have y'all seen any pics of people after they have been simpsonized? here is a simpsonized pic that the site made of me when i used a pic of myself taken at the pool of my wife's best friend. what do you think?

it took me about a day and a half to get it finalized. i think about half of the u.s. were trying to simpsonize themselves along with me. it was really slow, and painstaking.

i guess you can see that i have used this version of me as my profile pic. i think it is pretty cool. i reminds me of a shirt that i just about wore thread bare when i was dating my wife. she still has it, and she plans to use it in a quilt in the future.

who is this? pt 2

here is more of the pic that i cropped in my last post. it is a pic of david beckham in his first match with his new side, mls' la galaxy. david previously had played for real madrid, and after his contract he wanted to bring his kids to disney land. well, he has created a circus in the process. in the last post i asked if you could recognize who the person was in partial pic. i had cut off part of david's head to see if anyone could recognize the torso down of him.
david was not able to play as well as he wanted to in his initial match due to his recovering from an ankle injury ... if you have ever injured an ankle you know that they don't heal in a week. also in his first match he was playing the team that has the england's side team captain on it. david previously was the team captain for the national team of england. it just so happened that terry scored the only goal for fc chelsea, and it happened to be the game winner.

below is a pic of david and his bride, victoria.

who is this?

wake up call

i feel a little embarrassed to admit this ... what i read today on the nooma site for rob bell's videos. also, because i am about to do a series of classes that are against the way i still kinda feel about where i am.

this is what i read:

How much time and energy do we spend wishing things were how they used to be? We often think about times in our past when things were different and want our lives to be like that again. Some of us have even come to believe that our best days may actually be behind us. But if we’re in some way hung up on the past, what does that mean for our lives now? How are we and those around us affected if we’re not fully present? If we’re longing for the way things used to be, what does that really say about our understanding and appreciation of our lives today? Maybe we need to learn to embrace our past for what it is, in order to live our lives to the fullest, right here, right now.

i am guilty of what that caption speaks about. the film may be about something different, but i have longed to be back in texas for almost 4 years now. i think if i moved back there i could get back in the swing of some things, but it wouldn't be "like it used to be" now would it? people change.

also, i am guilty of not appreciating what God has done for me and my family right here, right now. i am guilty of not rejoicing fully in today. that is bad in so many ways. for one reason it is bad because i am about to start a discussion class on how "everyday deserves a chance" based on the book by max lucado. how is going to look if i don't truly apply myself to what i am talking about? how would that look if i were found to be feeling totally opposite to what we are going to be discussing? maybe, its what i need to really start rejoicing in each day, and giving it what it deserves.

are you having trouble with this, too? or am i the only one?

no title needed ...

i wanted to put this video on my blog, but they have requested that embedding be disabled, so i can only give you this link. go to it and enjoy it. there are verses that you may not recognize on there ... but they are good!

here is mr. newton's original version:

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

John New­ton, Ol­ney Hymns (Lon­don: W. Ol­i­ver, 1779)

you may also notice that there may be a verse left out. there is a verse that most of us grew up singing ... well that verse was taken from a book that has been removed from the shelves of many book stores. the verse was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe who most of you know wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin.

here is that verse that has since been added to most hymnals of today:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.

i don't know what made me want to write this post today ... maybe it was just something that stirred in me after reading keith lancaster's post, and seeing the video by wintley phipps' rendition.

i hope you have enjoyed this song in the past, and i hope that the words of this song, and some of the verses you have read have given you a new appreciation of the grace that has been given to us.

cosby clips

i hope you like these i laughed with my family growing up to this so many times. i think the last one here is the best. which one do you like?

if you missed it ... like i did

if you, like me, missed the tulsa workshop, you can listen to a lot of the speakers at iTunes. wade hodges has placed them there, and i thank him. i am sitting here in my hotel room listening to randy harris ... you've heard that name here before, haven't you?

why do we connect with certain speakers? is it their sense of humor that you relate to? is it the language/jargon that they use that you relate to? or is it the Message/Messenger that we relate to?

i think the answer is "yes" to all of those, but especially that last one.

i wish i could've been there in person, but life sometimes gets in the way of our wishes, and there are needs that we have to attend to. i have heard great, great things about the workshop from a multitude of people. i have also talked about attending the different stream events in midland and now in franklin.

why do i like them? i think it is the praise services, and being with so many others that are thinking similar thoughts as mine. is that wrong? is that selfish? maybe, but we all need to charge our batteries, but we need to discharge our batteries on those around us.

i want you to read the top of this page again, and remember the 3rd and 4th comment that randy is saying. may God bless each of the two of you that have come and read this. may you be Christ so much that people will think you are strange, and may you see Him in all of those around you.

mls, new jersey, and soccer in general

with the fortune of being in the d.c. area for two weeks, i am getting the opportunity to see d.c. united take on colorado rapids thursday night next week. unfortunately i will have to drive back to l.a. on friday. however, the good part about driving back on friday is that i will get to see my two ladies again! WOO HOO!!

have you seen the new jersey that the wnt will be wearing at the 2008 world cup in china? i'm not suer i like it. since when have we been this showy? yes, we are the best IMO, but we don't need to rub it in people's faces.

i love soccer. i played it from my 6th grade year all the way to my senior year in high school. it was so cool to be on the first team in the school's existence on my junior year, and then make it to the semifinals of the state the next year (senior year). i got two letters for playing, and my daughter passed me this year with her 3rd letter. she is awesome. she even has goals to show for her skills. she was given a great compliment by one of her team mates this past year. she would come off of the bench because she is not a burner in speed, but she can find the back of net about 99.9% of the time from the pk mark. she was told by that team mate that she was the best pk taker of the team. i had to pick my jaw up off the ground after hearing that. i was sssoooo proud for her.

well, i'm sorry for not posting lately, but i have been busy. i one good thing to end on is that i will get the pleasure and opportunity to lead the discussion of the adult class this fall. pray for me to get-r-dun. i will be using the book from the previous post. have you read it yet? well you better get started!

need a book to read?

well i just finished this little easy read by max lucado called 'every day deserves a chance' and it is nice book. i was in the book store ... and i don't think i go as often as donna does and i found this book. i was really looking for a book by john mark hicks about communion. i think the name of the book is 'come to the table' and the store i was in did not carry it, but they would be happy to order it for me. do any of y'all have it and i could borrow it?

anyway, i thought i might do a class on this book by max, if hank can fit me in. it just some good stuff in it. nothing really comes to mind except the story about the mountain climber dumping his time on the peak of mt everest to save another climber that was crazed out of his gord with o2 deprivation.

well, get the book and enjoy it as much as i did.

back in 'sweet home alabama'

well, we're back home after an awesome week and weekend! it all started on friday when we went to ... i hate to even admit this ... auburn. ugh!! this shows how much i love my daughter. we toured the campus and saw some of the town. the town would not be what it is without the university.

after that was over we went to my older brother's house and stayed 2 nights and day with him and his family, along with having a lunch with my parents.

then we met up with another couple from port city to birmingham. we went to crossbridge for service, and got to see wendi and dubb and their kids ... what a great family!

then we went to lunch and then on to the cedars of lebanon state park in lebanon, tn. after a week of lounging and trail walking and frisbee golf and a lot of eating we went into nashvegas for some site seeing.

we went to the country music hall of fame, saw rocket town cafe (michael w. smith's cafe) by accident, and sun recording studios. then we went to cooter's place. y'all remember cooter from dukes of hazard, right? then we went back to the cabin for the evening.


then on friday we went to lipscomb for a visit. that was cool. they were so nice there. unlike auburn, lipscomb really doesn't have that much to say if nashville succeeds or fails. that is to say if lipscomb closed, nashville would continue without much of an impact, but i don't think you could say that about auburn.

after the visit we checked into our hotel for the weekend, and met up with our fellow members of port city and went to 4th avenue church of Christ for the first evening of 'stream franklin'. let me say that i have been touting this conference with anyone who would listen to me at church, and steve made me feel good when when we were walking back to the car after the service and he said, "ken, this has already exceeded my expectations!"

the whole weekend was like that ... as God is immeasurable, He exceeds our expectations. what a great time of fellowship and praising God for a whole week to get away and think about Him and what He has done for us.

check in later to see more about next year's installment. they think it will be around january 2008. please consider this for yourselves, y'all.

greetings from franklin!

i'm with my family and 4 other members from my home congregation, and about ... oh, i'd say maybe 500 more (that's a conservative guess) of our brothers and sisters in the faith here at stream franklin. this is the 2nd event of stream franklin, and i sincerely hope that it continues.

one of my friends that is here with us made a terrific comment. see i had been touting how much we had enjoyed stream in the desert when we were in texas. i was concerned that with this being 2nd year of stream franklin that it may not be like what i had been talking about, but he surprised me and said, "ken, this has already surpassed my expectations." what a relief!! i told him, "but this is only the first night!"

oh what i hope jeff walling does shares with us today will continue to remind us of how we can not really understand what we need to. does that make sense?

jeff reminded us of how where ever we are is holy ground, and God is there with us. jeff shared with us that sometimes people are talking about how great a service was, or when they were doing a service project or studying with a friend that it was so good that God showed up. isn't that funny? God showed up. isn't He right here ... right now? we just need to remember and notice that.

let me just say that i am having an awesome time here so far. it all started with a week in the woods with my family and another family. we were at the cedars of lebanon state park in ... you guessed it ... lebanon, tn. then we went to lipscomb university for a visit with them for a possibility for my daughter to go to in a year or so. i still can not imagine that my daughter is about to graduate from high school ... there is still another year yet, but i still can not believe it.

it was a great visit. we also went to the country music hall of fame. cool place!

well, i need to get off of here and get ready for the next session. thanks for reading trey!! this is for you trey, but you can still keep singing about being a rich man. you are a rich man with your family; wife and kids, but you already know that. thanks for visiting.

a song from one of my favorite movies

have you seen fiddle on the roof? if not, you are missing one of the best movies.

here's another one that we laugh and sing when we watch the movie:

girls! this one is for you ...

there is this woman with an amazing heart for God that came to speak the girls and 'girls at heart' a couple of weeks ago. she is one of the daughters of one of our members at port city, and a daughter of the Father, as well. wendi is her name, and she will gladly share her story with you. i'm not a girl, so i wasn't there, but my wife and daughter loved her talks!!

wendi is a teacher, a mother, a wife, a sister, and like i mentioned before a daughter. her family is awesome, (i have personal experience in knowing them) and they live in the birmingham area.

she didn't ask me to do this, by the way, but she is willing to come to your church and speak to your girls, too. just go to the link here, and set up a time, and place ... you will not regret it! her blog has some of the things she talks about, and testimonials, and info on how to reach her. check it out, girls!

its finally here

well its Good Friday. a lot of thought goes into what is "good" about this friday compared to the other 51 in the year. why is the day that our Savior's murder considered good? ... i guess its because of our Savior's sacrifice we have our chance to be with Him when we finally go home to be with Him ... its a good thing.



i have been without my dr pepper now for 37 days. i'm looking forward to sunday. i'm looking forward to sunday, not because i get to have my dr pepper, but because i will be with my family remembering that it was a sunday more than 2000 years ago when my Savior rose from the dead, and defeated death, and satan for good! i will be having a dr pepper for breakfast, though.



how have you done this lenten season? i have had days that i so wish i had a dr pepper. days that i was dragging, and needed that extra umph. can you imagine going 40 days without food or water, and then being tempted to make a meal out of the rocks that surround you. the rocks that are there with your every step?



i have nothing to complain about, but i rejoice in what my Savior has done for me!

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microphysists might like this one

ok, who can tell me what this is? and who can tell me what it is a shape of? can you guess what it reminds me of?

alright i'll tell you. it is a diagram of a laminin molecule. now you're probably asking the question, "what is laminin?" well, from what i learned tonight at the chris tomlin concert, it is a protein molecule that is used to keep molecules stuck together. its the glue in our bodies.

the shape reminds me of a cross. the diagram also reminds me of the trinity. notice how it is made up of three things ... kinda like the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?

this is a rather simple thing, but look at this passage about Jesus:

He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.
Col 1:17

isn't that neat? i know simple things for simple minds. i really thought it was awesome to sing with thousands of other like minded people. chris is so talented ... its ... indescribable.

a smack upside the head

i was reading a devo that i get e-mailed to me by max lucado. in this devo it talks about Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. i was getting the gist of the whole thing and then ... then max asked two questions and they smacked me upside the head. basically saying, "are you doing this?" here's what he said:

Do we object because we don’t want to see God washing feet?

Or do we object because we don’t want to do the same?

do any of these questions apply to you? what got my attention is that i'm not sure that the second one doesn't apply to me. i mean we're supposed to use Jesus as our Example. we hear that said all the time, but do we have a problem with all that He did? even to those that hate us, and want to kill us?

what's in a song?

i hadn't heard anything about this movie until i read mike cope's blog this morning. have you heard anything about it? i think i want to take my family to see it. check out the trailer here.

do you recognize this man?

do you recognize who this man is supposed to be, or who he is supposed to look like? last year there was a show on the discovery channel, i think, that did a special on what they think Jesus could have looked like. the picture seen here is what the 'experts' derived from what they believe a 'regular' jewish man looked like in Jesus' time.

i guess all of us have seen how there are people who can take a skull and they add clay to it to make it look like what they think the person looked like based on the shape of the bone structure of the skull. have you heard of this? well, they looked at skulls of known jews in that time period, and with the help of the 'claymation' people they constructed what they think they looked like. they think they looked a certain way since they didn't have cameras back then.

however, if you look at what they think Jesus looked like, with the larger crown size that the jews had at that time, He doesn't look like the shroud that they have of what they think might have been his death shroud.

with all this said ... "have you seen Jesus my Lord ... He's here in plain view?" do you see Jesus in people around you? more importantly, do people see Jesus in you? i have my bad days, but i try my best to show Jesus to all the people i see.

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How Great Is Our God Concert

well i just got back from the mitchell center for the tickets to see chris tomlin on march 14. some may say, "shame on you for not going to church on a wednesday night." my answer would be, "i can worship there. i'm sure that there will be worshipping going on there."get yours and we can go together.

have a great day!

just sittin' here

hello again, i haven't posted this much in quite some time. i don't even know if anyone is reading this stuff.

well, i have been reading velvet elvis again. rob has a way of saying things that we have heard before and they sound like they make more sense when he says them. do you have someone like that? someone that says things that you have heard all your life and when they say them they sound like its the first time you have ever heard them?

while reading movement 3 (that would be like chapter 3 in any other book) rob is talking about a time when he and his kids and the neighbor guy and his kids are out in the yard seeing who can sled down the hill ... its september when they are doing this, and people are driving by and looking at them like they are insane. this made me remember when i was growing up in panama, and we used to use cardboard boxes as sleds, and slid down grassy hills. that was so much fun! is was even funner when someone had gotten a new refridgerator, and we would see how many of us could fit on the box going down hill, or families had just moved in, we would use their wardrobe boxes. man! that was so much fun!

i guess i am hooked on rob. i got two series of rob's sermons that i have down loaded and put on my podomatic site. if you want to go there and download them and listen ... i would highly recommend the one on community. if you go to my podomatic site, you will find other things there. among them is a series of randy harris' ... oh gasp! another one of my favorite guys to listen to. i hope you enjoy them too. if you have read the top of this page you will see the mantras of randy. the sermon that he talked about those is there. he also does a lesson on the Lord's prayer. that one was so good to me i played it over and over until i had it written out and i have it laminated in my wallet, and was one of my post awhile back.

i don't know what got me to want to write this post but i just wanted to share this with you. have a great day.

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