Friday, November 20, 2009

Movie Preview: Toys, Dragons, and Jeff Bridges

Here's a look at some movies that are coming up that I think might be worth seeing. There are a couple that I didn't add here do to slowing down the loading of the page.

Some of the movies I didn't include here are:

Alice In Wonderland
Johnny Depp plays the mad hatter. I don't think its anything like the book, but it looks good.

Nightmare on Elm Street
A remake of the original. It could be good. But then again it's made by Michael Bay, so it could be stupid and over the top.

Clash of the Titans
Now of course this one was pretty good when it first came out. The special effects were not all that great. But I think that was part of its charm. This one of course looks like it has mind blowing special effects. It could be cheesy on that point alone. Isn't it sad that great special effects can potentially ruin a movie these days?

Prince of Persia
Starring Orlando Bloom. Of course this will attract a whole audience just because of him. The plot seems to go something like there is a dagger that controls the "sands of time" and bad guys want to get a hold of to change history. Their only hope is to take it high into the mountains to be hidden away forever. Will they succeed? Hmmmmmmm


Here are a few previews that I thought were worth posting. My favorite is probably Tron. Enjoy.



This of course is the third movie. They never get old. Pixar Rules!




Coming in a close second, is Dreamworks. And this one looks to be as good. In fact, I think it may have a bit more heart than some of the others.




I thought this movie was cool when I was a kid. I remember it being a big deal because of the computer graphics that were used to make it. Well this one of course will have a lot better graphics. But, Jeff Bridges is in it again...as a bad guy?





I am a sucker for animation. I have always wanted to do voice overs. This one looks good too.
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Regret or Hope: How Do You Live Your Life?


Alright, now this is not going to be one of those long drawn out blog posts. In fact, it's just a simple question. But I would love to have everyones feedback on it.


I have seen people who have dreams and aspirations and yet they are never realized. Life marches and on and suddenly they find themselves at the end, never doing what they thought they wanted to do. But, the amazing thing is, they never lose that zest for life. They never let the regrets of not doing what they most desire take center stage. They don't cling to what could have been, they focus on the here and now. If you were to look into there eyes, you would see a spark that cannot be dimmed.


So, my question to you is, how do they do this? How is one able to live years and even decades with unfulfilled dreams and expectations, and yet never fall into the rut of self pity and regret? How does one take each day as if it was their last? To quote a country song how does one "Live like you were dying"?


I look forward to your responses.
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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Stories From the Past: The Frog


Okay, so I was thinking about this rather unfortunate incident the other day. I figured I would write about it. It's supposed to be therapeutic right?

When I was 9 years old, my landlord's kids brought home a bunch of frogs from the lake that they had camped at during the weekend. I really don't know why they brought them home. They had no plans of keeping them. Their parents were quite mean and wouldn't dream of such a thing. As far as I know, most of them went over to the river and were let go. But a few days later, while I was playing in the yard, I happened to see something jump in the grass. I ran over to where I thought I had seen movement. Much to my amazement, there was a frog in the grass in the middle of the city.

I took the frog in the house and asked my mother if it was okay if I keep it. She was a little hesitant, but didn't say no too often when it came to me and animals. I could tell many stories of all the different animals I brought home over the years.

I grabbed an old margarine container, found a rock, filled the container with a little water, and wallah! I had my very own frog home. Now an animal isn't a pet until you come up with a creative name for it. So I thought long and hard and finally came up with one that fit...Frogger. I was very original, I know.

Well Frogger and I got along splendidly for a few months. I would make sure he was fed and had fresh water. I even took him out of his "house" once in a while so he could have some "exercise". It was on one these occasions, that the unspeakable happened.

You see I decided to let Frogger out for a bit to stretch his legs. I placed him on the arm of the chair and began to dance around. To this day, I can't remember if there was music on or if it was all in my head. But regardless, it was a tragedy ready to happen. As I was dancing around, I did a little spin and lost my balance. I stuck my arm out as I came down to catch myself...right on the arm of the chair. With fear and anguish filling my heart, I lifted up my hand to reveal my buddy Frogger-with his insides hanging on the outside of his mouth. I was mortified! I was devastated! I had just killed my little amphibian buddy!

I ran to my mother and told her what happened, tears filling my eyes. She took me in her arms and gave me a big hug. Normally this wasn't her typical reaction, but this time she knew I was sorry enough. We found a little shoe box, wrapped him some toilet paper and buried behind the bushes that were in front of our house. My poor little Frogger. I sure do miss that little frog, and I am sorry for his untimely demise.

RIP Frogger
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Friday, November 13, 2009

Have You Ever Felt Like This at Church?

This video is the bomb. Mr. Bean captures what it feels like to walk into a church and not know what to expect. I felt like this a few times when I was working at night. There were plenty of times when my wife had to nudge me because I was snoring.

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Monday, November 9, 2009

Can You Have Church When You Don't Go to Church?

Between 2002 and 2004 I attended Vineyard Leadership Institute. It was an intensive 2 year program designed to give people a firm foundation in the word of God as well equip them for ministry in the local body. Although the class actually originated from the Columbus Vineyard, we would watch the teachings at Boise Vineyard. Our facilitator was Chad Estes, the associate pastor of VCF Boise. During the course of the two years I attended the school, I went through many hardships personally and professionally. I can honestly say that if it wasn't for his encouragement and support, I would not have graduated.

Almost two years ago, for reasons unknown to me, Chad left the pastorate that he had been part of for years. Since then he has been on a journey to rediscover who he is in Jesus. Recently the Recycle Your Faith interviewed Chad to get his thoughts on Church since he left his. The video is below. Please check out Chad's blog as well. He is a good friend and has great insight.


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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

How to Worship in a Modern Church

Okay, I was checking out Jason Boyett's blogpost on his annoyances with "worship". If you have never checked out his website, I strongly encourage you to do so. He has some great stuff on there.
Anywho, He had a video posted that explains the correct way to "worship" in a church service. If you have ever been to a modern church service (especially one with a pentecostal slant), you will find this video extremely informative....and extremely funny. Enjoy!





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Has Church Gone to the Dogs?

So I have had discussions in the past on whether or not our little fuzzy friends have souls. This church decides to at least entertain the thought. This article was written by Gillian Flaccus of the Associated Press. Let me know your thoughts on whether pets have souls or whether or not we should have church service for doggies.


"LOS ANGELES — When the Rev. Tom Eggebeen took over as interim pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church three years ago, he looked around and knew it needed a jump start.
Most of his worshippers, though devoted, were in their 60s, attendance had bottomed out and the once-vibrant church was fading as a community touchstone in its bustling neighborhood.

So Eggebeen came up with a hair-raising idea: He would turn God's house into a doghouse by offering a 30-minute service complete with individual doggie beds, canine prayers and an offering of dog treats. He hopes it will reinvigorate the church's connection with the community, provide solace to elderly members and, possibly, attract new worshippers who are as crazy about God as they are about their four-legged friends.
Before the first Canines at Covenant service last Sunday, Eggebeen said many Christians love their pets as much as human family members and grieve just as deeply when they suffer — but churches have been slow to recognize that love as the work of God.

"The Bible says of God only two things in terms of an 'is': That God is light and God is love. And wherever there's love, there's God in some fashion," said Eggebeen, himself a dog lover. "And when we love a dog and a dog loves us, that's a part of God and God is a part of that. So we honor that."
The weekly dog service at Covenant Presbyterian is part of a growing trend among churches nationwide to address the spirituality of pets and the deeply felt bonds that owners form with their animals.

Traditionally, conventional Christians believe that only humans have redeemable souls, said Laura Hobgood-Oster, a religion professor at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

But a growing number of congregations from Massachusetts to Texas to California are challenging that assertion with regular pet blessings and, increasingly, pet-centric services, said Hobgood-Oster, who studies the role of animals in Christian tradition.
She recently did a survey that found more than 500 blessings for animals at churches nationwide and has heard of a half-dozen congregations holding worship services like Eggebeen's, including one in a Boston suburb called Woof 'n Worship.

"It's the changing family structure, where pets are really central and religious communities are starting to recognize that people need various kinds of rituals that include their pets," she said. "More and more people in mainline Christianity are considering them to have some kind of soul."

The pooches who showed up at Covenant Presbyterian on Sunday didn't seem very interested in dogma.

Animals big and small, from pit bulls to miniature Dachshunds to bichon frises, piled into the church's chapel to worship in an area specially outfitted for canine comfort with doggie beds, water bowls and a pile of irresistible biscuits in an offering bowl. There were a lot of humans too — about 30 — and three-quarters of them were new faces.

The service started amid a riot of tail-sniffing, barking, whining and playful roughhousing.

But as Eggebeen stepped to the front and the piano struck up the hymn "GoD and DoG," one by one the pooches lay down, chins on paws, and listened. Eggebeen took prayer requests for Mr. Boobie (healing of the knees) and Hunter (had a stroke) and then called out the names of beloved pets past and present (Quiche, Tiger, Timmy, Baby Angel and Spunky) before launching into the Lord's Prayer.
At the offering, ushers stepped over tangled leashes and yawning canines to collect donations and hand out doggie treats shaped like miniature bones in a rainbow of colors.

Donna Lee Merz, a Presbyterian pastor at another Southern California church, stopped in with Gracie, her 14-month-old long-haired miniature Dachshund. The puppy with ears soft as silk was overcome by the other dogs and wriggled across the floor on her belly, quivering with excitement. She finally calmed down when Merz held her in her lap.

"She knew it was a safe place and a good place to be, a place to be loved," Merz said, gently petting Gracie after the service. "I'll be back."

Emma Sczesniak came to Covenant for the first time, lured by the promise that she could worship with her black Lab, Midnight, and her wire-haired Dachshund-terrier mix, Marley.

Marley sat on her lap during the service, while Midnight checked out the other big dogs and sat patiently waiting for his biscuit. Sczesniak said the dog-friendly service came at the perfect time for her: she's been thinking about getting back to church, but wasn't sure how or where to go.
"I don't have any kids, so my pets have always been my children, so it does mean a lot," she said of the dog-inclusive service. "I haven't been to church in a long time and this may push me into it. I'm getting older and I've been thinking about those things again."

But Midnight, Marley, Gracie and the other pups probably had something more important on their minds as Eggebeen intoned his benediction and the service drew to a close: Just where could they find more of those delicious treats?
For Eggebeen, the night was a spiritual success — and the rest is out of his hands.
"It's important for a church like us just to do good things. The results, we'll just have to see," he said. "Ultimately, that belongs to God." "
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Monday, November 2, 2009

Freedom of Religion Questioned in Ringing Church Bells Case - ABC News

Are church bells part of religious freedom? Read the article and decide for yourself. Let me know what you think!

Freedom of Religion Questioned in Ringing Church Bells Case - ABC News
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American Presidents: James Madison


James Madison:

4th President of the United States (1809-1817)



  • Thomas Jefferson refused to run for a third term. Rather, he chose to endorse Madison and George Clinton.

  • Because of Jefferson's embargo of all goods from England and France, the country was in economic trouble. The New England states had openly discussed seceding from the Union.

  • The Federalists attacked Madison as a physically weak and incapable of running the country. It took Jefferson to persuade many Democratic-Republicans from straying into the Federalist camp.

  • By the time the election was held, Madison was the clear victor by a wide margin. He won the presidency with 122 electoral votes going for him vs. 44 votes for Charles C. Pinckney of South Carolina. Even though George Clinton had been chosen to run as vice president, he had broke with the camp before the election and declared his own candidacy for president. He was only able to garnish 6 votes from his home state.



  • Domestic Issues

Most domestic issues took a back seat to the foreign affairs that plagued Madison's terms in office. The single most important issue for Madison was the rechartering of the Bank of the United States. Madison was fundamentally opposed to the idea of the United States government having its hands in the banking system. But because of the War of 1812, Madison was forced to consider how difficult it was to fund a war without the banks assistance. The charter of the Bank of the United States was allowed to expire. But by 1816, with Madison's support, the second Bank of the United States was chartered with a 20 year term. Many opponents to the bank, and to Madison, used this as a way to expose Madison's supposed Federalist leanings.



  • Foreign Issues

Madison was forced to deal with trade issues between France and England. Unfortunately the issues were complicated and cannot be dealt with here. Click here for more information.


Congress voted to declare war on Britain on June 18, 1812. Madison considered this war a "second war of independence" against Britain. Madison's major objectives was to take all of Florida from the Spanish, put down Indian uprisings in the northwest, and to invade Canada. This move was not successful. Because of the tremendous British support, the invasion of Canada was a disaster. American troops had surrendered in Detroit, were defeated in New York, and much of the northwest was under British control.


By 1813 the war had managed to take a turn for the better for Madison. Thanks to William Henry Harrison and Andrew Jackson, the U.S. had managed to gain the upper hand in their fight against the Indians. A victory over the British fleet at Lake Erie helped to turn the tide against the British as well.


The British defeated Napoleon and were now able to turn their attention completely on the states. They raided American ports up and down the East coast. The British troops managed to ransack Washington D.C. and burned the White House to the ground.


Even though the war was fierce and bloody, in the end the United States was victorious . In the process they managed to minimize the threat of Indians in the northwest. Madison became somewhat of a victorious wartime president and the country became swelled with national pride after winning what it considered to be the second revolutionary war. Because of the victory and following circumstances, the Federalist party was doomed as a national political force.


Madison died on June 28, 1836. He was the last Founding Father to pass away.

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