Soakin' Up Life . . . at a 100 MPH!

Last night some of us joined a whole bunch of others for the kickoff of Toby Mac's Portable Sounds tour - including Thousand Foot Crutch and Barlow Girl . It was a night of energy and worship in a unique way. Thousand Foot Crutch got us started - right on time I might add. I like it when artists start on time. We started out in the balcony, but the sound really sucked up there. All the vocals were pointed towards the floor. Once we made the move to the floor it was much better. This Toronto-based band put on a good show. Didn't really know what to expect since I haven't heard much of their stuff before, but they got the crowd going and into the concert. They were a great kickoff act. Their music was tight and very sharp. No loose ends here. After a brief stage update Barlow Girl jumped in. Didn't know much about them except what I heard on the radio, But, this three-sister act rocks! Not only can they sing, but they can stinkin' play. Their drummer d...

Tonight, Cindy, me, and some friends are headed to Cottage Hill Baptist Church in Mobile to see Toby Mac , Barlow Girl , and Thousand Foot Crutch on the Portable Sounds Tour . I've had these tickets for a while waiting for tonight and I can't wait! Will let you know how it goes. Mike

It was a spectacular evening. Kicked off with some Monk & Neagle (Texas boys from Amarillo). The title song of their new CD Twenty-First Time , also titled Twenty-First Time , drew me in and convicted me at the same time. Not only do these two have great vocals, deep lyrics, but the also are masters of the 6-string guitfiddle. Bebo Norman jumped in after them and was wonderful. He just has fun singing about life with Christ. There was great interaction with the crowd and members of the band. Finally, Shane & Shane , came on and blew everyone away. They did some old stuff and some of the new stuff from their Pages CD. They can still play, sing, and write. The last time I saw them it was just Shane & Shane and two guitars. This time they had added drums, bass, electric guitar, keyboard, hammer dulcimer, and a cello. Really added a fullness and new dynamic to their sound. At times I loved it. Other times I thought it took away from the song itself. Overall, it w...

Tonight Cindy and I are joining some friends for a Shane & Shane concert at FBC Pascagoula. The bill also includes Bebo Norman and Monk & Neagle . Never seen Bebo Norman or Monk & Neagle live, but I'm definitely looking forward to it. Updates coming. Mike

This weekend was very productive: Saturday Went for 60-minute run. Felt great. Ended up running about 6.2 miles (that's a 10K). I was pumped!! Cindy and I finalized and ordered flowers for the wedding Got the Harley out of the shop - only cost $50 to replace head, piston, valve, and all the internals. Thank the Lord I purchased the extended warranty, eh? Had dinner with another couple - this is a new trend, eating with "couples", kinda cool Alabama won, beating Arkansas Texas barely won - but a win is a win Auburn lost - sorry Cindy Sunday Cindy and I attended a couples ABF Sunday morning at North Mobile - Tom, great lesson on watching and protecting our heart we won' t fall prey to temptation Worship & message was wonderful Fixed lunch for Cindy and me We took naps - well . . . Cindy took a nap, I tried to sell furniture Great time with my buddy Ricky last night Overall, had a great weekend. Hope you had a great weekend!! Mike

Ricky, a friend of mine here in the Mobile area, joined me yesterday for my run. Ricky's been wanting to get back in shape and he said I was making him feel guilty so he came to the park to join me for a run. Understand, Ricky isn't new to running. He used to run about six miles a day, so he's got some experience under his belt. But this is also only his second time to run in a long time. My goal for the day was another 30-minute run. These two factors played a role in yesterday's run. The first part of the run took us through and out of the woods to the turn around point where we headed back uphill. I passed Ricky on the way back up getting to the trail head way before Ricky. I kept waiting and waiting. Then it hit me - I could take off and meet up with Ricky somewhere down the trail or I could wait and bring someone along with me. Since the point of the run was to run was to keep moving for a length of time and not a specific distance I decided to wait on Ri...

I was planning on putting in my 60-minute run last Saturday. I forgot one thing - and it was a pretty important one - my buddy Ron was getting married and I was the best man. He and I hung out Friday night after the rehearsal dinner - we snuck off to Bruno's (it's a supermarket) for some Ben & Jerry's ice cream - Ron had Strawberry Shortcake and I had Chunky Monkey. Saturday morning we headed to the Tiny Diny, where their slogan is "Take your hiney to the Tiny Diny!" for breakfast with some of the guys. Here are some pics of the day. Here are the guys waking up, trying to enjoy breakfast! Here's another one. Marty took this one so he's the one missing. From left to right we have Dave, Ricky, Andy, Shawn, Ron, and me. Ron and me. I don't know why Ron is smiling and I'm laughing. Maybe one of us passed gas right before the picture was taken. Who knows? Here's Andy and Jimmy ready and waiting for the festivities to begin. And of cou...

Yesterday, rather than running one of my courses near my house I ran at a park close to Cindy's house. It has ball fields, tennis courts and a running/walking path all the way around the park. it's a pretty good sized park. It even has some trails through the nearby woods to run or ride. In the midst of my run I decided try give the tails a whirl. It was way cool! I now have a new found respect for my friend Gene . He does stinkin' long trail runs - FOR FUN!! As I ran I discovered the beauty and fun of running through the woods as well as the difficulty of running trails. When I was a kid my friends, brothers, and I would take off through the woods. Running, jumping, hopping, and soaring down the trails. Yesterday's run brought some of that back. I can't thoroughly explain the feeling, but it was definitely there and I enjoyed every minute of it - even the run back UP the trail. But in my zeal and excitement I quickly learned that I had to be constantly ...

I finally uploaded my pictures from my trip to Tanzania, Africa. They are in no particular order. It's just how they were uploaded. I did include pictures from London. We had a layover there on our way to Tanzania. The pictures in Ngorongoro are of a conservation area where the animals run wild - there's no fence to keep them in. The pictures of the Masai were from the first village we visited and ministered. The pictures of me eating a goat rib, the youth choir and one of Cindy and me are from our second village. Click [ Here ] to see the pictures. Enjoy, Mike