Tim Harris

Chasm

2010-01-28T17:07:00.003-06:00

My favorite song from Flyleaf's Memento Mori album. Great music. Even better message.

"The chasm isn't fixed yet!"

Luke 16:19-31:
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
“Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
“Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”

Lyrics:

Break up already, wake up now
Walk away take it all back now
Don’t be quick to lick the scab off
Your spitting in his face with the rest of them

Break up already, wake up now
Walk away take it all back now
Don't be quick to lick the scab off
Your spitting in his face with the rest of them

Christ, give me something! I’m so thirsty, I’m so thirsty!
Oh please, let me warn them! Don’t you come here, don’t bring anyone here.

The chasm isn’t fixed yet; Take this water.
Drinking ever deeper...living water.

The chasm isn’t fixed yet; Take this water.
Drinking ever deeper...living water.

Christ, give me something! I’m so thirsty!
Oh please, let me warn them! Don’t you come here, don’t bring anyone here.

Help!

Christ, give me something! I’m so thirsty!
Oh Please, let me warn them! Don’t you come here, don’t bring anyone here.

Tim Hawkins - The Government Can

2009-09-03T16:49:00.000-05:00

How appropriate and timely...

Praise You in This Storm

2009-08-06T17:18:00.000-05:00

This is the song that introduced me to Casting Crowns a few years back. I was admittedly late to the game, but I love this band.

It is during the storms of life that we are reminded of how little we actually control, and how desperately we need GOD. When things are bad it is easy to feel a strong need for GOD. The challenge is to maintain that realization when the skies are blue.

Are you sick?

2009-08-03T17:12:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you just gotta rock...

It's hard to believe that's the same woman singing with Third Day in my previous post ("Born Again").

"Exorcise the demons! This house...is clear." -- Ace Ventura

Born Again

2009-08-02T19:45:00.001-05:00

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:3-5)

American Education

2009-07-24T11:57:00.002-05:00

My kids are preparing to return to school in early August. Every year it seems they start school earlier and earlier. What happened to the school year running from Labor Day thru mid-May?

I find a sad humor in the irony of our American education system. We place more emphasis on education today than ever before. Our kids spend more days "in school" now than ever. There are more programs in place to help increase the quality of kids' education now than ever before. Yet, there are more problems in our schools than ever, there is more concern over our kids' safety because of the dramatic increase in school violence over the last fifteen years, there is more concern over America "falling behind" other nations in education, and as a result there is more pressure on our teachers, school officials and kids than ever before.

What is the problem with America's education situation? In my opinion, there are three causes:

America is reaping the result of "kicking" GOD out of our schools.
Americans are trying to solve the problem without GOD's help. Man's wisdom is foolish, and it does not work. Yet mankind is VERY slow to recognize this, and sadly every generation seems to have to learn it for themselves.
The American family unit is in such a state of disarray that our kids' problems -- which stem from a lack of love, teaching and discipline at home -- are spilling over into society.

If we want to fix the problem, we must start at home. We must seek GOD's counsel as revealed in His Word. We must ask for His forgiveness and help. We must stand up and teach those around us about the importance of having strong families.

ChristianRock.net

2009-07-04T08:22:00.003-05:00

A family member recently told me about ChristianRock.net and I love it! If you're looking for a good Internet-based source of Christian rock music, check it out. You can listen for free and the music player lists the song lyrics while playing, which is a nice feature.

Words Have Meaning -- Baptize

2009-06-14T15:39:00.003-05:00

The Greek word is "baptizo". It means "to make overwhelmed (i.e. fully wet), the process of immersion, submersion and emergence". The New Testament teaches that it is through baptism that we come into contact with the blood of Jesus, which forgives us of our sins.

The scriptures speak to this in numerous places, which makes sense, because how one can be saved is the most important question for which we need an answer. Jesus taught that baptism was necessary to enter GOD's kingdom.

Jesus answered and said to [Nicodemus], “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:3-5)

Jesus told the apostles to baptize would-be disciples.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matt. 28:18-20)

The apostles began preaching the message of the cross and of salvation on the Day of Pentecost after Jesus ascended. At the end of his message, recognizing their need the crowd asked Peter and the apostles what they could do.

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ... Then those who gladly received his word were baptized... (Acts 2:36-41)

Those whom the apostles taught would carry this same pattern to others. Philip (the evangelist, not the apostle [see Acts 8:1b, 6:5]) preached Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8.

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. (Acts 8:35-38)

Note that in the above example, Philip and the eunuch went down into the water. Baptism, by definition, is NOT sprinkling! And the eunuch was not saved before he went down into the water.

There are many other Scriptures I could point to, but I'll wrap this up with these last two.

There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (1 Pet. 3:21)

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Gal. 3:27)

Baptism is one of the most important words in the Bible, and it is definitely one of the most misunderstood or misapplied concepts. Don't get this one wrong! Your eternal destiny depends upon it. The devil is very cunning, and what better way to deceive men and women than to fool them into believing "a different gospel" (Gal. 1:6)?

Words Have Meaning -- Hallelujah

2009-06-09T18:28:00.004-05:00

When something good happens, particularly after a string of not-so-good events, it's common to hear someone say, "Hallelujah!" I've done it. You've probably heard it or done it yourself. What does the word 'hallelujah' mean?

Hallelujah is a Hebrew expression that is a combination of two words:

halal - to be clear, to boast, to cause to celebrate, to praise
Yahh - the LORD (this is a short form of the personal name of GOD, Yehovah... Jehovah)

The Hebrew word hallelujah is not found anywhere in the Bible. However, the Greek form of the word, 'Alleluia', is found four times in Revelation 19:1-6.

After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!

This is a word that is clearly reserved for giving praise and thanksgiving to Jehovah, The Great I AM. Let's be careful to use it that way from now on!

Something Down Your Drain?

2009-06-02T17:21:00.001-05:00

I've never had an occasion to need this tip, but I can see where it definitely would come in handy.

Switchfoot's "On Fire" still rings eight months later

2009-05-30T11:21:00.002-05:00

Back in November I wrote about going to see Switchfoot and Third Day on the "Music Builds 2008" tour. Finally, someone posted the video from Switchfoot singing "On Fire". Unfortunately, the sound quality is not that great and it doesn't have the whole thing. Here it is anyway...it's worth watching.

Thankfully, someone captured the following video from the 9/26 show in Irvine. The quality is much better and it has the whole song. Also worth a listen, but it's a good bit different with the cello player.

TED 2009: World-wide English mania

2009-05-30T11:12:00.001-05:00

Check this video out.

Convert YouTube video to MP3

2009-05-29T20:11:00.002-05:00

Have you ever wished you could convert a YouTube.com video to MP3 format? Now you can. Check out this free application from Download.com called "Free YouTube to MP3 Converter":

http://download.cnet.com/Free-YouTube-to-MP3-Converter/3000-2194_4-10665553.html?tag=mncol

It works well. Just copy the YouTube URL and paste it into the program. Configure your settings appropriately and let 'er rip.

Get Ready for Windows 7

2009-05-29T18:12:00.006-05:00

I don't post much technical content here, mainly due to the time it takes to write about those types of things. (Like Dad always says, "If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing right.") It's certainly not for lack of interest though.

I've been using Windows 7 for the past month or two, and I love it. I was never a Vista-hater, but I also recognized its substantial hardware requirements and performance issues with certain applications. Windows 7 improves on both -- running smoothly on older hardware than Vista could support, and without crashing (even on the Beta and Release Candidate versions).

In many ways Windows 7 doesn't represent substantial change from previous versions. However, once you start looking closer there are a number of new features. Here are a few notable ones.

New Quick Launch Bar
The Quick Launch bar has been revamped. You can "pin" programs to the Quick Launch bar like you could pin them to the Start Menu in Vista and XP. In Windows 7, however, the taskbar is no longer cluttered with the icon and name of each program you have running. Instead, programs that are running have only their icon on the taskbar. Icons with a light border around them represent running programs. The others are programs, such as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, which are pinned to the Quick Launch bar but not running.

Libraries
Windows 7 adds a new type of "folder" called a Library. This concept is probably borrowed from SharePoint, but it certainly fits well in Windows. The idea is to allow users to group logical content types, such as music, documents, and videos, together in a single Library. A Library can include local and networked content, which is really nice when you have several computers at home, for example, and you store the majority of your content on a separate computer.

Performance is very good when browsing Library content, even networked content. When viewing a Library, it groups your Sources together. No more opening separate Windows Explorer windows just to browse documents in two different network locations.

Availability
Microsoft has announced the Windows 7 will be released in time for the 2009 holiday season, and some are predicting a late summer release. The Release Candidate is solid. Barring some major not-yet-discovered flaw, this puppy is about ready for prime time. If you're running Windows XP, chances are that you are probably getting close to buying a new computer. Wait a few months and get Windows 7.

If you're running Windows Vista, I probably wouldn't pay $100 to upgrade, but if you're very unhappy with Windows Vista, you should consider making the investment. I don't think you'll be disappointed in Windows 7.

More Information
There are many more things I like about Windows 7. I'll probably write about more of them in the future. For more information right now, check out the following links:

Words Have Meaning -- Worship

2009-05-28T16:44:00.003-05:00

Since my last post in this series I haven't been able to devote the time needed to provide the supporting references for these definitions, which is why I haven't posted any of them. But I'll get there, eventually.

The word 'worship' is almost always misunderstood today. It invokes thoughts of formal assemblies, church services, stained glass windows, pulpits, preachers, prayer, music or singing, etc.

The Hebrew word most commonly used by the Holy Spirit for 'worship' (Strong's 7812) means "to depress, i.e. prostrate, especially reflected in homage to royalty or God, to bow oneself down, crouch, fall down (flat)..."

Likewise, the Greek word most commonly translated worship (Strong's 4352) in the New Testament means "to kiss (like a dog licking his master's hand), to fawn or crouch, prostrate oneself in homage, to do reverence, to adore."

Both words mean essentially the same thing -- worship means physically bowing down.

Here are some examples.

Genesis 22:5 -- And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
Genesis 24:26 -- Abraham's servant "bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD." This occurs again in v.52.
Exodus 34:8 -- As GOD passed in front of Moses and allowed Moses to see His glory, Moses' response was that he "bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped".
Luke 4:8 -- Satan had tempted Jesus to bow down to him, and Jesus' response was, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve."
Mark 15:19-20 -- As Jesus was about to be crucified, "Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him."

Have we missed the point when it comes to what worship really is? I think so.

I can't believe it: CA court upholds gay-marriage ban

2009-05-26T19:30:00.002-05:00

In a 6-1 vote by the California Supreme Court, the state's previous narrowly-approved ban on homosexual 'marriage' was upheld as being constitutional. Quite frankly, I am shocked. Pleased, but shocked.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30936298/

Oh, and the one dissenting vote was Justice Carlos Moreno, who had been under consideration as President Barack Obama's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ironic. Not!

Hallelujah for the Blood of the Lamb!

2009-05-23T20:15:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow is the Lord's Day. Will you be celebrating? Read these verses and check out the song at the bottom. Praise GOD and thank you Jesus!

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying:

“ You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

“ Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. (Rev. 5:8-14)

Hallelujah - Tenth Avenue North

Debt Free

2009-05-21T19:46:00.003-05:00

My wife and I are big Dave Ramsey disciples. We've been taking "the baby steps" since the fall of 2003. It's been painful, and painfully slow, but we're making good progress. I am so thankful that some friends put us through Dave's Financial Peace University class. What a blessing that has been!

Well last week my cousin, who recently moved to Brentwood, TN, snapped this photo of Dave's new "under construction" monster-sized house. My cousin delivered a pizza to Dave's neighbor. In Nashville you just never know who your next pizza delivery will be for.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the Ramsey family has found financial peace. Yep, I'm pretty sure of it.

Switching gears somewhat, but staying with the "debt-free" theme, check out this video I got from a co-worker earlier this week of the 80+ year-old mayor of Mississauga, Canada. The town is debt-free, with millions in reserves! Amazing!

Smells Like Teen Spirit

2009-05-16T11:52:00.003-05:00

Nirvana has been my favorite band since the mid-90's. Although "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is what put the band on the mainstream music "map", so to speak, it isn't my favorite Nirvana song. Several groups attempted covers of the song, but I never heard one I liked. But the kid in this video does probably the best job of anyone I've heard. While it isn't anything like Nirvana, you have to appreciate his talent.

Catching Up

2009-05-16T11:36:00.002-05:00

I apologize to both of my faithful readers for the drought between posts. The past couple of weeks or so have been abnormally busy and I've been working on a number of things and just haven't gotten around to posting.

First, congratulations to my sister Sandy and brother-in-law Russ on their getting married back on May 8. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding. I also want to congratulate them on winning the you've-never-worked-this-hard-at-a-wedding award. We worked from 10AM to 10PM with the wedding sandwiched in there somewhere. I did not have any trouble sleeping afterward, to say the least.

Second, I was able to get the church's new Web site online. This is the culmination of months of effort and I'm so excited about the possibilities of this new site for us. Check it out here.

Third, Holly and I finally finished painting much of the inside of our house. We've been hard at that for about six weeks and with Ashlyn's softball season finally over we were able to wrap it up. Actually, we aren't really finished because more rooms to be painted, but we're done for now. I like to say we've completed Phase 2 of a three-phase project. The final phase is the bathrooms -- yikes. That may be a fall project. Maybe. A break from paint fumes is needed first.

Lord-willing with all of these events behind us I can get back to writing here more frequently.

Third Day Does 'Sweet Home'

2009-05-06T17:13:00.004-05:00

Mac is from Clanton, so of course, his band has to be capable of playing the State Anthem at every opportunity. Too bad a few folks in the crowd had to insert that profanity of "roll tide roll" during the chorus. I certainly don't condone that type of language.

Which 'gospel' are you following?

2009-05-03T15:48:00.003-05:00

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7)

There is one gospel that saves. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many well-meaning and sincere people claim to follow Jesus -- to be Christians, yet they are practicing and teaching a different gospel than the one Jesus taught.

Jesus warned that there will be many 'believers' who are disappointed on Judgment Day. Though they believed they had done many great and wonderful things for Jesus, He responded that they had practiced lawlessness. Why? Because they didn't follow the one gospel.

Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:22-23)

Which 'gospel' are you following?

The media's favorite word: 'pandemic'

2009-04-30T11:57:00.003-05:00

Is anyone else out there sick of hearing the media overuse the word "pandemic"?

A quick Google search of the word returned 8.5 million hits.

The U.S. government even has its own Web site devoted to the word: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/.

Preposterous.

Tim Hawkins live in Mobile

2009-04-27T11:44:00.005-05:00

Saturday night we went to Tim Hawkins' show in Mobile and it was great! Holly and I have been fans of Tim's since we first saw excerpts of his "Full Range of Motion" DVD on TV sometime last fall. (Click here to read what I wrote about this before.)

I got both "Full Range of Motion" and "I'm No Rock Star" on DVD this past Christmas, and I've probably seen both of them ten times -- most of those with a different audience each time as we introduced more and more people to Tim's comedy. (In fact we actually had 17 other family members and friends at the show as a result.) I've watched a fair amount of comedy in my life but before these DVDs I'd never had to pause the show multiple times to give myself time to catch up from laughing until I cried.

Early this year we heard Tim was coming to Mobile and we got our tickets as soon as they became available. He was even better live than watching his shows recorded. If you get the opportunity, you should go see him.

After the show Tim stood out front greeting people, taking pictures with them and signing autographs. Here are the photos we took with him.

My sister Melissa and cousin Amy:

Holly and me:

Check out Tim's Web site here: http://www.timhawkins.net. Buy his stuff. Laugh. It's good for you.

Words Have Meaning -- Church

2009-04-26T15:39:00.003-05:00

Let's start by looking at a very commonly misused word: church.

The Greek word is ekklesia. Its definition, according to Strong's concordance:

"a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):--assembly, church".

This word ekklesia (church) is used 80 times in the King James Version (to which Strong's is keyed) and examples include:

Matthew 16:16-18 -- Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

Acts 2:46-47 -- So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Acts 11:25-26 -- Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

In other words, this is not a church:

This is a church:

Words Have Meaning -- Intro

2009-04-26T15:11:00.004-05:00

One thing I find fascinating about languages is how the meaning of words changes over time. Our ability to communicate is directly tied to our understanding of the words we speak and hear. Additionally, words sometimes have different meanings based upon geographical location and culture.

We use dictionaries to provide a "standard" where everyone can reference a word and get a common meaning. But dictionaries are written by men and therefore they change over time. Look up a word in an 18th century dictionary and in a 21st century dictionary and the definition may be quite different.

Our Bible study can also be affected by this problem. First of all, there are numerous translations of the Scriptures -- some of which are a word-for-word literal translation, some are paraphrase translations that attempt to extract the meaning of passages and restate them in language that is more modern and common, and yet others are hybrids of the two. As a result one should be very careful selecting the translation they use on a primary basis.

Second, the Scriptures were written in two languages over a period that spans thousands of years -- Hebrew (Old Testament) and in Greek (New Testament).

Therefore, in order to gain a proper understanding of the Bible, we must occasionally go back to a dictionary of the original language. These dictionaries are commonly referred to as a concordance. Probably the most commonly used concordance is Strong's. You can buy a concordance in paper form, use an online tool or PC software. Below is a link to an online tool for searching Strong's concordance which you may find helpful in your study.

http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html

In the coming days I intend to use a concordance to look at some words which I believe, based on past experience, are commonly misused or misunderstood by many people. You might just be surprised.

'Cutting'-edge science at its finest

2009-04-23T19:08:00.002-05:00

I saw this headline and just couldn't resist posting it here. It is probably better if you just read it yourself.

Ladies and gentlemen, behold...scientific research at its finest:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30372491/

How would you like to be the guy presenting this "research" concept at the university?

Oh, there's an endless list of jokes that could be inserted here.

I am SO bummed

2009-04-19T19:21:00.003-05:00

On my kitchen table are sitting two tickets to tonight's Third Day and Brandon Heath concert in Montgomery. On my computer chair is sitting my bottom. Yep, we couldn't go. And I'm bummed.

The kids have been passing this vomiting bug back and forth for a week now and this morning we were awakened by Caleb puking in the toilet. He's been sick all day. And with that he flushed our opportunity to go to the concert. Not that it could be helped, nor am I bitter...it's just one of those disappointing things that happens in this life.

And we had it all worked out too. The show starts...er, started, rather...at 6. Evening worship services end at 6. We'd leave straight from the building and get there in time for the good bands to play. The kids were going home with Aunt Amy and we'd pick them up on the way home. It was planned perfectly. But alas, it wasn't to be.

So I decided to make myself feel worse by focusing on what we're missing right now by going to YouTube and watching concert videos. Since you probably didn't have tickets I'll share some of my favorites here.

This one's the video for the new Revelation Live CD/DVD that was just released this month. (This is really not helping my spirits.)

Show Me Your Glory

I've Got a Feeling -- rock on...Christian style \,,/

Call My Name (acoustic)

God of Wonders

National Geographic's Infinite Photograph

2009-04-19T16:21:00.002-05:00

Check this out. It's pretty cool.

Click here to see for yourself.

Dogs vs. Cats

2009-04-17T17:05:00.004-05:00

I got this in an email a while back. It's true.

What Pets Write in Their Diaries

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
Excerpts from a Cat's Diary

Day 983 of my captivity...

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I and the other inmates and I are fed hash or
some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless
must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet.
I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. [Scoundrels].

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the
power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my
tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this
again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.
The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors
have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.
For now................

Cardboard Testimony

2009-04-14T20:25:00.002-05:00

I saw this on a friend's blog and couldn't resist re-posting here. I highly encourage you to watch this. I've got to think on this...I'm not sure right off-hand what my cardboard testimony would be.

Gas prices

2009-04-13T16:56:00.004-05:00

Ah, what a difference a year makes.

2008 gasoline prices:

2009 gasoline prices:

Have you given thanks?

Faith groups increasingly losing gay rights fights

2009-04-10T18:15:00.003-05:00

Another one of those MSNBC RSS feeds caught my eye this afternoon. The headline reads "Faith groups increasingly losing gay rights fights".

The point of the article is that individuals and organizations who have refused to provide some service or permit some action to homosexuals are losing legal battles at an increasing rate. Here are a few examples cited by the article:

A Christian photographer was forced by the New Mexico Civil Rights Commission to pay $6,637 in attorney's costs after she refused to photograph a gay couple's commitment ceremony.
A psychologist in Georgia was fired after she declined for religious reasons to counsel a lesbian about her relationship.
Christian fertility doctors in California who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian patient were barred by the state Supreme Court from invoking their religious beliefs in refusing treatment.
A Christian student group was not recognized at a University of California law school because it denies membership to anyone practicing sex outside of traditional marriage.

Aren't we just SO tolerant?

I'm not a pessimistic person but it is hard to keep from getting depressed about news like this. It reminds me so much of Israel and Judah before they were taken into captivity.

And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy. Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. (2 Chronicles 36:15-17)

Wake up America! Read the Word and repent.

Therefore you shall stumble in the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
“The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me;
I will change their glory into shame. (Hosea 4:5-7)

GOD help us!

One Trillion Dollars

2009-04-06T19:25:00.005-05:00

How much is one trillion dollars? Check out this visual representation which I plagiarized from PageTutor.com:

Take $100.

Stack less than a half-inch of these $100 bills together and you got $10,000.

Stack 100 of these half-inch stacks together and you've got $1,000,000. Easily fits in a small grocery bag.

Make 100 stacks of $1,000,000 and you got yourself a pallet-full -- a cool $100,000,000. Finally, our pile of cash is starting to amount to some space.

Add 9 more pallets and we got ourselves... (cue Dr. Evil voice) ...one billion dollars.

Now...

Only duplicate the one billion (ten pallets) 999 more times and you have 1 trillion dollars. (Note: the same man from the images above is the dot in the lower left-hand corner.)

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what it apparently costs to "fix" America's economy. That's a lot of Benjamins.

The Problem with America

2009-04-05T13:54:00.003-05:00

I don't really like NBC News. In fact, it seems that these days all news is bad news so I have turned it off. It just brings me down, and I have plenty of other things to do that for me which I can't simply turn off. But since Microsoft rules the computer and they are the 'MS' part of 'MSNBC' it seems that I can't escape the MSNBC news RSS feeds. They are like a plague -- I delete them from any RSS feed list and, like rabbits and frogs, I turn around and there are twice as many of them as before.

(In case you're lost I'm talking about the RSS feeds that come "standard" with Windows Vista's gadget bar, Internet Explorer, and in Outlook.)

So in the process of cleaning up my RSS feed list, lately I've noticed more and more posts about problems in America. "We're falling behind in education", "Unemployment rates are up", "The mortgage crisis", "Another shooting rampage, 14 dead including the shooter", "President Obama warns economic stimulus will take months to produce results", "Prisons are over-crowded". Every article talks about the solution to this problem and that problem. Every proposed solution is only targeting the symptom of America's problem:

America has forgotten GOD.

Oh sure, we give lip service to Him. "...One nation, under God..." There are more 'churches' (religious organizations claiming to be part of Jesus' church) than ever before. The church buildings are bigger, more elaborate, more expensive and larger than ever before. Yet we continue to have more problems, more crime and more heartache than ever before.

As a nation, in our minds we have humanized GOD into this all-forgiving, ignorant, 'one-of-us', 'man-upstairs', 'co-pilot' to the point that we don't know who we serve. I believe GOD has been sending us "wake-up calls": 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, droughts, economic instability. The message is clear: I am not in control; where have I placed my trust?

I got an email forward last week, which you might have also seen, that I think is fitting here. As is the case with many of these what I received was partially true, but not totally. Here is the truth according to Snopes.com:

In January 1996, Joe Wright, senior pastor of the Central Christian Church in Wichita, was invited to deliver the opening prayer at a session of the Kansas House of Representatives. On that occasion he offered the following "Prayer of Repentance" (which was not entirely of his own crafting but rather was a version of a prayer written in 1995 by Bob Russell, who had offered it at the Kentucky Governor's Prayer Breakfast in Frankfort):

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we've done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your Word and called it moral pluralism.

We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem.

We have abused power and called it political savvy.

We have coveted our neighbors' possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us O God and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by you, to govern this great state.

Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the name of your son, the living savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Mr. Wright had been invited to serve as the Kansas House's guest chaplain by Rep. Anthony Powell, a Wichita Republican who was also a member of Wright's church. Accordingly, Mr. Wright read the prayer at the opening of the legislature on 23 January 1996 and then departed, unaware of the ruckus he had created until his church secretary called him on his car phone to ask him what he had done.

Reportedly, one Democrat walked out of the House in protest, three others gave speeches critical of Wright's prayer, and another blasted Wright's "message of intolerance." House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer (also a Democrat) asserted that the prayer "reflects the extreme, radical views that continue to dominate the House Republican agenda since right-wing extremists seized control of the House Republican caucus last year." Rep. Jim Long, a Democrat from Kansas City, said that Wright "made everyone mad." But Rep. Powell, who had invited Wright in the first place, claimed that House Democrats were only trying to make political points with their criticism and affirmed that he supported the theme of the prayer.

Mr. Wright said afterwards: "I certainly did not mean to be offensive to individuals, but I don't apologize for the truth." His staff stopped counting the telephone calls about the prayer that came in from every state and many foreign countries after the first 6,500 or so. Wright appeared on dozens of radio shows and was the subject of numerous television and print news reports in the aftermath of his appearance at the Kansas House of Representatives, and his prayer stirred up controversy all over again when it was read by the chaplain coordinator in the Nebraska legislature the following month. Wright later explained: "I thought I might get a call from an angry congressman or two, but I was talking to God, not them. The whole point was to say that we all have sins that we need to repent — all of us ... The problem, I guess, is that you're not supposed to get too specific when you're talking about sin."

What to make of all the fuss? Syndicated religion columnist Terry Mattingly probably explained it best when he wrote: "The easy answer is that he read a prayer about sin. The complicated answer is that Wright jumped into America's tense debate about whether some things are always right and some things are always wrong."

I think Mr. Wright is exactly right about this. I echo his prayer in its entirety. I pray for America because I fear for her future.

OnLive -- This is going to change how we play video games

2009-03-26T20:36:00.003-05:00

A new Web-based service called OnLive is going to allow people to sign up and play all the latest video games, regardless of their console format, via your PC or with a small device attached to your TV.

Check out the demo video: http://www.onlive.com/.

Lessons of a smashed finger (Lesson 5)

2009-03-26T18:58:00.002-05:00

This is the last lesson that I've (re-)learned (so far) from my smashed finger.

"I returned and saw under the sun that—
The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all.
For man also does not know his time:
Like fish taken in a cruel net,
Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them."
(Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 emphasis added)

Sometimes we are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bad things happen to everyone from time to time. That's one of the consequences of living in a sin-cursed world.

For the Christian, though, the things we endure in this life each serve as a reminder that this world is not our home...that we look for something better. Recall the conclusion of Hebrew 11.

"And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us."

There are no smashed fingers in heaven. Praise GOD!

Tim Hawkins: Chick-fil-A

2009-03-26T13:06:00.001-05:00

I needed a laugh. Maybe you do too. Enjoy!

In preparation for President Obama's press conference

2009-03-24T17:43:00.003-05:00

Since President Obama is going to address the nation this evening, I thought it perfect timing to pass along a little economic humor. I got this one from my boss a week or so ago. Enjoy.

LETTER FROM THE BOSS......

As the CEO of this organization, I have resigned myself to the fact that Barrack Obama is our President and that our taxes and government fees will increase in a BIG way. To compensate for these increases, our prices would have to increase by about 10%.

But since we cannot increase our prices right now due to the dismal state of the economy, we will have to lay off six of our employees instead. This has really been bothering me, since I believe we are family here and I didn't know how to choose who would have to go.

So, this is what I did. I walked through our parking lot and found six 'Obama' bumper stickers on our employees' cars and have decided these folks will be the ones to let go. I can't think of a more fair way to approach this problem. They voted for change, I gave it to them.

I will see the rest of you at the annual company picnic.

Lessons of a smashed finger (Lesson 4)

2009-03-23T17:46:00.003-05:00

Oh be careful little mouth what you say.

For anyone who knows me it is no surprise when I say that I make a lot of mistakes. I mean a lot of mistakes. I am a work in progress (Philippians 1:6) -- praise GOD! I have my share of temptations, but one thing I am thankful for is that I have never had a problem with cursing. My parents taught me from an early age that Christians do not use those words. That isn't to say, however, that I never sin with my tongue. Who can say that? (James 3:8) Unfortunately, from time to time I say things that I know do not glorify GOD.

Thanks be to Him that on this occasion, when I smashed my finger, I did not sin with my mouth. At the time I thought nothing of it but later some who were around commented that had that happened to them they would have uttered a few "choice words".

Jesus said in Luke 6:45 that we speak out of the abundance of our heart. If we put good things into our heart then we will be characterized by speaking about good things. But if we put evil thoughts (and specifically in this case, filthy language) into our hearts then evil will come out of our mouth.

Guess what the next verse in Luke says...

"But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46)

Ouch!

Folks, the New Testament clearly teaches that cursing is a sin. (James 3:8-10; Colossians 3:8; Romans 12:14) So how do we change this bad habit and transform our speech? Four steps:

Pray. Duh. You can't do it alone -- let the Father help. Be specific and confess your sin (1 John 1:9).

Stop puttin' the trash in. Remember G-I-G-O: garbage in, garbage out. Change the sources you receive input from: the people you associate with; the books you read; the music you listen to; the TV/movies you watch.

Get an accountability partner. Confess your sin to them and ask them to ask you periodically how you're doing in this area. It may sound cheesy but it works, trust me.

Apply Philippians 4:8 -- "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." It isn't enough to simply remove the bad sources of input -- that leaves a void. You have to fill the void with good sources. Like....GOD's Word.

Lessons of a smashed finger (Lesson 3)

2009-03-21T10:56:00.002-05:00

Days go by, whether good or bad.

I have a good friend who is a preacher and he preached a lesson earlier this year entitled "Days Go By". I've thought a lot about this truth in the past few weeks. There are so many lessons to be learned from this statement. If times are good, be thankful, and enjoy them, but never forget that you will give account for how you live.

If you are in the valley, pray, and wait on the Lord. In His time He will deliver you. It may not be in this life but deliverance WILL come to those who are His.

Regardless of where you are and how you feel now, things change. In this life. But it will not always be so. In eternity there will be no more change. If you hear the words, "Well done good and faithful servant..." then you will be eternally happy with the Lord Jesus in heaven. No more sorrow, pain, death or disappointment. If you hear the words, "Depart from Me..." then you will be in eternal pain and torment, forever separated from your GOD, with no hope for things to improve.

Lessons of a smashed finger (Lesson 2)

2009-03-20T17:37:00.002-05:00

Life changes often occur in an instant. One second you are happy, excited and celebrating. The next second you're in pain and pleading for mercy and relief. Those things you were planning on doing when you get home from work this afternoon no longer matter.

I recognize this is a relatively minor "life change" compared to what others have endured. However, it's different when it happens to you. You know it's true.

I couldn't help but reflect upon the words of Jesus regarding the nature of His return in judgment:

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ... Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
(Matthew 24:36-44)

Lessons of a smashed finger (Lesson 1)

2009-03-19T19:05:00.001-05:00

Let's go ahead and get the most obvious lesson out of the way:

When closing the door, make sure your hand is out of the way!

Duh.

Lessons of a smashed finger (Intro)

2009-03-19T17:30:00.005-05:00

I've been "out of commission" for a couple of weeks now. On Friday, 3/6, I was going to a restaurant with my team at work to have a milestone celebration lunch following a presentation we'd just given -- the culmination of several weeks worth of work. I was riding in the front passenger side of the vehicle. When we arrived at the restaurant I got out of the car and closed the door with my left hand placed on the metal doorframe left of the window about midway up -- a fairly normal process I might add.

Well one of my coworkers who was sitting behind me said something to me upon exiting the car, I turned and looked at him, and he closed his door. I was in the process of moving my hand but not. quick. enough. OUCH!!! I caught my left-hand ring finger between the front and back door of my boss' car.

After bleeding like I'd been shot for several minutes walking here and there, we determined this was going to require medical attention, so off to the ER we go. Well the hospital has this wonderful section of the ER called "Fast Track", which they put me in. I was in and out in two and a half hours, which isn't bad by today's standards.

They x-rayed the finger -- positioning it correctly was quite tricky -- and it thankfully wasn't broken. They gave me two shots of lidocane (sp?) to numb it while they punctured the nail to let the blood out from underneath. Then they sewed it up. I couldn't watch any of that.

Over the past couple of weeks, through the throbbing I have thought of several "life lessons" I have learned from a smashed finger. Since I can't type well and this is taking me forever I'm going to post the lessons separately over the coming days/weeks, Lord-willing.

If you want to see a slideshow of photos (with captions) of my finger, click here.

"Call My Name" by Third Day

2009-02-21T11:03:00.000-06:00

From the 2008 Dove Awards...here's another goodie.

My Savior My GOD

2009-02-21T10:50:00.000-06:00

Here's another of my favorites. Check it out.

Tim Hawkins - Country Song on Technical Difficulties

2009-02-17T16:52:00.003-06:00

There's a funnier version of this song on Tim Hawkins' latest DVD entitled "I'm No Rock Star", but this YouTube video will suffice. (Thanks for the link Chris.)

Warning: You'll be humming this tune for days if you watch this video.

Elephant and Dog BFF

2009-01-31T20:59:00.002-06:00

Got this one from a coworker last week. Now this is loyalty...a REAL friend, not just when they want their water bowl refilled (see previous "Cats" post).

Cats

2009-01-31T20:41:00.003-06:00

My wife loves cats. I tolerate cats. She'd love to have two or three of them. I'm willing to put up with one of them. We've had the cats vs. dogs debate several times during our marriage, and she makes some good points about how cats use the litter box, how they don't tear up the yard like dogs do...yada yada yada.

I have two main gripes about cats. First, it seems like they only love you when they want something. Our cat and I have an understanding: he doesn't mess with me and I allow him to stay here. And he has very little to do with me...EXCEPT when Holly isn't home and he wants food, water or his litter box cleaned out. Then, he's all rubbing up on me purring.

The second gripe I have about cats is that they're so small but they take up so much space. I mean cats just act like the whole house is supposed to be for them. We have a king size bed and there have been several times I've awoken during the night, look over and the cat is laying totally sideways, taking up two feet of bed real estate (on Holly's side of the bed, of course...remember, we have an understanding).

Well last week I was working at home a good bit and I had my laptop connected to my home monitor, keyboard and mouse. I leave the room for five minutes to check on something, come back, and what do I see laying up on my laptop? Yep, you guessed it. Just like he owns the place.

Tired of the Boring Windows Look-and-feel?

2009-01-28T12:38:00.005-06:00

If you are like me you use a computer for many hours every day. I get tired of staring at the same background and the same color scheme. One of the most disappointing areas of (native) Microsoft Windows, in my opinion, is its limited ability to customize the look-and-feel. Well it doesn't have to be that way.

There are multiple options for customizing Windows' look and feel. One option is to purchase third-party software to manage custom themes, icons, font styles, backgrounds, etc. The most popular of these software tools is WindowsBlinds. Major pluses for purchasing software like this include:

You have technical support, if needed.

There is a large community of contributors creating content for these tools.

It is generally believed that there is less risk of harming your computer by using these tools than other alternatives.

But these tools aren't free. And, some review sites claim that they can be significant "hogs" on your system resources, slowing down your computer.

As a result, here's what I use. If you're using Windows Vista, the folks at CodeGazer.com have created a tool called VistaGlazz which can be used to enable Vista to apply non-Microsoft-created .THEME and .MSSTYLE files (the files used to save customized Windows Themes and Styles). VistaGlazz also provides the capability to restore your system to its default state, if desired.

Once your system is patched, you can download customized Windows Themes and Styles from the Web and save the .THEME or .MSSTYLE files in your "C:\Windows\Resources\Themes" folder and totally change how Windows looks. My favorite site for obtaining customized Windows designs is BelchFire.net. (One word of caution: while 99% of the content I've seen at this site is "clean", every now and then someone will post something immodest...so be careful.)

Here's a screenshot of my current desktop and Start Menu as an example.

Tenth Avenue North - Over and Underneath

2009-01-28T11:48:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite CDs from 2008 is Tenth Avenue North's "Over and Underneath".

It is full of 4- and 5-star songs. Three of these tracks are among my favorites.

Love is Here

By Your Side

The third song of my favorites from this CD is track 11 entitled "Hallelujah". Haven't been able to find it available for playback online yet.

Give Me Your Eyes

2009-01-09T12:30:00.003-06:00

If you've listened to "Christian contemporary" radio within the past couple of months, no doubt you've heard the song by Brandon Heath entitled "Give Me Your Eyes". What a great prayer this song is! As Christians we know where we've come from -- that we were once lost without hope in the world. But thanks be to GOD that Jesus loved us enough to save us -- and someone else loved us enough to show us Jesus. As we travel about throughout the day, through eyes of faith we should see all the people lost and hurting...in need of The Savior.

LORD, give me Your eyes so I can see. Amen.

The Cycle of GOD's Triumphs

2008-12-22T16:53:00.006-06:00

Today we celebrated Christmas with my brother- and sister-in-law and their kids. One of the gifts they got me was The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian DVD. (Thanks again, guys!) I have waited several months for this movie to come out on DVD. Holly and I never go to the theater to see a movie -- one of the side effects of kids I suppose. But we went to see Prince Caspian twice when it was in the theater.

I confess that I've never read the C.S. Lewis books, but I love the movies so far. (Although I'm holding my breath that Disney doesn't mess the rest of them up.) I've tried to understand what it is about the movies that appeal to me so much, but I think they do a good job of stirring the heart of a man, helping us to view the epic we are living with a proper perspective.

My memory of the movie, despite seeing it twice already, has gotten a bit fuzzy. I remember thinking both times that the symbolism in Prince Caspian is quite strong, although perhaps more difficult to see than in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. But there is one scene that is etched in my brain since I first saw it. The scene is at the end of the movie when Lucy finds Aslan and they return to the river bridge just in time to meet the enemy.

This scene does such a great job of illustrating how GOD triumphs in the lives of men. It often goes like this:

We find ourself in some awful mess with no apparent way out. (Frequently it is because of some choice(s) we've made that got us in this fix.)
In desperate need of deliverance, we cry out to our Father for help.
Without fail, He answers the call -- though not always in the way we expect.
GOD provides the calming reassurance only possible from our Good Father, because He loves us so much.
GOD proceeds to defeat our enemy in a way we never saw coming, often without us ever having to draw our sword.

My favorite Biblical illustration of this is recorded in 2 Chronicles 20.

It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. (20:1-4)

So Jehoshaphat prayed to GOD, confessing his faith in GOD and asked for deliverance. Then the LORD answered:

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” (20:14-17)

Jehoshaphat believed the word of the LORD, and when the Israelites went to battle he appointed those who should sing praises to the LORD because Jehoshaphat trusted in GOD's deliverance.

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped. (20:22-24)

A single helpless girl standing before a host of enemies facing impossible odds...

...becomes an overwhelming majority with Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, there.

GAME OVER!

Hallelujah! Praise GOD and thank you, Jesus!

Auburn Fires Tuberville...We are such idiots

2008-12-04T09:52:00.003-06:00

I can't believe that Auburn ousted Tommy Tuberville yesterday. I suppose on one hand I could see it coming. It wasn't the first time they've tried. But why not give the guy another year? He's built a solid and consistent program over the years, and for goodness sakes, we're graduating players and we haven't been on probation since he's been there.

But much like our society, college football is big business and people are impatient. Have a bad season and people start questioning your ability to coach. Lose 36-0 to Nick Saban and you're out the door.

My observation has been that more often than not, if you are patient and persevere good things happen (a la 2004's undefeated team which followed Auburn's last attempt to oust Tuberville). But hastily make a switch in coaching and it takes several years to recover, especially in recruiting. Hopefully that won't happen to Auburn, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does.

I am fully convinced that Auburn will regret firing Tommy Tuberville. We are such idiots sometimes.

On Fire

2008-11-23T13:52:00.002-06:00

Don't you hate when you hear this amazing song for the first time and you're thinking, "Cool, this must be their newest song...I've never heard it before." only to find out that it was on the CD you bought a couple of years ago and you just missed it somehow? That happened to me (again) a couple of months ago.

In September, Holly and I had the opportunity to go see Switchfoot in concert and my favorite part of their performance (which was VERY good, by the way) was when they performed their song, "On Fire". The whole time I'm amazed by this amazing "new" song and when we got in the car to go home, I looked through my MP3 player and sure enough, it was on their CD "The Beautiful Letdown". And for two months that song has been in my head.

The live version was so much more powerful than the CD version.

Unsurprisingly, security at the concert was doing their best to enforce the "no recordings or photography" rule so I've only been able to find one short video clipping from the concert that isn't even worth posting. So I had to look elsewhere and I found the video below which still doesn't even come close to capturing the moment, but it's good nonetheless.

When I hear the song it reminds me of several truths from the Scriptures:

The times in my life when I feel "on fire" are when I am closest to GOD. Yet GOD never moves away from me...if I feel distant from Him it is because I have drifted. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8)

When I stand at the cross and I look at Jesus...when I think about who I am on my own without Him, I can see the difference that He makes in me...that GOD is working on me -- molding me. "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

I think about what it must have been like for the apostles and those who were with Jesus while He was on earth...how amazing it must have been to have the GOD-man call you His friend (John 15:15). To see His face in heaven will be a reward indeed!

Online Radio Made Easy

2008-11-13T17:34:00.002-06:00

Do you ever just feel like listening to online radio without any hassle? No programs to install, advertisements popping up, you know what I mean? Well here's a cool site to check out:

http://www.theradio.com/

Oh, and be warned, it does load at full volume! So....turn it down before you click.

Media-Convert.com

2008-11-13T12:40:00.003-06:00

This week I ran across a cool Web site I thought I'd share with you. Media-Convert.com is a free Web-based file conversion tool. They've got a list longer than you've got time to read of file types they support. If you've ever run into a situation where you need to be able to download a video from the Internet, you know how frustrating that can be. This site can do it, no problem. Unfortunately there is some kind of block for videos from YouTube.

Check it out: Media-Convert.com.

How quick does GOD respond when we pray?

2008-11-06T18:13:00.003-06:00

Is GOD actively listening when I pray? Consider the words of Daniel:

"Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved..."

(Daniel 9:20-23)

Is GOD actively listening when I pray? You bet He is! And sometimes, as with Daniel, He answers while we are yet speaking. What an awesome GOD we serve!

GOD help me pray more and increase my faith.

American Idiot

2008-11-05T08:08:00.006-06:00

"Don't want to be an American Idiot.

One nation controlled by the media.

Information age of hysteria

calling out to Idiot America!"

Yet I will trust in the LORD.

"Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills."
(Habakkuk 3:17-19)

This guy is hilarious

2008-11-01T18:46:00.002-05:00

Ever heard of a Christian comedian named Tim Hawkins? I hadn't until a couple days ago. Check it out...

Corporate Worship Songs

Tim Hawkins on Products

Cover of Green Day's "Time of Your Life"

My Arms Are Broken by Tim Hawkins

Tim Hawkins on Moms

Full Range of Motion

Robert Randolph Rocks!

2008-09-23T19:11:00.003-05:00

I got to see Robert Randolph and the Family Band last Thursday in Birmingham along with Switchfoot and Third Day. I'd never heard of them before, but they totally rocked! It's a different style of music than any of the other artists that played, but I really liked it. They jammed out for six to ten minutes per song. Here's a video from a performance of their song "I Need More Love" on David Letterman.

Photosynth.net

2008-09-05T17:00:00.001-05:00

Check out this site: http://photosynth.net/.

"Imagine being able to share the places and things you love using the cinematic quality of a movie, the control of a video game, and the mind-blowing detail of the real world. With nothing more than a bunch of photos, Photosynth creates an amazing new experience."

The Front Fell Off

2008-08-30T07:45:00.003-05:00

Does this summarize most politicians or what?!?

Hello... Hello? Is anyone there???

2008-08-28T19:26:00.003-05:00

When you are faking a pose for a camera photo opportunity with two (2) American flags, ----

...at least get the phone turned around with the right end up.

Two Days and Counting...

2008-08-28T19:23:00.000-05:00

Obama Unplugged

2008-08-20T16:52:00.003-05:00

This is both hilarious and scary...and to think that half the country will vote for this guy.

NObama: Such a short phrase yet it says so much

2008-08-19T19:18:00.003-05:00

It is especially sweet whenever something really good carries within itself an entirely other, and equally good, message. Such is this case here.

NOBama

No Obama

No Bama

1-800-Goog-411

2008-07-29T17:38:00.002-05:00

Google comes up with some crazy stuff sometimes, but they also have some great tools. I mean, when your company name gets turned into a verb and everyone knows what you mean, that's when you know you've cornered the market.

"Why don't you google ___?" Translation: go search for it on the Web.

"Make a xerox of this for me, please." Translation: make a photocopy of this paper, please.

Well here's the latest Google invention. It's a free 411-style directory service. Check it out.

http://www.google.com/goog411/

Stress Relief

2008-07-29T17:28:00.003-05:00

Got this in an email today. It's pretty funny, and if history is any indication, everyone else in the world has already seen it and I'm the last. Here goes anyway.

To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity:

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice!

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

5. In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write 'For Marijuana'

[Editor note: I don't recommend the marijuana trick, but it probably would draw some crazy looks from people processing your check.]

6. Finish All Your sentences with 'In Accordance With The Prophecy.'

7. Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk and see how many looks you get.

8. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

9 Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go.'

10. Sing Along At The Opera.

11. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical Sounds All Day.

12. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You have a headache.

13. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'

14 . When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!'

15. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.'

16. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity: Send This E-mail To Someone To Make Them Smile.

It's Called. THERAPY

Monday Will Be a Sad Day for America

2008-06-14T16:10:00.002-05:00

As California becomes the second state in America to offer same-sex couples the opportunity to 'marry', those of us who are TRUE Christians -- remember, that means "follower of Christ" which carries with it the idea that we keep ALL of His teachings -- should view Monday as a day of mourning. For our country continues its slide toward total moral depravity.

For any believers who happen to read this blog, please pray for our country and specifically those in California. It's just another step away from GOD.

How long before GOD disciplines our country for our great wickedness?

"Rivers of water run down from my eyes,
Because men do not keep Your law." (Psalm 119:137)

GOD's word is plain and clear: homosexuality is a sin and those who practice it will not inherit eternal life, but rather eternal punishment in hell. Oh what a terrible trajedy! We don't want anyone to go there, yet so many have chosen that path, just as Jesus predicted.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

Don't be mad at me. I didn't say it...GOD did!

We should be mourning at our country's shameful behavior, but yet we are proud -- "tolerant", I believe is the politically correct word now.

GOD help us see! And have mercy on your servants trying to live godly before you.

Microsoft's WorldWide Telescope

2008-05-13T20:30:00.002-05:00

Here's one of the latest technologies to come from Microsoft's Research Lab. It's called WorldWide Telescope. It's a web-based program but does require downloading. I installed it tonight and have only just begun looking at the images it contains from outer space and earth. The images are, quite honestly, breathtaking. What a powerful teaching tool!

I highly recommend checking it out: http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/

What NOT to do

2008-05-10T09:56:00.001-05:00

In life it is just as important to remember what NOT to do. Exhibit A:

Einstein or Marilyn Monroe???

2008-05-07T18:06:00.003-05:00

This is kinda freaky. It might've made the recent "email forward" rounds but thankfully I'm pretty well isolated from all of that, so I'll post it here in case you haven't seen it yet.

When you look at this picture up close you can clearly see it's Albert Einstein.

But if you stand back about 5 meters distance...

It will become Marilyn Monroe.

Queue the Twilight Zone music...

Use ZoomIt to "zoom in" on a portion of your screen during presentations

2008-04-30T18:17:00.003-05:00

Do you make presentations or have the need to periodically enlarge portions of your PC screen? Check out this free utility from Microsoft called ZoomIt.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897434.aspx

BCS Rejects "Plus-One" Proposal (for now)

2008-04-30T18:00:00.003-05:00

According to the following article from ESPN, the BCS has again rejected changing the system for determining college football's national champion. SEC Commissioner Mike Slive presented a proposal for a "plus-one" format but apparently didn't get a lot of support from other commissioners.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3375352

According to this article, the two primary objects for a playoff system are:

A playoff system would make football a two-semester sport.
A playoff system would lessen the importance of the regular season.

Both of these arguments are totally ridiculous and solutions abound for both. I don't buy these arguments as the real reasons. The only explanation I can fathom is that college football is making money at a record pace and the presidents are scared they might mess that up. It's the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality.

I suppose it will take every team getting out of the national championship game like Auburn in 2004 and USC in 2003 before that school's president will support a championship game. (Hey, at least USC was able to win enough love from the AP that they can claim a national championship for their season.) Georgia felt it got snubbed last season and you saw what their president did. You see, it's like getting robbed -- it's different when it happens to you.

For everyone out there who cares, here's a pretty interesting anti-BCS web site. I don't like the site name but I agree with the sentiments. They lay out a pretty good playoff scenario that totally removes the "two semester" argument (number 1 above).

The worst part is that if the BCS contracts are renewed then that will most likely prevent any worthwhile changes to college football's postseason until 2014.

What I can’t understand is why the college presidents do not support the playoff model. The nation deserves to know how each president voted – to know which ones support the playoff and which ones don’t.

Catching up

2008-04-21T19:49:00.003-05:00

I'm catching up tonight on a couple of posts I've been hanging onto waiting for a convenient time (which rarely comes). It seems lately that I post mainly when I need to clean up my email inbox. So here goes...

First, I got this one in an email from a coworker. I'm sure it's probably made the rounds on the Internet but I haven't looked. The subject of the email said, "What to do with your old GI-Joe's."

Second, I read this article last week and thought it interesting. It seems like the whole country (and much of the world) is caught up in the "going green" fad. I find it humorous and sad how much we are influenced by the popular "boogeyman" of the day and people like Al Gore who preach conservation but consume more energy in a year than I will in a lifetime. Ah, I digress.

Anyway, this second article is about an energy-efficient "green" home in San Francisco (imagine that). The photos are pretty cool, but I must warn you, if you're like me you want to know how much it all cost........sorry, they don't tell you.

http://www.news.com/2300-13842_3-6237243-1.html?tag=ne.gall.pg

And finally for tonight, here's a video another coworker sent me. A floating island made of plastic bottles?!? This one is almost too weird to believe, but then again, it is from Ripley's Believe it or Not.

Australia's 5,500-mile Internet connection

2008-04-11T17:24:00.004-05:00

I saw this article from News.com earlier this week and I think it's pretty cool so I am posting an excerpt here. (Click here to read the original article.)

"Installing an Internet connection can be difficult--especially if the cable is about 9,000 kilometers (5,580 miles) long and very deep underwater.
The Ile de Sein is a massive ship that sports a crew of 60, who work in shifts to lay cable 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The cable that runs between Australian and Hawaii isn't straight; it needs to run around undersea mountains and past crevasses, as well as follow the rugged terrain of the sea floor.
Many months of planning were involved in plotting the best undersea route for the cable. A member of the project commented that the undersea cables can reach depths of 5,000 meters (3 miles) or more."

"This is the fiber-optic cable that gets run under the sea--separated into different layers. The functional part of the cable is only 17 millimeters thick. This is coated in a flexible white plastic, which forms the outer layer.

The cable is dropped straight to the sea floor without any weights or additional protection. The only additional baggage is the optical signal amplifiers, of which 121 were used in the connection from Sydney to Hawaii, one every 75km (46.5 miles).

The inner most layer is the fiber-optic cable, which is surrounded by a steel sheath. This is, in turn, coated in a copper sheet, which carries 12 kilovolts of charge to power the optical amplifiers.

The final layer is the white plastic insulation that protects the cable. Telstra claims that the cables have a 25-year life span."

"The entire undersea cable comes down to this--four tiny fiber-optic cables. Between them, these cables carry up to 1.28 terabits of data, which Telstra says is equivalent to 160,000 concurrent high-definition television channels."

"This is the cable spool, in which the massive amounts of undersea cable necessary to make the Sydney-Hawaii connection are stored. It's 7 meters deep and about 15 meters in diameter. All the cable is laid in the spool by hand.

The cable is run live from the ship--data is continuously being sent down the cable--even as it drops to the ocean floor. This gives an indication of the performance of the cable and enables it to be continuously monitored."

"This is the machine that runs the cable out to sea. In particularly deep oceans, the cable may not touch the ocean floor until it is 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) behind the ship or more. It is thus important to carefully monitor the stresses on the cable."

Football Fan

2008-03-27T19:25:00.002-05:00

Regardless of whether you're a football fan or not, this is funny.

Photo from 3/14/2008 Atlanta tornado

2008-03-22T11:39:00.002-05:00

Check out this photo of the tornado that hit downtown Atlanta last Friday. I was there the day before, which is a bit eerie to think about.

This is No Accident

2008-03-21T20:37:00.003-05:00

This was our sunset driving home this evening. My pitiful camera phone does a pitiful job of capturing its beauty. The flavors of pink were intermingled among the clouds in amazing fashion.

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard." (Psalm 19:1-3)

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead..." (Romans 1:20)

One of GOD's attributes that we rarely discuss, but is clearly seen in the creation, is His creativity. Sunsets like this did not just come to be on their own. GOD is the author, the source, and the definition of beauty.

Every Day is Good Because He Lives!

2008-03-21T20:11:00.005-05:00

Every day is good because Jesus lives! Praise GOD, the Great Problem Solver!

(Source: http://www.padfield.com/ )

Let us give thanks every day for the tremendous price paid for us!

"And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6b NKJV) The Hebrew word for "laid" in this verse means "to impinge, by accident or violence... to fall upon, make intercession..." (Strong's 6293) It has the idea of to cause to land upon. GOD pressed the brunt of our iniquities down upon Jesus.

"But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus!!! Not just today....not just this Sunday, but every day!

New Movie Challenging Theory of Darwinian Evolution

2008-03-15T20:29:00.002-05:00

If you haven't heard, there is a new documentary movie coming out next month from Ben Stein (you know, the Visine guy) called "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed". In this film Stein and company interviewed numerous scientists who have been ridiculed, fired, ostracized and refused publication for their challenging of the theory of Darwinian evolution.

Check out some of the trailers and the interview with Bill O'Reilly at the link below.

http://www.expelledthemovie.com/video.php

Project Management Class - Day 2

2008-03-15T20:18:00.004-05:00

Ok, the second day of the Project Management class was much better than day 1. I'm not going to bore you with the details, largely because I can't remember much of them at the moment. But we did do this one exercise that was pretty cool. Each table (5 tables in this class) was a project team and our mission was to build the tallest free-standing structure that had to be at least 43.5 inches tall out of the following materials the instructor gave us:

One large piece of paper from one of those Office Depot tri-fold notepads...can't think of the official name of these
35 toothpicks of two sizes
1 Hershey Kiss
9 candy peanuts
9 gumdrops
9 candy orange slices

We had 30 minutes to build this structure. The world record, incidentally, was 7-feet tall. We didn't beat the world record but all five teams did complete the exercise. We came in second place, in terms of height, by only a few inches. I'd say the structure was at least 5.5 feet tall. The trick was to tear the sheet of paper in half and connect it with a toothpick. You use the candy for a base and add toothpicks at the top for additional height. We tore pieces of the gumdrops off and used them to stick toothpicks together because the gumdrops are sticky.

Just in case you're wondering the purpose of the exercise was to illustrate how project teams move through four predictable states (Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing) and how investing planning time saves time on the back-end.

I took a couple of photos from this exercise on my phone. Unfortunately I didn't get one of our structure. These were after it was over...

Is there no such thing as too much education???

2008-03-12T19:43:00.003-05:00

Tom Watson Sr., founder of IBM, is famous for saying "There is no saturation point in education." I know Tom's right, but today it sure felt like I was a bit saturated. My team at work has been working on developing and executing a more structured and formalized education plan in attempts to improve our project management skills -- as a team.

We attended a three-day seminar in January and it was really good. If the saying is true that you get what you pay for, then we got a Cadillac of a class, and truly it was a good session.

At the same time we scheduled that three-day class we scheduled a two-day class with another vendor. Today was the first day of that class. Yeah... so...this class is more like a moped.

We started off the day with the instructor -- a part-time comedian -- trying to get everyone to lighten up and relax. But he was trying too hard to be funny, and no one was laughing. It was really awkward because I felt bad for the guy but he just kept pressing harder.

Our first exercise was to list four problems with planning and organizing projects, and list three possible solutions for each problem. When he reviewed our work he just kept going on and on about how we had it right. We did a good job, but it wasn't anything earthshattering. That's when it hit me that this poor guy was not going to be a top-notch instructor. Nice guy, but not the best instructor.

As the day wound down I thought of Tom Watson's quote and I had to laugh because it sure felt like we'd reached the saturation point in this particular education. Oh well, I'm VERY thankful to work for a company who invests in its employees by providing opportunities to attend training seminars. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Pa-roll Tide!

2008-03-10T20:19:00.003-05:00

I never can pass up a (clean) opportunity to jab fans of the Evil Empire at cross-state UAT (that's the University owned by Auburn in Tuscaloosa, for those who don't know -- and our home away from home). I got this list from a coworker. Enjoy and WAR EAGLE! (Do I hear 7???)

A lady in Tuscaloosa calls 911. Hysterically, she says, “Someone’s just broken into my house, and I think he’s going to rob me!” The police officer says, “We’re really busy at the moment. Just get the guys jersey number and we’ll get back to you.”

Q: What is Nick Saban’s biggest concern?
A: Does the NCAA count bail money as a recruiting violation?

Q: What do you call a drug ring in Tuscaloosa ?
A: A huddle

Q: Four Bammer players in a car, who’s driving?
A: The police

Q: Why can’t most of the Bammer players get into a huddle on the field?
A: It is a parole violation to associate with known felons.

The Bammer team has adopted a new Honor System.
Yes, your Honor, No, your Honor.

The Tide had a 7-6 season last year. 7 Arrests, 6 convictions.

Q: How will the Tide spend the first week of Spring Training?
A: Studying the Miranda Rights

The World's Coolest Place to Work

2008-03-10T17:37:00.004-05:00

You might have heard about this before, but it's amazing what Google offers to its employees. A friend at work sent this to me so I thought I'd post it here. (Hey, I don't need all of this stuff...I'd settle for a day without a meeting just to get caught up...)

2008 SEC Football Schedule

2008-03-04T13:08:00.002-06:00

I love football. I REALLY love college football. How much? I play NCAA 200x from the day it is released on the Xbox 360 in mid-July until the day the next year's game is released.

So it is only fitting that we go ahead and get a start on the 2008 SEC football season. If you're like me, here's a gift for you: The 2008 SEC football schedule in Microsoft Excel format! Enjoy.

When GOD Answers Prayer

2008-03-02T20:00:00.002-06:00

Tonight I was reminded of a very simple but powerful truth...that GOD answers prayers. It's something we all know but when you see it happen in your own life it is such a faith-building experience.

I can't explain the details of the situation, but I can say that it was one of those times where it looked for all the world that one thing was going to happen, when I wanted so badly the opposite to happen.

I know that prayer works. I have known it my entire life because my parents showed it to me early. But it seems that when life happens and a situation doesn't look good, it is easy for our faith to waiver a bit -- not that you ever forget GOD is able -- but that we look at the circumstances and so we just resign ourselves that the answer to our prayer was "no".

And it is in those times that GOD often uses the most unlikely of sources to bring about a "yes" in answer to our prayers. It doesn't happen always, but when it does -- as it did for me tonight -- it reminds me that:

GOD is there
He cares about us
He wants what is best for us...and will see that all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28)
He always responds!
Just because it looks like the answer is going to be "No", and that the circumstances don't appear that there will be any way GOD will intervene...He does...and sometimes with the smallest of servants

Don't lose faith in the power of prayer, and in the love of your Father in heaven.

While I'm on the Forwarding Subject

2008-02-29T19:45:00.004-06:00

And while I'm on the subject of those email forwards (see the previous post), here's another forward I received that I thought I'd post. If everyone would follow these guidelines the world would be a better place.

HOW TO FORWARD EMAIL APPROPRIATELY

A friend who is a computer expert received the following directly from a system administrator for a corporate system. It is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails. Please read the short letter below, even if you're sure you already follow proper procedures.

Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT.

Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it?

Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every e-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel!

How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps:

When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the "Forward" button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.
Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC: (blind carbon copy)field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say "Undisclosed Recipients" in the "TO:" field of the people who receive it.
Remove any "FW :" in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.
ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent.
Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses. FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (Actually, if you think about it, who's supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don 't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just ain't so!)
One of the main ones I hate is the ones that say that something like, "Send this email to 10 people and you'll see something great run across your screen." Or, sometimes they'll just tease you by saying something really cute will happen. IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!! (Trust me, I'm still seeing some of the same ones that I waited on 10 years ago!) I don't let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed. (Could be why I haven't won the lottery??)
Before you forward an Amber Alert, or a Virus Alert, or some of the other ones floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for YEARS! Just about everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to http://www.snopes.com/.

Does this count???

2008-02-29T18:32:00.004-06:00

I'm (thankfully) fairly-well isolated from the "forwarding circus" that goes on with email. The few forwards I do receive, however, are usually pretty good. Here's a video I got today that I thought was worth posting. Watch for the second kid.

(Disclaimer: Please do not visit the web site in the lower right-hand corner of the video. I went there only to see if I needed to put a disclaimer on here...and I did. I received the video by attachment but found it on YouTube to post here.)

The Kingdom of GOD

2008-02-15T11:43:00.002-06:00

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Luke 17:20-21

How much more direct can Jesus be? Yet so many still await a physical kingdom on Earth.

How is This Possible?

2008-02-07T18:22:00.000-06:00

The circus that is an election year never ceases to amaze me. But there is one thing that baffles me more than anything else. Most people act like choosing who they vote for is just a "whatever you tend to like" kinda decision. Democrat, Republican, Independent, crazy lunatic...doesn't matter -- it's just your preference.

But for me, with each election it seems the decision on who to vote for becomes more and more about my spiritual beliefs than about anything else. For example, the two leading Democrats in this election, Clinton and Obama, both support civil unions, oppose legislation that would define marriage as between "one man and one woman", support stem cell research at virtually all costs, and support women's right to murder unborn children (gently labeled as "abortion").

I don't care what their positions are on other issues. I would NEVER vote for anyone who "stands" for these things. Further more because most of the people who call themselves Democrats seem to support similar positions on these and other issues, I could NEVER be anyway associated with that party. Man, it just burns me up! I really get angry about it.

And what baffles me is how any believer could support them either. Can someone help me understand this?

Something New

2008-02-07T17:38:00.000-06:00

I've been out of the "blogging business" for a few months, but I've been wanting to get back to posting regularly, and I decided to start a new blog. There were several reasons, but in the past I've had several situations where I wanted to post something but because my previous blog was intended to focus primarily on spiritual matters I decided against posting.

So I intend on using this new blog to post about all of my interests, including spiritual things. After all, that is my primary interest.