Video of the Week (week 6)

The Price is Right is a pretty amazing show.  This video is a little long - but worth it.  As immature as it may seem… the first 5 seconds of the video cracks me up beyond belief.  This guy has to be either the biggest moron on the planet or he has never watched the show.  Enjoy.

Caution: Wet Paint

I have been working on some new ideas.  I am going to possibly change the look of the site all together - but there are new pages for sure.

I realized that I didn’t have a “tag-line” for this blog last night - and it bothered me.  Never fear - I will be adding content to the new pages at the top of the blog.  One will be a more comprehensive list of links.  And one will possibly be a page simply devoted to awesome/hilarious videos.  I hope that this will only enhance your blog visit experience.

That is all.  I will give a better explanation as to what everything is - when they happen.

Divorce

DISCLAIMER: LAURA BETH AND I ARE VERY MUCH IN LOVE.  WE ARE IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM THINKING OF DIVORCE.  I LOVE MY WIFE.  MY WIFE LOVES ME.  WE ARE DOING BETTER THAN JUST FINE.  WE ARE DOING GREAT.

With that being said, I have been thinking about the topic of divorce.  I was just thinking about it.  Can it ever be justified?  I know that Jesus taught against divorce and that “God hates divorce,” but is there justification?  To the person who says that divorce can never be justified - what about when one of the people has an affair?  What about if one if physically abusing the other?  Or even just verbally abusing the other?  What if one is merely neglecting the other?  Like I said, I am no where close to a divorce.  I am very happily married.  I am wondering if it is justified.  (This is where you weigh in.)

John is Different

If you read my blog or if you know about how things are done in the Student Ministry at Freedom - you know that I lead a high school bible study at my house on Sunday nights.  We have been walking through the book of John since I came on staff here at Freedom.  I wanted to look at the life of Jesus - he is pretty much the main character of the Bible.  I wanted to look at John because “John is different.”  (that is a shout out to my college professor - Dr. Mynatt)  It seems to me that we always get either Matthew’s or Luke’s account of stuff and therefore we are probably getting Mark’s account, too.  John is just a different perspective. 

I don’t think I realized how different it is.  I know that I have read all four gospels - but as we walk (and I mean walk) though John, I think that Matthew, Mark, and Luke paint a much simpler picture of who Jesus is.  Don’t get me wrong, I think that all four accounts come together to paint a more complete picture of Jesus.  Each perspective shows a side of Jesus that the others don’t. 

We are now on John 8.  Jesus is especially cryptic when he is talking about the validity of his testimony.  When I read these verses over and over, I start to get it.  But I know for a fact that if I were hearing this speech live and for the first time and would not be able to go back and read it again later - I would have walked away scratching my head and wondering “What just happened?”  No - I am not saying that the message of Jesus is confusing.  Jesus is not the “Author of Confusion.”  But Jesus drops some serious information that is really heavy. 

I am really happy that I have the Bible.  I have Jesus’ words.  I can read them over and over and seek the true meaning of this or that.  I think one of the things that I am trying to do is get out of my 21st century mindset and try to understand what Jesus was saying to people in the 1st century.  What was he really saying?  Not - what can I make him say?

This is my prayer - Jesus, I want to understand you.  Teach me to understand your words.  Jesus, I love you.

The Cold Hard Fact

First off, to anyone who reads this and doesn’t know this about my wife - she hates being cold.  Every year the weather changes and she mourns for the loss of summer.  We will sit in the house and it won’t even be cold - but she will shiver because even a comfortable 70 degrees is cold to her.  As soon as we see 60 degree weather - she insists that the heat be on.  I am not picking on her - I am just letting all of you know how she feels about temperatures that aren’t in the 80s or 90s.

This week - anyone would start running the heat in their house.  With overnight lows in the 30s, of course we are going to run the heat.  And so a new battle rages on - what should the thermostat be set on?  I was taught to set the heat in the high 60s.  Laura Beth would run it on 80 if I let her. 

This morning, Laura Beth got up and turned the heat up (I don’t know this for a fact - but I am fairly confident in this).  No big deal right?  I should have a nice warm house to wake up to.  Wrong.  The heat has been running since I woke up - and it is about 64 degrees in the house.  Here is a “cold hard fact” - I am cold.  My wife is right - it is cold in this house. 

Is anyone else grieving the loss of the warm days of summer?  Is anyone else upset by the fact that we went from 80 degrees one week to 50 the next?

Cranium and Left Behind

First off, I only post like four days out of the week.  Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are really draining days for me.  I don’t really think that waiting tables two days a week is all that strenuous.  And Saturdays are really lazy.  Honestly - all I do is watch football or, more likely, go to a wedding.  Apparently, everyone I know decided to get married this year.  We have been to at least fifteen in the last four months.  I just feel like I need to explain why I only post three days a week.

Tonight, we had our weekly high school bible study at our house.  We have been going through the book of John over the last few weeks.  Basically - we look at a chapter per week.  I try my hardest not to be deep (not that I am this incredibly deep person).  But for the most part we try to look at the simplicity of the Gospel.  That is my goal at least.  This week, however, we played Cranium.  Of course, my team dominated.  It is my goal to never lose.  Never do I want to lose a game of any sorts to students or anyone for that matter.  By no means am I saying that I never lose - but I just plan on not doing it… ever.

 I was asked about “eschatology” today.  I followed the question with this statement - “Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins accounts of the eschaton in Left Behind are 100% wrong.”  I stand by my statement. 

Christmas in Late October

I know that it is merely the 28th of October, but Christmas music and the jolly occasions of the Yule time are nearly upon us. I thought about this video when I someone told me that he had heard about a man spending $300,000 on Halloween decorations. In no way can I justify spending much more than $100 on holiday decorations - especially Halloween decorations. This man better have made a full-fledged haunted house, and he better charge people at least $10 to walk though it. However - if I were going to go all out on decorations, I would only hope that I could do it like this man.

On a probably completely unrelated topic, I am a “youth minister” at Freedom Fellowship. Things are going really well. I am getting to know students - the really are pretty awesome. I really love my job. God is blessing me and teaching me all kinds of things - because I have no idea of what to do at all. The good thing is that I have to rely on God for everything. I love it.