Laughter is a gift from God. When we refuse to accept it, it makes Him want to take it back. Like the unicorns.
“I need to make a copy of this document before I fax it because I only have one copy and don’t want to lose it.”
I wish that was a quote I got from the show “Matlock” or perhaps an episode of “Murder She Wrote,” or a website called, “Crazy things old people who don’t understand technology say.”
But it’s not. That’s something I said ten years ago when I was about to send one of my first faxes.
I do not remember the day that I got my rejection letter from the University of North Carolina. That moment did not crystallize, me standing at a cold Massachusetts mailbox with a much too thin envelope clutched in my teenage fist as I cursed the clouds above. That would have been dramatic, but I am not sure that’s how it happened.
My father went to UNC. My mother went to UNC. My uncle went to UNC. My younger brother went to UNC. My little sister went to UNC. I was supposed to go to UNC. I grew up loving the UNC basketball team, throwing frisbee on the Carolina campus and dreaming about wearing that shade of blue for four perfect years. But then I got rejected.
Situations like that force me to deal with a harsh reality—there are some things I want that I will simply never have. Experiences or possessions or friendships that will for a host of reasons never really be mine. And I have a hard time rectifying that limited reality with my limitless God.
Last week, the alarm system in our house started going off at 5 in the morning. It was still dark out or otherwise I would have been fine. Let’s get that straight right now. If it was bright out, I probably would have just rolled right out of bed onto the massive pile of pillows my wife insists belong on our bed when we’re not in it and then just punched whoever set off the alarm right in the face.
Then I would have kicked him for telling me I write run on sentences like that last one, which would have been an oddly specific thing for a cat burglar to know about me.
But it was dark, so here, in a rambletastic list are the things that went through my head:
Yesterday was awesome! You guys were incredibly supportive of my new book Quitter and it actually reached #89 on the bestsellers list of Amazon
There were a few questions people asked:
1. Will it be on Kindle?
Yes! It will be and I’ll announce that on SCL when it’s up. It will be on iBooks too and should be on the Nook as well.
2. Where can I pre-order to help you most?
Really kind question. Big thank you to the folks who asked it. The truth is, anywhere you preorder the book is awesome. Whatever is easiest for you is great for me. For some people, that’s Amazon. For folks who want a free copy of the audio book, ordering on DaveRamsey.com makes the most sense. For other people, Books-A-Million or Barnes & Noble. Really, it’s up to you.
3. Would you describe your hands as Ralph Macchio in Karate Kid or a mime in the Quitter trailer?
Both.
4. Is it OK if I buy 10 copies so that I can give them to my friends who need this book?
OK, no one asked this question. But some folks did buy 5 copies for that very purpose. If you’ve got the question in your heart and are debating whether it’s OK to buy 10 or a case for that matter, I’d like to be the first one to say, “yes, yes it is OK to do that.”
I think we’re going to have a lot of fun this year with Quitter. Thank you again for the constant support and encouragement.
Side hugs and Jesus Jukes,
Jon
Today at 3:30PM Central, I’ll be on the radio with Dave Ramsey talking about my new book “Quitter, Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job and Your Dream Job.”
To find a radio station near you that carries the show click here.
After the show, at 4:00, we’ll be doing a live chat. I’d love for you to sit in and say hey.
The day I’ve been thinking about/praying about/sweating nervously about is finally here! Today, you can pre-order my new book “Quitter, Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job and Your Dream Job.” What’s it about?
Check out the book trailer the team at Dave Ramsey made:
I lived this book for 12 years and it covers everything from figuring out what your dream is to falling in like with a job you don’t love to understanding how to quit your day job in a way that protects your dream. This is the book I wish someone had handed me in college because it could have helped save me more than a decade of job jumping and dream ignoring.
Why should you pre-order it today?
1. It’s on sale and it’s super cheap.
2. If you buy it on DaveRamsey.com right now you’ll get the audio download read by me for FREE!
3. It’s hardcover and when it arrives on your doorstep on May 10 you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
4. You’ve ever thought “I can’t do this job for the rest of my life” and want to take one ridiculously first step to exploring your dream.
Buy Quitter at DaveRamsey.com
Buy Quitter at Books-A-Million.com
Buy Quitter at Amazon.com
I’ve always heard that you should never partner with advertisers who make a product you and your family wouldn’t personally use. That’s the #1 reason that I refuse to work with the automatic robot head massager they sell in the Sky Mall catalog.
It’s also the # 1 reason I can honestly say, “Ta Da! Here’s something I love!” 
A few weeks ago, Find It Games gave me and my family one of their new “Find It VeggieTales” games. I’ve spent the last few weeks going crazy with this thing.
The concept is simple and awesome. Inside a tube of tiny colorful beads are hidden tons of small VeggieTales toys. Everything from the slushy cup and Viking helmet to Bob the Tomato and Madame Blueberry are in there. The object is to go on a scavenger hunt and check off which ones you see. Sounds easy, right? That’s what I thought too, until we started passing around this game at our dinner table. It’s easy to find Larry, he’s a big green cucumber. But the water buffalo? That thing is elusive! And to this day, after weeks of playing, I have still not found the penny.
My family has loved this game and it’s provided a fun alternative to video games and iPhones on long road trips. My kids zone out if there’s anything electric going on and this game has provided some great family moments.
Find It Games has been an awesome sponsor and their game “Oh, Really!” is a blast too. I don’t play a ton of board games but this one is fun. We played it a few nights ago and it was funny to see what it revealed about what each member of our family really thought about certain ideas.
Check out both games at their site. But please know, you will never find that penny. That thing makes the water buffalo look like a cakewalk.
I’ve got 2 copies of the Find It VeggieTales to give away. Just comment by Monday, April 4 with an answer to this question to enter:
What’s your favorite VeggieTales moment?
(Curtis Honeycutt is one of the few guest posters on SCL that I’ve had the chance to hang out with in 3D. He’s hilarious, he’s got a huge heart for God and recently read an early copy of my new book Quitter. That book didn’t come with a disclaimer, but in a great guest post, Curtis talks about one that does sometimes. Enjoy!)
The Message Disclaimer – By Curtis Honeycutt
How many times have you been sitting in a Sunday morning worship service and heard this line: “Now I’m going to re-read that section from The Message, which is a paraphrase written by a guy named Eugene Peterson. It’s not the official pew Bible you have in the cool utility slots in front of you, or if you’re in the front row, the Bibles that are floating on a magical shelf under your seat. The Message is like Gnomeo and Juliet…you get the idea. So now that I’ve explained this into oblivion, here goes…”
Last week, the Stuff Christians Like blog turned 3. (I got it something made of tin which I think is what you give a blog on its 3rd anniversary.) In a couple of weeks we’ll hit idea #1,000 on this site. One thing I’ve learned in the last few years is that the hardest part of writing Stuff Christians Like is writing Stuff Christians Like. Creating new content day after day is the biggest challenge. That’s also the number 1 reason most blogs die.
I recently recorded a 3 minute video explaining one of the tricks I use to push through writer’s block when it comes to blogging.
Dear Hulu, YouTube, Netflix, etc.,
Life used to be easy before you came along.
I know you’ve set us free from the constraints of “must see TV.” When I was in college you had to be in front of a television on Thursday night to watch the Hamptons episode of Seinfeld (best episode ever) or you missed it.
It was gone. Your window was 30 minutes long and then it closed, forever leaving you hoping to catch an episode you missed on reruns. That’s why NBC could use the tag line, “Must See TV!” Because it was, oh it was.