caught somewhere between real life, simple faith, & raw emotion
Jason In Real Life
ORDER MY BOOK NOW!!!
015 years
HOT OFF THE PRESS!
I just wanted to let you know you can order my book RIGHT NOW directly through me. No, my official site isn’t up yet. But I can take orders here immediately.
I also have BETTER deals than any of those sellers on amazon. When you order direct with me here is what I am doing to help boost your personal economy (This way you can order for yourself, your cousin Ted, Aunt Betsy, Dad, the person in the cubicle diagonal from you, the gas-station clerk etc.):
1) $2 off the retail price of $14.99
2) An additional 10% OFF orders of 6 or more (enter coupon code: 10off)
*No login or registration necessary for specials. And please shop with confidence using our secure site.
It’s Coming!
015 years
My book hits next week! I really thought I’d be able to sell it early on my site, but there are some glitches building it. Watch over the weekend. I still may have it ready for order early.
Thanks for your patience!
Pot, Gays, & Pentecostals
415 years
I will be doing some interviews on radio and tv over the next few weeks.
I recently got an email from my marketing company. This was a response from one of the Christian television programs after they looked over my book in consideration of an interview. It’s pretty funny. It’s also sad:
Very sorry, but this will not work with our audience.
I would love to meet Jason, interesting guy, but the book has a general, cynical feel to it.
Other problems are…
… marijuana ok
use of “damn”
people can be “born” homosexual
mocking of Pentecostal services
(Understand that we are a charismatic/Spirit-filled network,
but I agree some things actually deserve mocking 
)
They really took my book out of context and totally missed the point of
my message. These statements are not exactly correct. They completely missed. Not to mention, they could really benefit from
understanding and participating in the dialogue I present in my book. Hopefully, they’ll change their minds.
Dear Diarrhea
015 years
My oldest son (6 1/2) likes to draw and write stories. Recently, my wife bought him a journal to help him write down the the things he’s thinking. This weekend I was reading through it when I came across an entry about his little brother (4 1/2) that made me laugh like crazy:
February 12, 2009:
Logan had a wet fart.
One of the Best Questions Ever from My 6-year-old
015 years
So last night we were eating and I was looking over the 2nd proof of my book. I was inspecting it for final print when my 6-year-old asked me some questions:
“How many chapters are in your book?”
“10.”
“I thought there were 25 or something.”
“Nope. Just 10.”
“You don’t really hate Christianity, do you?”
“Well, not really. It’s just a way of saying how you feel about something when you’re in the middle of it and it’s really hard. You’re mad at the moment. But not really mad all the time.”
“Oh. So which one is the most important chapter?”
I was stunned by a 6-year-old. It was such a great question. I couldn’t even answer.
I guess I better think of one soon since it hits March 1st…
“My Precious” First Copy of My Book
115 years
So I got my first copy of my book. It’s actually a proof so I can check for mistakes. There are three (minor at that) that need to be fixed, but other than that it looks amazing. It’s surreal. It’s so weird to have this object of my last 3 years of efforts, 5 years of dreams, and lots of our savings. I’ve been holding it and bringing it everywhere with me since I got it Friday. I even made my wife sleep on the couch so I could be alone with it. Just kidding!
Don’t worry, it will be available soon. March 1st is approaching…
I LOVE/HATE My Birffday…
015 years
I know this week has been all about me. I am sorry for that, but there has been a lot going on–with my book cover getting done, it officially hitting March 1st, and me giving free copies away.
I’ll get back to talking about other stuff besides me next week. I promise!
But there is one more day of all Jason: today is my Birthday. I am not ashamed to admit my age or that I haven’t gotten okay with the idea of getting older. I just do it in a way that is a little easier to swallow–today I turn twenty-sixteen. That’s how I like to think of it. Another thing you can do is to say that you are getting ‘older’ (like I just did) rather than saying you are getting ‘old.’ Believe it or not, it does sound younger when you say it like that.
This is going to be a BIG year for me. A MAJOR life-goal will be
accomplished–that of getting my first book out. And we have also
decided to try to have another child. We have three boys and we really
want a girl. Lord willing, we will tackle the insanity of four kids
with great appreciating and excitement.
But today is filled with the things I love: food and time with my family, and more food… Oh yea, and I can’t forget: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA TONIGHT! HELLO!!
And thanks to everyone who has wished my a Happy Birthday. Even though I am getting older, it is very nice to have the well-wishes.
Have a great weekend!
Jabba in the House
815 years
![[Image: Star-Wars-Jabba-the-Hutt_l.jpg]](http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/080215/Gangsters/Star-Wars-Jabba-the-Hutt_l.jpg)
I have been enjoying the new Star Wars: Clone Wars cartoon with my kids. It’s awesome! Of course, most things Lucas does are.
Anyway, last night the kids were playing Star Wars with lightsabers and laser blasters when I noticed something.
My oldest son was repeating entire portions of Jabba’s dialogue from the movie and show. It was hilarious!
And then I started thinking, it’s funny b/c he’s 6. But it won’t be so hilarious if he’s still doing it at 25. It’ll keep him single forever:
Toota mishka Jabba du Hutt?
For now, he does…
Super Mega Ultimate Official BOOK RELEASE Date: March 1!!!
415 years
Well, it’s official. My book’s release date is set.
10 Things I Hate About Christianity will hit the streets on MARCH 1st!
It will be available through all
the major retailers, amazon, and anywhere else books are sold. And I
will also have MAJOR discounts available on my site.
March 1st will also begin my media campaign. So you just might hear me on the radio in your neck of the woods. You can keep posted here on my blog to check my schedule.
So tell your friends, relatives, neighbors, second and third cousins, dog, cats, and birds to get ready to get my book (please!).
[And did I get published? Or have I taken matters in my own hands? More on that later this week…]
Happy Fatliving Day!
015 years
Sure it’s called Thanksgiving, but let’s be honest. It’s really a day dedicated to fat things.
We wake up and start with cinnamon buns and coffee. Mmmmm. Warm. Sweet. Seconds please…
A couple hours later we start with the appetizers. Chips. Shrimp cocktail. Dip. Candy.
While digging into the apps, we sample what we’re cooking. All the while, the house smells delightful.
And then the table is set and we dig in. Turkey. Gravy. Smashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes. Warm bread. Stuffing. Oh yea!
And then there are the leftovers for the next few days. HELLO!
Oh the glory! I love this meal more than most. It’s a highlight of the year for me. Yes it’s true, I love food. Why deny it? It’s a day dedicated to fat things and I love it!
Have a great holiday! And I’ll be back next week with posts. Just taking a break. I’m probably trying to figure out how to eat what I want and not get fat at the same time.
Any ideas?
My Kid Sings Queen
016 years
So my kids heard a Queen song one day when we were driving around. They loved it and asked us to download some of their songs, which is a testament to how amazing that band was. So we loaded there iPod shuffles with some Queen tunes (that their grandmother so irresponsibly bought for them).
And there was my oldest, rockin’ around the room and playing air guitar. He was singing We Will Rock You. But he didn’t have it quite right:
You got mud on your face
You big disgrace
Makin’ your bed all over the place
This made me laugh hard. Although I appreciate the intrinsic value of teaching kids to do their chores through catchy songs, I did correct him. I was tempted not to though.
And I did inform him that he still had to make his bed in the morning.
A Star Wars Halloween
516 years
So here are my boys in their Halloween duds. There is Darth Maul, Darth Vader, & Jedi Master Yoda.
Yes, I LOVE Star Wars so this was amazing. And it was even all their own idea (except for the baby). Yoda was the obvious choice after my two oldest boys decided on their costumes. The baby’s short and bald, so Yoda was the perfect choice.
It was a good night. Before trick-or-treating we went to a BBQ. It was there we met a 20-year old college kid who asked my oldest (Darth Maul) who he was dressed up as. I said:
Are you serious? Where have you been?
He responded:
I’ve only seen one Star Wars movie. And I don’t even remember which one…
These kids today…don’t they know anything? So much of modern movie-making and story-telling owes credit to George Lucas. He changed movies forever with Star Wars.
I guess I’m getting old…
Endorsement Fell Through
016 years
Yesterday for about 90 minutes I was riding high. I received an email confirming a one-line endorsement for the cover of my book.
I had asked for a foreword, but this person that I admire and respect didn’t have time to read the whole book in order to write an adequate foreword. For all he knew, buried in chapter 7 could be the revelation that I drink poison and handle snakes. But I understand. He gets a request for one every day and he can’t possibly read every book to make sure he can feel confident enough to vouch for it.
So instead I asked for a one-line generic, but positive, endorsement. Something like that could go a long way for a no-name writer like me. It could give me an edge for marketing and even be the thing that could help me recoup my costs.
I thought I got a yes. But it seemed too easy. So I emailed back and forth to confirm. Alas, after about 90 minutes, I realized I had misunderstood the email.
So the answer was no.
Boohoo…
I’m Back & Buzzing from Unified Underground Conference
316 years
Well, I spoke at the Unified Underground Conference this weekend. I am going to talk in more depth about some things a learned (and hopefully grew in) coming up. You won’t want to miss that. But here are a few thoughts for today:
1. Loyal Thurman (yes, his real name) and crew did a great job on the conference. Considering resources and other limitations, it was amazing. The experience was top-notch. A few glitches in execution, but what do you expect when working with punk/hardcore peeps? Putting together a 3-day event with underground sub-cultures steeped in attitudes of non-conformity is no easy task. Much respect.
2. There are tons of bands still doing it and working at their passion. I connected with some bands who played and members of other bands that attended (but didn’t play @ the conference). These bands/people I am very fortunate to know and call friends now. So if you can, go see them when they are in town and buy some of their merch. They are Sleeping Giant, A Plea for Purging, FBS (Fight Before Surrender), OCD (Our Corpse Destroyed), Red Baron, Debtor, Flatfoot 56. I’m going to see FBS in ATL Wed.
3. There are some awesome guys doing ministry and building churches for people who are rejected by mainstream culture. If you’re in the area, here are some churches you might want to check out. Rise Above Church in San Antonio, TX and The Anchor Fellowship in Nashville, TN. Skip and Joshua are great dudes with compassionate hearts for people who are rejected by mainstream culture. I also want to give Shawn Jonas (formerly of Zao & Symphony In Peril) some props. He’s doing youth ministry @ New Life Church Huntington, WVA. So if you’re going there, give him a shout.
Some quick highlights for you. Stay tuned for some personal insight…
Unified Underground!
016 years
I’m out. Flyin’ on a jet plane…
I’ll be speaking at the Unified Underground conference tonight. I will also be there all weekend attending it.
So blogging will be lite. But I will update when I can.
ROAR!!!!
FREE Strongarm Songs for Your Listening Pleasure…
316 years
If you don’t know, I used to sing scream in a pretty heavy band called Strongarm. It was a great experience and still one of things about my life that I am most proud of.
It’s strange, but even though I quit in 1996, I still get emails every month from fans of the band regarding the lyrics I wrote. I am always surprised that people remember the band. It’s truly an honor to still have a lasting influence.
So here are 2 songs for your listening pleasure.
And enjoy the Darth Vader sample!
Working On My Talk
016 years
I’m working on my talk for Friday. I’m the the keynote speaker that night at the Unified Underground Conference.
I’m getting excited. The name of my talk has changed. Now it’s called “Undead Rising.”
They have a whole zombie theme going (which I love). It should be fun.
I also look forward to connecting with some old friends from back when I was in Strongarm.
Author 101 University Crash-Course
116 years
I went to Author 101 University Crash-Course with my friend Bob Franquiz this week. It was amazing.
I have to admit, I got sick of seeing sweater-vests and dreads. There was quite a strange group of people there.
The speakers were Mark Victor Hansen, Rick Frishman,
Brendon Burchard, Robyn Freedman Spizman, David Hancock, Jill Lublin, James Malinchak, Alex Carroll. For me Hansen and Malinchak were the best.
Overall, I got challenged on things like:
*Titles
*Marketing
*Radio contacts
*Working with nonprofits
*Agents
*Contracts
*Editing
*and a whole bunch more
If you ever get a chance to go to the next one, do it. It will be extremely helpful as it informs and focuses you as you tackle your first writing project. The price was very fair considering how much you get. I highly recommend it.
It also got me considering self-publishing again. We’ll see…
Launch Seminar
1116 years
I’m going to a Launch Conference for people starting churches.
No I’m not starting a church. But one of my best friends, Bob Franquiz, is leading it with Nelson Searcy. So I just want to check out what he’s doing.
Looking forward to it….
I’m In Wikipedia!
216 years
I’ve reached another level in my life. I accidentally discovered that I am in Wikipedia.
That is to say, the band I was once in, Strongarm, has an entry there. I still get floored that there are remnants of the band I helped start. It’s a pretty good feeling knowing that what you did has had lasting affects.
So click the link above and check it out. It’s fairly accurate in what it says.
*On a side note, I am going to a writing conference this week with my friend Bob, so I’ll probably be lite on the posting.
