The other night, Corissa and I finally got to see Shooter. By the time the movie was over, I had a new hero to add to my list of guys I want on my side if I ever need to go after the bad guys (or any of Allison’s future boy interests that are not quite up to Daddy’s standards)…

Master Gunnery Sargent Bob Lee Swagger

This is one seriously tough dude. Personally, I think we could wrap up this whole global war on terror in about a week if we teamed up Sgt Swagger (what a great name by the way) with the other two masters of complete and total destruction of evil doers…Jack Bauer and Lt John McClain

For the record Shooter is a great movie, and I definitely recommend it. The guys are going to see Live Free or Die Hard tonight, so we’ll see if McClain can live up to his reputation in the 4th installment.

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Check out a little something I’ve been working on in my spare time – Top Longhorn Football Moments

It’s been coming together slowly, as my spare time isn’t growing on trees these days, but it’s something that I’ve wanted to put together for a while, and it’s finally taking shape.

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Socrates once said that the unexamined life is not worth living, and I wonder just how often we step back and examine the lives we are leading. I know that all too often, I just get sucked into the day to day of living without taking the time to take a look in the mirror at who I am and what I have become or am becoming. As is probably true with most of us, there are always going to be things we like and dislike about ourselves when we take the time to examine our lives. And while I don’t subscribe to much of Socrates’ positions, this is one where I think he was on the money.

I was listening to a sermon from Willow Creek in Chicago online a few months ago, and in it the pastor suggested a pattern of behavior he had heard suggested to pastors many times by Rick Warren, the author of the Purpose Driven Life (Short Version / Long Version) He stressed that we all need to do the following:

1 – Divert Daily – take some time each day to unplug and take a breath.
2 – Withdraw Weekly – take at least one day off from working each week.
3 – Abandon Annually – take a vacation, and really get away.

I know that I haven’t been good at doing any of those things. At best, I divert daily, but that is usually just when Allison comes to distract me from what I’m trying to get done. And while I love taking a break to spend time with my little girl, sometimes it only adds to the stress level if there is a pressing deadline, and it certainly doesn’t count for personal unplugged time. And as far as an annual vacation, I can honestly say the closest thing I’ve had to that was December of 2004, when the family went to the 2005 Rose Bowl… before we were even pregnant with Allison.

Sometimes it seems like taking a step back, taking a breath and occasionally taking the time to evaluate my life would just be counterproductive to the bottom line of getting things done. But more and more I am coming to see just how important it is to make that kind of activity a priority.

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I was talking to some friends last night, and one of them mentioned that an email I had written about a month ago about fatherhood had been forwarded to them (That’s My Job). Normally, I wouldn’t think that much of it, but it was about the 8th time in just the last few days that I had heard that from someone. When I sent the email out, I had no expectation that it would be forwarded around the way that it appears to have been. And the comments I’ve gotten back about it have been amazing.

Clearly, it was a message that God wanted to get out to my sphere of influence and beyond. I am amazed and humbled by the path that simple email seems to have taken and by the effect it seems to have had. As I penned those words, I had no idea that God had such a wide audience in store for those thoughts. Now I can see such a clear purpose in Allison being awake all night and giving me the quiet time to sit there in the darkness of her room and let God teach me and inspire me to write that email. It’s truly amazing to me how God works in our lives… and as many times as I’ve seen it, it never ceases to amaze me.

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I’m still not sure that I’m used to the idea of being a father. Sometimes, I’m still can’t believe that God has given me such an incredible gift and awesome responsibility. And although my life has changed in ways I could never have imagined, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Also, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ve just posted another 28,000 words on Allison’s website: Allison Photos

Father’s Day 2007

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They don’t call ‘em the dog days of summer for nothing. The dry period pretty much starts as soon as CBS rolls “One Shining Moment” and continues until the Gameday Crew gathers in anticipation of the first kickoff of the season. There is the NFL preseason to serve as a hollow appetizer, but there’s really not much in the sports world to get excited about this side of September… unless you enjoy watching the carnage as Brad Lidge blows another game for the Astros, which just makes it too hard to be a serious Astros fan. So, like countless other football fans, I’m just counting the days… 79 of them, as of today, until I join 80,000 of my closest friends to take in this beautiful sight again…

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“Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express.”

-Joseph Addison

When I found out we were having a daughter, David Bennett told me that she would have me wrapped around her finger in ways I couldn’t imagine… and he is absolutely right. There is something between a father and his daughter that can’t be described, but only experienced. Every man should have the honor, the joy, the privilege, the responsibility and the sheer terror of having a daughter… it will change your life. And I count it pure joy that I am blessed with such a wonderful little girl.

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This was sent to me and I thought it was worth archiving on here:

I met this guy while I was in Memphis and he has a motto he lives by everyday.  He said listen carefully and live by these 4 rules:  Drink, Steal, Swear, & Lie.

He then told me to listen while he explained his four rules…

Drink from the “everlasting cup” every day.

Steal a moment to help someone that is in worse shape than you are.

Swear that you will be a better person today than yesterday.

And last , but not least, when you lie down at night thank God you  live in America and have freedom.

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I was sitting here with my family and got to thinking about what the most satisfying things in life are. There’s not a lot of time right now, so I’ll just hit a few…

1. My girls… nothing is better than they are:

2. Good friends… I am so fortunate to have so many great friends…

3. A Win for the Horns… of course, winning a championship is the best, but any win is very satisfying…

4. Quality time with my baby girl… what more needs to be said about this one?

More to come…

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It seems as if I should write something really deep and thought provoking for my first post… something profound that will lay the foundation for all the posts to follow. At the same time, you don’t want to set the bar so high that the future posts are scared that they won’t be able to live up to number 1.

I really don’t know what shape this blog will take as time goes by. It may be just general thoughts or observations on world events, my thoughts on Longhorn sports, a review of the latest movie I’ve watched or maybe even some deep thoughts on a passage of Scripture that grabs my attention. I’ll try to keep the post short, but I can make no promises about that in advance.

Whatever does fill the space here, I hope it will be thought provoking, insightful or at the very least, entertaining.

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