Author: Jonathan Blundell

I'm a husband, father of three, blogger, podcaster, author and media geek who is hoping to live a simple life and follow The Way.

2008 Book Club

books.gif
Thomas just started a private online Book Club.
I’m looking forward to it. Never really been involved in much of a book club other than a doctrine class I had at UMHB and that was more for required/extra credit reading than anything else.

Here’s his initial thoughts on the group:

I have created an invite-only google group for this purpose and I need some pals to help me get it off the ground. You can help in the following ways:

  1. Ask for an invite > I’m keeping it invite-only until its a proven concept. Send me an email or leave a comment with your email and I’ll hook you up.
  2. Suggest some books > I’m thinking of tackling between 6 and 10… along the lines of 1 a month. They don’t have to be just Christian books… but they have to be culturally important books > think Velvet Elvis or No Logo for an idea.
  3. Get involved > I’m looking for some honest commitment and a fair pinch of common-or-garden enthusiasm – we will be journeying together… examining some meaningful material… I need people who are will to read and participate… not spectate from the sidelines.
  4. Help out > I want to journey with you… not lead > I need to feed as much as I want to encourage you all to get fed. I don’t want to be the only facilitator.

Want to join us? Drop either one of us an e-mail with your Amazon.com account info 😉 – j/k. But seriously – drop us an e-mail if you’re interested.

Goals for 2008

Resolutions/goals/hopes… call them what you will. Some people run from them, other’s joke around with them and others take them as a life or death matter.
I guess I’m probably somewhere in the middle. I like setting goals – especially when I can look back and say I met them. I didn’t do so well in 2007 – but I don’t think it was anything to be ashamed of. I hoped to read 30 books and lose 30 lbs in 2007. I read 11 (updated from earlier posts) and lost between 10 and 15 lbs – depending on the day.
I think I like setting New Years Goals because it gives me a target to shoot for during the year. Gives me a reason to do the things I do.
So here are my goals/resolutions/hopes for 2008 :

  • Finish losing weight. My goal weight is 205. I’ve got about 20 more lbs to go.
  • Read 15 books. I think I can achieve that this year.
  • See 8 new community groups started at encounter.
  • Get 4 new people on the sound or media shout rotation at encounter.
  • Finish rebuilding a new encounter website.
  • Rebuild the CasadeBlundell.com website.
  • Take a photo a day – of me. I took this idea from Laurie who wants to take at least one photo everyday. Thought I’d be a little more specific and take one of me – should make an interesting flashback at the end of 2008.

Laurie and I made a couple resolutions between the two of us but we’ll keep those under the chuppah for now.

What about you? Got any great goals for 2008?

BTW – 25% of those polled were certain Jesus would return in 2007. Wonder how that turned out? 🙂

Update: Somewhat of a personal challenge as well, from Mark Batterson’s Chase the Lion:

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

2007 by the numbers

Here’s a look at 2007 by the numbers (see how it compares to 2006):

States visited: 3 or 4
Airports I’ve been in or landed at: 3
Hotels stayed in: 3 or 4
Nights I spent camping: 0
Celebrities I met: 0
Times my transmission was rebuilt: 2
Vehicles purchased: 1
Truck payments made: 1
Times I moved: 2
Cities I’ve lived in: 2
Homes purchased: 1
Mortgage payments made: 2
Jobs: 3
Months worked at The Daily Light: 2
Months worked for Ellis County: 9
Months worked for Dallas Community College District: 1
Softball teams I played on: 1 (2 seasons)
Books read: 10 11
Pounds I lost: 10-15 (depending on the day)
Pictures posted on Flickr: 1,192
Total number of pictures on Flickr: 2,519
Times those pictures were viewed: 14,915
Videos produced for church: 12
Videos added to YouTube: 24
Friends on MySpace: 287
Current total number of posts to my personal blog: 3,183
Blog posts written this year: 1,268
Recorded visits to my personal blog (total) : 25,010
Blogs currently subscribed to: 366
Articles on my family tree Wiki: 115
People in my Geni.com family tree: 650
Blood relatives in my Geni.com family tree: 385
U.S. Presidents found in my family tree: 1
After Hours Improv shows attended: 9
Days I’ve been married: 8 months and 3 days
Days I’ve been happily married: 8 months and 3 days
Lifelong memories made with friends and family: countless

Tell Her So

My Aunt Joyce found this in some notes of my grandmother and great-grandmother.
I’m not sure if it was written by my great-grandmother or she copied it from somewhere – either way it’s worth remembering.
It was sent via e-mail as it was written (hope I got the line breaks correct):

”Tell Her So”

Amid the cares of married life
in spite of toil or business strive
if you value your sweet wife
tell her so

When days dark and very blue
she has her troubles same as you
show her that your love is true
tell her so

you love for her is no mistake
you feel it dreaming or awake
don’t conceal it
for her sake tell her so.

Never let her heart grow cold.
Richer beautys will unfold.
she is worth her weight in Gold
tell her so.

– found in notes of Marie L. Scherbarth
date/author unknown

I LOVE YOU LAURIE! Thank you for being my bride, my life, my joy and inspiration. Can’t wait to experience the rest of my life with you!