My Daddy Board

I have a "Daddy Board" at work. When the boys hand me artwork that they created or little notes, I like to take them to work and post them on my "Daddy Board". I've got a nature scene by Garrison complete with trees and clouds. I've got a nature scene by Gage with mountains and a sunset. I've got a dragon created by Gavin. I've got a couple of "Coat of Arms" created by Garrison and Gavin. I've got a note in cursive written by Garrison that says "Dad you are cool". I've got a dog drawn by Gage. I've got a note written in Greek by Garrison that says "I love you Dad. Fun Day!" I enjoy my "Daddy Board" and when work is stressful I like to look at it and the pictures of my wife and boys and remind myself why I go to work everyday.

The End of the World, Part 2

So, Harold Camping was wrong. Like most properly grounded Christians believed, the day came and went without any rapture, tribulation, or devastating earthquake. Nothing happened. Proving that God is right when he says "No one will know the day or the hour." With egg on his face, Harold Camping took a couple of days off to deal with this devastating blow and promised a statement on Monday. This would have been a good chance for him to apologize for going overboard and save some face. Instead, like in 1994, he said he was off in his calculation and that the end of the world will really be on October 21st. In addition, he said that the rapture did happen on Sunday but it happened spiritually rather than physically. What? Where in the bible does it talk about a "spiritual" rapture? Where is he getting this stuff? Seriously, Camping, it's time to apologize and tell the world you were wrong, un-biblical, and that you are sorry for leading people astray and making a mockery of Christianity and the bible.

Yes, the end times will be punctuated with disasters. Yes, Jesus is coming back. Yes, there will be a rapture of the faithful. Yes, the time is probably close. But, while we can watch the signs and the seasons, we CAN NOT KNOW THE DAY OR HOUR!!! Please, Mr. Camping, please stop this madness. It's not helping anyone!

What Does A Sabbath Look Like?

Everyone has heard of the Lord's commandment to keep holy the sabbath and to set it aside as a day of rest. God knows us all so well (after all...He created us) that He knows that we need a day off. A day for rest and relaxation. So, what does that look like in this crazy, busy world we live in? Here's what our Sunday looked like this week.

I was up at 7am to get ready for our churches first annual "Outdoor Worship Experience" at Belmar Park. I had my devotion, showered, and dressed. The wife was already up and at-em before I even opened my eyes. We got the kids up, managed their breakfast adventures, got them ready, and combed their hair. We were at Belmar park at 9:30am (an hour earlier than the service) to help set up the Connection Team stuff, pray with the pastor, and pitch in wherever it was needed. At 10:30am, the service began. We got to sit down for the first time while listening to the sermon. After the worship experience, we participated in an after worship experience BBQ with the church. Since it was our lifegroup's turn to help tear down our mobile church, we started helping the tear down of the stage and worship band equipment. We finally got home at 1:30pm. Joi dropped me off at home because I needed to work. We had a major data-center move over the weekend and I needed to validate the move and that everything went smoothly. So, while I went through the test plan at home on my laptop, Joi took the kids to Sam's Club to pick up milk and fruit. When Joi got home, she and the boys started cleaning the house and doing laundry for the week. I finally finished testing the data center move by 3:30pm. When I was done, it was time to clean the snake cage and feed the snakes. Garrison and I scrubbed out the snake cage while Joi continued to do our laundry for the week. The boys held their snakes and then we fed all three of their snakes. Then we had to drive 30 minutes each way to Arvada to get rid of an old mattress that used to belong to Gavin. Arvada has a "junk pick-up day" and since Joi's sister lives in Arvada, we took advantage of an opportunity to get rid of that old mattress. When we got home, it was dinner time. We had plenty of left-overs, but we still had to heat up and prepare five different meals. After eating, she washed dishes while I dried them. Finally, sometime around 6pm, we sat down for the second time since the sermon at 11am. I was so exhausted, I fell asleep while watching the "A-Team" on Netflix with my boys. Joi continued to do laundry. I woke up when I heard her emptying the dishwasher and went to offer help. She kicked me out and told me to go rest, which was very nice of her. After that, we over-saw the showering of our boys, snack time, the brushing of teeth, and putting on of jammies. I read to the boys while Joi wrote in their journals. After sending them to bed, we brushed our own teeth, got into our night-clothes, and collapsed into bed. I don't believe we had any moments of refreshment or rest in that day except for my brief nap while watching "A-Team". Is this what a sabbath is supposed to be like? When do we fit a day of rest into our busy life? Can it really be done? Has anyone figured out a way to actually do this?

Workin' for a Livin'

I don't have anything to say today, so I thought I'd post a picture of my bright smiling face while I worked. No one cares, but hey...I'm amused. I was playing with my laptop's webcam and clicked this picture while sitting in my office. Check out my cool giant white board!! Jealous?

The End of the World

According to news reports and billboards all over the place, Judgement Day will be on May 21st. This date has been made public by a pastor from either New York or California (I've heard conflicting reports). This same pastor, also, thought the end of the world was going to be in 1994. He recalculated the date using "newly found bible evidence" and came up with the date of May 21st at 6pm to be exact. Just to be clear, I am not in agreement with this pastor. The bible says that Jesus will come back "like a thief in the night" and that "no one will know the day or hour". It does say that you can watch the seasons and clues and have an idea of when the time is getting close, but there is no way for us to know the exact time or date. Anyone saying otherwise is off his rocker and is making Christians look bad. The thing I find interesting about this is the popularity this story is receiving. On various news sites on the internet, I've read that people will be holding "Rapture Parties" on Saturday which are mostly a sarcastic sling at the people who believe this date to be true. In addition, I have read that atheists have volunteered to take care of the pets of the missing Christians who are going to be raptured on Saturday. How nice of them! This whole thing makes me queasy. The world doesn't need more people making a bad name for Christianity. It's sad, really.

But, with the fact that we are told to watch the seasons and signs, I do have to point out that there have been a lot of earthquakes, floods, wars, rumors of wars, etc. These are the signs that Jesus talked about. The time is certainly close. I seriously doubt that it will be on Saturday. But, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get your life right with Jesus either way.

Chip Off the Old Block

I'm working from home today. I was typing on my laptop while the boys and Joi do school. Gavin suddenly says in a sing-song voice..."Why do my nostrils whisper to me?" Yep, chip off the old block!

Seriously American Idol? Seriously?!?!?

I was utterly disgusted last night when American Idol revealed that James Durbin was voted out and that Haley was voted into the top three. Are you freaking kidding me?!?!?!? I was sure that James would win the entire thing. He's never had a bad performance and was never in the bottom three. He's got a great back story. He was an amazing singer and artist. I am shocked, dismayed, and utterly flabbergasted. I am starting to see why my friend Steve thinks that the whole show is a conspiracy and that the votes don't really count. There is no way that America got it that wrong. There must be something else going on.

I like Lauren. She has a cute personality and  has been coming out of her shell as of late. But, she still holds back when it comes to those strong notes. Her confidence still leaves something to be desired.

Scotty is nice. He seems like a guy I could hang out with. I liked the Christian and American songs that he pulled out for the show on Wednesday. Country music is not my cup of tea, but he's got a great baritone voice. But, he sounds like a dozen other country artists.

Haley is annoying. She's snotty and can't take criticism. She growls more than she sings. She sounded horrible in her first song on Wednesday. I didn't think she got much better for her second song. Who the crap is voting for this girl? She's been in the bottom three sooooooo many times. And yet, she keeps being saved. She DOES NOT deserve to be in the top three.

James should have been in the top three. He should have won it all. I don't even want to watch the show anymore. The two people who were the most talented and had the most personality were James and Casey. I'd actually consider buying both of their albums and I don't feel that way about anyone else on the show. If this is what American Idol is about, I'm done. I don't want to watch that train wreck anymore.

Arrg! The Lakers!

It's taken me a couple of days to process the devastating and embarrassing sweep that the Lakers endured by the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. I knew going into the finals this year that the Lakers just didn't have the heart (or the "eye of the tiger") to win it all this year. But, to be swept. That's something entirely different. The Lakers didn't even try. Or at least it didn't seem like it. And then to make matters worse, Odom and Bynum had to take cheap shots with time running out in the 4th quarter. They were both ejected from the game and they both said that it was due to their frustration level. Seriously, though. Champions win and lose like champions. They don't throw elbows at charging point guards while they go into the paint for yet another lay-up. They don't throw temper-tantrums. They lose with grace and poise. I lost a lot of respect for the Lakers (especially Odom and Bynum) for their antics in the loss. Sure, it was embarrassing. Sure, it sucked. But, take the loss like a man and come back next year with a vengeance. Now, everything is up in the air. The Lakers will be losing their coach this year as Phil Jackson retires (again). They will probably be losing the triangle offense, since the owners want to go back to a run and gun "show-time" Lakers. They will most likely need to do some serious trading and acquiring this year to compete with the younger and faster new generation of champs. And then...there's the lock-out starting on July 1st. There might not even be NBA basketball next year if the teams and players can't come to some common ground. It truly is the end of an era for the Lakers. It should be interesting to see what happens this summer and what the team will look like in October. I'm still a fan. The Lakers will always be the basketball team of my heart. But, they need to earn my respect again.

Dog Tease

I've been busy lately...so I haven't had time to post. But, I wanted to share this video that I saw earlier this week. It just cracks me up!!!

Doctor Who

I found the resurgence of Doctor Who on Netflix, so I started watching them. Right now, I am watching the episodes with a regenerated Doctor played by Christopher Eccleston (who, by the way, is freaking hilarious as the Doctor). On Saturday, I thought I'd introduce my wife and boys to Doctor Who. We watched the first couple of episodes. When we went to bed that night, Gavin stated that he liked Doctor Who. Garrison and Gage were not so sure. Joi was also skeptical. On Sunday, I was surprised to hear my boys ask if they could watch another episode. I was even more surprised that Joi watched the entire episode without reverting to becoming bored and reading her book. I think I may have hooked my family. I look forward to watching more episodes with my wife and kids. I used to watch the show when I was a child with my Mom when the doctor was played by Tom Baker. The show hasn't changed much, except for the new incarnations of the Doctor. The aliens and special effects are still pretty cheesy. But, that's the beauty of the show. It's still fun to watch and it still captures the imagination. I am particularly fond of how the Christopher Eccleston Doctor smiles and rejoices in dangerous situations. He cracks me up. All in all, it's been fun to relive my childhood with my wife and boys while watching Doctor Who. If only we got BBC America in our Dish Network package. Oh well, I guess that is what Netflix is for.