The last 14 weeks or so there have been two incredible things going on in my life. Last night it was great to be able to put them together in my mind. I know when I tell you what the two things are you might be a bit concerned. But it is not bad at all.
The first thing has been the class on Islam that my wife and I have been taking at our Church. It has been a great class that has opened my eyes not just to Islam but to my own faith as well. Before 9-11 who really had many thoughts about Islam and Muslims in general? I know I did not have many thoughts since they were in their part of the world and I was safely tucked into my part of the world here in Dallas, Texas.
Well 9-11 changed all of that for everyone here in the U.S. especially those within our class. The overwhelming thought was how violent the religion of Islam is, especially after an Islamic group introduced it to our shores in such a violent way. Yes, I know there were Muslims living within our borders before then but how many of us really took notice? Afterwards we all tend to notice more of the people around us and in our neighborhoods.
The class certainly opened each heart that was in attendance throughout the 12 week course. Not to the Islamic religion in itself (which it did greatly) but more to the people within its beliefs. Yes, it was done at my Church but an awesome part of the class was it was not just the Christian view on Islam. Two of the classes we had Muslims leading the class, one an Imam from a local Mosque and one an outreach person from the same Mosque who grew up in a Catholic home and converted along with a tour of a local Mosque. Other teachers were Muslims that found Christ and now have a relationship with Him.
Last night as I was lying down to slumber I had two thoughts pass thru my head. One was this class since last night was the last night and the second was the excitement of being a father. Ya remember the commercials of old “Hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter” second guy “Well you got your peanut butter in my Chocolate” for Reese's peanut butter cups? Yea the thoughts kinda seem like that a bit but trust me they relate as you read further..
Well as you know my wife is preggo at this time and being half way through has got me a bit excited. Not just the fact that I will be able to feel the kiddo soon within my wife's tummy but the time is coming quickly I get to meet the little one.
When I was thinking about the kiddo I got to thinking about Muslims and fatherhood. One of the things we learned is that in Islam they do not have a personnel relationship with god. He is someone that they tend to fear.
Last night I was thinking of how I cannot wait for the relationship that I am going to have with my kid after its birth. This is what Christ wants from us, he desires a relationship with us. With the kid on its way I can start to fully understand the love that Christ has for me as one of his own children. My wife and I are bringing a life into this world, how huge of a thought is that?
How very sad that there are millions of people who have a faith that replicates parts of what Christ desires of us but yet is missing the mark of a relationship with Christ. As a father he is there to comfort us, wrap his arms around us in times of troubles, guide us and love us even during all the stupid things we find ourselves doing.
It scares me that in a big way that I have missed how huge God’s love is for me and how unconditional he offers it. I know I am one that has mistreated the love that he has for me and has had for me the 35 years of my existence here on earth.
We have a duty to love as he has first loved us as a parent should love his child unconditionally as well. But that is another topic that would take how long to write, and read in your case, so I will leave that for another day.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Jury Duty
My wife was the lucky one to get on a jury recently. It was four days long, ok the trial was 3 and a half days long with the first day wasted getting onto the darn thing. It was one to see if a mother's parental rights were to be taken away or not. I do not know if it is a good thing to have a pregnant lady on such a trial but she made it thru and took the rights away from her. It sounded like the right move to make unfortunately.
I have never been called to jury duty in my 35 years of life here on earth. I was never called back home in Wisconsin or yet here in Dallas. But today I found one that I would have liked to have been on just for the spectacle of it. It actually happened here in Dallas as well and I was not called!! What! A travesty I tell ya!
I have never been called to jury duty in my 35 years of life here on earth. I was never called back home in Wisconsin or yet here in Dallas. But today I found one that I would have liked to have been on just for the spectacle of it. It actually happened here in Dallas as well and I was not called!! What! A travesty I tell ya!
DALLAS - The first witness in a lawsuit Wednesday between two neighbors was Buddy the donkey, who walked to the bench and stared at the jury, the picture of a gentle, well-mannered creature and not the loud, aggressive animal he had been accused of being.
The donkey was at the center of a dispute between oilman John Cantrell and attorney Gregory Shamoun that began after Cantrell complained about a storage shed Shamoun was building in his backyard in Dallas.
He said Shamoun retaliated by bringing Buddy from his ranch in Midlothian and putting him in the backyard.
Cantrell complained of donkey noise and manure piles.
"They bray a lot any time day or night. You never know when they're going to cut loose," he testified.
Shamoun said Buddy was there to serve as a surrogate mother for a calf named Lucy that needed to be bottle-fed.
Neither jurors nor Buddy had the last say.
The neighbors settled their dispute while jurors deliberated.
Shamoun agreed to buy some of Cantrell's land and Cantrell agreed to withdraw his complaint with the city.
The donkey was at the center of a dispute between oilman John Cantrell and attorney Gregory Shamoun that began after Cantrell complained about a storage shed Shamoun was building in his backyard in Dallas.
He said Shamoun retaliated by bringing Buddy from his ranch in Midlothian and putting him in the backyard.
Cantrell complained of donkey noise and manure piles.
"They bray a lot any time day or night. You never know when they're going to cut loose," he testified.
Shamoun said Buddy was there to serve as a surrogate mother for a calf named Lucy that needed to be bottle-fed.
Neither jurors nor Buddy had the last say.
The neighbors settled their dispute while jurors deliberated.
Shamoun agreed to buy some of Cantrell's land and Cantrell agreed to withdraw his complaint with the city.
Ya remember way back when, there was a "Buddy" Doll and 
the song went something like "My buddy and me like to climb up a tree, my buddy goes where ever I go". Well it goes something like that, scary that I even remembered that much of it. But this takes that song and doll to an extreme by taking buddy, a Donkey, to court as a witness.
the song went something like "My buddy and me like to climb up a tree, my buddy goes where ever I go". Well it goes something like that, scary that I even remembered that much of it. But this takes that song and doll to an extreme by taking buddy, a Donkey, to court as a witness.From the pic he is a
good lookin' witness, for a donkey.
Have I proven to anyone as of yet that this world is CRAZY?
Monday, April 16, 2007
Thank you Home Depot
Crazy weather this weekend made it a bit more interesting. From severe thunderstorms with the potential of tornadoes on Friday evening to a high of 45 on Saturday to a picture perfect sunny day on Sunday.
I have always disliked cathedral ceilings in homes and recently I chalked up another reason. The first and my main argument was all of the wasted electricity heating and cooling all of the dead space.
Well in our bedroom, yes i am welcoming you into our bedroom for this, we have a 14 foot ceiling. It has a ceiling fan with lights attached at the top. It has a five foot pole so when the fan is on you can actually then feel the breeze it makes.
A week or so ago the light fixture on it was not working but yet the fan worked. I had a guy come over and let me know that there was electricity in switch but nothing at the end of the pole for the lights to turn on. So that means it was either the connection at the very top or inside of the ceiling. My guess was a loose connection at top. So I called a few places and the lowest price I found was $190 for two hours. They would not go down on the price when I pretty much told them what it was and it would take but 15 minutes from their day. Their response was "do you have anything else around the house they could do?" Not 200 dollars worth and that I could not figure out on my own.
Well some told us that Home Depot rented tools so we rented a 12 foot ladder since no one we know owns 12 foot A frame ladder. It was $20 for the ladder for four hours. I like the odds on the price.
Well from the time we took the ladder off the car, put it up figured out that it was a wire that split, fixed it and took the ladder down it was about 20 minutes. I do not do this type of thing
but maybe once in a Millennium and it took me 20 minutes. It would have taken the person maybe five minutes to do it and for $200.
Well the light works and the fan continues to run as well. So problem solved and for $180 in savings. So what to do with the money I just saved. Maybe a new TV? Vacation?
Thanks again Home Depot for renting, genius!
Now to tackle the ice maker in our freezer!
I have always disliked cathedral ceilings in homes and recently I chalked up another reason. The first and my main argument was all of the wasted electricity heating and cooling all of the dead space.
Well in our bedroom, yes i am welcoming you into our bedroom for this, we have a 14 foot ceiling. It has a ceiling fan with lights attached at the top. It has a five foot pole so when the fan is on you can actually then feel the breeze it makes.
A week or so ago the light fixture on it was not working but yet the fan worked. I had a guy come over and let me know that there was electricity in switch but nothing at the end of the pole for the lights to turn on. So that means it was either the connection at the very top or inside of the ceiling. My guess was a loose connection at top. So I called a few places and the lowest price I found was $190 for two hours. They would not go down on the price when I pretty much told them what it was and it would take but 15 minutes from their day. Their response was "do you have anything else around the house they could do?" Not 200 dollars worth and that I could not figure out on my own.
Well some told us that Home Depot rented tools so we rented a 12 foot ladder since no one we know owns 12 foot A frame ladder. It was $20 for the ladder for four hours. I like the odds on the price.
Well from the time we took the ladder off the car, put it up figured out that it was a wire that split, fixed it and took the ladder down it was about 20 minutes. I do not do this type of thing
but maybe once in a Millennium and it took me 20 minutes. It would have taken the person maybe five minutes to do it and for $200.Well the light works and the fan continues to run as well. So problem solved and for $180 in savings. So what to do with the money I just saved. Maybe a new TV? Vacation?
Thanks again Home Depot for renting, genius!
Now to tackle the ice maker in our freezer!
Friday, April 13, 2007
Coming down thru turn # 4, this is a close one, and the winner is?
This BLOG ROCKS!!
Thanks to all who voted even to those that voted against me and my blog. I am an adult and can handle it. The votes were touch and go for a while but the right response won out. The results follow.
Has this blog "Jumped the Shark"?
1. Yes, it so did when ya started it.
3 votes
25%
2. No way dude it rocks!!
7 votes
58%
3. Uhhh, What does Jumping the Shark mean anyways?
2 votes
17%
I am glad to see that this Blog rocks in your eyes. I am a believer in you my adoring public even though I had to leave it up for a month longer for people to realize the fact that this thing R O C K S in the USA. hehehe
I will have a new Poll up shortly, just have to get creative and think of a new and fun one to post. Thanks for playing
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Something keeps happening to my computer at my office and I do not know why. After our IT department works on my PC at my office it works worse than before they touched it. A few times they have wiped out everything that I had saved that I did not save on our shared server. So know when my PC is working slow here in the office I am afraid to tell someone for that very reason of what it might be like afterwards.
So then they get upset with ya when there are a few things wrong with it, that they might have caused last time, and it took me so long to say anything about it to anyone.
Thanks to all who voted even to those that voted against me and my blog. I am an adult and can handle it. The votes were touch and go for a while but the right response won out. The results follow.
Has this blog "Jumped the Shark"?
1. Yes, it so did when ya started it.
3 votes
25%
2. No way dude it rocks!!
7 votes
58%
3. Uhhh, What does Jumping the Shark mean anyways?
2 votes
17%
I am glad to see that this Blog rocks in your eyes. I am a believer in you my adoring public even though I had to leave it up for a month longer for people to realize the fact that this thing R O C K S in the USA. hehehe
I will have a new Poll up shortly, just have to get creative and think of a new and fun one to post. Thanks for playing
////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Something keeps happening to my computer at my office and I do not know why. After our IT department works on my PC at my office it works worse than before they touched it. A few times they have wiped out everything that I had saved that I did not save on our shared server. So know when my PC is working slow here in the office I am afraid to tell someone for that very reason of what it might be like afterwards.
So then they get upset with ya when there are a few things wrong with it, that they might have caused last time, and it took me so long to say anything about it to anyone.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Our little egg
Well Easter has passed for another year. Now if I can only remember each and everyday of the year what the significance of Christ's resurrection is to me.
Well yesterday afternoon I went with my wife to the Doc's office and had a little ultra sound thing going on to check out the progress and growth of my wifes egg. Man it is too cool to hear the little heart beat a goin so quickly for such a small little person.
If that was not cool enough for us to know that there is another heart beating within my wife we got to see the little person as well. We saw it's head, arms, legs and it's little feet. My wife has been praying for each of it's toes and fingers so at this point we know it has most toes accounted for. So dear keep praying!
At one point we were looking at the babies head area when all of a sudden it's arm came up to the side of it's head. From the view we had it looked like it knew we were out there looking in on him and it wanted to see if it could see us lookin in on it. Ya know when ya want to see something inside ya plant your face up to the glass and put your hands to the side of your face to look in? That is what it looked like. Kinda cute and fun to think of our baby trying to see us as well. But it is not a two way street there kiddo, sorry.
We wanted to see what to start calling the kid since we have names picked out for the kiddo already. But the kid just wanted to sit cross legged the whole time on it's mommies bladder. As of right now it is breach but as we saw yesterday it can and will continue to move around in it's womb without a view (thanks wierd al' for that saying).
One last thing that we saw was it's heart a flutering away like a little butterfly. Kinda wild to think that I had been used by the Lord to create such a little being that will grow to know Him. Whether or not he accepts Him is up to him, we are praying at this time and in the future that it will come to a saving knowledge of Him who created us and our little kiddo stewing and growing within it's mommie.
Next appointment will be in a month so more updates then.
Well yesterday afternoon I went with my wife to the Doc's office and had a little ultra sound thing going on to check out the progress and growth of my wifes egg. Man it is too cool to hear the little heart beat a goin so quickly for such a small little person.
If that was not cool enough for us to know that there is another heart beating within my wife we got to see the little person as well. We saw it's head, arms, legs and it's little feet. My wife has been praying for each of it's toes and fingers so at this point we know it has most toes accounted for. So dear keep praying!
At one point we were looking at the babies head area when all of a sudden it's arm came up to the side of it's head. From the view we had it looked like it knew we were out there looking in on him and it wanted to see if it could see us lookin in on it. Ya know when ya want to see something inside ya plant your face up to the glass and put your hands to the side of your face to look in? That is what it looked like. Kinda cute and fun to think of our baby trying to see us as well. But it is not a two way street there kiddo, sorry.
We wanted to see what to start calling the kid since we have names picked out for the kiddo already. But the kid just wanted to sit cross legged the whole time on it's mommies bladder. As of right now it is breach but as we saw yesterday it can and will continue to move around in it's womb without a view (thanks wierd al' for that saying).
One last thing that we saw was it's heart a flutering away like a little butterfly. Kinda wild to think that I had been used by the Lord to create such a little being that will grow to know Him. Whether or not he accepts Him is up to him, we are praying at this time and in the future that it will come to a saving knowledge of Him who created us and our little kiddo stewing and growing within it's mommie.
Next appointment will be in a month so more updates then.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Remember the good ol' days?
Well this weekend is when we celebrate Easter. The Death of Christ on the cross today on Good Friday and then the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday. Where a bunny crossed paths with Christ in all of this is beyond me but our celebrations these days include an Easter bunny, egg hunts and chocolate.
When I was a kiddo many moons ago we did have the typical easter basket full of candy & the egg hunt (with real eggs none of the fake eggs in our home baby!). I have a quick Q on the egg hunt. Why are parents so cruel to kids with this tradition? They get the kids all excited to color and design the eggs only to hide them on us and make us find them. That is cruel and unusual punishment I tell ya.
Well my best memory is somewhat sketchy so if my parents are reading this and want (or should I say have the need?) to correct me please do.
The reason that this memory is coming up are the stories of snow around the North today. Growing up in Wisconsin the temperature at this time can still be somewhat cool or cold. One year I remember being excited about going to the local park for an annual Easter Egg hunt. When waking up for the event I found out that the Easter bunny had some serious dandrif problems since it left behind a few inches of white stuff outside. OK you might find this hard to believe but it was actually snow and it was freezing outside.
So I bundled up in my snow suit for an hour of hunting for eggs. From there I start getting sketchy so I will not bore you with lies of a made up time while out there hunting eggs, frozen eggs!!
I does seem to me the next years until I was too old to hunt for them anymore we held our own hunt inside of the house. It made it kinda fun when you could not find that last one and ya find it months later. Do not crack that puppy open if ya find it that much later.
Well have a HAPPY EASTER WEEKEND and to all the kiddos out there reading my blog each and every day Happy Hunting!! The pic is one I found online, it is funny lookin though ain't it? Looks like a skull if ya ask me.
When I was a kiddo many moons ago we did have the typical easter basket full of candy & the egg hunt (with real eggs none of the fake eggs in our home baby!). I have a quick Q on the egg hunt. Why are parents so cruel to kids with this tradition? They get the kids all excited to color and design the eggs only to hide them on us and make us find them. That is cruel and unusual punishment I tell ya.
Well my best memory is somewhat sketchy so if my parents are reading this and want (or should I say have the need?) to correct me please do.
The reason that this memory is coming up are the stories of snow around the North today. Growing up in Wisconsin the temperature at this time can still be somewhat cool or cold. One year I remember being excited about going to the local park for an annual Easter Egg hunt. When waking up for the event I found out that the Easter bunny had some serious dandrif problems since it left behind a few inches of white stuff outside. OK you might find this hard to believe but it was actually snow and it was freezing outside.
So I bundled up in my snow suit for an hour of hunting for eggs. From there I start getting sketchy so I will not bore you with lies of a made up time while out there hunting eggs, frozen eggs!!
I does seem to me the next years until I was too old to hunt for them anymore we held our own hunt inside of the house. It made it kinda fun when you could not find that last one and ya find it months later. Do not crack that puppy open if ya find it that much later.
Well have a HAPPY EASTER WEEKEND and to all the kiddos out there reading my blog each and every day Happy Hunting!! The pic is one I found online, it is funny lookin though ain't it? Looks like a skull if ya ask me.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Way to crazy!
This whole issue of global warming is getting out of hand. Do I believe that it exists? Yes I do. Have we caused it? I cannot say yes or no. Can it just be a warmer cycle the earth goes through once in a while? Why yes it could be just a cycle.
It is just common sense to me that we have no idea of WHY it is happening. One reason is that we have a hundred years of data at this time about weather and it's patterns. How many thousands of years has the world been spinning? So I am to believe in just those 100 or so years of data out of thousands of years the earth has been spinning? I for one cannot. Also if I am to believe the scientific thought process the numbers would change from 100 years out of then millions of years the earth has been spinning. I am not a mathematician or a scientist but I do have to question their thinking. We do know and believe that things tend to run in cycles don't we. But on this one way to many people are blindly agreeing way to fast since the Al Gores of the world are making far more noise than before.
One of the best things the Lord has told us is to listen to Him and to question man. If we do not question men like Al Gore's thinking then the human race is over as we know it. Also if we do not question men like Rush Limbaugh's thinking the human race is dead as we know it.
The craziest aspect of the global warming fad we are going thru right now is what I read today. Today I found this "Shifting dust storms on Mars might be contributing to global warming there, that is shrinking the planet's southern polar ice caps, scientists say".
MARS, did anyone see that coming? Man that is craziness. How many years of data on Mars weather patterns do we have? We are all guilty of killing Martians I guess, no wonder they are attacking us all over the place. Just as we need to stop it they need to get rid of the earth to stop the warming of their most beautiful planet. Maybe in all of this craziness the National enquirer is truly the only right publication out there when they talk about invaders from Mars. But not Pluto since that is no longer a planet.
It is just common sense to me that we have no idea of WHY it is happening. One reason is that we have a hundred years of data at this time about weather and it's patterns. How many thousands of years has the world been spinning? So I am to believe in just those 100 or so years of data out of thousands of years the earth has been spinning? I for one cannot. Also if I am to believe the scientific thought process the numbers would change from 100 years out of then millions of years the earth has been spinning. I am not a mathematician or a scientist but I do have to question their thinking. We do know and believe that things tend to run in cycles don't we. But on this one way to many people are blindly agreeing way to fast since the Al Gores of the world are making far more noise than before.
One of the best things the Lord has told us is to listen to Him and to question man. If we do not question men like Al Gore's thinking then the human race is over as we know it. Also if we do not question men like Rush Limbaugh's thinking the human race is dead as we know it.
The craziest aspect of the global warming fad we are going thru right now is what I read today. Today I found this "Shifting dust storms on Mars might be contributing to global warming there, that is shrinking the planet's southern polar ice caps, scientists say".
MARS, did anyone see that coming? Man that is craziness. How many years of data on Mars weather patterns do we have? We are all guilty of killing Martians I guess, no wonder they are attacking us all over the place. Just as we need to stop it they need to get rid of the earth to stop the warming of their most beautiful planet. Maybe in all of this craziness the National enquirer is truly the only right publication out there when they talk about invaders from Mars. But not Pluto since that is no longer a planet.
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