Go Big Or Go Home

Okay after like a two week hiatus I'm back in the blogging world. Sorry to say that all this time out of play has not increased the flow of good ideas that are worth posting about or you taking the time to read about. However, if you have come to set your expectations low before reading my posts guess what, you won't be disappointed by what's ahead. So here it goes.

What is up with everything going small these days. When did we suddenly awaken to the reality that to be cool and cutting edge we must keep getting smaller and smaller. You look around and everything seems to be following this trend. It's not enough to have the Motorola Razr, but now there's the Sliver (maybe someone will comeback on that with the Splinter). With iPod's you've got the 5g then the Mini, next up the Nano and don't forget the Shuffle. On a recent SNL sketch Steve Jobs was the host and made fun of himself by pretending to introduce the iPod Micro, Pequeno and Invisi. We've got mini oreos, mini m&m's, and pretty much a mini version of everything out there. I think ad guys are running out of ideas, seriously. I mean if I have to start using a magnifying glass to place a call to my mom or eat a handful of snacks something is majorly jacked up.

Now I've gotta hand it to M&M's. They have obviously faced facts and realized that there's only so far you can go with small before you've gotta go BIG!!! That's right, awakened from slumber the ad wizards strike back with the Mega M&M. Whoooooo Baby, what genius. I'm perspiring just thinking about it (which isn't saying a lot since I sweat brushing my teeth).

Now I have yet to consume any of these Mega chocolate morsels, but I'm sure there awesome. If you've had some let me know cause I'm curious as to the packaging. Has the packaging gotten bigger or stayed the same size. Cause if it's stayed the same I'm thinking when you buy a package you must get like 3 M&M's which would really stink no matter how big they come. Who is going to eat just 3 M&M's.



Anyhoo, to wrap up, it appears as if small is out and big is in. Which means bring back the Ghetto Blasters and The Brick phones. It's time to junk that Sony Handicam and dust off the Sony Portapak. BIG IS ... ummmm... well... BIG!

Can You Shred?

Okay I came across this website and I had to post it. It pays tribute to The Shredi Master and all other fast fingered guitar players. If only I could shred like The Master, but instead I am left playing my air guitar. Which by the way, if you are a fellow air guitar player you should roll over to this site and check out the U.S. Air Guitar Champion on the Today Show.

Ok so back to this website that I stumbled onto. If you are having a boring day or just looking to kill some time go take lessons from Mr. Fastfinger. Before long you'll be shredding with the best of them.

Just one more note, if you really want to learn to shred you need to seek out The Shredi Master or to learn to jam on the keytar you can learn mad skillz from Waverly Rules. However, you might want to wait until after April 1.

Bricks Rule

In my prior post about my iPod, Bliggity mentioned another obsession of mine and asked me to post about it so here it is my LEGO Star Wars Millenium Falcon.

985 pieces of pure joy and excitement! Those who know me well know that I'm not too handy when it comes to a hammer and some nails, but I do enjoy building things. So if anyone is ever in the market for building a house out of LEGOS (which would be sweet) give me a call cause I'm your man. Mmmm hold on ... Let me rephrase that I'm your man as long as it's LEGOS and as long as the set is for ages 9 and up. Anyway here's my precious Falcon and luckily the perpetrators of the break-in didn't recognize the value of such an item as this and left it on top of my bookshelf.

I also have provided a link to a LEGO movie that I came across that I thought was fun. Hope you enjoy it. One more thing its good to know that we can still enjoy things that we used to love when we were kids, like LEGOS. After all, when we grow into adults all we have to do to preserve our love for things like the BRICK is just buy cars that look like them :)

iPod I miss you!

Many of you may know that next to my love for God, my wife, and my kids, I have a love and affection for my iPod. Now a few weeks ago the church was broken into and along with pastors laptop the perpetrator made off with my iPod. It has been a few weeks now and I admit I am starting to feel a sense of separation anxiety. Thankfully I still have my library of music, which I was careful to backup, but I still miss my good ole' scroll wheel. I sure hope the guilty party is enjoying my 4000 song library, especially the tracks of my kids singing and the sermons I had uploaded onto it.

Speaking of songs, I enjoyed taking the quiz that Waverly Rules posted that matches your taste in music with a celebrities personal playlist. Not sure why, but mine ended up being closely related to Nicole Kidmans (yikes). Well I thought it would be fun for those reading this to take a few minutes and put together what would be your ultimate playlist of favorite songs and post them for the rest of us to see. A persons playlist says a lot about themselves so think good and hard about it and post your favorite tunes.

Death To Hobo Husband

Well I'm starting to come around and feel more like myself these days. Natalie wanted me to only work half days this week, but I've been finding it hard to pull myself away that early. Once the prednisone wears off though I start to feel the let down, so I'm going to try to pace myself and get home earlier.

The reason I'm posting this is because on Natalie's blog she had mentioned a couple conversations she had with the kids recently. It's amazing what kind of gems come out of their tiny mouths. It was because of a conversation I had with Rob on Monday morning that I decided it was time for me to get up and start living again. I have had very little contact with the kids over the last week due to the Mono and so I hadn't been involved too much with their daily routine.

Monday I was feeling better, but I promised Natalie I wouldn't go into work but instead would rest another day. Well I decided to help out with getting the kids dressed and ready for the day. I myself had been wearing the same pajama bottoms, hadn't shaved for a week and it had been a few days since I had hit the shower as well. Pretty much I had morphed into Hobo Husband. Well anyway I sit down on the bed to help Rob get dressed and the following conversation transpires.

Rob: Uhh, Dad I don't think I want you to touch me.

Me: Excuse me, what do you mean you don't want me to touch you. I'm helping you get your clothes on.

Rob: Uhh, Dad I don't want you to help me with my clothes.

Me: Why not?

Rob: Because Dad I don't want you to touch me.

Me: Rob your not going to get Mono.

Rob: I know dad I just don't want you to touch me.

Me: Why not?

Rob: Because Dad I don't want to smell like you.

And there it is. Such compelling words from my four year old. "Dad I don't want to smell like you." That was all I needed to hear. There was only one course of action to take. It was time to kill Hobo Husband. So that's what I did. I got up, shaved, showered, put on clean clothes and went back to work. Thank you Robby for being my inspiration, for pulling me out of this sickness funk.

You Can't Waste Love

SCRIPTURE -

"Watch what God does, and then do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that."

Ephesians 5:1-2 (The Message)

OBSERVATION -

In a world that seeks to complicate our existence and leaves so many with confusion and frustration Paul instead speaks of a simplistic lifestyle of learning and loving. As God is our father and we are his children, we are challenged to learn from Him and then do what He does.

This illustration makes a lot of sense when I put it into the context of parenthood. My children watch what I do, what I say, how I respond to others and they often times mimic what they see and hear. They do this simply because I am their father and there is an innate desire within them to be like dad. Unfortunately I'm not always pleased with what they see and hear come out of dad and I am often humbled and reminded about the weight of my role. Especially when my four year old corrects me by saying, "Dad, don't say stupid!" The bottom line is children watch and repeat what they often see in their parents and we being God's children are called to do the same with our Heavenly Father.

I like how the love of God is not cautious, but instead is described as being extravagant. What a great visual word. In other passages of scripture God's love is said to be "lavished upon us", or "poured out to all." Extravagant, lavished, poured out, these descriptives tell us that God has held nothing back from us. He has loved us beyond measure. So love is not to be stingy, careful, or cautious. We are to let the love of God that has been poured into us flow out of us and into every person we come in contact with. We are to be channels of God's love, not sewers.

APPLICATION -

In order to learn from God my father I must willingly stop, listen, learn and then respond. So many times my love is full of ulterior motives instead of being purely unconditional. God desires to teach me how to love like Him and how to live "a life of love." Love should be seen in all we do; it should drip off of us like sweet honey, like beautiful fragrant perfume that fills up a room. Love is present in its strongest form not because of what we have done, but because of what He has done for us. Love is present, when He is present. Pure and true love points to the Father, for He is love.

PRAYER -

Lord, I want to learn form you. Father teach me to walk in your footsteps. I want to bear the mark of your identity upon my heart. That people would be able to see the family resemblance, that they would see the image of my Father. Teach me to live a life of love, to be a channel that your love can pour through and into the lives of others. I am your child, I am still learning. I don't know it all and I desperately need you. Help me to slow my pace long enough to sit at your feet and listen, learn, live and love. Teach me today, Father. I love you!