Fun with PhotoFunia

http://www.photofunia.com/

More like “Welcome to Slow’s” or better yet

Welcome to blows.  That is what I think of Moe’s Southwestern Grill.  My wife and I wasted a good bit of our life trying to decide on a restaraunt this evening, only to wait another eternity to get our food.  One should never have to wait 15 minutes from burrito inception to payment for said burrito!  I would venture to say that a Taco Bell burrito could be superior, and I hate the Bell.  I have had much more postive experiences at Qdoba and Chipotle, and even Moe’s for that matter, but Moe’s in Clarksville, Indiana isn’t worth it.

Manscaping

Click on the image and see it animated!  My eyes look like Judge Doom from Roger Rabbit.

Christmas Questions

This month I have been asking my students “Who are you this Christmas?”, as they work out the very detailed story of the birth of Christ. I’m a questioner, I love when questions lead to more questions, and transformation takes place because of the asking more than the answering.

Christmas stands as an annual plot on the journey, and I want for myself as well as others, to experience something new, and regard what has gone by.

Matthew 13:52
52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

There is an opportunity to experience new treasures as well as old in this season. So who are you, or should I say what are you experiencing this Christmas? Who have you become, or what are you becoming in Advent?

Surreal

VBS – makes for the longest week in history

3 people died from our church – I spoke @ one of the funerals

Brett Favre is a NY Jet

Both the boys contracted Roseola

The olympics start today

This week will never happen again

Slow Food at the Dailey’s

I’m not exactly ready to go back 100 years, where pastors were paid with chickens.  But I do enjoy eating locally, especially out of the produce of my church.  We have one family that have unloaded on us the past two summers, mostly green beans and corn.  Here is a picture of the latest gift, Silver Queen sweet corn, for 2 days we shucked, blanched, cut, and bagged about 35 bags of this field candy that went straight to the new freezer!

We are still eating off the 30 quarts of green beans we canned last summer.  EAT LOCAL!!!!

People eat what they eat for a reason

Not that anyone reads this blog anymore, (I wouldn’t, since its been over 3 months since the last post), but I wanted to link this blog post by Anthony Bourdain.  If you watch his show or not, this sums up some of his viewpoints on his excursions abroad.  Bourdain writes and expresses on his travels on The Travel Channel, how most cuisine he experiences in each culture is defined by

“the end result of movements of people and resources, the punch line of a story usually involving (at some point in history), deprivation, starvation, colonialism, slavery, greed, and warfare. No need for us to get all depressed about that.

The end result of the above — at least (and only) as far as cuisine — is more often than not, good.”

I have actually preached a sermon on the importance of the “table” in our life of faith and in community, that a meal, be it a good BBQ, or the bread and wine of communion, draws us closer as humans to each other and to God.  Bourdain is talking character and morality in this post, and I get what he is saying that how we treat each other at the table, regardless of what your views are, or what you have done, or will do, the table is the place where we can and do offer and experience grace.  Read the article:

http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/2008/07/politics-and-the-dinner-table.html#more

Shannon and I live for new episodes of No Reservations!

Cookie monster does some soul searching . . .

Me know there something wrong with me, but who in Sesame Street doesn’t suffer from mental disease or psychological disorder? They don’t call the vampire with math fetish monster, and me pretty sure he undead and drinks blood. No one calls Grover monster, despite frequent delusional episodes and obsessive-compulsive tendencies. And the obnoxious red Grover—oh, what his name?—Elmo! Yes, Elmo live all day in imaginary world and no one call him monster. No, they think he cute. And Big Bird! Don’t get me started on Big Bird! He unnaturally gigantic talking canary! How is that not monster? Snuffleupagus not supposed to exist—woolly mammoths extinct. His very existence monstrous. Me least like monster. Me maybe have unhealthy obsession, but me no monster. (Link)

freerice.com feed and talk pretty

I learned about this site last night on NBC News with Brian Williams.  I got up to 5000 grains and stopped at level 38.  I think this is pretty cool.  I wonder if someone could come up with a clean water variation?!?!?

freerice.com

Net Life

I was thinking today about how life was before Netflix and iTunes. I am not at all nostalgic about movies and CD’s piling up. Maybe it is because Shannon and I have a 2 year old and an 8 month old, and we are wanting everything to be instant, downloadable, wireless, [insert tech saavy convenience here] and we have a hard enough time with the laundry, toys, goldfish/cheerio mulching of our carpet, et cetera piling up. With the exception of books, I won’t go soundly with books, we want everything either stored on a universal hard drive or accessible to us. And a lot of it already is, but I want everything like that now. Grocery stores should have saved their money on the express self check out, and invested in a way for us to order our groceries and have them either delivered or ready to be picked up. I do like the express self checkout though, cause I can breeze through not having to wait on the over conversating, the check card novices, unibagging (you know, like one box of raisins per bag by 15 year olds), and the 1 perhaps 2 open check out lanes that are backed up halfway down the dog food aisle.

I admit I am a consumer of the instant, but I am not consumed by it all yet.

Oh yea, Netflix and iTunes. When I was in college and then a single dude, I thought at the time it would be cool to amass a huge movie collection. And in some ways, I still do, but I don’t think I should have to buy furniture for things like movies and music anymore. My wife and I want to invest in a wireless terabyte drive and put all things on it. Of course in 3 years that will seem small as far as storage space goes, but we are starting to say goodbye to jewel cases, and one day we will tell Elijah and Evan of the days we had to take that movie or music out of a little box, and put it in a machine made just for a movie or music. I do remember the credenza sized record player my parents used to have that took up the wall in our family room. Our version of Netflix was to go get a Sesame Street 45′ at the library and play it on that behemoth.

BTW – i haven’t blogged in like 2 months, can you tell.

The Church needs to . . .

Another fill in the blank moment.  Use the comments below to complete the following:

The Church needs to_______________________

Now, there are many possibilities to finishing that.  Being a pastor, I have heard that statement many times, but I am also guilty of using it myself.  You can use what you have heard by others, or finish it yourself.  You may want to give credit to the source, you may not.  Share this link with your friends, so they can chime in!

Hey Ya . . . Remix?!

it’s stuck in my head again, only different

Will Wright, creator of the Sims, on his new project Spore

I cannot wait to play this.  They just released that you can play on a Mac.  Who knows when it will hit stores, they keep pushing the date.  Watch this video, I am seeing the future of education when I hear him talk.
Spore
TED talks

I wonder if they will come perform for us?

The church I work at is getting a new elevator.  I’ll tell my board of elders we need a little Neon Bible!

Intelligent Design and Ben Stein, anyone? anyone?

The super trailer on the site is done quite well, it peaked my interest in wanting to see this film.  (ht: markO)  EXPELLED