism or Arminianism?

Of course not. That would have been ridiculous.

So is arguing detailed points of theology on a 140-character medium instead of face to face.

We need to discuss theology, we need to dialog about it, but when it comes to Twitter, don’t be surprised when small arguments on a small medium lead to a big waste of time.

I hope you’ve got the day off and are on a pontoon boat right now. Unless you live in a state where those are illegal. Like shooting off homemade fireworks and owning jungle cats and other things you probably shouldn’t do on Labor Day. Or any other day for that matter. Why are we always so surprised when a pet lion attacks somebody? That’s what lions do. Eventually.

But let’s not talk about lions, let’s talk about Labor Day. And tomorrow, let’s resume with talking about Stuff Christians Like.

Back to school season is here! Listen to those Trapper Keepers, count those glue sticks, smell those cafeteria hot dogs.

So, what should we talk about this fall on SCL?

We used to ask that question before season changes. We’d talk about summer camp or what ideas needed to be discussed at Christmas. It was a chance to collectively throw together a whole lot of random ideas that deserved to be memorialized on the site.

For instance, one time someone commented, “You should write about how we like to dump our boyfriends or girlfriends after coming home from a church retreat in college.” Brilliant idea, so I did.

Another person suggested, “You should write about the dude at camp that always has his acoustic guitar with him.” Awesome idea, so I did.

What are some school memories you’d like to see on SCL?

Did you go to a Christian college? Are you going to one right now?

Maybe you’re homeschooling for the first time or feeling like you’re the only parent at your church who isn’t.

Whether you’re a student or a parent, the floor is yours.

What should we talk about this fall on SCL?