Picking Dandelions 2: Electric Book Review

Short review:

I really enjoyed Sarah's exploration of her own spiritual journey and was challenged to examine my own acceptance of the spiritual status quo.

Long(er) review:

I was unsure of what to expect as I opened up "Picking Dandelions". I knew the author as a friend from my college days and that it was written as a memoir. That's it, so I braced myself for a dull history lesson of a really nice person. I was quite sure there were not going to be any juicy, scandalous revelations which would be sad to read, but would certainly spice up the reading experience. I am glad to confirm that there are no scandalous tell all moments, and I am even more excited to say that I was engaged and challenged throughout Sarah's honest and insightful look at herself.

I found it to be just the right length, long enough to draw you in a provide a solid background on the upbringing that helped form her journey, yet not extended with irrelevant stories as filler. I found her writing to be fun and clever, full of 80's pop culture references (the BEST kind of pop culture references), and also honest about the short-comings of her own faith. I really admire her strength to ask those closest to her to identify her biggest weaknesses and her courage to try to change in order to become more like Christ.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who may be looking for a great read about someone who may not be unlike yourself and anyone looking for a bit of a push to re-evaluate where you stand in your faith.

You can find out more about Sarah @ http://www.sarahcunningham.org (she's also on my blog roll)
You can purchase "Picking Dandelions" @ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0310292476/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

Picking Dandelions: the Interview

I have a friend named Sarah Raymond Cunningham. I met Sarah about 9 years ago as students on the campus of Spring Arbor University (then College). I've always admired Sarah, she has an obvious passion for her faith and for living that out in real ways to impact people. A few years ago Sarah wrote a book titled “Dear Church” in effort to raise here voice about what she felt the church was missing, a church she loves dearly and wants to see meet the challenges of a new era of faith and culture.

Sarah just released a new book, “Picking Dandelions”, a personal story about her own faith and the path upon which she is being led.



Before I give you my take on the book, I asked Sarah a few questions to help you, dear readers, to get to know her better. You should read it because it's my best interview on this blog:

1. Thanks for sharing your time the readers of The Best 3 Minutes. What are the best 3 minutes of your day?

During a snow, it'd be the three minutes it takes for the news to get around to announcing the school where I work is closed. Don't get me wrong. I like my job, but few people in their right minds would turn down a free day off.

My all-time favorite minutes (in any weather) are the minutes when Justus (my ten month old son) erupts in hysterical laughter over something simple. It happens like ten times a day. Its awesome to witness someone enjoying life at that level.


2. We met back to SAU and as your friend I was interested in your book, why would someone who doesn't know you want to read this book?

A. If they are avid readers, they might get into it as a piece of literature. Its a collection of stories. Some of them are funny; almost all of them are quirky. Its a pretty easy read.

B. If they are non-perfect humans (as opposed to the perfect kind), they might relate to my plight in life--to see faith as something that prompts me to grow through my ever-present flaws and dysfunction.

C. They might pick it up just so they can claim they read a book by someone who went to school with the infamous Alex Teal.


3. What's the deal...are dandelions a simple, misunderstood flower or an invasive weed?

Haha. I think that it depends on a person's perspective. You can see a dandelion and think, I hate this weed. Its ruining my landscaping. While another person (often a little person) can see the exact same plant and pick it and give it to their mom with a sense of pride.

I identify with the dandelion that way. Its a bright, intense flower that brings wonder to children who blow its feathers into the air, but in the end, it has some characteristics of a weed. I can be the same way, intense, energetic, trying to nurture love all around me, but in the end, I'm still very marked by my own weaknesses. The great thing is, in the light of Eden, even the dandelions end up looking pretty snazzy. :)


4. Picking Dandelions is written as a memoir, but aren't memoirs reserved for old people? Why write one now?

I think memoirs used to be seen that way--as something that 80 year olds wrote in the last years of their life. Or as celebrity tell-alls about adventures in Hollywood. But in the last five, or even ten years, memoirs have grown into a larger genre of books that are just "based in someone's personal observations". Hopefully all of us, especially those who follow God, are living ongoing stories that constantly teach us things worth sharing in every stage of life. Writing is my way to bring what God is stirring in me to expression.


5. In your book, one of the key steps to initiate change in your own life was to ask people about your weaknesses. How did you get people to open up about the hard to hear truth rather than just tell you some mild bad habits?

Great question. For some people, asking them to speak to you honestly about your flaws goes against everything they've been taught. They feel like its better to shield people from truths that could offend them. But in my case, I've got a lot of like-minded friends who were raised to VALUE the people who care enough about them to help them walk through their weaknesses to a better experience.

The important factor of course is love. And at some level, shared values. If you don't agree about a basic standard of what is right and wrong, what is healthy or skewed, noble or hurtful, you might generate more friction than growth.


6. I love funny commercials, any commercials out there that you like?

There are a lot of them. I tend to like the subtly funny ones like this one--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4gsLVjI9jY-- rather than the outlandish singing animals kind of thing.

I've got a fever... and the only prescription is more Olympics!

The 2010 Winter Olympics have been playing around the clock here at the Teal household over the last week. Evan and Aaron have even caught the spirit of the games and race around the house competing in speed skating and cross country skiing (as Thomas Jansen and T. Breaker, respectively.) I have really enjoyed the winter games this year, but I enjoy them much more as a Canadian than as an American.

I grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan cheering on our athletes against the US and the rest of the world every four years. I remember jumping up and down with joy when Ben Johnson won the 100m in the '88 summer games [that gold didn't last long]. But watching the Olympics these days I can't help but feel a bit torn because of my close ties to both countries.

I have dual citizenship, but I live as an American. I have a US drivers license, birth certificate, and passport. And I am nearing the point when I will have lived in America longer than I lived in Canada (June 2012!). I have a great life here in the states and I think this is a great country. But watching the Olympics stirs up my Canadian blood.

So as I continue to watch the competitions (sans figure skating or ice dancing *bleh*) I'll be cheering Canada first and the US second.

For what countries do you cheer?

we'll be back after this brief commercial interuption

It's been a while since I've posted a fave commercial. I think this one is better than any of the super bowl ads.



What do you think?

so much to say...

I haven't blogged in a while, but soo much has happened lately that I've wanted to comment on:

- smowmageddon, or is it snowpocalypse?
- the end of Conan
- Palin writing her talking points on her hand
- Google buzz

But I'm going to skip all of those to focus on What Kate Does.

"What Kate Does" is the title of last night's episode of LOST. This final season of the most ambitious television show in history began last week and constantly seeks new ways to tell compelling, character driven, action packed episodes. One of the storytelling devices that LOST used in a powerful and innovative way during the first few seasons was the Flashback. Then in season 4 they flipped the format on it's head by inventing the Flashforward. This season they are once again transforming the way they tell the story by introducing the Flashsideways. They are basically showing what would have happened to the people of Oceanic 815 if the island had been sunk to the bottom of the ocean in the late 1970's following the "incident". It's a risky move, and I'm not sure how I like it so far, but it is exciting to see the producers continuing to take risks.

I really liked this past episode, but it seemed to me the best moments were the ones which weren't centered on Kate. Claire's baby attended by Ethan... wow... I can't wait to see who they are going to show us next (Tom? Michael?). The emergence of a Rousseau'd Claire, and revisiting the "infection" from season 1. Sawyer's heartbreak over the loss of Juliette (maybe his best scene all series). But my favourite moments were with Jack and the other Others. Over the past couple of seasons we've watched Jack fall apart over the events on and off the island that he helped put into motion. He lost confidence in himself and was confused. Now he is emerging from that depression to take lead once again. I don't that this is just a case of better writing. I think it's part of the plan of the journey and development of the character of Jack. We are actually watching a television character grow and learn.

I'm can't wait to see what is going to happen next.

Day at the DIA

Becky and I took Evan to the Detroit Institute of Arts today.

We received some free tickets in the mail and we thought about taking the whole family. Then we estimated the repair bill from a visit with all 3 of our kids and decided to just take Evan... and we had a great time! Evan enjoyed the art, but I think he enjoyed being with just the 2 of us even more.

It was my first visit to the institute and I really enjoyed it. I was especially impressed by the helpful staff. Everywhere we went people were giving us directions and smiling at Evan (but then again, he gets that a lot).

Here are a few picture highlights:








Check out more art.

To Tablet or Not to Tablet

Tomorrow at 1pm eastern, Apple will stop time.

or at least that's what the hype would lead you to believe.

The maker of the Macbook, iPod, and other desirable gadgetry has scheduled a special press conference to unveil a new product. Speculation around the industry is that they will announce a new tablet computer that will make Mac lovers drool. A tablet computer is basically an giant-sized iPod touch. It would likely be a step between the portability and a lower cost of an iPod touch and the power and utility of a Macbook Pro.

Now, I'm not an Apple slappy, but I was privileged to have the use of one of the new Macbook Pro's for several months at the end of last year. I loved it, I miss it, and the only thing that keeps me from buying one myself is the price. I don't think that they are overpriced, but you certainly pay a premium for what you get.

We were in the market for a new laptop a month ago and we were able to buy a decent PC for just under $400 where the base Macbook model starts at $1000. I hope that I can own at Macbook Pro in the near future and if the price and specs are right a Macbook tablet might be the right thing for me.

Then again they might just announce a new 100gig iPod the size of a grape.

Mo' Bunk Pics

Here are a few more shots of the boys enjoying their new beds:





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Beds of Bunk

After a lot of time and hard work the bunk beds are done!

I started this project in mid-November. We built them almost from scratch and I'm really proud of the finished product. The boys seem to really like them so far. They wanted to climb up and down the ladder all afternoon:)

We were so busy getting their room set up we hardly had time to take some pictures. Here are the first few images, I'll post some more tomorrow.

Evan the Engineer

I have an old desktop computer that has barely been running over the last several years. It was kept all these years because it stored all our digital photos and video plus I hoped to repurpose it for a basic computer for the kids to use.

Our great packing adventure has provided me with the perfect excuse to take the next step in wiping the hard drive clean and reinstalling windows. But it wasn't meant to be. After shredding the disk it just couldn't recover. I might have been able to get it back in working order, but it really wouldn't have been worth the effort. I am trying not to be a hoarder.

I was going to take out a couple of parts that I thought might be useful and Evan said he wanted to help. He got really excited about unscrewing and disassembling EVERY part. It was great. I just showed him what to do and he undid every piece by himself.

He was really into how it all came together. It was great to see his mind and personality come alive as he pulled each part out. We talked about which part what which, but he was mostly interested in the deconstruction.

He has a really analytical mind (he also loves puzzles), perhaps he has a future in engineering?

O'Brien Strikes Back!

Just a couple of days ago I blogged about NBC's new plan to return Jay Leno to 11:35pm with a new 1/2 program. They cited the low ratings for the current Jay Leno show and Tonight Show as well as pressure from the local NBC affiliates.

It seems like this just creates huge problems. The network looks foolish for making such a strange move and then totally stepping back from it after only a few months. Leno and Conan look like rejected losers for those time slots; and Conan fired back today. He released a statement that was very direct about his reaction. At one point he says:

I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of the Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

You can read the entire letter here.

Wow. I think Conan is must watch tonight. It should be really interesting to see that will happen at NBC next. This is way better than most of their programming, maybe they can just make this the new 10pm reality show.

Hoarder!

A couple of months ago Becky and I started watching a show on A&E called "Hoarders". This is a reality show, but in a documentary kind-of-way, not a game show. This is definitely a can't look/can't look away program.

It highlights the lives of compulsive hoarders and the mental health and cleaning professionals who try to help curb their addiction/habit. For those of you who don't know, hoarders collect stuff; lots of stuff; any kind of stuff... in many cases their homes end up looking like this:


It's scary to look at the way these people live. A couple of years ago I led a group of teens to clean out the house of a hoarder; we sold some of the stuff in a garage sale, the rest ended up in the trash. I couldn't believe how much stuff she had in her tiny house.

My family is spending alot of time cleaning out the house as we pack up and anytime I come across some old box or can't decide whether to keep something or not I just think of Hoarders and throw it in the trash!

I highly recommend watching this show if you lack the motivation to clean your home. I usually spend about an hour cleaning around the house after each episode.

Leno returns again

NBC has finally admitted defeat.

The Jay Leno Show has been steadily losing viewers over the scripted dramas they so boldly shunned less than a year ago. Local NBC affiliates are furious because they rely so heavily on the 10pm lead-in to their local news programming. Not only have they been pressuring the network, but Conan's Tonight Show has been consistently losing out to Letterman.

Speculation has been rampant that changes were eminent, but tonight NBC officially announced that Leno will have a new 1/2 hour program at 11:30pm.

This was a huge bombshell and basically a complete admission that their plans failed miserably. They will try to remedy the problem following the Winter Olympics, but I think it may already be too late for the struggling network. I didn't follow NBC latenight much, and I'm sure that I won't be interested now. NBC is currently renegotiating with Conan and Jimmy Fallon, it's not certain that they will agree to move back the half hour. (source)

You can read Adam's take on it here.

Will any of you miss the Jay Leno Show?

How Tweet It Is

It's no secret that the US auto industry is hurting. Living in Dearborn we've got front row seats to the whole show. Ford is in a better position than GM or Chrysler, but I've not been personally persuaded to look into their vehicles. When I was looking for a car, all of Ford's attention was on SUVs; when I was looking for a minivan they stopped making them. And I've not seen much to make me look back from my Hondas until now.

Sync.

It just keeps getting cooler and cooler. Sync is basically an in car computer that allows you to have seamless integration between your vehicle and portable devices, such as your ipod or mobile phone. At first I was pretty skeptical, it seemed that they were just throwing some flash tech into a car to be able to mark up the price, but sync keeps getting upgrades which make it more and more appealing. The latest addition reads your twitter feeds to you. You can be totally in touch with your calls, texts, and tweets while staying hands free. (source)

It's going to be a few year until we look for a new vehicle, but I might be looking at a Ford with snyc when the time is right.

Any testimonies from someone who uses it?

blogUPdate

I know it's been a while since my last entry. It may be a while until my next.

Life is pretty crazy right now, and blogging needs to take a back seat. I won't be gone long, but I won't be posting as frequently over the upcoming weeks.

Thanks for reading:)

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Our boys, Evan and Aaron, were a part of our church's christmas children's pageant this morning. They were, of course, incredibly cute and they did a great job. They also did some pretty funny things throughout the songs. Here are the highlights of the program:

Amazing Grace

I saw this on TV the other day and got super excited. I love the metaphysical and spiritual dimension to LOST and I know that the song they chose for this promo was selected very intentionally.

What's better than LOL Cats? LOL Cats re-enacting "New Moon"!

enjoy:)





































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