My New Favorite Blog

I have a new favorite blog (as if the title of this post doesn't give that away). It's for guys who want to know how to be "manly and awesome in a decidely unmanly and unawesome world." Or, for girls who like to laugh a lot. Seriously, this guy is crazy, and I love it. Here are some of my favorite quotes and tips.

What are some practical things you do to resist temptation?
I stay out of situations where I know I'll be tempted. For instance, every time I leave a monster truck rally and pull up to a red light, I'm very tempted to try and drive my car over the folks in front of me. So, it's best if I don't go to monster truck rallies. If you win the battle before the temptation starts, you don't have to fight the temptation itself. Sadly, I don't always take my own advice, because the Little Debbie Cake aisle at the grocery store beckons to me like the famed Sirens of Greek Mythology. I get sent to the store for milk and bread, and come back with neither, but with several boxes of Fudge Rounds. My wife complains, but I can't hear her because I am up to my ears in chocolate deliciousness. So what the junk do I know about temptation? Still, I do think it is wise to be pro-active about it. If you know you are weak in certain areas, avoid situations where your weakness will be a problem.

His take on crocs (the shoes, not the animal)
I'm sure that these crocs must be really comfortable, as there are tons 8th grade girls walking around in them in middle schools across America. That should be your first warning right there...no man should have anything to do with 8th grade girl fashion.
Regarding the shoes themselves, crocs are made of rubber. Men should not wear anything on their feet that is not made of leather, blue suede, have cleats on them, or are steel toed. Maybe the occasional flip flop if you don't have hairy gorilla feet and you don't anticipate having to do roundhouse kicks that day (the shoes keep flying off, believe me, I've tried). Suppose you are taking a relaxing stroll in your crocs on your way back from instructing your lion taming class down at the local YMCA. Suddenly you come upon a burning building, and an old woman crying for help. Can you go rescue her? No, your crocs would melt to your skin, and you both would die.

Superheros (Girls vs. Real Men)
Spiderman - Girl. He spent the first two movies plagued with doubt about his great gift and his great responsibility, not to mention that he is so sad that Mary Jane isn't with him.
Chuck Norris - Awesome. There is absolutely no trace of girlitude in Chuck Norris. One time he thought he might have some sort of emotional issue to deal with, but fortunately for us he roundhouse kicked himself until he was normal.
Jack Bauer - Awesome. No super powers, but who cares...on any given episode of 24, Jack Bauer does more awesome stuff than most men will ever do in their entire lives.
Wolverine - Awesome. Wolverine is the baddest of all the Xmen. There are some who might be tempted to call him girly...after all, he did cry in Xmen 3 before killing the woman he loved. But, a girly man would not be able to grow those sweet sideburns.

Advice for Single Girls
If I was single and a girl walked up, introduced herself, and pulled honey bbq sauce out of her purse, I would marry her on the spot, no questions asked.
Many churches have a deliberate time of greeting early on in the service, which would be the perfect time for you to introduce yourself. While the man is there to worship and is trying to focus on the Lord, he is guaranteed to notice if an attractive lady tries to talk to him. It's not like our radar shuts off just because we're in a sanctuary. Of course I'm not an advocate of going to church with ulterior motives, but if your goal is to wind up with a man in front of a minister swapping vows anyway, church is a good place to start. Hot sauce is optional here, as the use of condiments during communion is generally frowned upon.

Apparently, I don't carry enough honey BBQ sauce with me. I guess I'll have to run by Hy-Vee tonight. :)

Revolution

When I was in high school, my youth pastor, Jason, gave me a book titled Revolution: The Call to Holy War. 6 years later, I have finally gotten around to reading the book. I think the reason I was hesitant to read the book was the title; the word "revolution" scares me.  Once I began reading it though, it challenged my view of Christianity. Too often, I want my faith to simply be going to church on Sunday and praying before meals because that is easy. I can do that with out having to step out on a limb. Reality is though, Christ calls me to step out. I could go on and on about how the gospel is much more intense than what most of us learned in Sunday School, but the point of this post is to share a few excerpts from the book, so I'll save that for another day.....or you can go read a few of my friend Ali's posts on her blog, because she does a good job explaining that in her early posts. :)

So, here are a just a few excerpts that I am pondering:

"Just think: We live in a time of moral madness and social uncertainty, a time when talk of a moral revolution should be everywhere. Instead, the best-selling “revolutionary” books are books about new diets! What does this say for us as a people? When we need to be talking about the call to die for the gospel, we are talking instead about the call to diet for good looks. What a sad indictment! And what does it say of our self-deception and lack of discipline when we are at one and the same time the world’s best-read nation on diet and nutrition and the world’s most obese? Even our pets are overweight. We need a revolution!"

"Let’s face it: There were problems in Jesus’ day; there were problems in Luther’s day; there were problems in Wesley’s day; there are problems today. So why all the fuss? Given a certain perspective, things can always look pretty bad and someone can always make a case that serious judgment is near and great collapse is coming. But, the argument goes, those who are mature will have a more balanced outlook. They won’t panic all the time, and they won’t cause everyone else to panic needlessly. They will go about their business, preaching the gospel and helping those in need, and they will do it with balance. They will be stable and steady, not easily moved by the latest prophetic fad."

"The gospel is the ultimate revolutionary message. It says we are governed by a higher authority, ruled by another power, at home in a different world."

Also, you might want to know that the author is founder of the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry, which may turn some people away from this book. Michael Brown, as he challenges Christians to live a life for Christ, is not trying to turn people on to the Brownsville revival movement with this book (he does that in another book titled "Let No One Deceive You"). In this book he is simply advocating living a passionate life for Christ alone.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Last night my friend Beth gave birth to Mylie Elizabeth. She is a doll baby!! I was lucky enough to be her first non-family visitor. :)

For her hospital gift, I crocheted Mylie a hat. She wasn't too sure about it.


While I was at the hospital, Neva and Josh showed up to meet the new baby.



She instantly loves her godmother. :) (Beth told me I could be her kids' godmother until I have kids of my own.)

Mommy and Mylie! Mylie was throwing a bit of a fit for a few minutes, but she quickly got over it. I think she was upset that I took off the hat I made for her.

Mom and baby are doing well, as well as the dad and big brother.

Beginnings

The other day I was taking a trip down memory lane looking at my old Xanga from high school and college. It reminded me how much I love to write. I like getting my thoughts out in the wide open for others to dissect with me. I like being able to look back and remember where I was and where God has taken me. I like having a place to be silly and serious. That is the reason for the new blog; I need a place to write.

By the way, our creator gave us a gorgeous day today, so hopefully everyone had a chance to enjoy it.