My Movie Star Name

Ya know, if I wanted to become a movie star, I'd have to change my name. That's because there's already an actor, registered with the Screen Actor's Guild, named Tim Glenn. His real name is actually Timothy Glenn Roberts, but I guess Tim Roberts was already taken, so he chose Tim Glenn. I know this because he's the reason my music website is http://www.timglennmusic.com/ instead of just plain timglenn.com. He beat me to it...and he's not willing to sell. Trust me, I tried for years.

So...that got me to thinking: What if I became a famous Hollywood star? (quit laughing...seriously, quit laughing...okay now you're just being rude!) Anyway, IF I were to become a famous Hollywood star, what name would I go by?

I could try to make it sound like I'm related to someone famous.
How about Tim Pitt? Tim Jolie? Or Tim Clooney? Tim Cruise perhaps? Nah...then, even if people assumed I was related to the famous celebrity, they'd just treat me like a B-list actor...like Chad Lowe or Stephen Baldwin. Besides, you can only pull it off, if you at least look a little like the celebrity. Ain't nobody confusing me with Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise these days! Ha!

I know! I have a nephew named Grey. I think he has the coolest name ever. Maybe I'll steal it from him and go by Grey Glenn. Now that would be a cool name. But it's not really fair to my nephew, is it?
Hmmm...any suggestions?

How about you? What name would you go by, if you were a movie star?

Everybody's Looking For Something

There's a lot of hype about the new Indiana Jones movie coming out this summer. I admit it, I'm looking forward to it. I love the Indiana Jones trilogy. So the prospect of a fourth installment has me giddy!

But I had never heard of the crystal skulls that are featured in the new flick. That is, until now. The Sci-Fi channel recently aired a 2-hour documentary on the mystery of the crystal skulls. It was hosted by Lester "I used to be a journalist, now I host cheezy documentaries" Holt. I'm ashamed to say I watched the entire two hours. Not because it was compelling. Not because it was even informative or thrilling. I watched it because it was disappointing. Poorly produced. And some of the people they interviewed as "experts" are people I wouldn't even allow in my home. They were just that far "out there."

To save you the heartache, I'll tell you that the entire documentary followed one man who owns a "crystal skull." (Whether it's an original sculpture from the Mayans is unkown. Of course, he claims it is.) He believes the skull is one of 13 that was either created by the Mayans or given to them by aliens from outer space. And he believes, as apparently do many people, that the skulls hold secret powers. Some say that bringing the 13 together is the only way to avoid the "end of the world as we know it." (The Mayans predicted that will happen on December 21, 2012.)

But what was really sad was seeing how many people traveled hundreds--thousands--of miles to "worship" this skull. They bowed to the crystal skull. Kissed it. Prayed to it. Performed ceremonies around it. Even though they have no idea where it came from or what its purpose is. How can someone worship an idol that they know so little about?

Like Indiana Jones, everybody seems to be on a quest. Everybody's looking for something these days. Something to fill that void. How sad it is that people are willing to put their faith in a chunk of rock...instead of believing in a Creator who loves them. I'm glad that our Savior left us a love letter that explains His plan for salvation so clearly. I'm glad that He didn't leave the answer to eternal life a mystery. I'm glad that we don't have to worship an inanimate object.

Sitcom Songs

I love sitcoms. I really do. Maybe it's because I feel such a need to laugh lately. Work is stressful. Gas prices and grocery prices are putting quite the pinch on my family. Sitcoms are a nice release. And I'm so thankful for Monday nights. Monday seems to be the toughest day of the week to go to work. But on Monday night, I get to watch 4 sitcoms in a row. First, there's Big Bang Theory (one of my absolute favorites.) Followed by How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement. Yep, Monday nights are a good time to laugh, relax and let go of the pressures of the day. If only life were like sitcoms. If only every problem was solved with a smile and a punchline after thirty minutes (22 minutes after you factor in commercial breaks!) Wouldn't that be nice? Christian music, I think, has become quite like a sitcom. On the rare occasion that a Christian song will address any real-life issues, they quickly resolve it with a happy-feel good ending. I'm not dissing that. But I wonder if there's room out there in Christian music for songs that don't resolve every issue in two and a half minutes. That's what you're going to find in my new album, So Human. Not sure how it will be received, but it's what I feel called to do right now. I want my songs to be an honest look at my spiritual journey. Yes, there's a "happy ending" to the album, but not to every song. You have to listen to the project in its entirety to get your sitcom smile. I'm not against the songs that are so popular in Christian radio today. I know there's a reason for them. But I also worry about those people who don't know God...wondering what they must think of this "happy feel good religion." Do we honestly portray Christianity in our Christian music? Anyway. Just something I've been thinking about lately...a lot.

One More Track

Hi gang!

Tonight, we will record the last track for the So Human album...a guitar track that my co-songwriter, good friend and amazing guitarist Brian will be laying down.

That means that, after this weekend, all that's left to do is mix the album! That will likely take a few weekends...into mid/late June. Once the album is mixed and mastered, it will have to be sent out for printing and duplication. That's another three weeks. So it's possible we could have the project in hand by the end of July!

:fingers crossed:

Guatemala

Hi gang! I'm off to Guatemala this weekend. I'll be gone through next weekend. This is a trip with Compassion International. We'll be working on a radio special while we're in country. The focus of this radio special will be to gather the perspectives of American youth on global poverty. So we're taking three 12-14 year olds with us to meet kids their age, living in abject poverty. We'll visit their homes and the Compassion projects where the kids go for food, fun, fellowship, shelter and after-school tutoring. While I'm in Guatemala, my wife and son are traveling to Kansas to be with her folks. Please pray for safe travel. As I've said before, I absolutely hate having to leave my son for this long. And now is such a crucial time in his development. He's 13 months old. Just starting to walk. Already saying a few words. But he's also at the point where he loves to have daddy hold him. And, as you can imagine, daddy loves that! So I'll miss that for a full week. Ugh. This is my second trip to Guatemala. I went back in December of '04. It will be great to see some of the Compassion staff that I befriended on my first trip. I'll probably write a post or two while I'm in Guatemala, just to let you know how things are going.