The Beginning

High School Mission Trip

The Methodist Habitat, Bahamas

7/13/08

Day one began by the 19 of us meeting at the church to depart for the trip. We met at 8:30 to leave at 9pm. Koven came in just a little late thinking we were supposed to have met earlier. We left the church at about 9:30am. A little over an hour into the trip somebody requests for a bathroom stop. We needed to stop quick. Only this time it was a little different. The tables had turned. This time it was me, Bryant, requesting the stop. I felt bad, too. Usually I am the one who is asked to stop, and I tend to respond, “just a little while longer.” Just about 11:30am we stop for gas before getting to the airport. We have just West Palm. I wanted to make sure Traci and Cathy had enough to make it back. Well, as we pull into the gas station, we pop a tire. Knowing this could really set us back, we start making calls to churches, people we know, tire shops (not open yet), and then the airport. A shuttle was arranged and sent on their way to pick us up. In the meantime, we have got in touch with Tire Kingdom who can change the tire within the half hour. I try to call and cancel the shuttle service. They said they would arrive in 45 minutes, at this point I am realizing it is half an hour and as I look up they are pulling in. The bus has just left with all of our luggage and Jake. All the youth and adults are eating in the McDonald’s or Miami Subs next door. So, it’s just me, two shuttles, two drivers, hanging out. The youth all see the shuttle and I called Tonya and out came everyone. And off we go. Airport bound and one step closer now to our final arrival Andros, in the Bahamas. The luggage on the church bus arrives to the airport about half an hour after we do. We have checked in with our passports and received our flight tickets, which are just laminated numbers. We have all been weighed, gotten our luggage weighed and are now simply waiting to go. As we prepare to board the plane, I begin taking pictures. I know the plane will be small, but not sure how small. Well, it was about four foot in diameter, which is plenty to sit comfortably, but not enough for any of us to stand. You’ll see the pictures. We board the plane, select our seats, and wait. This small, claustaphobic size plane sits in line to take off for an hour, longer than the actual flight would take. While in the air the flight experiences some turbulence. Cue the girls. “Aghhhhhh!” Finally, our flight begins to land. We were able to look out the front to see the landing strip. Actually, look out the windshield. This was actually pretty cool. We land at an airport that likely sees one flight a day. They said that rarely is there more. We sat in customs, filled out paperwork and began looking for the gentleman; we would come to know as Andre. Nowhere to be found. So, I ask for a local phone to call his cell. As the lady in the customs office sees the area code she exclaims, “You’re on the wrong island.” Huh!? We actually did land where the itinerary stated. We were in the right place and the wrong place at all the same time. We were on the south end of Andros, which we should have been on the north end. This is what a slight miscommunication can lead to. Being islands, we needed a boat to make the distance. The customs agent begins making calls. She says, “I found a boat to take you there, it will cost $800. Do you want it?” Not having a spare $800 on me I said that we needed to speak to Andre first. He said he would take care of it, but we would still need to pay $75 for the three cabs to get us to the dock. I had that and on our way we went. This would take nearly two hours to arrive. However, a blessing in disguise. We did not have any boat rides planned and at this point the sun was beginning to set. A sunset cruise in the Bahamas? What could be better? We finally arrive at Fresh Port. Andre is on his way to pick us up and to take care of our boat fare. He brings two buses and we load up to go. Interesting thing is that they drive on the left side of the road, but almost all the cars are American built and have the steering wheel on the left side, too. It makes it really hard to tell where the oncoming traffic for those that are new to this. Finally, arrive to Camp Makepeace just before 10pm. What should have only been a four hour trip, now had taken us 13 hours. Yet, we arrive warmly welcomed by smiling faces who are excited to see us, have prepared our dinner, spaghetti (delicious, too) and it is still warm. As we looked back over the day’s events and the surprises along the way, everyone had fun. Every felt a peace about them. While some got frustrated, it never showed. They knew that in the hearts, they were here because they wanted to serve. What took place was different than we expected, but everywhere we were blessed.

Mountain bike Sweetness

Sweet video of a session in Utah. These guys built a mini park complete with various jumps and stunts. Family Day at the Park from piton productions on Vimeo.

read more | digg story

summer is almost here

as i have been working on our programs for this summer, i find myself wondering at times if there is too much going on. sometimes we pack our schedules so full of stuff, that we are just busy. we lose sight and we lose perspective on who we are and what we are about. i have to keep that as a caution ahead of me. if i am not well, what i am doing won't be done well. we have our regular stuff going on: small groups, jr high and high school nights. during the summer we also add a movie night, mission day, and beach day to the regular routine. we also have two camps and a high school mission trip, all a week long. we kick it off with a huge school's out party and end it with outpouring and a trip to busch gardens.

with all that is going on and my commitment to what i do, i am reminded of even stronger commitments to myself, my wife, and to God. these must come first. i intentionally take fridays off to spend time in those areas. i truly believe that if i maintain and develop even stronger relationships is those areas what i do in ministry will have an even larger impact than what i can imagine, not that i am great or good, but because God is great and good. if am just busy, i won't rest, i won't be focused, and i will move slow and lack patience, rendering me quite useless to say the least. yet, if i am fresh, energized, and growing, much more will be accomplished because of it. obvious i know, but much easier said than done.

halo tournament and gaming

many people have different thoughts about hosting a halo tournament at a church. many of our youth play video games (there are 350 to start with), and it is a good way to connect with them. in fact at our tournament today, we have had quite a few register a team who have rarely come to any other program events. what a great thing it is, when we are willing to meet others where they are at to connect. we should be in the world, but not of it.

i personally have been playing games since i was about 5 years old. i remember my father coming home with an atari 2600 with one of the greatest games at the time, asteroids. i was hooked. we played asteroids,  missile command, and breakout for hours. since then i have owned the nes, super nintendo, nintendo 64, playstation, dreamcast,  gamecube, and for a few years now the xbox 360. yes, i prepaid for my 360 and picked it up on launch day. the 360  offers so much from game downloads, to movies, streaming from the pc, and windows live. it is on more often than just the tv in our house. i also play game on my pc. not as much since the 360. but loved battlefield vietnam and battlefield 2, command and conquer series, especially generals, and of course all the games from valve. this is something i have grown up with and enjoy doing. i would rather play than watch tv. it is interactive and entertaining. i am currently playing quite a bit of cod4 with a bunch of seminary students (friends of my brother in law)  from north carolina right now.

now, i do think as with anything, that we should be aware and careful about what we put into our heads, games, movies, books, music, etc. i don't think that nay of these forms of media cause bad to happen. people cause bad things to happen. however, parents should know what their children are playing and decide what is allowable. there are games that young children and even early teens should not play, but there are also great alternatives.

back to the tournament. today's setup is four man teams. all games will be played on original maps (pre-selected or random) and normal setup. the games will the best out of 3 and winner moves on. loser will move into the losers bracket. each 1st place team member will win a 3 month subscription to xbox live.

remembering

this memorial day we should be remembering the soldiers who have died in war. we should also celebrate those who are fighting now, our friends and family.

i looked up my uncles name, george johnson, on the online vietnam memorial. he died while fighting in quang tri with the marines.

the best messages are from star wars

some good gardening tips

earth hour

sign up and reduce your carbon footprint and make an impact on the world.

retelling the story

Star Wars is back! New movie August 15.

Lucas offered a glimpse into the latest creation in his sci-fi universe at the theater-owners convention ShoWest on Thursday, showing a sequence from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," due in theaters August 15.

read more | digg story

this video is symbolic of my fathers strength and struggle with brain cancer.
james 1:2-8

read more about ann's story.

SNL digital short: the mirror

this is really funny.

indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull

Watch the Trailer on Yahoo! Movies

24 chapters in 24 days

i will be joining each person who took on the challenge this week; to read 24 chapters of luke in 24 days. starting monday 11th, you should have read chapter one and today chapter two, completing the entire book one chapter at a time on march 5th. if you do it, dinner is yours!

when are your favorite shows coming back on?

film school rejects posted a list of tv shows and when they will return yesterday. quite a few will be filming new episodes to be aired in april, while quite a few others will not return until next fall, and others not at all. there are also a few that are still up in the air.

read here for more info on what the details are of the new contract the writer's are expected to are on.

----------------
Now playing: Jack Johnson - Angel
via FoxyTunes

dad, february 6th, 2008

This past Monday my father returned to see his surgeon and oncologist. As he has been he is recovering well from the surgery. They removed half of the staples from his head and plan to remove the remaining next week. The surgeon said that the wound is healing nicely. Dad continues to feel dizzy, however. Some of that is caused by the surgery he endured and some is caused from the seizure medication he is taking. I am not sure what it is, but that is one of the side-effects. He was having an additional MRI this week to plan for the radiation and the oncologist has set up a schedule for treatment. He will begin his radiation treatments on Wednesday February 13^th. Chemo is schedule to start at the same time with oral treatment. I will be trying to get back down once that begins. His particular type of cancer is Glioma Astrocytoma. Those are a couple of big words for brain cancer.

His email tonight said “all I can do is lay around from one chair to another and watch the boring TV.” He sounds good when I talk to him, but I know he is feeling worse than he shares. I respond much in the same way. But you can hear it in his voice. It stirs the range of emotions in me too. I find myself very angry at times. This is not easy for any of us.

Here's an article that was written about him recently in the Naples’s Daily News. Dad’s been writing articles about once a month for the paper’s faith section sharing childhood memories and his deeper sense of connection to God. This time the article was written for him. It will give you some insight into the man I call Dad.

what they play

one of the ongoing questions i get in youth ministry is what do i think about "X" video game? is it safe? is it appropriate? i am glad to see that a web site has been developed to help parents figure out what the ESRB ratings mean, what certain warnings have been given to the game, and what the actual reference is. it appears as though this will be a great tool for parents to use when buying new games.

the site is whattheyplay.com. it distinguishes itself by having writers who have played through the game to explain exactly why a rating has been given. for instance cooking mama 2, for the DS, has an alcohol warning because she refers to cooking with it.

this is a great reference for parents who are looking to purchase a new video game but are unsure what is appropriate.

the hawaii chair

just came across this little gem. i know some people are probably struggling with the new year's resolution to maintain a regular workout schedule. this has got to be the prodcut to turn all of that around. introducing the hawaii chair.

oldschool

i got the itch to sit down and watch some old school skateboarding videos. so, i sat down and watched the bones brigade video show, future primitive, and animal chin. as i watched the old videos and i look at today's skateboarding, rodney mullen was doing things in the 80's people still aren't doing today. he invented tricks, perfected tricks, and can do things the average skater can't do. you can read about him n wikipedia, too.

here's a couple videos i found. from his attire, this is in the 80's for sure.


this is a best of compilation.


here's a few more on youtube.

you can find some more on what appears to be an unofficial mullen site.

thanks for boarding this train down memory lane.

saturday 1/26/08 update

I changed the subject line this time because I kept typing in the wrong day, although I did have the right date. I still can’t get it right. I hope it didn’t confuse anyone too much. So this is the third installment with updates about my father. All great stories have been told in trilogy’s. So like George Lucas, I will wrap it up in this third email. However, you never know, there may be more to come.

Today, Saturday, Dad was in great spirits. He had been up and eating real food. They got him out of bed and into the chair in his room. This was partially because they wanted to get him up a little today and partially to prepare him to move to his room and out of ICU. That would take quite longer than expected. We arrived to the hospital just before noon. He had some other visitors come by from the church. We ate lunch in the café’ and found the waiting room had been freshened with new magazines. We decided since he was still in ICU that we were no longer going to abide by the 3 in the room at a time. Today we took in 4. At one point we even had seven. But Susan, Tonya and I sat with him until dinner. He called at about 9:30pm and said that they had just moved him into his room on the sixth floor.

Dad is feeling great, sitting up and laughing. He is happy watching college basketball and reading his woodworking magazines. I think the most frustrating thing will be not being able to drive his couple of month old Rav4. He has mentioned that quite a bit recently. He is taking medicine now to prevent seizures. He had been having petite mal seizures from the pressure of the tumor. He won’t be allowed to drive again until those have completely subsided. He will begin radiation and chemotherapy in 2 weeks. The radiation will last for 6 weeks. He will go in 5 days a week at 10 minutes at a time. His church members are beginning to sign up to drive him to and from treatment, allowing Susan to return to work. The chemo will begin at the same time. It will be the oral type so the doctor is expecting that he won’t be sick from it.

If everything goes as well as it has, Dad should return home on Sunday. I know he is excited about that and his dog will be too.

Again, thank you for your support, encouragement and support. Please continue to keep my father in your prayers. While the crisis period is over, the fight is not. The battle will go on. It’s been a long weekend, stressful at times, but I don’t think it could have gone any better than it has. Dad’s recovery has been better that we could have ever have hoped for.

God’s grace is abundant.

friday 1/25/08 update

Today was much like a long day on a youth trip. We went to bed after midnight and needed to leave the house at 5am to get my father out to the hospital on time. Little sleep, no shower as I am not a morning person, going all day long, eating fast food, lots of coffee, getting a pimple, and trying to keep with others made me feel right at home.

The doctors got him right in and prepped for surgery as soon as we arrived. The nurses and doctor were great. He got into surgery about an hour late because of some other things going on in the hospital. Surgery went great and in just over an hour and a half, dad was back into the recovery room awake and moving his fingers and toes. Before we were able to get in to see him, the doctor came to give us the news. Some good, some bad. The good is that dad was recovering well, in good spirits, and recovering as well as they could expect. However, based on what he had seen in the past (actual biopsy results will come back Monday) the tumor was a 4. If you don’t know what that means, it’s the worst type. Because of this, the doctor believes that the cancerous tissue is spread throughout his brain, the extent of which is unknown. While they removed the entire tumor, they will continue with chemotherapy and radiation. These will start in two weeks. The radiation will last for 6 weeks and the chemotherapy for as long as he can continue with it. The doctor shared that is working with another that has been on it for over 5 years now and doing well. It was tough news to hear. Tears fell and out hearts hurt. It is difficult to take in and understand what that does and doesn’t mean. As we have witnessed already, dad has been the strongest person throughout all of this short week, which has been more of an encouragement to us than I think we have been for him.

We got to go see him shortly after the doctor shared that news with us. While my dad was in pain, he was already joking around. We spent about 30 minutes with him before letting him get back to rest. As I was leaving I bent down and kissed him on the cheek. He responded by saying, “well you don’t have to ever worry about me being gay, because I could never get used to being poked with your whiskers.” Dad has a very dry humor and is always working on a joke. He believes as I do, just keep going after the joke and eventually one will be funny. For some of you, my humor is beginning to make since.

We remained at the hospital for the remainder of the day and spent some more time with him this afternoon. He was watching Rachel Ray, drinking Diet Coke, and keeping his hand warm by holding Tonya’s. His vitals were normal. He was tired but talking and sharing and glad to have company. They are keeping him in ICU through the night and plan to move him to his own room tomorrow. If all goes well, they expect to send him home on Sunday. I would never had imagined the initial recovery would be so quick. He is a strong man and has exemplified who I want to be in time of crisis. His faith remains strong and reminds us that God is control.

Thank you for all of your prayers and your messages today. We shared those with dad and he appreciates it all.

Thanks. Take care and more tomorrow.

thursday 1/24/08 update

Tonya and I, my sister, Dawn and her younger son, Devin, all arrived this evening at my father’s home in Bonita Springs. If you had not been caught up at this point, earlier this week, doctors discovered he has a brain tumor and decided to remove it on Friday.

Tonight, his lay leader organized and planned a prayer service for him at the church. The pews were all full. As Dad was sharing what was going on with the congregation he joked about it taking a brain tumor to fill the seats with everyone at once. He is in great spirits and as he shared with the congregation a few words, we saw a man who was confident in his faith in God, stood with strength, and prepared for his surgery in the morning. He goes to the hospital at 5am and surgery will begin at 7:15am. The expect it to take between 1 and 2 hours and will be in ICU through Saturday.

We have a lot of questions about side effects, about malignancy, and recovery time. We will know much about these things once the surgery is complete. Until then, we will follow my dads lead and remain confident in the doctor’s ability and in God’s hand in the situation. Please keep the situation in your prayers as we go through this weekend.

Thanks and we will update you again later.

paradigms of youth ministry

at the large church initiative today, i sat in a class that was discussing the need for a new paradigm of youth ministry in the united methodist church. this need is due in large that there is little education specific to youth ministry (outside of a few good books) or specific about how to do youth ministry and all the tasks that come with it. many people go into a career of youth ministry with the passion and desire and receive little or no training prior to being placed in the position. we know that most people don't last more than 2 years in youth ministry on average and many move on long before that. in the methodist church there is a great standard set for pastors to be ordained and to take lead in a church. yet, for other church staff there is very little education offered and what is available is difficult to receive, unless you go back to school full time again. the methodist church should set a minimum standard for its youth ministries. this will bring quality to the ministry and quality to the spiritual growth. it will also give the church a higher level of integrity. but the church's should get involved in helping to make this training and education available. i think this is the beginning of a conversation that needs to continue. it will take quite some time for this idea to be moved into action and will need to continue throughout the denomination.

now this is a jump

might not be the record, but good enough i would say.

my love languages

The Five Love Languages

My Primary Love Language is Quality Time

My Detailed Results:
Quality Time:	10
Words of Affirmation:	8
Acts of Service:	7
Physical Touch:	3
Receiving Gifts:	2

About this quiz

Unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. It can be helpful to know what language you speak and what language those around you speak.

Take the Quiz!

a few shots from christmas

spirit

my mom and i

my dad and his wife

tonya and i

outpouring speaker for 2008

jason gant, director of student ministries at church of the resurrection in kansas city, will be sharing the scriptures with us at outpouring in august 2008. take a listen a recent sermon he gave at their youth group.

if you would like to see more, check out their videos at blip.tv.

how much is this blog worth?

My blog is worth $1,129.08.
How much is your blog worth?

it's not much, but i'll take it.

leadership interview

i was recently interviewed about my thoughts on leadership for a student's class project. here's what came from that discussion.

2nd day at the park

i went to the park of melbourne which is an indoor skatepark, built by team pain. high noon was the perfect time. i had the bowl all to my self. now at 32 years old, and on my second trip i started get a little feel for it again, while carving the bowl and pulling off some 50-50's. i may have to fit this into my routine.

reflections for christmas

with christmas coming so quickly this year, i have been reminded at a few different times to experience christmas this year. yet, as i say that tonya and i have only dinner together at home once since december 3rd. as i look at the calendar today, it will be that way until we return home after christmas, even on our anniversary. i truly value the time that she and i have together at home. i enjoy a quiet evening and as i look at my calendar, it has not been fair to her to have had some much happening during this season. i will need to make some changes next year.

often the celebration of the season is lost in the busyness of the season. i want to be able to just be at home for christmas and enjoy that time together. at the same time i have had some quiet reminders of what the holiday is about. giving because of what was given. it makes think of all the ways others have given to me throughout this past year. tonya gives to me in some great ways. she is patient with me. she adjusts for me. she takes care of things, so that i don't have to be concerned about it. she protects me and watches out for me. and she loves me in ways that make me feel great in all the little things she does.

she reminds me of what christmas is about. it's not about the busyness and going to all the parties. it's not about giving gifts because that person gave you a gift and you just have to reciprocate. it's giving freely because of the love you have for others. it's giving without expecting a return. it's giving of that surprise gift that was never expected. it's thinking of what makes others happy and spending time doing those things. it's giving not just of things but of yourself. it's giving because of what was given.

tekzilla daily talks of vista sp1

Merry Christmas

in the spirit of Christmas, this song and dance was made special for you.

why so serious?

the dark knight trailer is now available for viewing. it is also available to download in HD. looks great.

Cool Stuff: 30 Years of LucasFilm Christmas Cards

For the last 30 years, Lucasfilm has created special holiday Star Wars greeting cards for its employees and business partners. Check 'em out!

read more | digg story

many faces of the castle.

these were all taken on the eve of december 3rd, 2007.

illusion portrait made in halo 3

here's the link to the flickr page. this was made using the forge editor in halo 3. it took me quite a while to finally see it. there is a face in the pic. do you see it?

don't forget what the season is all about.

xbox 360 #4 & 5

as you may remember from my earlier posts that xbox #2 died back in february. well, to resolve that situation, i bought xbox #3 with the extended warranty plan at best buy. this would allow me to replace the xbox 360 on the same day that it breaks. notice i didn't say if it breaks. xbox #2 was sitting on a shelf in a closet still broken.

this summer microsoft, generously decided to extend their warranties on the hardware to two years. seemed reasonable and expected. with this news i called the service center and recieved a shipping box in the mail to have it repaired again. on the original machine that is the second repair. when i received it back, i was actually sent a new xbox completely. i discovered this by the manufacture date on the rear of the machine. we will call this one xbox #4.

now, yesterday, december 1st, 2007 xbox 360 #3 also died. this time, i took it back to best buy and it was replaced with no hassle, same day, for xbox #5.

i would definitely recommend buying the extended warranty on this product. it is highly likely that it will die at some point. the extended warrant cost $38 at best buy for two years and save you the convenience on sending it out to be sent back - about a 2 week process. eliminates the down time. to me, it was worth it.

here's what it looks like:

you can read about it through microsoft's support page. their support phone number is 1-800-4MY-XBOX.

so xbox #4 (the repair by microsoft) is now being used. how long will it last? no idea. however #5 is in waiting, sitting quietly in its box, prepared to fill in as soon as it is needed.

tin man trailer

good, bad? we'll see. looks like it could be a really good retelling of the original "wizard of oz."

now this is a speedbump

i believe that this is in german. i don't know what is being said, but the video is pretty funny.

your computer randomly plays "fur elise"

i can't believe this is real. but if your machine ever just randomly plays "fur elise" the truth of the matter is that your CPU fan has failed. you should get it serviced. here's the actual microsoft help and support page on the issue.

----------------
Now playing: DL.TV - dl.tv 205 Nov 22, 2007: OBDII Scanner, Mass Effect and More!
via FoxyTunes

all of star wars in one pic

this is just awesome. now, if it would come as a poster i would have to buy it. for now, it will do as my desktop background.

5 Best Things to Say When Caught Sleeping at Your Desk:

submitted by Liz Kroll

5. "They told me at the Blood Bank this might happen."

4. "This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved about in the time management course you sent me to."

3. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the Whiteout. You probably got here just in time."

2. "Did you ever notice sound coming out of these keyboards when you put your ear down real close?" And the NUMBER ONE best thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk...

1. Raise your head slowly and say, "...in Jesus' name, Amen."

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

i have now finished book 7 in the series. first let me say this is greatest set of books i have read. i haven't read many novels, but this was amazing! i began with the first book in june and finished the final chapter this week.

prior to beginning the i made a couple of predictions. 2 came out right and the one completely wrong. i did share these with others before i started reading the book.

SPOILER ALERT! as if you haven't read this book yet.

the first was that harry potter would have to sacrifice himself to die for others to live. TRUE. this was easy to guess. i had heard that j.k. rowling was religious and the themes in the book illustrated her beliefs. the only magic harry knew the voldemort didn't was love. the greatest love is this, that one would lay down his life for another. it had already happened with his mom and now it was his turn. while he was resurrected, he died to save others. his heart was full of sacrifice.

number 2. severus snape was good and killing dumbledore was a part of the plan. TRUE. i wasn't sure of the details, but i knew it had to be true. dumbledore trusted snape and we as the reader were supposed to, too, even if we didn't know what was happening. i just felt like there had to be a reason. he wouldn't just kill dumbledore. however, it is our nature to see the worst in things and not the good. a friend who was reading this at the same time, told me i was crazy for thinking this.

finally, number 3. dumbledore would come back to life. FALSE. i just knew he would return. he couldn't be gone that easily. now, at the end of the series his death didn't seem to abrupt. we did see him in the picture frame and harry talked with him while he was dead. but, dumbledore did not come back to life like i thought he might.

purple and brown

one of the simple pleasures of life. purple and brown.

fast food and nutrition

those are two thing we know don't go together. but how bad is it for you? the overwhelming truth is the more of what you don't want in your food than what you do want. but take a look through the charts and see just how bad it is for you. i guess we shouldn't be surprised.

Strike Chart

wondering how long your favorite show will remain on the air in the midst of the writer's guild strike. today, i came across the strike chart. the most interesting or depressing is that the office season will end with the next show aired. ouch! the chart gives you a list of sows that are on and how long you can expect to see new shows. it's easiest to say that within the next 2-3 weeks this season will end for all of your favorite shows.

about me

this email was going around our church staff and contemporary worship team so i thought i would join in and see if anyone else responds. here are my responses.

A) Four jobs I have had in my life*

1. frozen food stockboy (stockperson to be pc)
2. juvenile counselor charlotte county sheriff’s office
3. head lifeguard
4. youthdirector

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:

1. star wars
2. gladiator
3. good will hunting
4. legend of bagger vance

C) Four Places I have lived:
1. tampa
2. Englewood (up to no good)
3. plant city – land of the strawberries, they are so good stay away from the festival
4. madison

D) Four TV shows that I watch

1. the office – writer’s guild strike = fired a bunch of people
2. the unit
3. chuck
4. heroes – season ends abruptly on December 11th

E) Four places I have been on vacation
1. st maarten
2. grand canyon – it’s big
3. paris
4, Ashville, nc

F) Four People who e-mail me regularly:
1. spammers
2. phishers
3. advertisers
4. jay

G) Four favorite foods:
1. pizza – even bad pizza is pretty good
2. blackened chicken pasta (made by yours truly)
3. moe’s joey bag of doughnuts – it’s a burrito
4. grilled pastrami and swiss on rye

H Four places I would rather be right now:
1. mountain biking again at Alafia state park
2. on a cruise with tonya sitting in the hot tub on the back of the boat watching the sunset
3. playing halo 3, anyone else?
4. eating lunch

I) Four friends I think will respond:*
1. no one, likely
2. someone, unlikely
3. everyone, least likely
4. someone who asks what phishing is, most likely

Mass Effect Video Preview

The video describes the story of what will be one of the greatest Xbox 360 games this year.

read more | digg story

more thriller

Final Fantasy: Thriller

Posted Nov 23, 2006

The Cast of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within get their groove on to Michael Jackson's epic pop masterpiece.

good speech from former president bill clinton

read more about the speech and find about empower change.

starbucks keyword search

using google analytics, anyone can track usage on their website, blog, etc. after posting about having an extra starbuck's "song of the day" there was a plethora of searches that brought people by here. the searches contain similar words but in all kinds of forms. here's a few.

• free starbucks song of the day codes
• starbucks song of the day codes, blog
• starbucks song of the day
• free starbucks song of the day code
• starbucks song of the day code
• starbucks song of the day codes
• free starbucks song codes
• starbucks song code
• starbucks song codes
• starbucks song of the day
• free starbucks code
• free starbucks songs
• starbucks song day
• "starbucks song of the day" code
• starbucks songs codes
• "free song of the day" itunes starbucks
• "song of the day" mp3
• "song of the day" code
• "starbucks" and "song of the day"
• codes for free starbucks songs
• codes from starbucks song of the day
• free song of the day at starbucks
• free starbucks card
• free starbucks codes
• starbucks "song of the day"
• starbucks code song
• starbucks itunes "song of the day" code list
• starbucks song of the day blog
• the code for free starbucks song
• what is code for free starbucks song of the day

there were a few more, too. i couldn't believe that all of this traffic was driven here after a single post. it's also amazing to see all the variations of the same search. i don't think i could come up with so many on my own.

----------------
Now playing: Starfield - Obsession
via FoxyTunes

the writers guild strike

i was wondering what kind of impact the writers guild strike would have would have.

"There is a lot of tension in Hollywood right now.

It’s been discussed for the past few months, but it looks like it just may become a reality. The Writer’s Guild of America very well may begin to strike as early as Monday. They voted by more than a 90% margin to allow their leaders to launch a walk-out. Sure, this sounds like it’s a bad thing, but I don’t think many people actually understand what is going on and how this will effect entertainment in their daily lives."

for the entire article and to begin to understand what is going on, check this article out at filmonic.com

24 season 7 trailer

vanity search

i decided to do a search for bryant johnson on facebook and see what came up. while i first on the search results, i found that there are 59 additional "bryant johnson" profiles on facebook. crazy! i have never met another "bryant johnson", however i did know of one in plant city who went to the same doctor. we got mixed up on paperwork one time but he was in his early 50's with heart disease. definitely not me.

dance trooper

sunrise, san diego, october 23rd, 2007

You know you're a Floridian if...

Socks are only for bowling.

You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes.

A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.

Your winter coat is made of denim.

You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.

You're younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65.

Anything under 70 is chilly.

You pass on the right and honk at the elderly, but p! ull ove r for a funeral.

You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.

You could swim before you could read.

You have to drive north to get to The South.

You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2005.

You've gotten out of school early on Halloween to trick or treat before it got dark.

You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.

You dread lovebug season.

You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances...but Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.

You know what a snowbird is and you don't like them.

You know why flamingos are pink.

You think a! six-foot alligator is actually pretty small.

You were twelve before you ever saw snow, or you still haven't.

"Down South" means Key West

"Panhandling" means going to Pensacola

Flip-flops are everyday wear. Shoes are for business meetings and church.
No, wait, flip flops are good for church too, unless it's Easter or Christmas.

Sweet tea can be served at any meal.

An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.

You smirk when a game show's "Grand Prize" is a trip or cruise to Florida.

You measure distance in minutes.

You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.

All the local festivals are named after a fruit.

A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

You think everyone from a bigger city has a northern accent.

You know the four seasons really are: almost summer, summer, not summer but really hot, and February.

It's not soda, cola, or pop. it's coke, regardless of brand or flavor,
"What kinda coke you want?"

Anything under 95 is just warm.

You've hosted a hurricane party.

You go to a theme park for an afternoon, and know when to get on the best rides. (Space Mountain during the Electric Light Parade!)

You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches.

You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee, Ichnatucknee and Withlacoochee

You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.

Bumper stickers on the pickup in front of you include: various fish, N! RA, Nas car, Go Gators, and a confederate flag.

You were 5 before you realized they made houses without pools.

You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.

You get angry when people say "Florida isn't really part of the SOUTH."

You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas.

You know what the "stingray shuffle" is, and why it's important!

14,000 points

i know this is pretty geeky, but i just reached 14000 point gamerscore playing halo. my xbox was even talking about it. it would have been my largest daily increase in gamerscore, but two achievements were logged in just after midnight. and yes, i could play halo 3 all night long.

cirque du soleil

seeing cirque du soleil in person is simply amazing. la nouba in orlando was simply breathtaking. i would to watch all their shows at some point. in the meantime, we can settle for what's online.



onemansblog has more for your viewing pleasure.

einstein or harry potter

read the story about this optical illusion here.

halo 3 and the church

just read this post by Josh Griffin about Halo 3 and the church. he was referring to an article posted in the new york times regarding halo being used in youth ministry programs. it's an interesting read. after reading through the comments, i felt compelled to share, too. here's what i posted.

"for me. i have halo 3 and love it. i have some youth in our program who play regularly and i will meet up with them online to play. and the co-op is awesome. we sit, we talk, we hang out. and many of the kids are talking about it, their stats, and their achievements. a few want to help me beat legendary. i grew up with games. at 5 years old, my dad came home with an atari 2600 and together we played asteroids for hours.

anyways, i have always thought that if you are ok doing "X" anywhere else, then you should be ok doing it in the church. if that wouldn't be ok, then we should really think about what it is we are doing. maybe we shouldn't be doing it all.

the culture changes and will always change. just as soon as we think we have it figured out, it will change again. we need to be culturally relevant. in but not of the culture. i think games are ok.

for us in our church, i'm not sure it would fit with what we are currently doing. i wouldn't be opposed, but it doesn't fit our events and activities. for some it might be right and others it's not. i think that's ok. what i don't think is ok is that we miss the message of the gospel. jesus has called us to become more like him; full of love, grace, mercy and compassion. not matter what your are doing, if we leave this component out of what we are doing we have failed.

and for outreach, you need to be involved in that culture that you are reaching out to. i don't think we need to do an outreach expecting youth to know the words to the latest chris tomlin song. it may just not be an outreach if it is filled with youth ready to worship.

to sum it all up - go with God, sensing His presence, experiencing His love, and sharing with all that you come in contact with."

josh will be posting his thoughts tomorrow.

6 Things 'Star Wars' Teaches Us About Our Money

i found this on digg. it's great. anything that we can take from star wars or has anything to do with star wars is simply awesome.

read more | digg story

balloon bowl

awesome video of a guy skating in a bowl full of baloons. looks like it was a blast.

free starbucks song of the day

starbucks is giving away a free song of the day from october 2nd through november 2nd. read more about that through the starbucks press release if you please.

here's the reason for the post. i received two cards today for keith urban's song, "i told you so." so, it's first come first serve. copy this code and paste it into the itunes/starbucks song of the day and it's yours.

FRGJWHPCGPTG

book 5 finished

i finished book 5 of the Harry Potter series this morning. The Order of the Phoenix. it is the longest book in the series and it took me the longest to finish. now you may be thinking, "he's quite behind," now that many people have finished book 7. i just started reading the series mid june with book 1 with the encouragement of my wife and a few friends.

i had thought that there was a lot of fluff in this book, things that just made it longer, rather than actually adding to the story. but as i finished it this morning, as with each book so far, most of the fluff came together in the end and made since.

funny thing about this is, that i was late for staff meeting. i go so into finishing the book this morning that i completely forgot i had a meeting at noon. an hour later i made it to the meeting with the confession of my tardiness.

more from dove

the new dove campaign video.

Samurai Sword in Halo 3

Several people down at the High Impact Halo Forums have noticed that there is a player online who has a samurai sword attached to his back as if it were a secondary...

read more | digg story

130.7 MPH on a mountain bike....Dang

Video.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYrd5qwzPrA



read more | digg story

www.creedthoughts.gov.www\creedthoughts

in preparation for the office season four premiere, be sure to catch up by reading creeds blog at www.creedthoughts.gov.www\creedthoughts

----------------
Now playing: U2 - New Year's Day
via FoxyTunes

tv premieres this week

so far have watched:
chuck - enjoyed it a lot
heroes - left with more questions than answers, normal
journeyman - good, we'll see if it stays on the dvr
the unit - great, again
my name is earl - anticipating, hopefully it will bring back the funny
the office - can't wait, it will be awesome

----------------
Now playing: Relient K - My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend
via FoxyTunes

travel expenses

i am working on travel expenses for next summer's mission trip with the methodist habitat in the bahamas. i contact AAA today to see if they could help. they said the best way was to call the airlines directly and to start with delta because they had good group rates. after talking with them on the phone, the cost appeared to be the same i could order online for everyone individually. the group rate was the same as the individual rate... i don't understand that. she also said that they would not accept tax exempt status and that we need to file those expenses later. i will be checking with american airlines next. we'll see.

----------------
Now playing: The Anchor Fellowship - Burn In Me
via FoxyTunes

7 Tips for Resolving Conflicts Quickly and Peacefully

Everyone has to deal with difficult people, whether they are argumentative, abusive, stubborn, or combative. The question is, how can you assert your own rights without creating an unnecessary incident?

read more | digg story

3:10 to yuma starring dallas roberts, reviewed

just went an watched 3:10 to yuma. we decided to go see this film while watching the preview. about half way through i realized, "oh my gosh, that's dallas roberts!" my wife said, "who?" "dallas," i said. now don't get me wrong, i have not seen or talked to dallas for about 16 years, since my sister's wedding i guess. hmm... when i was just a young tyke our families were great friends while we lived in sarasota and they have kept in touch regularly since. in fact, my father still keeps in touch with his father on a regular basis.

he and my sister were the same age. when i was in jr high and high school i skated for about eight years. i fondly remember my first ride on a skateboard was down the hill in front of the robert's home. dallas' brother had a skateboard and showed me how to ride it, while we were visiting.

anyways, dallas, if you ever see this - excellent film and excellent work! this truly was a great western film. both russell crowe and christian bale gave great performances. this reminded me of older westerns exploring the inner good of a man. go see this film.

----------------
Now playing: Pearl Jam - Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
via FoxyTunes

nice.

for the star wars open source community.

Chick-fil-A Giving Away Free Chicken Sandwich and a Free Coke

Get yours today, by filling out there survey. Do it quick. Don't know how long it lasts.

read more | digg story

Amazing Slalom on Rollerblades

impressive. fluid. beautiful.

Amazing Freestyle Slalom On Rollerblades - Watch more free videos

an old dog, new tricks

over the past two months we have discovered that our dog loves to play Frisbee. he's always liked it, but now is in love with it. he always been able to catch the ball, but never the Frisbee. he would run after it and sometimes bring it back. most of the time not actually to you.

somewhat out of the blue in august he began catching the Frisbee and bringing it right to my feet. i would throw it and he would bring it back, nudging it with his nose. it was like he was saying, "come on, already. put it in the air." he has also begun jumping in the air to pull it down. and his best catch would rival any Frisbee dog of any time. i had tossed the Frisbee into the air and as he ran across the back yard, he jumped with his body contorted, missing the catch, he tipped it up, and as soon as his paws hit the ground he jumped again, catching the Frisbee. he gets so excited about catching it.

when he misses, he kicks at it with his paws until it flips over so he can pick it up. he's a boxer. short snout. underbite. you get the picture. his paws get filthy. somehow, he fills the Frisbee with dirt, when he picks it up it goes all over his face. he's just dirty. yet he returns ready to try again.

i want to live like this. i want to live in such a way that even when i am covered in the dirt of my mistakes that i seek, with excitement, the opportunity to get it right. knowing that there is a god who is excited to watch it all happen and is eager to help and assist and is ready to celebrate with the successes.

we currently are using earthlink. it's been a great service and i have used them for about 5 years now. normally problem free. above you see my speed test results when everything is working fine. however, after about 30 minutes or so, my connection dies. it simply dies. i can reset the modem and bring it back up. i can force our router to pull a new ip address and it comes back up.

this all started after the lightning storm that happened about 4 weeks ago now. if you remember there were (according to news reports) over 17,000 lightning strikes in that one day across the state. so we first replaced our modem, now it's very inconsistent.

we have tech support coming out today to check the lines. hopefully we will be back up and running, soon.

An open letter to iPhone owners from Steve Jobs

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!We have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store.

read more | digg story

NBC leaving iTunes makes no since

if you haven't heard already. NBC will no longer be providing it's shows through itunes for $1.99 an episode. which ok, i understand paying for the digital copy of. but i think NBC is wrong to go into another realm to sell their episodes for more money with more extensive digital rights or which Mac users will not even be able to purchase their shows for. i would expect them to lose sales by doing this and as a result people will likely turn back to bit torrent to get their shows.

anyways, if you would like to read into this further, here's a great article from iLounge discussing this issue in detail.

dealing with telemarketers

searches that led here

got this idea from josh griffin. simply a list of searches that led to this site. here we go.


1. turn yourself into a transformer
2. "bryant johnson"
3. "glue boys"
4. 30th anniversary lego starwars
5. create yourself as a simpsons character for myspace
6. funraiser pumpkins
7. how do you make your photos into a simpsons character?
8. lego star wars 20 anniversary
9. lost marbles design group
10. make urself into a transformer character
11. nice cake
12. outpouring 2006 first united methodist church melbourne
13. photos of new lego star wars 30 th aniversery
14. tony nolan
15. xbox 360 failure blog

cruise photos

check them out here. and here are a few of my favorites.

Reviewed: Demos from the Marketplace

here are a few demos on xbox live's marketplace that are worth checking out. there's no fluff in these, just what i thought and a "try it" or a "buy it."

beautiful katamari - for all audiences. easy and simple to pick up and play. full game might be difficult to master. push your katamari (a big ball) around and pick up stuff within a specified amount of time. the bigger it gets the better you've done. the camera was difficult to control and was at times looking the wrong direction. might be corrected by the release. depending on the price point, just try it.

bio shock -definitely geared for an adult audience. simply put amazing. graphics are great. storytelling drew me in quickly. a lot of first person shooters are just replicas of each other in a new setting. this game sets a new standard that others will have a hard time replicating. it goes above and beyond all others. easy to recommend. buy it. it will be in my hands as soon as i get done with forza 2.

call of duty 4 - coming soon. expecting my token for the beta today. we'll see.

medal of honor: airborne - good game. new concept. you are an airborne soldier you can drop in anywhere on the map when it begins. there are safe zones to aim for. the level starts where ever you land. really cool concept. the AI appears to be pretty smart. they move around. they hide. fight smart in the game. however, it is still set in wolrd war II. how many of these games can we possibly play? great idea and twist on the gameplay, but i think the demo will hold me over just fine. just try it.

skate - skate has been promising a new gameplay mechanic that makes this skateboarding game more realistic. the demo is good be learning the controls was not simple. i think the good thing about a game is the learning curve. for me a good game, you can jump into and enjoy as you learn. this one wasn't doing it for me. the sterring controls were really touchy. the kick controls slow to respond. however, i did like the way the ollies worked with the right thumbstick. it might take some getting used to. try it and if you like it buy it. it is refreshing to see against the tony hawk series.

stranglehold - again for adult audiences. this demo took me by surprise. no article or review had sold me on it and i almost passed on the demo. for some reason i downloaded it anyway. i was blown away. fully destructive and interactive environments. you can use just about anything on the screen in gameplay. there were some really cool "bullet time" gaming sequences. as you jump the action goes into slow-mo which makes for some really fun gameplay. if you haven't already, give this demo a shot. it will take you by suprise. then when it arrives on shelves, buy it.

Which Transformer Are You?

For centuries, two races of robotic aliens - the Autobots and the Decepticons - have waged a war, with the fate of the universe at stake. Now it ’s your turn to engage in this epic battle. Will you Protect or Destroy? Take the quiz and see how you do.

Digg It

I AM
77%
OPTIMUS PRIMETake the Transformers Quiz

outpouring '07 worship

the glorious unseen led us in worship and it was great. here's a couple of vids from the worship time. they truly led us into a deep state of worship. we were reminded that we were there to give of ourselves back to God. if you want to see more, chem them out here.

book 4 complete: a journey through hogwarts

i began reading the harry potter series this summer. after some encouragement from friends and my wife, on june 25th of 2007 i began reading through the series. this week i completed book four, the goblet of fire.

for me, i have never been a big reader. i will read if i am interested but have never been into reading novels. it has always felt like work to me. these books have set me on a journey. i can't put the book down until it is done. it draws me. captures my attention. i feel as though i know and understand every piece of architecture and design. it is relaxing and easy to read. i don't find my mind wondering. and when i do put it down, i am planning for when i will have time to read again.

now, i am off to begin working on book 5...

the finale

outpouring finished in big ways. it truly was great! worship was great! involvement was amazing. God did some huge things in our lives. and jad brought us the message in a new, real, and relevant way. and jared hall - what!? what did he do? i am still trying to figure out some of the tricks. his slight of hand was so quick.

saturday we went to busch gardens. all day. sheikra. what more can be said?

then to follow that up with some of our student leaders on sunday, speaking and sharing about all of our summer events was amazing. it was a great experience and challenging to some. but each of them did an amazing job sharing and talking with the congregation.

this was a great end to a wonderful summer. you can find all of the outpouring pics here.

Earth From Space - Amazing Photos

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System... Here is some amazing photos of Earth from Space...

read more | digg story

day 2 - outpouring

day 2 was great. how far are you willing to go to let God shape you to be the servant God calls us to be? jad did a great job along with the band, the glorious unseen. not to mention my acting debut in the "change your ways" video. i think i will use it for my audition tape.

and pictures are up. we will be taking more and adding more today and at the end of the week. keep checking back to see all the new shots.

my lovely wife, tonya...


and who is that on the back left?

day 1 - outpouring '07

today was great! registration ran smooth. certainly people continued to stroll in, but that's normal especially on the first day. and we were so glad to hear that more and more were coming. games and door prizes went off. i heard that the young lady who won the big prize tonight was stoked about it.

small group and games feedback was also good. sounds like the games went exceptionally well and that the groups all had good discussion. it is amazing to see God at work.

the glorious unseen was great. i think there was a true atmosphere of worship tonight. something great to be a part of. jad also did a great job at bringing the message to us. helping to understand Jesus on a deeper level.

finally, i can't thank our student leaders enough. thank you. thank you. thank you. and everyone else who helped. you guys did a great preparing, setting up and serving tonight.

friends

just noticed a good friend of mine, jason gant, had started a blog. give it a read when you get a chance.

found this out through google's analytics which is an website tracker, basically. under traffic sources, i noticed his name blog's web address as one of the sources. great tool to find a great friend.

he moved to Kansas about 2 years ago or so to work at the church of the resurrection. keep up the good work, man.

MaximumPC Magazine -- FREE!!

"W00t!! MaximumPC is published FREE digital copies of their magazine."This is sweet!

read more | digg story

summer sales

the wife and i hit up pacsun this weekend for some sales. great timing. and if you need some clothes - go now. guys shorts $14 right now. got 'em. shirts on sale were another 70%. girls stuff was the same including bathing suits. crazy sales, i tell ya. crazy sales.

oh, and before i forget, it's tax free week!

taken through forza 2. cool picture. my car is in the back. his bumper and fin is in the air. a little reckless i know... umm... and no i don't drive the church bus this way.

the wait before

outpouring '07 will be here before i know it and yet the wait is driving me crazy. so much already done, so much more still to do. every time i am involved in a big event, i always wonder will it come together? it always does.

usually not without a fiasco, and this time is no different. all i will say is SHIRTS. not going to go into it, but it is stressing and a little bit funny at the same time.

student leaders are working hard on this. vids are almost ready. worship schedules is set. Blake did a great job with it. art work is all good. small group curriculum is all set and the jengas are coming in. still got to finish games and decorate.

then, just wait for the people to come in. and whoever you are, wherever you are. if you are coming we've been praying for you. every week on Wednesday, a group has been praying for you.

next week at this time, we will be preparing for the final day. can't wait.

Woman Caught Faking 'Slip and Fall' in Grocery Store

Images captured by a surveillance camera inside the store show the woman lose her footing in one of the aisles and take a nasty fall. A store worker comes to her aid and helps her up. The woman then loses her footing again and falls to the floor.

read more | digg story

....

sometimes i get very angry