18 Thought Bursts

I haven't had blog-sized thoughts lately. I've only had mini-thought bursts. Twitter can be good for thought bursts. But about half of my tweets are never seen. I look at them and then erase them without posting. There was a day - many centuries ago - when Facebook and Twitter didn't exist. In the dark ages, there were only blogs. Now I find it a wee bit maddening to have so many web presences. I'm into it. Obviously. The good out ways the bad. But it's messy.

Here are some of my most recent thought bursts. These are the things I almost blogged about since my last post, but didn't.

1. I read this book and it made me ask interesting questions about the trajectory of my life: Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests

2. I have a huge spiritual crush on Dr. Tim Keller these days. So much so that I worry I may be straight stealing his stuff. I make it my own, but he has been the initial inspiration behind my last five or six teachings at the Vineyard.

3. I read this book of Keller's last week and it would be a great follow up to anyone who was challenged by the message this past weekend. Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters

4. I want to do culture more than I do. I think the Kingdom comes that way. I think we (most all Christians) are still afraid or unwilling to leave our church buildings more than we'd care to admit.

5. Life is better when you find a good shrink (and do what he or she tells you to do.)

6. The above shrink had me take some assessments. Turns out my main thing is that I am creative.

7. But my second thing is that I am merciful. That one surprised me...but I think I really am. I'm a fast forgiver. It has traditionally frustrated people who want me to be mad at them for a long time.

8. Two of my friends who had a hard time getting pregnant are having babies.

9. I buried my friend's father. It was maybe the best funeral I have ever been a part of. (I did very little of it.) It made me ask the following questions:

10. What do I really want my life to be about? What is my deep rooted passion that will reveal God to people?

11. I am marrying two of my improv friends in Las Vegas in May. That makes me happy.

12. I'm working hard to sell a movie. There are three hard parts to making a movie - getting the money, making the movie and selling the movie. I keep telling myself that I am 2/3 of the way there...

13. When an actor in a movie comes through the camera it is one of the most beautiful things in the world. I just saw a relatively average movie where that happened. Jennifer Aniston comes through in Just Go With It. To me, that's different than an amazing performance. It's a mysterious thing - maybe "spiritual."

14. It seems like 99% of the world is more uptight than me. People get really upset about strange things. I don't get it...but I always expect it.

15. I have almost survived my fourth winter back in Ohio. It just gets worse every year...but the strange thing is that it is making me love spring and summer more than I ever have. Maybe it's worth it.

16. Improv keeps me sane.

17. Dave Workman - that dude is the real deal. Blows my mind.

18. I'm going to write a romantic comedy screenplay with my friend Holly Walker. She asked what my favorite romantic comedy was. I had to think about it. I went with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Surprised myself with that answer.

It would have been great to get to twenty thought bursts, but I'm fresh out. This concludes the thoughts rumbling through my head...at least the ones I am willing to share on the world wide web.