Tuesday, January 31, 2006

January Blogger Awards

I do not claim to read EVERY BBC post
I do not claim a GIFT in post evaluation
My MOOD impacts my interest*

Nevertheless, my favorite posts of the month:

January's Perfect 7
Courtney's Crash
Courtney's Customer
Paul's Return to Blogging
Paul's Case of the Monday's
Mark's 3 posts in 1
Jo's Brother is cool
Damien's BBC Dating advice

I also will pick a top BBC blog

January's Best BBC Blogger:
Elizabeth S
A Bowl of Stew(art)
Journey on the other side

*These disclaimers will not exist in the future

Monday, January 30, 2006

The Rooster

We have a rooster. Actually, our neighbors have a rooster that thinks our deck and driveway are part of its territory. It's a violent rooster. Today my dad tried to prove otherwise. He went outside and stood still, assuring us that it would not attack. But alas, it pecked his toe. He'll be fine.

A few minutes later I decided to go to work. The rooster was far enough away from the back door to warrent my exit. But as I got in my car, it was approaching. With my eyes focused on the chicken & my car in reverse I totally forgot that my parents SUV was behind me. So I hit it softly, but did manage to knock off its license plate.

I blame the rooster, but I doubt it has insurance.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Sneaking Suspicion

I must admit that sometimes, deep down, I feel like the '2nd work of grace' was never meant to be seperated from the first and that only our watered down version of Christianity makes it necessary. This mixes with my suspicion that the reformations' emphasis on a 'free' salvation provoked the 2nd work doctrine b/c it had ignored, to some degree, the 'cost' of discipleship.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Shows that Start with D

Here are all the shows that start with 'D' that I have watched more than twice. Why? Who knows

The Daily Show Quite funny, but I've never watched it routinely Davey and Goliath I love doing the Goliath voice Dawson's Creek I had a 3 episode crush on Katie Holmes Dennis the Menace Quite repetitious Desperate Housewives Fading fast Dharma & Greg Worth a few episodes The Dick Van Dyke Show Greatest old show of all-time Dinosaurs I actually liked this show Double Dare A gameshow for kids The Drew Carey Show Not a big fan The Dukes of Hazzard High Flyin Fun and, yet, super dumb

Best of the D's ='s The Dick Van Dyke Show

Friday, January 27, 2006

Shows that Start with C

Here are all the shows that start with 'C' that I have watched more than twice. Why? Who Knows

Care Bears Each bear had his/her own spiritual gift (or care-bear equivalent) Caroline in the City Not a very funny show Charlie Brown Unique I suppose Cheers Probably one of the greatest show of all time Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers Not worth the time it takes to type the title Clarissa Explains It All I think I liked Melissa Joan Hart Coach Very under-rated show Columbo I went through a brief phase The Commish Not bad, my brother loves The Shield Cops I hated it, now I find it kinda funny with a mixture of sadness Cosby Show, The Not bad, not bad at all

Best of the C's ='s Cheers

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Indiana Jones

As part of my last 3 sleepless nights, I re-watched the Indiana Jones movies. I hadn't seen them in quite a while so this should be a fairly fresh perspective. I was impressed by the ability of all 3 movies to keep the suspense flowing throughout, especially considering the fact that I watched them in the middle of the night.
I definitely enjoyed Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's almost the perfect adventure movie. Indiana Jones is trying to keep the freshly discovered ark of the covenant from the Nazi frontlines. Rating: 8.1

I'll stick with my previous belief that the Temple of Doom is the worst of the three, but it's still very entertaining. Jones is trying to rescue the sacred stone and the children of a small Indian town who have been enslaved by worshipers of an ancient evil religion. Rating: 7.9

The Last Crusade is, probably easily, the best Indiana Jones movie, but that's not a slam against the other two. It's simply excellent. The addition of Sean Connery as Indiana's father makes the movie. Lots of fun twists and turns in this one. It's entertaining from beginning to end. Rating: 9.2

It looks like there may be a part 4 next year

Overall...

Rating: 8.4
Status: Must Own

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Wheat & Weeds 5

The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
Instead of being upset with the enemy, the servants are upset with the wicked men. They have an urge to purge the field of its ugly element. And herein lies one of the key points of this parable. Not only the Pharisees, but the disciples as well, had an intolerance and impatience toward anyone who did look like them. The Pharisees were weeds themselves, but did not know it. The disciples, however, were simply too temperamental, occasionally asking for fire to consume wrongdoers. In similar fashion, many today lack the patience and tact of Christ. We want a perfect world and perfect churches. And we want them now.

'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.
Christ, knowing the enemy hopes to destroy good wheat, gives a clear answer to their question. The roots of the 'bearded darnel' were, by this point in the parable, so intertwined with what had been good seed that tearing them out would certainly destroy some of the wheat. Still, Jesus is in control. He is fully aware of the devil's tactics and has the necessary solution. He'd rather permit the weeds for a time, than damage the wheat for eternity. The Lord knows that without the maturity of the wheat, it will not survive the weed-removing surgery. The wheat must first reach proper age.

But to depart, for a moment, from the parable, there is another reason for delay. The God of miracles is able to convert some of the weed into wheat. This is why Paul tells Timothy to instruct enemies instead of pulverize them. This parable is not teaching that there are two classes of humans by birth, but two by allegiance. One group belongs to the devil while the other group belongs to the Lord. It is also not teaching a 'pacifist' approach to church discipline. What is obviously not wheat can be weeded out before the harvest. A main point of the parable is that we must not judge by appearance, but that doesn't negate our call to, as Jesus put it, judge righteous judgment

Thus, Christ waits for both the quality and quantity of the wheat to peak before he tells the harvesters what to do.

At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'
And when the words of Malachi ring true again and we 'see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not' the harvest will be here. The order here is the same as Matthew 25:46. Everything that causes sin and all who do evil with be thrown into the fiery furnace. Much Old Testament imagery is utilized here to describe the fate of the wicked weeds. Just like ancient Babylon threw men into a fiery furnace for disobedience (though, in Daniel, unsuccessfully), so too will rebels of the new kingdom be dealt with.

Also picking up on Old Testament imagery, the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Ultimately, the inevitable will occur despite the enemies scheme. The Kingdom of heaven, and the good men in it, will prevail. In the ambiguity of our present experience, we must never forget that Christ is ultimately triumphant.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Wheat & Weeds 4

When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared
As the wheat matured, it's distinguishing characteristics became evident (wheat often grew taller than the bearded darnel). As the church matures, its members are known by their good works. The harvest will not take place until the church reaches unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and becomes mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). At this point, the weeds will also be exposed for what they are due to their lack of good production. The secrets of men's hearts will, on that day, be plain to see.

The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
Jesus, apparently, found the identity of the owner's servants insignificant since he did not comment on them during his explanation of the parable. We can only go so far as to compare their questions with our own. We ask Jesus: 'Didn't you make men good?' and 'Why, then, are so many evil?' We don't even consider our role in the thing (sleeping). There is a hint of subtle blame sometimes when we take problems to God.

'An enemy did this,' he replied.
The weeds did not surprise the man in the story. The problem of evil does not surprise Jesus in reality. He does not blame the sleeping servants. He knows all about their frailty. He knows who the enemy is. And He has a plan.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Wheat & Weeds 3

But while everyone was sleeping
Since Jesus doesn't give commentary on this detail of the parable, we must be careful not to read into the circumstance. But one can hardly keep from going to Gethsemane when considering these words. Three times, as Jesus agonized in that garden, His disciples slept. It was in their weakness that Jesus' will, once and for all, vowed to carry His cross. Men will inevitably sleep. Jesus, however, would accomplish His kingdom work in spite of this or, more accurately, because of this.

his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away
In the agricultural context of this parable, there were few acts more violent than sowing weeds in another man's finely sown wheat field. And yet this is what the devil has done. Just as he corrupted the original creation in Eden, he came to corrupt the new creation in the 1st century. He was crafty enough to come at the prime time (while everyone was sleeping), for he does his work in darkness. He was skilled enough to provoke mutation. The 'weed' in the parable was probably the 'bearded darnel'. It was a degenerate of the wheat family. The bearded darnel was indistinguishable from the wheat in its early stages. Wheat and weed would now grow together. Once mixed, there was no instant fix. Side by side good and evil men would live their lives. His primary work being done, the devil departed.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Wheat & Weeds 2

a man who sowed good seed in his field
When Jesus interpreted this parable for His disciples, He equated the man in the physical story with the Son of Man in the spiritual reality. In other words, Jesus was saying 'I am the man. I'm the worker of good in this world.' Meaning just pours out of this. Jesus was not just any man. He was what every man was made to be. He was the perfect man. And it took a perfect man to start the revolution that would produce the perfect kingdom. He was what no other man had ever been. Napoleon once said,
'Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love, and to this very day millions will die for Him….I think I understand something of human nature; and I tell you, all these were men, and I am a man: none else is like Him; Jesus Christ was more than a man.'
Jesus was more than a man. Many men had started kingdoms. Now God was going to start a kingdom of His own. It's no mistake that, in Jesus interpretation, this kingdom is said to belong to the 'Son' at one point and to the 'Father' at another.

Many have submitted to the rule of this 'man' and become 'sons of the kingdom.' These are pictured as 'good seed' in the parable. They are marked by the fact that they were sown by the sower, able to call God their Father, and able to be called righteous. These are scattered throughout the world.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Wheat & Weeds 1

The kingdom of heaven is like
Many of Jesus' parables begin with this phrase (or the parallel 'kingdom of God is like'). Why? I believe there were two main reasons he made these metaphors.

First, the kingdom of heaven is, in many ways, invisible. Humans often have a hard time grasping invisible concepts. These parables help us understand spiritual realities by comparing them with physical realities. The most difficult task for us is to recognize that the invisible is the greater reality of the two realms. Fields of wheat & weeds exist, but they will pass away. The people in the world were designed for eternal dwellings. This world is full of illustration. We simply must open our eyes and ears to its stories.

Second, the kingdom of heaven is so different from the kingdoms of the world that it needed to be defined in new ways. Earthly kings acquire by killing, but Jesus acquired by dying. You can point toward Rome, but the kingdom of God is within you. This kingdom was so different that the word 'kingdom' itself needed to be re-defined. The word had caved in while describing temporal leaders and limited geography. Now it needed to be re-inflated so as to fit the kingdom that, unlike all others, would last forever throughout the cosmos.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Cancer

There's a big difference between a theological discussion regarding the problem of pain and finding out someone you know is experiencing the problem of pain. In the former context, I believe I can communicate some insightful points that make logical sense. But in the latter situation I often feel unable to say the right words or communicate the proper silence. There's an art to silence in such situations. It's warm. I don't feel very warm. Sometimes I don't feel much at all. Maybe someday I will.

Until then, I just pray. The best crisis ministry I have done is prayer. Crisis prayer is a mixture of words and silence. The words are trembly. The silence may be awkward. The whole thing is broken. Just like the situation. Just like real life. Just like death.

And maybe as I continue to grow in brokenness, the great divide between my theological argument and my practical application will continue to narrow.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

The Fans Have Spoken

The Buffalo Bills are currently without a coach. Numerous candidates were mentioned last week. Numerous polls show the fans know who they want. For example:

BillsInsider.com Poll
Who should be the Bills next head coach?
Mike Sherman 74.58%
Jim Haslett 7.36%
Bobby April 6.89%
Dick Jauron 4.04%
Jim Fassel 3.56 %
Other 3.56 %

Recent reports indicate Sherman and Jauron are the frontrunners. Another poll resulted in another landslide victory:

BuffaloRange.com Poll
Who's your choice for head coach?
Mike Sherman 89%
Dick Jauron 6%
Other 5%

Will the Bills FINALLY make their fans happy? We'll probably find out by the weekend.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Knew News

I found the NFL officiating this week repulsive
Crazy stuff. They need to make the refs full time employees so that they develop a talent for what they are doing. The NFL had to issue an apology today for goodness sakes.

I cleaned my office this afternoon
My office at church was messy. The #1 weakness of our church is we are scared to throw garbage out.

Blogrolling is sometimes inaccurate
For instance, it said Tim Cook updated and Kayla didn't. I beg to differ.

I am now on the board of a pro-life ministry
They asked me to interview for it. I did. Now I'm on. I hope the meetings aren't too long! I have such a great attitude.

I am unexpectantly addicted to flavored water
I hate the idea. And I hated the 1st one I tried. But they are very refreshing.

Monday, January 16, 2006

The Binding of Satan

Sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover. For instance Hal Lindsay's most famous paperback, entitled "The Late Great Planet Earth", captures his pessimistic outlook with succinct precision. Perhaps his second most popular work, "Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth", is an even clearer summary of its contents. Unfortunately, the clarity is uncalled for.

Lindsay's premillennialism places the binding of satan at the end of the current age. Scripture places it at the beginning. When Jesus came 2000 years ago He didn't say satan would be driven out at the end of the world. He said "now the prince of this world will be driven out." He admitted Satan's strength, but used the present tense to say He (Jesus) "ties up the strong man."

The Apostles understood that Satan had been bound by Christ's 1st Coming. Paul pointed out that Jesus "disarmed the powers and authorities...by the cross." The author of Hebrews agrees by declaring that the very purpose of the 1st Coming was to "destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil." And John confirms this by stating "the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work."

When we come to the 20th chapter of John's Apocalyptic work and find him describing an 'angel' with a 'key' and a ' chain' seizing a 'dragon' that is a 'serpent' and binding him for a thousand years, very few interpret these nouns in a wooden literal sense. The key represents authority. The chain symbolizes limited freedom. The dragon & serpent simultaneously depict Satan. Binding, then, implies restraint, not ropes. And a 'thousand' years is simply a long duration of time.

So what 'binding' is John referring to? He's probably referring to the binding Jesus had taught him about and that he'd written about. When was this accomplished? At the 1st Coming of Christ and, specifically, at the cross. This places us in the midst of the 'thousand years' and leaves satan a 'dead man walking'. Revelation 20 directly mentions the devil's limitation, during this time, in regards to his work of "deceiving the nations." And history evidences his inabilities. Up until the 1st century the truth was mostly contained in one tiny nation, but from that point on it went to the ends of the earth.

Scripturally, the devil is severely limited in power during the church age. Maybe that is why the New Testament speaks of Jesus & His followers having so much 'authority'. Satan has not yet been "thrown into the lake of burning sulfur", but he has been thrown a curve ball that he just can't hit (especially with his anthropomorphic arms symbolically
tied behind his anthropomorphic back). His power is limited to those who accept slavery. He has no authority over anyone in Christ. He may prowl around like a "roaring lion", but he can't take control of anyone that keeps some distance from his den. He's a caged animal now and the Holy Spirit is a trustworthy zookeeper.

Some day in the future, satan will be loosed to deceive the nations one last time. But Paul says Jesus will defeat him "with the breath of his mouth". Peter says "that day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire,
and the elements will melt in the heat." John notes that fire will come "down from heaven" and devour the devil and his children. "This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire" at the 2nd Coming. Satan will be lobbed into the lake and every human knee will bow before Jesus Christ. At that moment many of us will realize we gave satan way to much credit when we were living on the late great planet earth.

Footnotes:
John 12:31
Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

Who: Satan
What: Driven Out
When: Now (At Jesus' 1st Coming)

Mark 3:27
In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.

Who: Satan
What: Tied up
When: Was presently happening (At Jesus' 1st Coming)

Colossians 2:15
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Who: All powers and authorities (including satan)
What: Disarmed
When: By the cross (At Jesus' 1st Coming)

Hebrews 2:14
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil

Who: The devil
What: Destroyed
When: By Jesus' death (At Jesus' 1st Coming)

1 John 3:8
He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

Who: Devil
What: His Works Destroyed
When: When the Son of God appeared (At Jesus' 1st Coming)

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Resolution Report 2

My goal of having a 9:00am average wakeup time time took a small step back this week to a 10:00am average. But this average is somewhat deceptive b/c I pulled 2 all-nighters and decided to count those as 6am wake-ups. I'd say it was an unsuccessful sleep week.

My fruit goal is probably too easy. I have no problem eating/drinking plenty of juice. It's actually pretty tasty stuff. I had lots of oranges in solid & juice form.

I'd say my prayer life was pretty decent this week.

I find these resolution reports quite boring. This is the last weekly update.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

My Laptop

Here is a list of things wrong with my laptop:

1. The first power cord broke and needed replaced
2. It turns off spontaneously b/w 0-7 times a day
3. If the screen is tilted forward at all, it will close
4. The serial mouse port does not work
5. The touch pad does not work properly (pointer drifts)
6. There is only 1 USB port, now occupied by a mouse
7. The battery last 2-20 minutes
8. The CD/Burner works less than 5% of the time
9. No disk drive (only a problem b/c burner is broken)
10. Certain keys double up (d-l-o-h-i & backspace)*

*This problem is particularly annoying b/c I am somewhat of a perfectionist and when those 5 letters don't work I force myself to backspace and fix them. But the backspace often deletes 2 spaces at a time. This actually become quite comical on some words. For instance, 'hi' may turn out like 'hhii' so I'll hit backspace which deletes 2 I's leaving me with 'hh'. Then I'll try the 'I' again and if it works I'll have 'hhi'. Then I'll move 1 spot to the left to delete 1 'H', but both will be deleted leaving me with 'i' (at which point I just decide to change my message from 'hi' to 'i am frustrated').

Friday, January 13, 2006

Known Dreams

This morning I woke up at 9:30 to answer the phone. Then I 'kinda' went back to sleep. Or did I? It was an in-between stage for sure. I was half-awake. The 'dream' was set in Beijing, China. I knew what I was seeing wasn't real. In fact, it was somewhat hard to maintain the dream. If things started getting blurry, I had to concentrate and the street signs would get clear again (but I could tell if I had concentrated TOO hard I would have woken up). I figured the funniest thing to do in this state would be to read the street signs and see if they made sense (because I've always wondered how detail-accurate dreams are). But alas, they were all written in Chinese characters. Go figure! Hey, I wonder if they were REAL Chinese characters.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Did Lost Jump the Shark?

Yesterday there was a new episode of 'Lost' for the first time since November. But even before that it was evident the show was slowing down. Anyways, in this episode (entitled 'The 23rd Psalm') a thick black cloud approaches and hovers in front of one of the characters. So it seems the show is definitely going sci-fi on us. I was hoping it wouldn't. I like sci-fi, but only when I know I'm watching sci-fi.

It reminded me of the movie 'Signs'. I really liked the movie UNTIL they showed the alien. I wanted it to remain a mystery. So I'm afraid Lost may have jumped the shark.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Saving Blog Time

Too many blogs, too little time???

I have been so pleased by 'blogrollings' UPDATED feature that I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of it. On my list, if a name has "***" next to it, it implies that that blog has been updated within the last 24 hours. I have found it to be accurate over 90% of the time so far. So instead of clicking through almost 70 blogs every few days, I click 5 or so a day that I know are updated. This makes my mood better and, therefore, I am more willing to leave captivating comments.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Shows that Start with B

Here are all the shows that start with 'B' that I have watched more than twice. Why? Who knows

Barney and Friends Umm, I watched it with my lil sister? Baseball Tonight Probably the best run sports show Battlestar Galactica (Original) I was very impressed, watched it on Netflix for free The Beverly Hills, 90210 I probably watched half a season Bewitched Didn't like this show very much Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction Very strange show. They just made stuff up and said it was true Big Love Unique show about Polygamists Blossom Barely remember it Bobby's World One of the greatest cartoon shows ever Boston Common Another show that ended too soon Boy Meets World I actually watched 3 episodes last month The Brady Bunch Horrible

Best of the B's ='s Boston Common

Monday, January 09, 2006

Shows that Start with A

Here are all the shows that start with 'A' that I have watched more than twice. Why? Who knows

ALF
I watched this quite a bit in the late 80's, early 90's. I still find ALF confusing All in the Family This is an awesome show. Great acting. Great politically incorrect comedy All My Children If I'm home at 1, this is probably being watched at my house and over the years I've picked up most of the main names. I find soaps very stupid though, I assure you Ally McBeal I had a very short lived liking for this show Alvin & the Chipmunks One of the better cartoons America's Funniest Home Videos Watched it in the early 90's America's Funniest People See Previous American Gladiators Great Show. I wish it was still on! American Idol I like the beginning an end of each season The Andy Griffith Show My dad loves this show. I find it adequate Andy Richter Controls the Universe Very funny show. Ended too soon Animaniacs One of the smartest cartoon shows ever The Apprentice Got sick of it. Too repetitive. No longer watch it

Best of the A's ='s All in the Family

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Resolution Report 1

Last week I made my Resolutions, this week I update you on my resoluteness.

#1 Wake up by 9am Sun: 8am, Mon: 8am, Tue: 9am, Wed: 10am, Thu: 11:30am, Fri: 12:30pm, Sat: 9:30am. AVERAGE: 9:45. Not horrible. Not satisfactory. #2 Fruit I had many grapes. The annoying seedful kind. I ate an apple. And one day I drank so much juice I got sick. That's resoluteness. #3 Prayer My prayer life has increased in quality & quantity this week. More progress to come.

*The other 2 resolutions are not really measurable week to week and will be ignored in my weekly updates. This footnote will self destruct.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Nicest Niece

My niece Emma was over today so once again it was confirmed that I have the cutest niece in all the world. Sometimes 'Uncle Matt' is her favorite (I even let her get away with calling me 'matt'). Today we hunted dragons and annoyed our dog.


Friday, January 06, 2006

NFL Playoffs

Last year I went 6-5 in my pre-playoff predictions. So don't use these picks to gamble!

WILD CARD
Washington RIGHT
NE RIGHT
NY WRONG
Cincinnati WRONG

1ST ROUND
Seattle RIGHT
NY Giants WRONG
Cincinnati WRONG
Indy WRONG

CONFERENCE FINALS
Seattle
RIGHT
Indianapolis WRONG

SUPER BOWL
Indianapolis WRONG

*all picks subject to complete inaccuracy.
** Final record: 4-7

Thursday, January 05, 2006

To Die or Not to Die

I remember being asked before, "would you be willing to die for your faith?" But as I continue to think about Galatians 2:20, the answer becomes fairly obvious. If I truly understant Christianity, I have already died in a sense. Then the question becomes, "would Jesus be willing to die?" And He already proved the answer is yes.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Contest

Who can be the first to name the 5 movies in my 'Knew Movie Reviews' graphic seen above?

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

50 First Dates

The other night I watched '50 First Dates' for the 2nd time and today I am reviewing it for the first time. Rarely do I watch a movie that I hate one moment and really enjoy the next. The Adam Sandler & Drew Barrymore storyline is really good. Sandler's character falls for a girl that has a 1-day long short term memory so he has to 'win' her over every day on another 'first' date. It's funny and stuff.

But the other storylines are so very stupid. Rob Schneider plays a shark-bitten man. I wish the shark would have finished the job. I've never liked him in anything. The other annoying character was a he-she which never made me laugh. Few he-she's do. So it's a hard movie to rate given it's schizophrenic nature.

Rating: 6.9
Status: Worth the Time

Monday, January 02, 2006

I Went to Church

For the 1st time in years, I wasn't at a Wesleyan church this Sunday morning. I rewarded the Church of God Anderson for finishing 1st in my Favorite Churches contest by gracing them with my presence. I even went an hour early (turns out they cancelled sunday school too!). The pastor greeted me and quickly realized I was the guy that emailed him last month. He gave me a book which was like a COGA vision statement/core-values kinda thing. A handful of people warmly welcomed me prior to the service.

The feel was quite casual. Even moreso than my home church. There was good energy and fellowship as the people gathered. The music was a blend of chorus and hymn. Special music was very nice. Sermon was bordering on great. I was edified. One thing about 'working' at a church (even though I don't do much on Sunday mornings) is I am in so much of a 'serve' mode that my mind just isn't able to focus on 'receiving.' It was nice to just be able to sit back completely and let God speak.

The Church of God Anderson showed itself to be 'practically' what I had declared them to be 'positionally': My favorite Christian group/church.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Resolutions

  1. I resolve to wake up by 9am on weekdays no matter what time I fell asleep the previous night.
  2. I resolve to eat 3 pieces of fruit each week and to try a great variety of fruits throughout the year.
  3. I resolve to initiate 3 meaningful friendships with people I have not yet met
  4. I resolve to have my college loans & car completely paid off by August 1, 2006
  5. I resolve to start each day with prayer