Yesterday, as the first big snow of the year hit Seattle, I sat in Hotwire Internet Espresso Cafe and listened to the 20th anniversary, re-mastered version of U2’s The Joshua Tree, which my friend Danny Walter had just picked up. And the thing just shines. It sounds better than ever, and the bonus disc of b-sides and rarities has some big surprises.

So I’ve been thinking back about just how much inspiration I’ve drawn from their music, and how much I’ve learned about artistic integrity and service from the way they’ve lived their lives.

This morning, snowed-in at home, I’m sitting here sipping Bewley’s Irish breakfast tea (appropriately), listening to Irish Christmas music, and browsing headlines at Thunderstruck.org… and I stumble onto onto this new article about Bono. This kind of profile of the legendary lead singer pops up every few months, it seems, but it always challenges me to ask if I’m doing what I can with the resources and opportunities given to me.