Pray for My Mom

My Mom is having a modified radical mastectomy today. She has been doing chemotherapy to fight her breast cancer since the early summer. Today, they plan to take the lump out along with most of her breast, lymph-nodes, and various other tissue. Please join me in prayer today. Her surgery starts at 11:30am and should take around 4 hours. Pray that they get all of the cancer out in one shot and that they do not discover any spreading or other concerns. Pray that the surgery goes well and does not impede the feeling or use of her arm. Pray that her healing is fast and painless. Pray that she recovers completely and that the cancer is completely gone afterwards. I love my Mom very much. She is a fighter and a survivor. I know that God's got this! Please join me in praying for this special woman.

Simple Prayer

As part of my desire to revive a prayer life that I once had early in my Christian walk, I bought a book called "Prayer" by Richard Foster (the same author who wrote "The Celebration of Discipline", which is one of my all time favorite books). I was already reading a different book for my devotional time when this book arrived but I couldn't wait to dive into it, so I put the other book aside and started the book about Prayer. I'm reading it slowly and deliberately because I want to consume this book and taste every morsel of wisdom. So far, I've learned that prayer doesn't have to be polished, shined, and perfect. Prayer can be exactly where we are and how we feel. We can complain, gripe, whine, celebrate, plead, grovel, and share our inmost troubles, worries, sorrows, and joys. I think one of the reasons why I had such a great prayer life early in my Christian walk is because I didn't have any rules to go by. I came to God as a child. Unpolished. Real. I talked to God...conversationally...like a friend. I think that now that I've had 20+ years of being a Christian, I've heard too many sermons and/or read too many books that like to put rules on prayer and put it in a box. I think this might have stifled me in my prayer life. I became self-conscious. I began to think that I couldn't talk to God unless I had some lofty request for peace on earth or the salvation of an unbeliever. I felt foolish talking to God about trivial things. But, this is exactly where God wants to meet us. Yes, there is a place for lofty requests, but God is also interested in our normal life. Our likes, our desires, our wants, our grievances. He wants to know how we're doing. Like a good friend, He wants to know about our day. He loves us and wants to hear our dreams. And like a good Dad, He delights in giving us the desires of our heart. I don't need to be spotless and sin free before I come to God. I can come to Him with the grime and dirt of a sinful man and just talk to Him. And like a good Dad, he'll wash me clean, make me feel safe, and will listen to me. I am thankful for prayer. I get to talk to the creator of the Universe. And He will listen...and talk back. How amazing is that? Join me in removing the box that so many people like to build around prayer and go back to the dirty, gritty, and real conversational prayer life with the God who loves us more than we can ever imagine.

The Cologne Pandemic

There is a cologne pandemic spreading in the United States. I can smell it. There are times when I walk around the University where I work and there are men who are drenched in so much cologne, it makes my eyes water or stings when I take a breath. It's ridiculous. If I can smell these men at distances of 15-20 feet and it still repulses me, there is something wrong. I think we need to have a basic grooming class as a required course in high school. Who told these kids that they can bathe in cologne and that it's appealing to the opposite sex? Someone needs to set them straight. I could be wrong, but I am guessing that the females who know these men are just as repulsed by their overwhelming fragrance as I am. But, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe woman actually like a green cloud of stink following around their man. If I'm wrong, please let me know.

I like wearing cologne as much as the next guy. I'll do a couple sprays of Obsession or Escape in the morning. I like to smell good. However, I understand that if you can smell me 15 feet away, there is a problem. Usually, I like to put just enough cologne on so that you have to stand next to me or hug me to smell it. I think that's enough. I like to smell good, not kill birds in mid-air with my cologne stench.

I have noticed some trends, though. The men who tend to practice cologne bathing are usually a specific nationality. I won't mention it here so that I can remain racially sensitive. But, I have noticed that 90% of the men who wear this much cologne are usually from a specific nationality. I wonder if it's a cultural thing. Either way, it needs to be stopped. It's just plain wrong. In much the same way many states have outlawed smoking in public places because people didn't want to walk by and breathe in the cigarette stink, there should be a law against excessive use of cologne. It stinks. Literally.

Ouch! My Face!

I don't know what is going on, but my face hurts. I have these painful, dry, irritated spots on both sides of my face near the corner of my eyes. I'm not sure what they are from. I've had them off and on for while now (1-2 years). My best guess is either dryness (it tends to be dry here in Colorado) or being irritated from something I am putting on my face. I am not exactly sure. But, they hurt and I can't get rid of them. Does anyone else have this issue or know of someone who does? Any suggestions? Here are the products that I put on my face on a regular basis.

• Equate Face Lotion with SPF 15 for Sensitive Skin.
• Equate Medicated Apricot Face Scrub.
• Edge Shave Gel, Sensitive Skin.
• Vaseline Petroleum Jelly (for when it's really dry and hurts).
• Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Moisturizer with Vitamin 3 (for when it's dry).

I wonder if the Medicated Apricot Face Scrub is too strong or abrasive for my skin. I think I'll stop using that for a few days to see if it helps. I'm also thinking of putting Cetaphil Cream on my face at night. It's hypo-allergenic and it's recommended by doctors for sensitive skin and people who suffer from eczema. So, that's my uneducated plan. Anyone else have any suggestions? I'll try anything.

Questions for God

I have many questions that I plan to ask God when I meet Him face to face. Here is a sampling. There are more...many, many more. But, here are a few.

Why are there so many "Land Before Time" Cartoon movies and why do my kids like them so much?

If exercise is supposed to make us feel better, why does it hurt so much?

What was/is the best way to find Your will?

What was the worst thing I ever ate without knowing it?

What was the purpose of some loved ones dying sooner than they should have or at least sooner than I thought they should have?

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

What is Your favorite bible verse?

Besides Jesus (of course), who is your favorite character in the bible?

You made some freaky looking animals. What was the purpose? Were you just having fun with your creativity like I do when I'm making weird creatures out of play-doh?

How will my children remember me?

Was 9/11 really a government conspiracy?

What were people really seeing when they thought they saw UFO's?

Why is Ice Cream so good and yet so bad for you? Why couldn't you make green beans taste like Ice Cream?

What does having the faith of a mustard seed mean? And why did some of the prayers I prayed in faith not move mountains like I had hoped?

How did I do?

My History of the Cell

This is my history of the cell. Not the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. Not that cell. I'm talking about the cell phone. I got my first cell phone somewhere in the mid-90's. It looked just like the picture featured here. It was large, heavy, and boxy. It certainly wasn't a sexy or suave gadget. I got it at a time when I certainly couldn't afford it, but I really wanted one. So, I got a year contract, this free phone (pictured left), and went for it. I was one of those people who would call friends and family just to say "Guess where I'm calling you from? My car!" This was quite the novelty for me. The phone didn't do much. It stored a few numbers and could call. That's about it. After the novelty wore off and I realized that it was a poor choice for me financially, I terminated my contract and paid the early termination fee. I went cell phone free until the early 2000's. While working at Azusa Pacific University, I was given a Nextel Direct Connect phone to replace the radio/walkie-talkies that we used to have to carry around because of being in the Information Technology Department. It was definitely smaller, but it still didn't do much. It called people and had a walkie-talkie type function. No frills. Right about that same time the Palm Pilot was popular. I got one for my birthday, I believe, in 2000. It certainly organized my life. I kept my calendar, reminders, notes, games, books, and tons of other useful applications on it. I loved my Palm Pilot and I enjoyed having a cell phone. But, I always wished that they could combine the two devices. I was tired of carrying around two different gadgets. But, I did it for almost ten years while working at APU. Right before I left APU...and several work mandated cell phones later, I got my first smart phone. It had the usefulness of a Palm Pilot and the functionality of a cell phone. I was stoked. Unfortunately, I quit APU and left California to move to Colorado and had to leave it behind. I only had it for a month before I had to hand it back. In Colorado, I used a hand-me-down cell phone given to me by a friend of the family. I reinstated my Palm Pilot to keep track of things and went back to carrying around two gadgets....a phone and a personal organizer. I continued to dream of the day when I could get a smart phone to combine all of my gadgets into one. Also, keep in mind that I have a iPod. Due to my love of music, I've got over 90 GB's of music on it. In a perfect world, I would find a smart phone that could organize me, have the functionality of a cell phone, and have plenty of storage to hold my immense music collection. They don't make such a device yet. They have smart phones that do all of this, but not in the size I'd need to hold my mp3's. Last summer, a very nice friend of mine gave me his old iPhone. We can't afford to get it hooked up to a cell service (and we are still under contract with Verizon) because Smart Phone Data plans are horrendous and we have other financial goals that are more important. But, I've really enjoyed playing with it. I've got it loaded with apps and it works well to organize me. My boys (specifically Gavin) enjoy playing games on it. It's very useful. I look up movies to see if they are appropriate for my boys using the Plugged-In app. I monitor Facebook. I keep track of my daily points for Weight Watchers. I read the bible using the Youversion app. I have calendars, dictionaries, calculators, weather apps, unit converters, news, Starbucks apps, and everything else I can think of. My life is on this thing. I love it. But, I still can't use it as a cell phone. So, I'm still carrying around two gadgets (three if you count my iPod). At the end of next month, our Verizon Plan expires. We're done with Verizon. We are looking at Straight Talk's Unlimited Plans for Voice, Texts, and Data. They have two Android phones, but both of them use Sprint...which supposedly works well in my area but sucks if I ever travel anywhere (like outside of Denver at all). Straight Talk just announced a new high end Android that is supposed to work off of ATT. There is a rumor that it might also be T-Mobile. The phone looks great and it is supposed to come out by the end of the month. If it works off of ATT, they will have decent Nationwide coverage, which would be nice. Only two things scare me about this. One, the price. There are rumors that it will be sold for $249-299. Yikes. Not sure we can afford that. The second thing that scares me is if this phone does work on T-Mobile the coverage won't be as good as ATT. It will certainly be better than Sprint, though. All this to say, I am longing for the day when I can get a cell phone that will allow me to combine my need for a personal assistant and decent phone coverage with unlimited voice, data, and texts...so that we don't have to watch our minutes. In a perfect world, it will also have 150 GB of space to hold my growing music library. But, I'd just be happy with a Smart Phone for now.

Making Lemonade

All of my kids are now officially sick with the second bout of flu to hit our household in the past three weeks. The last one was a stomach flu. This one is a fever, a bad cough, runny nose, and aches. Because of this new bout of sickness, my boys and I will miss out on an event that we've been looking forward to for a few months. Tonight is the Camp-in/Camp-out at Modern Day Knights for Dads and Sons. We were going to spend the night at Southern Gables Church where the boys attend Modern Day Knights. We were going to make pizza, do a Wii tournament, cut and build pinewood derby cars, do a scavenger hunt, play volleyball, and sleep together in one of the church building rooms camping style. Unfortunately, we cannot go. We are being responsible parents so that no one else gets this sickness. But, we aren't resigned to mope around and feel sorry for ourselves. We will have our own Camp-In at home. We are going to make pizza, play Wii, and watch a "man movie" together complete with candy and popcorn. Then we will sleep together downstairs after staying up late watching a movie. Joi gets the night off. She'll probably go upstairs and watch a chick-flick and/or write more of her book. She gets some much needed time to herself, and the boys and I will do our best to make lemonade out of lemons. I'm looking forward to it.