Everybody Loves a Good Cheeseburger

Today's post is a book review that I'm doing as part of the Blogging for Books program. Enjoy!

On the day that I received Bruce Wilkinson's You Were Born for This in the mail, I also received a McDonald's cheeseburger for free. And though I didn't see it at the time, God was probably laughing at me as I bit into my burger and opened my book. You'll understand why shortly.

You see, when I opened this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. I saw somewhere that Wilkinson had written The Prayer of Jabez, so I figured this couldn't be that bad. Unfortunately, I hadn't read Wilkinson's best-seller (which he was very adamant to plug for the first 50 pages of this book), so I had no clue what I was getting myself into.

Grateful

So my breathing machine broke and I had to replace it. The thing I'm most disappointed about? It had really cool stickers on it.

It's Thursday... err... I mean... Friday! 

This whole 4 day week thing has thrown me for a loop.

And, as you should know (if you don't, I'll forgive you this once), Friday means something pretty special around here!

It's time for Five Minute Friday!

Here's the 411 (courtesy of The Gypsy Mama), in case you're new to this:

First Rule - Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.

Second Rule - Link back to The Gypsy Mama and invite others to join in.

Third Rule - Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

Pretty simple, eh? Give it a shot!

This week's prompt?

Grateful

On your mark... Get set... GO!

There's no way on God's green Earth that this is fair. I need 50 minutes to write on this, not just five!

Gratitude is something I've been taught by God since I began a relationship with him. A lot of pretty crappy, sucky stuff has happened over the last few years, and that grateful attitude that he taught me early on really helped push me through (and is continuing to help me to this day).

Something I learned early on was the habit of making lists of things I was thankful for. I've definitely fallen out of that habit (I don't remember the last time I did that), but it's really cool to look back and see how many good things God gives us each and every day.

So today, since I'm only allowed five minutes to talk about how stinking grateful I am, I'm going to make a list!

Here are just a few things I'm grateful for:

You. Without you being here to read all of this gibberish, I wouldn't be able to keep writing. I love writing, but more than anything, I love communicating, and that's a two-way street.

My wife. If it weren't for her, I'd be curled up in the fetal position most days, hiding in a dark corner waiting for someone to find me. Just kidding. But she is pretty awesome.

My fam.

This new medicine that has helped so much.

My new doctor.

My internship.

My education.

My wealth - both worldly and spiritual.

My life. I'm reminded each and every day that I'm alive for a reason. God didn't have to help me fight through these diseases if he didn't want to.

STOP!

Okay, not fair at all. I had a million things running through my head, colliding into each other, causing all kinds of chaos in that five minutes. And I didn't even get to mention one of my favorite things to be thankful for...

COFFEE!

Suffice it to say that this blog wouldn't exist without coffee. 

Anyway... That's my Five Minute Friday for this week! Give it a shot... if you're up to the challenge!

What are you grateful for today? Are there things in your life that you sometimes take for granted that are there every day? What are some of those things? I'd love to hear from you about this (or anything else, for that matter!). Just a comment and/or shoot me an e-mail!

Whoa, We're Halfway There

Yes, I like a little Bon Jovi. Don't judge me!

On Saturday, something extraordinary happened. Did you feel it? Did you see it? Hear it?

If you didn't, no need to worry. You're not going blind or deaf. Well, actually, you might be, but I'm no doctor, so don't take my word for it.

Seriously, though. On Saturday, something pretty epic happened. At noon, to be exact.

Any guesses?

Okay, fair enough. I'll spill.

We passed the halfway mark of 2011!

An Open Letter to an Extrovert

The medicine I'm taking right now tastes like soap. Fifteen minutes straight of inhaling mist that takes like soap.

Dear Extrovert,

Hey! How are you doing? You see, I ask you that because I'm genuinely curious, not just because I'm polite and know how to banter. In fact, I really do like you a lot and think about you regularly. Sometimes, though, I think you misunderstand me.

You see, I'm an introvert. You know this well, and you accept me anyway - for the most part. However, I can't help but think that you have some sort of ulterior motive when you're talking to me. It's almost as if you're trying to convert me. Or cure me. I'm not sure which. As if I have some unspeakable disease that I'm suffering from, slowly dying from.

Allow me to let you in on a secret: I have no disease. There is nothing wrong with me. Frankly, I like how God made me. Introversion is not a disease - it's a piece of who I am.

Guess Who's Back?

Why, yes, the title of this blog post is an Eminem reference. Whether or not I like his music is up to you to decide...

Ah... It's been a week. A nice, long, refreshing week. Have you missed me? Because I've definitely missed you. I mean that it the non-creepiest way possible.

Over the last week, I managed to achieve oneness with God, devise a plan for world peace, and actually heard and understood every word my wife said to me. 

Just kidding.

My week wasn't nearly that productive. In fact, I, for the most part, sat around.

Sat. On my bum (which I hear is pretty much non-existent to begin with). Ate. Slept. Sat.

See what I'm saying? It wasn't exactly the greatest week of my life. But trust me when I say I needed the break. While breaking from blogging, I also took off from work, in hopes that the extra rest would help my body in the healing process that I hope it's in the middle of. I'm not hedging any bets on that, but it's worth a shot.

I did actually learn something this past week, though. Something pretty interesting. I read 3 books, so you would hope that I have something new going on in my noggin.

I learned that, apparently, (some) writers don't actually like to write.

And I breathed a deep sigh of relief.