February Blogger Awards

I'm not going to nominate many posts in this edition of the BBC monthly blogger awards, but only because they weren't good enough. Well, I shouldn't say that, a lot of the posts I read were good, but too sentimental to be dragged into my silly award system.

AJ's BIG News
Jo's True Schooling
Missy's Dirt Fest

The Award for Poster of the Month goes to:
Life on the rock. A Habhater's tale. (Kirk Perry)

January - Elizabeth S
February - Kirk P

Tomorrow i will be unveiling my very own Weird Al style Parody Photostory song. It is about eHarmony.com to the tune of Tender Tennessee Christmas.

Gilmore Girls 17

Last week, you voted Richard Gilmore out of our tournament so that he could recover from his heart attack. This weeks vote could be interesting. Remember, vote FOR (+1) one character and AGAINST (-1) one character. And feel free to comment on the episode once you watch it.

LUKE
KIRK
MRS KIM

Tribute to Perry

This past week my men's group lost one of its most faithful members. Perry Chambers was a great guy in his 70's who started coming to our church 2-3 years ago while recovering from a stroke. He was a true gentle-man. He always made sure to compliment his wife before men's group started and was very kind and playful with little children. Perry was a passionate prayer warrior. In fact, when he was healthy enough to come to group, I made sure to have him open up the meeting. He prayed with a great sense of need and in awe of God. Perry was filled with wonder. In a culture that fails to be awed much anymore, Perry was wowed by the beauty in simple things. Another great trait was Perry's ability to encourage others. Even in these past months, when guys went to visit him in the hospital, they always left very encouraged. But the most notable characteristic of Perry Chambers was that he was a new wineskin. I've never met a man, let alone a man in his 70's, more eager to learn new things. He was a Bible-teachers dream. He was very accepting of new things that God had for him. It is sad to see him go and I will miss, but I don't grieve as one who has no hope because I know that Perry knew the King of kings.

Crazy

I have never been drunk or done drugs or whatnot, but tonight I am wondering if I'm experiencing the same sort of thing. I'm so tired. I got 3 hours of sleep the night of the Famine and 3 hours of sleep last night. I've done similar before, but I've been extra busy lately and I'm just worn out. I can't add. And I keep imaging funny things. And I keep imagining un-funny things are funny. And I keep. And I don't finish all my sentances. And I don't know if I'm spelling stuff right.

So, I will sleep very soon and return to better blogging starting tomorrow
Monday- Tribute to Perry
Tuesday- Gilmore Girls
Wednesday- February Blogger Awards

30 Hour Famine

To view our 30 Hour Famine Photo Story click HERE

Thursday night I had a snack before midnight. Friday morning I slept in (missing breakfast) and then went to work forgetting to eat lunch. Lunch was supposed to be my final meal before the 30 Hour Famine, so I ended up going over 40 hours without food. I thought the Famine went great. Katie and Ginny really do an awesome job of organizing it each year. There were about 125 kids and they raised around $6,000 for hungry children.

Sabres Injuries :(

The Sabres are in 1st place in the entire NHL, but it really is unbelievable how many injuries they have. Keep in mind that they have been missing one of their top players, Tim Connolly, all season so far. Now they are losing players to long term injuries every single game

Feb. 07th Paul Gaustad (severed tendon)
Feb. 10th Jaro Spacek (broken hand)
Feb. 15th Max Afinogenov (broken wrist)
Feb. 15th Jiri Novotny (high ankle sprain)
Feb. 17th Al Kotalik (right knee injury)
Feb. 20th Dan Paille (broken finger)
Feb. 22nd Chris Drury (head injury)

Or, to see how valuable these injured players are, I'll put their names in red:

Good luck to Nathan Paetsch, Drew Stafford, Clark MacArthur, Mike Ryan, Patrick Kaleta, and whoever will replace Drury until these guys can get back into the lineup!

5 Knew News's

1. I am much better at 2-2 basketbal than 21. We play each Wednesday night. When there are 4 of us I play pretty well. But I have no individualized skills, so I always loose when we play 21.
2. This weekend is the 30 hour famine. We'll probably have somewhere between 100-150 teens from about 6 area churches in attendance. I'll be reffing the basketball tournament.
3. I just wrote my 1st Weird Al style parody. It is set to the tune of "Tender Tennessee Christmas" and is poking fun at eHarmony.com. I will be posting within the next week.
4. My taste buds now enjoy ice cream. I didn't like ice cream as a teenager or younger adult, but now I really enjoy it, especially some of the new flavors.
5. I have completed 2 matchbox car tournaments. The 1st tourny was so dominated by a car I call 'Gold Cuba,' that I was afraid he'd win every time. But the 2nd was won by 'White 07'

Re-Lent

Today at the nursing home a lot of people had dirty foreheads so I was reminded it was Ash Wednesday. I probably should have known that, but one of the things I have given up for lent is my ability to remember holidays. Other bloggers have already discussed what they will be giving up for lent. I haven't taken part in lent for some years, so maybe I'll try again.

9 Things I'll Give Up
1. I'll give up NOT practicing lent
2. I'll give up fasting
3. I'll give up yahoo messenger
4. I'll give up TV from 3-5pm
5. I'll give up remembering holidays
6. I'll give up dating
7. I'll give up reading from 2 Chronicles
8. I'll give up pizza rolls
9. I'll give up the use of Burgess Road

Gilmore Girls 16

In a close call, the 1st matchup of the 2nd round of our tournament ended with Lorelei's exit. Remember, vote FOR (+1) one character and AGAINST (-1) one character. And feel free to comment on the episode once you watch it.


JESS
RORY
RICHARD

Do you Hear me Yet?

I will continue to take every opportunity to express my hatred for cell phones. I wrote on this subject previously HERE, HERE & even HERE. Someone at church, yesterday, gave me a nice little piece of paper with some cell phone related questions to consider. Granted, this is pretty much like posting an email forward. Nevertheless:

"I wonder what would happen if we treated out Bible like we treat our cell phone. What if we carried it around wherever we went? What if we turned around to get it if we forgot it? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What if we used it to receive messages from the text? What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it? What if we gave it to our kids as gifts? What if we used it when we traveled? What if we used it in case of emergency? What if we upgraded it to the latest version?"

Don't Tell the Truth

I am not about to make a case for when, if ever, it is appropriate to lie. But I am quite willing to make a case for when NOT to tell the truth. I originally posted this in June of 2005, but not many people read my blog back then. Perhaps there will be some discussion this time.

When NOT to Tell the Truth...

When delaying the truth...serves the truth
I think this applies to various situations. Only an annoyingly honest person would ruin a surprise party. It can be good pure fun to trick a gullible friend. But, more seriously, think about how Joseph delayed identifying himself to his brother, or how Nathan waited to hear David's response before telling him, 'You are the man!'

When your listeners aren't ready for it
In A Few Good Men Jack Nicholson reminded us that some people can't handle the truth. God seems to agree, in principle. For many centuries He spoke in shadows. We tend to call it progressive revelation. John 16:12 Jesus says, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear."

When your listeners aren't worthy of it
I'm not sure Rahab's questioners had worthy intentions. Some people simply aren't worthy of the truth. Jesus often would not answer the 'trap' questions of those who wished Him harm. It's not as if He didn't have answers, He was simply living out His own statement: 'Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine.'

When you can't say it in love
I like the quote of Sir William Blake: "A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent." Ephesians tells us to speak the truth with the motive of love. The twin towers of truth and love should never be separated. If you can't speak the truth in love, you shouldn't speak the truth.

SpaceBook?

Which is better?
Facebook or MySpace?

FaceBook vs. MySpace
	I prefer FaceBook!
	I prefer MySpace!
	I love both!
	I hate both!
	I don't care!
Free polls from Pollhost.com

I certainly prefer Facebook to MySpace. Facebook has a cleaner look. It is organized well. And I have about the same about of friends on each even though I've been on FaceBook for far less time. I added a BBC FACEBOOKS link to the blogroller for quick and easy access to the alumni page.

Final Score:
16 Facebook
2 Hate both
1 Myspace
1 Love both

Matchbox Cars 2

I am a logical fellow. I plan. I plot. I rarely do anything spontaneously. Today, however, I broke that trend by purchasing miniature vehicles at Wal-Mart while I waited for my new actual sized tires. The question becomes, just how spontaneous was I? How many of these cars did I purchase? The person with the closest guess gets points in my ongoing blog competition.

Matchbox Cars

I love matchbox cars. Always have. Always will. Specifically, there are three games I love to play using matchbox cars. The beauty of these three games is that they can be played by 1 person or with a group. I will describe the 3 games below so that you can play right away:

1. Crash
Crash is a very simple game. You simply keep crashing cars into one another, 2 at a time. The car that stays right side up is the winner. You continue this process until there is only 1 car left standing. This game is a little better with 1 player because you can control the timing and aim more precisely, but it's fun in groups also. It can be done 'winner stays on' style or 'bracket tournament' style.

2. The Edge
There are a number of ways to play this game. Basically, it involves pushing the cars close to the edge of some surface w/o going too far. If you have a large table, for instance, you can push the cars from one end to the other. If a car goes too far and falls off the table it is out of the competition. Also, whatever car(s) go the shortest distance are also out. The game can also be done on a hard floor by using a wall as the 'edge.' Use multiple rounds to produce a winning car.

3. Die Racing
This is a dice game. Find a household item for the cars to race around. I suggest the leaf to your dining room table that you only use on Thanksgiving. Divide the track into car-length sections. For qualifying, roll a die for each car. Cars that get 6's get to start in the first row. Cars that get 5's in the 2nd row. And so on. Once qualifying is over, begin the race. If a car gets lapped, it is out. I suggest 5 laps/race.

For more information, ask me.

Unicorns

Deuteronomy 33:17
His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

Psalm 22:21
Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

Isaiah 34:7
And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.

Gilmore Girls 15

It's Time For Round 2 of the GG Survivor Series. There are 9 episodes left in the season (series?) and the winner of our tournament will be declared 24 hours after the final episode. In round one you eliminated Lane (-1), Chris & Marty (–4), Emily & Dean (–5), and Logan (–6). Based on their vote totals in Round 1, we will now continue by voting on the following group (Remember, vote FOR (+1) one character and AGAINST (-1) one character):


Paris
Lorelei
Taylor

An 'Off' Night 2

I felt a bit 'off' while teaching at our Sunday evening service. I found it hard to feel passionate about the commandment to not commit adultery even though I considered it comical that this part of the series landed on Valentine's Week. Feeling 'off' reminded me of a post a had made sometime back, so I searched for that post. Low and behold, the last time I felt 'off' was February 19th, 2006. Is it a coincidence that I have felt 'off' the past two years on Sunday's surrounding Valentines Day?

HS vs. NBA

The other night I went to a High School basketball game and realized I should have been going to them all along. I always think of things too late! Like, just a few months back I realized that I should have tried hooking up with a certain girl in college, but I didn't even attempt it out of fear of failure. But back to the topic at hand. Here are some reasons why High School basketball is superior to the NBA.

1. Proximity. I would have to travel to Toronto or Cleveland to catch an NBA game, but high school games are mere minutes away. 2. Price. $2 bucks. Nice. NBA games are probably like $50 or more. I can go to 25 HS games for that! 3. Seat. I sat 2 rows behind the players. I'd be thrown out if I tried that in the NBA. 4. Neighbors. I already know plenty of people there. At an NBA game I'd be surrounded by strangers. 5. Excitement. Kids have a lot of energy. They run around like crazy. NBA players just stand mostly. 6. Ministry. If I go to an NBA game it'd basically count as a mini-vacation. But if I go to a HS game it's almost ministry, supporting the teens from church. 7. Humor. The student-fans get really into the game. They chant funny things. NBA fans just swear and get drunk.

Needless to say, I'm headed to another game Tuesday night.

Weird Al

I am using iTunes to make a 'Best-of' Weird Al CD. He has a lot of songs. Here are the 15 songs I picked. Let me know if I'm leaving anything good out.

WHITE AND NERDY
EBAY
COUCH POTATO
COMPLICATED SONG
THE SAGA BEGINS
JERRY SPRINGER
ODE TO A SUPERHERO
PRETTY FLY FOR A RABBI
DON’T DOWNLOAD THIS SONG
CANADIAN IDIOT
AMISH PARADISE
TRASH DAY
CONFESSIONS
SMELLS LIKE NIRVANA
ALBUQUERQUE

Most Ignored Verse?

1 Corinthians 5:12
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?

Paul considered the judging of those outside the church to be none of his business. It seems the contemporary church often disagrees. In fact, we do the exact opposite in many cases. We exclusively judge those outside the church and fail to judge sin inside the church.

What verses do you think are ignored?

Gilmore Girls 14

Sorry this is late. This is the last trio of the 1st round of my Gilmore Girls Survivor Series. Logan, Dean, Chris, Emily & Lane have been kicked out of the competition. Vote another character off today and send 2 more into round 2 of our tournament. Remember, vote FOR (+1) one character and AGAINST (-1) one character.


Taylor
Marty
Jackson

Puzzled

Monday was a cold snowy day. My mother and I finished a 1000 piece puzzle. I like puzzles. They teach patience and concentration. I think every kid should complete a 1000 piece puzzle. It'd be more valuable than school.

Super Bowl?

This is the first year since the mid-80's (when I was too young to care) that I'm not especially excited about the Super Bowl. Why? I've been thinking of some reasons that might be explanatory:

1. Hockey is increasingly my favorite sport
2. The Bills haven't been good in a long time
3. The Sabres have all my sporting attention
4. I am not in any sorta office pool or anything
5. I don't hate either the Colts or the Bears
6. I don't love either the Colts or the Bears
7. I'll miss the 1st Quarter or so teaching
8. I like teaching better than sports
9. I'll be watching it alone for the first time ever

Brainwashed

The term 'brainwashed' has a very negative connotation and so it wouldn't be a good idea to use it in ministry without some qualifiers/disclaimers. The common meaning seems to indicate that the individuals brain has been washed blank, leaving the person mindless. But that would more accurately be called brainerasal or something like that. Brainwashing should be a good thing. How much different is brainwashing, literally, from Romans 12:2 where we are told to have our minds renewed? We are to experience a change in the way we think. We are to clean up our thinking patterns. We are to get our brains washed. It's the opposite of 'mindless,' but it really is brainwashing.

BBC BLOGGING DAY

This is just an present alert that I declare September 4th to be the official BBC BLOGGING DAY. I want to see how many people we can get to blog on that date. I have advertised this idea more in the future, so you'll see it eventually.