fire extinguisher
Taking a break from working late tonight, I went to McDonald’s to get some quick dinner. While at the drive thru I took this picture with my iPhone. I’m not entirely convinced that the sign above the fire extinguisher is necessary.
life photo archive and more
Google images is now hosting millions of photos from the LIFE magazine archives. There are photos that go far into the past, even some of the earliest photos from before 1800. Anyways, this is quite a cool resource to check out some photos from a long time ago. I haven’t taken many pictures since the last ones I have posted, but we should have our new house “presentable” soon. I’ll be taking some pictures around the house, and I will probably take a bunch on Thanksgiving. Soon enough I will be able to share those with you.
I’m excited that Jerry, Sam, and two more of their friends from school are coming out to visit around the second weekend of December. We are going to do some fun things while they’re out here, so I should have some new stories to share when they come.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving if you don’t hear from me again this week.
the dirty bird, the real “fatburger”
We all like Red Robin. Face it, their burgers are delicious. It’s that place we eat when we can’t agree on anything. I just got a link to Men’s Health magazine with some enlightening information:
An A.1. Peppercorn Burger has 1,440 calories and 97 grams of fat, more than you would find in 32 strips of bacon! Add onion rings to that and you’ve just crossed the calamitous 2,000-calorie barrier, more than most people should eat in an entire day.
Maybe we need to start looking for a better fallback restaurant. I don’t even think a boca patty can save you from that caloric onslaught.
my new favorite character
Meet the interrobang‽ It’s a lesser known of the typographical characters. I think it needs to come into more common use. I’ve often found myself wanting to write one, but not knowing the character existed, defaulting to the boring question mark.
autumn photos
I posted a bunch of photos tonight. I crossed the 4000 photo mark on flickr, and went well beyond it. There are two costume parties, a pumpkin patch trip, and a commissioning service. Check ’em out.
November will be a busy month. I’ll be moving soon, and we have a lot to get done at work before December. Fortunately, Pastor Judah is preaching on grace for the next several weeks. I’m gonna need it.
reading the bible
Now you know where I get it from. Some people have said I have an obsession with Bibles. Well, here is my Dad reading two at once. My Mom snapped this picture with her phone. She said at one point he had a third Bible on his lap too.
I definitely have a lot of Bibles as well, I’m not going to lie. From where I’m sitting in my room right now I can see… 15 Bibles. That’s not including the fact that some of them are parallel Bibles with multiple versions. So, I like Bibles. I figure if you’re going to collect something, why not collect something that can never stop changing your life (as long as you use it). I just never know. One day, maybe I too will have a need to read three Bibles simultaneously. No harm in being prepared.
election afterthoughts
Wow, was there a lot of political chatter today. Facebook is really changing things. I want to go on record and say that I am not discouraged by Obama winning the election. I think it’s foolish to not understand that the whole thing is in God’s control. I’ve seen so many disillusioned McCain supporters, and I’ve heard too many jabs back and forth between Christians. Don’t forget:
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? [1 John 4:20]
Our responsibility as Christians has not changed, and as far as I remember the world has been in desperate need of the hope that we have since long before there even was such thing as a president.
Now I voted for McCain after much careful consideration, and I was led by the Spirit to do so. But I know many fellow believers, who I’m as sure of their relationship with God as I am the natural law of gravity, that voted for president-elect Obama. But how is that possible? How could God lead two people of faith to a different decision? All I can say is His ways are unsearchable. In fact, I fairly regularly don’t understand the things the Holy Spirit asks me to do. God doesn’t always seem interested in appeasing our intellect.
We do need to move forward, as the church, as children of God, and as brothers and sisters in Christ. We have a higher agenda than republicans or democrats, a Kingdom agenda. I’m actually interested to hear some of the things that friends who voted for Obama are hoping for. Things they expect to see in his presidency. I’d like to believe that God has many more blessings in store for us as we look ahead.
As a pastor to young people, I’m often asked how to know if something is in the will of God. People seem to have a lot of trouble with that question. It appears like things are going well for them and then all of a sudden it feels as though a door gets slammed in their face. I tell them this: a closed door is just as clear in directing us to God’s will as an open door is (in fact, it’s usually more clear). We can’t look at this as a loss, or we’re playing into the devil’s hand. Unity needs to be one of the Church’s greatest strengths.
Lift up your head. God is still on the throne.
who’s listening
I just checked the stats for my site, which I’ve had (at various addresses) for almost 6 years now. It turns out that I have an average of about 2000 hits per month. Which isn’t a ton I realize. But it’s actually more traffic than my flickr account gets, and I know everybody loves photos. It has definitely piqued my curiosity about who is out there checking my site. All my blogs get published to facebook and virb as well, but if you are checking my site regularly or subscribed to my blog feed I’d love to hear from you. You can leave a comment, text message, facebook message, or any of the other myriad of ways to contact me. No real reason, I’m still going to post whatever I want. It will only help ease my curiosity.
Mom, you need not reply.
don’t forget
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [1 Timothy 2:1-4]
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. [Romans 13:1-4]
The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. [Proverbs 21:1]
You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. [Exodus 22:28]
pray
I am not willing to believe that this nation is going down. It is this attitude of doubt and unbelief that has caused us to draw away from God. The life He has called us to requires faith. Our relationship with Jesus is established and maintained by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Whatever is not of faith is sin. We need to repent for acting in fear, doubt, and unbelief.
No wonder the world isn’t eager for what we have. It is easy for the world to see hypocrisy. They have no problem discerning when our ‘faith’ is not consistent with our character. We who profess God must walk always in faith, even in the worst of circumstances. It is this unashamed and unwavering reliance on God that the world cannot ignore. Today we must stand to believe for the future and hope that God carries in His heart for our nation. We can’t say we have faith in God, and abandon hope for our nation at the same time. That is double-minded thinking, and James says people with that mentality should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
If you are named as a believer you must stand in faith. The greatest evidence of faith for our nation is to stand in prayer to see God’s will done in America. I have to repent myself of prayerlessness. It is the most prideful state of man to ignore our complete and utter dependence on God by neglecting to pray. Please, believe for God’s hand to be on America. Stand in prayer. It is absolutely your number one priority as a natural citizen of the United States who lives, in truth, as an ambassador and spiritual citizen of the Kingdom of God.
vote
Please vote.
For some time I held a very apathetic and dismal view of government. Voting has not always been priority to me. Growing up, people in my generation have been very cynical about whether we actually make a difference when we vote. I believe that as Christians we have a responsibility to vote. We are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. We need to lead, and not follow.
This video was created to mobilize the catholic church to vote, and to stand for righteousness. They showed it last night at our prayer meeting. It’s very moving.