December 29, 2006 - Friday  | All the things All the thigns You promise come to reality. All of Your words create and give life. Let me not forget that. 3:33 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
| A Christmas thought My brother Brent dressed up as Santa to help me out at work this past week. It was really amusing to say the least. He would only say things like "Ho, ho, ho". Or, "What would you like for Christmas, Ho ho ho...". And that is really all he ever said.
Now my daughter loves Red, the mascot at my work. But she was very unsure of Santa, this person whom she had never seen before. So, I had to reaveal his real identity as her Uncle Brent. Though it relieved a little tension at the time, I may have inadvertly caused a crisis down the road.
Now, everytime she sees a picture of the jolly old elf, the best known of the saints, she points and says, "Brent. Ho, ho, ho." From malls to pictures on walls to the Coke bottle... they are all her uncle Brent. Cute as it is, I can just imagine the scene in kindergarten:
first child: There is no such thing as Santa.
Claire: Yes there is.
first child: How do you know?
second child (first child's best friend): yeah, how do you know??!!
Claire: He's my uncle Brent.
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| December 21, 2006 - Thursday | Be my breath Father, be all that sustains me. Let me see You as You are... as my sustainer. Where can I hide from You? Where can I go that You would not provide for me? Where can I sit that you You would not give me rest? Wherecan I stand that You would nto give me strength?
Help me to see the needs of otehrs before my own. I want nothing. Well, nothing except You.
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| December 18, 2006 - Monday | Tara Leigh is TLC So, Tara Leigh Cobble has posted this blog about how to be a toursit in NYC. The following is direct from her:
HOW TO BE A LOVEABLE TOURIST:
* Walk fast.
* Walk faster.
* When stopping to check a map or convene for a discussion, move against a wall. In NYC, the sidewalks are the main routes of transportation. When you stop spontaneously or walk slowly, it's akin to slamming on your brakes or doing 35 mph on the Interstate.
* Don't refer to it as "The Big Apple"
* Many of the best things about NYC aren't in a travel guide. Ask the locals what they recommend.
* If at all possible, avoid eating in Midtown (near Times Square). Prices are ridiculous. Actually, just avoid Midtown altogether.
* Don't wear your "I heart NY" shirt, as it will mark you as a target.
* No fanny packs (this is a LIFE RULE).
* Bodega ("bo-DAY-guh"): quick-stop corner shop (like a gas station, but without the gas)
* Do NOT use street ATMs or the ones in bodegas. That's a quick way to get your identity stolen.
The weird thing is... I woudl say this is how you should shop at Target.
Merry Christmas
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| December 16, 2006 - Saturday | two pigeons The best that Joseph could give on behalf of his son in the form of a dedication was two pigeons. And he gave it. God could've provided a ram, or a bull, but he allowed Joseph to offer two pigeons back to Him on behalf of His son. I am always hoping to give more than I have, but am I really just robbing my kids of the experience of giving them all that I ahve at the moment?
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| December 13, 2006 - Wednesday | I ain't a real teacher Subbing can be difficult. You may not work some days, and others you have to choose between a couple of good schools. Some days you teach a subject you know all about. Some days you teach German. Some days you laugh with, with mind you, the fourth grader who gets his foot stuck in the chair. Others, you catch a kid passing a note to see if their friend really is pregnant. All the while being reminded that you are just temporary. An easy fix for the day.
I was thinking today about the permanance of Christmas. It's a holiday that's been around for awhile. And while others gripe and complain about how commercial it is, I don't know that I'm gonna care about it anymore. It's the celebration of a permanence in a world of change.
Hurry Christmas, get here fast. Then please stay. At least until St. Patrick's.
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| December 6, 2006 - Wednesday | Santa at CD. My wife teaches at a local high school, and ninth period, she says, though annoying and lacks the ability to listen, is quite funny. So today, while she was trying to get everyone back to their seats, one kid was up by the window. He slowly turned to the class and said:
"Hey guys! Santa Claus is out there... for all you believers."
classic.
Happy St Nicholas Day!
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| December 3, 2006 - Sunday | Goin to be on Martha Ever wonder what Heather and I would look like on tv?
Well, tomorrow you get your answer.
Tomorrow they will air the episode that Heather, Brieanna, Leandra and I got to watch of the Martha Stewart show. It was fun, and a lot of work. A lot of clapping. Our amrs were so sore, and our palms were red... It was weird seeing the set and what not. And we didn;t hear any of the Martha music... not at all what you would expect. I did get a bag of Craisins for being very good at yelling. As take homes, we all got a nook on finding your soul mate (which I'll sell to anyone for $5) and a magazine full o holiday gift ideas.
Beyond, that, we had a blast. It was cool getting to hang out with ym little sister, whom I only get to see on rare occassions, which are now also called school holidays. Below are some pics I took of us at the set, and in the city.. as Coke says: enjoy!
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| November 28, 2006 - Tuesday | moments of grandness Sometimes, when I'm not doing anything, or I forget what I'm supposed to be doing, a song will slip from my lips. Lately, "Never knew. Never knew that everything was falling through..." will come pouring out. In moments of total clarity someone else's words will come out, and it is usually about nothing.
When is it that my gut reaction will be to Praise?
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| November 22, 2006 - Wednesday | Ian Thorpe has retired Ian Thorpe, called "The Thorpedo" by some, is by far one of the, if not the, greatest male swimmer of our times. Well, was. He retired on his birthday, adn I thought his farewell speech was very poignant in several ways. He said part of his reason for retiring was that he didn;t want to use swimming as a blanket, or as a safety. He knows he's good at it, but is that all he is good at? This is kinda amazing, but not altogether unheard of. Look at Michael jordan trying baseball and golf. I wonder if Tiger ever gets this thought?
He also said:
"You can swim lap after lap staring at a black line and all of a
sudden you look up and see what's around," he said.  | Currently listening :
Myself When I Am Real
By Bebo Norman
Release date: 10 September, 2002  | 10:22 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
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| November 20, 2006 - Monday | and... And when He takes my life, I will be glad, because then I will know I had nothing more to give to Him.  | Currently listening :
How To Save A Life
By The Fray
Release date: 13 September, 2005  | 10:16 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
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| November 14, 2006 - Tuesday | what happens next? When my children ask me for advice years down the line, I want to give them answers based on my experience, not on my regrets. When my children are in need, I want to give out of the abundance of God's grace and love, not out of anything I recognize as my own.
Don't pity us, and don't feel bad for us. I want you to know that God is good to us, despite our sitting on a heap of ashes and scraping our boils with potshards. He has blessed us so much, that He can take away.
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| November 5, 2006 - Sunday | clinging to the bottle As we took Holy Communion today, I noticed how small a cup it truly was. Such a small amount. I think even less than a shot. It is certainly less than the amount of blood our Lord lost on that day. And yet, this is enough? Who determined that this was the amount in order to fully remember the sacrifice of Christ? Or, is this amount just enough? Not too much. Not too little. Is this small amount getting us by until we partake again?
I generally get the idea from Scripture that whenever we brake bread, or drink, we are to remember the sacrifice of Christ. Communion is a shared cup and a shared loaf, torn not just once a month, but whenever we sit and drink of fellowship with otehr Christians.
maybe we need to flee from the idea of just enough and run in the direction of more. Not be satisfied at all in how we remember Christ; how he lavished His love upon us. More Christ, more of the Father, more of Him. Leave the small insuffiient plastic cup and cling to the bottle of Christ's redemption.
See how you live, drive, eat, sleep, and be around others drunk on Christ.
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| October 30, 2006 - Monday | Salt-n-Peppa have passed on to the big wheel in the sky Last night, they were happy, young gerbils without a care in the world. Today, they line my garbage bag. Yes, it is sad but true, Salt and Peppa have passed on to the big wheel in the sky. Their wheel and ball antics will be sorely missed by us all. Claire will remember you as her gerbil friends. Aslan will remember you as the meal he was denied. Lily, well, Lily has never really met you, nor had the chance to get to know you as well as we did. But if she had, she would mourn your loss with sackloth and nashing of teeth as is the customary funeral rites for gerbils.
But alas, no pyre for you, my dear rodents. Too big for the toilet, too small for a plot, your destiny lies elsewhere. Please remember us as you move on to wherever the Father has seen for you. Your late night cacophony will be missed.  | Currently listening :
Mozart: Requiem / McNair, Watkinson, Araiza, Lloyd; Marriner
By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Release date: 05 April, 1991  | 11:52 AM - 4 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
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| October 29, 2006 - Sunday | Lamenting "Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him in prayer. Plead for your children as they faint with hunger in the streets."
Lam. 2:19
I love to read Lamentations. Not because I'm a dour kinda guy. It just reminds me of what an attitude of a contrite heart should look like. What does forgiveness cost me? My pride laid out, my heart turned to water, and my hands up in surrender. Is there a ratio of praise to prayer that should be followed? If we are to be in prayer all the time, what attitude should my life reflect: one of a constant mood of thanksgiving within a humble heart, or one of exhuberence and joy in thanks?
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