Youth Minister Smites Dodgeball Opponent...

This is a true story... Hard to believe... it would be funny if the student hadn't been hurt.



Thank to M. for passing it on

An open letter to those who work in the food industry.

Dear all food service and retail workers,

While I can hardly speak for all of Christianity, I want to extend my apology, as a Christian, to you on behalf of our reprehensible behavior. I am sorry for all of the following:

For people who leave a Bible track instead of a tip;

For groups of Christians who turn your restaurant into their meeting place assuming they have the right to it;
--especially if they have done so and bought very little;
--especially if they rearrange your chairs and do not put them back;
--especially if they preach and pray really loudly so you have to hear it;
--especially if they scare off your other paying customers,
--and then especially if they leave a crappy tip after scaring off the good tipping customers...

For that matter, for anytime Christians are cheap in leaving tips, as we notoriously are;

For all the times we have given you unsolicited spiritual opinions about your life;
-- or have judged you and critiqued your life or appearance;

For any time we have been mean or impatient;

For the times we treat you as less than human;

For all of the hypocrisy which we have paraded in front of you all the while pretending to be perfect;

For all this and more I apologize!

Today, I especially apologize to Amanda, who works at my favorite Breakfast spot... I am really sorry that some Christian told you that you were going to go to hell, just because you have a tattoo of a heart on your hand.
It breaks my heart that you had to experience this, instead of the true love Jesus.

What you were told is not true.



(pic: http://www.frenzee.net/pictures/tattoo_hand.jpg)

Narcissus Pool

There is an ancient greek legend of a handsome young man named Narcissus.

------There was a clear fountain, with water like silver... Hither came one day [Narcissus.] ...He stooped down to drink, and saw his own image in the water;
He stood gazing with admiration at those bright eyes, those locks curled... , the rounded cheeks, the ivory neck, the parted lips, and the glow of health and exercise over all.
He fell in love with himself.
He could not tear himself away; he lost all thought of food or rest, while he hovered over the brink of the fountain gazing upon his own image.
With this, and much more of the same kind, he cherished the flame that consumed him, so that by degrees he lost his color, his vigor...-----

I think that everyone is temped by a secret pool. It is the same pool that Narcissus found... the pool which harbors our secret obsession with ourselves. But as the tide of our self fascination rises we are deeper drawn into the lonely pool.
We end up isolated and alone.

The world does not revolve around me.

Happy 30 to me!

Today was my 30th B-day.... It was ok... other than having to be in school all day, and having only gotten 2 hours of sleep the previous night... Emily and I went to Cheesecake Factor with the DeLong's... it was a good time! I love handing out with our Family!!!

The greatest part of my birthday... and everyday is Emily. She always knows how to really bless me. Yesterday, she gave me a sword for my Birthday! It is the sword which Gandalf had in the Lord of the Rings. I also have Aragorns sword... I know there is absolutely no practical use for having a sword.... much less two of them, but I just think they are so cool. Emily knows me really well.

On a side note, I think that apple computers shares a birth month and year with me which is also way cool!

Where I have been...

create your own visited countries map

Where have you been?