I spent most of last week parked in my chair. I was working hard to finish the first draft of my new book. On the day before I turned it in, I sat at my desk for 12 hours. It was no surprise that my back was sore—really sore—by the end of the day.

My first instinct was to buy a better chair. But after reading an article by Dean Karnazes in Runner’s World, I realized that the real problem was the sitting itself.

Since that time, I have been using my standup desk and feeling much better. Then I stumbled across this very compelling infographic from Visual.ly. Wow.

We all know the physical benefits to running. I won’t waste your time by repeating them here. However, people who don’t run, often miss the non-physical benefits. To me, these are even more valuable than the physical ones.

This week, I have been running outdoors. I have chosen to run in the heat of the day—usually when the temperatures are 90° or more. I know, I’m crazy. But I am loving it.

In addition to losing a few pounds, I have enjoyed three non-physical benefits. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but they are highly compelling to me.

1. Running provides me with “think time.” I don’t know about you, but I am so busy these days that I rarely have time to think. Yet, I know instinctively that I really can’t accomplish anything signicant without serious reflection, dreaming, and planning. Running affords me this opportunity. Just today, I thought through the outline for a new book I want to write—and this blog post.
2. Running provides an opportunity for personal growth. Often, I listen to audio books, podcasts, or courses when running. This has become the primary way I “read” these days. The great thing is that I find myself looking forward to running, because I am eager to get back to what I am reading. For example, I am just finishing up Fast, Effective, Copywriting by David Garfinkle. I have been pushing my running mileage just so I have more time to listen and learn!
3. Running provides the chance to recharge. It sounds counter-intuitive, especially to non-runners, but running actually gives you more energy that it consumes. Some people think, I can’t run or walk. I just don’t have the energy. What they don’t realize is that if they would just do it, they would be more energetic for the rest of the day. Running clears your mind, improves circulation, and eliminates toxins. I never feel better than right after a good run.

I have often told my wife, Gail, “Whatever you do, please make sure I keep running. Nothing I do pays more dividends than this.” Who knew that there were so many non-physical benefits?

We live in a world that is desperate for fathers. I am not just thinking about the millions of children who grow up without the benefit of a biological father. I am talking about the need for men who act like fathers and are willing to assume the role of fatherhood—with their families and in their communities.

This beautiful infographic tells the whole story about Father’s Day with some interesting facts about fatherhood in general. I am offline today, choosing to disconnect from Twitter and Facebook to reconnect with my family. I hope you will do the same.

After attending the services at our church last night, I am still speechless. Good Friday commemorates perhaps the greatest mystery in the history of the world. How is it that God Himself—the Creator of the Universe—can suffer death at the hands of His creatures?

Last night, our church observed the ancient service of the Twelve Passion Gospels. Though I have participated in this service more than twenty times, I never cease to be amazed—and deeply moved. I am almost always brought to tears, as I contemplate God’s extreme love for us.

The climax of the service comes in the procession of the Cross, right before the reading of the sixth Gospel lesson. The church is completely dark, with the exception of a few candles. Our pastor, carrying a large wooden cross, sings the following hymn during the procession:

Today is suspended upon the Tree He who suspended the land upon the waters. (thrice)

A crown of thorns crowns Him who is the King of the angels.

He is wrapped about with the purple of of mockery, who wrapped the heavens with clouds.

He receives smitings—He who freed Adam in the Jordan.

He is transfixed with nails, who is the Son of the Virgin.

We worship Thy Passion, O Christ. (thrice)

Show us also Thy glorious Resurrection!”

I hope that in the hustle and bustle of this week, you have the opportunity today to stop and reflect on this holy mystery and what it means for your life.

While it may be Friday, Sunday is coming. It was true in Jesus’ life. It will be true in yours. On the other side of suffering and death lies the hope of the Resurrection. This is our expectation and comfort.

Financial advisor and author, Dave Ramsey, says that one of the keys to financial success is to spend less than you earn and do it over a long period of time. The key to weight loss is similar. Burn more calories than you consume and keep doing it until you reach your target weight.

This is also the premise behind LoseIt.com, a Web site and app that Gail and I have been using since the first of the year.

Actually, Gail started using it first. She joined a fitness class at a local gym. One of the requirements was that each of the class members had to use LoseIt to track their calorie intake and exercise. Each day, LoseIt sends her fitness coach a summary of the previous day. Talk about accountability!

After seeing Gail’s progress, I decided to give it a whirl for myself. Here’s how it works:

1. Set up your account and goal. It’s easy, and it’s free. In addition to the web-based program, you can download the iPhone app (also free). This comes in handy when you are on the road or away from your desk.

   When you sign in for the first time, LoseIt walks you through a simple wizard. You record your beginning weight, height, birthdate, etc. You then chose a plan. You can chose to:

   • Maintain current weight
   • Lose 1/2 lb per week
   • Lose 1 lb per week
   • Lose 1 1/2 lbs per week
   • Lose 2 lbs per week

   Based on your current situation and goal, LoseIt tells you how many calories you can assume per day and then calculates exactly when you will real your goal—assuming you follow the plan.

2. Begin recording your food consumption. LoseIt has an extensive food database, including most major food brands and even restaurants. You simply pick the meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack) and then select what you ate.

   If you can’t find the food in the database, you can create a custom food or entire recipes. (You can also share these with others.) Each time you add a food, LoseIt subtracts the calorie count from your total daily budget. As a result, you always know exactly how many calories you have left for the day.

3. Begin recording your exercise. This is my favorite part. LoseIt also has an extensive database of exercise routines. Just like the food module, you can also create custom exercises and routines. When you exercise, LostIt adds back calories to your daily total.

   For example, my daily budget is 1,427 calories. If I walk at 4.0mph—which I have been doing during these cold winter days—I get a credit for 665 calories. This means I can consume 2,092 calories on that day and still hit my goal. This motivates me to exercise, because I am immediately rewarded with extra calories I can consume.

4. Regularly record your weight. You probably shouldn’t do this every day—your weight will fluctuate too much. What you’re looking for is a longer-term trend. Once a week is probably sufficient, though you can choose any frequency you want.

   You can even connect the Withings WiFi Body Scale to LoseIt and it will automatically transmit your weight and your BMI data. If you are in the market for a new scale, this is a good option, though it’s expensive.

5. Use the “Motivators” module. This could also be called the “Accountability” module. You can tell LoseIt to send you a text message, reminding you to record each meal or just one message at the end of the day. You can define when you want to receive each message. You only receive a message if you have forgotten to record a meal.

   In addition, you can email your daily summary to an accountability partner. If you are brave, you can even send your summary results to (gulp) Twitter or Facebook. It only posts when you log an exercise, your weight gain or loss (not your actual weight) and when you have achieved your goal.

LoseIt.com also provides extensive reporting. Since all the foods in the database provide full nutritional information, you can monitor, for example, your weekly intake of cholesterol, sodium, carbs, fat, or protein. You can also see charts of your weight trend over time and many more.

For achievers like me, who want to see their daily progress, LoseIt.com is great tool. The app even awards you “badges” along the way. So far, I have collected eight different ones. No one other than Gail sees these, and they have zero monetary value. But for some reason, they really motivate me. It’s kind of like when my piano teacher gave me a gold star for playing a musical piece well.

This blog post has absolutely no point, other than a good laugh. Kick back and enjoy the fun! Thanks to my brother-in-law, Jack, for sending this link to me.

For many evangelical Christians, the word eucharist is a scary word. It suggests ritual, sacrament, and liturgy. For them, this seems to be the very opposite of a personal relationship with God through Christ.

But eucharist is word that all Christians, regardless of tradition, should embrace. It is no accident that for two thousand years it has been central to the experience of millions and millions of Christians.

The term comes form the Greek word, eucharisto—“to give thanks.” Not only should this behavior be central to the life of every Christian, but it is that which distinguishes man from every other created being.

All of creation owes its existence to God. As the Apostle Paul noted, “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Only man has the capacity to offer thanks to God for life and every other blessing.

Other animals can walk upright. Some even seem to have the capacity for language. But, so far as we know, man alone has the capacity to realize that he comes into the world with nothing and leaves with nothing (see Job 1:21). Everything in between is a gift—and worthy of offering thanks to the One who provides all things.

This is one of the many reasons I love the Thanksgiving holiday. While I thoroughly enjoy getting together with my family and sharing a meal together, I especially look forward to reflecting on the past year and offering thanks to God for his many, many blessings.

When people ask Dave Ramsey how he is doing, he typically responds, “Better than I deserve.” That expresses my sentiment exactly.

This is a technical post for power users who want to setup a vanity URL shortener for HootSuite. Admittedly, it is off-topic for most of my readers. This is something I wanted to do, and it turned into a bigger project than I anticipated. So I thought I would document my experience and post it for posterity.Hopefully, it will save others some grief.

As you may know, a URL shortener is a way to take long Web site addresses and shorten it to a fraction of its size. This makes it much easier to share links via Twitter and other social media services where you have a limited number of characters to work with.

Bit.ly is perhaps the most popular of these services. You can take a long URL like this:

http://michaelhyatt.com/do-you-make-these-10-mistakes-when-you-blog.html

And shorten it to this:

http://bit.ly/cFoSHe

HootSuite—the Twitter software program I use to manage my Twitter account—has it’s own built-in URL shortener: ow.ly. The same link above becomes this:

http://ow.ly/3d5SC

The cool thing is that the HootSuite Pro now offers the ability to create your own “vanity” URL shortener. This makes it possible to use your name, your company’s name, or a brand name as your URL.

For example, I bought the domain mhyatt.us. This gives me the ability to transform the long link above to this:

http://mhyatt.us/3d5Xy

I really had hoped to secure the domain hya.tt, which was only six characters long (counting the period). However, it would cost at least $1,000. (The region of Trinidad and Tobago sets the price.) I may be vain, but I am also cheap!

Here are the steps you need to take to setup your own vanity URL with HootSuite:

1. Secure a short, custom domain. The shorter the better. I use GoDaddy.com for all my domain registrations. Frankly, I am not that crazy about it, but, as the largest domain registration service available, I want a service that won’t suddenly disappear—along with my domains.
2. Sign-up for a HootSuite Pro account. This will cost you a minimum of $5.99 a month. It has a number of features not available with a free account.
3. Buy the optional Vanity URL support. This will cost you $49.99 a month, Frankly, I think this is way too high for such a simple service, but I was willing to sign-up in order to see if a vanity URL would drive more traffic to my blog.
4. Map HootSuite to your custom domain. This was the most difficult part. When I signed up for HootSuite’s vanity URL, I got a really obscure email that said:
   

   Please ask your network administrator to point your vanity domain’s DNS record to the following address: lb1.ow.ly

   Maybe it’s because I am technologically challenged, but I could not figure out what to do with this. I appealed to @HootSuite_Help via Twitter, asking for help. Sadly, it took them several hours to respond. They sent me two links, neither of which were helpful. However, I eventually figured it out on my own.

   With the help of Brooks Bayne (via Twitter), I converted the lb1.ow.ly address to a numeric IP address. This gave me an IP address of 75.101.155.42. I then went into GoDaddy and created a new “A record” that pointed to this address:

   

5. Set up your vanity URL in HootSuite. Click on the Owl graphic (in the upper-left hand corner), then select Settings | Preferences | URL shorteners. Then click on “Add Vanity URL.” Add your vanity domain name.
6. Wait for the DNS change to resolve itself. When you make a change to your DNS service, it takes 24–48 hours to propagate across the Web. Be patient. If it doesn’t work immediately, this is normal.

Once you have done this, you should be able to select your new custom domain in the URL field. As soon as you do this once, it will become your default choice.

So far, I am really enjoying this feature of HootSuite. It is too soon to tell if it will cost-justify itself. I am watching it closely.

Several days ago, my wife, Gail, forwarded to me a Franciscan benediction that she had received from a friend. I thought it was so good, I just had to share it.

Warning: this is completely counter-cultural to the feel-good, prosperity spirituality that is so popular today.

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
And turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen”

Whoever thought that someone would intentionally pray for discomfort, anger, tears, and foolishness? I don’t know anyone who prays like this.

In the last 48 hours, we have had 10–15″ of rain in and around Nashville, Tennessee. I have lived here for 26 years and have never seen rain or a flood like this. It was eerie last night to watch National Guard trucks roll by in front of our house with soldiers in full camouflage and helmets.

Here are just a few quick facts:

• The park where I normally run, was turned into a lake.
• All the roads in and out of Franklin, where I live, were closed.
• The mayor of Nashville has declared a state of emergency. The governor is attempting to get Nashville declared a federal disaster area.
• The Cumberland River, which winds through downtown Nashville, rose more than 50 feet—a record. As I am writing this, First and Second Avenue are under water.
• Thousands of homes, basements, and cars are filled with water.
• Entire neighborhoods are still submerged, leaving thousands displaced. Thousands more are without power.
• So far, eleven people have died.

Yesterday morning, I spoke with a friend of mine, Andy Reese, who happens to be a flood engineer. He said that this is the worst flood in Franklin in more than 500 years. (They have written records of the biggest flood in the last years. They have geological data going back more than 500 years.)

Thankfully, Gail and I experienced little damage. We had an inch of water in the basement and a leaky roof in one spot that created some sheetrock damage upstairs.

However, my sister and her family weren’t so fortunate. They had a foot or so of water in the first floor. It destroyed their flooring and some of the sheetrock. In fact, we are headed to their home shortly to help. (The roads just opened here, so we can drive through.)

We also closed Thomas Nelson today. As far as I know, we didn’t have any water damage at our corporate headquarters or at our warehouse. However, we were concerned that our employees could not get into work. More importantly, we want them to be free to deal with their own issues or help out with their family, friends, and neighbors.

My blogging may be a little irregular this week. I would be grateful for your prayers as our community deals with the aftermath of this storm.

Last Friday, I watched the Tiger Woods press conference in amazement. I was stunned at his candor. He didn’t sugar-coat his sin. Instead, he repeatedly acknowledged the magnitude of his wrongdoing and the scope of its impact.

It is worth reading or watching the statement in its entirety. It contains several important lessons. However, these three paragraphs summed up his thoughts:

The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable. And I am the only person to blame. I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in.

“I knew my actions were wrong. But I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them.

“I was wrong. I was foolish. I don’t get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me.”

I’ll be honest: I was moved by Tiger’s confession. It is rare for celebrities to accept responsibility for their sins, understand the full scope of the damage they have caused, and express such remorse for their actions. At the end of the press conference, I tweeted:

Almost immediately, I received several direct messages from people who thought I was naive. One person wrote, “It was totally scripted. I don’t believe a word of it.” Another said, “It was a PR stunt. He’s just trying to salvage his sponsorships. He will be right back at it once he’s away from public scrutiny.” Still another wrote, “If I were his wife, I would have dumped him long ago. I could never forgive someone who had cheated on me that many times.”

Maybe they are right.

However, during this season of Lent, my church prays an ancient and beautiful prayer by St. Ephraim the Syrian (ca. 306–373). It says,

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, faintheartedness, lust of power, and idle talk.

“But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to your servant.

“Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sin and not to judge my brother, for You are blessed from all ages to all ages. Amen.”

I have been especially struck by the last sentence. Consequently, I am trying to avoid the sin of unforgiveness, especially during this season. Jesus stated plainly: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14, 15).

Based on this, whenever someone confesses their sin as Tiger did, I have at least five responsibilities:

1. Resist the temptation to judge. It is not my place to judge Tiger or anyone else. I don’t have to account for his sin. That’s his responsibility to bear alone. I have plenty to account for myself, thank you very much. Instead, I should feel compassion. As the old saying goes, “But for the grace of God go I.”
2. Accept the apology at face value. It is not my job to determine if Tiger is sincere. (How would I do that, anyway?) As Tiger himself said, “My real apology to her [i.e., Elin, his wife] will not come in the form of words. It will come from my behavior over time.” Is he done repenting? No. He is just getting started. But he has begun well. And for that, I should be grateful and affirming.
3. Believe in the possibility of change. Cynicism is easy. It costs me nothing. Belief, on the other hand, requires risk. He may be lying. He may fall again. He might betray us all. But if people really cannot change, then what hope is there for any of us? One of my core beliefs is that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). No one is beyond the reach of God’s redemption.
4. Extend mercy and grace. Justice demands that we pronounce him guilty, dismiss him from further consideration, and move on. But Mercy requires that we refuse to condemn him. Even more astonishing, Grace insists that we extend to him what he does not deserve: hope, patience, and love. Though he doesn’t deserve this, he needs all of it. Without mercy and grace we are all lost.
5. Pray for transformation. Tiger seems to understand—as all self-acknowledged sinners must—that he cannot overcome his sin alone. He needs help. His journey has just begun. The road ahead is long and difficult. He will need human assistance, to be sure. But more importantly, he will need God’s help. This is where I can play a role by refusing to cave to cynicism and judgment. Instead, every time I am tempted to go there, I can pray that God would transform him into the man he could be.

Tiger’s story is not that different than mine. Yes, it is perhaps more severe and more public. But in the end, sin is sin. It is only a matter of degree. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). If there is hope for me—or for you—then there is hope for Tiger.

May God help him to find his way home and reconnect to the One who gave His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).

Yesterday was hard. A business deal stalled. I didn’t make much progress on several key projects. I was discouraged. And toward the end of the day, I learned that a friend had died. I just wanted to go home, put on my pajamas, and go to bed.

But I had signed up to attend the Recreate Conference. (What was I thinking?) Last night was the opening night. It was to begin with a mixer, then dinner, and finally a concert. As an introvert, this is not what I enjoy. It takes lot of energy to jump into the midst of a crowded room and be … well … pleasant.

Fortunately, I managed to miss most of the mixer. When Gail and I arrived, we found a few of our close friends and hid in the shadow of their company. Unexpectedly, I had a very pleasant dinner conversation with a few Twitter acquaintances. I began to sense that my mood was shifting. I stopped brooding over my own problems and became immersed in the conversation.

Finally, Amy Grant took the stage. There she was in Puckett’s Grocery in downtown Franklin, Tennessee, a few blocks from my house. Only about 115 of us were in the room. Amy sang with a small band. Acoustic guitar. Informal and without pretense. Just her and her art. A gift. Unexpected. And deeply moving.

I was completely swept up in the moment. I forgot about the day. I stopped worrying about the future. For a few precious hours, I was lost in her music. Overwhelmed by the beauty and the wonder of God’s goodness in giving me this unexpected gift, I teared up several times. This always happen to me in the presence of beauty. It is a clue. Suddenly, things come back into focus.

Meanwhile, as we sat in the restaurant, it had begun to snow outside. This, too, was unexpected—and beautiful. By the time we left, a couple of inches had accumulated.

Gail and I walked home in the quietness of the snow-covered lawns and streets. I could hardly speak. The day that had seemed so hard and so present just a few hours before had vanished. I had been healed and restored by an encounter with an artist and her art—and serendipitously, the Artist and His art. My heart was full, once again surprised by unexpected beauty.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about “Why You Should Sign Up for a Half Marathon”. I provided eight reasons why you should get off the couch and out the door. Today, I want to take that challenge to the next level.

My eighth reason to run the half marathon was to help raise money for a worthy cause. That cause is New Hope Academy, a school in Franklin, Tennessee, committed to turning racial division, class segregation, and poverty into community, possibility, and vision.

A few years ago, I visited the school. It was almost in my backyard. I wept at the beauty of what I saw. It was a rainbow of diversity—black children, white children, brown, red, and yellow. There were children from wealthy families and children from poor ones. Together they were an icon of the world Martin Luther King envisioned when he thundered,

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that one day … the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood….

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character… I have a dream that one day … little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

But to grow this dream and expand upon its vision, New Hope needs additional funds. Therefore, I want to invite you to sign-up to run (or walk) with the Powered by Hope team and help us raise $50,000.

The first 50 people who sign up to be part of our Powered by Hope Team will receive the following FREE benefits:

• A complete online training plan
• Weekly group training in Nashville with the Jeff Galloway organization
• Weekly training and motivational tips for your training journey
• Official team jersey and t-shirt
• Friday luncheon before the race (April 23) with me at the Thomas Nelson headquarters
• Private tour of the Thomas Nelson facilities
• Race day group photo
• Private VIP team tent at race finish

Here is what you provide as a team member:

• $105 registration fee for the Country Music Half Marathon
• Donations totaling a minimum of $1,000 (special prizes for those raising $2,000 or more)
• Refund of the $105 registration fee if you meet your fundraising minimum
• Transportation and lodging to the race and other events (April 23–24)
• Run or walk the Country Music Half (or Full) Marathon

Note: The deadline for registration is Friday, January 15th at midnight, CDT.

Raising $1,000 is easier than you may think. Powered by Hope Team provides the necessary training and recruitment materials, including sample letters, emails, and social media strategies. Last year, I got started late, but raised way more than the minimum in one day! I am convinced that with the recession people’s values have shifted and they want to help causes like this.

In addition, I plan to run with the Galloway team every Saturday when I am in town. So this is an opportunity for us to meet face-to-face. I love getting to know other runners and walkers who are committed to making a difference in the world.

To get started, all you have to do is register here. Once you do that, you will be on the team and get the instructions for what to do next.

P.S. If you don’t want to run, but would like to sponsor me, I’d be grateful. One hundred percent of the money goes to New Hope Academy. Thanks.

I stumbled across this video in one of my RSS feeds. Honestly, it is difficult to believe that people like this still exist. It is embarrassing. It just goes to show you that religion—in the worst sense of the word—is still alive and well. Frankly, it makes it that much more difficult to communicate the true nature of Jesus to the world.

David Wilcox, maybe my favorite singer-songwriter, captures this in his song called “Good Man” from the album Vista. It says,

Let me apologize in advance
For the way my friend behaves
He’ll pick a fight and take a holy stance
He’s so proud that he’s so saved

I hope you don’t judge Jesus
By the things my friend will say
He holds a bible like a dagger
And he twists it just that way

He just loves conversation—like a cat loves a bird
I guess he’s always been a good man—in the worst sense of the word

The good knights went out to save the day
In the age of the crusades
A sharp sword on a tortured soul
They were sure the point was made
Any tool can be a weapon
If it’s used with that intent
The devil’s great at quoting scripture
And confusing what it meant

So all the evils done for Jesus —it is a history so absurd
But there will always be a good man—in the worst sense of the word

They ‘jacked a plane to make a sneak attack
They were trained to die in flames
Their last words were to God above
Just to praise His holy name

For all the terror and destruction
They felt no sense of shame
You gotta wonder why religion
Can make people so insane

But their devotion was unquestioned—follow straight and never swerve
The devil always needs a good man—in the worst sense of the word”

This is the first thing I thought of when I saw the video above. By the way, David’s new album, “Open Hand” is fabulous. I highly recommend it.

After I finished reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, I bought a pair of Vibram FiveFingers shoes. I have been running in them now for five weeks. I am loving them. The only negative is that I am continuously having to explain them to curious strangers. In fact, three people stopped me today in the space of three miles.

As a result, I thought it would be helpful to share my responses to the nine most common questions I get. If you’re thinking about buying a pair, maybe this will help you.

1. Why do you run in those things? Because I like running barefoot. However, I can’t always run on safe terrain. Running in the Vibram FiveFingers is as close as you can get to running barefoot and still have some protection. They provide a thin layer of rubber than keeps you from getting cut or bruised on sharp rocks or glass.
2. Why would you want to run barefoot? Twenty-five percent of all your bones are in your feet. Your feet are a marvel of biological engineering. They are designed to adjust your stride, distribute your weight, and minimize the impact on your joints—on the fly. Unfortunately, when you encase them in modern running shoes, your feet lose contact with the ground. They don’t adjust. They aren’t free to do what they were made to do.
3. But aren’t running shoes designed to provide cushion and prevent injuries? Yes, but according to McDougall, despite supposedly huge improvement in shoe technology, 70 percent of all runners get injured every year. This number has not decreased in decades. Interestingly, running injuries were very rare until the invention of the modern running shoe in 1972. McDougall claims, there is a direct correlation between running shoes and running injuries. In fact, the more expensive the shoe, the more likely you are to be injured and the more severe your injury will be.
4. But all the running magazines advocate the super expensive, super advanced shoes. Why? Follow the money. Running shoes are a $15 billion industry. The companies that make these shoes are not going to admit that their product is the problem rather than the solution. These same companies advertise in the running magazines. The magazines can rate the various shoes and write reviews, but they can’t challenge the whole premise behind the shoes without flushing the bulk of their revenue stream.
5. But they look so bizarre. Aren’t you embarrassed to wear them? Yes, they look weird. My kids say they look like “gorilla feet.” I was initially embarrassed, but I got over it. When people make fun of me now, I tell them, “ridicule is the last stage you go through before you order a pair!” I have several friends now running in them who initially laughed.
6. Can you run as far in your FiveFingers as you can with traditional running shoes? Not yet. So far, the longest I have run in them is 3.5 miles. Regardless, even if you are a seasoned runner, you must start slowly. Your feet have essentially been encased in casts for years. You will be using muscles you never knew you had. Some of your muscles have atrophied. I recommend that you run no more than half a mile at first and gradually increase. However, I am on-track to run a full half marathon in them in November.
7. Which model of the FiveFingers do you like best? I initially bought the Classic. They are the easiest to get on and off. However, after my son-in-law bought the KSOs, I decided to go with those. “KSO” stands for “keep stuff out.” They just feel better to me. This is totally subjective and “your mileage may vary.”
8. Do you really think you will stick with them? Only time will tell. I am admittedly an early adopter. I love new stuff. I try things for a while, and then I discard them. That’s just my personality. That’s why I haven’t blogged about the Vibrams until now. I wanted to give them a month and see if I still liked them. I do, but that could change. Caveat emptor.
9. Where did you buy your Vibrams? I bought mine on the Vibram FiveFingers web site. It was totally self-service. I got them in about three days. However, they do distribute them through some retail outlets. For example, Cumberland Transit in Nashville carries them. You can check their store locator for a local retailer in your area.

If you are a runner, I think the FiveFingers merit serious consideration, particularly if you have been prone to injuries and tried everything else. If you are still not convinced, I would urge to read Born to Run. Even if you don’t buy into running barefoot, it is still one of the best running books I have read.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I am runner. I didn’t start until age 50, so I am making up for lost time. I just finished a fascinating book on running by Christopher McDougall. It is called Born to Run. At the end of this post, I will tell you how to get a copy free.

McDougall begins his book with the question that almost all recreational runners inevitably ask, “Why does my foot hurt?” I have personally suffered through bouts of plantar fasciitis and a pulled Achilles tendon. What I didn’t realize until I read this book is that 70% of all recreational runners will experience at least one running injury every year.

In McDougall’s case, his doctors told him he should stop running. According to them, he wasn’t really built for the sport and should consider doing something else to stay in shape. He didn’t really like that answer, so he embarked on a quest to see if he couldn’t solve his problem.

Over the next several months, he interviewed endurance runners, sports physiologists, and even anthropologists. He also discovered the Tarahumara Indians of northern Mexico’s Copper Canyon. These indigenous people are renown for their ability to run long distances—often 50–200 miles at a time! It is not unusual for them to run into old age, some even running into their nineties. Yet, they rarely experience running injuries and seem to love traversing extreme terrain.

In stark contrast, he took an objective look at modern runners and, in particular, the modern running industry. What he discovers is startling. For example:

• 25% of all the bones in your body are in your foot. It is an engineering marvel, unrivaled in the animal world.
• Running injuries were essentially unknown until the invention of the modern running shoe in 1972.
• Not only is there a direct correlation between running shoes and running injuries, the more expensive the shoe, the more likely you will be injured.

The solution that McDougall discovers is at once both simple and obvious. I won’t give it away in this review because it is in large part the focus of the book. Let’s just say that it has turned my running world upside down. I have realized that most of what I believed about running was completely wrong-headed.

Thanks to the good people at Knopf Publishers, I have 24 copies of the book to give away. To get a chance at snagging one, you must take the following two actions:

1. Leave a comment below. Tell me why you want this book. C’mon: be creative.
2. Fill out your shipping information in the special form I have set up for this book.

On Wednesday, I will select 24 people, based solely on my arbitrary and subjective evaluation of their comments. If you are one of those selected, I will notify you via email. If you don’t hear from me, you can assume you didn’t make the cut.

Warning: If you are offended by rough language, this book is not for you.

By now, you have no doubt heard about the new Apple iPhone 3G S. It looks pretty cool, but I’m not too excited about the pricing—at least for existing AT&T customers. At any rate, Julian Smith, a very bright, young filmmaker, did a video tribute to the new device last week. You may remember Julian: he’s the one who created the popular 25 Things I Hate About Facebook.

So, how many pair of shoes do you have? Stop what you are doing, go to your closet, and count them. I know this sounds like a random question, but hang with me. It’s important.

When I went through this exercise yesterday, I counted fourteen pair, including two pair of golf shoes. Worse, I had just said to Gail before church, “I need to buy another pair of casual shoes to wear with my jeans.” (Before you judge me too harshly, count the shoes in your own closet.)So why is this important? Did you know that half the people in the world do not own a single pair of shoes. This includes 300 million children. They are forced to walk around barefoot, often in unsafe—even life-threatening—situations. Many of these are children.

Can you imagine what it must be like to go barefoot, not by choice, but because you don’t have any other option? When I was in Ethiopia a few weeks ago, I saw this first hand. People walking barefoot for miles just to get water. It was heart-breaking.

The truth is, I don’t need another pair of shoes. I may want another pair of shoes, but I don’t need them. They aren’t a necessity for me; they are a fashion accessory.

But for millions of people, shoes are an unaffordable luxury.

In 2004, Wayne Elsey, a shoe company executive decided to do something about the problem. In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia, Wayne was home one night watching the reports on TV. Like many of us, he wondered what he could do to help.

Then he saw a picture of a single shoe washing up on the beach. That triggered a few calls to some other executives in the footwear industry and the subsequent donation of a quarter of a million shoes to victims in the devastated countries.

A year later when Katrina hit, Wayne called the same group of friends, and they sent over a million pairs of shoes down to the gulf coast communities affected by the hurricane. He admits now that he did not expect such an immediate and generous response. This left him wondering, why not start a non-profit and do this all the time? One year later, he founded Soles4Souls. It’s simple mission? “To impact as many lives as possible with the gift of shoes.”

Since that time, Soles4Souls™ has distributed more than five million pairs (currently donating one pair every 13 seconds) to people in over 125 countries, including Honduras, Uganda, Romania, and the United States. The charity has been featured recently in Runner’s World and National Geographic, as well as CNN, NBC, ABC, FOX, and CBS. Best of all, they operate on just 2% overhead. This means 98 cents out of every dollar they raise is actually given to those in need.

This week, the charity kicks off it’s second annual Barefoot Media Week. It is challenging members of the media to go barefoot for at least four consecutive hours in public this week and report on their experience.

Various celebrities are lending their support to Barefoot Week in hopes of encouraging more participation with Soles4Souls. Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Simpson, Amy Grant, Jeff Fischer and many, many other celebrities are lending their support. About 55% of the shoes donated during this week will be distributed to needy people here in America.

What can you do? Here are three possibilities.

1. Make a financial contribution. For just $5.00, you can give two pair of shoes to someone in need. All you need to do is click here to get started. It takes less than two minutes.
2. Donate your unused shoes. You can take your shoes to a Finish Line Store in your city or town. (There are more than 3,000 locations.) You will receive a $5.00 coupon toward a purchase. Believe it or not, there are 1.5 billion pairs of unused shoes sitting in American closets.
3. Host a shoe drive. This is a fun and painless way to help a lot of people without a lot of effort. You can find a step-by-step plan by clicking here

Please help Soles4Souls “change the world one pair at a time.”

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. It is a day that we set aside to commemorate those who have died in the service of the military. It was first enacted to honor those in the Union Army who died in the American Civil War. After the first World War, it was expanded to include American casualties of any war or military action.

Unfortunately, I have never had the privilege of serving in the military. However, I am profoundly grateful for those who have. In the U.S., I fear we have come to take our national security for granted. The tragic events of 9/11 were a wake-up call. The fact that we have not had another terrorist attack on U.S. soil is a testimony to the brave men and women who work tirelessly to protect our freedoms both here and around the world.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank a few of my family members who have served in the military. Not all of these were injured or killed in the line of duty, but all served with honor and distinction:

• My Dad, Robert T. Hyatt, who served as a Marine in the Korean War. He was critically injured when a piece of shrapnel hit him in the head and nearly killed him. He received the Purple Heart. Amazingly, He was just eighteen-years-old when it happened. (He enlisted when he was seventeen.)
• My father-in-law, Col. Sidney C. Bruce (deceased), who had a distinguished career in the Air Force. He served in both the European and Pacific theaters and then went on to serve in the Pentagon as the Secretary to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
• My brother-in-law, Col. Philip W. Bruce (deceased), who also had a distinguished career in the Air Force. He graduated from the Air Force Academy. He then served in Vietnam and eventually became a highly-honored instructor at the Test Pilot School.
• My brother-in-law, Karl Bruce, who also graduated from the Air Force Academy. Like his older brother, Philip, he trained pilots. However, he focused on beginning pilots.
• Gail’s cousin, Charlie J. Loffer (deceased), who served in the U.S. Marines. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam. He also received the Purple Heart, was honorably discharged, and recently died from complications related to his wartime exposure to Agent Orange.
• One of Gail’s cousins, Mark St. Amand, who served as an Army Ranger. He was involved in the first Iraqi War, where he was shot through the stomach. He survived and also received the Purple Heart.

There are scores of others, including many, many friends who have served in the military. Regardless, I am eternally grateful to them and want to take this opportunity to honor them on this special day.

I am still trying to process my experience in Ethiopia. It was so profound that I can barely articulate it. It has been a true shift in my worldview. As I have thought about this, I have realized that “I need Africa more than Africa needs me.” This has been beautifully depicted in this video:

I would be grateful if you would consider sponsoring a child from Ethiopia. For $35.00 (U.S.) a month, you can make a huge difference. You may not be able to change the world, but you could completely change the world for one child. In fact, as we witnessed first-hand, child sponsorship has an impact far beyond the life of one child.