Over the past month I have read a multitude of "Best of the Decade" articles on anything from movies to music to athletes to news events. I suppose I could write a best of list about any sort of cultural artifact. However it is people that move me. People that inspire me. People that energize me.

With that in mind, I'm going to write about the people and friends that I have met at some point during the past 10 years that have had an impact upon me. (I could write a book about my friends that I have known longer than 10 years.)

Some of these are close personal friends. Others are those that have had some impact upon my life even though we may not know each other that well. All are people that I would love to spend more time with. As I compiled this list I was stunned at the amazing people that I have met in the past 10 years. Hopefully I am a better person for having known each of these people.

Books, movies, music, etc will eventually pass away. People last forever. read more »

I am often accused of being a right-wing conservative "Rethuglican" by those on the Left and a bleeding heart commie liberal by people on the Right. And the synthesis of these criticisms often make me out to be a moderate. While I am certainly not a moderate, I very much believe that we need moderate rhetoric and temperament in our political dialog and debate.

A good friend of mine made this case far better than I can so have I included it below:

What bothers me is the absence of moderation--not necessarily in terms of political views but in terms of temperament and judgment--that is highlighted by shrill, self-promoting Manichean partisans like Malkin, Coulter, Olbermann, Maddow, etc.

Honestly I don't remember a time in recent memory where I was less interested in politics. I'm not saying this is all good. After all, this is a time when our country is having big debates over important issues like health care. One big reason is that I still believe that the differences between our political parties, while real, are exaggerated. I realize that both sides vote differently (sometimes) and offer different agendas (if at all consistent)--but the reality is that together they have created the political culture in which major decisions are made and legislation is crafted. It's not just that they are bought and paid for by their respective interests and indulge in brazen hypocrisy as we've seen in the case of Christopher Dodd--though that's certainly the case. It's not simply the seduction of greed, perks and influence, though that certainly seems true. I'm thinking about how the Republican Party and Democratic Party have together created the channels and culture in which they operate, debate, compromise, pass legislation, and indulge in institutionalized, legal corruption. All this in an environment in which the electoral process powerfully shapes how decisions are made and votes are cast. The bailout vote in October was a powerful expression of this--Obama, McCain, Pelosi, Reid, Bush, the Republican leadership--all game and all in need of each other to support this. These parties are in a death spiral together and as Will has experienced and pointed out before, they control the electoral levers to prevent serious reform in the form of a major third party. read more »

Listen in as I interview Jeff Shinabarger of Gift Card Giver.

"Four friends had an idea to collect gift cards and give them to people in need. They went to a gathering and asked 8 people how much money in unused Gift Cards they had in their wallets and walked away with $50 in Gift Cards to help people in need. GiftCardGiver.com was born.

Gift Card Giver is a new form of giving. The Gift Card industry has risen to be a 60 billion dollar industry. Ever wonder how many gift cards are unused? More than 10%. That means billions of dollars are waiting to be used for good on Gift Cards." read more »

Items mentioned in this video:

• NPR Interview with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson
• Liverpool FC
• Samichlaus

read more »

Items mentioned in this video:

• Jon Meacham's Newsweek article
• Joe Scarborough video with Jon Meacham and Tim Keller
• Michael Spencer's article "The Coming Evangelical Collapse"
• "UnChristian" by Gabe Lyons and Dave Kinnaman
• Bill Simmons: "Choosing my EPL team"
• Liverpool FC
• Unibroue Trois Pistoles

In order for this to be a conversation, I need your help and participation. While most people are comfortable with text comments on blogs, I think we miss out on the spoken word and hearing from real people. As such I would ask that you click the icon below to be connected to my voicemail to leave your thoughts on this week's topic. While I would prefer that you leave your name and where you are calling from, it isn't required. read more »

I highly encourage my readers to check out this interview with Joel Hunter in Christianity Today. Here is an excerpt:

Where do evangelicals fit in the future of politics?

We just turned a huge corner here. This is not an election that was won by inciting the base. The future will not be built by inciting the base, either on the right or the left. We have to determine whether we're going to cooperate without compromising our values and ideals. There will be those who want to be the voice crying in the darkness. That's fine, but they will prove themselves politically marginalized. There is great potential for the church to be part of the solution to the problems in our culture and the problems in our world if we can build coalitions that help enhance the common good that also enhances the Christian social agenda. read more »

I have been rather remiss in not posting much during this campaign season. I have spent the past two months working in NYC but also have been sickened by the tenor of this campaign. Going into this campaign, I and many others would have predicted a much more civil and reasonable campaign because of both candidates. Sadly that has not been the case. I think much of this can be blamed upon the entire system of political consultants and the media. But at the end of the day the buck has to stop with the candidate.

It has been very difficult to cut through all of the hysterical campaigning on both sides to get at the reasons to vote for either candidate. I am neither convinced that McCain is Bush III/Four More Years nor am I convinced that Obama is a closet Muslim. But I would like to give my take on the pros and cons of each candidate.

Barack Obama
Pros read more »

When did we become a country that punishes the good and rewards the bad? I know this is hyperbole but sometimes I think this isn't far from the truth. I do not like to see people suffer and I do believe that we need some basic social safety net. I just not understand why those who have been responsible must bear the burden.

Today's New York Times:

As the Treasury Department prepares a $40 billion program to help delinquent homeowners avoid foreclosure, it confronts a difficult challenge: not making the plan too tempting to people like Todd Lawrence.

“Why am I being punished for having bought a house I could afford?” he asked. “I am beginning to think I would have rocks in my head if I keep paying my mortgage.”

But the benefits of a bailout for his neighbors seem ephemeral to the 45-year-old Mr. Lawrence, especially because he figures the cost of helping them will come, one way or another, out of his pocket as a taxpayer. “I’m basically financing my own financial destruction,” he said.

Yesterday I picked up a copy of Good magazine. I had heard a little about Good but didn't know much. I am pretty inclined to like any publication that sets out to celebrate and educate about doing good.

Unfortunately my hopeful thoughts came to an end after reading the insipid election edition. The cover story lists 1,565 reasons to vote in this year's election. However, had Good decided to be more honest, they would have entitled the article "Reasons to Vote for Obama".

Let me first state that while I do not support Obama, neither do I support McCain. The Republicans have been a disaster over the past 8 years. However, I find it rather disingenuous for this magazine to devote an election edition to giving reasons to vote for one candidate.

Don't believe me? Here is a pretty representative sampling of some of the reasons to vote: read more »

Recently during my time in NYC, I had the pleasure to meet and interview renowned harpist and Avery Fisher Career Grant winner, Bridget Kibbey. I had seen Bridget perform at last year's Fringe Atlanta and was blown away by her music.

In this interview, Bridget and I discuss why modern music matters to the average person, the balance between emotion and intellect in music, and how her music contributes to culture making. read more »