I read a few new books, and I added one at the beginning that I had originally left out.
1. Maus, by Art Spiegelman is a two volume graphic novel (biography) about the author/illustrator’s father’s experience as a Jew in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. It is incredible. I didn’t originally include it in this list because it is a graphic novel, but the books were amazing and so I am adding it in as the official first book I ever read. I’m counting them as one book.
40: The Natural: The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton, by Joe Klein. Since I basically work for Bill Clinton as the Clinton School’s chief photographer, and because I see him several times a year, I thought I should learn a little about who he was as a President. This book is very well written and surprisingly (to me) quite entertaining. I couldn’t put it down. Like him or not, Clinton was a game changer.
41. Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, by John Berendt. Honestly, this was one of the worst books I’ve ever finished, which isn’t entirely a bad thing. I’ve never finished a bad book. I generally get bored and give up if I’m not wildly entertained, so everything on this list gets my approval and recommendation to anyone out there looking for something to read. It just so happens that this book falls squarely at the end of the list of books I enjoyed the most. I’m surprised I trudged through the end of it at all, actually. It’s slow, and pointless, and has very little action. The main character of the book is undoubtedly the town of Savannah, Georgia, which is interesting, but serves as a poor protagonist. If you like books from/about the south though, you might like this one. I didn’t.
42. Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History, by Ben Mezrich. Once again, Mezrich serves up a gripping narrative of a smart kid doing something crazy. This book is about a kid who landed a gig at NASA and then proceeded to steal a safe full of moon rocks to try to sell to a buyer in Belgium. Crazy. Couldn’t put it down.
43. Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Billions, by Ben Mezrich. Since I was back on a Mezrich kick after Sex on the Moon, I decided to read the only other non-fiction book by him I hadn’t yet read. This one was the worst. Which, again, isn’t all that bad. The story was just a little slow and I got the feeling he was reaching for something to fill the pages with. As I was reading I kept wondering why anyone found this story interesting enough to write a book about. It’s more of a magazine article I think. Regardless, the book was decent. I finished it.
44. We Die Alone: A World War II Epic of Escape and Endurance, by David Howarth. Folks: This is the best book I’ve ever read. Hands down. No contest. Game over. This book chronicles in amazing vivid detail the story of Jan Baalsrud, a Norwegian secret operative fighting for the British army during WWII. Right from the start, Baalsrud’s plans are foiled and he spends the rest of the book on the run from the Nazi’s in northern Norway, trying to make it to the Swedish border before the snow melts. It completely blew my mind. I read it in about 10 hours over two days. If you like true stories of survival, this is the best one ever. Insane.
Anyway, that should bring us up to speed. I’ve now read 44 books in my life. Here, again, is the complete list (with links to Amazon).
I read two more books, they are:
#37 - The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis
and
#38 - No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels, by Jay Dobyns
I could write quite a bit about both of these books, but I’m not going to. Not right now, anyway. Both of them are well worth reading though. One is quite meaty and theological, and other is just a great easy read for when you’ve had enough meat and theology. I’ll let you guys guess which is which.
Todays post is, you guessed it, also from the Vault. If you’re noticing a theme here. Its because I’ve realized that we don’t learn lessons like we ought to. Its good to go back and remember the things that gripped you once before and allow them to take hold again. I hope this post inspires something deep and heartfelt in you, as it did in me.
Today is Maundy Thursday, which is the recognition of the day that Jesus shared the Last Supper with the disciples in upper room. If I had been in that room, knowing what I know now about what was going to happen the very next day, I would have cleared the air about a lot of things to Jesus. I would have told him how depraved I am and how much I appreciated what he was about to face on my behalf.
This article was originally posted on June 17th, 2009.
A Declaration of Independence
Jesus, my heart has taken a small step away from you and it has gotten to the point where I have found myself shackled again to things that I did not make specific choices to be chained to. I decided long ago to chain myself to you and in doing so I chose to be completely unchained to all else. The problem though, is that when you stand in the same place for long enough, trees will eventually begin to stretch and wrap their roots around your ankles. An inch or so every month doesn’t seem to make much difference, but after several years, you look down and notice you’re quite stuck.
So, listed below are all the things that I can think of that cause me to glance away from you: my wife my baby girl family friends photography my business advertising success cameras & camera gear (lenses, computer software, etc) my iphone facebook twitter emails bank accounts blogs my car driving reading Don Miller hanging out with friends in the evenings smoking cloves drinking movies music my ipod & car stereo the future looking/feeling cool having a great beard patagonia outdoor gear & stuff the outdoors dudes nights laughing being funny thinking about things the grateful dead driving with the windows down feeling good about myself coffee eating out the internet thinking about traveling photography magazines outdoor magazines anything made by apple everything on TV getting published having stuff in newspapers thinking I am a good photographer feeling like I am a better photographer than other people having a happy marriage enjoying anything thinking about/planning road trips Hillcrest owning a good home not working in construction anymore everything everything & everything else Jesus, may none of these things bring me any sort of happiness, joy, amazement, wonder, reflection, peace, consistency, stability, gladness, safety, enjoyment, power, strength, fullness, fulfillment, or gratefulness if I am not first found secure, stable, and current with you. May my daily activities be stopped, blocked, and frustrated by you until I have fully acknowledged the fact that, as Graham Cooke has said, you love me because you love me because you love me because you love me because you love me because you love me because you love me because you love me because you love me because you love me because you love me because you love me because you love me and there is nothing I can do to increase or decrease your love for me. It is constant, stable, and perfect every day, all the time. And that is where I have chosen to live and no where else. Cause my heart to be dragged back to you (kicking and screaming, if necessary) any way that you know how. I don’t want to be happy about anything unless I know that everything is cool between me and you. That’s it. May it always be.
I’ve been thinking a lot, which is to say, I’ve had a lot to think about.
My mind has been reeling for days (years even) regarding several topics, all very important to me. Here are the main things I’ve been mentally pressing into:
1. My photography business (how to continually manage, grow, and streamline everything)
2. Jesus (read my recent posts and stay tuned for more from the Holy Week Series)
3. Some new kind of movement towards a better and more purposeful style of living (see below)
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A New Humanity
I live in the world. I drive around. I eat out. I see and interact with people I don’t know.
I also have a close-kint community of friends who I love deeply, and who love me equally in return. People my age, and people older and younger than me.
I am drawn to people who want more out of life - who seem frustrated about the way things are - who have a longing that things can and will be better, someday. One friend has a word for this tattooed on his wrist - sensucht.
I too long for these things - and I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Another guy recently introduced me to the idea of dragging heaven to Earth, right now, in whatever way possible.
Below is a list of things that feel good to me right now - things I want to make happen. I invite you to see the value in these things and join me in this pursuit, if you’re so inclined.
1. Turn off the television.
Stop watching it. Just stop. Cancel your cable contract, pay the early termination fee if you have to. Dismantle the altar you’ve built for it in your home. It is utterly useless for life. If you want the news watch it on your computer, or better yet, read the newspaper. You’ll be amazed how much time you gain in you life to do better and more purposeful things.
2. Reject advertising.
Although this goes against my own business, I think it is a step in the right direction. Stop buying things you see in magazines or on television because they look so cool or desirable - they are most likely neither. If you think of something you need without seeing it in an ad, you’re on the right track.
3. Stop eating fast food.
This is difficult for me, although not as much as it used to be when I was a bachelor. I love a big bacon classic from Wendy’s just as much as the next guy, but it is just bad for you. It’s a simple fact. Hit up McDonald’s as a special treat on a rare occasion, but don’t make it a weekly habit. It makes you fat and unhealthy.
4. Take less medication.
I know we are a long way from where we were designed to be as humans, and we’ve really screwed ourselves up to need so many drugs, but the medical community is not making things any easier. There is a drug for everything these days and most doctors will more readily prescribe a pill than tell you to change something about your lifestyle. If we took better care of ourselves for the rest of our lives, we could spark a new generation of people that are one step closer to where we need to be.
5. Stop mindlessly surfing the internet.
There’s nothing wrong with a little digital entertainment in moderation, in fact I imagine its healthy to relax the mind a bit, but do what you’re going to do and then walk away. Put it down. Check Facebook, email, blogs, sports scores, whatever, and be done. If your laptop starts burning your legs, its a good sign you’ve had it there too long.
Now, if we can tackle the first five things on this list, especially numbers one and five, we will have a shocking amount of new free time to do some things that will prove to be much more valuable - things that most people would say they wish they had more time to devote to.
6. Read. Anything. Read Twilight if you have to. Everyone has books lying around that are either good or not-so-good. Read them and figure out why you think they are good or worthless. Get a library card. Books are free there. If you can’t think of anything to read, read this.
7. Walk out your front door, and close it behind you. Run. Bike. HIke. Walk. Stroll. Explore. Swim. Kayak. Fish. Play golf. Throw a frisbee. Volunteer. Work in the yard. Start a garden. Meet a friend somewhere. Make a friend somewhere. Just get out of your house and leave your phone in your pocket - or better yet, inside.
8. Have a conversation with someone. Once the television is off and the computer is shut down, you might be surprised to look up and find that there are other people living with you inside your own home. Talk to them. It will be good for you. If you don’t know what to talk about - start with the fact that you don’t know what to talk about and try to figure out why.
9. Clean your house. It is probably really dirty. If you pay someone to clean it, stop. Do it yourself like normal human being. If your house is too big for you to clean yourself, then your house is probably too big. Sell it.
10. Get out of the job you hate and get into something that suits you better. This is not necessary if you already love your job, but in my experience very few people love their jobs. If you already do, forget about this one. If you are stuck in a bad situation, I really do have compassion for you - but things are not going to change if you don’t give it a shot. Like my dad used to tell me - no one is going to call you up out of the blue and offer you your dream job, you have to go out there and get it yourself.
If you made it all the way through this post, you’re hopefully inspired by something I’ve said here.
Join me.
If you have a big huge argument about something I’ve said - I don’t really care. I feel pretty certain that these are all good things and it is doubtful that I’m going to be convinced otherwise. I’m not old and wise yet, but I have learned a few things in life and that’s what life is about - progress, not perfection.
Progress.
