Skip to main content

Facebook Profile Picture

Quick story behind my profile picture. I played football all four years of my high school career and was also in the marching Band all four years. I played middle linbacker, OL, DL, and FB for football and played timpani, basedrum, and snare for the marching band. Then my senior year in the fall my acting teacher told me to try out for the spring musical. My response, I don't have any acting experience past one church play without a speaking role. She told me that I would be fine so I eventually did agree to try out for the position as "Big Jule" in Guys and Dolls. She told me all I needed to do was act intimidating and use my size on the stage. I was awarded the part mostly off size and lack of male participation in our schools acting program and Guys and Dolls is a heavily male production. The entire experience was amazing and I wish that I had been more involved in the acting program earlier on and actually applied myself in the program. I doubt I would have ever amounted to anything as an actor having decently mild stage fright. The people in the performance mostly were my friends but I was still able to make new friends and the new environment was an eye opening experience. Before Guys and Dolls I had little respect for the time commitment that the actors put into the plays throughout the years. Just as many of the actors have little respect for the time commitment and physical toll football takes on your body. To get back to the point my Facebook profile picture is an advertisement in the football program for NHS Arts department recruiting people for acting using my example of being a football player in the Spring musical.

Another ramble from a conversation that occurred earlier tonight.

Great night gaining my big brother - Steven Mann - and getting a Zestos malt. Oh ya they have them in Hotlanta. They have one in Omaha Nebraska that my Brother, Father, and I visited every afternoon while at the CWS. I got that peanut butter and banana mix, still good but not as good as in Omaha on a hot day.

All of good in GA

Paul Shackelford

Popular posts from this blog

Rise Again - Needtobreathe

I have been reading a book about the arts and Christians role in creating culture.  Steve Turner, the author, asserts a major critique that modern Christian art does not speak about real life.  The art created does not sound genuine or have any ties to real life that people outside the faith can connect with.  While reading the book I listened through this album and I think that this song does a great job of breaking the mold.  The members of Needtobreathe are all outspoken followers of Jesus but very little of the art that they produce mentions Jesus or Christianity at all.  Instead they craft creative music, written from places of pain and joy.   "Rise Again"  steps through pain that occurs in life as we see relationships stretched and torn.  The bitterness of broken hearts and friendships is then contrasted with the truth that we will get up from this pain and rise again.   "I can see us moving on, I can feel that coming on strong", the joy that comes after the

Twenty-Four - Jess Ray

Lately I have been listening to lots of music and podcasts while working and biking to work.  I was feeling a need for some new music so I turned to NoiseTrade to check out some new artists.  My favorite thus far is Jess Ray because of the honest lyrics, tastefully simple musicality and overall enjoyable listening environment.  While on my flight back to Atlanta I was struck by this song at first because of the drums that propel this song behind the walking guitar.  If I were to add drums to a track like this it would have been done in a very similar manner.  Once I got past the drums I was awe struck by the simple power of these lyrics, take a read below and follow the link to her blog to listen.   To me it was not written for an outward expression of hope or encouragement but rather as a inward proclamation to the soul.  As the psalmist often choose to sing, this song speaks inward in a call to stand up and be reminded of truth all to often forgotten.  As I gear up for the star

Alleluia - Jesus Culture with Martin Smith

Once again worship last night was Glorious!  Had a great day just chilling with my SDP folks from last summer, went up the river and just talked about the past season of life and where the Lord is leading us into.  Exciting and scary stuff but it was great to be back with some awesome people who speak some potent truth.   Last night during worship was one of many firsts...  For the first time in a long time I actually stood while I sang, for the first time in a long time I was singing from a place of Joy, for the first time in a long time I did not care how I worshiped my Lord I just worshiped.  Well its not like these things have not happened ever in my life, but I just felt so much peace during worship.  So I decided to throw the song that we just repeated for a long while up here, mainly cause I did not know the name so I was looking it up and now I am pumped, gotta buy this album!   All the angels cry out, Holy is the Lord God All the earth replies, Holy are You Thi