10 Questions

Well, I thought about asking for input again on my day off, but I never know when one of the pastors are going to take a vacation day. Anyways, Derry did this last week. I thought of doing it, but was too lethargic, so lets try it. If you readers can come out of hiding with 10 questions, I will answer them...

Time for a rant

Well, this might be a little dangerous and I might step and some toes, but its time for me to jump back on the soap box for a few minutes. Hopefully the intent behind this post will be understood.

First of all, I am a recovering hypocrite. Maybe that is a little too optimistic. I definitely am not perfect and have plenty of hypocritical tendencies that I need to work on.

It all started last week. I was debating on whether to go to First Serve Sat. It came down to Friday, and I still hadn't decided if I was going to go. My weekends have been crazy for about a month now, and the thought of being gone to volunteer from 8a.m. to 4p.m. then working from 6:30 until who knows when was not very appealing to me. As this debate was going on inside my head, I ridiculed someone for making excuses for not being able to go.

Friday night I started to think of the irony in what had transpired. I started to think of all of that. I got kicked in the butt for my attitude on this. I decided that I needed to go to First Serve and that was that.

At lunch somehow I got into a conversation about how many people from our church actually participate in serving. I started to get frustrated. I don't understand how it is so hard for me or anyone else to give up a few hours of time a month.

Sunday morning in class we were going over James 1. Check out the last two verses:
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Are we making the most of the opportunities that are before us? If not, what can we do to get to that spot?

80

Today is day 80 of no pop whatsoever. I'm trying to figure out if I want to keep going, or take a couple day break, then jump back in on it. If I take a break, anyone want to do a no pop challenge with me?

200!!

This is my 200th post. Yeah, I know its cheap, but hey, its my blog. Here to more posts of me rambling about things nobody cares about and undoubtedly more posts that people will misinterpret.

The Joys of Technology

I recently bought a scanner, so I could scan some pics of years gone by. I did some preliminary experimenting to figure out the workings of the device. Thinking I had mastered the concepts, I attempted to scan about oh, 450 pics. Needless to say, results weren't as desired. I better actually read the manual or something.

I need input

Hello faithful readers, I need you help. I'm lacking the desire to think about it, but I feel I need an adventure or something... so what should I do on my day off tomorrow? Creativity may be rewarded... somehow.

Thoughts from the day

• I've been thinking a lot about the passage out of James... 3:1-2 to be more specific. It just so happened that a podcast I listened to while working was covering the same thing. Kinda funny how that is. And its a reminder of how serious a responsibility it is to be a teacher.
• I think I feel like I have the same tendencies that David. There are times I think everything is great, and other times I think the world is crashing down on me. I guess its comforting to know that someone else has gone through it before me.
• I also can relate to the children of Israel on the Exodus. Far too often I forget the many things God has done for me, and get too focused on the here and now before me. Once I take the time to step out of my situations, I can gain a clearer perspective on life. It helps to have other people around to help do the reminding.
  

A sight not ssen in a while...

I was thinking to myself that I hadn't seen a praying mantis in a while. Well, on my way to the house after church, I saw this:Ok, so maybe you aren't as excited as I was to see it. Its just one of those little things you expect to see, and when you don't see it after a long time, it makes it all the cooler when you see it. You see?

Random story

So, apparently my last post was a little too disturbing for some people out there. In light of that, here is a less disturbing random story. Or two.

Growing up, I lived in the country, but not on a farm. I might as well have, for as much time as I spent at my Amish neighbors' or at my Grandpa's. One thing that intrigued me is that one of my neighbors had a plethora of rabbits. I decided that I wanted to give raising rabbits a shot. I can't remember off hand how long I had them, but it was close to a year.

I've been to Cornerstone Music Festival in Bushnell, Ill twice. Coincidentally, in 1996, I camped several hundred feet away from the one and only Derry Prenkert before I actually ever met him. If there is one thing you need to know about Cornerstone, it is that there is absolutely nothing that is out of the ordinary.

In 2000, (the year I camped next to Theodore) I was walking down a road towards one of the venues, when I had to stop and look at a campsite. What I saw that grabbed me attention was a bunny sitting on a lawn chair. When I stopped and stared, it got up and its hind legs and stared back at me. The only thing I could do was shrug my shoulders and move on. The next pic.... I've got nothing. I needed two happier pics.
Except for...Butterfly in the sky....

Would you like a balloon?

Once upon a time, when I was a lot younger, I watched something that gave me nightmares. I don't know if I had a lot of them, I just remembered that I was scared of several things for a time in my youth.

The first thing was I was afraid to go down the steps in the basement at our house. It didn't help that that my dad would be on the other side of the steps and grabbing at my ankles, but I also remember watching a very scarry movie on video or t.v.

The second thing I was also afraid of for a while was clowns, that's right, clowns. Now I don't suffer from Coulrophobia now, it must have been just a temporary thing due to a horror movie. Does anyone know which movie?

Time for some images:If you don't know by now, this is from the movie "It" from Stephen King. I decided to watch it last night. Its not as scary as I remember, but its still pretty darn creepy. I mean a clown in a storm drain, how can that not be creepy?

Fringe

When it comes to sci-fi, it doesn't take much to hook me. I liked the X-files. I definitely will watch this. Besides, J.J. Abrams has his hand in it.

Anybody else with me?

On meeting a new Small Goup

I'm always a little anxious when it comes to the first phone calls to the guys... maybe even a bit nervous. But once I actually make the calls, I get relieved... and excited. I'm excited at the unknown. I hardly know any of these guys, and where the come from. I'm also excited to see what God is going to do in their lives. So, here is to the unknown and to what God is going to do in this next year.

Some song lyrics

The disease of self runs through my blood
Its a cancer fatal to my soul
Every attempt on my behalf has failed
To bring this sickness under control

Tell me, whats going on inside of me?
I despise my own behavior
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That I'm still a man in need of a savior

In the Light by DC Talk

Time in a bottle?

Have you seen that Zyrtec commercial with the lady that asks if you know that song, Time in a bottle? No, I don't know that song, thank you very much.

Weird dream

I had a weird dream last night. Now there are different kinds of weird. You have the ones that are just messed up, then you have the ones that are so close to reality, with maybe a thing or two slightly a skewed.

The latter is the one I had last night. Anyone know where I can find Joseph?

Light bulb moment.

As I was driving after church tonight, something hit me. I'm going to try to explain it the best I can.

Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. --Joseph responding to his brothers, after they realized that they were potentially up a creek as a result to the actions against him.

James 1: 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. --James writing the book of James.

A man with more wisdom than I told me a while back that God doesn't allow us to see the Big Picture of our lives because we wouldn't know how to handle it. He only allows us small glimpses of that picture here and there, revealing more as we are ready for it.

Now, I don't know if this is part of the Big Pic in my life, but I think its pretty cool. What if those times in my life that aren't necessarily things that harm me, but are things I don't understand, are the times that God uses to accomplish good in my life... in a sense the "saving" of my life - making me a better person through the trials in my life?

Tonight I realized that I need to not look to the future and what I want, but make the most of the opportunities here and now. In the past weeks and month, I believe God has been trying to show me to and make the most of the opportunities, the conversations, and friendships that are before me. Granted I may not understand any of these, but I think I may be on to something that will make me a better person, listener, and Christ follower. That is what I desire.

Clear as Mud? Good.

Email

Is it just me or is email going the way of the buffalo? Granted, the work email will always be a necessity, but the personal email is what I'm talking about. I think it has become more an obligation to check it, and delete the stuff that will pile up if gone unmonitored. Facebook, blogging, and text messaging has definitely taken front seat to the good 'ol email, at least in my life.

The joys of online gaming

I enjoy playing Halo 3. I also enjoy playing Halo 3 online. Its pretty amazing how you can play with people from other parts of the world. I've played with people from the U.K. and from Ireland, and Canada. I've played with people who spoke French and Spanish(I don't exactly where they're from, considering I don't comprende).

Its amazing who you run across in online play. I've played with people who are stoned or drunk(and claim they play better in that state). I've played with people who are vulgar, disrespectful, and downright annoying. I've played with females who are pretty good. I've played with kids who are Jr Highers or younger and can crush anyone. I've played with people who trash talk nonstop(its fun to politely put them in their place).

This weekend I encountered something kinda cool I met this guy who plays with his daughter on the weekends. I just thought that it was kinda cool to see a father and daughter hanging out together in a not so usual way.

Two movies

I've watched a couple of movies yesterday and today.Blood Diamond was pretty good. Is it bad that I thought DiCaprio's performance was decent?Walk the line was pretty good as well. I like Johnny cash. I think I really got hooked on Cash at Toronto Semp 4 years ago. They played a music video of his that just sparked my intrigue on the man.

Stuff

God is so good to me.

I can't allow myself to distort why I follow God. He must be the reason I do things.

Politics makes my head hurt.

It makes me want to through things at the t.v.

The End.