The Review Is In...

and I was pleasantly surprised by "Superman Returns".

In fact, pleasantly sounds too mundane or even polite. How about "after seeing this movie, I wished I could not only fly but I had a pair of long blue tights and a red cape I could wear around the house?" Yeah...that's the ticket.

I wasn't too optimistic about this movie, what with all it's hype at any toy store/grocery store (read: the Supercenter) and with the producers taking creative liberties to change the big RED "S" to more of a maroon-ish tint. I thought that with the onslaught of "Cars" the past couple of weeks as well as people looking forward to next week's "Pirates of the Caribbean 2", I just had a hunch that SR would suffer a fate much like that of Ang Lee's "The Hulk".

I was wrong.

Even though it was over 2 hours and 30 minutes, the action seemed well paced and the special effects were...well...special. Especially the shots of Superman flying at break-neck speed and his cape billowing in the wind. I really felt like I was watching someone actually flying through the air. The other spec FX were very good, especially the shots of the bullets bouncing off Brandon Routh's chest and eye. Yes, I said his eye.

The plot was not quite what I expected but for the sake of those who haven't seen it yet and want to, I won't divluge any kind of spoilers. But I don't think they explained why Superman had left NYC over 5 years ago other than he went looking for a distant piece of Krypton and came back empty handed. Nor did they evolve the whole Superman/Lois Lane love thing but they made several backhanded references to those scenes we were all shocked to see in "Superman 2" with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.

That is one thing this movie did NOT have. No cursing, no foul language, no sex, no blood splattering...none of it. At least by our estimations. And you know what? It actually made the movie that much more enjoyable to me. In the end, (again...not giving away any spoilers here) Superman is able to maintain his morality and high code of ethics/behavior, something that many "heroes" in this day & age forget about.

If you've got a youngster who wants to see this movie, I don't see anything at all that would prevent you from taking them. It's a little more violent than "The Incredibles" and only in that it's a live-action flick. There may come a few questions about "parenting" but nothing an 8 year old can't come to terms with. I give it 4.5 out of 5 red capes.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I hear my wife calling out to me in distress. I think I just saw Jake's red cape I could borrow for a few minutes, eh? LOL

Argh...false alarm. She just told me to get off the internet and come visit her while she eats. No distress call here...just the wife about to hit me with a big chunk of kryptonite if I don't get in there.

Coming sweetie.

Prayers & Praise

Today is just one of those days when I want to sit back and thank God for all He's done (and is still doing) in my life as well as the lives of my friends & family.

I'm amazed how when I least expect it, God is there speaking something to me that although it could be as obvious as the birds in the sky. There are times when even the most everyday thing can sometimes take on a whole new appreciation and today that is happening.

I got up at 6 to spend some time alone with Him, before the kids and wife get up. It's usually a great time to do this, when the house is still and I can quiet myself to hear His voice and read my Bible. I've been able to keep with my new routine of reading one Proverb each day along with another 2-3 chapters in a separate book. I've been really reading up on the righteous and how they are to behave in their personal conduct as well as raising a family. God has really been using many of these passages to help me realize that (at times) I can let my anger & frustration overwhelm me but this isn't what He calls me to do. Consider my ways, control my temper and believe on Him in ALL things.

Trust & belief. Faith in the Almighty and often times, in the unknown. Yet that is the essence of faith, isn't it?

I received an email, 2 in fact, from 2 very dear friends of mine who are in different seasons of their lives today but in both instances, they are believing and trusting in God to continue to lead. One of my friends is going through a tough time in prep for a family member's surgery. Yet, even with the outcome of the procedures and what happens next, she is reaching out to God as well as others to pray for a full recovery for her spouse. She is trusting and believing in the power of prayer...that God can accomplish anything He desires. I'm reminded of the verse in John where Jesus says "And I will do whatever you ask in My name so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me anything in My name and I will do it." (John 14:13-14)

Today, I am asking in the Name of Jesus that He will heal this one who is having surgery today and that in the days that come, the Name of Jesus will be magnified and glorified because of it. I'm praying for a physical healing and a spiritual encouragment for my friend, so that through all of this, she will know that not only does she have people standing in the gap for her & her husband but she has a Father who loves them and has wonderful plans for them.

I'm also excited because my other friend sent me an email detailing the development of he and his children who are forging ahead with life without a wife and mother. Each time I read an update from my buddy, I see how God is truly revealing Himself to him, giving him comfort, hope, peace and assurance that He is in control and, as Jeremiah 29:11 says God "has plans for a future and a hope." My friend and I have grown so much closer than when we used to work together back in the radio days...and we were pretty good buds back then. Wrasslin' geeks is what we were. HA!

Although we never have an idea where God will ultimately take us and whom He will place in our lives, I don't believe in just sheer coincidence. I believe in the sovereign plan of God and that "everything comes together for the good of those who love Him." There have been numerous times when I've felt at one of my lower points yet God has at that time shown me a verse or reminded me of someone who has been there to raise my spirits, stand in the gap for me and give me the encouragement I need.

I thank God today for friends and family like these. I hope that I can be one of those kind of encouragers to them as well as my many other family & friends. That is one of the legacies I want to leave when I die.

That I was there for people, that I shared & reflected God's love genuinely and that I did His will. I pray today that for everyone who reads this that God will give you a blessing you never expected and that it will not only enrich your life but will point you back toward Him.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now, there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing." (2 Tim. 4:6-8)

Superman Returns

Sorry for not keeping up with this blog thing here but it's kind of taken a back seat to all the summer activities. We've got kids in sports camps, pre-school, weddings, parties, looking at new homes & swimming pools (neither of which are likely to happen anytime soon) and the everyday hustle & bustle of life. Trying to collect my thoughts for 20 minutes at a time is more difficult than I realized.

I was initially excited to see the Man from Krypton come zooming back across the movie screen this summer but I think Hollywood has shot itself in the foot with it's new "Superman Returns". You can't go ANYWHERE without seeing a "SR" sign, poster, stand-up cardboard figure or emblem plastered on something...whether it's your cheeseburger, bottle of soda pop, graham crackers or even the expected toys & clothing. To be honest, I'm not all that fond of the new look. Why take a vibrant red, something that's been on every issue of his comic books I've ever owned and turn it into a more maroonish/brown? Why put a string bean like Brandon Routh in the tights instead of some muscle-bound meathead? It's comic book movies, people...and the actors need to be bigger than life, filling up the movie screen at all times.

Funny thing is...even though the movie doesn't open 'til midnight tonight, I saw Superman yesterday come flying out of my closet.

Here he is.

Just look at him, ready to take on the world. Little imp. I'd found his Superman costume in the bottom of our closet yesterday and as soon as I put the cape on him, he instinctively put his arms up in the air, made the "whooshing" sound with his mouth and took off running through the house at break neck speed. He even found time to come back within seconds and plant a super-sonic punch on the old man's midsection. Ooomph.

Take that you dastardly villain you.

I was trapped in my own Fortress of (non)Solitude yesterday as I took on the task of cleaning out our closet. Nay, I should say my wife's close hamper but since my suits also call that place "home" I suppose part of the blame also lies with me. Our master closet is pretty close to a 10' x 10' room with a giant built in armoire. My wife has clothes from 8th grade still hanging off the racks as well as old cheerleading outfits (no Mike, we don't use those on Friday nights...LOL!) and old prom & formal dresses. One of our flaws as a couple is that we have a horrible tendency NOT to unpack after a trip. Suitcases will sit for weeks (or months) with remnants of a spring break excursion still inside.

No, it's not dirty clothes or anything like that. I'm talking swimsuits that were never worn, socks that had never been unfolded and various necklaces, sunscreen and magazines stashed inside our totable Samsonites.

Such was the case yesterday as I delved into a mound of laundry (clean yet not put away) and suticases (see above explanation). I'm still digging out from the rubble but I've made extreme progress and have even been able to vacuum the closet floor. Our kids never knew we had carpet. How sad.

I've already stated what my fee will be for doing this monumental task. I want to try my hand at the much ballyhooed X-Box 360. My wife readily agreed to this barter, to which I realized that by her quick agreeance, I shot way too low for my reward.

Curses.

Maybe if I get things properly aligned, I might sneak our digital camera in there to show you the new side room we've gained, all from just putting things away and being neat. Unfortunately, this is a pattern we've both continued throughout our 10+ years of marriage and unless we find our own personal Alice (minus Sam the butcher) I fear it won't be too long until I'm having to unsheath my sword and do battle yet again with the evil closet dragon.

Asleep

In my opinion and from what I see going on around us in our culture, our nation and our world, I firmly believe that Christ will be returning soon. Events this past week seem to just underscore the sad shape of things and how chaotic our world truly is.

From the recent kidnappings and ultimate slaughters of 2 U.S. military members in Iraq to rising concerns of nuclear threats from Iran & North Korea to concerns over rising prices in oil and those threats that IF the United States were to launch pre-emptive attacks against Iran that the prices of oil could triple (which is an obvious tactic being used to threaten us against such a move) to all the filth & corruption on the television today, I wonder how much longer it will be until God says "Enough" and calls His church home.

Each day, I hear of yet another instance in which people mock and disregard any validity to the deity and holiness of Jesus Christ, let alone the very existence of God. Groups like the ACLU continue to trample on the basic rights of people by censoring their words from mentioning "God" or "Jesus" in things like graduation speeches...

unless, of course, it's said with irreverant tones and castigation.

I'm not sure why I've really started thinking about eternity and the Second Coming and even the Rapture more & more but with news events like the ones I've mentioned weighing on my heart, I'm praying fervently for God to open the eyes & ears of people all over the world to come back to Him, to realize what His word says is true and that even as smart as we think we are, even in this age of technological wizardry and advancement, the Word of God is STILL relevant and applicable to each of our lives.

I just happened to hear a song a few days ago by Casting Crowns. If you've read this blog before (or on any regular basis) you know how much I enjoy this band's music and the message they sing. (Check out my blog titled "Change In Plans" to see what I'm talking about.) Their latest CD is called "Lifesong" and yet again, I will say it is an incredible CD packed with songs of worship, praise and aknowledgement of the supremecy of God in our lives. One song in particular ministered to me this week.

It's called "While You Were Sleeping".

It's a song that lead singer Mark Hall said he initially set out to write as a modern version of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" but it became much more than that.

"I set out to set the classic hymn "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" to new music and, in the process, rediscovered the song and its message. They slept through it. Bethlehem missed the birth of the Savior of the world. Jerusalem did the same with Jesus' ministry among them. Seems crazy - 'til we as a nation look in the mirror. Matthew 25:5 - read the story / Romans 13:11 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 / Matthew 25:13; 26:41 Ephesians 5:8-14 / 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 Isaiah 53:6-7"

The song begins with the story of how Bethlehem was asleep the night of Christ's birth, missing the entire event. It continues with how Jerusalem missed what was right there in front of them, the Son of God, as they put Him to death on an old rugged cross.

But here's where it hit home for me.

"United States of America
Looks like another silent night
Every son deceived by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while lying there in the dark
There's a shout across the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night, in the night
America what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King

Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping?"

I've been reading the book of Hosea the past few days and in it, the Word describes the chaotic state Israel had become. Hosea 4 states the following:

"There is no truth, no faithful love and no knowledge of God in the land! Cursing, lying, murder, stealing adn adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another."

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your sons."

"My people consult their wooden idols and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; they act promiscuously in disobedience to their God."

This is just Chapter 4. There are more charges against them throughout the book, charges ranging from drunkeness, adultery, arrogance, lying, idol worship, refusal to hear the truth and cursing by their tongues. Does this sound like modern day America even in the slightest?

As the mirror of truth is being held up against America, there are many more sins being exposed than even these. Ultimately it has come down to this:

We, as a nation, have turned our backs on the God who redeemed us over 200 years ago. We have become arrogant in our own understanding and believe WE can solve our own problems. We don't need some archaic document or book like the Bible to direct how we should live, after all...what's that phrase we hear all the time..."your truth isn't necessarily MY truth?"

The fact is, truth is truth and one day that truth will be revealed to all. Either God's word is indeed what it says it is (Truth) or we are all liars. And if, if you'll just humor me for a moment, IF God's word is indeed true and He comes to take His church home "in the twinkling of an eye" (also known as "the Rapture"), millions will be left behind to face 7 years of tribulation and pandemonium the world has yet to even consider. To me, THAT will be a sure sign of the validity and truth of the Bible. Can you imagine that? Forget the fact that it is a Christian occurence...just imagine the literal disappearance of millions of people worldwide at that one instance.

Here...and then gone. That quick.

And the ramifications would be immediate. Pilots of aircraft disappearing while in mid-flight, thousands upon thousands of vehicles on the roads suddenly without drivers, people on their phones, computers and working out suddenly just...gone.

Frightening is only one word to describe what those left behind must begin to feel. How about lost, hopeless, vulnerable?

Alone.

Not a pretty picture, is it? Unfortunately, it will only get progressively worse. I won't go into what the Bible describes in the book of Revelation right now but it's the moment after Christ comes to take His church home that has had me thinking a lot these past few days. Yet, almost unbelievable as it may seem that something like this could happen, the instantaneous disappearance of millions of Christian believers, the rationalizing of it all from the media and religious experts will be even more stupifying. Once again, with the truth right there in front of them, people who've just experienced the wrong end of the Rapture will continue to defy and discredit God.

That's the sad part of this.

While people will still continue to be saved and accept Christ as their Lord during the Tribulation, millions of others will continue to fall into their own sinful lifestyle and degradation.

The good news is this: it's not too late for you today. You can, this very moment, know that without a doubt when you die, you will go to Heaven because you have accepted Christ into your heart as Lord & Savior. You can avoid this "judgment" that is coming for this evil, wicked earth and everyone on it. If this is you today, all you have to do is pray to accept Jesus into your heart, believe on Him and walk in His way.

My heart and my prayer is that America will begin to see the sad shape it's in spiritually and seek to turn back to God. We need a mighty spiritual awakening to happen in this land...again. It's time that we realize we cannot do it alone. We need the help and guidance of a Heavenly Father who knows all, sees all and loves all. It's not too late either, although the clock is indeed ticking.

We can become great again. We can become united again. We can come home...to Him...one more time.

The Son

A belated Happy Father's Day to all the dads & men who happen to stop by here. Yesterday, as you might imagine, was filled with all kinds of fatherly activities and mischief so I wasn't able to get on here and write what I'd originally planned. But, better late than never.

I was awakened yesterday to a whiny boy being quietly shushed by his mommy & sister, who were trying to "surprise" me with a couple father's day cards & gifts. Jake, for whatever reason a 3 year old does, was whining and throwing an almost tantrum about...you know, I don't think we ever knew. Perhaps it was that he didn't have a cup of coffee waiting on him as he arrived in the kitchen. Maybe it was because Golden Grahmans don't have soft, chewy marshmallows in them.

More than likely, he probably got up on the wrong side of the bed.

In any event, I heard the soft commotion begin to make it's way toward the bedroom and Kaitlyn, Jake and Mommy entered with a tray of orange juice and 2 bagles (sliced in half, making it 4 slices) topped with cream cheese and a bag of goodies for me. I sat up and read the cards from the kids and my wife, thanked them and gave them each a kiss and held out my hands so Jake could give me the gifts he'd already unwrapped.

They'd gotten me a cool pen & key ring from the Christian bookstore along with a new Bible. It's an NIV translation that is also called an "archeological Bible". It's got all kinds of maps & commentaries, both in it and on a CD-ROM that I can't wait to really dig into.

Oddly enough, the 4 bagel slices with cream cheese I'd had a few minutes earlier were now whittled down to only 2. The children also had rings of cheese residue surrounding their mouths. Coincidence? I think not.

So, I hopped up and got ready for church and was out the door within about 35 minutes. Early choir time for me as the rest of the fam followed later.

The big service was great, as usual. Pastor Floyd gave a great sermon on "investing your time" which I'll talk about later, perhaps tomorrow or Wednesday. I don't want to belittle his message but it was one of those "life changing" and "motivating" sermons that had a big impact on me and I can't wait to share it with you.

It was our lesson in our connection group (read: Sunday School class) that has me fired up this morning.

My dear friend and Christian brother Julio taught from Colossians about who Jesus is. And it really got me thinking about that topic.

Who is Jesus?

There seems to be a great hub-bub today about that very topic. So-called historians and teachers disagree over who Jesus is, with every answer ranging from a good man, a teacher, a prophet, ONE of God's children (this is a new one to me), a man and the one and only Son of God. If you are a Bible-believing Christian, as I am, here's what I was shown in yesterday's lesson. They are scriptures of not only truth but encouragement when I consider how insignificant I am by myself but how loved and perfected I become through His shed blood. So, who is Jesus?

Let's look at the first passage, Colossians 1:15-20. Without posting the entire thing, here's what it says about Christ.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, the creator of everything in heaven and on earth, the visible and invisible; He is before all things and He holds ALL things together. He is the head of the church, He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead...

"so that He may come to have first place in everything."

Pretty impressive list. But wait...there's more.

Hebrews 1:3 says "He is the radiance of His (God's) glory, the exact expression of His nature, and He sustains all things by His powerful word."

Think of this as you look at your own child today. That child is the exact expression of YOUR nature and an expression of your love for your spouse, with your spouse. Christ is that perfect expression of God's love for us, given so that we may be presented to Him as acceptable. How does this happen? I'm glad you asked.

Colossians 1:21-22

"And you were once alienated and hostile in mind because of your evil actions. But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless and blameless before Him (God)."

Colossians 2:14

"He erased the certificate of debt with it's obligations that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out fo the way by nailing it to the cross."

I don't know about you but that last line really gives me a sense of excitement and a heart of gratitude. Christ took the penalty set for you and me, He took that penalty upon Himself, paid that debt that WE owed and put it up there on that cross to remind us of what He did on our behalf but also, more importantly, of the sheer/extreme depths of His love for us. For it is by His death on that cross that we are free today from bondage. We can claim victory through Christ's selfless sacrifice on that horrible cross, believing on Him this very day.

Julio then said something that really invigorated me for the remainder of the day as well as now as I review these notes. He said "imagine the power we have available to us through Him".

Have you ever stopped to think of something that awesome? Not only do we have power but we also have privilege to come to the throne of the Creator of this universe, any time, any place and have converstation with Him. We can praise Him, cry out to Him, worship Him and lift up the name of His ONLY begotten Son.

The Name that the Bible says is above all other names, so that at this name, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father!!

Aw yeah...I'm ready to have some church!!

Have a great week!

Back From The Wedding

We're back from a very long but quick trip to Nashville this past weekend. As I may have mentioned before, my mom was getting re-married to a great guy and she wanted her kids (and grandkids) to be part of the ceremony. It was an incredible wedding, full of music, laughter, tears and worship. Music has always been a big part of our family, with all of us singing in choirs, groups or solo at some point, as well as playing instruments like piano, organ, trombone, drums, etc. Now, we're not the Von Trapp family singers by any stretch, but we love music and we love to sing. So it was only fitting that my mom had several songs sung by family & friends. She'd asked me to produce a video and narraration for her as well so I rummaged through as many pics as I could find of the various family members on both sides, laid down the music bed "When God Made You" as well as my voice and my grandparents reading some scripture. To me, having them read from the Bible really made that video shine. I notice my mom's eyes (as well as my sisters' and other family members) welled up with tears as the video ended. Funny how poignant pictures can be in the right setting.

My mom & her new hubby took off for an Alaskan cruise yesterday and I don't think we could be any happier for them. He is a great guy and the entire family has welcomed him in with open arms. I think his spirit and his incredibly good sense of humor make him a natural fit to our little group. He and my mother love to laugh and joke with each other as well as other people. In fact, whenever our family gets together, as in grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings, there is at least 2-4 times when there are laughing spells that literally cause tears and gasping for breath.

Saturday was no exception.

My aunt, who is an incredible soprano, sang a couple songs. One of them she was going to sing was "More Than Wonderful" by Sandi Patty & Larnelle Harris. She was going to do a duet with the song leader from my mom's church, who also is an incredible vocalist. So the two of them doing that song had everyone waiting in anticipation and excitement as we waited to hear them perform during rehearsal that day.

Except we had a little surprise for Marvin.

Little did he know, but as the kids say nowadays, he was about to get "punk'd". That means he was about to be part of a joke at his expense.

On the first time through "More Than Wonderful", the vocalists sing in harmony. Now as I said, both my aunt and Marvin are incredible singers, both of whom have sung this song before and know it inside & out. There was no fear or trepidation on either one of their parts as to whether or not the other singer could sing in tune and harmonize correctly. So here comes the chorus...

"For He's more wonderful..."

However, unbeknownst to Marvin, Dianna was going to intentionally sing off key and tank the harmony. BIG time.

And she did. Man, did she ever!!

And as she strainded to sound horrible, Marvin's eyes got big as saucers. He waved his hand up in the air and asked the sound guy to stop the tape and please start over, ever the consumate professional.

My mom, sisters, grandparents, Aubrey, me and everyone else were on the floor at this point, laughing in hysterics. It took Marvin a few seconds to realize what was going on. My aunt, through tears & laughter said "they put me up to do it" to which Marvin replied "well don't do everything they ask...especially Cheryl!"

Laughter ensued and then turned to peace and worship as Marvin & Dianna sang in perfect pitch those incredible words of praise and adoration to our Lord.

"For He's more wonderful, than my mind can conceive
He's more wonderful, than my heart can believe
He goes beyond, my wildest hopes and fondest dreams...
He's everything that my soul ever longed for
Everything He's promised and so much more
More than amazing, more than marvelous,
More than miraculous could ever be
He's more than wonderful
That's what Jesus is to me."

Yes, He is. What made that wedding so special to me and to many others was the spirit of worship that permeated that church that day. It was a wedding and a celebration for sure.

But it was also a worship service, a service of thanksgiving to God for bringing 2 incredible people together, blessing their lives and uniting them as one.

Mom & Aubrey, if you have stopped by to read this while on your honeymoon or when you get back, we love you both and pray God's richest blessings upon your lives together.

Bomb Bomb

Wow. That was a close one. It's about 6:35am here and the trash guys have already come by to pick up the garbage. Well, the recycling guys at least...but at 6:35am?? I don't mind but I know someone who will.

The boy.

If it's not trash trucks on Thursday mornings, it's the Weather Channel each day with that kid. I suppose it's not all that bad though. The BIG trash truck hasn't made it by yet so he's still got that to look forward to but I really don't want to be waking him up any sooner than needed. We're leaving today for Nashville for my mother's wedding and it's gonna be a long drive. I don't look forward to the prospect of cranky kids and a cranky wife.

Not that you are EVER cranky, my sweet, beloved, even-keeled beautiful flower of the morning, lover of my soul and bearer of my spawn.

(You think that's a little thick? You think maybe she'll see thru that as disingenuine? Man, I hope not. LOL)

I know I've been a bear the past couple of days so if you're reading this honey bunny, I apologize.

See, my mother asked me to do a video montage and narraration for a video for the wedding. I asked my buddy Zach for advice on which program to get, how to lay it all out, burn it to a DVD, etc but, of course, it was never that easy. For whatever reason, whenever I get programs that are SUPPOSED to work on my machine(s), they never do. It's always one driver here, an updated file here, a slight conflict there and voila! You've got a good case of high blood pressure and the emergence of a few gray hairs.

Thankfully, Zach took the raw workfiles I had burned to a CD-R and made 2 smooth as butta DVD's for this weekend so all is good. Thanks Zach! You've made me look like a hero instead of a goat.

Actually, I do a pretty good job of being the goat each day.

Thanks to everyone who called or emailed about my chest pains. We think it may have been caused by one to three things.

1. Stress (doing the DVD and watching wild hooligan children)
2. Blood sugars bouncing high then low
3. The boy wanting to play a good game of "bomb bomb".

"Bomb bomb" is where he comes at me full force, fists held high and his little face contored as angry as he can make it. He's recently added the "gruff, angry voice" to his schtick, making him all that more "dangerous". I got him a Spider-Man video the other day and Jake thinks it's cool to emulate Venom as he beats me up.

Except he can't say Venom.

He tells me in the most angry, bomb bomb voice he can muster, who he is right before he leaps into the air full of rage & fury.

"I'm Benom!!"

Benom.

As my grandmother would say, "doesn't that make you just wanna mash that child?"

See you all from Nashville.

By the way, I'm not too happy with the Titans anymore. They traded Steve McNair to the much-hated Baltimore Ravens yesterday. Not only have they given the arch-rivals a great player but they treated McNair with all kinds of contempt and disregard these past few months. Considering he's been the face of your team since they relocated to Tennessee and got you to within 2 yards of a Super Bowl Championship, I'd have thought that even as he was aging and his body wasn't as durable, you'd have treated him with a little more respect. Granted, I'm sure there are 2 sides to every story but this is the ugly side of football business I hate.

Here's hoping Vince Young can figure things out quickly. Considering Norm Chow, his former offensive coordinator from USC is now the OC for the Titans, I'd think he's got a real good shot at doing just that.

Heartache

I'm home today from church with pretty good chest pains. This, unfortuantely, is becoming a bit more recurrent with minor flare-ups about every 6-10 months. I can remember when they first started about 5 years ago while we were living in Columbia. I thought I was literally having a heart attack 'cause I had all the classic symptoms.

Chest pain, cold & tingling numbness up & down my left arm, cold & clammy sweating and slight trouble catching my breath.

I didn't know if I was about to check out or not but I got to the hospital pretty quick and they stuck an oxygen hose in me, much to my wife's surprise because she thought it may have been all in my head. Seeing me there on the examining table with a tube up my nose, I think she realized it was a bit more serious than what she thought. However, thankfully, after several workups and tests, it was declared that my chest pain was NOT due to anything heart related.

Relief, but then questions. If it wasn't my heart, what was causing this pain?

There was never a determination 5 years ago and with each recurrence/flare up, we get the same response.

"Well, it's not heart related but we can't figure out what it is. It's probably muscular pain and you'll just have to learn to live with it, take it easy and an occasional anti-inflammatory."

Easier said than done. Bottom line is...

Pain hurts.

So, am I to just chalk it up as something that can't be helped? Just deal with it? There's no way to determine what's causing this pain?

Jennifer & I were looking at the internet last night and we believe it could be related to diabetic neuropothy. Layman's terms...diabetic nerve damage. From what we've read, it can't really be "cured" but controlled through tighter glucose levels, diet and exercise routines.

I'm not trying to be all depressed & down about it. It's just that it's hard to consider having this chest pain indefinitely with no real sense of it completely going away. It's time for me to start buckling down and getting serious about this disease that for over 25 years has been relatively dormant. Yet now, after years of abuse and neglect, numerous Twinkies, cakes, cookies, steaks & potatoes and not exercising regularly, this disease is starting to come calling. So, because I want to be around for my wife & kids & family and whatever else God has in store for me, I'm gonna start taking this much more seriously.

I'm also praying that while God helps me to get serious about my physical life, I long to develop and grow in my spiritual life. As it says in Colossians, I'm praying today "to be filled wiht the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that I may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:9-10)

There are far too many things going on in our day & age that mock the Word of God, spit in the face of Jesus Christ, desecrate His life's ministry and legacy, doubting His divinity and even His very existence.

It's time to get serious about this "disease". Time to realize that there is a battle going on, a battle "against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." From recent controversies like the DaVinci Code to gay marriage amendments to the war on terror to the secularizing & "sanitizing" of our schools from even saying the word "Christmas"...it's no coincidence how or why this is all happening.

Just last night, I had an encounter with one of these aspects at the gas station. While I won't go into specific or graphic details of what I saw BLATANTLY being demonstrated in front of me at 6:45 on a Saturday night in a public place, I can tell you it sickened me to literal nausea to see how we as a human race have eroded down to almost nothing but simplistic, selfish and repulsive behavior.

There is no God. Your God is not MY god. I don't want to hear about YOUR God. I'm just fine the way I am. There is no Hell. By saying there is, you are offending me and I won't tolerate your "close-mindedness".

Friend, this may be your opinion today but let me ask you this. Have you ever considered:

What if you are wrong? What if when you die, there IS an after-life and there IS a reckoning before a Supreme Being? What if there is a Hell and there is a judgement? What then?

You see, if I'm wrong and you're right, we all die and sleep for eternity.

If I'm right and you are wrong and there IS a God, while He loves you implicitly, will also judge you according to whether or not you lived your life in a manner worthy of Christ...well, I fear millions will see rather quickly if there is a Hell or not.

The good news today is that God doesn't want any to perish but that all might be saved!!! And don't let your humanistic reasonings tell you you're not important. God sent His Son to die for YOUR sins, my sins, the sins of the WORLD. Nothing you've done matters in His sight because He's already paid the ransom for your sin. You can be free if you only believe and trust in Him today. Whatever your past is, the Bible says that God will not only forgive you of your sins but will cast them "as far as the east is from the west". God will also forget these sins after you've repented and He's cast them out.

Whether you've stolen or cursed or cheated or lied...whatever it is, God's grace is so much bigger than any of us, He's got His wonderful mercy there, waiting for you, ready to forgive you, to cleanse you and to make you a new creature in Him.

So what do you say? If you haven't made Him Lord & Savior today, would you do so now? Eternal life can be your's. All you have to do is accept it. Put aside all "reasonings" you may have and seek the truth for yourself. Don't let a movie or a society determine your salvation.

Knock and it will be opened. Ask and it will be given. Seek and ye shall find.

Lies and deceptions will eventually fall away but truth...

Truth remains.

Forever.

Lost...Has Been Found!!

If you look down a few posts earlier, you'll see a plea from me to help us out in finding Season 2 of "Lost" somewhere on the internet. Quick review: We got the Season 1 boxset, quickly became hooked, breezed through it and now, as Season 2 comes to an end in real-time, we are trying to find a way to catch up as Season 3 begins in the fall.

That is...IF the show didn't end after Season 2.

Please. No spoilers.

Present time: as I mentioned, I got an iPod and found the entire episode list of Season 2 on iTunes and downloaded them all for just under $35. That's about a $15 savings on when the boxset and all it's extras come out in October. But that's fine with us. We don't (normally) buy the boxsets for the extras. So, after we got Season 2 d'loaded to the iPod, we can now hook it up to a normal TV and watch it whenever we want.

I have to say this though real quick. I love the new technologies out there today. It's almost made regular TV obsolete. At least it's that way in our home. I've found websites that you can join and download actual TV episodes (like we did with "Lost"), movies (legally of course), music and whatever else you could think of. In fact, it's changed the way we even rent movies. The only time we go to the local video store is when the kids really want a movie for that night or something like that. Otherwise, we do the Netflix thing and don't worry about late fees or getting the DVD's back before closing time. We just received Discs 1-3 of the first season of "24". I think this'll be our next series to get hooked on. I've heard some good things about it so we shall soon see.

Back to "Lost" though.

Last night, at 11:45pm, the last thing we saw was Sayid confronting newcomer Henry Gale, saying his (Henry's) story about how he crashed on the island on a smiley-face hot air balloon and buried his now deceased wife underneath it was true...to an extent.

There WAS a smiley-faced balloon hung up in the trees and there WAS a shallow grave next to it, underneath a tree.

Except that there was no woman buried in a shallow grave...it was a man.

And upon further investigation, it was revealed to Sayid that that man's name was:

Henry Gale.

Then the credits roll over dramatic music.

We both looked at each other, pensively, silently asking each other if we wanted to stay up for another hour to catch the next episode. That answer was given to us as Jake woke up crying from a bad dream...and I'll give you 2 guesses who got his marching orders to go upstairs and calm the boy down.

It wasn't Sgt. Fury, I'll tell you that much.

So the plan for today is to keep the kids active all day long, no naps for any of them, wear them completely out, eat a quick supper around 6pm, toss them in the tub by 7:30 and in bed by 8:30 so they can get a good night's sleep...

put some water on the stove for some coffee/hot tea, whip up a little dessert and hit "play" on the iPod to see if Sayid constructs another road map on "Henry's" face, the way he did 2 episodes ago.

Ahh, yes. It's gonna be a good day as we plan for an even better night!

Attention Bozo The Clown!!

You left your shoes at Finish Line, bub!!

Have you ever seen anything so ridiculous in all your life? Oh man...when did I get all old and crotchety? LOL

Look at these things. They are actually designed for men. And what macho man wouldn't want to be caught out in the world, looking all hip & stylish with a pair of "Ice Creams" on his feet.

Yes, I said "Ice Creams". Shoes named after soft, creamy and cold desserts are now being marketed to young men later this summer. Now what kind of men, I don't know. Maybe it's guys who can't get the girls to notice them before will now turn heads looking like rejects from the Doodlebops.

Oh man...don't get me started on the Doodlebops. They're just plain freaky & evil!!!

Who knows? Perhaps it'll be guys like rockstars, skateboarders, circus or rodeo clowns, break dancers or perhaps guys who still live in their mom's basement, concocting a comic book plot between the DC Universe and the cast from the original Star Trek.

Guaranteed though...I wouldn't be caught dead in those shoes if I had to walk barefoot through glass from here to...well...the ice cream shop.

Now, back in the day, I'd have LOVED to have worn a pair of these cool lookin' Chuck Taylors! I mean if they were good enough for Eddie Van Halen, they'd have been good enough for me. However, knowing the kind of teenage angst I went through and the severe lack of self-conficence I had (hey, during my teens, when I'm beginning to develop into a respectable young man, I had to drive a pale yellow station wagon with 3 out of 4 hubcaps on it and a radio that even got AM!!) I doubt a pair of shoes would've made me any "cooler" to the girls. I could've shown up in a Starsky & Hutch car or KITT and they'd have still looked at me as "that cute, sweet funny guy."

Ugh.

I've often told my wife it's a real burden being so good looking and charming instead of being taller and more fit.

Well, today is the last day of school for Kate. I woke up grumbling that she even had to go to school at all. Seriously, why bother? It's not like they're going to begin a new section on how to use long division or conjugate verbs. I remember my last day(s) of grade school and while I was excited it was, for all intents & purposes, a play day, I'd have rather stayed home and played. However, I know Kaitlyn is excited to not only say good bye to her friends & teacher(s) for the summer, but she wants to show off her new contacts.

Actually, how can you show off something that's nearly invisible?

Here's how I imagine the day going.

Arrive at school, get to class before the opening bell, teacher takes roll, turn in books, games & silliness begins and by 10:15, school administrators are wondering why we even bothered to have school today. Last day of school party begins at 1:30p, kids get amped up on sugar & cookies & punch, spill Kool-Aid all over that new yellow shirt we told the child to be careful with (you might as well give them a scooter and tell them to tiptoe through a Hallmark store if you think that shirt will come back in it's original form) and then arrive home, cranky from their sugar high and complain about being "bored".

Within one week, I predict every parent I know will have said at least one time "I can't wait for these kids to get back to school!"

And thus, by September when the leaves begin to change and the kids start another year of educational rearing, we will now understand why 37 year old parents have suddenly gone gray-headed.

"I'm not only the president of Grecian formula, I'm also a regular user."

Maybe this fall I'll go with a dark auburn color. Yeah, that's the ticket. That way it'll match the 3 pairs of "Ice Cream" shoes I vowed I'd never wear.