See You Later, See You Soon

Go Meat!

Ha! Gets me everytime :)

Holy Hail

This evening, at about 5:30 p.m., a small thunderstorm passed through the neighborhood. It lasted all of about 10-15 minutes, but it really made a dent in things.

Literally.

Hail, the sizes ranged from marble size to bigger than golf balls, targeted our car parked outside on the driveway. After the storm blew through, we were left with a car that had around one-hundred dents in it (Nationwide will be getting a call Monday morning!). Luckily , from what I could see, it spared our house/siding/roof/windows. I have never seen hail that big before. Even though it stunk watching our car get pelted, it was an amazing sight to witness.

Here are some pictures we took shortly afterwards:

Obama's World Tour 2008

I've come to a concrete conclusion: Barack Obama would make a great president.

Just not here.

I'm supporting John McCain because he aligns with my views more. But, out of 300 million people, these are the best of the best? The cream of the crop? The potential leaders of the greatest country in the free world?

Ouch!

As Mr. Obama campaigns to be the President of the World, I'm often left speechless by our media's obsession with an inexperienced Senator from Chicago with a spotty community activist record. Is anybody else having a hard time digesting some of these actions that Obama has taken overseas? Does anybody else see the absurdity?

One World? Obama's on a different planet...

This is July 25, 2008 right? I didn't accidentally fall asleep for six months and wake up to see Obama following through with his word during his first days in office? He's still just a Senator right? Senators are supposed to help Americans with problems faced here in America right?

Is The Obama World Tour 2008 fair journalism? Is this reporting the facts? Is this an example of the media being balanced? I know Mr. Obama is making history with each new step, but why don't we just get the Bible out and let him take the Oath of Office already?

These campaign contributions by leading American journalists proves that our media is fair and balanced...

cough...



Putting Money Where Mouths Are: Media Donations Favor Dems 100-1

Barack Obama is campaigning for America to accommodate the world. He is being portrayed as a "political messiah" that will bring hope and peace to all mankind. Barack Obama is just a man. A man who should be focusing on the interests of the American people (the economy), not the world citizens. This campaign has been nothing more than photo-op after photo-op.

No substance.

Nothing new.

Just false hope that rides on the back of glittery words and the flash of a camera bulb.

How are people being sucked into this political debacle?

Another Trip To The Pool

What a rough summer...

Another day at the pool :)

We finally remembered the camera so that we could snap a few of Kayley as she was lounging around in her favorite (only) float. She really gets a kick out of floating around the pool in that raft with Mommy/Daddy. We love this pool! The Sandy Valley Community Pool is about 20 minutes away and is only $4.50 to get in! It's hardly ever busy and the concession stand has every item for under $1.75. They have a diving board and a water slide for the "big" people too!

Can you tell....I LOVE SUMMER!?!

An Analogy To Ponder

This is a great analogy for, what I feel, has been a huge error involving Barack Obama's decisions and the Iraq War. Do we really want a president who makes rash decisions based on the consensus of an American public during an unfavorable war? Obama may want change, but not the right type of change. He wants change here and now without putting future circumstances into consideration. Is that governing responsibly?

Visionary? I'd say tunnel vision.

Winning the Iraq War

Assume that your child was ill and had a fever. You took him to the doctor and the primary physician recommended medication. Another doctor, not the primary physician, said medication wasn't needed and, in fact, it would be counterproductive. The fever continued; in response, the child's physician increased the dosage of medication (over the objections of the second doctor). The child's condition continued to worsen, to the point that you took your child to the hospital. Medication was then combined with other interventions, over the strong objections of the second doctor. In fact, the second doctor not only recommended against medication, he felt at this stage the child was a lost cause and it would be a waste to devote much more effort on the child's behalf.

Slowly, however, the child, because of the increased medication and other interventions, began to improve. In a few days, in fact, he was released from the hospital, with the fever going down. Finally the child got to the point where he was healthy enough that the primary physician said he now envisioned that the child would soon be able to come off the medication, provided we continued to see conditions-based progress. Now imagine if the second doctor declared that because the child would one day be off medication, he had been right all along. Such a claim would be absurd; the child would have gotten worse, and probably would have died, if the secondary doctor's recommendation had been followed. The child's recovery demonstrated why the secondary doctor's judgment was deeply and dangerous flawed rather than right.

We have something similar happening with Obama and Iraq. He was a relentless critic of the surge, even after it was clear the surge was not only working, but working beyond the expectations of even those who championed it. John McCain was (rightly) arguing for the surge long before it was endorsed; and when the President, in the face of ferocious opposition, decided on the surge, the entire Democratic Party lined up against it.

We are now seeing the good fruits of the Petraeus-led effort and, if things continue on their present course, we may be able to accelerate the drawdown of troops (which of course has already begun; General Petraeus announced months ago that he was recommending that we withdraw five brigade combat teams, more than a quarter of our total number of combat troops, from Iraq, which we are in the process of completing).

Obama's record on Iraq and the surge is intellectually dishonest and reckless. We can only be glad that his plan, which would have removed all combat troops from Iraq in March 2008, was never put in place, and the defeat he would have authored has not come to pass. ~Peter Wehner~

A Field Guide

I found this extremely hilarious when I stumbled upon it (I must be tired). I'm sure we all know of a few people that we'd like to slip this to huh? Is it just me, or are you tired of people speaking about Christians in blanket terminology?

If you were the editor, what would you put in this field guide?

God Created the Heavens, the Earth, and...

Jones Cream Soda!!!

Over the past few years, I have completely cut pop (soda for those of you outside of the Midwest) from my diet. Besides a few Mountain Dews and Barq's Rootbeer here and there (normally with pizza), I have been pretty disciplined and feel a lot healthier because of it.

Anyways, I am in LOVE with Jones Pure Cane Soda. It has to be the tastiest drink ever created. It is definitely a very refreshing summer drink. Hopefully I'll break the habit once teaching starts back up in another month.

Until then? Bring on the cream soda (even though my body crashes every time I put one down) :D

Jones Soda

When Not Seeing Is Believing

Today we took Kayley to the doctor's office for what turned out to be an allergy rash. While we were there, I read a very insightful article by Andrew Sullivan that was published in Time Magazine. Oddly, the magazine was from October 2, 2006!

Do we not have a trash can?

-or-

They must have liked the article as well!

When Not Seeing Is Believing

Anyways, I thought some of you might enjoy the read. If not, I'll have it for my own personal reference :) Enjoy!

Paul Wilbur Ministries

This afternoon and evening, Megan and I had the pleasure of spending time with Paul Wilbur, Greg Shumake, and Don Heist. These three men are part of a music based ministry, Wilbur Ministries, that is located in Jacksonville, Florida. Megan's Aunt Sue orchestrates many of Wilbur Ministries worship functions.

As we were hanging out at Meg's parent's house this afternoon, I admired the passion that Paul Wilbur has with his faith. His message focuses on Messianic Judaism, but many of the foundations and overall beliefs are similar to my belief as a Christ follower. His Biblical knowledge, especially in the area of Biblical prophecy, was entertaining to listen too. I can see why he has been called to lead such a ministry.

The evening ended as we watched an outdoor concert put on by Paul and his worship team. Although his music doesn't fit my own personal taste (his daughter-in-law, Sharon Wilbur, is on my ipod), the message is what counts. The people in attendance were dancing, singing aloud, praising, and fully committing their time to focus on God. It was a nice opportunity to see something different. It expands our knowledge and educates us as Christians. Even though it doesn't necessarily align with what Megan and I are used to, the overall experience was worthwhile.

Just wanted to give a blogosphere shout out to Wilbur Ministries and their passion for spreading the Kingdom of God through music.

Barack Obama: Too Little Too Late

Sometime during the next few weeks, Barack Obama will make a much anticipated visit to Iraq. (Ironically, the time frame is being kept secret for security reasons...which I find extremely interesting on many fronts). The news of his impending trip has sparked a media love fest that wants to portray him as a diplomatic hero. Someone risking his own personal security to save us from the Iraq War. In comparison, John McCain has made three trips to the Middle East over the past four months and barely makes the ticker tape at the bottom of most cable news outlets. I wanted to provide some commentary regarding Barack Obama's trip to Iraq:

Point #1: Barack Obama has impeccable timing. Conveniently, Obama has chosen to visit Iraq after many months of continued successes. Recently, the Bush Administration communicated with the Iraqi PM ,Nouri al-Maliki, about seeking a general timeline for troop withdrawal. A huge issue that has been criticized by many who have been adamantly against the war. This latest development comes after a significant decrease in violence and an increase in stability within the Iraqi borders (something Obama refuses to acknowledge on the campaign trail). Troop numbers, within the last few month alone, have dropped from 170,000 to 145,000 and are expected to continually decrease (especially with the UN mandate expiring on December 31). However, the important part of these ongoing conversations is the realization of security goals and continued democratic improvements by both parties involved(Iraq and U.S.). 10 of the 18 provinces in Iraq are currently under Iraqi control. Barack Obama would be walking into a much different situation had the U.S. followed his blueprint concerning the Iraq War. There would be chaos, dramatic increases in sectarian violence, overwhelming terrorist propaganda, political unrest, increased Iranian influence, and a deeper hole than we could ever imagine. Barack Obama is "self-promoting" too little too late. He continues to preach about military situations that we are slowly, but safely, executing. However, Obama has decided to play the "oblivious card" in regards to these issues. Sooner, rather than later, the American public will outsmart this political stunt.

Baghdad family's woes far from Obama spotlight

Bush drops refusal to talk about Iraq timetable (Personally, this article is titled incorrectly. It's not a refusal in policy, it's an appropriate action based on results.)

Point #2: Some recent comments from the Iraqi people concerning Barack Obama's trip and policy toward the Iraq War: "We are worried that he might win the presidency and pull out (American) forces because chaos would prevail in Iraq and militias would return." — Mohammed Abbas, 19, Shiite primary school teacher in southern city of Hillah. "I wish God would inspire Obama to do something in the interest of the Iraqi people." — Harith Abdullah, 52, Sunni engineer in Baghdad. "I think that after visiting Iraq, Obama will change his mind about pulling out American troops because the security in Iraq is more stable with the forces here." — Bahra Khalid, 39, Kurdish teacher in northern city of Irbil. "America is like a giant company whose only concern is profit. Obama's visit is for propaganda." — Sami Hassan, 36, Shiite engineer in Baghdad. "The American forces will not withdraw whether Obama wins or not. If they withdraw, that would create a big vacuum and Iran would be the first to fill it." — Ahmed Samih, 55, Sunni official in Ministry of Higher Education in Baghdad.

Point #3: Barack Obama has been all over the map regarding his position on the war. Yes, he has consistently been against the war, but his position regarding the military execution and military strategy has been inconsistent at best. Should we trust a presidential candidate that shifts positions without accounting for the progress that has been made on the ground? Can we trust a presidential candidate that day after day is oblivious to this progress and discredits the current administrations work towards success? Since 2002, Barack Obama hasn't been the most consistent politician in his views for the Iraq War. In fact, he has looked utterly foolish and, at times, has looked totally incapable of making such decisions as our Commander in Chief. Barack needs to understand that this "War" is vital to the stability of an entire region. It is vital to the spread of democracy. It is vital to the future security of not only the United States, but the rest of the free world. Barack Obama has proven to be irrational and a populist concerning the Iraq War. It's not about the decisions made to appease those looking for the flavor of the week, it's about the decisions made to commit to success, security, and stability. All have been overlooked by the inexperienced, junior Senator from Chicago.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." ~Ronald Reagan

For a presidential candidate who has based his whole platform around being "against" the Iraq War, he better find something else solid to stand on. With four months left until the November elections, an eternity in politics, Obama better hope that the Iraqi success doesn't catch up to him too fast...or he might be out of a job.

Commander-In-Chief?

Expelled

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Super Trailer) - Funny bloopers R us

Prayer Request Update

I just wanted to update you on the condition of my Grandma and to ask for your continued thoughts and prayers. She is still in the hospital and has begun physical therapy for her broken hip. Because of the type of break, the doctors decided that the best medicine would be time and therapy. While Grandma was undergoing numerous tests, the doctors discovered that she has lung cancer. Further tests will be done to see how extensive the cancer is and how they can best treat her. She sounds great and remains in good spirits.

Please continue to pray and keep her in your thoughts. If you feel moved to, please leave a prayer message for her. I'm sure she would enjoy the kindness.


"Pray, and let God worry." -- Martin Luther

"I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go." -- Abraham Lincoln

Where Do You Go To Church?

Wouldn't it be nice if this is what every church sign looked like? No million dollar theater seating. No rivalries between who has the best media equipment. No denomination requirements. No race qualifications. No age limit. No politics.

We've broken the church into millions of individualized pieces. I don't know about you, but Jesus only talked about ONE church.

You and I...

"Quotes"

Words can leave an amazing impression on the mind and paint brilliant pictures within the soul. This is why I love quotes. I have a document saved where I am continually adding to my list of favorites. Just thought I would share a few in the blogosphere:

"I always loved running - it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."
~Jesse Owens~

"Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even." ~Muhammad Ali~

"There is a movement bubbling up that goes beyond cynicism and celebrates a new way of living, a generation that stops complaining about the church it sees and becomes the church it dreams of."
~Shane Claiborne~

"A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within."
~William Durant~

"Every attempt at human progress has been an attempt to overcome what was lost in the Fall."
~Randy Alcorn~

"I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but by it I see everything else."
~C.S. Lewis~

"The danger when men stop believing in God is not that they'll believe in nothing, but that they'll believe in anything."
~G.K. Chesterton~

"If you are not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. If you are not Conservative by 40, you have no brain."
~ Winston Churchill~

""The people, who were trying to make this world worse... are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness."
~Bob Marley~

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." ~Ronald Reagan~

"While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now, I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight, I'll fight to the very end!"
~William Booth~

...

Learning Table

Kayley LOVES her learning table. Well, actually, she likes anything that she can get her hands on. Luckily, this has lights and music to keep her attention. Here she is playing with the learning table this evening:






Looks like she liked it!

Would Jesus Sit Down With Satan? Would Jesus Negotiate With Evil?

The relationship between politics and religion is erosive at best. Some would argue that with an absence of religion, politics would be progressive. Others would argue that with an absence of politics, religion would be perfection. If this is the argument, wouldn't the desired outcome of those progressive actions be perfection? Does religion have the upper-hand?

In light of recent political issues (mainly the idea of diplomacy with adversaries), I thought it would be interesting to pose the following questions:

Would Jesus Sit Down With Satan? Would Jesus Negotiate With Evil?

This is not suggesting that Jesus would be or was a politician. It does not suggest that our adversaries are Satan. But, it does provide a foundation for which we can talk about the idea of diplomacy and how it should be used.

Enter the idea of good and evil.

First, let's hypothetically say that the entities of good and evil exist (personally, for which I agree). We all, being human in nature, have tendencies to commit deeds/acts (both large and small) of both good and evil. Politicians and government agencies are no better than you or I. All have the same temptations to follow both the good and evil aspects of this world. Perfection, besides the human form of Christ, does not exist.

Second, good and evil can be difficult to classify. Both do not conform neatly in their own box because of people's interpretations. However, I believe that good and evil do not arise from themselves, rather both stem from intention. Intention, in this case, being a pre-cognitive thought process that filters the idea of "right" and "wrong" choices. With good (morally speaking) comes "right" choices. With evil (morally speaking) comes "wrong" choices. I think we can all agree that some people make more right/wrong choices than others. This does not necessarily make that person good or evil, but it does signify a spiritual battle between the two.

God sent his only begotten Son to us so that we could physically see that He was the epitome of love. God wanted to show Grace and Mercy to His children through the perfect, sinless life of Christ. With Jesus, we see a Man who could have set the world on fire. He could have chosen to abuse His spiritual gifts and leave no doubts that He was from our Creator. Instead, He used timely lessons of right and wrong, taught us how to place our faith in God, and pledge our obedience to Him for the long-haul. Jesus taught us how to live through temptations and how to use our intentions appropriately and justly. He came so that we may follow Him.

Jesus didn't come to negotiate with evil. He didn't come to barter and appease Satan. He didn't come to give into adversaries. He didn't need to. Doing so would give into the temptations of evil. It would give evil the victory. It would show weakness and unaccountability. He simply wanted us to follow Him because He was the Son of a loving God that wanted us to know Him. If we didn't follow, He didn't negotiate. It was our free will not too. It was our choice to deny true freedom.

Several times throughout Scripture Jesus is tempted by Satan. What do we see from this? We see that He was like us. He was tempted, but He showed obedience. He was challenged by evil to give into its ways, but he showed obedience. He showed no mercy for evil and no bite for the bait. In many ways, the dialogue between Jesus and Satan is a battle of inner temptations; a decision to put good over evil. Much like you and I have to do on a daily basis. In Mark chapter 4, Jesus is tempted by the devil to test God. The devil makes an offer for his soul. Evil negotiates. It tempts. It provokes. Good is being obedient to what is right. Jesus did not give in.

In conclusion, the answer to both of these questions (to me personally) is...No. Jesus didn't need to do either. Bartering for the freedom of humanity would have been the end. He never gave into evil. He recognized temptation and stood for everything good.

Shouldn't we do the same?


Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
~1 Thess 5:21-22~

Blogging

I absolutely love this quote about blogging. It pretty much explains how I see things from my end of the keyboard.

If you have a blogger like me who's honest and really doesn't care what you think, then blogging is a good thing because people want to hear the truth. You give your readers an insight of your life and what's going on. It's a risk. But if they hate you, they're going to hate you for telling the truth, and I can live with that. The bad part is that you can kill yourself with your own sword.

I love blogging because it is a great avenue for expression. It allows you to speak your heart and your mind. It allows you to record moments of happiness, sadness, laughter, and fun. It gives you something to be accountable for. It makes you think about who you are and what you want to be. It's an online diary of thoughts.

The cool part? You may agree or disagree...but they're still my thoughts. Blogging gives you the one thing that others cannot take away from you.

You.

Quarter of a Century

That's me!

Today I got to share my birthday with Megan and Kayley. The weather was great and we went to my two favorite restaurants; The Desert Inn for lunch and Red Robin for dinner. We also did a little shopping around town. I don't feel any older, but age is just a number right?


Happy Birthday to the other 9 million people who share this date with me :)

Fast Food Nation

America is addicted to fast food.

With the rising costs of gas and food, many Americans are turning to the idea of a "cheap and quick" meal.

If you are a consumer of the fast food industry and you haven't read Fast Food Nation or watched Super Size Me, I urge you to do so. It could, honestly, change your life for the better.


New Wearable Feedbags Let Americans Eat More, Move Less

Softball Stats

Softball has been a blast this summer. Our team struggled early (4-10), but we have really turned things around over the past eight games. Here are my stats through fourteen games:

BA: .302 H: 13 AB: 43 1B: 12 2B: 1 Runs: 7 RBI: 10 SLG% .326

My hitting definitely needs to improve. I am a line-drive hitter who has been very unlucky. Instead of finding the holes, I'm usually finding a position player to hit it too (normally 2nd and SS). If I can work on placing the ball better, my batting average should get better. The best thing I have to offer my team is defense. I play right-center field and it has been a lot of fun. If I've been counting correctly, I have seven outfield assists (5 at 3rd, 2 at home). Hopefully over the last six games my offense can improve.

Think About Your Day

Prayer Request

"Our only true power is the power of prayer. When we pray, God moves from heaven. When we pray, things happen that would not otherwise happen. By prayer all things are possible." - Dr. Ray Pritchard

Last night, my Grandma broke her hip and her blood oxygen levels reached a critical state due to a possible respiratory illness. Please pray for God to lift her up, comfort her, and heal her. Prayer can often times be the best medicine. Thank you in advance.

Update: Thank you to everyone who has included my Grandma in your prayers. Please keep her there as she continues to battle a few obstacles. Due to some health factors, the doctors are not able to operate on the broken hip yet. Doctors think she may have had a mild heart attack early Thursday morning. I will keep you informed as I find out more.

<><

Do You Feel Like Dancin'?

One day, we'll all dance for the same reason :)


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Happy Fourth of July

The Cost of Independence

God: Comeback Player of the Century?

Isn't God ironic?

Almost coincidentally, as our global culture seems to continually deteriorate, He...somehow...someway...steals the show.

God is national headline news. He is a forefront issue in the 2008 presidential election. His existence is challenged by authors of top selling books. He is the topic of University debates. God is discussed on Capitol Hill and in our Courts. He has radio stations devoted to Him. His Word is the most published piece of literature...ever. Schools and businesses close in remembrance of Him. Many last words are spent talking to Him.

All this for a God that some claim does not exist?

Not bad huh?

The above TIME Magazine cover was issued on July 8, 1966. Its lead story Is God Dead? focused on a movement that began in the 1940's and 1950's. This movement is known today as New Atheism. However, both philosophies focus on verificationism as the leading argument against theology. In both cases, Atheism is simply an evolution of thought. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Just when it seems that God was down and out for the count, He comes roaring back on the scene. The mere thought of His existence has created one of the healthiest discussions amongst believers and non-believers in recent history. In fact, there has been a " renaissance of Christian philosophy" (Craig 2008) because of this movement that makes NOT believing in Him even harder.

William Lane Craig, author of God Is Not Dead Yet, offers a healthy approach in support of Christian theology. His commentary is logical, educational, and respectable.

God is certainly not dead. He is more alive than ever before thanks to the very things that have challenged His existence. But, in that same breath, we have to have the common sense to understand what God stands for and be willing to pay it forward.

Isn't God ironic?

Peas, Fireworks, and Sleep Positions

Kayley is at the age (7 months on 7/8) where we are introducing many new fruits and veggies to her ever growing menu. So far she has tried and liked: bananas (her favorite), pears, apples, squash, rice cereal, oatmeal and blueberries, oatmeal and bananas, avocados, apple juice, peaches, and peas. There really hasn't been any one food that she has not liked. Which is good! The peas have been funny to watch. It must be because of the texture, but she always has a silly look on her face at first. After the initial taste, she's all about them...

What is this horrible excuse for food!

Hmmm...not bad, not bad.

Peas are delicious!

MORE PEAS !!!

After my softball game, Meg and I took Kayley to her first firework show at the McKinley Monument. We went over to Mark and Linda's (our friend Kristen's parents) who live a couple of blocks away from Monument Park. Kayley was so excited to be outside (and awake) when it was dark out. She was laughing and really observant of all the people and sounds around her. It took a couple of firework bursts, but they eventually caught her eye. It was fun watching her get attracted to the colors in the sky. After fireworks, we all went to Taggarts for some ice cream. Kayley was pooped after a long day and night. But it was fun!

Kayley hasn't used her sleep positioner for well over a month now. Ever since she has been able to roll over, she has become a stomach sleeper (like her Daddy). For awhile, she just kind of sprawled out in her crib any which way. Now, she sleeps in the "bottoms-up" position. Every time we sneak a peek of her sleeping, it's hard not to snap a picture of her. She is just too dang cute. I may be a little bias though :)