Every waking hour I'm chosing my confession

For me, R.E.M. is the quintessential depressing music for happy people... or the happy music for depressed people. One of the two, I'm not sure which. They are however one of the few bands that I can listen to no matter what mood I'm in. And sometimes, that's a good thing. Many of their songs bring to mind deeply personal memories - from Everybody Hurts, to Shiny Happy People, or Orange Crush.

And then there's Losing My Religion. Every time I hear that song, I can't help but smile. I can't help but blissfully sing along. "That's me in the corner. That's me in the spotlight, losing my religion." But, where Michael Stipe lost his faith in the spotlight, that's the place I found mine.

That's me in the spotlight. And yes, I'm wearing leather pants. For about two years I helped manage and promote The Tommymonsters - three of the best friends I've ever had. Once, I took the stage with them... for their Halloween show. I played along for two songs- Gazillion Miles and Journal (the only two that I knew how to play). These two pictures are more to me than just one concert on one night. They represent a huge part of my life. From the time I was in high school through the time Bekah and I got married, I was involved in the local music scene in some way, shape, or form. Even now, five years later, I still find much of my identity in music.

I discovered my faith because of music. Defined myself through music. And experienced some of the most phenomenal personal growth and learning around other musicians. Without that influence, I would not be who I am today. If I were to rewrite R.E.M.'s classic, I'd sing "That's me in the corner. That's me in the spotlight, finding my religion."

Steve's the guy in the Mexican sombrero. Tommy is wearing the Oriental straw hat. Nate (behind the drum set) had an afro wig. I went with the rockstar look. Enjoy the pictures of me in leather pants. And go listen to music that brings you joy.