Not Again!

When I was just out of High School, my friend, Shawn Breeding, and I decided to take a trip to Myrtle Beach. We had a lot of fun on the trip. We hung out at the pool or beach during the day and the boardwalk at night. It was during this trip that I Bungee jumped for the very first time (actually I Bungee jumped twice). However, the Bungee jumping was not my most vivid memory of this trip.

The thing I remember most about this trip was something that happened at our hotel. We checked into our room and it was very nice. The room was clean and the bathroom was stocked with 6 towels and wash clothes on a rack over the toilet. The fact that the towel rack was over the toilet proved to be the issue. On the first night we were there, Shawn managed to, while reaching for a towel, knock every single towel and wash cloth we had into the toilet. It was embarrassing to have to call the front desk and request new towels just minutes after we checked in. They brought us new towels, we gave them our now wet towels and I thought that was that.

Unfortunately I was wrong. Shawn managed to, not one more time, but two more times, knock every single towel and wash cloth into the toilet. To this day I am not sure how he could have managed to do that, but he found a way. After two more embarrassing calls to the front desk, we decided that it might be better to just sit the towels on the counter next to the sink.

Hold on Scott!

One of my earliest vacation memories was a family trip we had to Disney World. I was around 3 years old, so some of these recollections may be my memory, others may be what someone on the trip told me, while others may just be something I made up in my 3 year old mind.

We stayed in this really cool tree house. I remember it had a spiral staircase between the first and second floor. I also remember being able to look out the patio door and see peacocks roaming about.

As part of the package, with the tree house, we had our very own golf cart. I kind of remember the golf cart, but the rest of the story was told to me. Apparently, on one of our drives in the golf cart, I was sitting in the back and decided that I didn't need to hold on any more. So, I let go and fell out of the moving golf cart. At least that is what I have been told.

My final memory of this trip was also something that was told to me. Another perk of this trip was a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant in Disney World. It was a 5 course meal and apparently took forever to be served. So, what would a 3 year old do at a fancy restaurant, after a busy day at Disney World? That is right, fall asleep. Between every course, I would fall asleep and they would have to wake me up when the next course would be served.

My first taste of Disney World was a lot of fun. At least the parts I can remember minus the falling out of the golf cart incident. I can't wait to take our boys there. I think we will stay away from the golf carts, just to be safe.

Vacation

Today is the start to my vacation! Those words are so sweet.

We leave this morning for Missouri. Our first stop will be to attend a wedding on Sarah's side of the family. I am not a big fan of going to weddings, but at least I am on vacation!

On Sunday, we will be leaving for Branson Missouri. Sarah's parents have a time share in Branson and we will be spending several days there. I am sure we will see some shows, eat at some nice restaurants, shop a little, and swim in the pool. Selleck and Slade love the pool, so I am sure every day will have at least a couple hours of swimming involved.

So, in honor of me being on vacation, I will be posting a vacation memory each day for the duration of our trip. I hope you enjoy.

Things to think about

I recently came across a list online of weird things to think about. Some of them made me laugh, while others made me, well, think. I thought it would be fun to list some of them here to give us all something to think about.

1) Can you cry underwater?

2) Why are you IN a movie, but ON t.v.?

3) If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?

4) Why do you press harder on a remote control when you think the battery is dead?

5) Do people in Australia call the rest of the world "Up Over"?

6) How is it that wrong numbers are never busy?

7) What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it is all about?

8) What was the best thing before sliced bread?

9) Why do tourists go to the top of tall buildings, then put money into telescopes so they can see things on the ground close up?

Unlimited Creativity

When it came to being creative, as it pertains to church, I always thought I needed to leave some creativity in my back pocket. I was afraid that if I would throw out all my creative ideas, I might not have any left over for the next series or program or whatever. If we used up all our creative ideas on one series or one program, the next several series or programs would be dull, because we would have no creativity left. But, I was wrong.

I truly believe, like other wonderful things from God, creativity can be unlimited. If you use all your creativity on one project, it is ok. God will supply more creativity the next time you need it. The really creative churches get this. When you take a look at what they are doing, you can't even imagine how they can be so creative. Then you check them out again the next week or the next series or even the next year, and they are just as creative.

Every time I have ever tried to come up with a creative idea, God has not failed me. He has either given me an original idea, or let me see something another church is doing that we could tweak and make our own, or let me flat out take an idea from another church that I know would work for us. God has always supplied the creativity when it is needed. Now that I don't have a regular outlet for my creativity, one might think that God would stop giving me creative ideas. But, God hasn't stopped. For now, the ideas seem to be burning a hole in my pocket, just waiting for the chance to be used. And, I know when I use those ideas, God will send more.

Jobs I would like to try for a day

Have you ever watched someone doing there job, and thought "I wonder what that's like?" I often do that. Not that I would, neccessarily, like to do their job on a full time basis, but I would like to see what it was like for a day. Here is a list of jobs that I would like to try for a day:

1) New York City Taxi Cab driver - Not only would it be interesting to meet new people, as you drive them to their destination, but it would be very exhilerating to have to manuever through the New York City streets and narrowly miss accident after accident, as the cab drivers I have ridden with always seem to do.

2) Sports Stadium Vendor - "Hot Dogs...Peanuts...Cotton Candy!" Just being able to interact with the sports fans and running up and down the stadium stairs, screaming at the top of my lungs, appeals to me.

3) Hot Dog street vendor - It seems to me you would run across a broad range of people that buy hot dogs from street vendors.

4) 18 Wheeler Truck Driver - It just seems like a manly thing to do, hauling a heavy load across the interestate highways.

5) Comedian - To be able to stand on stage and say something that makes people laugh would, I'm sure, make the adrenaline pump. I guess a good joke during a sermon is similar to this, but, as a preacher, if the joke fails you can just go back to your other points or scripture and not have to come back with another joke.

6) Background actor in a Broadway show - The excitement of the curtain opening, with the bright lights, must be so frightening, but awesome at the same time.

7) Line cook for a fine dining restaurant - I imagine this to be a bit like being on the show "Hell's Kitchen".

8) The person that guesses people's age and weight at an amusement park - If someone gives me an attitude or needs to be taken down a notch, I'd just guess there weight about 40 lbs heavier or their age 10 years older. That should bring them down a bit.

9) Toll collector - Sitting in a both and having hundreds or even thousands of people pass by for only a few seconds at a time, would be interesting.

I would imagine that all of these workers have all kinds of stories to tell. It would be cool to share that experience and maybe even get a cool story of my own, but only for a day. What job would you like to try for a day?

What in the world did you say to me?

Have you ever been in a situation where someone says something to you and you say or think, "What in the world did you say to me?" It seems that I have more then my fair share of these moments. The one that seems to top the list happened to me at a Burger King.

It was on a Saturday and Sarah and I were driving to my parents house for a get together. My mom was making dinner, but we wouldn't be eating for a couple hours after we got there. We were starving and wanted to stop and get a little something to eat on the way, to hold us over. So, we decided to run through the Burger King drive thru.

Since it wouldn't be that long until we ate, we only wanted something small. We ordered 2 small cheeseburgers, a small order of fries, and a drink to split. After paying and receiving our food, we drove off. It was at that point Sarah opened our bag and realized that, instead of cheeseburgers, we were given 2 double Whoppers. We knew that if we took them back they would have to be thrown away, so we thought about just eating what part of the double Whoppers we wanted and going on. But, since neither one of us like all the stuff that comes on a double whopper, we decided to turn around and take them back.

So, we go back and I walk inside with the bag of double Whoppers and go to the counter. There is a manager there and I explain to her that we had ordered cheeseburgers, but were given double Whoppers by mistake. She said to me, "I am sure I gave you 2 cheeseburgers." I was a little taken back, but I just reasserted that we were given the wrong thing. That is when she said it. She snatched the bag out of my hand, and as she was turning said "I don't know what type of scam you are trying to pull. I know I gave you 2 cheeseburgers." I was stunned. I didn't say it, but I sure thought "What in the world did you say to me?" As I stood there with my chin to the floor, I look to my right to see another employee looking at me with an expression on his face like "She is crazy". He even mouthed to me "I'm so sorry". She gave me my cheeseburgers and off I went. Unable to say anything from the shock of what she said.

Now that I think about it, I laugh. What kind of scam does a person pull when they pay for double Whoppers (three times as expensive as small cheeseburgers) then return them to only get 2 cheeseburgers. That doesn't make a lot of sense. My guess is that she was just having a bad day or a bad week or even a bad year.

Have you had any "What in the world did you say to me" moments?

Meijer - Spinach

Here in the midwest, we have a local store chain called Meijer. For those of you not from the midwest, Meijer is a lot like Super Walmart. Meijer trys to compete locally with the big chain stores. In doing so, they often have some very clever marketing. My favorite is their commercials. They seem to put out some of the funniest commercials. Today, I wanted to share what has been my favorite. Enjoy!

I and My Car are One

I have always heard people say that the kind of car you drive says a lot about you as a person. I never really believed this. To me, I don't really care what car I drive. I am not the type of person that needs a fancy sports car or a rugged truck. All I need is a car that gets me from point A to point B.

This is how I would describe my car. It is a little bit sporty, without being a sports car. It has some really nice basic features, but nothing too flashy. It has proven to be very dependable, without much need for maintenance.

After thinking about how I would describe my car, I realized that I was almost describing myself. How I view my car is very similar to how I view myself. So, what I am saying, is that what I drive does seem to reflect on me as a person.

What car are you driving?

50 First Dates

One of my favorite movies is "50 First Dates". If you haven't seen it, you should. It's not just the standard boy meets girl, romantic comedy. It has a twist. Henry, played by Adam Sandler, meets Lucy, played by Drew Barrymore, in a coffee shop. But, what Henry soon finds out is that Lucy has lost her short term memory. Every night, when she falls asleep, she loses the memories of what happened the day before. It leads to some unexpected twists and turns to their romance.

Memory is something we seem to take for granted. But, could you imagine life without memory? Obviously not being able to remember how to do every day tasks, like feeding ourselves or walking, would make life almost impossible. And, things like not being able to remember where you live or work, would make things extremely difficult. But, beyond all that, not being able to remember all the special moments in life would be quite sad.

The fond memories I have of seeing Sarah walk down the aisle on our wedding day and the births of our two boys, are memories that I hope to never lose. The day I walked the aisle and accepted Christ in my life is still such a vivid memory. There are countless other moments I want to hold onto forever in my mind. The unfortunate thing is that many people, especially as they get older, may start to lose part of their memory. I pray that God preserves my memory and gives me even more wonderful moments in life to remember.