Prayer is Answered

Awhile back I posted this:

Lately I have tried to live my life according to the words in Isaiah 6:8 by serving in any capacity God wanted to use me. I have to say he is wearing me out right now though. I am hopeful that I can wrap up a few outstanding issues in some of the areas where I serve and be able to relax a little. If that isn't the case then I have faith he will provide me with the strength I need to get through these next few months.

After having my family completed with the gift of my third child, and lots of prayer by myself and my church family, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can reasonably say I will be able to rejoin my bandmates soon, it has really been hard not playing with them. Now I need to make sure that I stay focused on prayer for my family, my church, and my country. I believe that God answers all prayer, it's just not always the answer we wanted. The hardest thing to bear is your prayer being answered with a no or wait. The good thing is that it teaches us to pray for God's will and not our own.

Just to be clear when I say God I mean God who sent his only Son Jesus to die for MY sins that I might live forever in the kingdom of Heaven. Not some distant, remote or obscure mystical type figure.
SG

Movie Review (Chronicles of Narnia;The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe)

I rented this for our "family movie night" this past Saturday. It was quite a challenge to take on a story that so many people have read, and a story that provides a beautiful metaphor for Christ's sacrifice. For the cast, relative unknowns delivered outstanding performances in the children's roles and the main adult charachters were also superb. While the theme of the movie is simply wildly fantastic, the story was brought to the screen in a very real sense. Andrew Adamson, of Shrek and some Batman fame, presented the story consistently and wonderfully. The scenery and action scense were pretty well done, although I would like to have seen all of the cgi done as well as Mr Tumnus' legs and the centaurs. It might be that they actually wanted some of the charachters to appear less real to enhance Aslan's appearance. As expected Aslan giving his life to prevent the death of an undeserving "traitor" was done exceptionally well, and conveyed the message of Christ's sacrifice completely.
I recommend this movie to ages 5 to 155, there are some frightening scenes but that's why the parents should be there with their children.

LeBron James

I know the Cavaliers lost their series, and I don't really even like basketball that much, but this kid is really good. I watched him for the first time last night then decided to look up some of his stats after seeing how well he plays. I just wanted to say how impressed I was with his game, and how well he seems to handle himself both on and off the court.

Movie Review (King Kong)

I am a fan of the original movie even though the entire premise of the movie becomes semi-ridiculous with the whole ape loves a woman undercurrent. I will also admit that I had pretty high hopes for Peter Jackson's remake, I normally try to view a movie with a clean slate but just couldn't this time.
So for my review here is the good:

Jack Black delivered a great performance in a non-comedic role.
All of the actors held their own and played their parts very well.
SOME of the cinematography is absolutely exceptional. ( Island natives scenes, stage scenes, some of the jungle.)


Here is the bad:
WAY too much cgi animation. I understand the need for animated parts, but I am pretty sure the entire thing was shot on a blue screen.
All of the "monster" scenes went a bit too far. It felt like a video game at times.
The exagerration of some of the animals was ridiculous. The bats and some of the "bugs" at the bottom of the valley were plain ludicrous.

Here is the ugly:
Naomi Watts is a pretty girl and actually looked athletic enough for many of the jarring scenes; however, she has a set of choppers that would make Bugs Bunny Jealous.
Adrien Brody was also exceptional yet definitely not the classic "leading man". I actually like to see non-pretty actors sometimes.
Jack Black, 'nuff said.
It was neat to see "plain" looking folks taking the lead and some of the "pretty" actors work in supporting roles

Overall I would not recommend the movie. I feel like Mr. Jackson was kind of going for a Lord of the Rings type of film and Kong just doesn't have enough to work with. I would love to see a version that was more true to the original although, as stated previously, the entire animal person love theme undercurrent is ridiculous to start with.

Oprah Winfrey (divine?)

I think Oprah Winfrey does some absolutely marvelous things for SOME people, and at times exhibits the type of kindness we should all strive to give others. I also think that whoever wrote this article is off their rocker. It is sad that people still try to conform God to themselves instead of themselves to God. Oprah is not divine, and is not a good spiritual role-model. Oprah believes marriage is archaic and has no place in modern society, this flies in the face of several doctrines not just christianity. I don't mean to knock Oprah, just anyone who views her this way.

Once again, to clarify, when I say God I mean God who sent his son Jesus to die for MY sins that I, a common sinner, might live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven. I don't mean some ephemeral superstitious god that you cannot know, or have to learn a secret handshake, or be of a certain "level" to see the inner sanctuary.

What is torture?

Did you know that the poster child for the "torture" being conducted in our military facilities was supposed to be the 20th hijacker on 9/11? This article is interesting in that it actually states that this man intended to be cutting open Americans and flying a jet into out Capitol yet his torture is so awful. I hope his life sucks until the day he dies, if it weren't for Jose' Melendez this guy would have killed many more people with zero remorse. The worst thing about the whole situation is the Mr. Melendez's actions would be considered unfair and discriminatory by today's standards. Thankfully he was allowed to do his job. The tactics used are very mild compared to what real torture is. Having music blared into your room or being sleep deprived, maybe having womens underwear put on your head is certainly not the worst thing in the world. Having your fingernails extracted, electro-shock, and chemical interrogation would be torture. The PC police should have to go to S.E.R.E. school. It's just as bad as anything our detainees have been faced with.

All that being said, I do think it was ridiculous that some of those jackasses "played" with inmates and snapped a bunch of pictures, that is certainly grounds for dismissal and should be dealt with accordingly. Sadistic idiots like that should not be guarding prisoners, but unfortunately we are forced to let people who aren't qualified have jobs they shouldn't have becuase we try to treat everyone equally. People who will be guarding deadly prisoners like these should have a bit tighter selection process, but of course that might hurt someone's feelings so we will let whoever volunteers have the job.

Next time you have the privilege of meeting a veteran please thank them for what they did/do, and leave your politics out of it.

American Idol (Chris Daughtry)

Sometimes I wonder if this contest is fair, or do I really just like a style of music that isn't popular? Probably I just like music that isn't popular, but now I don't have any contestants I would enjoy watching. On the plus side I did hear someone refer to Elliot Yamin as "teen wolf" which I found very funny. Feel free to sign the petition, click here.
I also like the conspiracy theories:

Rebecca Romijn loves Taylor?
Link 1
Link 2

This week's funny

If you aren't a parent it won't quite be the same but here goes.

Every now and then I find these notes under my pillow or stuck to the back of my laptop that are simply the funniest thing ever. I will find this brightly colored piece of construction paper with typically some sort of picture drawn on it which represents my family. Often written in crayon but sometimes just whatever piece of parchment and writing utensil was closest. When I unfold the piece of paper or discover the post-it stuck to my screen there will, invariably, be some little girl giggling that will emanate from around a corner or under a bed or behind a door. The picture will show all members of the family having some sort of fun together whether it's playing outside, playing a game, watching tv, or just having supper. The text will read as follows:

" Dear Daddy
I love you,
I hope you do to
love,
sekret mirer"

So far I have been unable to catch this person but I do have a pretty good idea who it might be. This is one of the many joys of parenthood I thought I could pass along.

Psalm 127: 3-5

More crappy drivers

Is there honestly a reason everyone seems to drive 10-20 M.P.H. over the speed limit now? Everywhere I go I see ridiculously agressive drivers who fly by me then sit and wait for me at the next traffic light or stop sign. I was going 35 mph in a 30 mph zone yesterday and some jackass passed on a curve just to turn into a subdivision entrance. He wasn't late for work, which isn't a good excuse either, or trying to get medical attention, just headed home. I haven't seen a speeder pulled over for years anywhere. I want the cops to get out there and start slowing people down, in fact the only place I have ever seen a cop looking for speeders in the last several years is on the interstates. Even there they seem to let people go 15 over and recently I saw two huge semi trucks going 80 in a 55 right past a cop and he did nothing. I am going to keep writing to my local Police until I see something done about all these crappy Nascar "wanna-be" drivers. Here is a great web page on how cool you are if you drive like one of these idiots. Click here.

I am also getting really tired of seeing idiots with cell phones trying to negotiate things like intersections. I mean I don't mind people talking if they use a heasdset or on the open road, but it's really stupid to try in traffic. If you would like to know how talented you really are at multitasking get two of your friends and have each one of them start reading a different story to you that you haven't previously heard. Take a quick test at the end and see if you were paying attention equally, I bet one story suffered more than the other. For more on this subject click here.

I had no idea

I didn't know illegal immigration was so expensive. Check out some of this stuff:
Yahoo Answers
L.A. Daily News

Some of these numbers are astounding, please remember that this refers to illegal immigrants only. Legal immigrants pay taxes and contribute to society just like any other U.S. citizen.

Celebrities and their causes

Has anyone noticed that celebrities attach themselves to causes which require intervention from politicians? I agree that the atrocities in the Sudan are awful and something should be done, I don't mean to downplay that. Truly, what is keeping celebrities from feeding the homeless right here in this country, or helping to build a home for a single mother who left an abusive situation or lost someone? I see some athletes doing that but not any movie stars. Is it not high-profile enough, or does it place too much accountability directly on the individual choosing to be involved?

National Immigration Day

Today thousands of immigrants, legal and illegal, are going to boycott shopping and going to work or school. This display is intended to show the American legislators how critical they are to our society. While I welcome immigrants to this country, I only welcome them through the legal channels. Illegal immigrants tend to not pay taxes and send the majority of their income back to their families in some other country. I also don't understand how skipping work and school will display what productive citizens they are or how vital to our economy they might be. I had hoped there would be better organization and the ability to argue their point rather than taking to the streets to protest en masse. Once again I feel that this tactic will backfire. Large crowds that are very passionate about their cause often turn into something violent or are viewed as hostile by those who aren't part of the movement. In my town there is not much impact, five Mexican restaurants are closed and a few stores. Those stores serve predominantly hispanic/latino customers so that is not really affecting anyone's routine.

Good News

No one else named Clausen will be playing at Tennessee. Jimmy Clausen has decided to go play for Charlie Weiss at Notre Dame. I am not really a Vols fan, and I am certainly not a Clausen fan. Jimmy is purported to be the best of the three brothers, but that really isn't saying too much. I do hope that he goes on to have a fantastic career at ND and fully takes advantage of the great coaches they have there. It's creepy how much he looks like Casey, I hope he isn't as arrogant.

Cell phones while driving

No Kidding!

Tom Cruise (off the deep end)

So, did anyone see this guy last night with Diane Sawyer? I think he has lost his marbles, everything he said sounded like he was a used car salesman trying to convince the world to buy some borken down rust bucket. I don't know who is managing his medication, but the crazy mood swings between Oprah and last night are pretty entertaining. By the way he also can't remember the last time he had a cold and attributes that to Scientology. Scientology is just a fantastic topic on its own, but can bea easily summed up with the word Xenu. Xenu has enslaved us all with his psychic influence, and L. Ron Hubbard figured out how to save us all. by the way Xenu is an alien, not a protest marching alien a real "I got a flying saucer" alien. Here's some fun reading on the religion that seems to be very popular right now. Pretty soon I won't be able to go to the movies anymore, all the actors irritate me too much. I wish they would just go back to being pretty.

I'm so buff

I have been wanting a Bowflex for several years, and finally broke down and bought one. I am already feeling the benefits and I haven't used it. It's like it grows muscle for you, just lugging the three hundred or so odd pounds up the stairs made me feel incredibly fit. Perhaps I will use it again three years from now. I debated some before and after type photos, but the before stuff would honestly just be bad news for everyone, and the after might be six or seven years from now.

Movie Review (Wedding Crashers)

This movie was fun to watch despite one or two small shortcomings. First let me say you must enjoy juvenile typically "male" humor to like this movie at all. If that's your bag, you will be in stitches during certain portions of this movie. Truly the only thing I didn't like was the tendency to drop some F-bombs in th emiddle of a scene that was funny enough without extra swearing. This type of problem was also evident in the movie The 40 Year Old Virgin. That being said the story is a riot balancing between tense moments of being busted and laugh out loud moments where I could not contain myself at all. For those of you that have seen this flick, the conversation on the stairs in the mansion between the two main charachters was a timeless piece of comedy. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are perfect for this and will hopefully work more together in the future. Christopher Walken also delivered a perfectly balanced and well-acted charachter, something that is all too rare at the movies today. I do recemmend seeing this if you don't mind the premise and the sometimes overly strong language.

Movie Review (Monster In-Law)

This movie sucks, and I don't mean "I'm a guy who doesn't like romantic comedies" type suck. I mean "Perhaps you can die of boredom" type sucking. I belive the story and script are well-written, but the acting was horrid. Jennifer Lopez and Alias dude were mediocre, and Jane Fonda was TERRIBLE. Wanda Sykes could have made the movie, but all she said the whole time was stupid stuff like "Oh, shit!" The main reason I think it was the acting and not the story was that when J-Lo's roomates are in a scene it's pretty decent. Unfortunately, those scenes are pretty rare. The story was predictable but could have been funny if the acting or perhaps the directing of certain actors had been better. I recommend avoiding this picture at all costs.

Representative McKinney's apology (or not?)

I would like to first say that I appreciate the efforts of our lawmakers and elected representatives. They make enormous sacrifices and work very hard. Now please read this "apology".

"There should not have been any physical contact in this incident," McKinney said.

"I am sorry that this misunderstanding happened at all, and I regret its escalation and I apologize," she said surrounded by colleagues on the House floor.

She said she would vote for a resolution expressing support for the efforts of Capitol Police.

Is she apologizing for her actions, or the actions of the officer? This is the kind of double-talk that gives both Democrats and Republicans a bad name. It's the way petulant children apologize when forced by a parent.
Example given:

"I am sorry you are such an idiot!"

Great Video