Ponytails.

Funny, funny stuff from Eugene Cho waxing on his mane...

Ponytails.

A missing A.

I have been blogging primarily on my BlackBerry of recent. Usually, I generally split time blogging 50-50 on my laptop and BB. Now, my laptop is crippled by the silliest problem.

I am missing a key on my laptop. Not the Q. Not an X. I am missing the alpha dog of vowels: A. It broke off.

Cue Joni Mitchell: Don't it always seem to go... that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone...

I never knew how valuable A really was till this incident. Now, I can't type love notes to my wife (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). My left pinky is numb from banging on the broken nub.

I tried gorilla glue. Without dwelling on specifics, let me just point out that this was not my best moment. I tried jamming the key into place, and reaffirmed the fact that brute strength is not a good substitute for delicate know-how.

All in all, it seems I need a new keyboard... and some basic research proved it was not as expensive as I would have thought.

Life is so full of stories like this. Job was a guy who had it all, and then lost everything. And then some.

The moral of the story is that we must value every second with the gifts we have.

In the mean time, I am looking for a list of words that denote anger and disappointment, but don't have the letter 'A' in them.

Stay blessed.

Sent via BlackBerry

Picture provided by Capannelle via Flickr Creative Commons License.

A missing A.

Mind your manners

Some awesome words from Antoine at Mobile Ministry Magazine.

Mind your manners

Don't you DARE smile...

Really?

Apparently, four states will not be allowing newly minted teenage drivers an opportunity to express relief at passing driving test. No more smiling in driver license photos.

The culprit is facial recognition software. It seems that smiling, the most natural of human emotive processes, throws it off.

Now, if anything, this will make happier criminals. Wanna scam a casino? Smile. Trick the pesky computers.

I am in a grumpy mood. My daughter said my tummy is squishy, my kid brother called me old, my back hurts, some NC schools have decided that class rank promotes "unnatural" competition, and now, I may soon have to pose like a pre-fight Mike Tyson or a Detroit Lions fan at the local DMV.

What is this world coming too?

Off to read FaceBook status updates. Those always make me laugh.

Don't you DARE smile...

The stubbornness of Joseph

Test time...

When you think of Joseph, what springs to mind? Coat of Many Colors? The hateful brethren? Famine?

How about stubborn dude?

Joseph's story is one that highlights perseverance of spirit. You can touch upon any number of important character traits worth embodying in his life, but the stubbornness is something that may not be as evident to begin with.

We know about his dreams, about his betrayal, rise and second betrayal. What was it that made him tick? I think he was stubborn.

This guy was blessed with the gift of foreseeing the future. When he does display his gift, he barely misses getting killed and is sold off into slavery by his siblings.

Plenty of justification to be angry. What does Joseph do? He becomes the best slave in the household, eventually coming his master's caretaker. Now, at this point, we could probably imagine a Ben-hur-ish like ending with master adopting Joseph and everybody swaying to the cued music.

Except it went bad. Very bad. Joseph decided to be honorable and resisted the romantic overtures of his master's wife. When the scorned woman accused him of attempted rape, he got thrown in the slammer.

One thing I am certain of is that prison life, in those times, was not easy. I suspect concepts like prisoners rights and cruel punishments didn't get a lot of press in those days. So, I think most people would have given Joe a pass if he had decided to wallow in anger and self-pity. But he didn't.

He packed up all the lemons and made some award-winning juice. Soon, he was running the prison. And the rest of the story is well known; he eventually became governor of the entire land, and was used by God to save the country. And his brothers, who sold him away.

Joseph stubbornly waited on the promise. He kept getting stuff thrown in his face, but he excelled anyway. He was a rock head. He glorified God in spite of his circumstance.

In this life, and particularly this economy, we all have received (or are receiving) tough blows. I think we all feel the justification to cut corners and to avoid doing the right thing... albeit temporarily. We can all take refuge in the fact that it will all end up for His glory.

This we know.


Sent via BlackBerry

The stubbornness of Joseph

Thank you!

Here is a heartfelt salute to all our servicemen who have served. Another salute to their families and friends.

God bless you all!

Sent via BlackBerry

Thank you!

People I dislike: Karen Byrne

I really, really dislike Karen Byrne, and the reasons are almost too many to list. I will do my best. It is my duty.

- I know it is hard to believe, but Karen is the nicest person I know. She really is an angel. This bothers me. I have tried VERY hard to find a mean bone in her, and can't find one. Why? This annoys me.

- She takes delight in being a true witness. No hidden hanky-panky for her; she is sold out in her beliefs, and wears her faith without shame.

- When you ask Karen a question, she doesn't try to get overly philosophical; she doesn't force flowery language. She simply takes you back to the Bible. She forces and inspires me to do the same. Whatever.

- Even when we argue (often, and usually her fault) on Twitter and during life group, she gets biblical. Once, instead of telling me to shut up, she used a bible verse. Seriously? How do you counter that? I don't like people who are so clearly smarter than me.

- My wife likes her, making me a minority in my own home as well as the cyber-world. No explanation needed.

- When you ask her tough questions, you know what Byrnie does? You guessed right... she takes it to the scripture. She makes you think. What is your outlook on life, Byrnie? There is always someone who needs something. Open your eyes, see their need and meet it. In two sentences, she forces me to confront my own selfishness. I want to fight her.

What is your favorite verse, B? My favorite verse lately is Isaiah 43:1 (love the whole chapter). But now, this is what the Lord says-- he who created you, o Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel; "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." I think deep down we all have a desire to belong - to know that we fit in somewhere. This verse reminds me that I belong to the Father. And, there's something beautiful when someone you love calls you by name.

Why do you believe in God, Karen? There is evidence of God all around us, if we just look for it. Creation screams of the existence of a Creator. The way the universe is laid out cannot be by chance. I can't watch a child sleep or a baby cry or birds build a nest or a lion prowling for dinner without thinking that the beauty in those things must come from God. I also know I am different since having started a relationship with him through his Son, who died because I broke God's heart.


Seriously... this is what she throws at you, forcing you to contemplate stuff. A-L-L the T-I-M-E.

- She lives in Michigan. And doesn't complain about the weather, further making me analyze my own whining.

- She writes one of the best blogs I have ever had the privilege of reading.

I could go on and on, and use up bandwith explaining why she is on my dislike list. Suffice to say that I absolutely refuse to admit that she is blessing in our lives, a precious friend, and someone I have an immense amount of respect for.

No, I won't say any of that. I dislike her. A lot.

People I dislike: Karen Byrne

Who Am I?

A thought-provoking post from someone I dislike a lot...

Not only does this blog post give numerous verses for self-evaluation and citizenship, it starts off with a gentle reminder that every believer must ensure that it is something we subscribe to within ourselves first.

If you don't subscribe to KB's blog, you should... more reasons for this on Monday...

Who Am I?

Love thy brother

Years ago, when the wife and I were still a-courtin' I decided to stop putting off the unthinkable and introduce her to my siblings.

Some background here: my brothers are insane. Not your run-of-the-mill crazy; I mean literally "gone." I had hoped that we could somehow get married and live without meeting them, but that, I was told, would be somewhat uncouth. Plus, I figured that we would be short three attendants at our future wedding.

So, I swallowed my pride, prayed and brought her home.

As we walked into the house, I was blindsided by a tackle from my right side. Two others phantoms jumped on us, and in and instant, there was a four-man free-for-all scrum on the floor of my parents house.

Babetta looked on in abject horror.

Afterwards, when my mother had dispersed the impromptu wrestling sessions with a trusty frying pan, I tried to explain to my future wife how wrestling was normal. She did not understand how we greeted each other with kidney shots. I explained that if I walked in and hugged my brothers, they would think I was dying.

She promised, right there and then, to never have kids with me.

Eight years and two (plus) kids later, it is clear that my charm won the day, but I look back at those days and laugh.

My brother got married last year. The rest of us tried very hard to dissuade his fiancée from marrying him (we did like the girl), but she married him anyway. True to form, we cracked on, pinched, jabbed and kicked each other through out the ceremony. It didn't matter that it was the first time we were all in the same room in months; there was a lot of bruising to catch up on.

Babetta wearily looked at my brother's bride, Narissa, and sighed. "Shameless."

In the dressing room, while changing back into street clothes, Narissa's brother-in-law walked in to say bye. What he said had a lasting impact on all of us.

"It is great to see brothers who loved each other the way you guys do. Absolutely great. Never lose that."

We were humbled.

Outwardly, we vocalized about wanting to know what gave him that idea so that we could promptly stop doing whatever it was, but we were humbled.

My brothers are always there... just a phone call away. Since they will never read this blog, I freely admit that they are a significant part of my life. Anyone who messes with my lil brothers messes with me. That goes for all of us. In our culture, you learn to cherish your brothers.

After he left the room, we paused for a bit. And then, we wrestled some more.

Thank God for brothers. They help save a lot on punching bags.

Love thy brother

At the core

I made a life changing discovery recently... one that I simply must share.

While rifling through some kitchen stuff, I came across a weird circular cutting tool. Fascinated, I resisted the urge to throw it like a frisbee and asked the missus what it was.

She was unimpressed. "It's an apple corer."

"Really? How do you use it?" I asked.

"To core apples. You hold it like this..." she monotoned as she showed me how to use the device.

People, I had found yet another reason for living. You're telling me that there is a device out there that can remove the core while slicing the good stuff into perfect sections? My life was now complete.

Unfortunately, we had a newly-bought bag of apples in the refrigerator. I snuck away to play with my new toy.

About twelve apples later, while suffering from apple poisoning brought on from inexplicable over-indulgence and nursing wrists sore from corer-exertion, I looked back on all that I had gained from the exercise with glee. I made a solemn vow to never eat an uncored apple ever again. I also toyed with the idea of sharing my discovery with the masses, and being considered a corer pioneer on Twitter.

I asked the wifey how we had lived without the life-saving device. She was nonplussed, and shockingly, did not share my elation.

"We have always had it. In fact we have more than one."

What?

At first, I painfully recalled each apple that I had consumed over the course of eight years. Uncored. I mourned the lost opportunities. But then, another angle began to show itself. How many talents and opportunities have been hidden to me? How many times have I missed an opportunity to serve (or ignored it) because I didn't think I had the tools to be a servant?

On the flip side, have I become stronger in some aspects because I was forced to be creative in the absence of a tool or gift that did not manifest till later in life?

All in all, I refuse to go through life any longer without coring knives, and I am grateful for the perpetual gifting idea for family and friends.

*** picture from Amazon.

At the core

Prom Wars

My initial reaction to this story was dismay.

Apparently, a young man who planned to attend prom with his girlfriend at her school (they attended different schools) was told by his own school that he would face disciplinary action if he did indeed attend. The problem started when the boy went to get his principal's signature (which I assume is a pre-requisite of the girlfriend's school for visiting students).

The boy's school, which is described in the article as a "fundamental" school, frowns on rock music, and details its official misgivings in the school handbook.

Without being critical of the school or unsympathetic to the boy, my concern is that the body of Christ needs to be particularly careful of branding artistic concepts as ungodly or unsuitable. To be overly simplistic, what about Christian rock? Bad? I don't mean to imply that the prom is gonna invite Jars of Clay to perform, but still...

I think there is a fine line: does it glorify God or not?

I have seen christian schools that do have proms, and they seemed like decent affairs. They may have been considered more rigid than the average "secular" event, but were clearly enjoyed and looked forward to.

Legislating teen morality can be tough business. While I do believe that it is possible to raise kids with healthy social attitudes in a spiritual atmosphere, I will shy away from saying that prom should be a platform on which such battles should be fought.

Or shouldn't it?

Food for thought...

Prom Wars

Anniversary

I read somewhere that there are two two key decisions that influence a man: what God he serves and the person he marries.

It is quite interesting to find out how much the one decision can affect the other (both ways). Both have a real bearing on happiness and fulfillment.

Nine years ago, I was blessed to have married a Godly woman. Thank you, Lord, for giving me the opportunity to get Decision Two right.

Anniversary

Much ado about e-confessions.

Interesting blurb about online confessions. Apparently, it is causing some division in that particular denomination.

The concept of online church is catching on, but some figure that formal confessions should not be performed via email, as it alters the significant portion of confession: the physical presence of a priest.

Much ado about e-confessions.

Church family

Amidst all the gloom, this story warms the heart.

It details the story of a unique homeless couple were shown no-strings-attached love by their congregation, Grace Church, who helped them plan a wedding and honeymoon.

In a day where the term "nice church" tends to evoke opulence of physical structure, it is great to hear of stories like this.

Church family