$8000 Trip for under $1000???

Yesterday I wrote about how I got into travel hacking. Today I want to share about a big challenge I set for ourselves for 2020. 

Mandy and I have always loved planning trips almost as much as actually taking them, and travel hacking has taken this to a new level. I decided I wanted a challenge. I wanted to take a big trip next summer, and I wanted it to be as close to free as possible.

We settled on Hawaii. Mandy and I went to Maui for our 5th wedding anniversary. We didn’t have much money so we stayed in a very inexpensive hotel, quite a ways from the beach. We spent a couple of days at Wailea Beach, which is a public beach but is next to the Grand Wailea, a very nice resort. We rented chairs and tipped a waiter 20 bucks, and he treated us as if we were guests at the Grand Wailea. We were pretty proud of ourselves. 

Fast forward 15 years. Now that Southwest flies to Hawaii we decided that we wanted to go back to Maui with the boys, but we wanted to stay at the Grand Wailea, and we wanted to do it for as close to free as possible.  

For those of you who don’t know, Hawaii is a very expensive place. And rooms at the Grand Wailea, which is a Waldorf Astoria resort, go for $600 and up per night during the summer. Those who know me know that I’m not shelling out that kind of money for a hotel room, no matter how nice it is. But (almost) free is another matter.  

Here’s how we did it. 

The first thing I did was to apply for the AMEX Hilton Surpass card. I received 150,000 Hilton points after spending $3000 in my first three months (this has since gone down to 125,000 points). There is a $95 annual fee. You also get automatic Hilton Gold status, which gives you some nice perks. Then Mandy got the AMEX Hilton Aspire card. This one gives you 150,000 points after spending $4,000 during the first three months. This one has a hefty annual fee though: $450. Before you stop reading, know that you get travel credits that bring it down. You also get Hilton Diamond status, which is Hilton’s highest rewards level.

This got us to 300,000 points. After some more spending, and the purchasing of some points, we got to 380,000. What is so special about this number? Well, a room at the Grand Wailea tops out at 95,000 points per night (versus $600 cash!). Another great thing is that if you book four nights with points, you get a fifth night free. So we booked five nights at the Grand Wailea for next June. It would have cost us, with taxes and resort fees, a little over $3200. But it’s going to be free!!!

Getting to Maui isn’t cheap either. That’s where my favorite credit card comes in…the Chase Sapphire Preferred. When you sign up and spend $4000 during the first three months, you get 60,000 points. I’ve had this card for a couple of years now. The great thing about Chase points is that they can be transferred to other airlines and hotel chains. This includes Southwest. We had a lot of Chase points, so we transferred them to Southwest and then purchased tickets to the SF Bay Area, where we’ll spend a few days, and then from there to Maui. Total cost:  $67.20 for security fees. Without points: $3600!

The final piece to the challenge was to book a hotel for our time in San Francisco, another place that is very expensive. I created an account with Hyatt, then transferred 40,000 Chase points to Hyatt and booked the Grand Hyatt in Union Square for two nights. This would have cost me almost $1000.

All of this means that my lodging and airfare for an amazing trip will be covered. We’ll pay for a rental car, food and entertainment. 

I won’t say that all of this has been easy. It’s a bit of work, and there are some areas that can be confusing. But it’s been worth the effort for us. The good thing is that you don’t have to take it to this level. And believe me, there are some travel hackers who make me look like a novice. 

If you’re looking for a place to begin, I highly recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred card because of the transfer partners. After that I’d go to a Chase Southwest card. If you have a business (and you’d be surprised at what all qualifies as a business), go for the Chase Ink Business Preferred, unless you’re going after the Southwest Companion Pass, in which I would recommend you getting the Chase Southwest Premier or Performance Business Card.

UPDATE (04-02-20)
The current deal for the Chase Ink Business Preferred isn't as appealing as it once was. You now have to spend $15k within the first 3 months. As an alternative, check out the Ink Business Cash Card.

Here are links to my favorite cards. And as I mentioned yesterday, if you are going to sign up for one, it would be awesome if you’d sign up through these links, as it will help both of us out!

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Chase Southwest Priority, Premier, or Plus, and Business Premier or Performance

Chase Ink Business Preferred
Chase Ink Business Cash 

AMEX Hilton Surpass

AMEX Hilton Aspire

Finally, a few resources...

This podcast episode that got me hooked

Favorite website - The Points Guy

Great article on the Southwest Companion Pass

Travel Hacking 101

I first got into travel hacking over fifteen years ago, while we lived in the bay area. We got a Southwest Airlines credit card and began accumulating Rapid Rewards Points. It’s how we afforded to make trips home during the holidays. Ever since then we’ve had Southwest credit cards and have continued to do this.

However, I really got into travel hacking eighteen months ago. That’s when I discovered the ChooseFi podcast and website. From there I learned that the secret to true travel hacking is to take advantage of the bonuses that credit card companies offer when you open a new account. 

One of the things I learned was that the Southwest Companion Pass is the holy grail of travel hacking. I learned that in order to get it you needed to take 100 1-way flights (that wasn’t going to happen) or you needed to accumulate 110,000 Southwest points (that number has since gone up to 125,000). That seemed like a daunting task as well, but that’s where opening new cards comes in. 

You may be wondering what is so great about the Southwest Companion Pass, so I will happily tell you. Once you have it, it allows a companion to travel for free, and this is good for the entire year that you receive it, plus the next year. 

Towards the end of 2018 I started preparing, so to speak. I applied for a Chase Southwest business card and a Chase Southwest personal card. They both required a certain amount of spending within the first few months. I made sure to hit the spending at the beginning of 2019 so that the companion pass would be good for 2019 and 2020. 

Around February, 2019 I received notice that I had the companion pass. Now I could begin using it. And use it we have. The great part is that not only did I have the companion pass, but I also had an additional 110,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points. This meant that not only did my companion (Mandy) fly free anytime I flew, but we would all be flying free using points.

By the end of 2019 our family of four will have taken trips to Dallas, Denver and Orlando, and Mandy and I will have gone to Chicago. And our total for airfare during this time: $0!

One question that is often asked is how one does this much spending in order to get the bonuses. Some cards require $1000 during the first three months, while others are $3000-4000. That can definitely be a challenge. I have a business that requires a lot of spending, so that has helped me. I've also gotten good at timing large expenditures, pre-paying bills and even buying gift cards to places like Amazon and Kroger. 

I probably don't have to say this but I will anyway...the one key here is that you have to pay off your credit cards in full every month. If you don’t do that, then you shouldn’t travel hack.

Part 2 of this post will be tomorrow, as I’ll share our big challenge for 2020. 

I’ll end this post by sharing a few of my favorite cards. I’ll share more about some of these tomorrow. Note that if you are going to sign up for one, it would be awesome if you’d sign up through these links, as it will help both of us out!

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Chase Southwest Priority, Premier, or Plus, and Business Premier or Performance

Chase Ink Business Preferred

AMEX Hilton Surpass

AMEX Hilton Aspire

Alpha

A little over a year ago, as I was wrapping up my sabbatical and coming to the decision that it was  time for me to step out of vocational ministry, Mandy and I were having lots of conversation about what was next. This was going to be a big decision, and we wanted to make sure that we had a good place for our family to land for this next season.  We pretty quickly came to the conclusion that Christ City Church was going to be a great fit for us. We knew the leaders and resonated with the vision of the church. At the time we felt like this would be a place for us to rest, but we also wondered how we would contribute once a period of rest was up.

One morning Mandy woke up and asked what I thought about doing Alpha at Christ City. Alpha has been on the periphery of our lives since I was on staff at Hillside Church in Marin County. That church had been doing Alpha for several years at the time we were there, and though we were never a part of it, we saw the impact that it had on the church.

We thought about doing Alpha when we started Neighborhood Church but didn't feel it was the right time. Over the years we would hear about how God was using Alpha in other parts of the world, and we would wonder if it was time. It never seemed to be the case. She and I were both too maxed out to give it the proper attention and leadership it needed.  So now, as we were making the transition out of vocational ministry, we wondered if it could be the time.

We've been at Christ City for eleven months now, and after a great season of rest, we're stepping back into leadership. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to teach at Christ City. I taught on Rest and Responsibility (you can listen to it here if you'd like). It has been so good to be in a season of rest this last year, but I know that I'm not meant to sit on the sidelines too long. I'm created for responsibility. I still have such a love for the church, and after doing ministry for twenty years, it's not something that I want to completely give up. I'm just happy to be doing it on a smaller and more focused scale.

So I'm happy to share that Alpha at Christ City Church starts on September 8. For the past couple of months we've been recruiting a team, and over the next month we'll be solidifying the many details needed for the launch. I'm excited to be able to focus on one thing, and I'm excited that this is something that Mandy and I will be doing together.

I recognize that I've yet to tell you exactly what Alpha is, but rather than tell you here, I invite you to check out the Alpha page on Christ City's website.

My New Office

In January I came across a couple of posts by Mr. Money Mustache (here and here) about buildings that he had constructed. As I read these articles, I found myself starting to desire to build a home office for myself.

There were a couple of initial reasons. First, now that I am doing real estate full-time and don’t have any plans to stop, I know that I’m going to be working from home for the foreseeable future. This has been working for me for some time, though it gets a bit tricky in the summer when everyone is home. Second, I have a little more time on my hands than in the past, and I thought it would be fun to take on a physical project. I have learned over the years that I am not a “measure twice, cut once” kind of guy. That’s just not in my DNA. So I stick with the things that I’m good at, but at the same time, I have a desire to grow in this area.

After reading quite a bit over a couple of days, I pitched the idea to Mandy. I wasn’t sure what she would say. She loved my two reasons but added a third. Adam is about to be in high school, and he and Micah have always shared a bedroom, and she thought it might be nice for them to have their own rooms. She suggested that I build something for me, and then Adam take the bedroom that is my current office.

And there it was. We were on the same page way quicker than I thought we would be. As I researched, I quickly came to the conclusion that it would not be a wise move for me to try to build something from scratch. Again, the “measure twice, cut once” is really important for that kind of work. So I went to Probuilt of Memphis to look for a shed. I decided that my best bet would be to hire someone to build a 20x12 shed, and then I would finish the interior.

First we had to demo the existing shed. Then we had to make sure water wouldn’t build up under the new shed. We also had to get new fencing since the existing building’s  had served as the fence.

On Monday, March 18 two guys from Probuilt Memphis showed up to build my shed.  The only thing they had built in advance were the roof trusses. By 3:00 on Tuesday the shed was completed. I was blown away at how good these guys were. We had them build a wall to divide the building into two parts. I still needed a place for the mower and other tools, so six of the twenty feet is shed. The ceiling is lower on this part, which allowed for a loft in the office portion for storage. So glad we did that. And they built shelves in the shed portion.

The next day the electrical rough-in took place, and the day after that, we had closed cell spray foam insulation installed.  Then the drywall went up.

On Saturday the entire family painted the exterior. Once the drywall was finished, I painted the interior. Then I laid this vinyl plank flooring from Home Depot, and finally I had a carpenter install the heat and air unit and install the trim and baseboard.

As one who is involved in a lot of construction projects, I'm so pleased with how the project turned out and how quickly it happened. I love my office. Here are a few photos of the finished project.

Books Read - December 2018

Last December I set a goal to read 30 books. I had never set a goal like this before, but I wanted accountability. I ended the year having read 45 books, which I am very pleased with. There were two takeaways from the goal setting. First, it was great motivation to start a new book. Second, and even more important, it was great motivation to finish a book before starting a new book. That's my normal problem. I start a lot of books. The problem is finishing. Setting a goal, and then providing updates on that goal, went a long way in helping me read more and thus better myself.

So here are the five books I read in December...

Long-Distance Real Estate Investing, by David Greene
David Greene is the new co-host of the Bigger Pockets podcast, which is one of my favorite podcasts. I heard him interviewed in a podcast sometime in 2017 and was immediately impressed by his work ethic and organization. I'm not so much a long-distance investor, but I found a lot of gems in this book that help me nonetheless.

Falling Upward, by Richard Rohr
I'll be the first to admit that this one took me awhile to work through. I find that Rohr is one of those right place right time books. It takes me a little while to get truly engaged. But once I do, I find words that cause me to breathe more deeply.

Of Blood and Bone, by Nora Roberts
This is the sequel to Year One. Though not as good as the first, still a page turner.

The Lions of Lucerne, by Brad Thor
This is book 1 of a rather large series by Brad Thor. I really like political thrillers. This one wasn't amazing, but it was good enough that I'll probably read others by him.

West Cork, by Sam Bungey & Jennifer Forde
This was an audible exclusive. It's more like a podcast (think Serial) than a book, but I'm still counting it :)  It's a fascinating true crime story set in southern Ireland.

Books Read - November, 2018

Eleven months in and I'm happy to report that I've read 40 books. My goal in January was 30.

Here are the four books I read this months.

The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard
I first read this book fifteen years ago. It's probably shaped me as much as any other book has, and I decided that I wanted to go back through it. It's not a quick read at all, but taking your time through a book like this is highly recommended.

Retire Early with Real Estate, by Chad Carson
A few months ago I heard a BiggerPockets podcast with Chard Carson and really liked what I heard. Carson is younger than me and is financially independent, which means he has enough money coming in each month to cover his bills. The bulk of this is from real estate. He still works, but he's able to do the things he's passionate about. The thing I loved most about this book is the profiles he includes in each chapter of real estate investors who have done similar things to him.

The Mountain Between Us, by Charles Martin
I checked this out from the library and read it in a day and a half. It was that good. I hope to see the movie sometime soon.

Year One, by Nora Roberts
It's a bit of the Hunger Games meets Harry Potter, though not as good as either and with a few more adult themes. Still, a good read, and I'm about to start the sequel.

Books Read - October, 2018

Here are the books I read in October.

Unshakeable, by Tony Robbins
This is a follow up to Money: Master the Game, which was an excellent book that led to several big changes in how we manage our finances. There is some repeat material in this book, but it's still great. The last chapter is worth the price of the book.

The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod
Elrod advocates early morning habits as the key to productivity. He coined a nice acronym to help one remember those habits: SAVERS
S - Silence
A - Affirmations
V - Visualization
E - Exercise
R - Reading
S - Scribing (Journaling)

The Miracle Morning for Real Estate Agents, by Hal Elrod
I read both of these books because they're free on Kindle Unlimited, which I am currently subscribed to. That being said, I'm glad I didn't pay for this book, as it is basically a repeat of the material of his previous book, albeit with the addition of a story about a real estate agent woven throughout the book.

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
After reading John Grisham's Camino Island, which is about Fitzgerald's works, I decided to read his most famous novel. It's a short and fascinating read. Highly recommended.

Haunted, by James Patterson
This is the tenth book from the Michael Bennett series. Not one of his finest but still a good read.

Books Read - September 2018

Last December I set a goal to read 30 books during 2018. I also decided, for the sake of accountability, to post what I'm reading to my blog and facebook. Three quarters in and I've reached my goal. So far 31 books read.

Here are the books I read in September.


The Path Between Us, by Suzanne Stabile
This is another book on the Enneagram, but its focus is on how the enneagram works within relationships. I think I've had aha moments with each enneagram book I've read. This one was no exception.

Water to Wine, by Brian Zahnd
This was another one of those right time, right place kinds of books. I was on amazon looking at something, and this book was on the "you might like this book also" line. I clicked on it and saw that it was available on kindle unlimited, and since I had that for another 6 weeks I picked it up. I read it in a few days. It was so timely. I especially enjoyed his chapter on fixed hour prayer, and I've been practicing his prayer liturgy most days during the last few weeks.

Camino Island, by John Grisham
I had read this one before. I listened to it this time. Nothing life-altering about it, but it's a fun read.

Breakfast with Adam

When Adam entered 6th grade I decided to begin a new tradition with him. I decided that I would take him out for breakfast once a week before school, and during that time I would take some intentional steps in helping him move from boyhood to manhood. We have been blessed to have good schools for our boys, but we know that there are some subjects that our education system is unable to tackle. That’s where we as parents come in. 

We go to different places each week, but our favorite is Barksdale. Adam likes tradition, and our waiter knows what we want as soon as we walk in. We love that place.

The first year we read a book together on the topic of manhood. Last year we continued the tradition, and our focus was on memorizing Scripture. This year we’re reading another book together, but we’re also talking about money. When Adam turned 11 Mandy and I opened a car fund savings account for him. We told him that when he was ready to buy a car, we would match whatever he wants to spend. Let me tell you…the kid caught on to this. He’s a natural saver, and I’m a bit worried about what he’s going to want to buy in a few years!

This summer he got his first real job helping to teach swim lessons. He did a great job, and I think he really enjoyed it. A few weeks ago I talked to him about the power of compound interest, explaining what $500 could look like 40 years from now. It’s a little over $20k. Here’s the crazy thing. Hold it for another 10 years and it comes close to tripling! He was pretty amazed. So he took his taxable income from his summer job and we opened a Roth IRA for him.  Can we say Proud Dad Moment!

I’ve always known that I wanted to take an active role in the formation of my kids. I believe that there is a unique role that dads play in this task. Like every other man I know though, my biggest obstacle was myself. I didn’t know how to do it. Fearing that this would lead to never doing anything because I didn’t have the perfect plan, I mustered up the courage to do one breakfast. The next week Adam asked if we could do it again. And then he did it again the next week. He’s grown to love the routine, and you better believe that I’m going to maximize this for as long as he wants to do it.

Books Read - August 2018

Last December I set a goal to read 30 books during 2018. I also decided, for the sake of accountability, to post what I'm reading to my blog and facebook. I'm happy to say that after eight months I'm up to 28 books.

Here's what I read in August.

Necessary Endings, by Henry Cloud
You may know that I have stepped down as pastor of Neighborhood Church. This was a very difficult decision, and this was one of the books that helped to give me the courage to make it.

In Search of Deep Faith, by Jim Belcher
I absolutely loved this book. My only regret is that I did not read it before we went to Europe. The book is about the author's family's 9 month trip to Europe. He tells the stories of C.S. Lewis, William Wilberforce, Vincent van Gogh, Corrie ten Boom, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, among others. Highly recommended!

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis
Speaking of C.S. Lewis, after reading Jim Belcher's account of his life, my family decided to read this book out loud together. We had never read any of the Narnia books, but knew the stories of the first two quite well and thus decided to begin with this one.

And then three novels...
Artemis, by Andy Weir
I didn't think this one was nearly as good as his first novel, The Martian, but it was still entertaining.

Hellbent: An Orphan X Novel, by Gregg Hurwitz
I like listening to books like these while I'm working around the house. Nothing I have to think too hard about, but entertaining nonetheless.

The Broker, by John Grisham
I've read this one a couple of times. Same as above. Plus it's set in Italy.

Books Read - June and July 2018

In December I set a goal to read 30 books in 2018. I'm up to 22 at the end of July. I didn't write a post in June, so here are the books I read in June and July.

First, a couple of memoirs...

Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me: A Memoir...of Sorts, by Ian Cron
I've had this book on my shelf for several years. I wanted to take one paperback on our trip to Europe for times when I couldn't, or didn't want to, read my kindle. This was the book. It's a good read.

All Over the Place, by Geraldine DeRuiter
This is a travel memoir, and a hilarious one at that. I saw it in a bookstore a year or so ago and starting thumbing through it. I thought it would be a good light reading for the trip.


Next up, a couple of novels...

The President is Missing, by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
I thought this was a really good novel. It's about the doomsday that could come with a cyber attack. It's definitely fiction, but it was a reminder that we do live in scary times.

The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
I had read this book before, but since we were going to a few of the sights mentioned in the book I thought it would be good to read it again.


Finally, a variety of non-fiction...

American Kingpin, by Nick Bilton
This is the story of Ross Ulbricht, the guy who created the Silk Road, which was an ebay-like site where you could buy drugs, guns, and a slew of other illegal items.

Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot, by Mo IsomI read this book through the lens of a pastor but also as a parent. It is as honest an account of the power and destruction of sexual sin as I have read, but it's also the story of grace and hope. 

The Burden is Light, by Jon Tyson
Jon Tyson is one of the voices that I continue to listen to. This book juxtaposes the normal way of life with the way of Jesus. The topics are practical ones that impact us all.

Books Read - May 2018

I'm a little late on this post. April was busy as I was trying to wrap things up before my sabbatical started, so I actually started a couple of these then.


The 12 Week Year, by Brian Moran & Michael Lennington - One of the problems with annual goals is that you don't start feeling the pressure until the last couple of months. Because the deadline is 12 months away, there's no sense of urgency. This book encourages the reader to view a 12 week period as a year. Each 12 week period stands on its own. It has its own set of goals, strategies and rewards. Sound enticing? Get the book. It's great!

The Accidental Anglican, by Todd Hunter - I first read this a few years ago, but I picked it back up because I've missed liturgy in my life. This is a great story by a guy who I've admired from a distance for a long time.

Everything Belongs, by Richard Rohr - This is my #1 read of the year so far. At the beginning of May I went on an Ignatian Silent Retreat at this place. It was such a good weekend. This book was in the library, and I picked it up my first night. Unlike a lot of other Rohr books, this one is short. I read it pretty quickly, and then when I got home I purchased the kindle version so that I could take notes. This is a book I'm going to come back to.

The Escape Artist, by Brad Meltzer - A little fiction for the month. It was just ok.

Books Read - March 2018

For 2018 I set a goal to read thirty books. In order to keep that goal I decided to track them on my blog.

This month I read three books.

First up...God's Wisdom for Navigating Life, a devotional by Tim & Kathy Keller. We're in a series on Wisdom at Neighborhood Church, and this has been one of my go to books for prep.

Next...The Day the Revolution Began, by NT Wright. "Wow" is all I can say about this book. It's the best theology book I've read in the last year. Highly recommended for those who want to better understand what happened at the Cross.

Finally, one novel...Gray Mountain, by John Grisham.

Books Read - February 2018

In an effort to increase accountability for my goal of reading 30 books in 2018, I'll be posting the books I've read each month.

Here are the four books I read in February...

First up is The Sacred Enneagram by Chris Heuertz. It's the second book I've read on the Enneagram. I thought this one was fantastic.

Next is The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. I read this several years ago but thought it would be a good one to come back to. I had no idea how much this book has impacted so many people, including me.

Next up is So You've Been Publicly Shamed, by Jon Ronson. I checked this out a the library simply to read one story for the purpose of sermon prep, but I couldn't put it down. One note: I skipped a couple of chapters that were more "mature" than what I was looking for.

Finally, one novel. I'm a sucker for David Baldacci. His latest from the Will Robie series, The End Game, was good. Not great but good.

Books Read - January 2018

It’s the end of Month 1 of 2018. I feel like I did a good job setting goals for the year, but I also feel like the key to seeing those goals realized is to divide those annual goals into quarterly and monthly ones. The reason is accountability. December 2018 feels a  long way away, which means there’s less urgency to attack in January.

One goal I had was to read 30 books in 2018. I’ve had development goals before, but I’ve never really kept up with them. This year will be different, and one of the ways it’s going to be different is that I’m going to share the books I’ve read on my blog.

So for January, I read (or listened to) four books.  Two were fiction (The Poet and Two Kinds of Truth, both by Michael Connelly. I mostly listen to fiction while I’m doing chores.  It works for me, and Mandy doesn’t complain!  The other two books I read were:

1.  Your Best Year Ever, by Michael Hyatt - This book is all about the right kind of goal setting, which made it a great start of the year book.

2.  Rest, by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang - The subtitle is “Why You Get More Done When You Work Less.”  Is there a better subtitle than that!  This book was incredible. I know it’s just January, but I feel like it could be a top 3 book by the time the year is over. Highly recommended.

2015 Top 10 Lists - Books

It's going to be tough to choose 10, but here we go (in no particular order)...

First, a couple of books on money...

The Big Short, by Michael Lewis
I've continued to be intrigued by the financial crisis, especially as it pertains to real estate lending.  A great documentary on this topic is Inside Job, and I also recommend the movie Too Big to Fail, based on the book by Andrew Ross Sorkin.

Money - Master the Game, by Tony Robbins
As long as you can deal with a little hype ("what I'm about to share with you in the next chapter is going to change your life!!!"), this book is really good.  I still haven't finished the entire book (it's almost 700 pages long), but I've put into practice several things...and it has changed my entire life!!!


Next up is fiction.  I read, or listen to, pretty much everything that John Grisham, David Baldacci and Michael Connelly put out, but I thought I would add two books from new-to-me authors.

The Martian, by Andy Weir
I purchased both the kindle and audible books for this, and during our California/Oregon Adventure I went back and forth between reading and listening.  The movie is great, but the book is even better.

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
I can't remember where I first heard about this book, but I'm glad I read it.  The two themes of the book, the 80's and video games, are not themes that I'm really into, but I couldn't put the book down.  Armada is his second book, and it's great as well.


Gay Marriage is a pretty divisive topic in our culture today, and our church has continued to wrestle with how to be love and walk with our gay friends.  I've read a lot on these topics this year, but these two books were the most helpful.

Redeeming Sex, by Debra Hirsch
Quite possibly the best book I read this year.  I'm excited that Debra is going to be in Memphis at the end of February!

People to Be Loved, by Preston Sprinkle
I just finished this book.  I appreciate his posture in writing.  He's very humble and doesn't back away from the challenging questions that the church must wrestle with.


Here are two books I heard about while listening to podcasts...

We Learn Nothing, by Tim Kreider
I heard about this book from Tim Ferriss' podcast.  It's a book of essays, and it's hilarious.

Everything that Remains, by Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus
These guys, aka the Minimalists, were interviewed by Rob Bell on his podcast.  This is their story.  I also recommend this more practical book of essays.


These two books were most helpful for sermon prep...

A Fellowship of Differents, by Scot McKnight
I just finished up a five month series called Church=Family.  This was one of my primary influences.

The Story of God, the Story of Us, by Sean Gladding
I'm getting ready to start a series on the grand narrative that is the Bible.  This will be the book that I recommend to our folks at NC.


Bonus:  These last two have probably influenced me more than any others.

The Power of Vulnerability, by Brene Brown
So this is not a book but a workshop, but if you've never ready anything by Brene Brown, this is a great place to start.  It covers material from her first three books.  Her writing continues to shape me in pretty profound ways.

The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning
A year ago I felt that I needed to start 2015 off by re-reading this book, and I'm so glad that I did.  I wanted to go back to the message of grace, and I feel that I've been coming back to it throughout the year.  This is one of those books that I feel like I need to read every few years.

2015 Top 10 Lists - Moments

2015 was a great year.  These are some of my top moments.  As I reflect I'm truly grateful to God for all that He's done!

10.  Bella - 2015 marks our family's first full year with a dog since we had Jack.  We love her.  She's such a smart and loyal dog, and the boys take turns sleeping with her each night.

9.  House - We built a 250 sq ft screened porch this summer, and it is fantastic.  It became my primary office for much of the fall, and I'm looking forward to the many memories we'll have in that space through the years to come.

8.  Travel - This summer we spent two weeks in California and Oregon.  We started with a week in Oakland & Yosemite, then drove north for a week, in the process making stops in Mendocino, Etna, Ashland, & finally Portland.  It was definitely an adventure.  And this fall we all went to Washington D.C.  Micah was still a little young to truly appreciate it, but it was perfect for Adam.

7.  Music - For a long time making music was a part of my job.  Now that it's not, I am finding myself having so much fun.  I'm in my fourth year with the Memphis Men's Chorale, I love playing at NC under Kirk Smith's leadership, and I just played in the band at our fourth annual Wassailing for Water Party.  We also love having a piano in the house.

6.  Work - I've been a real estate agent for over five years now, and as much as I love it, this year I got to try my hand at renovating two houses in my neighborhood.  My partner Rob and I brought new life into century-old houses, gave meaningful work to our crew, and have added two awesome families into the Annesdale-Snowden neighborhood.  Hoping to do more of this in 2016.

5.  Neighborhood Church - NC turns 8 years old in a few weeks, and I am so grateful to be a part of this family.  We continue to wrestle through the challenges of how to be a faithful witness in our culture today, but I continue to be grateful by what God is doing.

4.  Turning 40 - There are definitely some negatives that go with this (such as how sore I was the other night after playing basketball for an hour with 5th and 6th graders), but overall I've loved the start to this new decade.  I feel more "comfortable in my own skin" than I ever have.

3.  Micah - Not a day goes by that this little guy doesn't make me laugh.  I love his personality and creativity, and I can't wait to see how it continues to develop!  While at Kanakuk this summer Micah decided that he wanted to give control of his life to Jesus!

2.  Adam - Earlier this fall Adam and I started a weekly tradition of having breakfast together.  Adam normally picks the place (his favorite is Bob's Barksdale), and we read a chapter from this book.  I want to create rites of passages for the boys, and this is how I'm starting.  This has been a really cool transition year for our relationship.  I think Adam and I are going to be good friends.

1.  Mandy - We celebrated 16 years of marriage this summer, our 20th Christmas together, and we're about to celebrate 10 years in Memphis.  There's no one I'd rather share these milestones with!


Honorable Mention - Star Wars

BONUS - Mandy has put together a video with highlights from our year.

2015 Top Ten Lists - Music

Another good year for music!

First up...two of my favorite bands released new albums this year.  They never fail to impress!


Mumford and Sons

Coldplay





Next up is one of my favorite artists of all time.  Mandy and I got to see him live this year at the Orpheum.  I haven't been as much of a fan of his last few albums, but this one is great.  Sorry there's no video.

Harry Connick, Jr.




Did you see the movie Chef?  It's a great movie for so many reasons.  The soundtrack is one of the main ones!  Once again no video.

Chef




Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me is an incredible song.  Bon Iver's cover (with S. Carey) is even better.

Bon Iver




I discovered this next band on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.  I'd really like to see them live sometime.

The Family Crest




S. Carey started out as Bon Iver's drummer.  Now he has his own gig.

S. Carey




I'm not sure how I heard about this next guy, but I've played his music as much as anyone else this year.

Olafur Arnalds




My favorite song we sang at Neighborhood Church this year was United Pursuit's Simple Gospel.

United Pursuit




The last two songs (and yes, I know this makes it a Top 11 List, but who's counting!) feature the human voice and the human voice alone.  First, a choral piece by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo.

Voces8




Finally, a cover of Cover of Mumford and Son's After the Storm

The Swingles

2015 California & Oregon Family Adventure

We are getting ready to head to the Portland airport and return to our lives in Memphis.  It's been a great two week adventure, and here are some of my highlights...


Weather - I hear that it’s going to be 100 degrees for the next few days in Memphis.  That’s so sad.  The weather here on the west coast was wonderful.  Crisp and cool in the morning.  Sunny but not too hot in the afternoons.  And most of all, NO HUMIDITY!!!

Books - As someone who has purchased primarily kindle books over the past several years, I must say that after spending some time by myself at Powell’s last night, physical bookstores are great.

Food trucks - I look forward to living in a world where there are great food trucks in every city.  Mandy isn’t quite as fond of food trucks as I am, so I shall pray for her.

Memphis - I know that Memphis has a bad reputation in many parts of our great country, but I have to say that there were times in Oakland and Portland where I was more cautious walking around than I am in Memphis.  Case in point:  yesterday we saw a man walking on the street, yelling and with a paper bag over his head.  Never seen that in Memphis.

Friends - While in the bay area we got to catch up with friends.  Grateful that even though years have passed and we're separated by 2000 miles, we can pick up like no time has past!

Walking - Mandy was tracking our miles walked.  She said we walked around 60 miles over the two weeks.  For Micah and his little legs, that’s got to be the equivalent of over 100, right!  And speaking of mileage, Mandy says that we logged over 4000 miles of driving this summer.  No wonder I’m tired of driving.

Creation - our family’s verse for our two week trip was Psalm 19:1 - "The heavens declare the glory of God.  The skies proclaim the work of His hands."  We all memorized it while at Yosemite, and throughout the trip we recited it back to one another.  During our time I was reminded that our God loves beauty.  Whether it was the granite rising up thousands of feet into the sky at Yosemite, the canopy of Redwoods we saw driving to Mendocino, the ocean crashing against rocks as we curved above on Highway 1, looking up at the stars (and even a planet) from a meadow in Yosemite, or seeing Mt. Shasta and Mt. Hood peeking above the clouds as we drove on interstates, my response each time was one of awe and gratitude.  This trip was so good for our souls.

Family - Finally, the four of us made some great memories that we’ll hopefully never forget.  We laughed a lot.  We rested (a bit).  Mandy and I broke up the occasional fight between the boys, but for the most part they did great together.  The boys got to experience culture in ways that they normally don't.  I’m grateful that we could spend this time together! 

2014 Top Ten Lists - Apps

There are a number of apps that I use on a daily, or at least weekly, basis.  Here are the ones I rely on most (in no particular order).

1.  Dropbox - I've been using Dropbox for several years. It serves as a cloud backup as well as a simple way to access files from all of my devices.

2.  LastPass - I finally have a good handle on my passwords.  I feel much more secure, and it's a breeze to use.  It again syncs across all of my devices.

3.  PDF Expert - This may well be my most important iPad app.  I use it to write real estate contracts as well as when I teach at NC.

4.  Nozbe - After trying out several task managers, this is the one I landed on.  I'm currently using the free version.  I have three "Projects" set up: Personal, Neighborhood Church, and Real Estate.  Everything falls under one of those.  From there I can note what type of list it is (email, meeting, phone call, etc) and then give it a due date.  Syncs across all devices.

5.  Evernote - I put a lot in Evernote - perhaps too much.  My biggest challenge is to keep it organized by tagging it and putting it in the proper folders.  Some of the ways I use evernote: recipes, real estate contacts, sermon brainstorming, blog posts, notes from phone conversations, kindle highlights, and travel itineraries.

6.  Kindle - Sometimes I miss the feel of a paperback, but tradeoff is that I absolutely love having my entire collection of books on my iPad.  The other thing that is amazing about the kindle is that I can access all of my highlights and notes.  What I normally do after finishing up a book is to save all of the notes in Evernote.  It's great for referencing later.

7.  Zinio - This year I've been doing much of my magazine reading on my iPad.  Subscriptions have come down in price, but the real game changer is that I just learned that I can borrow Zinio magazine issues for free from the library.  I was already doing this with kindle and audio books.

8.  Audible - I enjoy listening to books while I'm driving and when I'm doing chores around the house.  The Audible iPhone app is great, and now that they are owned by Amazon, there is more integration between Kindle and Audible.

9.  Feedly - I started using Feedly after Google discontinued Reader.  I have several categories of blogs and websites that I read on a regular basis.  It's simple to add new content, and it's once again syncs across all of my devices.

10.  Pocket - Finally, there's Pocket.  I love this app!   When I come across an interesting article or blog post in Feedly, I save it to Pocket to read later.  Within Pocket I can tag articles, which I use later for research.