A few things I like, in no particular order:

+ My kids. They are amazing. Talking about them makes me want to go and peek in on them while they sleep so soundly in their bunks. So cute. They make endless crafts, pretend magnificent worlds, cuddle, clap at new sunlight. They keep me sane even though they sometimes drive me otherwise.

+ Martial arts movies. Even if the plot stinks, I have a very open mind towards this genre of film. I know this is a consistency problem, as I will staunchly oppose the merits of Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, but I'll defend to the death Jet Li's ability to land in stylish poses and stand on one hand so he can kick a guy in the side of the head. Recommended watching: Hero. Fist of Legend. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Wheels on Meals (just the fight between Chan and Urquidez in the latter...the rest of the movie is WEIRD). Guilty pleasure: Kung-Fu Hustle, Kill Bill Vol1 and Vol2 (which I saw edited for TV, so watch with trepidation).

+ Martial arts. I don't look at martial arts like I do martial arts movies. I've participated in MA enough to appreciate it properly. I never got into it so I could kick someone's behind or be "the best" or to get into a ring. It helps me stay fit, focused, and happy. My participation lately has been more corporate than physical, but even that has been a lesson in responsibility and priority. The dojo I am a member of (website in transition) focuses on Christianity and God-designed living. This is perfect for me and is a powerful influence for a great life. No, I can't handstand kick anyone in the head, but if you give me five bucks I might try.

+ Food:
- Take n Bake Pizza. I've been spoiled by our local Papa Murphy's pizza store. They are insanely kind and their Chicken Garlic pizza wakes me up at night dreaming about it. The ONE time they got our order wrong, they hand-wrote a note and gave us coupons for free pizza.
- Stir-fry. Steamed up veggies with some chicken tossed in, etc, etc. Goooo-ooood.
- Taco-Time Meat Tubes. Okay, they're actually called "Crisp Meat Burritos", but some friends of mine renamed it. I eat fewer of these than I used to, on the grounds that I'd like to live past 40. Ground beef deep fried in a crisp shell wrap. So good. So wrong. Also in this category: Sonic's Chili Cheese Coney.
- Tim's Cascade Jalepeno Potato Chips. No words. Just order them. Do this of your own free will.
- Wow, that was almost all fatty foods. Hrm...

+ Star Wars. The story captured thematic elements of the Holy Bible itself without even realizing it, making it universally relevant to nearly anyone who watches it with an open mind. It touches on the Holy Spirit (although redefined...God IS all around us, but not at our command), redemption of the lost, fighting for a cause despite the weight against you, laying down one life for the good of many, bearing burdens even when you think your life is written in another stone. I literally grew up watching these films. Some of my earliest memories include standing in line at theaters. I played the games, read a few of the books, picked up on uncommon lore (amaze your friends!), and (in case anyone wonders) never dressed up. My sister was much better at that. She's always been a good sport for a theme party.

*I'm watching Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King right now. Also thematic religious content infused in it. Love it, love it, love it. Just so you know, Faramir doesn't try to turn in the One Ring in the book version.

+ Disc Golf. Outdoors in the summer, walking in nature, playing a sport. I call that a good time. I've never been one to want to go regular golfing alone, but I'll go disc golfing alone. I have great memories of playing the game in college before it was very popular and we had to make up our own courses.

+ Softball. Baseball was never my speed. In my opinion, softball was developed so that people who couldn't cut it in baseball could play a park-and-rec sport and not injure themselves too badly. I've been known to stay around after MY team's games are over and try to get into a game with another team who's short one player. I love the fans, the fun, the community of players, running as fast as I possibly can, and trying to sneak that ball right inside the 3rd base line. I once got an infield homerun on such a hit. *nostalgia*

+ LAN Parties. I love getting a bunch of gamers together to eat good food and play console video games in a relaxed environment. I've helped plan a couple "official" ones, but most times I've just met up with some great coworkers and gamed the night away. Now that we're older, we're more into the day-LAN so we can sleep at night. We'll often take up residence in someone's garage or run cable all over someone's living room to hook us all together. There's nothing like beating a good friend in a game and giving them that smug smirk and "You did very well even though you lost" speech, knowing full well that they *almost* beat you this time and will be bringing a very tough "A" game in the future. Classic party games: Mario Kart, Crash Team Racing, Street Fighter (any), Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament (any), Wii sports, and many more.

+ Games. Different than cards and video games, board games are a whole other category in my life. I am happy to invite people over and center the evening around a board game. I'd gladly have 4 other guys over to wage war over an all-day strategy game or get a group of friends out to shout over Outburst. We play a lot of Catch-Phrase with our church small group. I love the community games create. My earliest relationship with my brother revolved around board games. I think this just adds fuel to the game-loving fire.

+ Cards. For some reason, I've played cards since I was a kid. I didn't choose to pick them up; I just happened to be in the right places for social gaming at the right times. As a kid, my dad and I played Cribbage. This carried on to many games with my Grandpa and Grandma Swaim, whom I have lost to more times than I can remember. In grade school, my brother and I played thousands of games of "War"; my sister and I played "Golf" and a few made-up games. Our family also had a pastime of playing "Nerts" at home or with friends from church. This tradition continues even today. In late grade school and early high school, I picked up "Spades" and a dozen variants from around the US, tossing me into a new culture of cards. By the time I went to college, I became known as a guy who would skip class to play cards. I once spent 7 and 1/2 hours in the student center of Harding University, playing nothing but Spades. I did cheat once that day, but I blame that on Cantre, who always started the game by announcing that his team would begin to blatantly cheat if behind by more than 300 points. It is hard to know what to do when your teammate's card-loaded shoe is nudging your thigh under the table and you've told the other team you're gonna do it. Did we get away with it? Yes. But I never chalked it up as a "W". I never cheated in cards with anyone else but Cantre. He and I had two modes of playing, and I accepted both.

+ Ministry. I'm listing this next since I just talked about cheating at cards. I love my God. There is nothing on this earth that can take me from Him or Him from me. I love the church and the imperfect people in it. I love figuring out how to reach people's hearts for Christ. I love being there for people. I hope everyone figures out Christ in their life. I get frustrated when ministry doesn't work how everyone thinks it should. I love people who try. I love people who fight for God. I love people who can look past the hypocrisy that we commonly suffer from and see the free gift God has given us. I love it when humanity looks past the here and sees the kingdom of heaven. I mediate on God's word in my heart day and night. I try to sew it into the fabric of every piece of my life, even if it appears tattered at times.

I'm tired. That's enough sharing from me. Anyone who cares can share some of their favorites, too.

__!