Savings Alert!!

Attention PA people!!

This week at Weis, Breyer's ice cream is on sale, six for $10! That works out to roughly $1.67 each!

Breyer's is the official ice cream of Mind the Gap because they make some truly fantastic ice cream that is all-natural. The mint chocolate chip is outstanding, despite the fact that it's not green.

But what does it mean to you?

I was thinking tonight about the above topic. I happened to be hanging out at the reindeer pen and I was observing people coming and going, taking pictures of the reindeer, asking questions and just being people. But what was interesting was watching how certain people reacted to the reindeer. Some people would just pretty much walk in and walk out. Others would walk in and hang around for a few minutes, watching the reindeer, and then leave. But others, and these were adults mind you, would hang around for ten or fifteen minutes watching the reindeer, asking questions and taking pictures.

I didn't think much of the reindeer, but there were some adults who couldn't get enough of the reindeer. Taking pictures of their name plaques, pictures of the reindeer laying down, standing up, eating, etc.... And I was wondering what was it that attracted these people to the reindeer? Something in their childhood? Some family significance?

And then I transfered that feeling into other areas of life. People don't understand why I love going to Disney World. Maybe if people knew that I had grown up with the Disney characters and knew that my parents had taken me to the park as a child and that I had traveled there for my senior trip in high school and then again in college. Disney holds a special place in my memories. And even with all that background, people may still not understand. And then I have to think about what other people hold dear, and how important that is to them. And how important it is for me not to ridicule or make light of what they hold in high regard.

And that's what I've been thinking. Among other things...

Funny Friday

Ed Rendell ate lunch at Taco Bell yesterday. No word on how much time on the can it cost him....

2007 Goals

Okay. So here we are just a few short days from the beginning of a new year. Last week, I did a recap of my '06 goals. Here are the goals I'm hoping to accomplish in the upcoming year.

1. Be more involved in my local church - this mostly centers around the plans my church has to start a "spiritual gifts recognition" program where we help folks discover what their spiritual gifts are. I'm really hoping to get involved with that.
2. Visit a National Park (that's not on the east coast) - My friend the accountant has shared with me his exploits of various NP's out west. And it makes me want to go. To see where I'm hoping to go, check out this old entry.
3. Continue to learn new cooking skills - this past year has been my most adventurous year of cooking to date, and I've only just begun. This year I hope to become more acquainted with baking and I would actually like to create my own biscuit recipe.
4. Increase financial giving - and not just at church. I want to be able to give to people in need and bless people financially when I can.

So that's what I'm hoping to accomplish in '07. That's not all I want to accomplish, but it's just what I've written down.

So what kind of goals do you have for '07? And I'm not looking for "resolutions." I'm looking for goals.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.
-Luke 2.14

Movie Review - Rocky Balboa

I admit it, I saw it. I don't know that I've seen any Rocky movie in the theatres, instead watching them on video or television. So this would have been the first that I saw in the theatre. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I kinda suspected that it would be about an old man returning to the ring to fight again. Why, I didn't know, but I thought it had something to do with his kid. Almost.

There are some spoilers ahead, so consider yourself warned. The movie opens with the current heavyweight champ Mason Dixon beating the crap out of an opponent. But nobody likes him. Meanwhile, the former champ slogs through life without his beloved Adrienne who had died several years earlier from cancer. And I'll just stop there and let you imagine where it goes from there.

Stallone is Stallone. Always will be. He'll always be Rocky in my book (not Cobra or Rambo or a truck-driving arm-wrestler). Burt Young returns as Paulie and has lost a lot from his glory days as a trainer. But don't call him washed up. Geraldine Hughes stars as the female lead who is Rocky's junior by probably 20 years.

I liked this movie. It wasn't great and the pacing was pretty slow, especially from an action perspective (actual boxing occupied maybe 25-30 minutes). But it kept my interest in that it showed Rocky as a man who was not only old in age, but old in sprit as well. The loss of his wife has taken it's toll on him and it was interesting to watch his journey from brokedown hotel to Vegas. And they did some interesting things from a cinematic standpoint like some duatone and slow-motion cuts in non-action scenes. I'm giving it a "7."

Prayer Request

For my grandma. She is having knee replacement surgery on the 27th. Please pray for the surgery as well as for the rehab she will have to go through in the upcoming weeks.

Thanks.

Thursdays meanderings

I went to the dentist this morning and had a good report. But they put a watch on #28. Apparently all your teeth are numbered and they chart things accordingly. Here's a link to more info on the numbering system. And if something gets caught in the pit on #28, I'll probably have to get it filled. Boo.

I've started reading a new book. It's called The Book of Romance, by Tommy Nelson. The lackey introduced me to Mr. Nelson because he attended one of his conferences. He's got some good stuff to say about love and marriage, and he comes at it through Song of Solomon. And although I'm not involved with anyone romantically, this is good stuff to know when that time comes.

Had the Triple Prime Burger at Ruby Tuesday for lunch today. You may remember it because it's what most Ruby Tuesday commercials talk about. It's not worth it. You can get a better burger at Damon's for $2.00 less. Or you could just get another one of Ruby's burgers. But on the good side, I didn't pay for it because the boss took us out today. So it works out okay.

This week's picks

Here's this week's picks

Vikes over the Pack
Chiefs over the Raiders
Ravens over the Steelers
Falcons over the Panthers
Bears over the Lions
Colts over the Texans
Pats over the Jags
Saints over the Giants
Browns over the Bucs
Bills over the Titans
Skins over the Rams
Niners over the Cards
Bengals over the Broncos
Chargers over the Seahawks
Cowboys over the Eagles
Jets over the Fish

Would Jesus Shop at Wal-Mart?

That's the question posed on a television news show last week. Here's a link from the illustrious Huffington Post. Lots of people don't like Wal-Mart (hereto referred to as WM). Not because they can't stand to pay low prices for groceries and household goods, but because they disagree with the way WM does business. The way they pay(or don't pay) employees, the suppliers they use, and the sweat-shop workers are all things that are scrutinized by the public.

So to the question at hand, would he? I don't know. I actually think that He would shop AND work there. What better ministry opportunity than a Wal-Mart SuperCenter? One of the gentlemen on the telly stated that "Jesus wants people to get a good bargain" (please note the preceeding paragraph was paraphrased). I don't know if I would agree with that or not, but I think he's playing the stewardship card there.

Another guest on the show said no. They said that He would not shop at Wal-Mart because of the abuses of human rights. That He could not possibliy support a company who pays it's workers so little.

So would Jesus shop at Wal-Mart? And more importantly, does it matter?

The Leading of God

Lon Solomon just finished up a three-week sermon at Frontline talking about God's will and whether or not he's involved in the little things or not. You can check out the podcasts on the website, but he gave four points last week that supported the idea that God's involved in everything. I wish I could put into words what he said, but I really can't.

I will say mention that he talks about God being a shepherd as opposed to a lifeguard. He talked about God as a lifeguard letting you go wherever you want as long as you stay in the swimming zone. And how that conflicts with God as a shepherd, who is involved in the daily affairs of his sheep. Really interesting stuff.

All that to say, that if you get a chance, hit up the media section of the Frontline website and take a listen. I think it's definitely worth your time.

No good deed...

I was talking to my roommate yesterday, wondering why we pay people to criticize others. I think it's cause society revels in it.

Check out this story and then scroll down to read the feedback. What should be all positive feedback, is anything but.

Man, have we made a mess of things..

2006 Goal Review

So I had set four goals for this past year. As I did last year, I'm going to report on my progress. Here are the goals that I set and whether I achieved said goals.

1. Lose 15 pounds. - This just didn't happen. Honestly, I knew what I needed to do, but I didn't do it.
2. Go to a Red Sox game at Fenway. - Done (for all-intensive purposes). I made it to Fenway, but didn't get to see a game because of the weather. But I had a Fenway Frank and some kettle corn. So I'm considering it done.
3. Learn to speak another language. - Nope. I was hoping to have some money to take a class from HACC, but money was tight and it didn't happen. Still thinking about it though..
4. Memorize scripture. - Done. I'm excited that I've been able to memorize some verses and remember them. I'm going to press on and work on more memorization in the coming years.

So there ya have it. How'd you do with your goals/resolutions?

Next week, I'll list my goals for 2007.

Do Ants Pee?

Y'all know I'm here to cover the hard-hitting questions. Right?

Tonight in the fellowship hall of a church in Grantham, the above question was asked. We were discussing how edible food is if it has been touched by ants (specifically if an ant had been walking on the surface of a food item). If an ant had left anything behind on the food, would we even know it? And that's what led to the question of ant urination.

My research has indicate that yes, ant's do pee, but not in a purely liquid form. Want to know more? Click here.

I'm pretty darn excited

Chick-fil-A is coming to Mechanicsburg!! Woo-hoo!!

If you're looking for a book..

Check out "A Man of Faith: The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush." It's a pretty decent read and it gives a lot of insight into the faith of our President. Whether you like him or not, it's a very insightful read.

More of the Christmas Music

For those of you who like to listen to Christmas music on the computer at work or at home, here's a link that a friend shared with me last year that I'm passing on to you. I like the "Classical Christmas" channel myself, but there are all sorts of options for your varied tastes.

Enjoy!

On the road again...

I made a little video with my digital camera this morning.  I shot it from seat 9F. And all the kids are using YouTube these days I thought I would too.  Check it out...

 

Two weeks

Two weeks 'till Christmas.  Over the weekend I "officially" broke out the Christmas music. 
I moved some CD's into the car and burned several albums into iTunes.  Some Frank Sinatra, Amy
Grant, some Reba McEntire and a few of those "various artists" albums.

I think that "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant is my favorite modern Christmas song, with "Mary

Did you Know?" being a close second (and I definitely prefer the Michael English version to all 
others).  I think that my favorite non-modern song is "O Come Let Us Adore Him."

I purchased three Christmas gifts over the weekend.  That brings my total outstanding gifts to four.  So I think we're in pretty good shape.

This morning Pastor Phil's sermon title was "Don't Miss It."  "It" being the fact that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Lord.  It was a good message.  However, I was slightly disturbed by the fact that they changed a word in my favorite non-modern Christmas song.   One of the verses should read "Yea Lord we greet thee, born this happy morning."  They replaced one word and marred it by saying "Yea Lord we gree thee, born this Christmas morning."  Ugghhhh!  He couldn't have been born Christmas morning because it wasn't Christmas until he was born!  And technically not until the early Church decided to celebrate it.  Oi!  Can't we just sing these songs the way they were written?  

I need to find a church for the Christmas season that sings their songs in traditional arrangements without lyrical re-writes.

 

Friday miscellany

Exciting news on the cinematic front. Disney is bringing back the tradition of movie shorts. Pixar does this on all of it's movies, but Disney hadn't done a short since they attached "Runaway Brain" to "A Kid in King Arthur's Court." And how many of you saw that?

Interesting transcription of a conversation with Sylvester Stallone here.

Anybody seen The Nativity Story yet? I'd like to see that along with A Night at the Museum.

It's in the Bible

I read this in Matthew last night:

18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

That's from Matthew 15.18-19. And I was thinking about how we treat our hearts. That sounds somewhat odd. But I wonder if evil thoughts and some of that other nonsense that is coming out of our mouths, if it's because of a lack of concern on our part for the condition of our heart. I think of people who don't guard their hearts, like co-workers. And then I hear the way they talk and I see their actions. And I know it's a heart issue.

So how do you treat your heart?

More Picks

I think this is week 15..

Browns over the Steelers
Falcons over the Bucs
Ravens over the Chiefs
Colts over the Jags
Vikes over the Lions
Dolphins over the Pats
Giants over the Panthers
Bengals over the Raiders
Eagles over the Skins
Titans over the Texans
Niners over the Pack
Seahawks over the Cards
Jets over the Bills
Chargers over the Broncos
Saints over the Cowboys
Rams over the Bears

I love to fly

I'll say it again. I love to fly. Love to board a metal cylinder with wings in one city and exit that same cylinder in another. When you go wheels-up and you see the ground drop away and give way to rolling hills, rivers, suburban communities and farms. When I'm in a big airport, I love to look at the arrival and departure boards to see where people are headed and where they've come from. As I type this, exciting locations like Rome, Frankfurt and Paris mix in with Williamsport, Salisbury and Elmira. Not to say that those latter three cities aren't exciting in themselves, but they don't offer that "international excitement." We can now fly anywhere around the globe in 24 hours or less.

I don't like waiting on the ground. As I type this, I am stuck in the airport in Philly and by the time I leave here (Lord-willing) at 10:45 tonight, I will have spent seven hours in this airport. That part is no fun, but it's somewhat consoling that I'm still on the clock and that I've basically worked two days in one.

But man, I do love to fly. And when I leave the company (my close friends will note I said when, not if), I will miss this perk. But I'll be thankful to God for the opportunity that I've had for the time I've had it. And I'll be avidly planning my next trip.

Stop! Thief! Van-dal!

Lots of people have secrets. I did something tonight which probably should be kept a secret. But you guys pay for the nitty-gritty, so here ya go.

But before I tell you, you have to promise not to report me. Continued reading DOES constitute a promise on your part.

Tonight at the Philadelphia International Airport, I stole a newspaper. It was not intentional theft, but theft nonetheless. I just picked up a copy of the Daily News, walked around the shop while waiting for my co-worker and walked out without paying. I didn't realize my mistake until we were in the plane, taxiing down the runway.

And tomorrow (or more-likely today as you're reading this), I will attempt to make ammends. I was already scheduled to fly through PHL, but I'll be making an unplanned stop at the scene of the crime. I'm going to apologize and pay for the paper that I neglected to pay for earlier as well as another paper. I'll let you know how it goes.

Must be the money!

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is running an interesting series on how television has changed the face of college and professional sports. Read the first article in the series and find out how the two-minute warning originated here.

Random Saturday Thoughts

*I was flying yesterday and sat next to a very large woman. It was an uncomfortable flight for me because she had to raise the armrest so that she could fit in the seat. But then it occured to me that maybe she was uncomfortable as well. Sitting next to a stranger, invading his personal space. I think I would be uncomfortable.

*Saw a beautiful sunset last night in-flight. Wish I had brought my camera.

*I've been exposed to discussion about spiritual gifts a lot this past week, and I don't think it's coincidence. I may have an opportunity to get involved in the church with a proposed "spiritual gifts program." I'll get into more on that later on this month as it's tied into one of my goals for 2007

*Is it acceptable for a Christian man and woman in a romantic relationship to live with each other prior to marriage? If not, do you think as mainstream culture changes, it will become acceptable in Christian circles?

*I'm a little disappointed to be missing out on lots of Christmas music concerts this year. I'm only really available on Sundays so that eliminates a lot of opportunities. But I am planning on attending Grantham's concert on the 17th. Hear that Grantham?