Big Butter Jesus

In our home town, Monroe, Ohio, we have a very unique landmark. That landmark, a 62 foot tall Jesus statue, that is creme colored, lovingly refered to as "Big Butter Jesus". The statue is in front of the Solid Rock church overlooking interstate 75. If you haven't seen it, you are missing out. It is huge. It has become something that our little city is known for. I can't tell you how many times I have given someone directions like "When you see the 60 foot Jesus, get off of that exit and turn right."

This statue has it's own Wikipedia entry. Apparently it's real name is "King of Kings". It also has it's own song (I have included the video to that song at the end of this post). Sure, we could have been one of those towns that is known for it's beach or amusement park or natural landmark, but not us. We are the town with the 60 foot Jesus, and that's pretty cool.

Extreme Makeover - Home Edition

If you know the show, Extreme Makeover-Home Edition, you know that the premise of the show is to take a family, living in a rundown house or a house that doesn't meet their current needs, and build them a brand new house.

If you watched the show, from when it first premiered, you know that they used to take the house, that the chosen family was currently living in, and remodel it. The remodel would drastically improve the house. However, as the series has went on, they have stopped remodeling the houses and now just demolish them completely and start from scratch.

When it comes to my own projects, whether it be in ministry or otherwise, I tend to be like Extreme Makeover during the early shows. If I have some framework, I want to keep that and just build around it. What I have difficulty doing is tearing something down and starting from scratch. Even if something is not working, I find it hard to scrap it all and start over. I can be very stubborn about this. Maybe it is the pride I have that makes it hard to admit that what I have worked on needs to be scrapped. Maybe it is that I don't want the hard work I have done to be for nothing. No matter what it is, it is hard to decide to start over. However, often times this can be the best solution. Instead of trying to make something work, I can begin again and, in the end, it will work out. Sometimes, it ends up being less work starting from scratch then trying to rework something that isn't worth the effort.

Superman Ice Cream

Ice cream is probably my favorite dessert. I like many different flavors, but, in general, I would say that my favorite is chocolate. However, there was a flavor of ice cream, that was around when I was growing up, that was absolutely amazing. It was called "Superman" ice cream and it was the best. I wish I could describe for you the taste. It was so delicious.

A few years ago, I came across what was called "Superman" ice cream at an ice cream shoppe. I was so excited. However, my excitement was short lived. Apparently, there is some ice cream company out there that is trying to pass off multi-colored vanilla ice cream as "Superman". It was so disappointing. Since then, I have ran across ice cream named "Superman", but they have all turned out to be the multi-colored vanilla type.

So, until I can find the true "Superman" ice cream again, I will stick with chocolate being my favorite. What is your favorite type of ice cream?

Duke vs. Kentucky 3/28/92

It was 17 years ago today that the greatest basketball game ever played took place in Philadelphia. It was Duke vs. Kentucky for a chance to go to the Final Four. Duke was the favorite to win their second national title. Kentucky was a group of over achievers, known as the unforgettables, that stuck together through the adversity suffered by their basketball program from years earlier.

Through out the game, it seemed every play was bigger then the next. Duke would make a basket, then Kentucky would make a basket. Kentucky would go on a run, then Duke would respond back with a run of their own. It was such a battle that couldn't be decided in regulation and was forced into overtime.

In overtime, every shot, every play was huge. Each team would answer the other team's baskets. Near the end of overtime, Kentucky's Sean Woods made an improbable driving shot that looked to give Kentucky the win.

But then it happened. With 2.1 seconds left on the clock, Duke and it's star player, Christian Laettner, pulled off the greatest play in college basketball.

Down by 1 point and having to go the length of the floor to make a basket, Coach K drew up a play. Grant Hill (another Duke star) threw the ball 3/4 of the way down the court to Laettner. Laettner grabbed the pass, dribbled once, faked right, turned left, and made the game winning shot over two Kentucky players as the clock ran out.

This game represented all that is great with College basketball. Two teams fought their hearts out just for a chance to go to the Final Four. To see two teams give so much and compete so hard, truly made you proud to be a fan of the sport. Sure, Duke won the game, but the biggest winner was College basketball and it's fans.

Oh Well...

The season is over for both Duke and Xavier. My dream of a Duke vs. Xavier game, to go to the Final Four, is over. Both teams lost last night. Xavier was the underdog, so it was kind of expected for them to lose. Duke, however, was the higher seeded team, so their loss was harder to take. Needless to say, I am bummed.

Xavier played their hearts out. They kept it close, but Pitt was able to pull away in the last minute of the game. Xavier had a great season and this year has given them a lot to build on for next year.

Duke was never really in their game after half-time. It seemed they were out of sorts the entire second half. Their big three players, Gerald Henderson, Kyle Singler, and Jon Scheyer, all had one of their worst games of the year. Even though they didn't make it to the Final Four, they still had a really great season. They won 30 games this year. Coach K has set the bar so high that anything less then a Final Four is a bit of a disappointment. That says a great deal for Duke's basketball program. Duke has a great recruiting class coming in, so maybe next year will be the year they make it back to the Final Four.

March Madness always seems to lose a bit of it's excitement for me when Duke gets eliminated. Sure, I will still watch many of the games, but it's not quite the same. With Duke and Xavier both losing, I don't have a team that I really want to win. But, as the old saying goes, "There's always next year."

Duck, Duck, Goose

It seems that Duck, Duck, Goose is the new family fun game in our house. Selleck learned this game in preschool and loves to play it. Since our household consists only of Selleck, Slade (who doesn't yet get the game), Sarah, and me, Selleck has to be creative. To fill in the spots of our circle, Selleck will use his dog Roxy (stuffed animal) and whatever other toy or stuffed animal he can find. He will go around the circle "ducking" everyone until he gets to his mommy or me. He says "goose" and we chase him in whatever direction he runs. It is so much fun!

I wish I had Selleck's creativity and imagination. Whether it is in planning things for church or other areas in life, I wish I could think outside the box like he does. If he wants to do something or play something, he doesn't let the circumstances stop him. He looks beyond the circumstances and makes whatever modifications he needs to be able to play the game he wants to play.

I have found that one of the easiest places, to not be creative, is in a small church. In a small church it is easy to give excuses like "we don't have enough people to do this or that". But, that is just an excuse. We should be like Selleck and not be afraid to be creative and use our imagination. We will be able to do things we never thought possible and hopefully have the same enjoyment and enthusiasm as he does.

Chick-fil-a

Today is the last day for our local Chick-fil-a's free Wednesday breakfast entree. If you haven't taken them up on their offer, today is your last chance. You have until 10:30 am. If you haven't heard of the promotion, you have really missed out. I know that many Chick-fil-a restaurants had similar promotions, but locally they were giving away 1 free breakfast entree, to every person, each Wednesday from January 7th to March 25th. How cool is that?

I have to say that I love Chick-fil-a. Not only do I enjoy eating their food, but I have to respect a company that, in my opinion, goes above and beyond.

First, they are closed every Sunday. Their founder cares enough about his employees to make sure they have at least 1 day to spend with their family and worship, if they chose to do so. Sure, they could be open on Sundays and make more money, but he felt it more important to give this time to his employees then to make money. You have to respect that.

And, secondly, to give away free food at a time when people are struggling financially, shows Chick-fil-a cares about the communities they are in. I am sure they hope that giving away free breakfast on Wednesdays will cause people to come back for breakfast another day, but, if that was their only motive, I am sure they would have went about it a different way. I really believe they care.

So, today I will stop by and get my last free chicken biscuit. However, this certainly won't be my last breakfast stop at Chick-fil-a. I love their chicken, but even more I am proud to spend my money at a company that truly cares about people.

Directions

I am really bad at driving directions. First of all, I can only really tell North-South-East-West if I am close to a highway or some landmark that I know it's location and can guess direction from that. So, when someone tells me to turn north, I am lost.

Secondly, when I am giving directions, the problem I have is that I don't remember names of roads. So, my directions usually sound like this:"Take a left at the BP. Take a right at the Chipotle. Go through 2 traffic lights and turn left at the big corn field." Thus, others have a hard time following my directions.

So, what is a guy that is bad at directions do? I use Mapquest whenever I can. It has helped me get from point A to point B without being lost in the middle of nowhere.

I equate going through life without reading God's Mapquest, the Bible, to listening to me for directions. You can listen to others for directions as to God's will in your life or you can try to guess what North-South-East-West direction God has for you. Or, you can read his roadmap for your life and get first hand the way to go. When we only use others to be our guide, we often can get lost. When we follow God's direction, through his word, we get where He wants us to go.

NCAA March Madness - Weekend in Review

Wow! What a great, long weekend of March Madness. I have watched some serious amounts of basketball. My eyes are tired, that is until Thursday when the tournament starts up again!

I know what you are thinking. I have to have the greatest wife in the world to let me spend all this time watching basketball. You are right. I do! I know that this weekend hasn't been the most fun for her, but it really means a lot to me that she is so cool about letting me watch the games.

Here is a recap of my tournament favorites so far. Duke won a close game on Saturday night and plays Villanova on Thursday night for a chance to go to the Elite 8. Xavier, my favorite local team, won on Sunday and will play Pitt on Thursday. If Duke and Xavier both win, they get to play each other to go to the Final Four. My loyalty belongs to Duke, but I would be excited for them to get to play each other.

The tournament has been a good one this year. There have been a few upsets, but so far, no major ones. In my brackets, I had a much better 2nd round then I did my 1st round. In the 2nd round I went 13 - 3. All my picks for the Final Four are still in the tournament. (I once again added my bracket to the bottom of this post.)

Now, I guess, it is back to normal life for me and my blog. At least for a few days.

Bobby Hurley - PG Duke

My favorite basketball player of all time is Bobby Hurley. Hurley was the point guard for Duke from 1989-1993. He played in 3 National Championship games, won 2 of them, and was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player in 1992.

Even with all of those accomplishments, it is a different record he holds that makes him my favorite player. Bobby Hurley is the all time, NCAA assist leader with 1076 (An assist is a stat you get when your pass directly leads to your teammate scoring a basket). To me, that means Bobby Hurley was the ultimate team player.

He did score lots of points (1731) in his college career, however, it was his selflessness, in giving up his own shot to get a better shot for his teammate, that made those Duke teams of the early 90's so great.

Because of his hard work, toughness, and team first attitude, Bobby Hurley will go down as, in my opinion, the greatest point guard to ever play college basketball.

(March Madness update: Duke won! Yesterday, I went 7 - 1 in my brackets. Much better then the two days before. See my updated bracket below. Today, Xavier plays Wisconsin to try to reach the sweet 16.)

Coach Mike Krzyzewski

To me, Coach K is the greatest basketball coach of all time. He has been the coach of the Duke Blue Devils since 1980, racking up over 800 wins in his coaching career. What makes him such a great coach, is that he truly pours into his players. Sure, he wants to win games, but, more then that, he wants to give his players the tools that will make them successful in life. He believes in leadrship and teamwork to be successful on and off the court.

I recently came across some great quotes, from Coach K, that give insight into how he has become such a success in basketball and in life.

"Effective teamwork begins and ends with communication."

"Making shots counts, but not as much as the people who make them."

"I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to be a basketball coach."

"Confrontation simply means meeting the truth head-on."

"It takes courage not only to make decisions, but to live with those decisions afterward."

"Confidence shared is better than confidance only in yourself."

"Two are better than one if two act as one."

"Leaders should be reliable without being predictable. They should be consistent without being anticipated."

(March Madness update: I am 22 - 10 in my brackets after the first 2 days. Not so hot. My updated bracket is below. Tonight, Duke plays Texas in the last game of the evening.)

March Madness II

Well, day 1 of March Madness is behind us. I am looking forward to day number 2. The great thing about day number 1 is that Duke won! They beat Binghamton 86 - 62. They move on to play Texas on Saturday.

The tournament, so far, has had 4 upsets, a few blowout games, and a couple nail biters. For my brackets, I went 12 - 4. Not all that good, but there is still tomorrow. (There is a copy of my updated brackets at the bottom of this post)

Xavier (my favorite Cincinnati team) plays today against Portland State. Looks like it will be another 12 hour day in front of the t.v. and I can't wait!

March Madness

Today marks the start of the two greatest days in the world of sports. March Madness tips off a little after noon today! There is nothing that can compare to the opening round of the NCAA college basketball tournament. There are so many plots and sub plots that make it so exciting. You always have the Davids (The small schools) vs. the Goliaths (The large, powerhouse schools). There are always upsets and buzzer beaters. Every team is playing for their basketball life and it is so exciting!

With the tournament, comes the tournament brackets. Every year I think I've done a pretty good job filling out my brackets, until, that is, the tournament starts and I see all the games I predicted incorrectly. This year, to keep me honest, I will post a copy of my picks. I think this year might just be the year I pick them all correctly!



So, for the next 2 days (and really the entire weekend, for that matter), I will be in front of my t.v. with some snacks and a Mountain Dew watching the Madness unfold. Go Duke!

What not to do on a job interview - week 5

With the current job market, many people will be searching for new jobs. To help out, I thought I would take one day each week for 5 weeks and give you my "Top 5 things not to do on a job interview". We are in the 5th and final week. These are things that have actually happened during one of the job interviews I have conducted. If you are interviewing for a new job, please do not do these things.

5) Forget where you are interviewing - One of the first questions that I always ask is "Tell me why you want to work for our company". During one interview, I asked the interviewee this question. His response, "The books you sell are great. I love to read. I find it a great escape to just lose myself in a book, and that is what makes what you guys provide so valuable." See, that may have been a good response if we had been a book store. The interview was to work at a science and nature gift store. We did sell books. Actually there were only two that we sold. "The Gas We Pass" and "Everybody Poops". I assume he forgot what store he was interviewing for or didn't really know what we sold. Either way, not good. In hind sight, "The Gas We Pass" could be a great escape, but I hope you don't lose yourself in "Everybody Poops". We did not offer him a position.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day is the day set aside to honor St. Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland, and all things Irish. I don't know a great deal about St. Patrick, or Ireland for that matter, but I do know that on his day I am supposed to wear green. And, if I don't, I get pinched. What's up with that?

Is there some other Saint out there that, if I don't wear their color, I will get slapped, or scratched, or kneed in an area that I don't want to be kneed? I can see setting aside a day to honor a Saint. I can even see wearing some color to show that you are honoring that Saint. But, to apply bodily harm if you don't adhere to wearing the color of that Saint, I think goes too far.

However, just to be safe, I am writing my blog in green today. So, please, if you see me, and I don't happen to be wearing green, know that my blog is wearing green for me and please refrain from pinching me! And, if you agree not to pinch me, I will make sure that, when I celebrate my favorite Saint's day and you aren't wearing his color, I won't come over and poke you in the eye.

Jon 3:16

Today is my brother-in-law Jon's birthday. Usually, I am very bad at remembering birthdays, but, because of a coincidence, I will always be able to remember Jon's Birthday.

You see, one year we happened to be visiting Sarah's family in Virginia and it was Jon's birthday. As we were together, celebrating his birthday, Jon's father-in-law happened to mention how cool it was that Jon was born on March 16th, thus being Jon 3:16 (John 3:16). Bob and Marcia (Jon and Sarah's parents) said that they didn't even realize that they had referenced one of the greatest verses in the Bible when they named their son Jon on 3/16.

After thinking about it, I realized how fortunate it was that it worked out the way it did. It is nice to have your name and birth date reference such a wonderful verse. Every verse in the Bible is great, in that it is the word of God, but some may not give you the same warm feelings as John 3:16. The coincidence may not have seemed such a cool thing if Bob and Marcia would have decided to name him Joel and he was born on February 2nd (A day of darkness and gloom. A day of clouds and blackness...Joel 2:2) or name him Jeremiah and he was born on April 19th (Oh my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh the agony of my heart...Jeremiah 4:19).

So, all in all, I think it worked out to be a great coincidence just as it did. Happy Birthday Jon!

Breakfast

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is supposed to kick start your day. I don't seem to get to have breakfast all that often (mainly on weekends), but, when I do, I certainly have some favorite foods. I have always loved biscuits and gravy. A nice piece of bacon or ham is always good. And, I have come to have a great appreciation for omelets (my mother-in-law makes a killer omelet).

What I don't get, though, are some of the breakfast items that have come to be staples on many breakfast menus. The item that has been around the longest, that I just don't get, is grits. I can't understand why people like to eat this tasteless, oatmeal like, paste. But, you see grits on menus across the country.

In Cincinnati, a breakfast staple is Goetta. Goetta is composed of ground meat, usually pork, and oats. It is formed into squares and then fried. Pork and oats rolled together then fried just seems odd to me, but people here love it.

Another pork breakfast dish I don't get is Scrapple. Scrapple is basically pork scraps rolled with cornmeal and flour, then fried. Nothing like eating some pork scraps! No thank you.

Finally, the last breakfast item that I just don't get is Mush. Wikipedia says it is a cornmeal pudding, usually boiled, then fried. Many people eat it with maple syrup on top. I won't be one of those people.

I guess these breakfast foods, other then the grits, show that people will eat just about anything if it is fried. Maybe that is the key. Take anything you can get your hands on, fry it, and people will eat it. For me, I will just stick to my biscuits and gravy or have myself a nice omelet.

Wisdom Teeth

On Friday, I had my wisdom teeth pulled. I am writing this under the influence of pain medicine, so, if I am making less sense then normal, you will know why. All in all, I think things went pretty well. The procedure only took about 45 minutes, including recovery time, once they finally started. All I remember is getting an i.v., falling asleep, then waking up and walking out to the car. So far, I haven't had much pain. However, I am waiting for the pain that they say hits on the 2nd day. Hopefully, that won't be too bad either, but we'll see.

The sad part is that I didn't get to bring my teeth home with me. I don't really care to keep them, but now I won't be able to stick them under my pillow tonight. What is the going rate, per tooth, from the tooth fairy anyway? I bet I would have cleaned up!

I know some of you may be wondering, so I will set your minds at ease. Even though I no longer have my wisdom teeth, I still feel just as smart as ever.

Friday the 13th Part II

I don't know about you, but to me it seems like we just had a Friday the 13th? Is it some sort of Deja Vu? It is some sort of Deja Vu?

Being the 2nd Friday the 13th in 2 months must really be freaking out those extremely superstitious people. As I said in my last Friday the 13th post, I don't have many superstitions. However, here are four superstitions that I don't necessarily believe in, but I think might just have a little merit:

1) In the world of theatre, it is bad luck to wish someone "Good Luck" and uttering the word "MacBeth" is also said to bring bad luck.

2) It is bad luck to pick up a coin if it is tails side up.

3) It is bad luck to leave a house through a different door then the one you came in.

4) You must get out of a bed on the same side you got in or you will have bad luck.

Hopefully knowing these few tidbits will help you to have good luck. Unless it is bad luck to hope that you have good luck, then never mind.

Public Speaking

In his comedy routine, Jerry Seinfeld refers to a survey he read about people's fear. It said that the number 1 fear, of most people, was public speaking. The number 2 fear was death. So his joke goes, "At a funeral, most people would rather be the one in the casket then the one delivering the eulogy."

I can certainly understand the fear of public speaking. When I was in High School and College, I didn't really have a fear of public speaking. I think this was due to the fact that I had so many opportunities to speak in public, that I got used to it. Whether it was giving a speech in a class, or bringing a lesson in my youth group, or running for student counsel, there were always times I had to speak in public.

As an adult, it seems the opportunities to speak in public, for most people, are few and far between. With that, it is easy to get out of practice. Being out of practice makes you unsure of yourself and thus the fear sets in.

Since being ordained, and sometimes being asked to bring the message on Sunday mornings, I have had to work on re-establishing my public speaking skills. In no way am I saying I am a great public speaker, but the more I do it, the more comfortable I feel.

Often times there are people that God has really put something wonderful in their heart to share with others, but, because of their fear of public speaking, they keep it inside. If that is you, I would encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and share what God has laid on your heart. What you have to say may be a real blessing to someone. And, the more you step out and share your story, the easier it will be to share it with even more people and the more God will be glorified.

What not to do on a job interview - week 4

With the current job market, many people will be searching for new jobs. To help out, I thought I would take one day each week for 5 weeks and give you my "Top 5 things not to do on a job interview". We are in week number 4. These are things that have actually happened during one of the job interviews I have conducted. If you are interviewing for a new job, please do not do these things.

4) Don't apply and interview for a job you only intend on having for 2 weeks - I had an interview with a girl that was still in college. It was the end of August and I noticed on her application that she had attended college out of state. My assumption was that she must have either changed schools to one near by or will not be attending college. I was wrong. During the interview, she told me that she goes back to school in 2 weeks and just wanted a job because she had a few days free until she left for school. She went on to tell me some specific days within that 2 week time period that she would not be available. Come on! No employer would go through the hiring process, train someone, then have them leave a few days later. We did not offer her a position.

Traffic

Every single work day, I drive at least an hour to work and an hour home from work. A good portion of that time is spent being stuck in traffic. It should only take me 35 to 40 minutes each way, but, because of the traffic, I spend more then 2 hours every day in the car. It becomes so frustrating to sit there not being able to do anything but listen to the radio. The majority of what I listen to is the news, weather, and traffic reports. Being in the car 2 hours a day, I hear the same news, weather, and traffic over and over again. The time spent seems so unproductive. It becomes very monotonous and the traffic can become really frustrating.

I know when I write what I am about to write, many of you will probably be thinking "Duh!" It took me almost a year of driving 2 hours a day to realize that instead of spending the time frustrated and listening to the same reports over and over again, I could be spending the time talking to God. I know, "Duh!" Before my realization, I did often pray and talk to God on my trip to work, but it wasn't consistent. But now, I make it something I do daily. It has made the most unproductive part of my day into the most productive. I still listen to the news, weather, and traffic reports, but only once. I spend the rest of my time talking to God and seeking his guidance. The great by-product of this is that I am not only drawing closer to God, but my traffic frustration has really minimized. It is hard to get too upset, from sitting in traffic, when I realize that sitting in traffic gives me more time to talk to God.

A Pat on the Back

If you have every read the book "The Five Love Languages" and you know me, you know that one of my top love languages is words of affirmation. When I do something, I like to be told what a good job I have done. It is nice to get that pat on the back.

Matthew chapter 6, verses 1-4, really challenges a "words of affirmation" guy like me. Here, Jesus is talking about giving to the needy. He says that when you give to someone that is in need, you shouldn't announce it to the world. If you do announce it to the world, that is your reward. That pat on the back you receive will be all that you get. But, if we give purely out of love and a desire to help, with no need of acknowledgement, our reward will come from God.

As I think about the things I have done to further God's Kingdom, by giving of myself, I am hard pressed to think of too many times that I haven't got some sort of acknowledgement. Whether it be from the person on the receiving end or someone else praising me for what I have done, there has always been some sort of "pat on the back". For a "words of affirmation" guy, that is great to hear, but that is not what God calls us to do. He calls us to give of ourselves without any hope of acknowledgement from this world.

For me, not getting some sort of acknowledgement may be difficult. But, as Jesus has said, my reward from God will far surpass that pat on the back.

Duke vs. North Carolina II

Today, Duke gets a second chance at North Carolina. The greatest rivalry in sports, plays game 2 of the 2008-2009 season today at 4:00 pm. The last meeting didn't go so well for Duke. They had a chance to win the game, but they let it slip away.

The game will be played in the Dean Smith center in Chapel Hill. It is always a challenge to play North Carolina on their home court, but I think Duke is up for the challenge. Coach K has the guys ready to play and take it to Carolina on their home court. If Duke can pull off the victory, they will share the ACC regular season championship with North Carolina.

There is a lot on the line today and I can't wait to watch. Go Duke!

Jim

Jim Short is a friend of mine that attends the church plant were I was the Executive Pastor, Gravity Church. Jim has to be the hardest working person I know. That hard work extends to his ministry. No matter what it is, Jim is right there pitching in and helping out in whatever way he can. I truly believe that many of the great things that God has allowed to happen through Gravity Church is because of the faithfulness of Jim and his family. God rewards people like Jim for going above and beyond in whatever it is that God calls him to do.

Tomorrow, Jim is giving a talk at Gravity Church for the first time. He e-mailed me, a few days ago, and said that he is very nervous. I still remember the first talk I ever gave. As the old saying goes, "My knees were knocking so loud, I almost answered them". My words of advice to Jim were to prayerfully prepare and just relay what God puts on his heart. I know the nerves will still be there. For most of us, they may never go away. But, when he follows God's will and gives the message that comes from Him, God will receive the glory. And, the message will reach the people as God intends.

So, I am saying a prayer for Jim, that God speaks through him the message He has for their congregation. I pray that God calms Jim's nerves to allow him to better share what God has laid on his heart.

Michael Scott

Watching Michael Scott, from "The Office", is sometimes like watching a train wreck. You want to look away, but you can't. As painful as it is, you have to keep looking. If you are not familiar with the show "The Office", Michael Scott is the boss that always says the most inappropriate things. He tries too hard to be every one's friend. And, sometimes he is just painful to be around.

I read a survey in which an overwhelming majority of people say they have someone in their office similar to Michael Scott. What about your office? Does your office have a Michael Scott?

If you answered no, according to the survey, you are probably your office's Michael Scott.

Bungee Jumping

Have you ever been Bungee jumping? I have been 4 times. I think what makes it so cool for me is that I have a huge fear of heights. So, every time I've jumped, my knees were shaking and my adrenaline was pumping. I can still picture each jump in my mind. I remember getting to the last point, right before jumping, standing at the top of the tower with my toes hanging over the edge. It is at that point I reached the height of my fear. Nothing left to do but jump and hope the bungee chord keeps me from crashing to the ground. It is so exhilarating.

I have found that sometimes Ministry can be like Bungee jumping. When God calls me to do something out of my comfort zone, that I am scared or nervous to do, some times my knees start to shake and my adrenaline starts to pump. But, it is at that point that I am honoring God to the highest degree. I am stepping out, not relying on my own abilities, but relying on God to keep me from figuratively crashing to the ground.

Sometimes, God calls us to do something out of our comfort zone so that he can be glorified to the highest. But, when he calls us, he will be like that bungee chord. As we step out on faith, let our toes hang over the edge, then jump, God is there to support us and pull us through it. And, just as it feels when you are standing back on the ground after bungee jumping, you will know the total exhilaration of completely relying on God alone.

What not to do on a job interview - week 3

With the current job market, many people will be searching for new jobs. To help out, I thought I would take one day each week for 5 weeks and give you my "Top 5 things not to do on a job interview". We are in week number 3. These are things that have actually happened during one of the job interviews I have conducted. If you are interviewing for a new job, please do not do these things.

3) Bring multiple shopping bags to the interview - Nothing says that this job interview is important to you less then bringing shopping bags to your job interview that is held in a shopping mall. This has actually happened on several of the interviews I have conducted. It is like saying "I was just shopping in the mall and about to head home, but I thought I would run over here first and see if I can get a job. If I don't get the job, I at least have this nice, new pair of boots". From my recollection, none of these people got the job.

American Idol - Felicia Barton

Tonight is the third round of the top 36 contestants on American Idol. Normally, I don't watch the show much past the first round, where you get to see all the really bad singers that think they are awesome. However, this year is different. This year I have someone to root for. That person is Felicia Barton.

Why would I root for Felicia Barton, you ask? Well, I will root for her because 1) She is very good, and 2) I know people that know people that know her. You see, Felicia lives in Virginia Beach, which is near where my in-laws live. My brother-in-law, Rob's friend Jamey graduated with Felicia's husband, Loren. So, you see the connection there.

Felicia was originally not a part of the final 36. She got her second chance when another contestant was disqualified from the competition. I think it is an awesome, life changing, second chance she is getting and I wish her all the best. So, tonight, after Felicia sings and the show is over, Sarah and I will be dialing and voting. If you get a chance, listen to her tonight. If you agree that she is worthy of your vote, please join me in voting for Felicia Barton! Remember to vote early and often!

MLB 2K9

A few years ago, for Christmas, Sarah gave me the greatest Christmas gift one person could give another person. That gift, an XBOX 360. The XBOX 360 allows me to get my sports fix, now that I am too old to play much other then a little softball and flag football. I love playing all the sports games, but I especially love to play the baseball games.

Tomorrow, MLB 2k9 comes out and I can't wait to buy it. Sure, I may not be able to hit a 90 m.p.h. fast ball or steal a base in real life anymore, but, in the fantasy world of the XBOX 360, I can still play with the big boys! To you, I may sound like a little boy by getting all excited about a baseball game, but I think that is the point. If just for an hour or so at a time, I can escape the everyday issues and be a little kid again. So, if you don't hear from me for the next few days, that is because I will be lost in my own little boy/Major League Baseball fantasy world!

Pizza and Potato Chips

My wife's parents are in town for the weekend and, last night, we decided to order pizza for dinner. We were trying to decide on what to order. After we had chosen what pizza we wanted, Sarah's dad asked if we should get something to eat with the pizza. I mentioned that we could get some chips to go along with the pizza, which they laughed at. They said that they have never heard of eating potato chips as a side to your pizza. What?

I really didn't know that eating chips with pizza was an odd thing. I didn't even think it was an Ohio only thing. I just thought it was normal. I am not saying that I always eat chips when I am eating pizza, but I don't think it is that unusual. Besides, if it was that odd, then why would the pizza place sell chips?

I need your help. Please let me know if eating chips with pizza is a fairly normal thing to do or if I am some crazy nut job. The way they laughed at me, my wife and in-laws are leaning toward labeling me a nut job. My Mother-in-law, Marcia, tried to come to my defense, but my wife and Father-in-law were having nothing to do with it. So, please, let me know your take on eating potato chips along side your pizza.