Tuesday, October 31, 2006
halloween turned out happy
tonight i did fear factors for riverside's dream center peoria. it's a blaintant rip off of nbc's fear factor, but for kids. it's basically an excuse to hand out loads of candy for doing menial feats.
sarah and i had the bear-o-phobia game. you throw hoola hoops around a stuffed bear on a stick. everyone won. every time.
we did that for almost two hours then we rode a bus to the taft homes downtown. the bus was half chaperones, half kids from the housings.
as each kid got on, we took their name down for a permission slip and then they sat down with an adult of their choice.
a little boy sat with sarah and my seat was empty. right off the bat i hit it off with sarah's boy. he wasn't wearing a costume, but his shirt did say something about candy giving him ENERGY!
his name was eric, too! so he thought i was totally cool.
...until he asked if i had ever kissed a girl.
to his dismay, i have. he covered his face like only a five year old can and told me i was disgusting. i assured him i wasn't b/c i play sports with other boys. he told me to never kiss girls and this seemed to be all that was required of me to be a cool eric again.
he liked my glasses and my hair. and he liked to play with my hair, but i told him his was cooler than mine. he thought mine was cool b/c it was curly. (it's not curly... especially compaired to his but whatever.) i showed him pictures of millie on my phone and he asked if she could be our dog. and he wanted to play sports with me. at my house.
once we got in we went through the maze that is the dream center (the old YWCA in case you didn't know). we got up the stairs to the two gyms and there was a police officer standing there, and erich told me he was afraid of the police b/c they were mean. after that the held my hand wherever we went.
he liked to play the games more than he liked getting the candy, and even picked a piece up to give back to the lady handing out candy (she gave it to him anyway).
he was thirsty so we got him an icee and sat down for the little children's church to start. once miss aubry started talking, he told me that his mom went to God. and that God's your best friend. he's nice.
erich's right... God is nice.
so then it was time for the bus ride home. his older sister was there and took his bag of candy home for him.
that might have been a mistake... he told me his sister probably lied and was eating all his candy right then. i really hope she gave it to him... i felt like crap after he said that. but at least he had that balloon i tied to his wrist... right?
we get back to the taft homes and it was time for erich to go home. he stood up and headed for the aisle and realized i wasn't coming. he got that little kid lower lip sticking out and said, "i thought i was coming home with you."
i wanted to cry at that moment, but i told him i would just see him later.
for some reason, our bus didn't just take right off after the kids were off. we creeped along through the parking lot at about the same pace a five year old with a balloon now tied to his index finger walks.
i yelled, "BYE ERICH!" from the bus window and waved.
as we stopped before turning out of the parking lot, i saw him run up to a door and go inside... but the balloon stayed outside... and i said, "oh... erich... your balloon!" like he could hear me from inside the bus. and then the door opened and shut about 8 times before the boy and the balloon both made it inside.
a hilarious end to a sad turn of events.
thankfully, i found out, he's a regular at riverside. i think i WILL see him again when sarah and i start doing children's church on wednesday nights.
and i'm REALLY looking forward to it.
sarah and i had the bear-o-phobia game. you throw hoola hoops around a stuffed bear on a stick. everyone won. every time.
we did that for almost two hours then we rode a bus to the taft homes downtown. the bus was half chaperones, half kids from the housings.
as each kid got on, we took their name down for a permission slip and then they sat down with an adult of their choice.
a little boy sat with sarah and my seat was empty. right off the bat i hit it off with sarah's boy. he wasn't wearing a costume, but his shirt did say something about candy giving him ENERGY!
his name was eric, too! so he thought i was totally cool.
...until he asked if i had ever kissed a girl.
to his dismay, i have. he covered his face like only a five year old can and told me i was disgusting. i assured him i wasn't b/c i play sports with other boys. he told me to never kiss girls and this seemed to be all that was required of me to be a cool eric again.
he liked my glasses and my hair. and he liked to play with my hair, but i told him his was cooler than mine. he thought mine was cool b/c it was curly. (it's not curly... especially compaired to his but whatever.) i showed him pictures of millie on my phone and he asked if she could be our dog. and he wanted to play sports with me. at my house.
once we got in we went through the maze that is the dream center (the old YWCA in case you didn't know). we got up the stairs to the two gyms and there was a police officer standing there, and erich told me he was afraid of the police b/c they were mean. after that the held my hand wherever we went.
he liked to play the games more than he liked getting the candy, and even picked a piece up to give back to the lady handing out candy (she gave it to him anyway).
he was thirsty so we got him an icee and sat down for the little children's church to start. once miss aubry started talking, he told me that his mom went to God. and that God's your best friend. he's nice.
erich's right... God is nice.
so then it was time for the bus ride home. his older sister was there and took his bag of candy home for him.
that might have been a mistake... he told me his sister probably lied and was eating all his candy right then. i really hope she gave it to him... i felt like crap after he said that. but at least he had that balloon i tied to his wrist... right?
we get back to the taft homes and it was time for erich to go home. he stood up and headed for the aisle and realized i wasn't coming. he got that little kid lower lip sticking out and said, "i thought i was coming home with you."
i wanted to cry at that moment, but i told him i would just see him later.
for some reason, our bus didn't just take right off after the kids were off. we creeped along through the parking lot at about the same pace a five year old with a balloon now tied to his index finger walks.
i yelled, "BYE ERICH!" from the bus window and waved.
as we stopped before turning out of the parking lot, i saw him run up to a door and go inside... but the balloon stayed outside... and i said, "oh... erich... your balloon!" like he could hear me from inside the bus. and then the door opened and shut about 8 times before the boy and the balloon both made it inside.
a hilarious end to a sad turn of events.
thankfully, i found out, he's a regular at riverside. i think i WILL see him again when sarah and i start doing children's church on wednesday nights.
and i'm REALLY looking forward to it.
happy halloween?
i've got to say something about this.
i think it's ridiculous.
let me just run down a short list of what i disagree with.
· i'm not lining my life up with the devil if i celebrate halloween. i'm not sacrificing babies, i'm going to a costume party.
· i know beyond a shadow of a doubt (waaaaay overused christian cliche') that i'm saved. and i'm not a sinner b/c i'm not opposed to halloween.
· giving candy to a kid is not sacrificing to a false god.
· i don't need to fear satan as an enemy. yeah, i believe he attacks, but i believe my God defeats.
· children wearing costumes does not lower resistance to witchcraft. (what about all the little girls who dress up like angels???)
· where did those facts come from? i found this website that says the origins are totally different.
and the worst of all... he actually tells people that the devil is laughing at them.
is that going to change your mind? do you like to hear that someone is laughing at you???
we had a survey at church this weekend, and i put in the comments section that if they want to reach people, they need to talk nicely TO them and they need to talk nicely ABOUT them.
this has been weighing on my mind a lot this past weekend. how people (especially pastors) can just say things that will obviously offend people as long as they think it's justified in their minds. how can you tell a congregation of people who are possibly borderline about this whole jesus business as it is that they're being laughed at???
apparently it's ok to offend if your intentions are right.
but more on that later... that's another topic for another post.
this is about halloween. and the fact that i see a side of my pastor that i didn't really know about.
it doesn't change anything. i still love riverside and their willingness to help the community, it's still my home church.
...but wow. this isn't the way to reach the community.
i guess i'm not a pastor, but i know what's worked and what hasn't.
you can't tell a jehovah's witness that they belong to a cult (i know someone who took that approach in jr. high and regrets it now), and you can't tell sinners that they're terrible people.
jesus didn't come to earth to point out everyone's mistakes. he came here to show the earth God's love.
so my advice to holy rollers slamming the door in the face of children looking for candy...
the only area of king's post i agree with...
show them love. Link
i think it's ridiculous.
let me just run down a short list of what i disagree with.
· i'm not lining my life up with the devil if i celebrate halloween. i'm not sacrificing babies, i'm going to a costume party.
· i know beyond a shadow of a doubt (waaaaay overused christian cliche') that i'm saved. and i'm not a sinner b/c i'm not opposed to halloween.
· giving candy to a kid is not sacrificing to a false god.
· i don't need to fear satan as an enemy. yeah, i believe he attacks, but i believe my God defeats.
· children wearing costumes does not lower resistance to witchcraft. (what about all the little girls who dress up like angels???)
· where did those facts come from? i found this website that says the origins are totally different.
and the worst of all... he actually tells people that the devil is laughing at them.
is that going to change your mind? do you like to hear that someone is laughing at you???
we had a survey at church this weekend, and i put in the comments section that if they want to reach people, they need to talk nicely TO them and they need to talk nicely ABOUT them.
this has been weighing on my mind a lot this past weekend. how people (especially pastors) can just say things that will obviously offend people as long as they think it's justified in their minds. how can you tell a congregation of people who are possibly borderline about this whole jesus business as it is that they're being laughed at???
apparently it's ok to offend if your intentions are right.
but more on that later... that's another topic for another post.
this is about halloween. and the fact that i see a side of my pastor that i didn't really know about.
it doesn't change anything. i still love riverside and their willingness to help the community, it's still my home church.
...but wow. this isn't the way to reach the community.
i guess i'm not a pastor, but i know what's worked and what hasn't.
you can't tell a jehovah's witness that they belong to a cult (i know someone who took that approach in jr. high and regrets it now), and you can't tell sinners that they're terrible people.
jesus didn't come to earth to point out everyone's mistakes. he came here to show the earth God's love.
so my advice to holy rollers slamming the door in the face of children looking for candy...
the only area of king's post i agree with...
show them love. Link
follow-up
after talking to sarah more about this post, i remembered josh blick's great one-liner from sunday night, and how much it relates the that night's events.
he said, "you might have thought you were going to come here tonight to hear jr speak, but we're going to hear God speak."
whoa...
he said, "you might have thought you were going to come here tonight to hear jr speak, but we're going to hear God speak."
whoa...
Monday, October 30, 2006
fire fall down
something totally awemazing/freaky/thought provoking happened last night at spent...
just as a recap, spent is once a month at riverside. it's worship in place of a dude speaking. and i love it.
josh (lead singer/our wedding photographer) was up there talking inbetween songs (i always love the things he has to say. sometimes i want to ask him if he really thinks he should be a photographer b/c he sounds more like a rob bell), and he prayed that God sends fire to cleanse us of the impurities in our lives. and i thought to myself, "i bet they sing united's 'fire fall down.'"
AND THEY DID!
and those words finally made more sense to me. i always thought of those lyrics in the negative connotation "fire and brimstone." but finally they had a positive connotation. the fire that falls down is a metaphor for being forgiven. and changed.
then a few minutes later, sarah looked at me and said, "what exactly do those words mean? fire fall down? i don't want to get burned!" or something like that... i might have added that "i don't want to get burned" part...
so i told her what had just made sense to me and it made more sense to her.
then another few minutes goes by and
tim schraeder gets up on stage. he got up there and said something along the lines of, "we sing this song, and some of you might not know what they mean." and he proceeded to tell us the story of pentecost. how everyone was changed by an experience they had after jesus was crucified. all these people were doing was praying and God showed up. how would you react if all of a sudden you could see God?
so immediately i had to go up to the alter and tell tim what just happened. i stayed there the rest of the night.
afterwards, i was talking to confession's pastor, jr dakin, and told him the story. he told me that tim had felt like God was pushing him to get on stage and tell us that. but tim prayed back to God, "if jr comes over and stands next to me, i'll go up there and say that." i think it was right then that jr chose to walk over to tim and put a hand on his shoulder.
tim told jr, "i think i got something here," and jr said, "get up there."
all this after sarah and i were just talking about how we don't really believe people when they say, "i heard God's voice. he TALKED TO ME!"
well, last night, i didn't hear God's voice. but i did hear God speak through tim. and i'm not counting it as a coincidence. i'm choosing to believe that God communicates with us whether we believe it or not.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
no really...
school IS fun!
ok, this semester is fun. right now i'm in a web design class and i get to use dreamweaver 8 every day.
note how i said GET to use... not HAVE to use.
i take quarters and each quarter is only 10 weeks long. my other class is only half a class so it's 5 weeks long, starting my 6th week into this current quarter.
the other class i start in a little over a week is graphic communications. i already bought my books a month ago and i'm actually looking forward to reading them.
but the main purpose of this post is to piss and moan about something...
my personal interest website is progressing along pretty nicely so far (i don't want to link to it... i guess that seems too egotistical and i'm probably too self-conscious about it anyway...), and i'm really looking forward to making websites of my own for stuff down the road. plus, it's an awesome way to build a portfolio. just put a link in a resume (which are mostly electronic documents these days anyhow) and bang... ya got my portfolio.
so i looked into buying the URL "www.mediumgreen.com" just to keep things consistent with this blog.
apparently it's already been taken.
by someone who's really into fiestaware.
i won't link to it out of spite, but i'm pretty disappointed.
who actually likes fiestaware so much that they would have websites about it??? seriously man... it's plates that you hardly ever eat on. why waste time with that???
just goes to show that there are no original ideas. even when i thought i was making something up (b/c how can a color be a medium? that's like trying to buy dry mud), someone else had already thought of it.
*p.s. i know megan likes fiestaware, and i've seen your lovely display in your dining room. in fact... i probably moved it there for you. but please don't take offense to my hatred of all things fiesta. i already had a bad history with it at bergner's when i worked there... and now they just stole my only idea so far for a website. you'd be a little disappointed, too. right?
fightoffyourdemons
i just got back from a dashboard confessional/brand new concert in rosemont. it's about 1 am, and i have to admit i've turned into an old man and i'm not used to staying up this late.
so here's the ray of light that shone through to me in my moments of insanity for my "late night."
why is it called a funeral home? a funeral is an event for a dead person, and a home is where you go to live.
also, the phrase of the night: power nap.
that is all.
thank you.
so here's the ray of light that shone through to me in my moments of insanity for my "late night."
why is it called a funeral home? a funeral is an event for a dead person, and a home is where you go to live.
also, the phrase of the night: power nap.
that is all.
thank you.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
to protect and serve
i just got back from our session with josh and robbyn from breuer photography.
it was pretty cool, man. they’re like our age and have a good sense of design. if i wanted to be a photographer, i would look to them for mentors.
anyway, i rode my sportster to the dog park in pekin, and sarah drove my truck with our bikes in the back and millie in the front.
the session was about 45 minutes long, and i pushed my harley out onto the grass about 10 feet from the parking lot. we got some cool pictures, then some cool pictures on the bicycles.
as josh and robbyn are putting their equipment away, a pekin park district officer turns into the dog park, totally bypassing the parking lot, and fording a small but steep hill to drive all the way around the end of the parking lot where my bike was and turn around on the grass and pull up behind my bike.
i finished putting the bike in the back of my truck and walked over towards the bike and the officer now parked behind it.
he rolled his window down and aimed the camera at me. i asked him if there was a problem, and he answered me with a gruff, “is that your harley?
yes, he answered my question with a question.
i told him it was, and that we were just getting our engagement pictures taken. he told me to get my bike off the grass before he gave me a ticket. and to read the sign, that i can’t go past a certain point.
according to the sign, i wasn’t past the point. i was still behind it, just not on the gravel parking lot.
i declined to point this fact out to the officer since we had already finished our session.
this was one of those times where i believe i had every right to say, “look, no need to be rude, we’re just getting pictures taken. i don’t want to split hairs, but we’re not technically past that point, so we’re not doing anything wrong.”
let me tell you, it was hard to bite my tongue. but i swear if that guy had ruined our photo shoot, i might have had a few more words to say.
so instead of getting arrested today for slander, assaulting an officer, illegally parking, and who knows what else, i’m blogging about it.
coming up next…
blogging off steam.
it was pretty cool, man. they’re like our age and have a good sense of design. if i wanted to be a photographer, i would look to them for mentors.
anyway, i rode my sportster to the dog park in pekin, and sarah drove my truck with our bikes in the back and millie in the front.
the session was about 45 minutes long, and i pushed my harley out onto the grass about 10 feet from the parking lot. we got some cool pictures, then some cool pictures on the bicycles.
as josh and robbyn are putting their equipment away, a pekin park district officer turns into the dog park, totally bypassing the parking lot, and fording a small but steep hill to drive all the way around the end of the parking lot where my bike was and turn around on the grass and pull up behind my bike.
i finished putting the bike in the back of my truck and walked over towards the bike and the officer now parked behind it.
he rolled his window down and aimed the camera at me. i asked him if there was a problem, and he answered me with a gruff, “is that your harley?
yes, he answered my question with a question.
i told him it was, and that we were just getting our engagement pictures taken. he told me to get my bike off the grass before he gave me a ticket. and to read the sign, that i can’t go past a certain point.
according to the sign, i wasn’t past the point. i was still behind it, just not on the gravel parking lot.
i declined to point this fact out to the officer since we had already finished our session.
this was one of those times where i believe i had every right to say, “look, no need to be rude, we’re just getting pictures taken. i don’t want to split hairs, but we’re not technically past that point, so we’re not doing anything wrong.”
let me tell you, it was hard to bite my tongue. but i swear if that guy had ruined our photo shoot, i might have had a few more words to say.
so instead of getting arrested today for slander, assaulting an officer, illegally parking, and who knows what else, i’m blogging about it.
coming up next…
blogging off steam.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
check off
here... we've got this stuff done.
stop asking.
the church
the reception hall
the photographers
the rehearsal dinner restaurant
the rings (sorry... no pictures yet.)
and sarah's picking out the flowers today.
i never thought i would say this... "good thing i had to work a saturday!" that means i don't have to go look at flower arrangements. if it were up to me, i'd just go by smell. b/c i don't remember what any flowers looked like at any wedding i've been to, but i remember a good-smelling flower when i sniff it.
i think we're ahead right now. i just have to find two more ushers, figure out what to wear, and get my dudes some gifts.
here's part of my gift to my ushers/groomsmen. everyone who's ever worn a tux knows how uncomfortable the shoes are. well, not my dudes! their feet will be comfortable allllllll niiiiiiiight loooooooong. cuz a wedding party ain't a party unless the guys have comfortable shoes.
stop asking.
the church
the reception hall
the photographers
the rehearsal dinner restaurant
the rings (sorry... no pictures yet.)
and sarah's picking out the flowers today.
i never thought i would say this... "good thing i had to work a saturday!" that means i don't have to go look at flower arrangements. if it were up to me, i'd just go by smell. b/c i don't remember what any flowers looked like at any wedding i've been to, but i remember a good-smelling flower when i sniff it.
i think we're ahead right now. i just have to find two more ushers, figure out what to wear, and get my dudes some gifts.
here's part of my gift to my ushers/groomsmen. everyone who's ever worn a tux knows how uncomfortable the shoes are. well, not my dudes! their feet will be comfortable allllllll niiiiiiiight loooooooong. cuz a wedding party ain't a party unless the guys have comfortable shoes.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
man day: a success
Monday, October 16, 2006
blogging off steam
dude... we know you wrote a book. and that's pretty impressive. i know i would be crazy if i had something for sale on amazon with my name on it. just writing a book alone is a feat.
but STOP BLOGGING ABOUT IT! i swear if jesus were here, he'd come into your blog and throw a tantrum. just stop blogging about it, man. your blog is worth reading, but i honestly just skip over it now. if i see you blog about how available your book is on amazon one more time, i'm unsubscribing.
but STOP BLOGGING ABOUT IT! i swear if jesus were here, he'd come into your blog and throw a tantrum. just stop blogging about it, man. your blog is worth reading, but i honestly just skip over it now. if i see you blog about how available your book is on amazon one more time, i'm unsubscribing.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
but why?
while doing dishes in aforementioned posts, i had a thought about the old adage, "never stop asking 'why'."
most seem to interpret this phrase as keep asking why for as long as you live.
while that is well and good, and would create a ton of senior citizens asking why well past retirement, i believe there is a more child-like aspect to it.
i think we would get further if we kept asking why about the same issue.
let me give you an example.
why are trees rigid?
because they build up resistance while they're growing up to the wind constantly pushing on them.
why do they build up resistance?
because the more the wind blows, trees produce more and more chemicals that cause rigidity.
why do trees create chemicals?
and this is where i keep getting stuck...
the only answer i can come up with after about 4 "whys" is, "because that's how God wants it."
try the old "why is the sky blue?"
because when you combine the particles of the elements in our atmosphere, it creates blue.
why does that combination create blue?
because certain combinations create that certain shade of blue.
why does combining things change colors?
because that's how God wanted it.
i usually don't even get that far. i was stretching there.
i think we all need to be more childish (some people already are, but more childish in THIS aspect) and keep asking why over and over and over and over again.
if we all did that, i believe we would eventually realize that logically, there's an undeniable design to everything. we aren't here by accident, we didn't arrive here by millions of years of evolution.
we are created.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
it's finally happened
i've been engaged for 2 months yesterday. and on thursday i finally did dishes.
i hadn't washed a dish since we got engaged, but then holly and jamin came over for our weekly lost party and i had to do dishes before they got there. it was pretty gross. they were starting to smell. (just to clarify, i went back and re-read this and it sounded like my dishes hadn't been washed in two months... not so. sarah's just been doing them since we got engaged.)
since sarah was out getting the pizza and H&J were on their way over, i had no choice but to wash those mofos.
here's an example of how much i HATE dishes...
and that's the face i make when i have to do dishes.
i hadn't washed a dish since we got engaged, but then holly and jamin came over for our weekly lost party and i had to do dishes before they got there. it was pretty gross. they were starting to smell. (just to clarify, i went back and re-read this and it sounded like my dishes hadn't been washed in two months... not so. sarah's just been doing them since we got engaged.)
since sarah was out getting the pizza and H&J were on their way over, i had no choice but to wash those mofos.
here's an example of how much i HATE dishes...
and that's the face i make when i have to do dishes.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
the good fight
the office
2nd best church vid ever.
no better time than the present
remember my last post?
...
yeah i think you're lazy. how dare i? how dare i say something like that when i haven't walked a mile in your shoes?
here's how dare i.
if i spilled coffee on my lap at work, you know what happens?
nothing.
i get to work with a wet lap until it dries.
i don't have to follow you around to see that you're lazy and try to delegate EVERYTHING. i don't care if you SAY you're busy... it's what people see you do. not what you tell people.
...
yeah i think you're lazy. how dare i? how dare i say something like that when i haven't walked a mile in your shoes?
here's how dare i.
if i spilled coffee on my lap at work, you know what happens?
nothing.
i get to work with a wet lap until it dries.
i don't have to follow you around to see that you're lazy and try to delegate EVERYTHING. i don't care if you SAY you're busy... it's what people see you do. not what you tell people.
blogging off steam
i've been thinking about this post for a couple days now. sometimes you don't want to offend people, but other times you just want to speak your mind.
everyone's always telling you to pick your battles. but most of the time, we want to fight every single one of them. it seems like i just want to be mel gibson in braveheart and take down any englishman that stands in my way.
it happens every day... in traffic, at work, at home, at school, with your teachers, with your parents (this is probably most common) and especially with truck drivers.
vague example: someone says or does something that you don't agree with. how do you decide to take on an argument? if it's something dumb like which to have on the table at a reception... pretzels or mixed nuts, then probably just don't make a big deal out of it. no one is going to remember. but if someone is doing something unsafe like blocking a dock door from closing properly, then yeah, take on that argument. ...even if it's going to be a heated one.
but for all those times where you just REALLY want to say something, but you don't... this is for you. all those times where you feel like you really sold yourself out and didn't stand up for what you think you should have said... i'm doing this. a new procedure.
i'm going to start posting what i WISH my response was. and hopefully it doesn't turn into one of those "wish i would have thought of that at the time" deals and stays true to the "i had this to say, but kept it in" sort of things.
specific example: i think it's stupid that a brother and sister can't get along over something as frivolous as money. you should be helping each other out with finances, not bickering over who gets what b/c X spent more than Y. MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE GONE INTO BUSINESS WITH FAMILY IN THE FIRST PLACE IF YOU KNEW YOUR BROTHER HAD A TEMPER! AND MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE GONE INTO BUSINESS WITH FAMILY IF YOU THOUGHT YOUR BROTHER-IN-LAW WAS LAZY!
now, most readers probably have no idea what that's about. and that's what i want.
this specific example was about my mom and uncle going into business together. i'll spare you the details, but that's something i wish i could say to both of them. but i know all it would do is make them mad and not resolve anything.
i won't always explain what i'm saying. in fact, i'll never explain it. most likely, if you're reading it, you won't know what i'm talking about. but i'm not doing this for you. this is for me. (duh... it's my blog. get your own.)
in the future, if you read a post, and it seemingly has nothing to do with anything, ignore it. it's probably just me exercising some steam release. and yeah, it could be about you. then again, it might not be. but if it's gotten to the point where all i do is blog about it anonymously, then we've probably already talked about it.
and if we've already talked about it, and i'm doing this new procedure, then it's probably also too late.
i hope to bury a few axes rather than a few englishman with this.
everyone's always telling you to pick your battles. but most of the time, we want to fight every single one of them. it seems like i just want to be mel gibson in braveheart and take down any englishman that stands in my way.
it happens every day... in traffic, at work, at home, at school, with your teachers, with your parents (this is probably most common) and especially with truck drivers.
vague example: someone says or does something that you don't agree with. how do you decide to take on an argument? if it's something dumb like which to have on the table at a reception... pretzels or mixed nuts, then probably just don't make a big deal out of it. no one is going to remember. but if someone is doing something unsafe like blocking a dock door from closing properly, then yeah, take on that argument. ...even if it's going to be a heated one.
but for all those times where you just REALLY want to say something, but you don't... this is for you. all those times where you feel like you really sold yourself out and didn't stand up for what you think you should have said... i'm doing this. a new procedure.
i'm going to start posting what i WISH my response was. and hopefully it doesn't turn into one of those "wish i would have thought of that at the time" deals and stays true to the "i had this to say, but kept it in" sort of things.
specific example: i think it's stupid that a brother and sister can't get along over something as frivolous as money. you should be helping each other out with finances, not bickering over who gets what b/c X spent more than Y. MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE GONE INTO BUSINESS WITH FAMILY IN THE FIRST PLACE IF YOU KNEW YOUR BROTHER HAD A TEMPER! AND MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE GONE INTO BUSINESS WITH FAMILY IF YOU THOUGHT YOUR BROTHER-IN-LAW WAS LAZY!
now, most readers probably have no idea what that's about. and that's what i want.
this specific example was about my mom and uncle going into business together. i'll spare you the details, but that's something i wish i could say to both of them. but i know all it would do is make them mad and not resolve anything.
i won't always explain what i'm saying. in fact, i'll never explain it. most likely, if you're reading it, you won't know what i'm talking about. but i'm not doing this for you. this is for me. (duh... it's my blog. get your own.)
in the future, if you read a post, and it seemingly has nothing to do with anything, ignore it. it's probably just me exercising some steam release. and yeah, it could be about you. then again, it might not be. but if it's gotten to the point where all i do is blog about it anonymously, then we've probably already talked about it.
and if we've already talked about it, and i'm doing this new procedure, then it's probably also too late.
i hope to bury a few axes rather than a few englishman with this.
Monday, October 09, 2006
who's the psycho?
ok, a while ago i posted about how i burnt a deadly spider in the microwave potentially saving hundreds of lives.
then ximena posted a comment telling me that i was going to grow up to become a serial killer.
THEN she posts THIS on her blog. (don't click if you're squeamish)
dude... you cut a piglet in half. that's disgusting. at least i felt remorse for what i did. you, on the other hand, bff, proclaim it's tastiness.
i hope you ate well, bff. that little piggy went to market for YOU!
then ximena posted a comment telling me that i was going to grow up to become a serial killer.
THEN she posts THIS on her blog. (don't click if you're squeamish)
dude... you cut a piglet in half. that's disgusting. at least i felt remorse for what i did. you, on the other hand, bff, proclaim it's tastiness.
i hope you ate well, bff. that little piggy went to market for YOU!
Sunday, October 08, 2006
a lot of people go to school for 9 years...
i just got a facebook (i don't think i'll be on there much) but i was looking at my own profile (call it vain) when i noticed my college and high school info side by side...
i graduated high school in 2000, and i will graduate college in 2009.
I'M FREAKIN' TOMMY BOY, MAN!!!
"a lot of people go to school for 9 years..."
"yeah... they're called 'doctors'"
here's to two more years of blissful learning...
everybody wants to go to heaven
but nobody wants to die.
by david crowder with mike hogan.
if the rest of this book is as cool as the introduction, i will be a happy camper. it's so full of ideas and mindsets that are fresh and sadistically comforting that i know this will be a book that i will read for the rest of my life.
i wasn't too impressed with velvet elvis (granted, i never finished it), so maybe this will be my velvet elvis. it seems the cool thing to do in your twenties to have a book that's close to you and you can quote in conversation.
"according to nietzsche..."
"according to bell..."
"according to crowder..."
the one thing sticking out from the pre-prologue entitled "an introduction," is the old pessimist/optimist analogy. "is the cup half full or half empty?"
crowder insists it's not the liquid in question, but the container. and later he analyzes the analogy even further (a second degree analogy, if you will) into saying that the earth we live in isn't bad... it's not half full. it's just not an acceptable container.
this introduction is dark. it talks about how there was a dying trend in their (the band's) friends and family (including the pastor who got electrocuted during a baptism). he says the smell in the funeral home became familiar. it's the smell of flowers that are dying, no longer pulling life from the ground and sky, to cover the feel of death in the mortuary.
and that's what his comfort was supposed to be?
it's also full of humor. they (the authors) attack a question head on. the minor detail in the back of my mind they spend more time on than i can imagine and actually make it interesting.
they explain how to know which author is authoring. is it crowder or is it hogan? there is a good amount of time spent explaining how to get to know the authors w/o ever actually getting to know the authors.
witty.
here's to hoping the rest of the book is.
especially b/c i really don't enjoy reading.
i know, i know... i'm supposed to read. i should read. reading is a key element to a grand society.
big whoop, i don't like it.
Friday, October 06, 2006
silly online games
took me a while, but i finally did this.
sorry justin!
Three things that scare me.
1. the supernatural
2. bad drivers
3. being trapped underwater or in a hole, or between the rails on a traintrack, or tied to something (they're all related)
Three people who make me laugh.
1. sarah
2. steve carrell
3. millie (my dog)
Three things I hate.
1. truck drivers
2. sinus infections
3. cockiness/not listening to anyone
Three things I am doing right now.
1. avoiding homework
2. listening to phantom planet
3. nodding my head with the beat
Three things I want to do before I die.
1. go to australia (going next september), hawaii and alaska in that order
2. ride my motorcycle somewhere far away (like alaska or mexico)
3. get out of debt
Three things I can do.
1. screw up
2. dance like a 'tard (when no one's looking of course)
3. rebuild an engine
Three ways to describe my personality.
1. gun nut... i mean... sticks to his guns
2. always looking for the next laugh
3. my favorite word... "whatever."
Three things I canÂt do.
1. work on a car w/o tools
2. bear children
3. melt glass with my eyes
Three things I think you should listen to.
1. rob bell
2. brand new (it's a band...)
3. your spousesignificantt other
Three favorite foods.
1. italian
2. chicken and dumplings
3. meatloaf
Three shows I watched as a kid.
1. macgyver
2. x-men
3. spiderman
Three people I tag.
http://deaverly1.blogspot.com/
http://davecrow.wordpress.com/
http://hollyannewilliams.blogspot.com/
sorry justin!
Three things that scare me.
1. the supernatural
2. bad drivers
3. being trapped underwater or in a hole, or between the rails on a traintrack, or tied to something (they're all related)
Three people who make me laugh.
1. sarah
2. steve carrell
3. millie (my dog)
Three things I hate.
1. truck drivers
2. sinus infections
3. cockiness/not listening to anyone
Three things I am doing right now.
1. avoiding homework
2. listening to phantom planet
3. nodding my head with the beat
Three things I want to do before I die.
1. go to australia (going next september), hawaii and alaska in that order
2. ride my motorcycle somewhere far away (like alaska or mexico)
3. get out of debt
Three things I can do.
1. screw up
2. dance like a 'tard (when no one's looking of course)
3. rebuild an engine
Three ways to describe my personality.
1. gun nut... i mean... sticks to his guns
2. always looking for the next laugh
3. my favorite word... "whatever."
Three things I canÂt do.
1. work on a car w/o tools
2. bear children
3. melt glass with my eyes
Three things I think you should listen to.
1. rob bell
2. brand new (it's a band...)
3. your spousesignificantt other
Three favorite foods.
1. italian
2. chicken and dumplings
3. meatloaf
Three shows I watched as a kid.
1. macgyver
2. x-men
3. spiderman
Three people I tag.
http://deaverly1.blogspot.com/
http://davecrow.wordpress.com/
http://hollyannewilliams.blogspot.com/
what the?
Thursday, October 05, 2006
a healthy perspective
sinners helping sinners pt. ii
the second part to this post is an off-chute of the previous post.
i have a hard time sometimes with convincing myself of being effective. i'm just some dude. i know like a hundred people in a world of a few billion.
to make matters worse, i'm a crappy person. i've smoked cigarettes, i've smoked weed, i've been drunk more times than i can remember, i've been sexually active before marriage, i've lied, i've cheated, i've deceived people i love, i've broken i don't know how many commandments, i'm undisciplined, i slack off at work, i'll stop here.
and God has called me to make an impact somehow? how can a drowning lifeguard save another swimmer? how can i tell someone of redemption when i don't feel redeemed?
if i'm going to be a bum, i really want to be the homeless guy telling the others where to get the soup.
i have a hard time sometimes with convincing myself of being effective. i'm just some dude. i know like a hundred people in a world of a few billion.
to make matters worse, i'm a crappy person. i've smoked cigarettes, i've smoked weed, i've been drunk more times than i can remember, i've been sexually active before marriage, i've lied, i've cheated, i've deceived people i love, i've broken i don't know how many commandments, i'm undisciplined, i slack off at work, i'll stop here.
and God has called me to make an impact somehow? how can a drowning lifeguard save another swimmer? how can i tell someone of redemption when i don't feel redeemed?
if i'm going to be a bum, i really want to be the homeless guy telling the others where to get the soup.
sinners helping sinners pt. i
sometimes i wonder how much time i spend reading relevant's articles...
it's mainly about high school ministries... BUT... it brings up a good point.
parents want a high school ministry at their church so their kids get saved and stay saved. (whatever that means).
they don't drop their kids off at this service to feed others... they just want their kids to be taught by someone else not to do the horizontal dance.
i remember my experience growing up in jr. high and high school ministry. ...NOT the sort of environment that creates a creative christ follower.
look at who we follow... who we put our faith, trust, hope, guidance in... it's jesus that the gospels are about. the guy that came in with his new yoke and changed how people met God. he didn't do so by keeping the saved saved... he altered our state of existence by going straight to the sinner's home.
this is the sort of thing we need to teach to our high school kids.
and jr. high kids.
and children's church.
and small groups.
and pastors.
and anyone who comes in the doors of your church.
i know it's more fun for me to ride a roller coaster (i've been on trips on the church bus to fun places. there's nothing wrong with that). but it's more fulfilling (for us and for christ) to spend time in a homeless shelter. and most fulfilling for the guy you just fed.
after all... when is the last time you saw a homeless guy at six flags?
it's mainly about high school ministries... BUT... it brings up a good point.
parents want a high school ministry at their church so their kids get saved and stay saved. (whatever that means).
they don't drop their kids off at this service to feed others... they just want their kids to be taught by someone else not to do the horizontal dance.
i remember my experience growing up in jr. high and high school ministry. ...NOT the sort of environment that creates a creative christ follower.
look at who we follow... who we put our faith, trust, hope, guidance in... it's jesus that the gospels are about. the guy that came in with his new yoke and changed how people met God. he didn't do so by keeping the saved saved... he altered our state of existence by going straight to the sinner's home.
this is the sort of thing we need to teach to our high school kids.
and jr. high kids.
and children's church.
and small groups.
and pastors.
and anyone who comes in the doors of your church.
i know it's more fun for me to ride a roller coaster (i've been on trips on the church bus to fun places. there's nothing wrong with that). but it's more fulfilling (for us and for christ) to spend time in a homeless shelter. and most fulfilling for the guy you just fed.
after all... when is the last time you saw a homeless guy at six flags?
my youtube
for all you rss readerers out there...
if you got about 4 or 5 old blogs of mine today, it's b/c youtube was a little slow at getting my videos posted.
there's an ok go video from last week sometime, and a video i made that i took down from youtube b/c of a misspelling.
things should be straight now.
technology is a real killer, huh?
i guess we'll have to wait and see.
if you got about 4 or 5 old blogs of mine today, it's b/c youtube was a little slow at getting my videos posted.
there's an ok go video from last week sometime, and a video i made that i took down from youtube b/c of a misspelling.
things should be straight now.
technology is a real killer, huh?
i guess we'll have to wait and see.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
i see the future
Monday, October 02, 2006
leadership schmeadership
i'm recognizing a trend here...
everyone seems to be talking about leadership these days.
i don't know if i'm supposed to be taking this all in and figuring out how to be a leader, or if everyone else is just obsessed with power.
i'm leaning towards the latter. mostly due to work experiences. everyone that comes to work here says right away, "i wanna be a supervisor!" and, given enough time, everyone gets their chance.
and blows it.
then there's all the talk about leadership in the church. how can we all be preached at to be leaders? what if we all want to be leaders? if we all ended up like the leaders at work, nothing would get done. we would just end up telling everyone to do tasks that we ourselves don't think we're above.
now, i know everyone is probably a leader of some sort in certain ways. fathers can be leaders in their families. a woman can be a leader of a small group. a guitarist/vocalist can be the leader of a band.
but why all the hub-ub about leadership? where's all the hype for servitude?
isn't that what we're called to do? i remember a few stories of leadership, but more about serving.
normally, this wouldn't bother me so much. but it's finally gotten to the point where it feels like everyone is talking about leading so much that i feel guilty for wanting to serve more than lead.
and i need to come to a conclusion... do i feel strongly about this because i'm not leading? and does that mean that i should be a leader, or promote serving more?
i'm unsure. (but like i said, i'm leaning more towards serving.)
i guess that shows how great my decision-making skillz are... what a great leader i am already!
ha!
everyone seems to be talking about leadership these days.
i don't know if i'm supposed to be taking this all in and figuring out how to be a leader, or if everyone else is just obsessed with power.
i'm leaning towards the latter. mostly due to work experiences. everyone that comes to work here says right away, "i wanna be a supervisor!" and, given enough time, everyone gets their chance.
and blows it.
then there's all the talk about leadership in the church. how can we all be preached at to be leaders? what if we all want to be leaders? if we all ended up like the leaders at work, nothing would get done. we would just end up telling everyone to do tasks that we ourselves don't think we're above.
now, i know everyone is probably a leader of some sort in certain ways. fathers can be leaders in their families. a woman can be a leader of a small group. a guitarist/vocalist can be the leader of a band.
but why all the hub-ub about leadership? where's all the hype for servitude?
isn't that what we're called to do? i remember a few stories of leadership, but more about serving.
normally, this wouldn't bother me so much. but it's finally gotten to the point where it feels like everyone is talking about leading so much that i feel guilty for wanting to serve more than lead.
and i need to come to a conclusion... do i feel strongly about this because i'm not leading? and does that mean that i should be a leader, or promote serving more?
i'm unsure. (but like i said, i'm leaning more towards serving.)
i guess that shows how great my decision-making skillz are... what a great leader i am already!
ha!
this is a redo
so thanks to ximena, i realized i had misspelled something in my little vid.
here's the remake with the correct spelling... (and don't ask me why it starts off with that frame... it's not even the beginning of the video. that's like halfway through).
it's a promo video of sorts that i made for something called "spent."
confession is going to have the last sunday of every month be a night of worship. and we hope it becomes something that every church in peoria can be included in. bands from different churches can come play worship music, or confession's can, or full volume, or any combo of whatever you just read.
we want all the churches around involved, hence the different church logos. [oh yeah... disclaimer: if you're a churched person in the peoria area, you might notice i totally ripped off your church's (or even ministry's) logo. don't worry... i'm not getting paid. and it's just for my own entertainment. so i don't think i can be sued]
like i said, the graphics are just ripped off of local church's websites (the usual copy/paste... no high quality here. remember... it's just for fun for now). props to tim schraeder for having
backgrounds on
his church's website. the music is ben folds' "jesusland," and the last graphic at the end (the spent banner) is my own design. just an inverted image in photoshop with some text. [disclaimer again: that's not anything offical. nobody at riverside asked me to design that. i just did.]
let me know what you love, what you hate, what i should change, keep the same... etc.
here's the remake with the correct spelling... (and don't ask me why it starts off with that frame... it's not even the beginning of the video. that's like halfway through).
it's a promo video of sorts that i made for something called "spent."
confession is going to have the last sunday of every month be a night of worship. and we hope it becomes something that every church in peoria can be included in. bands from different churches can come play worship music, or confession's can, or full volume, or any combo of whatever you just read.
we want all the churches around involved, hence the different church logos. [oh yeah... disclaimer: if you're a churched person in the peoria area, you might notice i totally ripped off your church's (or even ministry's) logo. don't worry... i'm not getting paid. and it's just for my own entertainment. so i don't think i can be sued]
like i said, the graphics are just ripped off of local church's websites (the usual copy/paste... no high quality here. remember... it's just for fun for now). props to tim schraeder for having
backgrounds on
his church's website. the music is ben folds' "jesusland," and the last graphic at the end (the spent banner) is my own design. just an inverted image in photoshop with some text. [disclaimer again: that's not anything offical. nobody at riverside asked me to design that. i just did.]
let me know what you love, what you hate, what i should change, keep the same... etc.
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