Think on this.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt of life, no fear of death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand
-Stuart Townend

I am sixteen, going on seventeen....

So I saw "13 going on 30" for the second time on Friday night. And I enjoyed it. And I was trying to figure out why I liked it so much. Well, sure Jennifer Garner is in it. But I think there's more to it than that. I think it has something to do with the character she plays in this movie. She plays a very innocent, aloof kinda girl. She likes to put a ribbon in her hair, and she likes Razzles. And I think it's refreshing. She plays a girl who hasn't grown up and she has this innocence about her that is incredibly charming. Here she is, in the cut-throat world of magazine publishing, and she is so down-to-earth and she has, pardon the expression, faith like a child. So yea, I like the movie. It gets a "9" on my 10-point scale.

In the news....

Every once in a while, I'll post an article that suprises me. Here's the first of many (courtesy of washingtonpost.com):

MTV Won't Show Ads For 'Super Size Me'

Reuters
Thursday, May 27, 2004; Page C09

LOS ANGELES, May 26 -- The documentary "Super Size Me," a critical look at the health impact of a fast-food-only diet, has been downsized at MTV: The cable network has refused to show ads for the film, its distributors said Wednesday.

Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films said in a statement that MTV has told them the ads are "disparaging to fast-food restaurants."

The distributors said MTV sister network VH1 was planning to use clips from the movie in a program called "Best Week Ever," but the clips were pulled before the show aired.

An MTV spokesperson was unavailable for comment. MTV and VH1 are owned by media giant Viacom, which depends on advertising for a major portion of its revenues.

For "Super Size Me," director Morgan Spurlock had nothing but food and drink from McDonald's restaurants for 30 days, and if asked whether he wanted the larger, "supersize" meal, he always said yes. He gained weight and his health declined. Documenting the impact are not only the cameras but also his doctors. Spurlock mixes in facts and figures about food and dieting as he travels the United States talking to health and food experts in 20 cities.

In March, McDonald's said it would eliminate its supersize menu options by year end; a company spokeswoman said the decision was unrelated to the movie.

The announcement came two months after "Super Size Me" earned Spurlock the Grand Jury Prize for best documentary director at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The film began playing in theaters about two weeks ago and rose to No. 10 on domestic box-office charts this past week. It has grossed $2.9 million in ticket sales -- a hit for a documentary -- and last weekend scored a per-screen average of $6,759, just behind No. 2 film "Troy" with $7,014.

The film expands to 165 screens from 148 for the Memorial Day weekend, which the MTV ads had been timed to promote, a spokesman for the distributors said.


So apparently MTV does have it's limits.........Whoda thunk it?

Ya gotta have faith, faith, faith

Hi! Tonight I thought I would talk about something that's near and dear to my heart. No, I'm not talking about you. :) I'm talking about faith. You know, the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen?

As a Christian, I'm supposed to have faith. But sometimes, it's easier said then done. I would have to say that for most of my Christian life, my level of faith has been mediocre at best. But I am pleased and excited to say that my level of faith has increased exponentially in the past couple of years. God has done some awesome stuff in my life, and because of the work that he's been doing, my faith has been growing.

Here's what I've learned: God can do anything I ask of him. He may choose not to do it, but it doesn't mean that he can't. But seriously, if you're a Christian, we need to stop thinking small. Think big! Think about the mountains in your life that just seem impossible. For me, my mountain is debt. Then think in your mind how impossible and overwhelming it will be to move that mountain. Then start thinking about our omnipotent God and all that he can do. I've been challenged to pray specifically for this mountain in my life and it's removal. And ya know what? That's crazy. But you know what else? I serve a crazy God. And I am going to pray and believe that God can move this mountain for me.

So what's your mountain? My challenge to you is two-fold: A) Pray that God will move your mountain, and B) Believe that God will move your mountain. God wants to prosper us and wants the best for us. It's time that we start believing that.

Storm Runner

Hi. I'm going to tell you about the new roller coaster at Hersheypark. It's called the Storm Runner. It goes fast. It basically shoots you from 0-72 mph in a couple of seconds, into your first hill. And that sprint is exhilerating(sp)! So you hit the first hill and you turn kinda sideways a bit before you straighten up to go down the hill. Then you go into the loop and you're still trying to get your bearings. You do a couple of corkscrews and you're done. The ride lasts all of maybe 35 seconds, once you're launched. But in that 35 seconds this ride kicks your butt, then spins you around and kicks your butt again. It's that good. And because the ride time is so short, the ride moves people through pretty quickly. Both times I rode on Saturday, the wait was no more than 40 minutes. And ya know what else is great? They don't take your picture on the ride and then try to sell it to ya at the end. That's a nice change.

And in other news, I lost last night in tennis. I rarely win, so in reality it's not really news that I lost. However, it might be news to you that I actually play tennis. Do I strike you as a tennis player?

Vaughn shot Lauren

Or is it Loren....

Anywho, it looked like ol' Michael Vaughn got sick and tired of being sick and tired. And so he emptied a clip into his former squeeze. And of course, they're not going to consider it murder because she was holding Syd at gunpoint. So....it looks like the Rimbaldi device is still MIA, but now it looks like Sloane has re-established his "relationship" with his daughter. I'm suspicious of her. She could be covenant. And what's up with that secret document that Syd found? I'm wondering if it goes back to that program that Syd was a part of that was mentioned last season (where there was a whole class of kids like Syd and they were basically being brainwashed). Hmmmmm. Lots to ponder over the summer (and the fall, as I hear that the new season won't start until January '05).

So I went to a handbell concert yesterday. It was my cultural event for the week. They did some good numbers. My favorite was a polka number they did, accompanied by an accordian. Accordians and hand bells...who'da thunk it? And I enjoyed the last tune. Not so much the tune itself, but just seeing and hearing all the bells being played at once. That was kewl. I also learned not to judge people based on their stature. And I think I may need to get my vision checked...

And finally for all those who haven't heard, C.S. Lewis rulez!

livin la vida loca

So some friends and I got together last night for an evening of Shrek. We watched the first movie and then zipped over to the theater and caught the last showing of the night of Shrek 2. And here's my review:

Shrek 2 - I liked it. Didn't love it, but I liked it. I should even consider it better than the first one. I've been discussing with friends what I feel makes the Shrek movies popular. And I've decided that it's their use of pop culture references. Sure, they continue to pick on Disney by referencing movies like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast (just to name two). But they also riff off of other movies like The Fabulous Baker Boys, Wizard of Oz, and Spiderman. They also spoofed retailers like Starbucks (Farbucks), and Barneys of New York (Barneys of Old York). And I think people love the humor that all those references bring. Would the movie still be as funny without the references? I would think not, but I don't know for sure. But you can't help but admire the way that the references are used in the movie. I may even need to see the movie again just to pick up on all the references that were made. I also really enjoyed the music. Here is a clip from the Fairy Godmother Song. A friend said that they made very good use of popular music, and I would have to agree. Definitely entertaining. I give it an "8" on my 10-point scale.

I would also like to give a big shoutout to all those people who work with children on a regular basis. It takes a very special person to work with children. Thank you.

Where did May go?

We're already two-thirds of the way through May. It seems like I was just mailing my rent check for May, and now June is right around the corner. I'm getting old...

Blue Bunny sugar-free reduced fat ice cream rules! They use Splenda and it tastes very good. But you can only find it at Super Wal-mart. Unless you live in Texas, then you can find it everywhere.

Good times last night at small group. For those of you who may not know, I am actively involved with a church small group every Thursday night. Good worship and good prayer. Which has produced the following thought: God has blessed me beyond words. Am I rich? Not monetarily. But I'm still rich. Why? Because I have God. Do I live paycheck to paycheck? Yes, but I'm still rich. So I don't have money. But I do have kick-arse family and friends. And I'm happy. And that makes me rich. You gotta problem with dat? :)

Tonight my peeps and I are going to go see Shrek 2. Review coming on Monday.

I had pop-tarts for breakfast this morning. Oh yea.

Everybody's doing it....

Yea, why not me? Actually, I did do it before, but it was an ugly html-coded jobber that I used to document my eight months of unemployment.

So we'll see how this thing works. Hopefully well. Stay tuned.