Finally... A Story Retold

This is a video I made for our church's Christmas Eve services.

World-wide Premiere

If you pay close enough attention you can hear Evan quite easily. Ashlyn and Aaron also make brief audio cameos.

40 Motivational Speeches

I'm not a morning person and it's nice to receive something to pick me up and get me pumped up for the day. ladies and gentlemen, i give to you...

wha????

Did anyone else watch "heroes" tonight?

How on earth did the african guy suddenly come back to life and appear in suresh's apartment?


He's dead and they totally played the scene like he was really there, not some kind of vision or apparition. And it wasn't a "he got shot in the stomach, but didn't really die" situation... because he died of getting his head torn off of his body. It's pretty hard to come back from that one.

Can anyone explain this to me?

Daddy Daughter Day

Ashlyn and I connected today. I picked her up from her nap this afternoon and we sat together on the couch for about 10 minutes with no crying! Then we played on the floor for another 10 minutes and she smiled at me alot. It was sooo great.

Some of you may be asking "what's the big deal, isn't she like 5 months old"? That's true, but Ashlyn is very much a Mommy's girl and doesn't let me hold her for more than a few moments without crying. I think the breakthrough began last night.

Last night was not a good night for sleeping. We had some friends spend the night with us (which was great). Since they are a family of 5 we gave them our room upstairs to make space for everyone without banishing anyone to the freezing cold basement. Becky, Ashlyn, and I slept in the playroom together. Becky and I slept on an air mattress and Ashlyn in a pack 'n play. Ashlyn rarely sleeps in a pack 'n play and did not take to it well. Becky tried everything to get her to fall asleep for a couple of hours to no avail. I took over around 2am and held her until almost 3. She was fine with me holding her, but she refused to fall asleep.

Sharing a common challenge brings people together. Maybe our shared sleepless night brought us closer. In that case... it was worth it.

Great Song

my second calling

We had our annual Church Christmas Party tonight, but it was very different than past years. Previous church "parties" were basically an hour and a half of testimonies and reports punctuated with snacks. They were nice, but very dull. Don't get me wrong; testimonies of what God is doing in our lives are a great thing, but that can't be the only thing that we do together as a fellowship of believers.

Tonight's party was a great time of singing, laughter, creativity, fellowship and snacks. It wasn't a perfect night, but I think it was a real step in the right direction. And I had a blast co-emceeing the evening. I've often thought that I could have a second career as a game show host. I enjoying making a fool of myself on stage (to a certain extent), and making people laugh and have a good time. I liked hosting events at SAU and this was the first opportunity for me to do that here at Dearborn [outside of youth events; i have plenty of opportunities to make a fool of myself there].

If you could have any career other than your current one... regardless of skill, experience, or education... what would you do?

First Snowfall

When do you consider the first snowfall has taken place?

The first flake you see...
The first snow that stay on the ground...
The first blizzard...

For me, it hasn't really snowed until you shovel. And I shoveled for the first time today. The snow wasn't too deep, but just enough that it wasn't going to go away on it's own. It was also a precaution to help in case there is a deep snowfall overnight. I had to dig myself out on Sunday mornings a couple of times last year and it's not fun when you are crunched for time and have a ridiculously long driveway. Even moving a little bit of snow can make it much easier.

We've had snowflakes fall on us earlier this year, but this is the first snowfall of the year.

a boy and his hat

A Hat is a very special thing for a man. Sure, every guy has a collection of hats, but he only has one Hat. Once a man finds a Hat, it seldom changes. It grows better with age like a fine wine. Every rip and tear, each stain and spot is a mark of pride. A badge of honor.

I have a dozen hats [Baseball Caps and Old Fedoras from my Grandpa], but my Hat is the one I wear most frequently, the one I identify with. You may have a picture of me wearing it. It's black, it's fitted, it's got my name on it.

Aaron has found his Hat. It's plastic, it's orange, and it's always worn backwards. He wears it all the time. Everyday when I come home from lunch he greets me at the door wearing it. I'm sure he would wear it out of the house if we'd let him. It's irresistibly cute.

Most Realistic Paintjob Ever!

Intersections

Our Church has been focusing on intersections for a couple of months now. By "intersections" I mean those times where your life connects with someone elses. Intentionally or by chance, intersections happen constantly with your family, friends, coworkers, and everyone you interact with on any given day. It's been a good reminder that living your life for Christ isn't just about serving in a ministry within the church walls and that God wants to use our lives to show Himself.

Tonight I had an intersection with my neighbour Dane. Dane is about 22 yrs old and lives in the house next to us with his extended family that includes anywhere from 8 to 12 people [we aren't sure how many of them live there because it seems like it's not possible to fit that many people in a tiny cookie- cutter Dearborn house.]

As I was taking the garbage out in the rain Dane walks out to his car and calls me over. He asks "what Church do you go to?" So i told him and he proceeds to tell me about how he went to church until his mid-teens and hasn't been back since. Dane became a dad several weeks ago with his live-in fiancee and has been interested in returning to church. He knew we went to church (I don't know if he remembered I'm a pastor) as we talked he said that he would come to church on Sunday. I have no idea if he'll actually come and even if he does it doesn't mean that he's found Christ, but it was a moment that I didn't shy away from and I hope that it will provide opportunities for the future.

Let's pray for more intersections with Dane.

Good Times and Noodle Salad

We're back from our thanksgiving holiday. We all had a great time with Becky's family in Huntington, IN. Evan, Aaron, and Ashlyn each got lots of love from grandma, grandpa, and Aunt Melissa; Becky and I got to play alot of cards and had plenty of help with the kids; and we all had some great food (Becky made her best pumpkin pie ever. it was sooo good.)

Other highlights include:
- "five hundred" score for the weekend: 15 hands for Dad and I vs. 9 for Becky and Melissa
- a new personal best for wii golf: 9 under par
- Becky and Melissa leaving at 11pm on Thursday to shop until 6am on Friday!
- and the Lions got demolished

Outta sight, outta town

I'll be out of touch with the blogosphere for the next few days. We are going to visit Becky's folks for thanksgiving. We always have a great time eating food, playing cards, and wii golfing; but it's like traveling back to the stone ages because they don't have the internet (how can you live like that?).

I wish you all a happy thanksgiving. And I'll hopefully come back with a few good stories to tell.

Thanks for caring.

Duel of the Fates II: Electric Boogaloo

While I was working this morning Becky got some great pictures and video of the boys sword fighting. No children were harmed in the the following media (at least, not hurt badly:)































Yes, Aaron is using a lightsaber

Happy Meal

Guess what I'm eating right now (for the first time in about 6 years). A Hot Pocket. Jealous?

taking it up a step

I think I achieved a new level of parenting tonight.

Earlier today we decided to give Ashlyn her first taste of solid* food. Evan and Aaron are really excited about being involved in her life and they wanted to help feed her. So we gathered everyone together in the kitchen and prepared her first real meal.

As a modern parent I prepared all the electronic devices required to capture the event. Becky, Evan, and Aaron started to spoon Ashlyn her food and my responsibility was to archive this historic moment. I recorded the action with our video camera in my right hand while simultaneously taking pictures with the same device and in my left hand I used our digital camera to take additional still pictures. Yes, you read that right... taking pictures with both hands and recording video all at the same time.

I have leveled up to obsessive "capture the moment" techno-geek dad.



*solid = mostly liquid with a trace of rice cereal

I'm Baaaack. For Gooood.

Sorry friends, it's been a while since my last entry. Been pretty busy lately.

One good thing going on right now is that I didn't have Jury Duty again. As you may recall, in May I was summoned for Jury Duty and went in, sat around for a while, and then was dismissed after a few hours. Then I received a "get out of Jury Duty free" card which is valid for one year for responsibly serving our state's justice system. However, the fine print says that I can still be called for FEDERAL jury duty. Guess who received that summons a couple weeks ago.

The worst part of Jury Duty is that for all the plans you have to change in order to move your life around this single date they might not actually need you on that date. So you have to call in the night before and they connect you with an automated system which informs you if you are actually needed. If they don't need you on the original date, you must call in each day for the next TWO WEEKS to see if they need you. Then you only have about 12 hours notice to drop/cancel/move everything in your life in order to report downtown.

So I called, every weeknight for the past 2 weeks. Today, Becky made the final call, and we both had a sinking feeling that I would be called in tomorrow. Thankfully I made it through and I can relax. It really was stressful to go through the past 10 business days knowing that I may suddenly have to change all my plans around with very little advance warning.

a quick word of advice

Evan and Aaron have discovered the joy of sword fighting. Fortunately at this point they prefer to fight me instead of beating the sense out of each other. I really like playing Star Wars or Pirates with them (then again, I'd probably play with just about anyone). As a result of our "fights" I feel that I am in a position to offer some advice to the future sword fighting fathers out there.

Every strike will hit your hand. As if your fist were an electro- magnet for swinging plastic edges. They are seriously unavoidable. You try to parry and block the blows, but the angles and speed are completely random preventing you from being able to predict the path of the oncoming sword. They couldn't be more precise if they were trying.

So, for those who are about to compete in the gladiatorial games of fatherhood, buy some hockey gloves. Or toughen up your hand by punching a tree Kill Bill style.

Save the Date!

January 21st 2009.

LOST
season 5 season premiere

3 hour event
8pm-9pm: clip show (essential viewing to recap the last 4 seasons)
9pm-11pm: 2 hour season premiere

(source)

I'm looking to upgrade my guitar this holiday season and I'd like to benefit from the knowledge and experience of those of you readers who are guitar playing types. I know you mostly get what you pay for concerning musical instruments, but I don't have much available for my budget ($300-$400ish). Any recommendations for an acoustic-electric guitar?

Pre - Teen Spirit

Not quite as angsty as the original, but very cool none the less

Election Prediction

Just got done voting. The line for my precinct was pretty short, I only had to wait about 15 minutes. I think that this race is going to be much closer than the analysts believe and we won't know the results until tomorrow.

Who do I think will win?


Obama

Dumars makes a move... finally

The big news in Detroit sports today is that Allen "practice" Iverson is a Piston. We had to give up Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess and a development league player. It's a big price to pay and a big risk, but I'm excited about the potential of this trade. During the 2008 playoffs I complained about the poor performance of Mr. Billups. He's been very inconsistent during the last several playoff series and rarely lives up to reputation as "Mr. Bigshot". When most of the Pistons were struggling during the first and second round we needed to rely upon someone to carry us through. Chauncey didn't get it done.

I think that we're getting Iverson at just the right time in his career. He seems to be past his selfishness but he can still break ankles. Hopefully Kwame Brown can give us a basic post presence (we don't expect much), and we can bring another championship home.

Plus there is a chance that we can get McDyess back if the Nuggets buy out his contract.

[here's a great article by J.A. Adande about the significance of this trade]

Eat your heart out DaVinci

Evan took part in Vacation Bible School this past August. During VBS they rotated through several stations throughout the day participating in different activities at each stop. At the "craft" station the kids had to paint a tile. This is the competed project as a whole:



This is what Evan painted. It's Jesus holding Evan.

Arrr Maytee. Avast!

our halloween costumes: 4 pirates and a parrot

Hooray for free tacos

thanks for a world series promotion tomorrow (Tuesday, October 28th) taco bell is handing out free tacos from 2pm to 6pm.

how many are you going to get?

oh canada

My family (Becky, Kids, Me, My Parents) is preparing for the long journey to Niagara Falls, Ontario to visit my grandparents. We weren't able to visit my grandpa after his stroke in June because Ashlyn was about to be born, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to see him again. I don't want to take this opportunity for granted. In just the last couple of weeks a couple different kids in the youth group have lost their grandparents and it's reminded me of what a joy it is to be able to have them in our lives still.

The drive, on the other hand, will be a challenge. It'll be our first significant trip with 3 kids. Both the boys traveled really well as infants (they still do), let's hope Ashlyn got some of those genes too.

Canada, here we come!

the best fake news

A few years ago a friend of mine told me about lark news. It's a Christian version of the onion [satirical news in the vein of the daily show and colbert report].

Here's a "news" article they wrote recently about the use of movie clips during a sunday morning sermon:

Sermon overwhelmed by film clips
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — Pastor John Taylor, 43, once a winsome and compelling preacher, has lately embraced film clips as a way to illustrate his sermon points. Last week his sermon was finally overwhelmed by them.
"He used fourteen clips, totaling 33 minutes of a 35-minute sermon," says one observer. "I forgot he was even on the platform."
Taylor’s speaking portions consisted mostly of short introductions of scenes.
"It was all, ‘Have a look at this clip. Now have a look at this one,’" says one man. "I felt like I should have brought popcorn."
The selections included such disparate fare as The Simpsons Movie, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Atonement, Juno and Live Free or Die Hard. Many found the point inscrutable.
"I think the common thread was loyalty or friendship or something," says one woman. "I believe there was a message in there somewhere but I’m still trying to figure out what it was."
Taylor insists that film clips offer "unparalleled emotional impact and common language." He used to write sermons with emotional variation — humor, poignancy, personal examples and exhortation. Now film clips perform those functions for him. He likes to start with a humorous scene, segue into a more serious one, then build his argument using clips from a variety of movies. He usually ends with an emotionally impacting scene, such as one from Titanic, intended to leave the congregation deeply moved. When the lights go up he simply says, "Let’s pray."
Taylor, who enjoys reading Variety to see what movies he might use as spiritual illustrations, has already planned his preaching schedule through 2012 based on future DVD releases.
"Spiderman 4 comes out in 2010," he says. "That should make for a great Sunday."
Of all the people in the church, the youth are the most supportive of the new direction.
"It’s Sermon Mash-up every Sunday," says one young man. "It’s awesome."

busy busy busy

We're getting ready for mom and dad to visit. It's tough to be so far away from them and we are looking forward to a week and a half of grandma and grandpa.

we've just got to make sure the house is ready for them.

one rollover that isn't loosing value

Joey Jo-Jo Shabadoo Jr.

This past Sunday evening in Times Square a new pizza king was crowned. Joey Chestnut [of Hot Dog eating fame] downed 45 slices of pizza in 10 minutes. Yeah, I typed that right, FOURTY-FIVE slices of pizza in TEN minutes. (source)


I think the most I've ever eaten in one sitting is 7 or 8, but that certainly wasn't in ten minutes.
Does that make you hungry? or want to throw up?

Space Mutiny!

I'm currently watching one of my favorite episodes of MST3K, "Space Mutiny".

For those of you who aren't "Misties", Mystery Science Theater 3000 was a 90's t.v. show that mocked [or riffed] really bad movies. I started watching MST3K around college and I fell in love with it. The show hasn't been on in nearly a decade, but a very loyal fanbase still circulates tapes of all the old episodes (some of them are available on dvd in stores also). Thankfully, i still have a couple dozen shows on tape and I drag them out from time to time.

Space Mutiny remains one of my favorite episodes. The movie is as bad as they get. No continuity, huge plot holes, sets and costumes that are laughable on every level. If you've never seen a episode of MST3K, check it out.

digital transition

I think there's a lot of confusion out there regarding the digital conversion of all TV signals in February 2009. This brief video should help clear things up.

do i ever feel old

At some point between 7pm and 8pm on Tuesday, October 7th I turned into an old man.



I've been needing new jeans and we made the time tonite to go shopping as a family after dinner. We drove down to Kohl's and while Becky took Aaron and Ashlyn on her own, Evan and I went to the jeans section. I have never been so overwhelmed and confused while shopping in my life. Low Rise, Boot Cut, Relaxed, Straight, Loose, Slim, Skinny, Original, Carpenter, and infinite combinations of these cuts (not to mention the colors, fades, and brands). Seriously, what is the difference between relaxed fit, loose fit, and straight fit? I knew for sure that I was too old for rockin skinny jeans and too young for the standard fit. After trying on 4 different pairs I ended up with a relaxed hip + low rise + straight leg... and an identity crisis. When did jean shopping get so complicated?

best sandwich ever? The Hamburger Fatty Melt

It's a hamburger patty sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches. (source)

Who wants some?

JUMP!

As church started this morning I couldn't help but notice that Becky and Evan weren't sitting in their usual spot. They can be a few minutes late from time to time [understandable when trying to mobilize 3 kids under 4], but when they weren't there after singing ended I admit I was a bit worried. Glanced out into the parking lot I could see our Odyssey wasn't there. I went to my office to check my phone and there was a message from Becky saying... the van is dead!

Our boys love to play in the van. They climb all over it, press every button and twist every knob. I usually go back through the van and turn everything back off but... oops. After lunch it was up to me to re-animate our lifeless beast. You should understand that I'm not a gear head. It's not that I don't care, but it was never part of my upbringing and even jumping a car is mildly intimidating. But I'm the man of the house and if there's a job to be done, I'm gonna do it.

First we backed the car up the driveway and into the backyard. Then we figured out how to get the van into neutral and I pushed it back out of the garage. [I felt like I was competing in the world's strongest man... that thing is heavy!] I got it all hooked up and managed to get the van back online with relative ease.

Here's a couple picture of me doing man things.

(Thanks Becky for your help)

Then I backed the van into the fence and scratched the bumper. Hooray!

love/hate

what is the deal with computers?!

They are really great for things like keeping in touch with friends, sharing ideas, playing games, and creating stuff.

But i hate computers right now. I've been spending hours and hours working on multiple video projects this week. And 2 of them are not completed through no fault of my own (unless not working on a mac can be considered my fault).

I have no idea how to fix the problems and i don't have time to fix them even if i did. PC's stink.

Only 1 day late

Showdown Countdown

... ok, i'm not actually tracking the minutes until the vice presidential debate, but I'm really eager to watch the veep candidates challenge each other, share their ideas, and critique one another.

Katie Couric's interviews have left Palin with a lot of ground to make up. I think if she bombs it tomorrow night the race is over for McCain. The race is too tight right now and she could be the deciding factor for alot of folks.

new music

I seem to follow a pattern of feast and famine with music. I won't listen to much outside of worship team for a month or so and then I'll flood my senses with new music. I am fortunate that my renewed musical thirst has coincided with the release of new music by Chris Tomlin and Hillsong.

I really like both of these cd's [yes, i still buy cd's. i download some music, but i prefer having a physical copy with the artwork and lyrics]. Hello Love is a bit more accessible, but the production of This is Our God is sooo good.

What else should I be listening to right now?

why i like kroger

kroger gas $3.52 - $.30 kroger card discount = $3.22 per gallon!

it's the economy stupid

It seems that Michigan's economy has spread across the nation. I know that the frozen financial market/spreading foreclosure/credit crisis is a huge problem to solve with no short term solution, but the government needs to keep working. I'm not necessarily a huge fan of the recently-rejected bail out proposal, but it's clear that the market needs to have some confidence restored.

We also need to do our part by not panicking and being personally responsible with our finances. The banks lent all that money to people. We can't just blame the banks for wanting to make more money. We're the ones who asked for it.

amazing race 13

the newest season of Amazing Race began tonight.

It was a pretty good episode. Good tension and good tasks. The first few episodes are always hard because you don't really know the teams and they have to share a lot of screen times. Becky and I enjoy debating strategy about how we would handle each obstacle along the way (somehow we manage to come in first every time:).

What's your vote on which team is most annoying...

The Frat Boys- Andrew and Dan

I'm not sure which is which, but they seem to get overexcited about everything and the one with glasses thinks he's an expert in everything.

... or...

Team Newly Dating- Terence and Sarah

All i can say is they are both crazy. not "fun" crazy, but emotional and psychological problems crazy. Reality TV gold.

endless

Becky and I were wondering today...

... how can our tiny house hold limitless items to be cleaned? Everyday we:

• wash dishes in the dishwasher
• wash dishes by hand
• wash clothes
• dry clothes
• fold clothes

and it never ends. it seems like there are time we get ahead, when at the end of the day there aren't as many things to wash and hope that there won't be anything tomorrow. However, there apprears to be some sort of dirty-ness tooth fairy, but instead of leaving shiny change under your pillow (or bills considering inflation) the magical sprite takes your clean clothes and dishes and leaves dirty ones in their place.

I know I'm an adult and responsibilities like this come with the territory, there are plenty of chores that we both do regularly that we complete even though we don't want to do them. But the dishes and clothes are relentless... demanding... exhausting.

Is it just us? or do these tasks own your home too?

Heroes Season 3

I just finished watching the premiere episode of the new season of Heroes. Before I share my thoughts, I should preface my review with the fact that i didn't get to watch every moment. I missed several scenes due to kids being put to bed, dirty dishes that required cleaning, and a crying son.

I didn't really like this episode. I think that my overall problem with this episode is my same gripe with the series as a whole: the creators and writers of the show seem to be willing to do anything in an effort to connect with and please the fans of the show. They don't have a vision and over-arching concept to which they are trying to stay true. Pacing is uneven, stories are overly complicated, and characters act in ways that are inconsistent.

Take Suresh for example, the first season he just wanted to complete his fathers research. He was vulnerable and confused, yet driven to solve the puzzle and mystery. Then the second season he was obsessed with Sylar, and acted incompetent one moment and aggressive the next. Now he doesn't care about any of the heroes that he has come across and is only concerned with becoming powerful. He changes from one episode to the next.

And I'm supposed to believe that Peter Petrelli travelled back from the future to stop his brother that he looks up to, loves, and has brought back to life and the method he chooses to stop him is to kill him by shooting him in the chest?

I'll probably watch the next couple episodes to see if things start to make sense, but i may be done with Heroes sometime soon.

RIP- Microsoft add campain

Have you seen the Microsoft ads with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld? They are the software giants response to Apple's incredibly popular "i'm a mac, and i'm pc" ads. If you haven't seen the Gates/Seinfeld commercials yet you won't be seeing them at all [on tv, at least]. Officially, Microsoft is moving into "phase 2" of their newest advertising campaign which no longer involves Mr. Jerome Seinfeld. Un-Officially, the ads have backfired and most people (or at least most active bloggers) think that the ads only confirm how out of touch Microsoft and Bill Gates are. (source)

Personally, i liked the first one...



i though it was off-beat, dry, and showed them both to be a bit more of "regular guys".

Then they dropped this bomb...



i think this video stinks. it seems to support the idea that these super rich guys don't understand the real world around them.

the newest ads have bombarded tv lately (presumably to erase the memory of the previous campaign).



Better than the last one, but the Apple ads are still the best.

What's your take? Is Microsoft over-reacting or did they totally waste $300 million dollars ($10 million alone for Mr. Seinfeld)?

maintainance

About 2 weeks ago I found myself tackling the endless task of managing our overgrown lawn. Our yard isn't huge, but it needed more than just a once over with the mower. Mow, Trim, Edge, Weed; all the steps to keep your grass healthy, wealthy, and wise.

I was reaching the point of clean-up when Evan and Aaron came outside and with no instruction began to sweep and clean up the sidewalk. I didn't ask them to do it and I could see that they enjoyed working together and helping me.

It was so cool to experience as a Dad. I got to see a bit of their potential as men, to see a bit of the fruit of all our lessons and teaching moments, time-outs and discipline. Don't get me wrong, we have great kids, it's not like they are uncontrollable hellions. However, you don't always see such clear evidence of your hard work.





I'm hanging on to that memory for a long time.

Dancing Christians

another classic

my new fav worship song!

i concur

My good friend Martha Wood recently posted a link or her facebook profile to a blog by Cameron Conant. I have no idea who Cam (if I may be so bold) is or how Martha is connected to him, but I really liked what he had to say about being pro-life.

read his thoughts here.

Being pro-life is not a isolated political checkmark, it's a worldview and perspective that values people... all people.

plenty to blog about... now

Just a two days after I blurbed about a desire for blog-spiration I found it in several places. First was the plea bargain in Kwame Kilpatrick's trial. Then John McCain gave his acceptance speech. Then Evan and Aaron spontaneous helped me accomplish some long over yard work. All great stories, but we've got to start somewhere... so let's catch-up on Kwame, shall we?

He plead guilty. finally. in open court. in front of the television cameras and the city of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick plead guilty to two obstruction of justice felony charges. He also plead no contest to assault charges in a separate case.

The conditions of his plea are as follows:

• Resign within 14 days
• Serve 120 days in jail
• Serve 5 years probation
• Pay $1,000,000 in restitution
• Surrender his pension
• Give up his law license
• Not seek office for 5 years

Immediately following the hearing I admit that I felt a sense of relief. I even felt a bit sorry for the man for all that he and his family had gone through.
Then he gave a televised statement later that evening and it all sympathy disappeared. He did accept responsibility for his actions... about 8 months after he got caught... at the last minute... when his only choices were 120 days in jail or 20 months in jail [there is no way he could have won that trial]. I understand that he would want to leave Detroiters with hope for the future of the city, that he would want to remind everyone that plenty of good things happened during his tenure; however, I felt that he was just so full of himself. I don't think he sees why the mistakes he made should keep him out of the mayor's office (the lies or the affair or the cover up and millions he cost the city).

I'm glad it's done. But unfortunately i don't think this is the last we'll be hearing the Kwame. I'm betting he's going to come up with a law suit of his own or spill some information (truthful or not) about someone else in office.

mccain

I'm about to watch John McCain's speech at the RNC.

Is it just me or did his intro video totally suck!? "mama's boy"?? the music was horrible and it seemed totally free of emotion. i thought those types of things were supposed to get you pumped up, not depressed.

inspiration

I've been looking at my blog dashboard trying to think of something to write. and nothing is happening.

Which brings me to my question for you bloggers out there... What inspires your writing? I'm not asking where you get your inspiration to take on the challenges that each day brings [it's probably a better question, but let's start with something simple]; I'm interested in the reason you create whatever you create.

There may be multiple reasons... share them all.

If you don't write a blog, which entries to you connect with (not necessarily exclusively on my blog)? Are you looking for humor? political opinion? reference to pop culture? sports rants?

This past Saturday I took part in my first LIVE fantasty football draft. I ended up with the first pick overall (which is alot of pressure btw) and chose LT. Here's my current team:

QBs:
Derek Anderson
Eli Manning
Jason Campbell

WRs:
Santonio Holmes
Calvin Johnson
Brandon Marshall
Marvin Harrison
Kevin Curtis
Bernard Berrian

RBs:
LaDanian Tomlinson
Steven Jackson
Ryan Grant

TE:
Donald Lee

K:
Phil Dawson

DEF:
Minnesota
New England

Not unbeatable, but I feel pretty good about my current roster. How's your team look?

flyin jazz

An Air Canada regional carrier has dumped their life vests in favour of fuel savings. [read about it]. Apparently 'Jazz' has decided that the 25 pounds of life preservers are not work their weight in gas.

They still have the flotation seat cushions and the only significant bodies of water they fly over are the great lakes. but is that enough to keep you feeling safe?

to me, it's not a big deal. I'm not afraid of flying and with the way they track flights these days i'm sure a rescue team would be deployed even before you hit the water.

What do you think? would this give you second thoughts before flying 'Jazz'?

mile high speech

i'm currently watching Obama's acceptance speech at the democratic national convention.

*he just mentioned michigan's autoworkers!!*

i'm not sure who i'm going to vote for, but i find the conventions fascinating. It's like an outrageous combination of: high school pep rally + promise keepers + all the political crazies you can find.

*he just said the "dignity of work"... what a great phrase*


the sight of the packed stadium is pretty cool though.

Dedication

What a great weekend! Becky, the kids, and I went to her parents place for the past few days. We watched the last of the Olympic games, played a ton of cards (which dad and I dominated), and best of all dedicated Ashlyn to God.

With parents for Pastors we have been blessed to be able to make dedicating our children a family affair. Becky's dad dedicated Evan, my dad dedicated Aaron, and Becky's dad had the great honor of dedicating Ashlyn. We did miss having my parents and Angela and Jared with us, but it was still a great time to commit her future and our parenthood to leading her to a daily walk with Christ.

olympic highlights

My dad recently shared his "high" and "low" olympic moments (so far) on his blog. It's a pretty good list, but he left out Usain Bolt from the "Highs".

His total domination of the the 100 meter finals was incredible. Not only did he destroy his competition, but he totally humiliated anyone who has run 100 meters and tried hard. Then he follows it up by winning the 200 meter sprint in world record time also (if you weren't impressed, just read Michael Johnson's reaction to Bolt's race). [his live reaction is great too, but i can't find the video].

Yeah, he's a bit of a showboat and appears to be a bit full of himself prancing around the track; but you gotta hand it to him... he backed it up (unlike U.S. sprinter Wallace Spearmon who was dq'd for stepping out of his lane).

Phelps' feat is still amazing, but Usain gets my vote for top olympic moment. What's your fav. moment?

btw: i'm totally going on the "Bolt diet" of chicken nuggets and plenty of naps before a big event, it seems to work.

Nehemiah

This past week in Sunday school our lesson was on Nehemiah.

I love the book of Nehemiah. It's one of my favourite books of the Bible (not that the others are bad... you know what i mean). It's such a cool story of God's design planted within the heart of a man. Nehemiah faces constant adversity and opposition, but continues to seek God and follow His .

I particularly like the opening prayer found in verses 5-11:

Then I said:
"O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

"Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.'

"They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.

Such a cool prayer.

What about you, what is your favourite book of the Bible?

back to the drawing board

sad news everyone.... i didn't make the cut for "who wants to be a millionaire".

but i did get a t-shirt, magnet, and pencil!

and I did have fun. I arrived at the U of M dearborn campus at 6am (it started at 7) and found myself 171st in line. Around 400 people make it into the first round of testing with me and we filled out two 30 question tests, with 10 minutes to complete each test.

The tests were all multiple choice, just like the show, and i thought i did well. However, i knew i had just enough answers i was unsure of that i might not make the cut. Unfortunately, i was not among the lucky few to make the cut (about 20 people passed the first test and about 60 passed the second one; the guy next to me passed both). I was out of there at 8:30 and only drove 2 miles out of my way to get there, so i don't feel like i had to give up much to get turned away.

here's one question i did not know the answer to:

A Sirocco is:
a. a wind
b. a thunderstorm
c. a hurricane
d. a flood

what's your answer?

for jared: pressure point knockout

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

the next gamble

i was right about american gladiators. tim tore it up.

next finale... the mole. it's craig. i am completely sure it is him.
I thought it was alex until he got eliminated. craig is too much of a nice guy who happens to make alot of mistakes.

gladitor bets

the men are about to compete in the final eliminator of american gladiators.

my money is on Tim. that guy is lightning.

Who wants to be a millionaire?

I do.

And i may get my chance to get on the show. Becky saw on the news that there will be an open audition for the syndicated version on the University of Michigan Dearborn campus in about 2 weeks. I'm going to go for it. If i don't make it at least i tried and i only had to drive a few miles to get there.

So i've been trying to brush up on a few topics to prepare. I know i need to go over U.S. Presidents and the Constitution (stuff i didn't learn much about growing up in Canada). I'll also try to go over the basics of Shakespeare (titles, major characters, plot points).

Any advice? Any other areas i should study?

A lesson for all the kids out there

We get our internet and cable through comcast. We've actually been pretty happy with them, but our cable rate just jumped up because a promotional discount just ended. Our cost per month went up about $15, not a huge amount, but it's enough to make us reconsider where our money is being spent. I called comcast to see if they would be able to give us another discount, but i was told they couldn't do anything for us. Then using our comcast internet we researched rates for a rival cable company (WOW) which we discovered would save us a few dollars.

However before I made any deal with WOW i called comcast back to see if they would make us a better deal. I got ahold of the right customer service guy because he gave me a great deal where we are now paying $15 less per month than we had been paying. Don't settle for the rate increases of cable companies, keep calling until they give you a better offer. Hooray for persistence!

the dark knight

I went to see the midnight showing of the newest batman film on thursday/friday.

It was awesome. It's the best movie i've seen since the Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King. I really enjoyed Batman Begins and I knew this was going to be good, but it was even better than i expected. Chris Nolan has totally established himself as an elite hollywood director. Christian Bale continues to redefine Batman and raise the bar for modern actors. Heath Ledger blows Jack Nicholson's Joker out of the water. Heath's Joker is to Jack's Joker as Jack's Joker is to Caesar Romero's Joker.

This movie moves beyond the conventions of other comic based films; other superhero moves should be ashamed of themselves (i'm looking at you superman returns. not so fast spiderman 3). I highly recommend this film.

What's your review?

Are You Smarter Than A Four Year Old?

Evan is really into dinosaurs. So today I challenged him to think of as many dinosaur names as he could off the top of his head (we gave him a couple of hints). Think you have what it takes to challenge my son?

Take the next few minutes and name as many as you can. No time limit, but no cheating!







ok. How'd you do??
Evan got 25.

Gallimimus Stegocerus
Anklyosaurus Tyrannosaurus Rex
Euplocephalus Hadrosaurus
Stegosaurus Triceratops
Hypsilophodon Diplodocus
Velociraptor Dilophosaurus
Deinonychus Scloasaurus
Ichthyosaurus Tylosaurus
Pteranodon Apotasaurus
Corythosaurus Pachycephalosaurus
Pteradactyl Spinosaurus
Dimetrodon Styrachosaurus
Protoceratops

He eventually got tired of playing the game but here is a list of additional dinosaurs that we know he could identify by memory if he had a couple more hints or more motivation:

Brachiosaurus Archelon
Parasaurolophus Maiasaura
Rhamphorynchus Iguanadon
Camptosaurus Elasmosaurus
Troodon Allosaurus
Edmontosaurus Monoclonius

How'd you do?

Hamilton breaks All-Star HR record

I didn't watch the Home Run Derby last night. I forgot it was on. In a previous post i've shared with you that i don't follow baseball much, but i like watching the HR derby. Something about the power and beauty of the moment. I'm pretty good at wii sports home run derby. I am particularly saddened that i missed the broadcast yesterday because Josh Hamilton broke the record of most home runs in a single round with 28 long bombs (the previous record was 24). Unfortunately Josh lost in the final round.

I'm cheering for J-Ham because he has an incredible story of how Christ changed his life. I don't know all the details, but the story goes that he was drafted #1 by the Tampa Bay Rays in 1999, but drug and alcohol addiction nearly destroyed his life and career. Through the intervention of his Grandmother he found Christ and has redeemed his soul and his career. Here's an amazing article he wrote for espn the magazine.

If you don't read the whole thing, he shares this story at the end...

"... there is one story that sticks with me, so much so that I think of it every day. I was driving out of the players' parking lot at Great American Ball Park after a game in May, with Katie and our two girls. There's always a group of fans standing at the curb, hoping to get autographs, and I stop to sign as many as I can.

And on this particular night, a little boy of about 9 or 10, wearing a Reds cap, handed me a pen and something to sign. Nothing unusual there, but as I was writing the boy said, "Josh, you're my savior."

This stopped me. I looked at him and said, "Well, thank you. Do you know who my savior is?"

He thought for a minute. I could see the gears turning. Finally, he smiled and blurted out, "Jesus Christ." He said it like he'd just come up with the answer to a test. "That's exactly right," I said."

Now that's the kind of guy i can root for. Way to go Josh!!

1 degree of separation

Last week my parents were visiting us here at home and they were watching the reality competition "nashville star". I've never watched the show before and as they showed the various contestants i was suddenly struck when i recognized one of the contestants.

I know Coffey (pronounced "coff-ay").


He attended Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas during my year there as a Resident Director. I wasn't close to him, but we'd talked a few times. In fact, when i went to HPU to interview for the RD position, I went out to lunch with him and 2 other student leaders. I also recognized him when he was a contestant on American Idol (he made it to the Hollywood round) so it was surprising to see him as a finalist in another singing competition. Coffey is a really nice guy and he does have a great voice. I wish him all the best (i think he's in the final 6 now) and if you vote for the show, vote for Coffey!

I've also known another reality show competitor. I was also not very close with him, but I
knew who he was around campus (when i was an RD at Spring Arbor University). I am speaking about the infamous Josh Aspiranti. He was a contestant on Fear Factor and became famous for his Incredible Hulk-esque freakout during a "bobbing for rings in cows blood" competition. Seriously, it was a sight to behold.


I've tried to find a clip online, but no luck so far. I may still have it on tape at home, in which case I'll try to upload it.

Those are my two connections with anyone "before they were kind-of stars". How about you? any connection to someone before they went on to become famous (reality show or otherwise)?

Happy Canada Day!

O Canada!

Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

oh what a relief it is

Becky and I received a gift certificate for 2 free massages as a present this past Christmas. We'd put if off and finally needed to redeem them before they expired and I ended up going in this morning.

I think one of the reasons that I put it off was because I felt funny about going. I'd never received a professional massage before, but something about it just felt un-manly. Guys who get massages are models or big wig executives or the big wig executive of a modeling agency. Maybe i felt a bit like getting a massage meant that i had to admit weakness because I couldn't handle the stress in my life on my own. I think you see where this is going...

It was great. Really relaxing; just what i needed. I got a full back/shoulder/neck treatment.

Butykos Chiropractic in Dearborn Heights. You should go. Very professional, not shady or awkward in any way.

day 2

I finally got linked to the hospitals wireless network ( i had to uninstall mcafee). computers are great and dumb.

anywho... day number two has gone well. We've had a few visitors, but we've also had plenty of time for just the 3 of us. Ashlyn is sooo cute and she sleeps, eats, and poops like a pro.

Becky is doing great as well. It's been a more painful day, but day 2 is always the worst day following a c-section [day 1 you're still on the stronger meds, later days allow time for more healing]. We did have a little excitement today when our entire floor was asked to move into the hallways because of a tornado warning. We sat there for about 15 minutes in the most uncomfortable chairs they could find.

Thanks so much to everyone who has supported us and prayed for us during this pregnancy. We love you and hope you get a chance to see us all soon.

Ashlyn Ann Teal

Time: 8:16am
Weight: 7lbs. 14oz
Length: 21in
Hair: Really Dark
Eyes: Beautiful

Mom is doing great, baby is great too! She's very quiet, but i'm sure that'll change soon when there are 2 other LOUD voices to compete with.

you can find more pictures on my facebook.


p.s.
Sorry it's taken so long to get the pix online, i can't seen to connect with the hospital's wireless network.

the final countdown

ba da ba buh, ba da ba bum ba, .... (you know you're singing it)

We are about 22 hours away from the birth of our baby girl and I couldn't be more excited. It's going to be great; and challenging! But i think there's often a direct correlation in life that an increasing amount of challenge corresponds with increasing amounts of greatness.

It appears that the hospital rooms have wifi, so be watching for the baby pictures and info sometime tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for all your prayers.

tub time

Wow, time has really flown by since my last post. We're only a few days away from having our new baby girl and we've been preparing the house like crazy. Just a couple of days ago I was home alone with the boys and I was washing dishes in the kitchen while Evan and Aaron were playing together in the other room.

I was really happy because they were playing well together and i was able to get alot done. As i was finishing up i thought to myself 'i wonder what they're up to?'




They were busy moving half of their toys into the bath tub (and they would have brought over the rest if i hadn't have stopped them). I love how happy they are about their antics.

A little bit of mischief, but not too much mess; you gotta let your kids get away with something:)

you say tomatoe, i say salmonella

I am not a fan of vegetables. And by "not a fan" i mean that i hardly eat them at all. part of me wishes i did; for health reasons, yes, but mostly because in social settings i'd be able to avoid the "why aren't you eating your salad?" conversation. I'm not really embarrassed about it, it's just annoying to constantly have to explain my food peculiarities and then making people feel like they need to accommodate my food preferences if they have me over for dinner. So it gives me a small amount of joy to see that tomatoes have become a threat to our national security (threat level red).

It personally gives me even greater joy because my mom has a tomatoe story that has become part of our family lore (i'm sure your family has those types of stories). It is a "try new foods" lecture that is recited with predictable regularity. The short version is as follows:

As a child my mom disliked tomatoes. One day she saw her cousins eating raw tomatoes in the same manner that one usually eats an apple. Watching the juice drip down their chins (a key element to the story), my mom decided to retry the forbidden fruit. She discovered that she does like tomatoes and the rest is history (to be recounted ceaselessly).

Now i can just picture salmonella dripping down their chins and i'll never be tempted to eat a new food again.

Just did my duty

I'm sure you've been eagerly anticipating the outcome of my jury duty; we'll here's what happened...

I managed to actually wake up at 6:40 and was on the road by 7:00. Traffic wasn't too bad driving downtown, but with the major reconstruction of I-75 the detour added a bit of time. I was able to get to the "Jurors Lobby" about 5 minutes early and the waiting game began. I waited in that room with about 150 other people (i was surprised how many people were there) until 8:15 when they showed an orientation video. Then about every 1/2 hour they would call list of about 20 names who were then led to the various courtrooms for juror selection. My name was read at about 10:30 and i proceeded to the 8th floor of the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice (the Honorable Judge Hathaway presiding). I waited in the hallway outside the courtroom for 1 minute and the Deputy Sheriff told us that the trial had been resolved (someone made a deal) and we could all return to the jury lobby. After another hour of waiting, they read my name with about 40 others and told us we could go home. That was it.

I was disappointed that I didn't get to go further, as i said in my previous post, i think that serving on a jury would be really exciting. However I was really glad that I didn't get caught up in a lengthy trial with only 3 weeks until the new baby girl.

Have any of you readers gotten further than that?

just doin my duty

I have jury duty tomorrow. I was able to get out of it several years ago because i was in grad school at the time (students are exempt). But there's no escaping it this time around and I can't help but have split feelings about serving tomorrow.

On the one hand, it's my civic duty and an opportunity to be a part of the judicial system of our country. I am interested in the legal system and I think that being a part of a jury would be a really interesting. As a Christian and former member of the university discipline process i am intrigued and challenged by the balance of justice and mercy. I would be proud to be a part of making a difference in our community.

On the other hand, i really don't want to drive into downtown detroit and sit in a jury lobby all day. no cell phone, no laptop, no pda, no portable video games; what do they think this is...1980? I don't want give up a full day just to sit around and be told "thanks, but you're not needed". Plus, i've got to get up at the crack 'o dawn (6:40... in the AM!)

I can guess that I won't be allowed to blog about the specifics of whatever happens, but maybe I'll be able be able to share something of the process.

good news. he got hurt!

I'm watching game one of eastern conference finals (pistons vs. celtics). The game is currently tied 32-32 with 5:32 remaining in the second quarter. As i cheer on the 'stones i can't help but think that Chauncey Billups' injury in the previous series was actually a good things for the pistons. I mean, he's a great player and makes huge contributions to the team, but it gave Rodney Stuckey playoff experience and confidence and forced the rest of the pistons to step up their game.

and those of us that follow the pistons close enough know that Chauncey isn't as consistent as his tag [mr. big shot] would lead you to believe.

Here's hoping they can steal home court advantage!

spring cleaning

It's that time of year again. Time for us to clear out the junk that we've accumulated over the last few months (and last few years). It seems that we constantly are throwing away things we've been carrying around from house to house. Perhaps those of you who are not homeowners can relate, but we've been carrying around box upon box of items that we say will come in handy or be put to use once we have a home of our own, yet it stays boxed only to be discovered later as we say "why on earth did we ever keep this?".

In anticipation of our baby girl we have realized/admitted that we need to exorcise our basement. We've slowly been hacking away at it for a week and today i incurred my first (ever?) spring cleaning injury. I was hoisting some large wood panels up into the rafters of the garage to create some more floor space when i lost my balance and dropped the panel on my foot. I am currently rockin' a nice sized bruise on top of my foot. But the cleanliness will be worth the pain (i hope).

How's your spring cleaning so far?

conspiracy theory #4815162342

I noticed this for the first time just a couple weeks ago.

From a distance our air conditioner looks entirely inconspicuous.

But a view from above reveals...

Another Dharma station?!

boom goes the dynamite

This afternoon I was driving south on Telegraph Road (a major city street) when traffic came to a dead stop. It was 5:00 and I thought that perhaps it was just rush hour congestion, but then i noticed that we were all sitting still for several minutes. Through some strategic lane changes i was able to take a nearby exit, but there were many cars that were past the exit with nowhere to move. I called Becky to tell her i would be a few minutes late when she told me that they had shut a large section of telegraph to all traffic.

It turns out some guy reeled in a WWII era bomb from the detroit river on wednesday. He then took it home as the ultimate conversation piece, but was convinced to turn it over to the authorities. He brought it to a Dearborn Heights fire station (which is a couple blocks from our church). The fire station evacuated several homes and closed down a large section of telegraph. They safely disposed of it in a municipal incinerator.

He had this bomb sitting in his house for over a day. Dumbest guy ever.

[Here's the story]

Maybe you should loosen up your schedule, sneak in 40 more winks

Our society is so sleep depraved. It seems that every product advertised these days has some energizing capacity.

Here are a few of the products I've noticed recently:


Dove Invigorating soap (there's also one made for men too, but i can't remember the brand). I thought just showering was supposed to wake you up.



There are a ridiculous amount of energy drinks flooding the market.




These waters both contain caffeine. WATER... with CAFFEINE in it. Seriously?!?

It seems we'll do anything to keep our energy up, as long as we don't have to slow down to do it.

Sometimes we treat our devotions/prayer the same way. at least, I do sometimes. I act as if it's supposed to be a pick-me-up to get me through the day. something to give my spiritual battery a temporary jolt.

Maybe there is more to devos than getting through the day. It's great when you get inspiration to face the days challenges, but i think meeting with God should be more about him, less about us.