i want one!! only $1.25 per gallon!

find more info at http://www.cleanskies.org
or at Honda's site for the Civic GX

investigative report on Israel

over 10 years ago i had the opportunity to visit Israel. as a Christ follower, i have always been intrigued by the Holy Land... and my short trip there only reinforced the nation's sanctity in my heart and soul. it is undoubtedly the Holy Land. if you ever have to opportunity to visit Israel, I suggest you go. go walk the streets where Christ and other Biblical heroes have walked and find out for yourself.

I saw a new series the other day that I'm pretty excited about... it's about Israel and it looks pretty dang cool. It's called Against All Odds.
Check out the purpose of the series on their website: "Given the circumstances surrounding Israel's birth as a nation, and the odds against its survival, Israel should not exist as a nation today...
Journalist Michael Greenspan confronts military leaders, battle commanders, strategists, and common soldiers on the field who provide their viewpoints of remarkable stories of heroism and bravery...some that defy human understanding...
How did Hebrew become the only dead language in history to be revived after 2,000 years? Why would millions of people from around the world leave their homes and move to a desert wasteland to build new lives for themselves? How did these people manage to turn a land more than 80% desert into one of the largest food and flower exporters in the world? Why have incredible achievements in science, medicine, and new technologies happened here in greater concentration than anywhere else? There are no logical answers. Some say these things can only be explained as miracles."

oh, and by the way, Michael Greenspan (former senior correspondent for CNN) was a confirmed agnostic at the outset of the project. there's 13 parts to this series... i'm thinking it's probably worth checking out.

4 quotes from Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington

"Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way."

"Character, not circumstances, makes the man."

"There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs—partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs."

"Character is power."

do you know Him?

ThatsMyKing
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Obama's audacious minister of hate

please, read my favorite New York Post article from Friday.
God damn America??? talk about audacity....

internal invader

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more
surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force
of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot
be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be
ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or
internal invader."
-- Samuel Adams (letter to James Warren, 12 February 1779)

speed bumps

Speed bumps. I hate them.
I thought that I would be rid of them after highschool. I remember thinking: I can’t wait to graduate! I won’t have to drive over stupid speed bumps ever again!
WRONG.
What does every college parking lot have? Speed bumps.
After college there would be no more speed bumps… not in the real world, right? Nope.
What does every apartment complex in the city have? Speed bumps.
Oh, and every office complex? More speed bumps.

Just the other day, as I was driving over the speed bumps in the parking garage at my new job, I got to thinking…

Seems like they’re every where- in every stage of life.
I hate them. They’re unavoidable and annoying.
But we all know why they’re there. To keep people from speeding through places they shouldn’t so that they won’t wreck anything hurting themselves or someone else.

Just when you think that you can speed through life – you hit a speed bump.
That first one is always a nasty surprise if you’re speeding through and you don’t see it.
It could cost you too- you might need new struts and suspension on your car- especially if you just try to fly over all them without slowing down like I did.
Lesson learned- I’ve learned to slow down.

Let me ask you this: Ever seen anyone just completely stop at a speed bump? Get out of their car and call it quits? They’re just bumps- not walls- you can still drive forward.
Like asphalt speed bumps, life’s speed bumps are only intended to slow us down- not stop us entirely. They’re not walls.

When I was in college, a fellow student had taken a bulldozer and tried to take out all the speed bumps in one of the parking lots. That didn’t prove effective. All it did was rip some serious holes into the road.

I know I’m not the only one who wishes to be rid of speed bumps forever.
But, I can’t be rid of them forever- I have to learn to deal with them and slow down. After all, I’d rather slow down than deal with repairing some major holes and doing road construction in my life.

I kinda feel like I’m going through a life full of speed bumps right now. Doesn’t God know I’m a safe driver? Speed bumps aren’t necessary in my life, right? I’m always cautious and never irresponsible. But maybe it’s not about learning something at all… maybe I could speed through life like a professional race car driver without bringing harm or injury to anyone.
Or could it be that I might miss something? Is it the scenery that He wants me to see? Or is it that He wants me to be a part of the scene? I wish I could see the overall picture that He has in mind.
Every once in awhile, I get in a funk… I feel like I’ve hit a wall. Feel like I’m not going anywhere and there’s no way of escape. Then I get on the other side of it and see… it was just a bump.

Four and a half.

Four and a half years.

that's how long the adventure was... my adventure at the BMC.
I turned in my resignation over a week ago. c'mon, give me a congrats. my last day is quickly approaching. it's been quite a time... these last four and a half. good times & bad.
lessons learned... and hopefully some taught.
friends made... and lost.
patience tried... and kept.
fun had... love, laughs, and tears...

and now...
i move on.

i will miss seeing my friends everyday... but we'll still see each other...
leaving the job is one thing... i'm not leaving my friendships with it.
We've journeyed too far together.

coming up on the next episode of life's adventures:
i will go to work w/a new company and learn something new...
and i will help start a web magazine.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. -Jeremiah 29:11

holiday movies

so Tara & I watched While You Were Sleeping last night. love this movie.
it's one of my most favorite holiday movies ever.
in fact, after we watched it, i went to amazon & bought the dvd.
let the holiday movie watching begin.

living among the dead

w2 reminded me that I needed to blog a couple days ago. and i've been meaning to... just haven't been able to get around to it. thanks w2. i think you might be one of my only faithful readers. :)
i have a cold. so annoying. i think i've had it for way too long.
anyway, I've posted a few pictures from our St. Louis & Boston trips below.
i gotta say, Boston wasn't that great. met one lady who i thought was really cool. at first, i thought she was just another typical Bostonian... with her sweater tied around her shoulders. as we approached her, we were walking down the stairs of the Boston Commons. there was a homeless man sitting on the steps, and when he saw her walking by, he said "going to lunch?" and she said "well, i will be. you want me to bring you the salad again?" and she preceded to ask him what he wanted on his salad this time and was there anything else from the menu he wanted? then she told him that she had some errands to run before grabbing lunch but she would be back in about an hour.
wow. this unknown, typical woman taking time out... it was cool. and it made me stop and ask God to forgive me for thinking that she was just another sweater-toting, snotty Bostonian. i'm sorry Boston. i thought you were all the same. but i was wrong. there are living among the dead. and i met one. and she's cool.
what is it about acts of kindness like that... that we find so amazing? when did acts of kindness like that become so rare that they're unusual?

pics from St. Louis & Boston

quick quote

"The minute you settle for less... you get even less than you settled for."
-Maureen Dowd

planning on sharing a little about the recent Boston trip soon...
check back...

on the road again

He has pitched a tent for the sun.

So we went to Colorado and it was AWESOME. I’ve finally posted some pictures below. It was a great time. I can't even tell you how great it was- it was just what i needed. And I always love to visit Ingrid!
Anyway, I went with my family to Kansas City this past weekend for my cousin’s wedding. I’ve posted a few pictures of that blessed event below too. It was beautiful. And Joel & Layna are perfect for each other. It was a lot of fun.

Wondering about that cloud pic above? I snapped that on my way back from Kansas City this weekend… I’ve been seeing a LOT of beautiful clouds lately. Kinda unusual... so I had to throw one up on here.

So I’ve been thinking a lot over the last couple days about how ridiculously self-righteous people are. Who do we think we are? Seriously? All the songs I’ve heard on the radio lately are all about how important you are over everyone else. And that’s simply not true. I am not more important than you. And you should not think that you are more important than anyone else either. What is it with society today? Seriously- the movie stars, the musicians, the writers, the christians, the non-christians, the men, the women, the old, the young, the rich, the poor, the beautiful, the ugly, the married, the single, the child, the parent- it seems that everyone suffers from this disease. It seems like everyone thinks they are "it". Everyone seems to think they're why the world spins ‘round.
I heard someone say one time “There is a God. And you are not Him.”
When we finally figure out that it’s about love and loving others unconditionally (not loving OURSELVES unconditionally) then there might be a world changing shift. If you don’t know the definition of love then find it here.

Leaving for St. Louis tomorrow. Going to a conference about purpose and passion. Do I really need more education about purpose and passion? Really? Ha… I guess I probably do… who doesn’t?
When I get back from St. Louis, I’m headed to Boston for a week! It’s a work thing… but I’m totally expecting it to be TONS of fun. I’ve never been to Boston before and I’m super excited. Which means that I’ll take lots of pictures… which means there will probably be lots of pictures that land on my blog... eventually.
Ciao for now!

Joel & Layna's wedding

finally... pictures from Colorado

Colorado or BUST!

hey! i'm leaving for CO tomorrow morning! whoohoo! going to visit Ingrid!
going to have a blast! and Tara is going with me!
i'll be posting pictures I'm sure!
btw, did i mention this vacation is a full week?! WAO!
and when i return, my friends Steph & Matt will be back from Korea!
i'll blog more when i get back & have some fun pictures to share!

oh, and check out this cool scripture:
Matthew 11:28-30
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Anne and her diary

Photo taken from http://www.annefranktree.com

everyday i get an email that lists things that happened that day in history. i don't always read them... and in fact, i usually delete them before i even open them. but on wednesday i decided to actually read it.

among the many things listed that happened in history on August 1st was:
1944- Thirteen-year-old Anne Frank made the last entry in her diary; days later she and her family were taken to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she died at age 15.

i read The Diary of a Young Girl when i was younger... but i really didn't remember much about it. since getting this email on wednesday, i've spent a lot of time researching what happened to Anne & her family. there are several different websites with info... including annefrank.org
the story of Anne, her passion, and her courage inspire me. through her writings she's touched so many thousands of people. the diary has been translated into more than sixty-five languages and has sold more than thirty million copies... and she only lived to be 15 years old. 15! can you imagine? and by the way, she received her first diary only 2 years before her death... on her 13th birthday.
the picture above is the view that Anne had from the annex window... where she and her family were in hiding. she wrote of it: "Nearly every morning I go to the attic to blow the stuffy air out of my lungs, from my favorite spot on the floor I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree, on whose branches little raindrops shine, appearing like silver, and at the seagulls and other birds as they glide on the wind. As long as this exists, I thought, and I may live to see it, this sunshine, the cloudless skies, while this lasts I cannot be unhappy."

i've been thinking a lot about passion lately... and when i saw this about Anne... i couldn't help to think about it more. if you have never read her book... you should... i will be re-reading it soon.

"A man without passion is only a latent force, only a possibility, like a stone waiting for the blow from the iron to give forth sparks."
Henri-Frédéric Amiel

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
Dr. Howard Thurman

Do what makes you come alive.
Anne once wrote: "I know that I can write..."
what do you know that you can do?
Do it.

some pics from my NYC trip last week...

it will be like Facebook

so i've been on Facebook since May. i love it. i wish everyone on myspace would come on over. it's awesome. anyway, i'm not writing this to talk people into switching... i'm mentioning this only to say i love meeting cool new people & reconnecting with old friends. I have a new friend in Alaska now... it's such a fun little world.

i was listening to an old Rich Mullins song the other day... I miss that guy. Unlike a lot of singers/artists, he wrote most of his own music. He was a seeker. He was different. He was bold and courageous... and he understood God's grace. Anyway, I was listening to If I Stand and as I was listening to it... I started to miss something... I started to feel this strange longing well up inside of me. Does that ever happen to you?
later on that day I was listening to another song by someone else and it said i'm missing someone but i don't know who...
and i got to thinking, i know who and where i miss. i miss home (a place i've never been) and i miss my friends... the ones i know and don't know. it will be like Facebook when i get there... but for real... in person... everyone connected to everyone else... we'll meet new friends... and old ones. and hopefully i'll meet Rich. i can't wait.

tomorrow I'm heading to NYC for a few days of vacation and fun. yes, i will be taking LOTS of pictures. prepare yourselves! ttys!

just a phone salesman

I can't believe I forgot to put this on my blog... a friend of mine sent this the other day... it's amazing... and inspiring.

CHALLENGE:
is there anything in your life that you are holding inside?
STEP OUT and take the chance! Don’t hold yourself back!

"It is never too late to be what you might have been."
-George Eliot