state of the union

did you watch the state of the union address tonight? i did. i don't normally watch them, but i did this year. i'm not sure why i did, but i did, and i am glad i did.

our president spoke firmly of how we can fix problems that our country has. he spoke of a social security change that the dems did not pass. the dems stood and applauded that they voted against it. then the president told them and the gop guys that this is a problem, and they both need to get together and fix it, and that was met with a standing ovation. this is what he said:

Congress did not act last year (dems stood and applauded) on my proposal to save Social Security, yet the rising cost of entitlements is a problem that is not going away, and with every year we fail to act, the situation gets worse. So tonight, I ask you to join me in creating a commission to examine the full impact of baby boom retirements on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. This commission should include members of Congress of both parties, and offer bipartisan answers. (standing ovation by both parties) We need to put aside partisan politics, work together and get this problem solved.

that was all done after the president spoke on the wars in iraq and afghanistan. he spoke of the members of our military and how they think it an honor to be fighting for the liberties of our country, and for the liberties of both iraq and afghanistan. he quoted from a letter that a marine staff sergeant had written. that marine's name is dan clay, and he was killed last month fighting the enemy in fallujah. his widow and parents were in attendance. here is what the president quoted:

Here is what Dan wrote: "I know what honor is. It has been an honor to protect and serve all of you. I faced death with the secure knowledge that you would not have to. Never falter! Don't hesitate to honor and support those of us who have the honor of protecting that which is worth protecting."

i wish that there was peace and safety in the middle east. i would like to go there. i am proud of what our country's men and women are doing for you and me.

i know there are some out there that think i am crazy, but that is their choice. i know what i want, and i'm glad i served to protect their right to think that way.

i am proud to an american. how about you?

Why ARE Men Happier?

*** WARNING *** WARNING *** WARNING ***
may not be suitable for young eyes. that is, younger than 15, or so.
(not really that bad of a post, just want to warn ya')

Men Are Just Happier People.

What do you expect from such simple creatures?

Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be President.
You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
Your belly usually hides your big hips.
One wallet and one pair of shoes one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

Church of Christ Pride

This is what I mean by “Church of Christ Pride.”

We may no longer think we are the only ones going to heaven, but there is still an air about us that says we think we are the ones most likely to go to heaven. We’ve made our reservations. Everyone else is flying standby.

I find a residue of this kind of thinking in even our most “progressive” of congregations. We congratulate ourselves for being more open to those outside our tribe, and yet there still seems to be an attitude of superiority seeping through the cracks of our inclusive rhetoric. We are humble enough to admit that we haven’t always been right about everything, but in our heart of hearts we still believe that pound for pound, verse for verse, we’re more right about most things than all the other churches out there. We still think we are “The Lord’s Church” because we’ve figured out some things that other groups haven’t. And maybe we have. It’s ok to be right about important things. It’s not ok to be arrogant about it.

Church of Christ pride is not going to play well in a post-Christian Peoria.

you have just read an excerpt from a writing of wade hodges. have you ever been guilty of this, like me? you can read wade's comments and thoughts in full here. i read the part about the "progressive" churches, and i think i came from a pretty progressive church, or what some would call liberal, before moving to l.a. now here in l.a., i want the church to 'feel' and 'worship' the same way i did in texas. is that being selfish? kinda, i think, because park row was not like it was when i left say ... 5 years ago. its a slow process. anyway i'm starting to stray from the main point, but i'm guessing you know what i mean.

i have changed the way i used to think about other churches, and if we really mean that we are not "the only christians", but we are "just christians" what are we really saying? i'd like to hear from ya'!

just some stuff to think about. what are your thoughts?

blogger's block

i'm using a term that i read about on another blog. this term "blogger's block" is a condition i have been suffering from for about a week now.

blogger's block (blog-erz blok) n. A usually temporary psychological inability to begin or continue an entry in your blog.

i have wanted to write something funny, constructive, or meaningful. however, eventhough i want to write something that is of worth, it just isn't coming. i guess that is what i have to get used to. it has been my lot in life. for most of my life i have not really had much to share.

growing up as an outsider has caused me to be an observer, or someone on the outside listening, or looking in. i was never one of the ones in school that people were drawn to, unless they wanted an easy fight. i was one that had to work to make friends, and it was really hard to find a girlfriend. i only remember having one girlfriend in highschool. i met her at the pool one summer, and she had just moved to the base with her family. she didn't have many friends, and i was amazed that she liked me. she was a pretty girl, and she liked me. go figure. it didn't last long though. she found a better looking guy.

well enough self pity. sorry i can't think of anything cool to write about. i have even hit a low on my reading. i have gotten to the point in narnia where digory, and polly are witnessing the creation of narnia in the magician's nephew. i need to get with it.

i hope things are going well with you. thanks for visiting. how do you like my newlook? i hope it allows you to comment. last time i changed templates people were not able to leave comments. this time i was able to leave a test comment after i installed this version. thanks again for stopping by.

a good question

President Ronald Reagan delivered his State of the Union Address to Congress on this day, January 25, 1984, making reference to the fact that they open each session of Congress with prayer. President Reagan stated: "Each day your members observe a 200-year-old tradition meant to signify America is one nation under God. I must ask: If you can begin your day with a member of the clergy standing right here leading you in prayer, then why can't freedom to acknowledge God be enjoyed again by children in every school room across this land?"

however, as long as there are tests in school, there will be prayer in school. president reagan was my favorite president. he was the first president i voted for when i got to vote for the first time.

urban legends

what are some of your favorite urban legends? what are some of the worst urban legends that you know of?

there are plenty of sites that are dedicated to squashing urban legends. we've all heard of snopes, truthorfiction.com, and others. i use truthorfiction as my preferred urban legend reference site. do you use these sites, or do you just forward the ole buggers when you get them in your e-mail inbox?

just for the record, i hate getting them in my e-mail. so please don't send me any. like getting your kidneys stolen, and all that. just keep those poor stories to yourself.

i remember getting a cool one from jd in the past. it was very funny. jd, if you are reading this could tell us about the bandit rodents, or whatever that one was about?

reading, are you a reader?

i remember when i was in school and how much i loathed reading. any of you out there feel me? when i had to read a book for english, that was like a jail sentence. reading chapters in text books, too. i don't know how i graduated! i did the least reading that was required. now ... i get in trouble for reading too much.

i do a lot of reading in my 'office.' i don't want to gross anyone out, but i hope you understand what i am saying. i have a list of books that i am reading there to the right, and i am about to add a wish list of books that i want to read. are any of you like that? one of the bloggers out there commented on one of my posts and i went to her blog and read that she is reading like 4 books now. i don't know how she, or anyone else does it. the way i do it is to read one book for a while, and then read another for a while, and so on. also, my definition of 'a while' is for a couple of days. in case you were wondering.

there is series of books that i want to get and start reading. they are from acu press, and if i have added my wish list over on the right you can see what they are. right now there are 4 books in that series, and the fourth book in the series is 'seeking a lasting city.' i highlighted it in one of my recent posts.

what books are you reading? do you like to read, too, or do you just read blogs?

a poll, sort of

how many of you know who rob bell is?

how many of you have heard a sermon by rob bell?

how many of you have seen one of rob bell's videos?

how many of you have read rob bell's book?

that's a lot of questions i know, but i was just wondering. now for one last question, what is your opinion of rob bell?

i'll post my answers later if that is ok. i don't want to affect anyone's answers. see, if i see someone's answers to a poll like this my subconscience kicks in, and sometimes sides with those answers already written down. isn't that weird?

forgiveness

this is powerful. to know that God has already forgiven us ... for what we have not done yet. to know that He did not love us less then ... or now. to know that He can't love us anymore than He does right now, no matter what we have done, or will do. awesome, just awesome.

this weekend (the rest of it)

(all photos on this post are complements of jd)

this is the completion of my weekend update. a couple of post back, saturday, i mentioned some things and this is the complenetary post of that entry.

yesterday i went to church, kristin and d1 didn't make it. d1's back was giving her so much pain that she would've been in so much pain it would not be a good day. she wanted to go, mind you. kristin stayed home to assist her mother. isn't that sweet.

jd came to port city and spoke on how things have been since august 29, 2005. it was so touching and good. however, before jd got up and shared with us, and the singing, and praying, and communion, jerre gave us a great lesson from one of tony evans' books.

after services we, jd, maggy, chris, susan, hayden, bruce, and i, met at the original oyster house for lunch. as i was driving there i had a funny thought. well, it was sort of funny to me. the original oyster house on the causeway is not really the original oyster house because the original original oyster house got tore up by katrina last year. the same day that jd came to share with us about. so that thought is really not funny. them having to move is not funny. the funny part was the name. the name "the original oyster house" is a misnomer, because the original place is down the road on the right, and is of no more use. ok, enough of that. it really wasn't that funny now was it?

we finally got seated, and we got our lunch and jd has never said anything more profound. jd says, "that was worth the wait." i almost said, "amen." after eating those awesome fried crabclaws and fried shrimp and french fries and after drinking that great dr pepper, i had to run home and get d1 and kristin fed. i got them the same thing, but d1 got cole slaw instead of fries. they said about the same thing jd said. (seated l-r: maggy, yours truly, susan, hayden, chris, bruce. empty chair in bottom left is jd's. he's a better than me leaving his grouper for a "group" picture)

i blogged and surfed the rest of the day, and then headed to church and enjoyed the great song service lead by brandon, son of one of my fellow deacons. brandon has returned from iraq where he has been stationed for the past year or so. he can lead an awesome song service, brother! when i got home and told d1 that she missed the singing she is 'mad' because she didn't get to sing with brandon, and the rest of the family.

i'm getting ahead of myself here. let's go back in time an hour or so. before services were completed last night bruce spoke of the greatest commandment. one of my favorite few verses since it is such a great summarization. those verses are as follows:

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they thought up a fresh question of their own to ask him. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"

Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."
-- matthew 22: 34-40

aren't those just the greatest verses! why can't we just do it? well, if we knew that then we wouldn't have the problems have now would we kenny boy.

i'm also reading this book (notice list to the right) mere christianity, and as i read the end of this chapter in the book i thought back to the devo of bruce's. i am daily amazed how God is involved in our lives and when we see it, it is just so cool! have you ever noticed this in your lives? ain't it cool? well, here is the last couple of lines in the chapter i was reading:

a Christian society is not going to arrive until most of us really want it: and we are not going to want it until we become fully Christian. i may repeat 'do as you would be done by' till i am black in the face, but i cannot really carry it out till i love my neighbour as myself: and i cannot learn to love my neighbour as myself till i learn to love God: and i cannot learn to love God except by learning to obey Him.

such simple things to read, but terribly hard to do. we all want it, but are we willing to do what is needed to get it?

all of that stuff to say, "what a great weekend," but it would've been one of the best weekends if d1's back had not gone bad on her again, but i do not blame her. i can't blame her. i love her.

this date in history

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was born this day, January 15, 1929. A Baptist minister, like his father and grandfather, he pastored Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, and Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, before forming the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Reverend King wrote: "I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers.... I stand in the middle of two opposing forces... One is a force of complacency....the other force is one of bitterness and hatred...expressed in...Elijah Muhammad's Muslim movement.... I have tried to stand between these two forces...for there is the more excellent way of love."

this weekend (well not all of it)

we just got back to l.a. after going to the capital city for a few days. we left friday evening to take kristin to faulkner for a girls retreat. the name of the retreat was 'jewels'. they learned/talked about patience (i coulda used that, but i woulda been a little out of place).

kristin had a really good time. she met some new friends from a town that started with a 'w'. d1 and i were like, "a town that starts with 'w'?" we said, "wetumpka?" she was like, "yeah!" we were like, "cool."

her new friends; katey, destiny, and caitlyn, made feel right at home. that was so cool! they all had a great time. that was cool!

d1 and i just lazed around the hotel and watched tv, and slept. that was cool, too.

can't wait until next year!

all about movies

here is another questionaire type blog post that i wanted to populate around the blog universe. i thought it was cool and i wanted to share it. please leave your answers in the form of comments to this post. i am copying it from danny's blog. (my answers are in the parens)

Action or drama? (action.)

Chick flicks: Yes or no? (if the wife is with me.)

Does violence bother you? (not really.)

Does bad language bother you? (sad to say i have rationalized to by saying that it is out there in the world anyway. is still don't like it.)

Do you go to a movie with sex in it? (i don't go to see it, but some have it in them.)

Comedy or sad story? (COMEDY!)

Favorite genre? (sports; titans, field of dreams, 8 men out, miracle, etc., etc.)

Suspense or horror? (suspense. i don't watch horror films anymore.)

Matinee or late show? (matinee, of course. $3.50 or $6.00 ... uuummmm ... go figure.)

comments anyone?

well, i don't know if any of my readers in the recent past have been trying to leave a comment due to a malfunctioning template.

so if any of you would like to leave a comment you are more than welcome. i had been using a blog template that in my mind was clean looking and allowed for me to add on to it in a way that i liked. i guess i am settling on this template. if anyone knows how to edit this template and any others like it to not have the large margins like this one has i would really like to know. what i would like is to have all the usable space used. does that make sense?

well, thanks to greg for pointing out that he was not able to make a comment by replying to comments on his blog. his blog is really cool. i was trying to make mine kinda like his.

this book is going on my wish list

WOW! i just read chapter one of this book, Seeking A Lasting City: The Church’s Journey in the Story of God. you may be confused after reading the title of this blog and the first line of this paragraph. i downloaded the first two chapters from the book and now i really want the book. (you may see to the right a list of books i am now reading. if there was list of books i would like to have this one would be on it. hint, hint! wink, wink! my birthday is in september.)

it is authored by three great men. mark love, who incidently was the youth minister of the church i attended in arlington texas but he had moved on right before we started attending. randy harris is another one of the authors. randy came to park row to speak while i was still attending there and i got copies of his lessons on tape. i listen to them often and have quoted from them on this blog site before. the other author is doug foster. i know nothing of doug foster, but if he writing in the company of randy and mark he has got to be a great man.

here is the second to last paragraph of the first chapter. it might take a few of you by suprise so you may want to take a seat:

the purpose and function of the church is an extremely sensitive issue because it's so vitally important to us all, and we certainly have no wish merely to be controversial. however, we live in a dark and wounded world that's in desperate need of a new story. we believe the church of Jesus Christ is the bearer of that story and that it can have a greater impact on a hurting world than it currently does.

doesn't that just have so much ... i don't know ... power in those few sentences? it also carries with it our responsibilty to be a light on a hill to the world, not a house of bickering about what songs to sing, and when to sing, or not sing, etc., etc., etc.

you can download the first two chapters as well by going to this link. what do you think of that paragraph? do you agree or disagree? am i nut or what?

Unburdened

advent to epiphany - day 43

For the ability to drop the past
and sail into the future unencumbered,
I thank you, Lord.

— Prayer for Daybreak and Day’s End: Volume 1

taken from advent to epiphany: celebrating the Christmas Season

i am not catholic, but i have a friend in texas that made me think about this, and i think it is cool.

Unending Light
advent to epiphany - day 42

God is like the sun in our lives—always there shining even when we don’t notice it.

— Prayer for Daybreak and Day’s End: Volume 1

taken from advent to epiphany: celebrating the Christmas Season

i am not catholic, but i have a friend in texas that made me think about this, and i think it is cool.

what day of Christmas is it?

have you ever heard a song called the "12 days of Christmas"? sure you have. check out the following paragraph of this post that was taken from this link or go to the link. neat stuff.

The Twelve Days of Christmas is probably the most misunderstood part of the church year among Christians who are not part of liturgical church traditions. Contrary to much popular belief, these are not the twelve days before Christmas, but in most of the Western Church are the twelve days from Christmas until the beginning of Epiphany (January 6th; the 12 days count from December 25th until January 5th). In some traditions, the first day of Christmas begins on the evening of December 25th but the following day is considered the First Day of Christmas (December 26th).

Hallelujah!
advent to epiphany - day 41

God,
I dance in joy at the thought
of your mercy and love for me.

— Prayer for Daybreak and Day’s End: Volume 1

taken from advent to epiphany: celebrating the Christmas Season

i am not catholic, but i have a friend in texas that made me think about this, and i think it is cool.

cousin elvis' link

this is a link to another blog. the blog is a great friend of mine's, and he happens to be related to me by his marriage to one of my cousin. the blog entry is about a carol. a christmas carol like most of us would not think of. follow the link to hear the mp3 version at the end of the post. enjoy!

greg is an awesome guy, and he is so talented. when we lived in texas, and they were just a few miles down the road, we would get these messages on the answering machine in so many different dialects it would have the whole family rolling. he is also an amazing 'discussion leader'. see i made the mistake of calling him a great teacher once. i was told he was not a teacher, but a discussion leader.

we miss you g.

Daily Decision
advent to epiphany - day 40

What concentrated effort can I make each day to abide in love? Did I make any of those efforts today?

— Prayer for Daybreak and Day’s End: Volume 1

taken from advent to epiphany: celebrating the Christmas Season

i am not catholic, but i have a friend in texas that made me think about this, and i think it is cool.

One Step at a Time
advent to epiphany - day 39

Try today to put your words into action. If you wish for something, do one deed that will bring you closer to realizing that wish. If you criticize something, find a way to make a difference regarding the problem you criticize. Most accomplishments are won one small step at a time.

— Prayer for Daybreak and Day’s End: Volume 1

taken from advent to epiphany: celebrating the Christmas Season

i am not catholic, but i have a friend in texas that made me think about this, and i think it is cool.

Beyond the World
advent to epiphany - day 38

Give me a sensible spirit, loving God,
One which is not overtaken by the lure of the world
One that disdains power, wealth and fame
And seeks, instead, a heart of integrity.

— Prayer for Daybreak and Day’s End: Volume 1

taken from advent to epiphany: celebrating the Christmas Season

i am not catholic, but i have a friend in texas that made me think about this, and i think it is cool.

God's Truth
advent to epiphany - day 37

For the truth you give us
and the power it brings,
I thank you, Creator God.

— Prayer for Daybreak and Day’s End: Volume 1

taken from advent to epiphany: celebrating the Christmas Season

i am not catholic, but i have a friend in texas that made me think about this, and i think it is cool.

Rich Inheritance
advent to epiphany - day 36

I am the child of a King
and my riches,
though neither silver nor gold,
bring joy and peace.
Come, Christ,
and make your Kingdom
here in my heart.

— Prayer for Daybreak and Day’s End: Volume 1

taken from advent to epiphany: celebrating the Christmas Season

i am not catholic, but i have a friend in texas that made me think about this, and i think it is cool.