Our new toy.

Yesterday Penny and went to every ones favorite bed and bath and beyond store to look around. That's where we met face to face with a very interesting and potentially useful gadget. It's called a Tassimo Hot Beverage System. We soon convinced ourselves that this is a necessity in our house and decided to take advantage of the sale and a 20% off coupon that we were given by a person from our church and we purchased this wicked machine. A cup of hot cappuccino, tea or coffee in 2 minutes, and it's almost as good as Starbucks! It makes tea, coffee, hot chocolate and other hot beverages. Wicked I say!

Christian Pastors and Conferences.

I may step on some of your toes with this one, but that's OK, we are all adults here. I have been in and around ministry for many years. I have served as a student ministry volunteer and pastor, a young adults minister and pastor, associate pastor and an active member and inactive "pew sitter" in some churches. There has been one disturbing trend from my point of view that I can't help but point out, the fact that pastors and ministers go to more conferences and helps conventions than any other trade I know of. Here are some examples from other vocations: I have a friend who is in the military. No conferences, conventions or what ever. Just a lot of on the job training. He continually grows and learns his vocation by doing it and getting instruction from his superiors. Another person that I know very well is a successful electrical estimator and contractor and has been for many years. He goes to one conference a year. That is it. It is a special event for him and he makes the most of it. Why is it that people in Christian ministry must attend more conferences than most other vocations? My thought is this. Is it necessary to attend 5, 6 or 7 conferences a year? I know what conferences are like and what goes on there (of course I have been to many). It's typically a bunch of people who are paid to go there by their church. They are put up in a hotel, eat what they want, talk to a bunch of other guys about their ministries (usually the numbers are fudged on about everything from financials to attendance to staff members) and listen to a bunch of other paid speakers tell you what you may have already heard 20 or 30 times in your ministry life whether through a previous conference, book, disk, pod cast or what not. Why can't we be more content learning in our called environment? Is it really necessary for us to go to every conference by every rock star public speaker or pastor? I don't think so. I believe we should protect our churches, our lives and our vocation by being responsible in our learning and expenditures.

The final LOST episode

For those of you into LOST here is a bootlegged video from the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas (as Kate reveals). Thought it was pretty funny.

HBO Documentary about me.

This morning I was reading about a documentary about Evangelical Christians that debuted on HBO last night. Did anyone see it? Looks interesting. Also very interesting is the fact that the Speakerette of the House, Nancy Pelosi's daughter, Alexandra made this film. Here's an interview with Alan Colmes. Chick is a little condescending, huh?
(Ht: Michelle)

Some thoughts....

....a weekly video post from me to you.

Awards Season.

It's that time of year. Everyone and their mama has some sort of an award ceremony for a bunch of famous people. The one that I enjoy most is the Razzies. What makes this awards ceremony so wonderful is the accountability factor to the Hollywood elite for making bad films. Anytime Hollywood is made fun of is good by me.
Here is a list of some of this years Razzie nominees:

Worst Picture:
Basic Instinct 2
Bloodrayne
Lady In The Water
Little Man
Wicker Man

Worst Actor:
Tim Allen - The Santa Clause 3, The Shaggy Dog and Zoom
Nicolas Cage - Wicker Man
Larry, The Cable Guy (Dan Whitney) Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector
Rob Schneider - The Benchwarmers and Little Man
Marlon Wayans & Shawn Wayans - Little Man

Worst Actress:
Hilary Duff & Haylie Duff - Material Girls
Lindsay Lohan - Just My Luck
Kristanna Loken - Bloodrayne
Jessica Simpson - Employee Of The Month
Sharon Stone - Basic Instinct 2

Mac Envy.

Yesterday I was the Apple Store to drop off my PowerBook (again!) and the guy in line in front of me had the best Mac story of tragedy EVER! Here goes: At approximately 5 PM he was telling the Apple Care Genius that he had just bought a brand spankin' new MacBook (white) that afternoon, around 2 PM. When he got home he had a quick opening ceremony (who doesn't) and proceeded to get the pearl running. After "fifteen glorious minutes" ,as he described it, the new family dog decided he had enough of the competition and, as the man explained, the dog took a bite out of the top left corner of the MacBook! I saw it it! It was oh so gruesome. White cracked plastic in the shape of a.....dogs chompers! The really hard part to lay my eyes on was the screen part that had incisor marks on it! This poor man had joyously spent $1500 on this beautiful piece of equipment just 3 hours earlier to have the joy and funtionality of the screen stripped away by a jealous dog! As I heard him tell the story I couldn't help but chime in "Did you take the dog to the pound?" He told me "No, he's really a sweet dog." Now that's what I call grace!

Bad Boys, Bad Boys.....

Today Penny and I were at a gas station here in Jupiter, Fl. and saw a wicked cool bust go down. 4 Cops, 2 thugs, a female sidekick, guns (illegal, of course!), hand cuffs and a shouting match. I felt like I was in an episode of COPS. Yes, I took that picture. How voyeuristic of me!

Your Office.

Every time I watch an episode of The Office I see each character as a possible real life person from one of my previous jobs or my current place of employment. I just can't help it. I think every person has an element of each character (except Andy from the Stamford office). So is your boss like Michael Scott? Do you see yourself more like Jim Halpert? Is your receptionist in the ball park with Pam? Is there a Dwight Shrute that you work with? I'd love to hear YOUR office story.

Some thoughts....

Southeastern Calvary Chapel Pastors Conference 2007: Day 2

Here is a breakdown of day 2:

Session 1: Gayle Erwin (an old school CC staple) talked about being a servant, what ministry is essentially all about. It was amazing to me how many people laughed at his really lame jokes.

Session 2: Don McClure (another old school CC guy) hit a home run from my point of view. I was really challenged by his charge to us to "do it ALL without complaining". Don has a very commanding deliverance and in my humble opinion is the most effective communicator at the conference.

Session 3: Malcom Wild (CC Merritt Island), honestly, the only thing I remember about his teaching was his accent, which is of the British flavor.

Session 4: John Spencer (CC Gulf Breeze) taught from Philippians 3:1-11. Something that really settled with me was his closing commentary on verses 10-11. He quoted Paul and his attitude statement: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." He encouraged each of us to make an attitude statement as Paul did.

Session 5: Don McClure shared something deep about Biblical psychology and the nessecity of it in ministry (not wierdo, Fruedian stuff!) but putting into our mind the Word. At least thats what I gathered. It was getting late and I was kind of zoning out; I was also a little thrown off by the wierd brass/horn "performance" by a bunch of old guys.

Other: Jeff and I attended a Student Ministry leadership dinner. We met a really cool guy named Daniel who is a student pastor from Columbia, SC. It's great getting to know guys who are doing ministry similar to you from all parts of the country. Also, the worship was very different than I'm used to. Kind of old school. Alot of Keith Green and Rich Mullins tunes.

Southeastern Calvary Chapel Pastors Conference 2007: Day 1

I left this morning from Jupiter with Pastor Dan, Bryon, Jeff (our worship guy) and good friend and resident missionary Chris Tress. After stopping for lunch (in po-dunk Lake Wales). We arrived about an hour late to the conference in St. Petersburg (nickname "Heavens waiting room"). The theme of this years conference is "Attitudes of the Heart". We will be stuying the book of Philippians.

Here is a breakdown of the day:
Session 1: Danny Hodges, pastor at CCSP spoke (we caught the last few minutes). He talked about the sins of envy, rivalry and competition in ministry. Good stuff. Pretty convicting. I always enjoy Danny's teaching style.

Session 2: Jim Gallagher from CC Vero Beach shared from Philippians 1:21. He discussed the fact that we as Christians should be driven by the statement "to live is Christ".

Break: We had dinner at Olive Garden with our boys from CC Port St. Lucie (Pastor Mike, Teddy and Lee). Good friends, good food.

Session 3: Bob Coy (CC FtL) continues the Philippians study and encourages us to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel. He shared some pretty candid thoughts from his personal experience at his church. To be honest, I was a little thrown of by the flow of his message. He went from several clear points (convicting and applicable) to an almost defence of his church's recent fundraising drive and other things that some Calvary hardliners have accused and judged. My thoughts: who cares. God is obviously blessing what your doing in Ft. Lauderdale, Pastor Bob. You don't need to use the pulpit to defend yourself. I wish he would have given his fourth point, instead he felt compelled to defend his decision making unnecessarily.

Check back tomorrow for day 2.

Supernatural.

I just can't get over the supernatural work of Jesus in my life. It has become almost daily that I am becoming moved to tears by God's providential hand. The people that He has placed around me are simply remarkable, and prove this supernatural work. As a pastor at our church I have the honor of having people labor along side me. Whether it is my fellow staff members, ministry volunteers, disciples or blood family, God is using people to strengthen and encourage me through a pretty testy time in life. As Penny and I await our two children from Russia it has been difficult, but God has blessed us with people that we consider brothers and sisters. I love you all and thank you for your prayers.

The iPhone upclose....

WARNING: By watching this video, a deep down desire to switch to Apple will be awakened, if it hasn't already. If you have gone Mac already, you will be over come with an uncontrollable desire to start counting down the days until the June release of this revolutionary product. BE WARNED!

"Life & Times" YouTube Channel

I was checking my YouTube account this morning and saw that I have a couple of videos that have had over 10,000 views. I didn't expect that. Anyway, if your interested, here is my YouTube channel. Check often as I will be posting lots of new videos.

Funny Zune Phone

Microsoft just cant get a break. Im convinced that a bunch of IT guys run the corporation. Heres a funny parody of what a Zune Phone might be like.

Some thoughts....

Some thoughts from ye balded wonder.

Ramen Noodles guy dies.

I was sitting in Atlanta Bread this morning and caught the CNN report that Momofuku Ando, the Japanese inventor of instant noodles has died. I know everyone has had Ramen Noodles. Whether it was in college or as a kid, digging in the pantry only to find that last package of Raman beef flavor. Yum.
The AP reports: "Born in Taiwan, Ando founded his company in 1948 from a humble family operation. Faced with food shortages in post-World War II Japan, Ando thought a quality, convenient noodle product would help feed the masses.
In 1958, his "Chicken Ramen" — the first instant noodle — was introduced after many trials. Following its success, the company added other products, such as the "Cup Noodle" in 1971."

Drool, drool......

Just what we all thought! The iPhone finally. I think it's time for me to dump the Cingular 8125, any takers? Thanks to MacRumorsLive.com for the great pictures!

Hmmmmm......

I love seeing this on the Apple website. I wonder what Mr. Jobs will reveal to us in the next hour? My thoughts are the iPod phone, more iTunes options and maybe some software and iPod updates. What do you think?

8 Years ago today....

....I said "I do" to the most amazing woman on the planet! That's right, Penny and I are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary. It's incredible how time flies. We got hitched on a Friday night after only a 4 and half month engagement. I look forward to the rest of our lives together. I love you baby!

Some thoughts....

I'm glad it's a new year. It's like a brand new start.

Colds suck! I've been trying to kick one all week.

Tonight's "My Name is Earl" was unbelievably funny! If you didn't see it, Torrent it now!

....same goes for "The Office", of course.

My in-grown toe nail is doing better, for now.

Nick Saban (former Miami Dolphins coach) is a dirt bag.

The University of Miami just received a commitment from the number one high school prospect in America.

My 12" PowerBook is up and running and faster, smoother than ever! It's amazing what an extra 1 GB of RAM can do!

My wife has been posting on her blog, "Russian Adoption", you should check it out.

Speaking of adoption, still no news from Russia. This sucks but we still know that the Lord is in control and we will get those babies in His perfect timing.

How to put a stapler in Jello.

Jim Halpert from "The Office" has the best pranks on Dwight Schrute. One that stands out is from the Pilot episode, the stapler in Jello. Thanks to Office Tally this was found buried deep inside of the world wide web.

How to put a Stapler in Jello
(from JelloStapler.com)

Best of 2006: TV

The Office - Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute, Jim & Pam. Need I say more? Ok, how about Dunder Mifflin, Scranton, Chilies and Jan Levinson. Need more? How about "Thats what she said!" or "If luck weren’t involved, I would always be winning." or "Why tip someone for a job I’m capable of doing myself? I can deliver food. I can drive a taxi. I can, and do, cut my own hair. I did, however, tip my urologist. Because I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones."

LOST - as much as season 2 dragged on and on, I still stuck with this show. It has lost some of it's luster but it's like crack TV, I cant get enough. Please no more flashbacks! I just want to know all of the now details, NOW!

Deal or No Deal - I have admitted here on Life & Times my like for this prime time game show. What is so great about this show is that it is brainless and any shmo can play it. People get all worked up thinking that they could pick a better case than the contestant. Howie represent us bald folks well.

Dateline - Internet predators busted. Crimes solved. I love how Stone Phillips takes you step by step through a crime or Chris Hansen walks up to a dirty old man who is anticipating a 13 year old. I never knew how many twisted messed up crimes of passion went on in this country until I watched this show.


30 Rock - Alec Baldwin steals the show in this outrageous SNL-influenced comedy. I think this show helps solidify the new "Must See TV" on NBC, along with My Name is Earl, previously mentioned The Office, Scrubs and late night with ER.

Best of 2006: Music

Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere - It took a while for this recording to grow on me. If you are into experimental hip-hop then you'll dig this. Cee-Lo from Goodie Mod and DJ Danger Mouse make up this unique collaboration.

Daughtry, Daughtry - Former American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry and his band rock out on this predictable, yet good release.

Mute Math, Mute Math - Wow. Not bad for a couple of home school kids from Louisiana. Good modern rock with a key-tar twist.

John Mayer, Continuum - The best recording of the year. John Mayer is no longer just a pop guy, but a genuine rock icon. This dude is the real deal and ten years from now he will still be headlining and packing out concert halls.

Day of Fire, Cut and Move - The former front man from band Full Devil Jacket is now the leader of the best hard rock band in Christian music. All of their songs are anthems with an edge.

LeCrea, After the Music Stops - Holy hip hops latest star is lyrically brilliant for the most part and the beats defiantly get your head nodding.

Best of 2006: Movies

"Apocalypto" - Mel Gibson's epic about a young Mayan man trying to survive. Read my review here.

"Deja Vu" - A literally unbelievable movie about a cop that gets involved in a a crazy investigation turned time travel caper. Doesn't get good reviews. So what. Denzel's latest. Need I say more?

"Invincible" - Another sappy but true sports story about a guy who goes from a bartender to a pro football player for the Philly Eagles. Not bad for Marky Mark.

"United 93" - An interpretation of what may have happened on United flight 93 on September 11, 2001. It really welled up some of the emotions from that day.

"Madeas Family Reunion" - Tyler Perry plays an old school crazy old lady who takes in a troubled teen. Hilarious, quirky and good moral of the story. Family and God's love are the most important values.

"Click" - A funny movie about a guy who gets a special remote that can operate his life. I'm a sucker for an Adam Sandler movie.