Sunday, August 31, 2003  

I got to come home early from work. That is a good feeling because i really want to get this booklet done.

People at work asked if i wanted to "go out drinking" tomorrow after the store closes. I just laughed and said no i don't drink, that i never have. I could see the look on Jodie's face searching her mind going "if that's the case, i have to find another reason to understand why kt is so weeeeeeeeirrrrrrrd." No one seemed to believe me but whatever. I told them even if i did drink i wouldn't be going out tomorrow night bc i have to work at 4 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

Instead, I told them i smoked crack and that's my "high" and they seemed satisfied with that.

Everyone needs something.

Right?

(No, i don't really smoke crack. Gimme a break.)

But Jodie probably believes i do because she's blonde and ... enuf said.

   [ posted  @ 12:37 PM | ]

I'm in the middle of working on a huge project right now. I'm putting together a worship song book for our Zone group. I am including over 60 songs so far... and still haven't heard from the other leaders what they want included. I am going to have them coil bound @ CopyMax and reduced to booklet size. They're going to be super cool. I can't wait to see how they all turn out. It's so much work getting the copyright info for every song and making sure i have chords for them all and stuff. I learned the song "Be Thou My Vision" today... wow what a cool melody. Even though those students probably won't understand the words that well, we'll still do it.

   [ posted  @ 6:20 PM | ]

Funny story

I'm part of a Flonase Allergy study where i take the meds, send in quick diaries and do a couple phone interviews and get paid a little bit of $$. Anyways it was time for my last phone interview today. And the lady called my home phone and i don't answer that phone, so she got the voice mail thing and it has my cell phone number on it. But i think my greeting is something like "Hey what's up this is K-T blah blah" and i say k-t very pronounced. The nurse lady follows suit and calls my cell phone... and she asks for "k-t" just like on the phone, like that is my real name. FUNNIEST THING! And then she addressed me a few times in the interivew as "K-T" and she had to call back and asked for me like that too! HAHAHA!

It is normal for people at work and anyone who knows me to call me k-t, but hearing a complete stranger do it was WEIRD!

(And yes my real nickname at work is k-t rocks and everyone says it.) Because it is true.

   [ posted  @ 6:37 PM | ]

I blog.

Today i would like to tell you about a problem across America. It's called CONSUMER STUPIDITY. (my own vocab word for the day.) Dude calls OfficeMax on the phone today at my store. He bought a leather manager's chair over a month ago on the LAST DAY of the sale on a chair that was in the ad for a instant instore rebate and a 40$ mail in rebate. He is first looking at the rebate catalog now. A month later. First of all, IDIOT, you have to do those the week you buy it. Usually on rebates you have like 1 week to send it in. The dates are always clearly labeled on the forms. You need the original UPC barcode off the box. Loser threw that away too. He is so ticked off and mad at me. Even cursing under his breath the big f-ball and everything. I am calm and smiling and saying "the dates are written right on the rebate contract. They are not going to honor it since it's almost September." He couldn't even find the rebate in the catalog (which is understandable since it's listed UNDER THE WORD CHAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" (not spelled quite like that). Dang. Working in retail has really solidified to me that people are born idiots. I even made a wise crack to him in a very professional manner saying, "I know it can be hard to find the chair rebates since they are listed under the actual word... chair."

So he's on the phone just ranting. Saying they better honor this rebate. I'm like sir, what is the date on your receipt? He says, July 26. I said then that's the date you should have sent it in on.

He says, "well the cashier should have found this in the book for me and circled it and told me all this because no one told me." And i said well that's just the way mail in rebates work. Not just at office max. Anywhere. Then he said he was going to come into the store and try to get the money from us. And i said you're welcome to come in, but i can't guarantee anyone will do anything for you since the dates are written right on the rebate contract and you didn't follow it at all.

He was so mad and hung up on me. I was laughing so hard. People are sooo stupid. I like to be really calm when someone is so pig headed and stubborn. It just makes them more angry and gives the crew something to talk about when they leave.

On another note regarding my place of employment, something unprecidented happened today. My own district manager called me on the phone and apologized up and down about not getting the raise approved sooner and was begging my forgiveness. I couldn't believe it. This is a hard nosed business woman who doesn't APOLOGIZE to anyoneeeeeeeeeee! And i was trying to cut her off to have her not apologize about it and she kept going on and on. I was like dude I RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULE! (I really do rule.) So she promised me the money is coming and it will all be on a retro check but they just don't know exactly when. So whatever.

Yesterday my signal lights went out on my car. I checked the fuse and even brought it to Napa and they said it's not the fuse. The Dodge dealer in town is backed up until next week and wouldn't let me bring it in so i decided to be embarrassed and use my hands and stick them out the window and do bike turn signals instead of taking it anywhere. When it starts to get icy and snow, this might present a problem bc i don't have power windows. I promise the next car i buy i want power windows. I have no signal lights in front or back, and when i flip the blinker stick, the lights in the car don't come on either. Steph thinks is the car's computer. But i can't do without a car and if anyone has any suggestions let me know.

I'm cheap on top of it.

Avril won squat at the VMA's last night. But that's OK. MTV rigs all that crap anyways. I didn't get to watch the whole show. I'll catch it tomorrow. I still think it's weird that Johnny Cash was up for 7 nominations for that stupid Nine Inch Nails song. He's weird. (He did win one award but he's in the hospital for stomach problems.) And the stupid Madonna/Brittney/Christiana kisses at the beginning left me wondering in five or ten years what are we going to have to do on live TV to shock people? I don't even want to think about it. Because this would have been unthinkable ten years ago. Hmm.

But instead of thinking the worst, i think of some positive things that could happen. How about people of biblical faith being accurately represented on a network drarma show as a main character? Yeah try that one on for size. I guess Seventh Heaven came close but that wasn't what i'd consider a legit drama show on a network.

   [ posted  @ 12:46 PM | ]

Well at this point i'll only get about 4 hours of sleep but whatever... Finally got my student ministries calendar for the year... I am so excited about the whole thing. It is so great having a calendar so i can request off for work and plan ahead to be involved in all this STUFF!

Tonight at the big staff meeting there was like a ton million of people there/ student & adult leadership - volunteer and paid staff. I will be helping lead a Sophmore Zone group... with 2 other adult leaders at the O'Connor's home. We have 12 students signed up and they are welcome to bring friends. There are 2 zone groups like that for each grade, 9-12th grade meeting on Wed. nights (for a total of 8 Zones in 8 different homes). The host people who open their homes are just there, they are not leaders. Then there are Zone Teachers (if you're not a leader, you're a teacher) who rotate groups doing teaching sessions for about 6 weeks and then move on to the next group. There will be topics this year of world view, culture, good sex, worship, etc., and the leaders stay with their zone for the whole year. When i heard about that i was really excited because i will have the whole school year with the same group of students... really working on building community with them and unity and stuff. That's what i thrive on.

The two leaders i'll be leading with are Cyndi & Dean. Both are older than me and have kids/teens of their own. I worked with Cyndi @ Alpha for this past summer so i know her pretty good. She's super great! It's going to take some work getting to know Dean... I bet he'll be great as well :) The dynamic of our age differences/ life experiences will surely make for an interesting group. I can only imagine the planning that went into putting these zone leader groups together.

In addition to the Zone, there are a ton of conferences and retreats coming up that i can be a part of, and also helping out at the PowerHouse. You should read this latest newsletter from the church. On the first page there is a picture of part of the PowerHouse. It's a youth center at the extended campus with tons of rooms and it's decorated real cool with lots of TV's up. They are open a few nights a week and for Vikings (puke; go Pack...) games.

And Pastor Geoff asked me to help lead Jr. High worship on Sunday mornings. I told him i can't commit to every week because of my work schedule (I usually have to work 3 sundays a month even though when i was promoted they said no more than 1 sunday a month, BIG FAT LIE# 456,744,221) but then i said i want to do whatever i can so we're going to work out a rotation of some sort.

It is very exciting to see my calendar start filling up again. We start the Zone next week already, and we'll have leadership meetings like this 1x a month on the first monday of each month.


Well I have to be to work at 4 a.m. and need to go try to be tired! Yeah right. WHOO HOOOOO!

   [ posted  @ 8:07 PM | ]

My family will be glad to hear that i miss them... a few days with them make me sorta (only sorta) wish i didn't live as far away... The kids easily grow on me. I always tell my nephews Adam and Jeremy that i am moving into their home and they always insist they don't want me there... it's the funniest thing. I do it to them everytime i go home. I tell them i'll be moving into their room or taking up camp in their boat. They are smart and never buy it for a second.

Speaking of buying things... work was busy today. Same as usual. I only had to be in at six. tomorrow i go back in at 4 a.m. I work ten days in a row and don't have a day off until next Friday. I will survive!

I have a youth leader's meeting tonight at church. Did you know there are over 50 volunteers that work with youth at this church? Dang! That is super impressive to me. I don't really know anyone yet so i hope i can go and remember names and get the scoop. I actually think the class i am supposed to be teaching starts next week! HA!

The US OPEN is on! So far some very good matches. Clijsters just won over Granville (both great players.) The Williams sisters are out of it so we should see some good matches happening.

   [ posted  @ 1:15 PM | ]

No fear. I'm back.

I spent the last 1/2 week in Wisconsin visiting family and two of my college friends on Sunday. Today is my neice McKenna's birthday. Not sure if that name is with an "H" at the end or not. Now i feel bad.

Here are some random things i will comment on. First of all, Wisconsin drivers are not like Minnesota drivers. Several times I noticed that Wisconsin drivers stop at yellows lights. Minnesotans ram thru them... in fact, we're known to even give one or two seconds in to the red light, after a yellow, to keep going thru the intersection. Weird.

Secondly, Door County is cool! I even was brave enough (don't ask me where i got the courage from) to climb to the top of this incredibly crazy scary high tower at Penninsula State park with Brandon and overlook all of Ephraim from up there. You could see over all the trees. It was very windy. Didn't do too much for my hair. I was proud of myself for doing it even though I normally wouldn't go up there. Maybe it was to impress such a nice godly guy!!! We stopped at this lighthouse thing too. That was interesting but we were running short on time bc we wanted to go see our friend Mary, who is the pastor of Ephraim Moravian Church.

Thirdly, I have some of the most talented and inspirational nephews and neices imaginable. If i had more time to spend w/ them they'd all be better at the mandolin than I am! We had fun learning new card games and playing music and hanging out. I even got to see my first episde of SpongeBob Squarepants. Finally.

On my way home, I stopped for gas somewhere in central Wisc., and a nice looking young Amish guy held the door open for me. There is a segment of the drive on hwy. 29 where there are yellow road signs depicting amish horse and buggy crossings! And oddly enough this dude was riding in a black newer looking pick up truck. So i came home and did some reading on what the Amish are all about. Quite interesting.

Had to be to work today at 4 a.m. and learned that i've been SUCKERED and that my raise has not actually been approved... and that the 4 requests have been lost in cyberspace and now payroll has no record of the approvals... What a wild goose chase. It will probably be at least another month till my paychecks increase. That does nothing but stress me out. When i threatened to take that part-time job and not let him schedule me on weekends, i should have stuck to my guns and gone w/ my original plan to tell him i'll start working weekends and nights again ONLY AFTER i have the real check in my hand with the $$ in it. What a joke.

   [ posted  @ 2:02 PM | ]

I know i have not been writing as much in volume as in the past. Cope & Deal.

Good news is this:
I finally negotiated my way to the raise i wanted at work... I rule. Hopefully it will kick in by this next pay check or the one after that and i've also got retro pay due me going back to early MAY! That is going to be a monster huge check.

I went to Mystic Lake Casino with Justin & Missy on Sat. night. It was her birthday. Justin is a friend of mine from work and Missy is his girlfriend. We ate at the buffet. Awesome gormet buffet. A little pricey but whatever. I've never been in a real huge casino... this is the real thing. And it's right in my back yard. Well about two miles from here. It's a strange feeling for me to think that the native americans who profit from this get 35,000$ a month... just for being who they are... they never have to work a day in their lives. Little babies grow up earning that much money. What could you do with it all? I wish there would have been a different way in U.S. history to help out the natives because us forking over all that money kind of sucks. WAaaaaa waaaaa.

Then Missy wanted to gamble some and it's very boring watching someone play the electric slot machines so i took off early and came home. Well actually i got really lost walking out of there bc it's a huge maze and it's just one game room after the other and the noise etc. and exit doors everywhere. So finally i had to ask an employee where the heck are the main doors that lead out to the huge parking lot? I would have been walking forever if i had not asked.

And i can also see how easy it would be to get addicted to gambling. Me? I don't have money to burn so you won't find me doing it, but some say going thru the drive thru is a gamble bc what if they mix up your order? Ha!

They sell Krispy Kremes now at Cub here in town. I only know this bc i had to go to my bank which is inside Cub. Otherwise, I have told you before how much i DEEEEEEEESPIIIIISEEEEEEEEEEE that store. I would like to go get some Krispy Kremes for work tomorrow morning. THEY ARE SO GOOD! Maybe i will. I want that with some Frappuccino. I love tho$e thing$.

   [ posted  @ 5:24 PM | ]

Here's one for ya.

Yesterday at work since the back to school season is heating up (and so is summer, which i remind you, i hate) i was organizing some cd-r spindles and jewel cases. No big deal but it was a day when i was really ordering the troops around, telling them to make the store look fuller by getting things back to their spots etc. Then i went to bed (after i came home, i mean) and i think i must have went to bed a little hungry.

So in my dream, I dreamt about organizing big containers of bologna, which LOOK like CD-R spindles and jars of mayo and such on a table where you walk into the store.

Something is definitely wrong with me. But now i had my Apple Jacks and i'm ready for a new day.

   [ posted  @ 3:34 AM | ]

Click here for some Candy History

   [ posted  @ 7:44 PM | ]

HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT KNOWING THESE THINGS?

In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden....and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coca-Cola was originally green.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% ( now get this...) The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The youngest pope was 11 years old.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson.
Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.. (No!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?
A. Conception.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. There are more collect calls on this day than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) is the most
ironic?
A. He was allergic to carrots.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What is an activity performed by 40% of all people at a party?
A. Snoop in your medicine cabinet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight, sleep tight."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month we know today as the honeymoon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts.. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them mind their own pints and quarts, and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow.

   [ posted  @ 5:23 PM | ]

The blackouts on the East Coast have me wondering...

What did people do before Air Conditioning?

I remember when i was little we didn't have central air in the house until i was like in middle school... (i may be wrong about the timing)... but we had fans everywhere.

I hate summer. I'm glad i have a.c.

   [ posted  @ 10:20 PM | ]

I had a bad dream about work. I got up. Here i am.

I listen to KS95 at work... it's a very well rounded radio station... Anyways Van & Cheryl, the morning DJ's always talk about this website called JEDI MASTER. They laugh and laugh so i decided to look it up.

IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY! You gotta go there. They said they spend hours there. And i can see why!

CLICK HERE to go to JediMaster.net

   [ posted  @ 1:07 AM | ]

I made a business address stamp for someone at work last week. the man was very nice. i was redoing it bc he didn't like the first one we made the day before. he was a realtor.

Yesterday i got a random telemarketing call from Coldwell Banker asking if i ever considered buying a home and blah blah.
I just laughed at him and said that's impossible for me right now and he said could he send me some stuff. I said sure why not.

Today i got the package and the stamp i made was used on the package. How weird is that? I recognized it right away. LOL

   [ posted  @ 7:51 PM | ]

Greetings.

A few months ago I bought Derek Webb's first solo release "She Must and Shall Go Free" (he used to be with Caedmon's Call), and upon first listen or two, i didn't hail it that highly, just because it was all the same sound and nothing too catchy... and particularly not much for keeping me awake in the car...

But I dug it out before my 30 minute ride to church yesterday and it had it's own revival for me... The music although inspired isn't what got me as much as the theme and the lyrics (which I knew were there before, but didn't let sink in.)

It's a theme cd about the church and her relationship with Christ. Very deep. Sometimes controversial and disturbing (several bookstores and radio stations won't touch it because he uses the word "whore" and "bastard" on it.)

I like it.

I recommend it.

He's got the bluegrass/rock/folk sound down. Always did. Caedmon's is going to miss him (in fact you can already tell he's missing from their last two albums... just not up to par.)

Here's the lyrics for track 6 "Wedding Dress"

If you could love me as a wife
And for my wedding gift, your life
Should that be all I'll ever need?
Or is there more I'm looking for

And should I read between the lines
And look for blessings in disguise
To make me handsome, rich and wise
Is that really what you want?

(chours) 'Cause I am a whore I do confess
I put you on just like a wedding dress
and I run down the aisle
I run down the aisle
I'm a prodigal with no way home
But i put you on just like a ring of gold and i
run down the aisle
run down the aisle to you

So could you love this bastard child
though i don't trust you to provide
with one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side
'cause i'm so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers so less wild
that i would take a little cash
over your very flesh and blood

(chorus)

because money cannot buy
a husband's jealous eye
when you have knowingly deceived his wife

==================

Track 5 "Lover"

Like a man comes to an altar
I came into this town
With the world upon my shoulders
And promises passed down
And I went into the water
My father, He was pleased
I built and I'll tear it down
so you can be set free

I found thieves and salesman living
in my fathers house
and i know how they got in here
and i know how to 'em out
I'm turning this place over
from floor to balcony
And then just like these doves and sheep
oh you will be set free

I've always been a lover
from before I drew a breath
Some things I loved easy
And some I loved to death
Because love's no politician,
it listens carefully
So of those who come I can't lose one
so you will be set free

But go on and take my picture
go on and make me up
i'll still be your defender
and you'll be my missing son
and i'll send out an army
just to bring you back to me
'cause regardless of your brother's lies
oh you will be set free

i am my beloved's
and my beloved's mine
so you bring all your history
i'll bring the bread and wine
and we'll have us a party
where all the drinks are on me
then as surely as the rising sun
oh you will be set free

An interview with Derek

Another interview with Derek

A review of the album

   [ posted  @ 5:55 PM | ]

My friend Israel took me to Benihana's tonight. It's a really awesome Japanese restaurant where you sit around a table (semi circle) with 6 or 8 other guests and the chef prepares your food right in front of you on the table with the heaters on it. It was a lot of fun. Haven't seen Israel in awhile so that was fun. I had a lot to eat and got to bring some home. The chef was really funny, banging knives around and making noise and the food was soooo good. I had fried rice and chicken and shrimp and orange sherbert for desert.

This is Israel's new website In addition to being a professor at the MN School of Business he has this business going with friends all over the place. It is just starting. He has to travel back and forth to Washington D.C. a lot to work on stuff for it. I'm still full from supper. :)

:P

   [ posted  @ 8:44 PM | ]

The ELCA is bringing back Davey and Goliath! Only i'm disappointed to hear
they've gone with the "tolerance" mind-set and no longer "evangelical."

"The basic story outline is about tolerance, understanding and
respect. Davey learns about the religious and cultural practices of his
friends Benji, who is Jewish, and Yasmeen, who is Muslim. The story
takes place just before Christmas and includes material about Hanukkah
and Ramadan. The story's action is centered around what happens when
Davey and his friends go snow boarding and, of course, get into trouble.
As always, Goliath ends up saving the day," said Kristi S. Bangert,
director for marketing and interpretation, ELCA Department for
Communication.

I remember watching this show early Sunday mornings when i was a kid. Now it is on TBN at 11:30 on Saturday mornings. It was a progressive show... addressing issues for kids way ahead of their time, but still even if it is watered down, I'll look forward to seeing it again.

   [ posted  @ 1:15 PM | ]

This week's Friday Five...

1. What's the last place you traveled to, outside your own home state/country?
Dreamland. My life is too boring to have traveled this year.

2. What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to you while traveling?
One time, this is a for real story, i was on my way home from the mall in Janesville, WI going back to my dorm, and my car got a flat tire. I was in the middle of a country road. Not many homes around. There was a house /driveway just up the way so i walked up there. There was a very nice car parked in the driveway with two men dressed up in suits and ties. They kind of looked like F.B.I. types that are dressed similar... and very business-like. I had no cell phone back then, and wanted to go into the house to call my friend Jarrett to come and bail me out. But the men in the car rolled down the driver's side window and informed me there is no one home. I told them I had a flat and needed to call my friend to come and get me. They offered me their cell phone to use, and I was so thankful. As soon as i got back in my car, the men drove off. To this day, I've been convinced those were angels. I don't know what i would have done without them there!

3. If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no object, where would you go?
Sailling/fishing in New England. Eat lots of crab legs and lobster. Then I'd stay in New York for the upcoming US Open games at the end of August. Those are so expensive, but I would LOVE to have a pass to attend all the matches. Of course I think about that, and then think of the x-treme heat during that time of year. I hate summer, remember.

4. Do you prefer traveling by plane, train or car?
Never traveled by train, but i bet it would be really fun. I'd be interested in doing that someday. Plane is not bad, but i would never want to do that alone. Car trips kind of make me sick sometimes. When we were going thru Chicago on our way to W. Virginia, i was sooooooooooo sick in the heat of the car and being stuck in traffic. Lori was driving, and for some reason she was trying to save on gas or their van or something and refused to crank the a.c. the whole way. I need the a.c.! I was praying that I could just die because i was so miserable. But if i am the driver it's not like that.

5. What's the next place on your list to visit?
Going home to see my family in Wisconsin in a few weeks, for a few days. I am going to help my friend Brandon with a church service he's speaking at, in some town called Lena, so that will be a mini-adventure.

   [ posted  @ 3:42 PM | ]

This really encouraged me today. I love everything Mario writes.

   [ posted  @ 6:13 PM | ]

I went to work.
I came home.
I went to work.
I came home, watched Cupid. Can't believe America kept Robert A. Hmm. Maybe they just kept him for comedic effect.
I went to work.
I came home and then went to church. Youth Alpha only has one more week. I will miss it but i know Zone is right around the corner.
Now i'm going to bed.

   [ posted  @ 7:07 PM | ]

From Ignatius regarding his own Martyrdom as he writes to the Roman church:

Now I begin to be a disciple, and have41 no desire after anything visible or invisible, that I may attain to Jesus Christ. Let fire and the cross; let the crowds of wild beasts; let breakings, tearings, and separations of bones; let cutting off of members; let bruising to pieces of the whole body; and let the very torment of the devil come upon me: only let me attain to Jesus Christ.

and

I write to the Churches, and impress on them all, that I shall willingly die for God, unless ye hinder me. I beseech of you not to show an unseasonable good-will towards me. Suffer me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ. Rather entice the wild beasts, that they may become my tomb, and may leave nothing of my body; so that when I have fallen asleep [in death], I may be no trouble to any one. Then shall I truly be a disciple of Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body. Entreat Christ for me, that by these instruments28 I may be found a sacrifice [to God]. I do not, as Peter and Paul, issue commandments unto you. They were apostles; I am but a condemned man: they were free,29 while I am, even until now, a servant. But when I suffer, I shall be the freed-man of Jesus, and shall rise again emancipated in Him. And now, being a prisoner, I learn not to desire anything worldly or vain.

   [ posted  @ 2:44 PM | ]

Really been working on my mandolin this weekend. (Mine looks like the one pictured on the right, not the electric one.) My fingers are sore. My hopes of turning myself into a flat picker didn't work out. I'm still all rhythm... i strum like the best strummer out there and can do amazing things, but i can't play lead for anything... I guess you either got it or you don't. I shouldn't say that so much, but I really try to read the tab and go thru the scales and my mind just doesn't think that way. I do have to say that teaching myself bass helped me learn a lot about how notes relate to each other but i think in chords, not in notes. I can explain to you how to find chord progressions but asking me to take a solo and pick out lead notes, forget it. I'll keep working at it though, because I made up my own rendition of "I'll Fly Away" and it's really cool!!! I start out with some picking and the notes and stuff and then go into a strumming thru the verses and me singing. It's FUN!

   [ posted  @ 2:33 PM | ]

Read this, written by Ignatius, a disciple of John... writing to "the Virgin Mary" as he calls her... and she WRITES BACK!

It's kind of like reading the e-mail of the 1st century believers. Truly something i treasure! How cool is that??!

It is also interesting to me, to read Ignatius, as he is a disciple of John... John being the big sappy hearted disciple... the one who cries and sobs all the time and you can just picture him as the big old bear hug dude ... And Ignatius comes across that way to me... very emotional, very colorful, and gushing with love.

Compare that with Paul's disciple, Clement... very extreme intellectual, huge vocabulary, technical, etc. Isn't it something how we take on the nature of the one who mentors us?

[When I was learning to read Greek, any beginning Greek teacher will tell you to start with the book of John, chapter one. You can almost easily read thru John's writings in the Greek because they are common man's language and easy. But try to do Paul, and you're in a whole new universe!]

   [ posted  @ 4:50 PM | ]

Read this, written by Ignatius, a disciple of the Apostle John. It talks about how James the Just (brother of Jesus Christ) looked just like Jesus, and how Mary "the mother" as she is referred to, is revered even when she is alive.

   [ posted  @ 4:48 PM | ]

Gee maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Remember BARNABAS? Yeah the dude that encouraged Paul so much in the book of Acts? Well, if you didn't know, he wrote an epistle as part of the ante-nicene fathers collection, and i was reading thru it today (it's not that long.) Reading this stuff (written right after Jesus' death up into the 3rd century) really gives background on church tradition, and explains so much more of the new testament.

Anyways, i was reading this part and thought i'd copy it for you. In case you've ever wondered why on earth God made some of the strange food laws he did in the Old Testament, this totally explains it! From Barnabas himself:

Chapter X.-Spiritual Significance of the Precepts of Moses Respecting Different Kinds of Food.

Now, wherefore did Moses say, "Thou shalt not eat the swine, nor the eagle, nor the hawk, nor the raven, nor any fish which is not possessed of scales? "132 He embraced three doctrines in his mind [in doing so]. Moreover, the Lord saith to them in Deuteronomy, "And I will establish my ordinances among this people."133 Is there then not a command of God they should not eat [these things]? There is, but Moses spoke with a spiritual reference.134 For this reason he named the swine, as much as to say, "Thou shalt not join thyself to men who resemble swine." For when they live in pleasure, they forget their Lord; but when they come to want, they acknowledge the Lord. And [in like manner] the swine, when it has eaten, does not recognize its master; but when hungry it cries out, and on receiving food is quiet again. "Neither shalt thou eat," says he "the eagle, nor the hawk, nor the kite, nor the raven." "Thou shalt not join thyself," he means, "to such men as know not how to procure food for themselves by labour and sweat, but seize on that of others in their iniquity, and although wearing an aspect of simplicity, are on the watch to plunder others."135 So these birds, while they sit idle, inquire how they may devour the flesh of others, proving themselves pests [to all] by their wickedness. "And thou shalt not eat," he says, "the lamprey, or the polypus, or the cuttlefish." He means, "Thou shalt not join thyself or be like to such men as are ungodly to the end, and are condemned136 to death." In like manner as those fishes, above accursed, float in the deep, not swimming [on the surface] like the rest, but make their abode in the mud which lies at the bottom. Moreover, "Thou shall not," he says, "eat the hare." Wherefore? "Thou shall not be a corrupter of boys, nor like unto such."137 Because the hare multiplies, year by year, the places of its conception; for as many years as it lives so many138 it has. Moreover, "Thou shall not eat the hyena." He means, "Thou shall not be an adulterer, nor a corrupter, nor be like to them that are such." Wherefore? Because that animal annually changes its sex, and is at one time male, and at another female. Moreover, he has rightly detested the weasel. For he means, "Thou shalt not be like to those whom we hear of as committing wickedness with the mouth,139 on account of their uncleanness; nor shall thou be joined to those impure women who commit iniquity with the mouth. For this animal conceives by the mouth." Moses then issued140 three doctrines concerning meats with a spiritual significance; but they received them according to fleshly desire, as if he had merely spoken of [literal] meats. David, however, comprehends the knowledge of the three doctrines, and speaks in like manner: "Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly,"141 even as the fishes [referred to] go in darkness to the depths [of the sea]; "and hath not stood in the way of sinners," even as those who profess to fear the Lord, but go astray like swine; "and hath not sat in the seat of scorners,"142 even as those birds that lie in wait for prey. Take a full and firm grasp of this spiritual143 knowledge. But Moses says still further, "Ye shall eat every animal that is cloven-footed and ruminant." What does he mean? [The ruminant animal denotes him] who, on receiving food, recognizes Him that nourishes him, and being satisfied by Him,144 is visibly made glad. Well spake [Moses], having respect to the commandment. What, then, does he mean? That we ought to join ourselves to those that fear the Lord, those who meditate in their heart on the commandment which they have received, those who both utter the judgments of the Lord and observe them, those who know that meditation is a work of gladness, and who ruminate145 upon the word of the Lord. But what means the cloven-footed? That the righteous man also walks in this world, yet looks forward to the holy state146 [to come]. Behold how well Moses legislated. But how was it possible for them to understand or comprehend these things? We then, rightly understanding his commandments,147 explain them as the Lord intended. For this purpose He circumcised our ears and our hearts, that we might understand these things.

   [ posted  @ 4:18 PM | ]

First i must give a totally great report about what happened last night since i forgot to reset the financial sales. I was wide awake so i went to see who was on PalTalk and my buddies in the Jews for Jesus room all prayed for me!!!!!!! It really helped me and they prayed i'd get sleepy too because it was like 1:30 and i had to go to sleep!!!
And i'm not kidding somehow God did a miracle because when i arrived at the store this morning, the store automatically closed itself (from corporate, or ANGELS, whatever you want to say) and reset everything without me even being there to do it. I was laughing and so happy! I totally think that is a miracle because from what ever i knew about it, that would be a really bad thing.

So, cool!

Here's this week's Friday Five.

1. What time do you wake up on weekday mornings?
If i have to be to work at six, i get up at 4:40 a.m.

2. Do you sleep in on the weekends? How late?
Not if i have to work, but i would never have to work at six on a weekend, so technically i would consider that "sleeping in." If i don't have to work sometimes can stay sleeping till almost ten o'clock.

3. Aside from waking up, what is the first thing you do in the morning?
turn on bathroom lights, start the shower running

4. How long does it take to get ready for your day?
exactly one hour. Unless i pack a lunch, tack on about 2 minutes.

5. When possible, what is your favorite place to go for breakfast?
Probably Perkins. I never get to go out for breakfast.

   [ posted  @ 12:56 PM | ]

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