*Chad Jarnagin

I am very sad to hear of Michael Jackson’s passing, on several levels…

He was THE artist that inspired me to pursue entertainment in the early part of my life. Growing up in the 80′s he was IT. I even danced around on the hardwood floors of my bedroom. In my opinion, MJ was the biggest entertainer of my lifetime. The fact that Thriller is STILL the biggest selling album of all time is just one of the reasons he has been a household name for 3 decades. His artistry was always ahead of his / our time.

I was one that never wanted to believe the accusations, even-though it was hard to imagine them to not be true on some creepy level. MJ’s story is one of great art, song, music, and blurry twisted disfunction… All the strange, out of the norm actions, stories, and obvious image…

Michael Jackson dead at 50 yrs of age. Crazy. Sad. Sobering. Fame’s definition seems to be irrelevant at the end of it all huh?

Perspective- Thousands of people died on the same day as MJ and Farrah. People, children out of public awareness.

I came across this as I was studying this morning… “Too many are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death…” At the risk of sounding dramatic, deaths like MJ’s should enlighten us to a urgency to live life to the full. One of the very things Jesus came to us with / for.

The thought that even the “king of pop” stood before the “King of kings” yesterday was a sobering perspective. No matter how great, talented, influential, or popular one here on the planet is, there’s always the bigger picture. What we all do with the portion of influence that we all have?

September 2009 will bring us all some new hottness from Paramore… and I will say that it is rad!

For now, catch them on tour w/ No Doubt.

615 represent.

Last week, Jen and I took Elijah to Cincinnati for his 1st Reds game (a series in which we swept Houston). This night was like nothing I’ve ever really experienced. Elijah will probably not remember a thing from the night, but I will recall it for as long as I have breath. I come from a baseball family. An uncle and a cousin both pitched in the major leagues. My dad almost signed a minor league deal. And another uncle was a scout for 2 different major league clubs, including the Reds. Where my father and I weren’t very close, he and I always shared a love for the the game.

My dad passed away in DEC of 07. He and I were never close enough to go to a pro game together. Never close enough in proximity or relationship. Last Tuesday at the game w/ Elijah, I realized that 9 months into his life, he and I had already experienced something that my dad and I were never able to do together.

Growing up close to Cincinnati and loving the game of baseball just seemed to go hand in hand. Our beloved Reds are the heart beat of the culture. I remember going to my 1st game at Riverfront Stadium in 1982. It was magic. My step dad knew how much it would mean to me, and he eventually made it happen. I’m grateful for those memories.

I have gone on to make many trips to Reds games, and have actually performed the national anthem at several games over the past few years. There’s a lot of magic in Cincinnati for me. Everything from Skyline Chili, Graeter’s Ice Cream to coming over the hill in KY overlooking the Queen City… Now, I get to begin memories with my little boy… who I hope will grow up to be a Reds fan like his dad. If he were to end up helping the club’s pitching cause one day, I wouldn’t complain.

I have to add that Elijah lasted thru a 45 minute rain delay and the entire 9 innings. I was proud.