Vacation in Elberton, GA

Finally got some pics up from our family trip to Sheri's Aunt Heather and Uncle Don's house in Elberton, GA. It's awesome! Nestled in the woods on Lake Richard B. Russell, the front half is an old house, vintage late 1900's, that was transported to it's current location. They then added on a two story addition, plus basement, to the back. Though the entire house is finished in the same siding, paint, roof, etc., the interior of the original house has been left in it's original state. Walking through the entrance way you travel in time as you pass from old to new.

Casa del Griffith



The next group of shots came from the day we spent playing on this beautiful waterfall that dropped off right on the edge of a covered bridge. It was super slippery!

Caitlyn in the Waterfall



Daddy and Jeffery Sliding Down the Falls



Muscle Girls!!!



The rest are pics of us playing on the lake and boating on the pontoon boat. Richard B. Russell, formed when the Savannah River was dammed for power generation, is an amazing puzzle of deep channels and winding creeks branching off in all directions into the surrounding forest. The entire shoreline is owned and conserved by the Army Corps of Engineers, keeping it pristine and practically empty of boat traffic. Uncle Don regularly grabs a swim noodle, pops on his fins and swims for hours without seeing a single person. It is amazing.

Captain Carolyn



Captain Jeffery with Uncle Don



Captain Caitlyn



Fishing on the Old Trestle Bridge



Do I Eat This?


Cookin up the Striper



Caitlyn Flying on a Tube



Jeffery Following in Her Footsteps



Caitlyn Skiing



Thanks to everyone up there who made this an exceptional vacation, especially Aunt Heather and Uncle Don, whose hospitality is second to none!

See you all soon!

Steve Harvey introduces Jesus

I don't know if y'all have seen this before or not but it is awesome!

p.s. I know GODTube is a corny name but hey, it's got a lot of great music on it. Besides, YOUtube is blocked at work ;)

Video of the Day - Salvation is Here - Hillsong

We'll be leading off with this on Sunday, it is absolutely amazing. Wonder if we can get our guests to bounce like the crowd in the video?

And now today's pluralistic, liberal, inclusive crap..

I found this site on the Jesusisnowhere blog. Much thanks to JZ!

A little of what these "crusaders" from Phoenix stand for in their "New Vision for the Future of Christianity":

Openness to other faiths

Care for the earth and its ecosystems

Valuing artistic expression in all its forms

Authentic inclusiveness of all people - including God's
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (lgbt) community

Opposing the commingling of Church and State

Promoting the values of rest and recreation, prayer and reflection

Embracing both faith and science in the pursuit of truth

And to top it all the next line is a contradiction of their first stance:

If you share in the spirit of these beliefs - Welcome Home!

What do you mean IF. So much for openess! Hit here to go to the site.

Memorable quotes

From SOS:

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”
- C.S. Lewis

and thanks to Pyromaniacs for:

For the Christian, all misery is temporary.
For the non-Christian, all pleasure is temporary.

or more poetically speaking:

The sorrows of the godly are fleeting,
As are the pleasures of the wicked.

Good stuff, no?

The Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve;
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy;
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life;
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for-but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I among all men, am most richly blessed.

Tony, thanks for sharing this with me.

They're on their way! (prayer answered)

The call came for my daughter's teacher, Miss Gosch!! Thank you Lord! She will be flying to Vietnam with her daughter to meet the new little sister. We've all been praying hard for this to occur, and though we new it was all in His timing, the wait has been tough. We can't wait to meet the newest member of their family.

Introducing Caitlyn as.....May Belle!!!!! (prayer answered)

She did it! Our girl got the role of May Belle in the upcoming production of "The Bridge to Terabithia" at the local theater. There were at least 100 attendee's at the auditions and they only cast 15 (I think) roles. We're are so unbelievably proud of her and thank God for giving her such awesome talent and the confidence to use it! We love you babe and can't wait to help out with your play!

Starve the Flesh

Got some awesome insight from a 23 year old Rebelutionary, Ryan Farrington about starving the flesh, to train it not only to eat correctly but also live correctly. Here's part:

Are We Feeding or Starving Our Flesh?

Regular election to do easy things builds a habit of feeding the fleshly pleasures, therefore it hinders my fellowship with God throughout the day. It’s analogous to desiring good health and nutrition. Eat a fruit at breakfast or be sure to include a few carrot sticks in lunch, but otherwise eat sugary, frosted, refined-grain, and deep-fried foods. You still wish to be healthy, but by choosing all the foods that “taste good,” you are actually choosing not to have good health.

Do Hard Things, on the other hand, is choosing to eat healthful foods. It builds habits of starving the flesh, suppressing that hindrance to a closer walk with God.

Paul wrote about this saying, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27).

Why Do Hard Things? To keep the flesh in subjection and to avoid fleshly habits so that you can have a more effective relationship with God. Doing hard things in mundane aspects of life also builds discipline for doing hard things like sharing the gospel with strangers.

Galatians 6:8 “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

Pretty wise for a youngster! Read more of hime at his blogThe Pursuit of God.

Simpsonize Me!

I waited long enough, I had to go ahead and Simpsonize myself. Pretty laid back, five o'clock shadow and flip flops, what else is there?

Adam, I'm working on yours now!

A Legacy Left

A legend died today. But Bill Walsh, former coach of the San Fransisco 49ers, has left a legacy that will last for years to come. Using his offensive intellect and a quarterback from Pennsylvania via Notre Dame, the Niners won 3 Super Bowl championships and 6 NFC West division titles in the 10 years that Walsh was coach. His vaunted "West Coast Offense" has taken over the NFL and several of his protege's, including Jon Gruden, Andy Reid and Mike Holmgren, are current head coaches or on coaching staffs around the league. He changed the NFL forever and will be missed.

You can read the whole story at ESPN.

Do you remember this?

On January first the Boise State Bronco's beat Oklahoma in one of the most awesome football games I have ever seen. The comeback, the overtime, the excitement, WOW!

To top it all off, running back Ian Johnson proposed to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics on the sidelines immediately following. It was a great night for television! Here's a picture from their wedding this past Saturday.



In an unfortunate sidebar, the couple felt the need to hire security after receiving racist phone calls, letters and personal threats from some that oppose their marriage.

Shark Week on Discovery Channel

It's that time again! When hotel and dive/snorkel operators shiver in their knickers, watching sales plummet with each show. Yes, the 20th anniversary of Shark Week is on the Discovery Channel this week. Sorry I posted one day late because last nights premiere was a 2 hour documentary on the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. The ship was on a secret mission to deliver parts for the bombing of Japan when it was hit by 2 missiles and sunk. Approximately 900 of the 1,196 men on board survived the blast. Being top secret, nobody new where it was and when it was expected so the survivors were in the water for 4 days and 5 nights before only 317 of the original survivors were rescued. The deaths were attributed to lack of food/water, exposure, severe desquamation, and of course, shark attacks. It has been called the worst shark attack incident in history. If you did miss it check the listings for future show times, it's a must see!

To see the full schedule of shows go to SHARK WEEK!

In case you're wondering desquamation is defined on wikipedia as: the shedding of the outer layers of the skin.

Life Lesson Learned (or Dinner with Marso)

Sheri and I learned a hard lesson Saturday night...but first, a little history.

When I started playing on the worship team at church I was introduced to Marso, affectionately known as the crazy bald cajun. He turned out to be the most intensely real worship guitarist I've ever seen. You couldn't help but tell the Spirit was with him and it was contagious. His awesome wife is a hilarious, country-wide radio personality we never really got to know personally. They have two great children, whose behavior and personalities, make them role models for other kids at church.

FLASHBACK...Do you remember the soft spoken, black, female police officer on the "Policy Academy" movies? You know, the one who was so shy and quiet until she got ticked off and started yelling into her megaphone?

Well, that's their daughter when she gets into her Tae Kwan Do uniform and put's on a demonstration with her brother. I'd take them both for protection anywhere.

So anyway, that's how our relationship went for years until Marso left to play at a new church plant and we started seeing less and less of each other. We'd trade occasional "SUP's" on MySpace and I'd play drums up at his church every once in a while. Late last year Sheri and I left to help start Journey Church and we didn't see the Marso's for a long time.

That was until we heard He was taking an awesome job overseas and that they'd be gone for 3 years! Well now all of a sudden the urgency hit us and we had to spend some time with them. This past Saturday we all met at BD's Mongolian Grill for dinner. After a great meal and conversation we all knew we wanted to hang out longer so we headed over to the bookstore to hang out at their coffee shop. It was a blast!

A few hours later the announcement stating the store would soon be closing came over the PA. What? 10 o'clock already? Once we shared the kind of quick good-bye people do when they don't want to get too emotional Sheri and I hopped into the truck and headed home. On the way I looked at her and said, "Why haven't we been hanging out with them this whole time?"

All those countless opportunities to have a great friendship was lost because we let life get in the way. Don't wait until tomorrow because there might no be one.

Thanks guys, for a great night out. Anything we can do to help, just call us a call and if you're ever visiting let us know. We'll see you in 3 years. Keep in touch, the internet's a great thing!

7/26/07 Life Journal - A Meaningless Life?

...but I said,"I have toiled in vain. I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity". Yet surely the justice due me is with the Lord and my reward with my God.
Isaiah 49:4
I have to get it through my thick skull that NOTHING is meaningless, no matter how contrary to that it might seem. Nothing in God's plan is trivial and no human mind can know the thought of God. Pray for comfort knowing you are right where God wants you to be and He is "at the wheel" at all times.

7/25/07 Life Journal - Grow Up

For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles.
1 Peter 4:3
How long has this verse been in the Bible? How did I miss it? It's such a clear message that we (I) must all grow up, give up the desires of our youth, the partying days of our youth are over! I'm not saying life can't be fun but the responsibilities we have as professing Christ followers is enormous, let alone the responsibilities of being a husband or parent. It's time to mature in Christ. Pray for the will-power and wisdom to do this.

7/17/07 Life Journal - Take Out the Trash

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able so save souls.
James 1:21
We must constantly be aware of everything around us. No "wrong place at the wrong time" excuses. Keep our eyes and ears away from everything that will leave impurities in our minds. A cluttered brain is not a good receptacle for storing God's word and a mind caught up in the flesh is not a good instrument for learning and studying God's Word.

Can you give me a #4! A little low I think....

Gators came out in 4th place in an ESPN poll of the best football program of the last 10 years. They were behind 1. USC, 2.OHIO ST. and 3. UT (Longhorns). I can't wait for an all out Tebow attack!

For Sheri: FSU #7

and Adam: UT (Vols) #10

Lora and Shawn, remind me to get a high five!

The excrement is striking the rotating cooling device!

Nike has officially suspended Michael Vicks contract and Reebok pulled his jersey from the shelves. I don't wish trouble like this on anyone, but if he's stupid enough to have thrown away his career maybe he can take the night shift at 7-11 and give his brother Marcus a break!
Check the whole story at ESPN

Striper Fishing in Georgia

We had a blast striped bass fishing in Lake Hartwell, a portion of the Savannah river created when the Army Corps of Engineers dammed the river in a Hydroelectric power generation project. There are actually three in a chain, Hartwell, Richard B. Russell and Clark Hill (the name of Clark was changed to Strom Thurmand but don't tell the Georgia boys that). You can't get striper this far south in Florida but they run all the way up the coast to at least New York that I know of for sure. The striper shown above ran around 12#.

We were trolling with our jigs at about 42' in around 180' of water. Yes, 180' of water. The weather couldn't have been more awesome, the guide was great and we caught some fish. What could be better. The striper even tasted awesome.

Pictured below with our fish are (l to r) Jeff, me, Rick, and Cory.


More pics from the vacation when they come in!

Lord let me be like the Bereans.....

...The disputes in the church have become like the politics of the Republicans and Democrats. But this is not about running the country but something much more serious, handling the Word of God correctly...

The above was taken from a blog on Symphony of Scripture titled "Discernment and the Watchmen". Basically the post said we not only need to be practicing apologetics (explaining/defending our faith and Christianity to others) but also polemics (defending the Word of God within the Church). They use a term "Spiritually Correct" as being a sister of "Politically Correct" describing how some act today... "Don't rock the boat! Don't point out un-biblical teaching! We want a happy message, forget about all that bad stuff..." We are His watchman. Speak up!

We all should be like the Bereans. Like Jesus did with the Pharisees by going to the Old Testament to prove them wrong, the Bereans studied scripture to see if this "new craze" Paul was preaching was biblically sound. They didn't and we shouldn't assume anything is truth. If something doesn't quite ring true check it out. Go to His word. It could be the Spirit whispering in your ear.

Talk about God's mouth to my ear, I had just heard a sermon on the Bereans this morning by Danny Hodges from Calvary Chapel - St. Pete

Read the entire post here.

So long and thanks, Simeon

A major piece of our Super Bowl victory, defensive end Simeon Rice was released yesterday after a failed physical...

At the end of a busy first day of training camp, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made one more very noteworthy roster move.

Shortly before 7:00 p.m., the Buccaneers announced that veteran defensive end Simeon Rice has been terminated/failed physical. Rice was administered a physical upon his arrival at camp, as are all players.

“Every player has a different type of physical, but there’s a standard physical and it’s a player’s responsibility to report his physical conditions or ailments to the doctors at the beginning of training camp,” said Buccaneers General Manager Bruce Allen. “He didn’t feel he was capable of going. There were obviously appropriate tests given to him and our doctors concurred.”


Read the rest of the story at www.buccaneers.com

You Gotta be Kidding Me!

Just when things were clicking with the Phillies this happened (taken from Phillies Nation)

Phillies All-Star Chase Utley suffered a broken hand when Nationals rookie John Lannan hit him with a pitch in the fifth inning of this afternoon's 7-6 loss. Specifically, he fractured the fourth metacarpal on his right hand. Immediate reports from the Phillies indicated that the injury would be season-ending but both Utley and the team now deny that possibility. What is certain at this point is that the best second baseman in baseball will be placed on the the disabled list. Chase has an appointment with a hand specialist on Friday to determine what options, if any, are available. Surgery is a possibility and that would likely put Chase out for the season. But knowing Chase, he will opt to play through the pain - he already has been quoted saying he could be back on the field in less than a month. That seems optimistic in my opinion so a lot will depend on which disabled list the Phils place him. At best, it will be an extended stay on the 15-day DL, as we've seen with Brett Myers. But like Myers, the Phillies need Chase Utley back now if they hope to make a playoff run in the 2007 season.

John Owen

Owen was by common consent the weightiest Puritan theologian, and many would bracket him with Jonathan Edwards as one of the greatest Reformed theologians of all time. Born in 1616, he entered Queen's College, Oxford, at the age of twelve and secured his M.A. in 1635, when he was nineteen. In his early twenties, conviction of sin threw him into such turmoil that for three months he could scarcely utter a coherent word on anything; but slowly he learned to trust Christ, and so found peace. In 1637 he became a pastor; in the 1640s he was chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, and in 1651 he was made Dean of Christ Church, Oxford's largest college. In 1652 he was given the additional post of Vice-Chancellor of the University, which he then reorganized with conspicuous success. After 1660 he led the Independents through the bitter years of persecution till his death in 1683.

The above was taken from www.johnowen.org.


Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor have combined three of John's published works and republished them as "Overcoming Sin and Temptation". This book can be downloaded in .pdf format for free here. It's some deep stuff and a little hard to read but some might find it worth the effort.

Wasting Time at Work?

You've got to be kidding me!
(don't look at the time stamp)

This story found that the average American worker wastes 20% of his day. I don't believe it one bit!

How "Walkable" is Your House

Found a cool website called Walk Score. It uses Google Maps to give you a ranking based on the distance from your house to various locations (ie., schools, pharmacies, grocery stores, parks, etc...) I hope to remember this the next time we move. In Bethel, Connecticut we could walk to just about anything we needed. It ranked a 60 out of 100 on Walk Score. Now my house got a 12 out of 100. We can't realistically walk anywhere. (Maybe we should get a horse).

Brief Lessons on Taxes for Democrats

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.

The sixth would pay $3.

The seventh would pay $7.

The eighth would pay $12.

The ninth would pay $18.

The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20."Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).

The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He pointed

to the tenth man," but he got $10!"

"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"

"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.

Professor of Economics

University of Georgia

Red Blooded Soccer Bashing

This was taken from Bill Fitz's Blog.

"Some sick folks want to build a $100 million soccer stadium in Chester, and they want the PA taxpayers to chip in. Soccer for males over the age of 10 is an outrage in itself and contains a social cost potentially higher than any casino. In addition to its subliminal communist format soccer also causes our children to become sissies. The fact that taxpayers would have to fund this stadium is worse than the pay raise. Most citizens were against public funding of the new stadiums for real sports teams, most recently the Penguins. If any penny of public money funds a professional soccer team in Pennsylvania the citizens should revolt. It is one thing when the government pays for something we want, but it is an abomination for the government a so-called sport that almost everyone hates or could care less about. The MLS makes the WNBA seem like the NFL. "

I love it. His post definitely scored a GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!!

OOPS!

Fixed some links in my BlogRoll. Sorry, didn't know they were screwed up!

Don't Drop the Ball

Don't need to say any more, just read this blog from Pyromaniacs.

Stewart Copeland Signature 22" Blue Bell Ride

Man, if this sounds as good as it looks.........WOW! Kind of compliments the colors on my kit, right?

Press release from Paiste.

Stewart Copeland and Paiste Co-Develop Unique Ride Cymbal
For Immediate Release July 2007

Nottwil/Switzerland – The renowned Swiss cymbal maker Paiste announces the introduction of the Signature 22" Blue Bell Ride at the 2007 Summer NAMM Show.

This special Ride cymbal was created by Paiste’s Sound Development team in collaboration with the legendary drummer Stewart Copeland, who has inspired an entire generation of drummers with his unique playing style as the driving force behind The Police, one of the most influential and groundbreaking rock bands of the past few decades. The introduction of this model coincides with the celebrated world-wide reunion tour of The Police.

The 22" Blue Bell Ride is based on the Signature 22" Dark Metal Ride, and was modified according to Stewart Copeland’s exacting specifications. In the process, this development reintroduces Paiste’s unique ColorSound coating, as the cymbal is coated partially blue on top and fully on the bottom.

The 22" Blue Bell Ride features a dry, slightly dark, raw and melodic sound. Its dominant characteristics include a clear, glassy ping and a distinctive strong, deep bell, in accordance with Stewart Copeland’s Ride playing technique within the context of the music of The Police. As a tribute to Stewart’s collaborative effort in the creation of this unique cymbal, the label “The Rhythmatist” and Stewart Copeland’s “Rider” logo appear in conjunction with the model designation on the cymbal. Signature cymbals are entirely made by hand in Switzerland using traditional methods that have remained unchanged in over half a century. ColorSound is a proprietary coating for cymbals developed by Paiste in the 1980s, which optimizes the effect of a coating on cymbal sound and is extremely durable.

Lobstermania!

The Spiny Lobster 2 Day Mini Season officially kicked off this morning at 12:00a.m. and believe me, there were divers locked and loaded, ready to jump off at the first second. I personally have never been but it is on my list of must-do's! Here's a story from Yahoo!

Do you remember...

"Where's the Beef"

The link above is a great blast from the past for those of you old enough to remember the Wendy's commercial starring the old lady saying "Where's the Beef?" If you haven't noticed (see the blog on the Country Rican) the blog I got this from, "WFMU's Beware of the Blog", has some great oddities from the record industry. It's on my reader and it never fails to give me a laugh or two!

Cool Stuff!

Follow this link to see some Spooky Crop Circles.

I found this page, www.mapmsg.com, and it has the above plus more cool stuff. It even has a U.S. geographic tetris game.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

This sermon, originally preached by Jonathan Edwards on Wednesday July 8th, 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut, is considered one of the best in modern history. It was resurrected by Billy Graham in 1949 during his 8 week long Los Angeles crusade. The words ring as true now as they did then. After reading it I feel that it should be brought back into light and spread like a wild fire across the internet. Pass it on!

The entire text can be read here.

Stabs at the Emergent Church

This is one of many posters created by "The Spurgeon", Phillip R. Johnson. They're pretty critical of the emergent church but what makes them funny is the fact that some come pretty close to the truth.

You can see more of them at his blog Pyromaniacs.

DIY iPhone

I saw this photo on Bob Franquiz's blog and almost fell out of my chair.


It reminded me of this DIY hands free phone I saw a while back.

Hey, there's someone for everyone, right?

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

Prayer Request

Caitlyn will be trying out for a part in Bridge to Terabithia this weekend. Please pray that God will give her the courage to do her best and be confident that she has the abilities needed to get a role. We love you Caitlyn, good luck!

Shark Fin Soup = Viagra

Well to some Asian's it seems. The practice of catching sharks for their fins and tossing the rest in the ocean has long been a controversial subject. Shark fin soup is supposedly an aphrodesiac. I think it is a disgusting practice. For one, sharks are desperately needed at the top of the marine food chain and mass fishing throws off the balance in our oceans. Two, if it's going to happen and we can't find a way to stop it why waste the rest of the shark? Their meat has obvious benefits to those that are starving to death around the world and their cartilage is being used in cutting edge cancer research. Now it seems our buddies at Yahoo! are unwittingly supporting this industry. (See Jen, I have a little bit of animal lover in me!)

Read the whole story here.

So we loaded up the truck...

...and went to Elberton, Georgia that is, granite capital of the U.S.

I'll post the whole story once I get the photos out of my phone!

Just Thought this was a Cool Picture

I think I'll name it:

The Sanctity of Marriage

Soon to be Parents Bootcamp

This is a hilarious post by GeekZenDaddy on his blog about the steps couples should take before they have children. Everyone (hem...Adam and Lora...) needs to read this! See link below.

15 Step Plan to Get Ready for Parenthood

New music genre for Aaron Gibson

I've found the perfect sound for A.G.!

It's "The Country-Rican" sound!



You can't make this stuff up. Check out the hits here. There's some audio files too!

My thoughts exactly!

The fact that David is playing for the Galaxy isn't going to do anything to change the way I feel about soccer. It can be great to play, I guess, but watching it is horrible! Ninety minutes and maybe 1 goal? If you're lucky there could be extra time! Woo-Hoo! More boredom. And one more thing, I don't need to see any more pictures of his anorexic wife, Posh.

Read the whole story here.

Life Journal - Righteous Nation

Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter;
The one that remains faithful. Isaiah 26:2

It wasn't an accident that Isaiah said "nation" not "people". Israel, like the U.S. now, had turned their back on God and this would lead them into captivity. Isaiah forsaw the turning back to God and was praising Him for keeping Israel under his protection even in their betrayal.

Our country is now in captivity. Materialism, greed, drugs, sex, political infighting. Our morals have gone down the crapper. The clothes departments for little girls look like you're getting ready to take them out clubbing. Terrorists are knocking at the door. Our reputation is shot around the world. Sounds like a big Bush conspiracy!

Yeah, sure. God is turning his eyes from us. Like "Most Favored Nation" status in global economics we were the light in this dark world, but have we lost it all? Sure, individuals are keeping the torch lit but if God's protection is stripped from us it's not going to be a very nice place to live.

For my wife, Sheri....

CROCS!

Read a great story about them at slate.com.

No Title Needed........

I’m sick of people that use big words to simplify the Gospel.

I’m sick of people heading off to trendy cities because that’s supposedly where they’ve been “called”.

I’m sick of the billions paid to athletes and actors every year and still hear them complain when they’re renewing their contracts.

I’m sick of people that have been blessed with everything being the least thankful.

I’m sick of people that think they need $165,000 to hang out in coffee shops to talk to these same people.

I’m sick of people that blame their materialism, homosexuality/promiscuity and drug abuse on trying to fill a need that’s not being met instead of admitting they’re selfish and don’t give a rat’s ***.

I’m sick of trends in the church and the dog and pony shows that are associated with them.

I’m sick of churches that do everything but teach the Bible.

I’m sick of the arguing, fighting, killing and war about whose way is right all in the name of the same God.

I’m sick of driving 100 miles a day to a job I hate, making more $ than I deserve just to be broke at the end of the week.

I’m sick of pastors that talk more about their new expensive gadgets than about God.

I’m sick of the tons of cash spent every year to go to conferences to learn the coolest new ways to spread the Gospel.

I’m sick of ungrateful and spoiled children.

I’m sick of these same kids that think it’s below them to work at McDonalds or do manual labor.

I’m sick of our country sending billions overseas to countries that hate us.

I’m sick of the fact that it’s easier to adopt overseas than it is in our own country.

I’m sick of the fact that some people actually agree with Rosie O’Donnell.

I’m sick of the fact that I have to spend a fortune so my kids can get a great education while keeping their Christianity in mind.

I’m sick of watering and fertilizing my yard just so I can cut it again.

I’m sick of people that go from church to church expecting you to hold their hands through life and when you don’t they fall into their old ways and blame you.

I’m sick of keeping up with the Jones’ and if I find them I want to strangle them.

I’m sick of people saying Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Iran, etc., etc., are not our problem.

I’m sick of these same people fight for the above people’s rights while stripping ours.

I’m sick of these same people fighting for illegal immigrants rights. Learn the language, become a citizen, get your rights. People wouldn’t have to hire so many illegal’s if it weren’t for the lazy kids mentioned above.

I’m sick of people saying that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality because they were born that way. I was born with a screwed up something in my brain so I guess I’m off the hook for everything, woo-hoo.

I’m sick of politics, in general.

I’m sick of Slim Fast.

I’m sick of checking my cholesterol.

I’m sick of the Geico Cavemen.

I’m sick of popping pills to trick my mind into thinking it’s normal.

Go Philadelphia!

Woo-hoo, the Phillies just recorded they're 10,000th loss in their history, I mean crap, they just recorded they're 10,000th loss in their history.

I'm Back...

...that's all.

Off to NC

See y'all later, I'm off to North Carolina for work. Blog you when I get back!

You can't blog AND close your comments!

Just read through a blog by Perry Noble. I usually agree with what he says but this one disturbed me. Here's the quote that got me:

"…it’s stupid and meaningless and the ONLY churches that say number do not matter are the ones with no numbers.

AND…I find it funny that the same churches that say they do not count their people because numbers do not matter WILL count their offerings. WOW–I guess in those cases money matters more than people. Come on now–if numbers do not matter then stop counting the offering!!!

The reason I am so passionate about this is, well, first of all, I have a biblical view of how God designed the church to grow and reach the world for Him. The more people we reach–the fewer people that go to hell! And GOD HELP the church that just wants to be small and comfortable and, in so doing, neglects sharing the Gospel with those who are bound for hell!!!"

Yes, it's awesome the amount of people that have been baptised at his church but is that really a good number to be proud of? Baptism is a beginning not an end. If a life change hasn't happened it is a dead end! Count the people truly changing there lives and attempting to BE THE CHURCH to their community not be A CHURCH in their community. When we say numbers don't matter we mean it. Everyone is not going to be pumped about our straight forward message. We need ALL churches to group together to make a change.

If people hear our mission and go to another church, super.

If they hear our mission and get it but never come back, instead starting a series of home churches in their neighborhood, great!

If they hear our mission and jump in and partner with us, don't get us wrong, that would be totally awesome.

And if these same people feel called to move on and start a new church or attempt to jump start an existing church, we've accomplished our task with them.

"New" people, lost people, seekers, searchers, whatever word you use, if they came to church, they are looking for something and will see right away if numbers are the bottom line or if truly changing your city is the plan. Spreading the Gospel is one thing, I can do that with a Bible and a street corner, but teaching people what to do with their salvation and better yet, what Jesus wants them to do with his gift is the true mission.

About not counting the offerings, well that's just stupid.

Read the whole post here

Season ticket sales lagging?

Are you kidding me? They had to trot ole Grandpa Bowden to hustle season tickets? Wow, talk about fair weather fans! And $215 for season tickets?

Albino? I don't think so! *LINK UPDATED*

I spent about 4 months in a hotel in Lake Charles and I saw all the crap the chemical plants dumped into that water. I'd wonder if this dolphin was actually a natural occurance!

Read about it here!

Really? Blue Like Jazz the Movie?

The Movie! Read it all here - Donald Miller Words

We're Back...

Been on vacation this past week. Now back to our regularly scheduled blogcast.