Support A Great Cause & My Health

Most of you may know this already, but I'm running in the Eye Q Two Cities Marathon this November. I've been running several times a week for the last month, and I'm loving it so far. Why would I do such a thing like a marathon when I've never, ever done any long-distance running? Well... there's a few reasons, a couple being selfish reasons like wanting to lose weight and get back in shape. However, the thing that I'm most excited about is the group I'm running with.

I'll be running with a team of people who are doing this whole marathon deal to raise funds for MMI, Medical Ministries International. MMI does some great work providing medical supplies to people all over the world.

I need to raise a minimum of $400, and since I could probably find a way to do this myself, I've challenged myself to raise as much as possible. I'd be super-stoked if we could team up together to raise somewhere in the ballpark of $2,000. I'll do the running, you do the giving. :)

All of your donations will be tax-deductible, and will also help me stay focused and committed to the great work that MMI is doing around the world.

Here's some more info about donations:

Donations by Check. Checks should be made payable to Medical Ministries International. My name should not be written directly on third party checks at all. You can mail your checks to me and I'll forward them on to MMI in the proper fashion.

Paul Carlson
6050 N. Marks Ave. Apt 120
Fresno, CA 93711

Melanie Anderson, Chief Operating Officer
Medical Ministries International
1004 San Jose Avenue, Suite 101
Clovis, CA 93612"

The Eye-Q Two Cities fundraising commitment (The $400 minimum) is due no later than August 15, 2009.

Donate via Paypal, here. Be sure to let me know that you're donating through Paypal, so that I can tell Melanie at MMI that your donation was raised by me.

If you have any questions about any of this, email me.

Wish I Had More Time....

Wasket In My Basket
Originally uploaded by @professr.

I want to do this stuff again. It was fun. I've got some really good ideas for how I can pull off some of the other ones.

Click on the picture if you want to download a copy from my Flickr page.

25 Bands/Artists that I LOVE.

This post is dedicated to bands/artists that I LOVE. I'm not talking about bands or artist I like, or even listen to a lot. These are the ones that I continually come back to, when I can't figure out what I want to listen to, or when I just need something that will make me happy, or something to inspire me, or reconnect me to my youth, etc...

Enjoy.

Example of how I'll do this:
BAND or ARTIST
Very brief explanation of why I love them.
Fave Album of theirs | Fave song of theirs

not in any order, because that would be too hard to do:

1. Muse
They just rock. Hard. And they're a trio. And I wish I was as good as Bellamy.
Absolution | Map of the Problematique
2. Radiohead
Pioneers. These guys are who everbody else wants to sound like. uber-creative.
OK Computer | Subterranean Homesick Alien
3. Sister Hazel
Catchy pop rock with some southern influence. They just make me happy.
Fortress | So Long
4. Vertical Horizon
More cactchy pop music... this time with a more alternative edge. Matt Scannell's voice and guitar playing are awesome.
Everything You Want | Shackled
5. Led Zeppelin
No explanation needed... but I can give you 4: 1. Robert Plant; 2. Jimmy Page; 3. John Paul Jones; 4. Jon Bonham
Houses of the Holy | The Ocean
6. Pink Floyd
Mostly because of their inventive nature and David Gilmour's tasty licks.
Wish You Were Here | Comfortably Numb
7. Toad the Wet Sprocket
Such good songwriting. Consistently good.
Dulcinea | Don't Fade
8. Pilate
Relatively unknown in US, but they're SO good. Kind of Radiohead-ish. Great songs. Great voice on the leads. Emotion in their music.
Caught by the Window | Melt Into the Walls
9. This Day & Age
Now defunct, but sort-of resurrected in Reign of Kindo. Very clever musicianship and song-crafting.
The Bell & The Hammer | Winter Winter Spring
10. Rush
The original power trio. And they have songs about things like post-atomic life on earth, a future where fuel-powered cars are outlawed, and the rise of a rebellion in a world where music is forbidden.
Moving Pictures | Show Me Don't Tell Me
11. Joe Satriani
Guitar skills for eons. His left hand is amazing. Smooth.
Joe Satriani | Always With Me, Always With You
12. Gary Hoey
My favorite guitarist, stylistically speaking. He actually plays what I imagine in my head. (I can't. ;) )
Bug Alley | Bert's Lounge
13. Delirious?
Brit-rock worship music. These guys rock so awesomely, it's a shame they don't have the mainstream success in the USA that they do across the pond.
Kingdom of Comfort | Investigate
14. Sixpence None the Richer
2 reasons I love them: Leigh Nash's voice and their amazing lyrical depth. (ignore that "kiss me" song.)
Divine Discontent | Tension is a Passing Note
15. U2
The Edge.
The Joshua Tree | With or Without You
16. Glen Phillips
His solo stuff after Toad is amazing.
Winter Pays for Summer | Courage
18. Death Cab for Cutie
Great songs. Creative. I get hooked on these guys over and over again.
Transatlanticism | Cath...
19. Coldplay
Nothing too complicated to why I like them... they just write great music.
X & Y | 42
20. John Mayer
Awesome guitar chops. Great songs.
Continuum | Vultures
21. Nada Surf
So good... these guys also make me happy. Even though a lot of their music is melancholy. Go figure.
The Weight is a Gift | Your Legs Grow
22. Lincoln Brewster
Lincoln can play some guitar. He's got mad style and is singing for God, which is cool in my book.
Live to Worship | Take Me Higher
23. The Police/Sting
Sting and The Police go hand-in-hand to me. Love them. Sting knows how to write.
10 Summoner's Tales | Shape of My Heart
24. The Goo Goo Dolls
Except for when that other guy with the worst voice ever tries to sing...
Gutterflower | Truth is a Whisper
25. Weezer
Weezer rocks my face off. They make me happy, too. I dig their style.
The Blue Album | Island in the Sun

Ok. that's it. Feel like I'm cheating some of my other faves out, but that's ok I guess.

Some Thoughts on Church Marketing

Here's an insider's perspective about what sucks about church marketing: Churches/pastors that aren't living the Christ-honoring life that they say they are try to dress it up, paint their tombs white, and sell an image of themselves that is untrue.

The minute that our efforts shift from the purpose of trying to help others and ourselves become healthier, happier, holier people, that is the moment when church marketing sucks. Our job is not to mask our problems or portray something we're not. Our job is not managing peoples' perceptions (Though some disagree, I'm 50/50 on this.). Our job is to invite people to a higher calling for their lives. To proclaim a hope more lasting than a politician can provide. Our job is to inspire others to acts of selflessness and charity. To encourage them to greater and continued faithfulness. To restore trust in a faulty establishment (the Church in America). Our job is to do these things through more than communicative mediums - to do it with our lives.

The minute we lose sight of the why is the moment of complete and utter failure. Especially that last part: "our lives." I don't think God needs us to promote Him with our art/promotional pieces/websites/ridiculous t-shirts. I always thought what he really wants is our hearts. And He wants us to LOVE HIM and LOVE PEOPLE. If our "marketing" or "brand" is not doing those 2 things, we're in the wrong. Period.

Just thinking out loud... I guess if people really did all this stuff right most of us in the church marketing world would be out of jobs. But I think I'd be ok with that.

Life, Liberty, and...

Just thought I'd take a second to post up something I'm working on right now. (This is still just a draft.)

It's art for a series of messages my church is going to be doing. We're all trying to get to that darn cloud 9, that state of happiness.