My friend Jared is without a doubt one of the coolest and most intriguing people I’ve ever met. And today is his birthday; he turns the big 3-0 today!

The first time I saw Jared was when he was a junior in high school. Jill and I were walking into the atrium of our current church for the very first time. We had moved to H-town from San Antonio and had left a wonderful church there where we had worked in the youth group. So I had my eyes peeled for the students at this new church, as I had a hankerin’ to get involved (it actually took me two years to finally get involved but that’s another (long) story). Anyway, I saw this kid holding court in a throng of students. I could tell he was a leader. For some reason I always remembered that, and this was months before I actually met him.

Two years later we became friends on a long van-ride back from camp in Colorado, and it’s been a friendship that has blessed me and changed me more than I can express. To be honest, I think Jared’s influence is why I blog. You see, a few years passed and Jared moved to Nashville and he invited me to begin conversing with other young guys of like mind – the Thinklings – over email. That experience expanded my horizons greatly.

And out of all that, a blog was birthed, and the rest is history.

Jared posts on his birthday today, and included in the post is a list of the things he can’t do anymore (from Esquire’s Things a Man Should Never Do Past 30)

Coin my own nickname.

Use a wallet fastened with Velcro.

Rank my friends in order of best, second best, and so on.

Ask a policeman, “You ever shoot anybody with that thing?”

Tap on the glass.

Shout out a response to “Are you ready to rock?”

Name pets after Middle Earth characters.

Jokingly flash gang signs while posing for wedding photos.

Give “shout-outs.”

See any movie with elves, mutants, wookies, or other non-human characters on opening night.*

Wear Disney-themed neckties.

Air drum.**

Eat Oreo cookies in stages.

Call “shotgun” before getting in a car.

Dispute someone else’s call of shotgun.

Have any furniture that involves cinder blocks

Say “two points” every time I throw something in the trash.

Say goodbye to anyone by tapping my chest and even so much as whispering “Peace out.”

Life just got a whole lot less fun.

* That’s b.s.

** Drat!

One thing I’m sure Jared will do now that he’s past 30 is get his novel published.

Happy birthday, Bro. I love you.