Cards- swept.
Rams + Chiefs- not a win between them.
Mizzou- loss.
The Killer Beards- loss.
A buddy of mine and I debate often whether sports are a worthwhile thing to spend your time on or not (watching, not playing). Can it go too far? Should I be embarrassed that whether my fantasy football team wins or loses affects my mood the next two days?
For me, sports are a means to an end. Every Monday my buddies get together to watch the football game, and hang out. (In fact, this week we recorded a slate of podcasts at halftime, so those should be up soon.)
Its a time to kick back and not think about anything important. To me, that can be time well spent. What say you- sports: too frivolous a thing to care about?
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, October 04, 2009
World Communion Sunday
Hey there, I know its been a long time.
Here's a message I gave today, world communion Sunday. Enjoy?
Everyone loves standardized testing right? You go in the classroom and time seems to stand still before an endless ocean of bubbles to properly fill in. True story, in Cape Girardeau my sophomore year of high school we all had to take the military standardized test called the “ASVAB”. I asked one of the teachers if this would count towards any of our grades. When she responded “no’ I knew exactly what to do.
For the next 3 hours, I had a great time. I randomly filled in all the bubbles, sometimes even choosing to make little pictures with them. When I got my results back, I was proud to be in the lowest 1% of this great nation. I thought I was hilarious until I found out that is the test score the military will use to place me in the case of a draft. Yikes.
Anyway, back to the beginning of those dreaded tests for us. You know all that stuff you fill out: name, gender, age, ethnicity. These are all examples of categories we’ve made for people, things we’ve all agreed somehow matter, and are used as additional data in your score assessment. I started thinking about what other things we use to put people into categories. Mac/PC. Republican/Democrat, Stoner/Skater, Geek/Nerd. I’m told there are differences between a geek and a nerd. From what I understand, being a geek can be kind of cool? I don’t know, someone explain that to me later. Theres cheerleader/pom girl. Band kid/Orchestra kid. Honor roll student/ISS student. Most of these things are based on appearance or affiliation. Think of it this way, let me name a store at the mall; and what kind of person comes to mind: Hollister. Sears. Abercrombie. Hot Topic. Justice. Do you get an image in your head of “what kind of people” shop there?
So what these companies have done, is gotten us to associate value and social characteristics with their products. We think “these types of kids” shop at Hollister and “those types of kids” shop at Abercrombie. Did you know that Hollister was founded by Abercrombie & Fitch? Whichever one you associate with doesn’t matter to the execs, cause they’re getting paid both ways. See, we love to create all these categories for people. We even do it with our faith. Are you Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran? Or maybe you’re Free Methodist, Southern Baptist, USA Presbyterian, or Missouri Synod Lutheran? Or maybe you’re “non-denominational” which ironically, is an attempt to get away from categories but has only resulted in another category.
Not only do we have all these denominations, but we’ve got theological divisions too. We’ve got fundamentalists and revisionists. We’ve got evangelicals and emergents. When it comes to women’s role in the church we’ve got complimentarians and egalitarians. When it comes to predestination we can be Calvinist or Armenian. Some of this might be over some of ya’lls heads. But we do it right here to. When it comes to worship: are you a traditional person, or a contemporary person?
Well friends, today is world communion Sunday. Today, we remember that Jesus was not a Band kid or a Methodist or a traditional worship type person; and he certainly wasn’t a white American. Its good for us to be reminded of that. Today we realize that you don’t have to “be” anything to bow at the feet of Jesus. Today churches from all over the world will celebrate the meal he gave us to remember him by. Today we stand before God, and we let all of our stupid categories go. Because in Christ, there are no categories; check this out: Galatians 3: 27-28 “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
One of the ways we remember that we’re all doing this thing together is through communion. Some have special rules, some do it with little cups, some do it with delicious Kings Hawaiian bread, but at its core- communion is communion. Even that word, communion- something we do together, something we as Christians have “in common” with Christians all over the world, down through the centuries. That to me is a beautiful thing; that communion has been celebrated by Jesus himself, that we celebrate it today, 2,000 years after this night we read about, to remember Jesus.
Now I know I talked about how there are no categories, and its still true. The day I become more of a Methodist than a Christian is the day somebody needs to dropkick me. However, one of the reasons I am a Methodist is because of our beliefs about communion. You don’t have to take a class or sign up beforehand or be a member of this church or have washed your hands a special way. We don’t have to have it in some special cup or use a special type of bread or juice. Methodists believe that all people are welcome because its God’s table, not ours.
There’s a lot of confusion about communion. Again, a lot of us get hung up on all the rules. I could say a whole lot about this subject, and there are entire classes devoted to communion if you go to seminary. Communion is an experience that we have together, that goes three ways. It goes backwards, by remembering what Christ did for us on the cross, as he put it- his blood being shed for many. It makes a difference now, as we recognize Christ’s continued presence with us in reality. It also looks forward, anticipating God’s work on Earth in the future, and in the age to come. All this happens through bread and cup; something we can physically participate in. In this sort of weird way, we believe that Christ makes himself known to us in a special way during communion. I can’t explain it. Some of you guys may just go up there and be glad the bread tastes good, and not feel especially tingly or emotional or feel anything really. What I would say to you, is try focusing on who Jesus was, is, and will be. There’s an old saying called “the mystery of Faith”: “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.” Think about that as you’re chewing this bread and juice.
Think about communion as a meal. How fitting that Jesus left us a meal to remember him by. Many would say it’s a shame we’ve turned communion into such a ritual, because in the early church it truly was a meal. Like, you would walk away full! They’d celebrate communion like we would celebrate a birthday or Thanksgiving. To me, that’s a beautiful picture. Not only because I love food, but I think about how much I love it when my whole family is gathered together for a meal. That feeling I have, that feeling I hope you get sometime in the next couple months, to me is a sneak preview of heaven. The pages of Revelation say at the end of times there is going to be a big family feast. Communion is a mini-version of that feast, until the day comes. Our church can be united with Churches all over the world, and throughout the millennium with the celebration of this meal.
Here's a message I gave today, world communion Sunday. Enjoy?
Everyone loves standardized testing right? You go in the classroom and time seems to stand still before an endless ocean of bubbles to properly fill in. True story, in Cape Girardeau my sophomore year of high school we all had to take the military standardized test called the “ASVAB”. I asked one of the teachers if this would count towards any of our grades. When she responded “no’ I knew exactly what to do.
For the next 3 hours, I had a great time. I randomly filled in all the bubbles, sometimes even choosing to make little pictures with them. When I got my results back, I was proud to be in the lowest 1% of this great nation. I thought I was hilarious until I found out that is the test score the military will use to place me in the case of a draft. Yikes.
Anyway, back to the beginning of those dreaded tests for us. You know all that stuff you fill out: name, gender, age, ethnicity. These are all examples of categories we’ve made for people, things we’ve all agreed somehow matter, and are used as additional data in your score assessment. I started thinking about what other things we use to put people into categories. Mac/PC. Republican/Democrat, Stoner/Skater, Geek/Nerd. I’m told there are differences between a geek and a nerd. From what I understand, being a geek can be kind of cool? I don’t know, someone explain that to me later. Theres cheerleader/pom girl. Band kid/Orchestra kid. Honor roll student/ISS student. Most of these things are based on appearance or affiliation. Think of it this way, let me name a store at the mall; and what kind of person comes to mind: Hollister. Sears. Abercrombie. Hot Topic. Justice. Do you get an image in your head of “what kind of people” shop there?
So what these companies have done, is gotten us to associate value and social characteristics with their products. We think “these types of kids” shop at Hollister and “those types of kids” shop at Abercrombie. Did you know that Hollister was founded by Abercrombie & Fitch? Whichever one you associate with doesn’t matter to the execs, cause they’re getting paid both ways. See, we love to create all these categories for people. We even do it with our faith. Are you Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran? Or maybe you’re Free Methodist, Southern Baptist, USA Presbyterian, or Missouri Synod Lutheran? Or maybe you’re “non-denominational” which ironically, is an attempt to get away from categories but has only resulted in another category.
Not only do we have all these denominations, but we’ve got theological divisions too. We’ve got fundamentalists and revisionists. We’ve got evangelicals and emergents. When it comes to women’s role in the church we’ve got complimentarians and egalitarians. When it comes to predestination we can be Calvinist or Armenian. Some of this might be over some of ya’lls heads. But we do it right here to. When it comes to worship: are you a traditional person, or a contemporary person?
Well friends, today is world communion Sunday. Today, we remember that Jesus was not a Band kid or a Methodist or a traditional worship type person; and he certainly wasn’t a white American. Its good for us to be reminded of that. Today we realize that you don’t have to “be” anything to bow at the feet of Jesus. Today churches from all over the world will celebrate the meal he gave us to remember him by. Today we stand before God, and we let all of our stupid categories go. Because in Christ, there are no categories; check this out: Galatians 3: 27-28 “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
One of the ways we remember that we’re all doing this thing together is through communion. Some have special rules, some do it with little cups, some do it with delicious Kings Hawaiian bread, but at its core- communion is communion. Even that word, communion- something we do together, something we as Christians have “in common” with Christians all over the world, down through the centuries. That to me is a beautiful thing; that communion has been celebrated by Jesus himself, that we celebrate it today, 2,000 years after this night we read about, to remember Jesus.
Now I know I talked about how there are no categories, and its still true. The day I become more of a Methodist than a Christian is the day somebody needs to dropkick me. However, one of the reasons I am a Methodist is because of our beliefs about communion. You don’t have to take a class or sign up beforehand or be a member of this church or have washed your hands a special way. We don’t have to have it in some special cup or use a special type of bread or juice. Methodists believe that all people are welcome because its God’s table, not ours.
There’s a lot of confusion about communion. Again, a lot of us get hung up on all the rules. I could say a whole lot about this subject, and there are entire classes devoted to communion if you go to seminary. Communion is an experience that we have together, that goes three ways. It goes backwards, by remembering what Christ did for us on the cross, as he put it- his blood being shed for many. It makes a difference now, as we recognize Christ’s continued presence with us in reality. It also looks forward, anticipating God’s work on Earth in the future, and in the age to come. All this happens through bread and cup; something we can physically participate in. In this sort of weird way, we believe that Christ makes himself known to us in a special way during communion. I can’t explain it. Some of you guys may just go up there and be glad the bread tastes good, and not feel especially tingly or emotional or feel anything really. What I would say to you, is try focusing on who Jesus was, is, and will be. There’s an old saying called “the mystery of Faith”: “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.” Think about that as you’re chewing this bread and juice.
Think about communion as a meal. How fitting that Jesus left us a meal to remember him by. Many would say it’s a shame we’ve turned communion into such a ritual, because in the early church it truly was a meal. Like, you would walk away full! They’d celebrate communion like we would celebrate a birthday or Thanksgiving. To me, that’s a beautiful picture. Not only because I love food, but I think about how much I love it when my whole family is gathered together for a meal. That feeling I have, that feeling I hope you get sometime in the next couple months, to me is a sneak preview of heaven. The pages of Revelation say at the end of times there is going to be a big family feast. Communion is a mini-version of that feast, until the day comes. Our church can be united with Churches all over the world, and throughout the millennium with the celebration of this meal.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Success!
Today I successfully traded my Kramer poster for a 12-pack of Dr. Pepper.
Craigslist is changing the world.
Craigslist is changing the world.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Quote
"To the divine providence it has seemed good to prepare in the world
to come for the righteous good things, which the unrighteous shall not
enjoy; and for the wicked evil things, by which the good shall not be
tormented. But as for the good things of this life, and it's ills, God
has willed that these things should be common to both; that we might
not too eagerly covet the things which wicked men are seen equally to
enjoy, nor shrink with an unseemly fear from the ills which even good
men suffer."
to come for the righteous good things, which the unrighteous shall not
enjoy; and for the wicked evil things, by which the good shall not be
tormented. But as for the good things of this life, and it's ills, God
has willed that these things should be common to both; that we might
not too eagerly covet the things which wicked men are seen equally to
enjoy, nor shrink with an unseemly fear from the ills which even good
men suffer."
-Augustine
Sent from my phone
Monday, August 24, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
In Nashville
the super hero theme.
Monday, July 13, 2009
HEADED TO FL!
Tomorrow Sarah and I leave for Florida! My boy Loggy is getting married on Saturday so we're traveling south to celebrate with him, stay with some friends, and Thursday celebrate our anniversary at THE MAGIC KINGDOM! Many pictures will be following I'm sure.In the meantime, check out the spankin new Podcast: "So, what do you wanna talk about?" with special guest Adam Caldwell. This week we talk to Loggy about his upcoming marriage, the history of the lazy-susan, the dillemma of the sonic drive-in, and dude's with ponytails.
If you want to know more about Loggy, check out he and Susan's wedding blog.
Peace!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Man Test Answers
I know you've been waiting, so here they are. Leave a comment for any answer you'd like to dispute.
1. Since roughly 2000 has been a string of “super hero movies”, some more successful than others. Name 5 Bonus point if you can also name the actor/actress who played the hero. *various answers*
2. The St. Louis Cardinals recently acquired third basemen Mark Derosa. Name his previous team: *Cleveland Indians*
3. One of your friends discovers something in the fridge that stinks, almost to the
point of causing vomiting. He offers you a sniff. Do you:
a. Scream “you’re crazy!” and run out of the room
b. Walk over to whatever is causing the stench and inhale deeply
c. Start crying
d. Pretend to sniff and fake a reaction, but you were really holding your breath
4. Albert Pujols is a perennial contender for the “triple crown”. Name those three offensive categories: *RBI, HR, AVG*
5. How often would you say you use the word “dude” on a daily basis?
a. Never
b. Accidentally, sometimes
c. Ocassionally/Socially
d. Dude, all the time!
6. Which of these would you rather eat?
a. Double cheese burger, onion rings, ice cold carbonated beverage
b. A lovely House Salad
c. Whatever Mommy is fixing for dinner
d. Pizza that is cold/left out on the counter/been sitting in a car for a day
7. What is the most appropriate Father’s day gift?
a. a tie
b. gift card to dad’s favorite restaurant
c. fishing pole
d. signing the card that Mom got
8. There are *5* lugnuts on a 17inch tire.
9. In 2009 White Castle is celebrating its ____ anniversary
a. 50th
b. 29th
c. 88th
d. 75th
10. Complete: “*5* Guys Burgers and Fries”
11. If you had $2.50 how many QT 32oz drinks could you afford? (not including tax) *5*
12. Which of these would you want to drive most?
a. 2003 Gold Chevy Malibu
b. 1962 Camarro
c. 2008 H2 Hummer
d. 2001Chyrsler Seabring Convertible
13. Mel Gibson played what Scottish national in the movie “Braveheart”:
*William Wallace*
14. What does “PTI” stand for? *Pardon the Interruption*
15. In what year did the AFL and NFL merge? *1970*
16. 1 point for every Bruce Willis movie you can name:
17. What was the name of Rocky’s opponent in Rocky I? *Apollo Creed*
18. How many championships has Phil Jackson won as an NBA coach? *10*
19. Darth Vader means “Dark Father” in what language? *German*
20. Who played the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Disneys “Toy Story”? *Tim Allen*
True or False, please circle one:
Terminator 3 was directed by James Cameron: True/False
Apple was originally founded by Larry Jobs: True/False
When faced with public flatulence the only option is to “hold it”: True/False
The darker the rind of an avocado the more ripe it is: True/False
Chevy offers 7 cars with 30+MPG: True/False
Starboard is the nautical term that refers to the left side of the vessel: True/False
Viscosity refers to he degree to which a fluid resists flow
under an applied force: True/False
Choose the most Manly:
Reading or Lighting stuff on fire
Root Beer or Pomegranite Limeade from Red Robin
Joe Jonas or Nick Jonas *neither! subtract points if you circled one*
Steven Seagall or Wesley Snipes (This was a tough one, but we went with Snipes because for a while he not only starred in fugative movies, HE WAS AN ACTUAL FUGITIVE from the US Government)
Gladiator or 300
Spiderman or Batman
Bottled Water or Hose Water
Powerwashing something or Showering
Using hair conditioner or Going to a tanning salon
Soccer or Knitting *also neither*
Yes or No?
Ketchup on steaks Y/N
Nickelback Y/N
“footlong” food items Y/N
Popped Collars Y/N
Miley Cyrus ringtone Y/N
Butter on movie popcorn Y/N
Congregating outside Chesterfield Mall on Friday nights Y/N
Meat garnished with other meat: ex chicken cordon blue or chili dogs Y/N
VW Bugs Y/N
Pedicures Y/N
Eating wings with a fork Y/N
When playing rock paper scissors, going on “shoot”
instead of just rock/paper scissors Y/N
“reduced fat” cookies Y/N
Bubble Baths Y/N
Blood baths Y/N
Chess Y/N
My Little Ponies Y/N
Sarah’s Cafe Y/N
Free refills Y/N
V8 Engines Y/N
V8 Splash Y/N
Online Banking Y/N
1. Since roughly 2000 has been a string of “super hero movies”, some more successful than others. Name 5 Bonus point if you can also name the actor/actress who played the hero. *various answers*
2. The St. Louis Cardinals recently acquired third basemen Mark Derosa. Name his previous team: *Cleveland Indians*
3. One of your friends discovers something in the fridge that stinks, almost to the
point of causing vomiting. He offers you a sniff. Do you:
a. Scream “you’re crazy!” and run out of the room
b. Walk over to whatever is causing the stench and inhale deeply
c. Start crying
d. Pretend to sniff and fake a reaction, but you were really holding your breath
4. Albert Pujols is a perennial contender for the “triple crown”. Name those three offensive categories: *RBI, HR, AVG*
5. How often would you say you use the word “dude” on a daily basis?
a. Never
b. Accidentally, sometimes
c. Ocassionally/Socially
d. Dude, all the time!
6. Which of these would you rather eat?
a. Double cheese burger, onion rings, ice cold carbonated beverage
b. A lovely House Salad
c. Whatever Mommy is fixing for dinner
d. Pizza that is cold/left out on the counter/been sitting in a car for a day
7. What is the most appropriate Father’s day gift?
a. a tie
b. gift card to dad’s favorite restaurant
c. fishing pole
d. signing the card that Mom got
8. There are *5* lugnuts on a 17inch tire.
9. In 2009 White Castle is celebrating its ____ anniversary
a. 50th
b. 29th
c. 88th
d. 75th
10. Complete: “*5* Guys Burgers and Fries”
11. If you had $2.50 how many QT 32oz drinks could you afford? (not including tax) *5*
12. Which of these would you want to drive most?
a. 2003 Gold Chevy Malibu
b. 1962 Camarro
c. 2008 H2 Hummer
d. 2001Chyrsler Seabring Convertible
13. Mel Gibson played what Scottish national in the movie “Braveheart”:
*William Wallace*
14. What does “PTI” stand for? *Pardon the Interruption*
15. In what year did the AFL and NFL merge? *1970*
16. 1 point for every Bruce Willis movie you can name:
17. What was the name of Rocky’s opponent in Rocky I? *Apollo Creed*
18. How many championships has Phil Jackson won as an NBA coach? *10*
19. Darth Vader means “Dark Father” in what language? *German*
20. Who played the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Disneys “Toy Story”? *Tim Allen*
True or False, please circle one:
Terminator 3 was directed by James Cameron: True/False
Apple was originally founded by Larry Jobs: True/False
When faced with public flatulence the only option is to “hold it”: True/False
The darker the rind of an avocado the more ripe it is: True/False
Chevy offers 7 cars with 30+MPG: True/False
Starboard is the nautical term that refers to the left side of the vessel: True/False
Viscosity refers to he degree to which a fluid resists flow
under an applied force: True/False
Choose the most Manly:
Reading or Lighting stuff on fire
Root Beer or Pomegranite Limeade from Red Robin
Joe Jonas or Nick Jonas *neither! subtract points if you circled one*
Steven Seagall or Wesley Snipes (This was a tough one, but we went with Snipes because for a while he not only starred in fugative movies, HE WAS AN ACTUAL FUGITIVE from the US Government)
Gladiator or 300
Spiderman or Batman
Bottled Water or Hose Water
Powerwashing something or Showering
Using hair conditioner or Going to a tanning salon
Soccer or Knitting *also neither*
Yes or No?
Ketchup on steaks Y/N
Nickelback Y/N
“footlong” food items Y/N
Popped Collars Y/N
Miley Cyrus ringtone Y/N
Butter on movie popcorn Y/N
Congregating outside Chesterfield Mall on Friday nights Y/N
Meat garnished with other meat: ex chicken cordon blue or chili dogs Y/N
VW Bugs Y/N
Pedicures Y/N
Eating wings with a fork Y/N
When playing rock paper scissors, going on “shoot”
instead of just rock/paper scissors Y/N
“reduced fat” cookies Y/N
Bubble Baths Y/N
Blood baths Y/N
Chess Y/N
My Little Ponies Y/N
Sarah’s Cafe Y/N
Free refills Y/N
V8 Engines Y/N
V8 Splash Y/N
Online Banking Y/N
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