The Best Date I’ve Ever Had

June 10, 2014June 18, 2014 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

LaserDome

The best date I ever had was in the third grade.

It wasn’t all that romantic. It took place at Q-Zar Laser Tag Center.

And I didn’t go on the date with my grade school crush. I went with my dad.

Part of what made this date so special is that my dad didn’t ask me out in advance. He surprised me.

One day, during school, I got called up to the office. “Alex, your dad is here to pick you up,” the voice beckoned over the intercom.

I was confused. I did not remember having a dentist appointment, family vacation, or any other reason to be called out of school. Besides, it was typically my mom who would take me out to do those things.

But there was my father, standing in the office, signing me out for the afternoon. I think I waited until we were buckled up in the car, out of the parking lot and in the clear, to ask my dad where we were going.

That’s when he told me that we were going to play laser tag. In the middle of a school day. Just the two of us. Not for my birthday. Not for good grades. Just for fun. Continue reading →

The One Phrase The Church Needs To Retire This Christmas

December 4, 2013December 9, 2013 / Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

If a bell rings and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?

If a Salvation Army bell ringer stands outside a department store all day and not a single cent drops into the bucket, was it really worth the ringer’s time and effort?

If a church holds a rally and not a single soul gets saved, was it worth the church’s time and effort?

Many of us have been to a church-sponsored camp, revival or other event where we heard a speaker attempt to rouse a reluctant crowd, saying, “If only one person chooses to follow Christ tonight, then all of our work here will have been worth it.”

But what if no one came forward that night? What if no one chose to give their life to Jesus at that rally? Was the work still worth it? Continue reading →

Why God Wants To Burst Your Bubble

November 19, 2013November 25, 2013 / Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

“They probably don’t even know they’re in captivity.”

My girlfriend and I were visiting the Georgia Aquarium a few weekends ago when we heard these words. We were standing in awe of the magnitude of the attraction, blown away by the wonders inside one of the largest aquariums in the world.

One guide was telling us about fish who have been born inside the aquarium. He said those words to us, and that the water is so big these fish don’t even realize they’re not in the ocean.

Of course they don’t. How could they? They’ve never experienced anything other than the aquarium. They don’t realize there’s a whole other world out there beyond the bubble they are in.

Do we? Do we realize there’s more to our life than the bubble we were born into? Continue reading →

POP GOD POPcast: Episode 7 – Rick McKee

August 27, 2013August 27, 2013 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Welcome to Episode 7 of the POP GOD POPcast – an exploration into the lives of people seeking God in the present tense.

This week’s guest is Rick McKee. Rick is the political cartoonist at The Augusta Chronicle, one of the longest running newspapers in the south. Rick’s story is all about faith and perseverance in the pursuit of a dream. We talk about his journey from a 12-year-old drawing pictures in the back of a classroom to a cartoonist published in the Washington Post and USA Today. Plus we chat about the creative process of a daily political cartoon, the current state of the newspaper business, and some “insider” Augusta history. Enjoy this look at a creative avenue you’ve probably never learned about before.

I’m so excited to open up POP GOD and share more stories of people seeking God in the present tense. I’d love to hear your feedback. Leave me a comment and let me know how to improve things, what you’d like to hear discussed, and give me your ideas as to who you’d like to see on the POPcast.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, share it on Twitter and Facebook and anywhere else. I’d really appreciate it. Thanks. Enjoy.

Listen here:

[audio http://adoriot.podbean.com/mf/web/nqf93u/Popcast7.mp3]

Subscribe and download on iTunes.

Listen on Podbean.

Fire The Coach

August 15, 2013September 1, 2015 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Last year saw marks the launch of the SEC Network, the latest in a line of 24 hour sports networks. It joined the relatively new Fox Sports 1 and NBC Sports Network as well as the already established ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, and about 100 other “all sports, all the time” channels.

Sports dominate the American culture like nothing else. You could say sports rule the day because of fantasy teams, or because of geographical rivalries, or because live sports are “DVR-proof”.

You might even say sports rule the day simply because of the thrill of victory. But I think it’s the opposite. Continue reading →