Goats & Barley

Being Satisfied With Dissatisfaction

2012-02-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

I don't write or share too much about my job on this blog. It's not very appealing to those that read the thing. I've had the blog for 5 1/2 years. I've worked for Chick-fil-A for over 9 years. I don't think I've ever really shared anything about my job on Goats & Barley.

I think part of it is because my work is only a part of my life. I think another part is that I want to err on the side of professionalism about what I share publicly as a person who represents the company in some form or fashion. The reality is that if I never share anything on my blog, then it's impossible to say something stupid.

But I'm feeling confident about sharing my feelings about this subject - the feeling of a restless dissatisfaction.

I've been a part of some pretty cool things with Chick-fil-A. Numbers that may or may not seem staggering to the common person who only goes through for a sandwich and a sweet tea. I've traveled to 6 different states to train at Grand Openings. I've been a part of assembling lunch/dinner for literally thousands of people @ one time. I've worked in a drive-thru that put 207 cars through in a single hour - a personal record for sure and one, that I know of, no other Chick-fil-A has accomplished (though I know they could have). With all of that being said, statistically at least 1 of those 207 orders will not have been exactly what the customer wanted. At least one of those sandwiches has only 1 pickle instead of the perfect "2." These things aren't done on purpose, they just happen. We live in an imperfect world full of imperfect people.

Deep within me, I have this restless dissatisfaction when things aren't perfect. As the general manager of the restaurant I work at, I teach; I coach; I train; I work. Mistakes are still made. Things still happen. As the leader of a team of about 40 people, I am just as flawed of a person as the men and women that I lead. As a man who wants his entire career to be in this field, I've been humbled by the idea that I will never be in an environment that I can control completely. I want every customer to have a perfect experience when they walk through the doors of our restaurant.

I know deep down nothing will ever be 100% perfect, but I still get disappointed when things don't go the way they should. But I think that's a good thing. I think it's good that I get dissatisfied because that's what keeps me hungry. That's what drives me to always be getting better and to never allow myself to think I've "arrived". Just when I think I've got it figured out, something comes along to prove me wrong.

How I lost 23 Pounds

2012-01-19T09:26:00.009-07:00

6 Months later. I had no idea that this thing would be a 6 month endeavor. I just decided to start counting how much food I ate, and then it happened to be 40 days later that I counted it up. So then I decided to do better the next 40 days, and so forth. Starting on July 12th of 2011, it's been barely over 6 months and I've lost 23 pounds. I weigh less than I did when I got married over 2 years ago, and arguably as little as I have since I graduated from college. This just goes to show you that a couple small changes go a long way over time.

Looking at the 6 months as whole, I lost the weight even during a time in which many people find excuses to stay unhealthy.

I lost weight during the hot summer months (hot, humid, muggy).
I lost weight during the time of my first child's birth (stress, hospital visits, out of routine)
I lost weight during Thanksgiving and Christmas (holiday traveling out of state for a week at a time, lots of food temptations that are bad for you)
I lost weight during a job change (different working hours, different meal times)
I lost weight during the cold, winter months (cold, windy, short days)

The bottom line is that anyone who wants to lose a few pounds just needs to make small, sustainable, healthy decisions and have the self discipline to follow through on these minor goals. In reality, I didn't really change much about my life, I just started paying attention and keeping track of what I did that could affect my health.

First I lost 7 pounds,
Then I lost 4 pounds,
I followed that up with 5 pounds,
Then I lost 3 pounds,
And below is how I lost the last 3 pounds:

(Green means I improved that category over the previous 40 days, Red means I regressed):

Dates and Pounds
Start date: December 20th
End date: January 18th
Starting Weight: 177.6 pounds
Ending Weight: 174.2 pounds
Total weight loss in 40 days: 3.4 pounds
Total weight loss in 200 days: 22.6 pounds

What food did I track?
I ate ice cream once every 40 days
I ate french fries once every 20 days
I ate after 9pm once every 20 days
I drank a soft drink/sweet tea once every 4.4 days
I ate fruit once every 2.5 days

Exercise:
I ran an average of .1 miles/day
I did an average of 2.2 squats/day
I did an average of 2.1 pushups/day
I did an average of 1.4 crunches/day

My goal is to be at 170 or less by the end of 2012. Realistically, I would like to keep losing a lot of the body fat (which means I would drop to the 160's, and then hopefully build back up a little muscle to the upper 160's, maybe 170. Let's see where this healthy lifestyle continues to take me!

June 2011

January 2012

My 2011 Year in Review

2011-12-28T16:48:00.004-07:00

What a fun year 2011 was for the Morgans! Mindy and I spent our 2nd year of marriage very much in a place of transition. By nature, Mindy and I are planners and like to be on top of things, but the year 2011 gave our family plenty to handle.

1 Year ago today Mindy and I were somewhere between the borders of Arizona and Texas, making our way to Athens from Phoenix. My brother, Adam, and I were driving a giant Penske truck all the way across the country on I-10 with a 70mph governor. Inside of our Honda Element was a 3 month old puppy, a 2 year old cat, and a 4 year old snake. The dog slept for 33 of 34 hours in the car. Surprisingly, traveling 2,000 miles with 3 animals wasn't so difficult.

Our second week in town, on January 10th, we were met with 9 inches of snow! Starting my new job as the Talent Director for Chick-fil-A in Athens was only slightly delayed by the blizzard shutting down the city.

Fast forward two weeks. Mindy gets a job! This one involved helping overweight adults lose weight. Not as gratifying as a job as her previous one, but a relatively easy gig compared to her last one of of performing bone marrow transplants.

That same week, we find out we're pregnant! Baby Morgan on the way!

In March, our family grows even more as Cupid's arrow hits hard and deep as Adam and Megan, a childhood friend of mine from middle & high school, get married. I've got a new sister-in-law that is absolutely perfect for my brother!

Not too late after that, Dave Ramsey's words are sinking in and it's obvious that it's time to sell my truck - a 2007 GMC Canyon. We can afford the payments, but if Mindy is going to stay home after our baby comes, then we know we could use the extra cash. I downgrade to a car 10 years older - a 1997 Honda Accord. We wiped out $8,000 in debt and now I'm driving a sedan with a sun roof...and transmission problems. (I miss you, sometimes, Big Red).

April comes around, and we find out that it is Everett Nolan Morgan who is on his way. Let the shopping begin!

As pregnancy progresses and we are looking to get what we need for Everett, Mindy and I take Dave Ramsey's advice again and create our own Saturday morning hobby of going to garage sales! We found some great deals and it was fun to spend 3 quality hours together each morning.

In June, it might have been the closest I have ever been to being struck by lightning as a bolt struck a tree just outside of our house. We still have problems with our TV thanks to this force of nature.

In July, we had to find a new home for our cat, Marley. It was just a matter of too many living creatures in our small home, and we felt like Marley might have the toughest adjustment to the new baby. It was a tough decision as Marley was a birthday gift for Mindy back in 2009, but it was the right decision. For Paws adoption was able to take him in and find a good home for him.

In August, I had the honor of being the best man for Adam and Megan as they had their service and reception for friends and family to celebrate their marriage. What a special time. Unforgettable.

In September, Everett arrived! 7lbs 15 oz. 20 1/2". A Beautiful, healthy baby boy who seems to never nap and is always wide-eyed and looking around. He's just like his daddy-curious and active. This kid is going to be a handful.

In November, the family traveled for a week to Arizona to see family for Thanksgiving. It was Everett's first visit to Arizona to see his Aunt and Uncle and cousins.

In December, we spent Christmas with my family in Peachtree City, Georgia. This was the first time that my entire family has been together at one time - and the first time that Everett got to meet Aunt Nicole face to face!

Looking ahead to January, I will be the General Manager of a Chick-fil-A, yet again. It's another amazing opportunity that God has blessed me with in preparing me for my future career.

Other Highlights from the Year:

-I had a project of getting a postcard mailed to me from every single state. As of this day, I am so close to reaching my goal with 90 postcards from 42 states and 5 countries!

-A renewed focus on being healthy saw me go from my all-time high weight in October of 2010 @ 199.6 pounds down to 177.6 pounds this year. According to RunKeeper, I ran over 179 miles this calendar year.

-Financially, it was a bit of a challenging year as Mindy and I both took paycuts, we financed a cross-country move, had a baby, and Mindy's position was eliminated at her job. But all in all, we were still able to make progress and knock out over $12,000 in debt. In 2012, we'll be calling Dave Ramsey to tell him that we're debt free!

Coming Up in 2012:
-Mindy and I are praying for bigger opportunities with Chick-fil-A. We believe God has a special plan for our future with that company and we're excited to see where we go.

-I am kind of digging this health-thing. My goal is to get down to 170 pounds by the end of 2012.

-Financially, Mindy and I will have all of our debts paid this year, as well as a 3 to 6 month, fully funded emergency fund. Lord willing, we'll have a down-payment on a house started.

-I want to quit biting my fingernails.

It will be fun to look back in 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years to see just how big of a year this was for us. Thank you, God - for such a wonderful year of growth. We are so blessed with the life you've given us!

How I lost 19 Pounds

2011-12-19T17:15:00.006-07:00

Way back in July I decided that I needed to be healthier if I was going to be a father. So it started with just me making some subtle changes in my diet and exercise to start losing some weight and being healthier. Well, wouldn't you know it? Momentum has caught on and I've lost 19 pounds in just under 6 months. The biggest challenges these last 40 days were holidays and the traveling that came with it. It's tough a lot of times to eat healthy and exercise while on the road, especially while flying. And of course, Thanksgiving get-togethers with family usually means a lot of goodies, sweets, and soft drinks. A lot of temptation! Throw in the cold, rainy weather and days getting shorter, and my exercise has seriously slipped this past 40 days.

Anyways, long story short - I still lost weight!
This is how I lost the first 7 pounds.
Then I lost 4 more pounds.
I knocked off 5 more pounds.
And below talks about the next 4 pounds!

(Green means I improved that category, Red means I regressed):

Dates and Pounds
Start date: November 10th
End date: December 19th
Starting Weight: 181.2 pounds
Ending Weight: 177.6 pounds
Total weight loss in 40 days: 4 pounds
Total weight loss in 160 days: 19.2 pounds

What food did I track?
I ate after 9 pm once every 8 days
I ate french fries once every 5.7 days
I ate ice cream once every 5.7 days
I drank a soft drink/sweet tea once every 2.9 days
I ate fruit once every 2.4 days

Exercise:
I ran an average of .5 miles/day
I did an average of 4.0 squats/day
I did an average of 2.8 crunches/day
I did an average of 2.6 pushups/day

Goals for the next 40 days:
I will have a renewed focus on reducing the poor diet intake
Increase each of the 4 exercises from the previous month
Keep the weight down beneath 177 through the Holidays and New Year

How I lost 16 pounds

2011-11-10T08:38:00.004-07:00

I am becoming a huge fan of momentum. I can tell that like most machines, our body is one of momentum. Once you get it moving in one direction, it takes a lot to change that momentum, and it's a lot easier to keep it going. So, even though my healthy habits weren't as intense this past 40 days, I actually lost a little more weight than the time before.

A major challenge for me for this past 40 days was the last week of it. I spent that week on a business trip - eating out for every meal (high sodium) and around a lot of temptations (soft drinks, sweet tea, ice cream, eating after 9 PM). I also have been working later at work - causing my normal meal times to shift. All in all, I'm glad I had a lot of momentum going into the last week - because I made ZERO progress the last week. The good news is that I didn't go backwards.

This is how I lost the first 7 pounds.
Then I lost 4 more pounds.
And now I lost 5 more pounds (see below).

Here are the stats from the 3rd 40 day period (Green means I improved that category, Red means I regressed):

Dates and Pounds
Start date: October 1st
End date: November 9th
Starting Weight: 186.2 pounds
Ending Weight: 181.2 pounds
Total weight loss in 40 days: 5 pounds
Total weight loss in 120 days: 15.6 pounds

What food did I track?
I ate ice cream once every 13.3 days
I ate after 9 pm once every 8 days
I ate french fries once every 3.6 days
I drank a soft drink/sweet tea once every 3.1 days
I ate fruit once every 2.1 days

Exercise:
I ran an average of 1.0 miles/day
I did an average of 3.8 squats/day
I did an average of 2.4 pushups/day
I did an average of 1.6 crunches/day

Goals for the next 40 days:
I will have a renewed focus on reducing the poor diet intake
Increase each of the 4 exercises from the previous month
Keep the weight down beneath 180 through the Holidays

How I lost 11 pounds

2011-10-02T08:37:00.006-07:00

That weight is just slowly dropping. This second 40 day period was a little tougher than the first. In the first 40 days, I lost 7 of the 11 pounds. My diet was better and I just had more to lose. During the 2nd 40 days, I eased up a little on my diet restrictions, and added a little more exercise and healthy-food tracking. I had some good momentum going, and then the last week of my 40 days, Everett arrived. Spending 4 days in the hospital is not typically the best way to get exercise and eat healthy. Fast food options for meals and lack of sleep probably didn't help. But the good news is that I still lost weight at the end of the period, and I'm on the right track!

The idea behind this goal of slowly losing weight is that I don't want to make drastic changes that are not sustainable. A baby and work is enough change for me that I need something that is simple and sustainable so that my weight loss will be a lifestyle and stay permanent.

Here are the stats from the 2nd 40 day period:

Dates and Pounds
Start date: August 22nd
End date: September 30th
Starting Weight: 190.2 pounds
Ending Weight: 186.2 pounds
Total weight loss in 40 days: 4 pounds
Total weight loss in 80 days: 10.6 pounds

What food did I track?
I ate after 9 pm once every 20 days
I had ice cream once every 10 days
I had a soft drink once every 6.7 days
I ate french fries once every 3.6 days
I ate fruit once every 1.8 days

Exercise:
I ran an average of 1.1 miles/day
I did an average of 5.2 pushups/day
I did an average of 2.0 squats/day

Goals for the next 40 days:
I will have a renewed focus on reducing the poor diet intake
I will now include sweet tea as a soft drink*
I will increase the pushups and squats/day
I will add crunches to workout routine

My goal is to get down to 180 pounds before the end of the year. Realistically, I could probably get that by the end of the next 40 day period (November 9th). But I know the cold weather might hinder my running and the holidays are never good for the calories. Let's do this!

*I make sweet tea at home using 25% sugar, and 75% splenda. This low-calorie tea will not be included in these statistics

How I lost 7 pounds

2011-08-22T12:25:00.005-07:00

I posted this blog about running last October. I lost my rhythm for exercise when I moved to Georgia, but I certainly saw the need for more exercise when we found out Everett was on the way. I did the math in my head and realized that if I wanted more kids, and wanted to be active with them, I needed to start losing weight NOW.

The thing is, I'm not a huge fan of being radical about stuff. I'm passionate, but I'm a long-term thinker. I believe making even small changes over the long run make a big difference. That's the approach I took with my weight loss. I didn't go nuts and get a home gym or get a personal trainer. I'm a believer that what is measured is improved, and so I just started measuring some of my exercise and some of what I eat. The more I kept track of these things, the more weight I seemed to lose. I feel like I have an extra challenge knowing I work fast food 5 days a week and can get free meals. What a temptation!

After 40 days, here are the stats:

Start date: July 12th
End date: August 21st
Starting weight: 196.8 pounds
Ending weight: 190.2 Pounds
Total weight loss in 40 days: 6.6 pounds

What food did I track?
I had a soft drink once every 40 days
I had ice cream once every 13.3 days
I ate after 9 pm once every 13.3 days
I ate french fries once every 4.5 days

Exercise
I ran an average of .92 miles/day

I am looking forward to improving these habits and starting some new ones.

Anyone out there have any other tips that seemed to work well for them for losing a few pounds?

Smart Phones in Church?

2011-08-21T06:56:00.002-07:00

I've had a cell phone since I was 17 years old. I still have the same number. I usually turned it off or on "vibrate" when I went into the service at church. Until I got my iPhone in March of 2010, there was no need for a phone during church because you shouldn't be texting or calling while the service is going on.

But now phones have become more than just a means for communication. They become a means for information. A couple months ago I quit bringing my physical Bible to church and just started reading on my phone - either through an app or biblegateway.com. I have my phone on my hip, anyways, and my study Bible (which includes the Deuterocanonical books) is huge. But each week it seems that there's more and more that I can use it through during my church visit.

For example, last week:

-As service was starting, a couple in our Sunday School class texted us for lunch afterwards (fellowship). We would not have bumped into them in a crowd of 650 people.
-I "checked-in" at Church on Facebook and tagged my wife and friends - which shows up on other's mini-feeds.
-I used my phone for looking up the scripture reference (which means one less thing to carry and lose)
-The pastor referenced a book that I would be interested in reading. In about 15 seconds, I had it on my Amazon "wish list" - something that I probably would not have written down or came back to later if I did not have my phone
-I used Wikipedia and other resources to look up the historical accounts of the Biblical reference

However,

At the same time, I had a friend try to call me during service, and send me a text message. I felt compelled to respond, and did. I said "in church, call you about 12:15" So there was a distraction.

All in all, I feel like our smart phones do their job in "connecting" to what we want to find out. Are smart phones just like electric guitars, lights, smoke, televisions, and other technological devices that have found themselves into the church over the years? Are smart phones just another resource? Or is it inappropriate to use them during church and they are a distraction?

I would love to hear some thoughts.....

Top 10 Favorite Companies

2011-07-20T12:50:00.009-07:00

Back in 2010, I started a series entitled "Top 10 through 2010." Well, I never really finished it, so I'm going to continue the trend. The premise was this - that my life changes too much to pick a "favorite" of anything. So I decided to pick my Top 10 in different categories as of 2010.

I'm not sure if it's just because I'm getting older, or pickier, or just more aware. But it seems like getting great service with a great product is tough these days. There are certain companies that I will no longer do business with: Olive Garden, Foot Locker, Linens N Things, and on the verge are Target, McDonalds, & the Post Office. But that doesn't mean that companies out there don't know how it's done. As the 4th edition in this series, I'm going to be going over my favorite companies.

10. Patagonia - Unless you buy their stuff on sale at REI, Backcountry.com, or steepandcheap.com, you're going to be paying a premium for these items. But for anyone with ethics or a moral conviction, you can take heart knowing that you're buying products from a company with strong convictions for environmental protection and products made from sustainable resources. It's a company with a quality mission statement that supplies quality products.
9. Backcountry.com - The key piece to this puzzle is www.steepandcheap.com. Steep & Cheap is an extreme discount website that sells high-quality goods at steep discounts for a limited time, and is run by backcountry.com. Steep & Cheep has amazing customer service. Between June of 2009 and July of 2011, I had purchased over $650 worth of products- and not once had buyer's remorse
8. Adidas- It kind of pains me in a way to put Adida's on here, because I don't think much of their running shoes, but I have to admit that their clothing is very durable. I have found myself holding on to Adidas shirts, pants, shorts, sweatbands, etc for years and years. They're comfortable and they've lasted - simple as that.
7. Marmot - I discovered the brand back in 2006, and have always been pleased. Marmot produces stellar backcountry and outdoor gear. For a fleece, jacket, or performance apparel, there might not be any better.
6. REI - Recreational Equipment Incorporated is often "over priced." In other words, REI sells most of their items at suggested MSRP. Deals are few and far between and often that big of "deals." But here's what REI brings to the table - knowledgeable sales associates, selection, quality products, a 10% rebate on your purchases, and a lifetime guarantee on their products. That's stellar. A lifetime guarantee is worth a bit of a premium, I feel.
5. Google- I know that Google is in a war with Facebook for social networking right now, and I know that Google has had a few "issues' in the last few years, but Gmail has been simply amazing for my life, and there's no search engine I use more than Google. I know that Google will be around for my son and his kids. They've got innovation down and I use their service countless times a day.
4. Mizuno- Mizuno produces my favorite running shoe. A Japanese company that also produces volleyball and baseball equipment, Mizuno does only a few things and does them well. Their shoes last longer than anyone else because of that technology, and they're extremely comfortable. Unless I happen to find another quality shoe at a great deal, I only run in Mizuno's
3. Costco - For those of you who have never been to a Costco, it's not just a glorified Sam's Club or BJ's. Costco does this market well. They have quality products and a staff who actually acts interested in helping you. Can't beat free samples and their satisfaction guarantee. Plus the rebates and cheap gas are the icing on the cake.
2. Apple- I don't buy many of their products. But after an iPod nano and an iPhone, I get it. I know why Apple products never go on sale and why people go nuts over them. I've got to give credit where credit is due. They are innovative and their marketing is great. So far, there's nothing to dislike about Apple. I'm looking forward to what will be next!
1. Chick-fil-a - Call me partial to the company I work for, but the more I see about this company, the more I love! What a great idea to have a company purpose that states "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that has been entrusted to us, and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A." And the more often I eat at other places, the more I value the service, atmosphere, and food that you can rely on at every visit to each Chick-fil-A.

Job Hunting Advice

2011-07-14T18:08:00.009-07:00

I think I tell my wife about once a week how blessed we are (Mindy already knows this, but I am reminded constantly). We both have a job. We have jobs that make enough money to pay for our bare necessities and enough to make us comfortable. But I am in a unique position that I get to see people every week who are hoping to be in that position. It's humbling to see so many people who are so desperate for work.

I've been with Chick-fil-A about 8 1/2 years. My current position is centered around hiring and training employees for two locations. Combined, I go through about 100 applications a month, to fill maybe 4 spots. Most times, those hires aren't even "needed." I consider hiring at Chick-fil-A much like the draft in professional sports. Teams should always add talent to their roster, regardless if they had a full roster last year. (I feel our competition often makes the mistakesof only hiring when positions open up - and for that I am grateful).

Looking through 100 applicants a month, it is a tremendous learning experience for me. I speak directly with maybe 1/3 of those people. Sometimes they call me, other times I'll call them. But after 6 months of this position, I feel there are some obvious things that you should know when trying to get a job. Obviously, Chick-fil-A is a fast food restaurant so I'm not sure if this goes with every industry. But I'm sure there's something helpful here for someone who is currently unemployed. Hopefully this helps...then again, hopefully you already knew all of this.

Do's
1. Make a good first impression - Those applicants who catch me in person and shake my hand have a unique opportunity to either booster their chances or destroy them. Smiling always helps.
2. Be Prepared - Don't ask me for an application...then ask to borrow my pen.
3. Take your time on your application/resume - It's important to get it in right, not get it in fast. It takes an average of 8 weeks for one of our new hires to start after their application is turned in. There's no hurry . Be professional, and have clear handwriting. And for goodness' sake, spell things correctly (actual application pictured)
4. Tell me why the position you are applying for is perfect for YOU - I want people who are passionate about doing what we do. It makes it much easier for me to train them.
5. Follow Directions - If we schedule our interview for Thursday @ 2, don't show up Thursday @ 1:15. It's awkward for me and tells me you have nothing better to do. If I say call me back in 2 weeks if you haven't heard from me, that means call me back in 2 weeks, not call in 3 days and leave me 2 voicemails.

Dont's
1. Tell me how much you need this job- Truett Cathy said - "We don't hire people because they need a job, we hire people because we need them."
2. Quit your current job to "make more money" without another job lined up- you might be surprised how often I see this. When asked why they left their last company, and applicant will inform me they quit because they a) weren't getting enough hours b) getting enough money, or c) needed to support their family. So now they went from little to nothing. That shows very poor judgment.
3. Be Apathetic to What We Do - The first question I ask every applicant is "Why do you want to work here?" I already said that "I just really need a job" is a bad response. Anything that communicates indifference in working for Chick-fil-A is not a good idea.

What I'm looking for:
It's quite simple, really. I'm looking for someone who has a high sense of awareness. Do they know their strengths, weaknesses, and talents? These are the people who are most often coachable. I am looking for someone with a passion for excellence in some area of their life (i.e. health, money, family, parenting, academics, etc). If someone can't be excellent in their own life, how can I expect them to be excellent with our resources and mission? I am looking for a value system. This person needs conviction. I am looking for someone who has a heart of service (for we are a service-industry). Pretty much everything else is teachable.

I'm not sure what motivated me to write this post. I usually don't blog about work-related stuff. But perhaps you might find this interesting or entertaining.

Preparing for Everett - Big Savings Style

2011-07-02T14:20:00.013-07:00

Mindy and I both grew up in families that shopped at yard sales. I just don't think we both appreciated it and enjoyed it much then. Now things have kind of changed a bit.

For about 2 months straight, Mindy and I would be up at 6:30 AM on Saturday mornings to hit the roads in search of a bargain. We didn't have a clue what we were doing at the beginning. We just drove around and looked for bright pink & green signs. Then we started looking for the nicer neighborhoods. Then we started looking in newspapers. By about week 4, we had our system down.

On Friday night, we would look on Craiglist for yard sales. We would look at each advertisement to see the types of items they were selling. We would even email them in advance to find more information. We would then pick about 5 yard sales that we were going to, and plan our Saturday AM route to get to each one right as it opened. We printed out the address, time it opened, and what they were selling. So on the road at 6:30 AM, and usually back by 9:00 AM.

Some observations we made:
1. Don't take your Boxer with you. He'll bark the entire time you're shopping.....and then jump out of the car and run around the Wells Fargo parking lot while you're at the ATM.
2. Don't buy baby stuff from parents who still have a 1 year old and are both smoking while working their yard sale.
3. The nicer the neighborhood, the nicer the stuff (obvious)
4. Church yard sales and yard sales for missions don't have that good of stuff - use your judgment to figure out why.
5. My perceived value of items sinks dramatically if it's sitting on a card table in someone's garage rather than a shelf in the store. I used to pay $8 just a couple years ago for used DVD in a Blockbuster. Now I would only pay $1 for a used DVD at a garage sale......maybe.
6. Bid Low - they want the stuff gone. My general rule was I would start by offering them half of what they were asking. Most times, they took it.

The main reason we were shopping yard sales was because of Everett. We're putting a hold on that until we see what the baby showers bring. But I figured I'd post a few of the items we've found at yard sales. We're kind of proud of it!

1. Changing Table ($10)

2. Baby Lamp ($3)

3. Baby Play Station ($10)

4. Sleep Sacks ($0.50 for both)

5. Diaper Champ ($5)

I don't think shopping at yard sales would be a normal pursuit of purchases for me. But I could definitely see it becoming a hobby for us in the future. I also noticed that it kind of gives me my "shopping fix." I think everyone enjoys going shopping and spending money. It's fun. But doing it yard sale, big-savings style allows you to spend money, get a good deal, & get your fix - all without going broke!

Perhaps my favorite part about all of this was it gave my wife and I about 3 hours of quality time and conversation together every weekend. Loved every second of it!

The Dave Ramsey Effect on the Morgans

2011-06-17T05:14:00.009-07:00

I can't even remember when I got my first student loan. It may have been freshman year. Let's see... I started college in 2003. But I lived at home and commuted to Clayton State University for my first 2 years. I worked 30 hrs/week - first @ Chick-fil-A, then @ Smith & Davis Clothing. I paid for my truck. I paid for my gas, insurance, etc.

I know for sure that I had student loans while at UGA in 2005-2007. What's funny is that I really don't remember much about applying for these student loans. I remember the phrase "financial aid." I remember "FAFSA" and just thought it was a given that I need to borrow money to go to college. I mean, I grew up in a trailer park. I was kind of used to the idea that I didn't have enough money to do what I wanted to do in life. I somewhat remember getting a couple grand in my bank account a couple of times during school thanks to the government.

When I graduated from UGA in 2007, I am pretty sure that I had about $6,500 in student debt. That's not too shabby compared to most people - but it's still $6,500 I owed that I didn't have. Then - I decided that I deserved a new car once I got my first real "job." I rationalized it since it was 0% interest and an employee discount. Still a $23,000 debt and a $360/mo payment. What was I thinking?!?!

A bachelor on my own, I didn't struggle much with money. I could make all my payments. I didn't live outside my means. I paid my credit card every month and never paid interest. But I wasn't making much traction in terms of saving, retirement, or getting out of debt early.

Things started to change in 2008. Thanks to my former Operator, Jeff Myles. Jeff lent me a book to read called the "Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. Not in an-out-of-body-experience kind of way, it changed my life. It was more of a subtle, life changing event. I started paying attention to my money and making a budget. I started sticking to it.

When Mindy and I got engaged, I bought it for her to read. She loved it and finished it in just a couple of days. We decided that our first order of financial business as a married couple would be do get out of debt as soon as possible. We started with $54,000 in debt as a couple between car payments, wedding rings, student loans, medical bills, and credit card statements. YIKES!

A year later...as of December of 2010, our debt had shrunk to $21,300! Praise God! We had a slight pause in our debt payoff as we self-financed a cross-country move and each had a job change. We were ready to get back to work on knocking out this debt. My new Operator happened to also be a big fan of Dave Ramsey, and decided to put us through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. That class gave us a renewed vigor in getting our financial life even more in place. We bought identify-theft protection. We sold my truck, paid off the lien, had some cash left over and used it to buy a car 10 years older. We bought term life insurance.

Then, in February - we got great news. We found out Baby Everett was on the way! Once again, it looked as though we'd have to postpone our debt snowball until after Everett arrived. We still are anxious to finish paying off the small debt we have left. We know that God will continue to provide, but I'm very thankful that I had two bosses in my life that cared enough about me to make sure that I was setting my family up for success for years to come.

I highly recommend learning more about Dave Ramsey if you're the kind of person that is struggling to find Financial Peace

Teachers and the Education System

2011-02-23T21:01:00.002-07:00

"You need to make sure you study in school so you get good grades. You want good grades so you can get into a good college. You want to graduate with a good degree so you can get a good job (and make a lot of money)."

I suppose that we've all heard some form of that growing up. I'm 26 and can't really remember exactly what my parents told me growing up. I am pretty sure they just told me to do my best at whatever I did, but they also knew I was capable of good grades and being successful.

But I guess this is where some of the problems start arising. How many people in today's society consider success by what they personally accomplish? Regardless of what words they may speak, it's obviously the vast majority of people today - especially people in their late teens and early to mid 20's. How many people in today's society consider their success by their influence on other people? Not many. A few.

Mindy and I had this "teacher discussion" with a long time friend of mine, Jae, back in October in a beautiful restaurant off the water in San Diego. Jae and I have a unique friendship in which we spent 15 of 17 years of education at the same institution at the same level. Over a nice dinner and drinks, we discussed exactly what has happened to the educational system in the United States. Driven by the pursuit of individual success and a lot of money in a capitalistic society, the best and the brightest students move on from their education to further advance themselves in high paying jobs in which their field of study is highly valued. And why wouldn't they? What's left many times for the position of teacher is the "pretty good to good" in those fields - often times those who either do have a passion for teaching or just had nothing better to do with their degree. I mean, let's face it. Even people who have a passion for developing the next generation would rather get paid 4X the amount a teacher does and just do some community service on the weekend, right? So we end up having the students who made B's and C's in schools teach the next generation. Well, that means the level of the next generation can only go as high as what their teachers teach them, and the spiral down continues.

Let's face it. The schools aren't nearly as effective as they used to be. Partially because students learn from everywhere else now - their phones, the internet, MTV, etc. And partially because the moral fiber of the community has decreased to the point at which the impact on the younger generation is not viewed nearly as crucial as it used to be. Teachers as a whole have lost their insight into the immeasurable impact as role models and influencers of children. Combine the low standards of teachers that result in rapes, sexual misconducts, drugs, alcohol, and poor test scores - with the ever increasing problem of high demand/low supply of teachers to counter the rapid rate of growth in our country, and it makes it even more difficult to get quality teachers.

Of course inflation and what teachers go through only push them to demand more money. The best teachers who deserve it are being dragged down by the ones who don't. Governments are already in debt up to their eyeballs and citizens are taxed 1/3 of their pay. Yet teachers still demand more. Not that it's not deserved, but how can you justify giving raises to educational staff that continues to fall further behind other countries?

Jae was an outstanding student in school. Straight A's and she can do anything she wants in life. She chooses to teach and I know she's a great teacher. My sister was the same way. She made straight A's and she taught high school English for a few years before deciding she had "better opportunities" elsewhere. I know that not all teachers were bad students or only do this because that's their only option. I had so many friends in Arizona who were teachers, and can't imagine the tough positions that they were put in.

But the way I see it, it's only going to get tougher for my children in 5 to 10 years when they're in school, and in 15 to 20 when they're in high school. I mean, to fix this educational crisis, should education just become privatized like everything else in this country to actually make it competitive? I would love to hear the thoughts of my teacher friends who have much more information and much stronger feelings than I.

The Brownie Blitz

2010-11-14T17:03:00.007-07:00

To those who have read my blog long enough, you might remember "Standing Still at Kroger." I would recommend recommend reading it before this post. They kind of go together, and it's amazing how this story came full circle when shopping for brownies at a Safeway in Phoenix, Arizona.

I had not spent more than 4 waking hours in a row with Mindy in weeks. For the last few days, she was visiting family for a baby shower for our upcoming nephew. Having not seen her in a while, I wanted to do a little something special for her to welcome her home and let her know I missed her. I figured a quick trip to the grocery store for a card and treats might be fun. Like Kroger, I had no idea what was in store for me.

I hadn't made brownies in a while. Mindy and I usually buy the Ghiradelli mix from Costco and it lasts us for a few months. But we were out and I needed something simple. So I went to the "cake mix" aisle to look at what brownies I could find. I was so confused. These were the options I found:

Milk Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
Double Chocolate
Mint Chocolate
Chocolate Supreme
Chocolate Extreme
Original Supreme
Chocolate Fudge
Fudge
Chewy Fudge
Ultimate Fudge
Chocolate Chunk
Triple Chunk
Low-Fat
Sugar Free
Turtle
Caramel Turtle
Walnut
Rasberry
Funfetti

Seriously? Like, seriously?!?!?! Aren't brownies just sugar, chocolate and flour or something? Add an egg and they taste pretty much the same. Tell me this. How many people could really tell the difference between Turtle and Caramel Turtle? How many people can tell the difference between Original Surpreme and Chocoloate Surpreme? Put a blindfold on me, stick a brownie in my mouth, and I could tell you if it had nuts or not, but that's about it.

But then they have me wondering... "Maybe the Chocolate Extreme is worth the extra $0.50 more than the Chocolate Surpreme." "Is the dark chocolate healthier than the milk chocolate?" But it didn't stop there. "What happened to double chunk? I only see chocolate chunk and triple chunk. I think chocolate chunk is boring but triple chunk is too much." "Funfetti looks good, but Extreme may top fun."

I know it's about marketing and making your produce seem special. But like Dash from The Incredibles says - "When everyone's special - nobody is."

In the end, I went home with Hershey's Chocolate Chunk....and added Peanut Butter.

Top 10 Through 2010 - Top 10 YouTube Videos

2010-11-12T10:59:00.004-07:00

On Thursday night, I had to work. I missed the Falcons vs. Ravens game. It could be THE game of the NFL season so far. 2 Super Bowl favorites going back and forth, with the win being determined with 20 seconds to go. 3 or 4 years from now, it might not mean much. But when I got home about 11:15, I went straight to my PC to watch the highlights...replays of the game. And it WAS a great game.

It was one afternoon in February that I read This article on cnn.com. It really made me think. It's true that video changed our world forever. And what source can you find infinite video? YouTube.

So in this Top 10 Through 2010 Series, I decided to create my list of top 10 favorite YouTube videos - the things that I'm thankful for that we have footage of.

10. Dumbest Kid Alive - I first watched this around 2003. Whenever I feel like I'm stupid and worthless, it only takes 7 seconds to remind me it could be worse.
9. New Discoveries - Yah. I know this is me. But isn't that the beauty of YouTube? Even if you never go viral, you can put YOUR memories in immortality in the internet. Remember the adventures of yesteryear.
8. It will never be over - Perfect for advertising and product placement - I have to admit being able to so easily watch clips from favorite tv shows makes me happy.
7. They're on a boat- *explicit content* -Not quite capturing a single moment in time, videos like these just make life better. It helps you look at the world, and just laugh.
6. Babies - Dancing, more dancing, and just plain giggling - if these videos don't make you want to have kids, I really don't know what will.
5. Jessica's Affirmation - Feeling a little down? Can't get motivated? This girl can get you going!
4. Dad Life - I love that a church made this. I love that it's creative. I love that it's true.
3. Christian the Lion- I watched the 2 hour documentary on this story. It's all legit. Thanks to youtube, or I never would have known.
2. JK Wedding Entrance Dance - Creative. Pure. Perfect.
1. Susan Boyle - I still get goosebumps every time I've watched it. The diamond in the rough that nobody gave a shot. Couldn't have happened to a better person. My wife only gets slightly jealous when she sees me watching it.....every day.

Leadership: Setting Goals without the Tricky Treadmills

2010-10-27T00:00:00.011-07:00

11.5 seconds. That's about how long it took me to run 100 meters in high school.
55 Seconds. That was a 400 meter (1/4 mile)
6.5 minutes. Could run a mile.
3 miles....? Not a clue. Why would I ever want to run 3 miles?

Fast forward 4 years. I am having the time of my life in Yellowstone National Park. Diet hadn't changed much. I didn't work out every day in college like I did in high school, but climbing giant rocks, going on 20 mile hikes, and walking almost everywhere certainly did have it's perks of keeping me in shape. At age 21, I still could get crazy sunburns from wearing a backpack without a shirt (pictured).

Now let's fast forward another 4 years. Bye bye high metabolism. See ya later college days of ultimate frisbee and flag football. Hello Chick-fil-a sandwiches 5 days a week. Needless to say, I certainly lost a lot of my athleticism and all of a sudden there's a chubby little man standing next to a giant cobra outside of Disneyland's Indiana Jones' ride. Not a good thing. Isn't everyone glad that this picture isn't topless?

After this vacation, I stepped on the scale at home. 199.6. Not the number a 5'8" guy needs to be seeing. Somehow I had managed to put on about 30 pounds in 4 years. It was definitely time for a change. I have sworn to myself to never see 200 pounds on a scale with me on it. And I came 1/2 pound away from doing it.

Huffing and puffing my way to a mile in August, it took me over 16 minutes to run 1.19 miles. I ran it on a treadmill, and thought myself pretty pathetic. I can't really say how accurate treadmills are, but I figured they're close and a lot better option than running outside on a Phoenix summer day. By October, the same distance was taking me 11 minutes - cutting my time by almost a third.

But then the cool fall nights came. Finally a night to run outside. I seized the moment to attempt my goal - running a 5k in under 30 minutes. I ran the same 3.2 mile route 3 nights in a row. My best time was 29 minutes - an average of 9 minutes a mile. So I ran faster, and I did it for longer. I realized what I had always expected - I run faster, and longer outside. But why? On the surface it doesn't make sense -

The treadmill has more shock absorption - less pain.
The treadmill is in an air conditioned room - less fatigue.
The treadmill has a TV with ESPN - more distraction so I can run longer.
There is no wind. There are no hills (at least I rarely did an incline).
The treadmill is the "perfect" environment for running.

But it dawned on me. Every time I ran on a treadmill, I was always running towards the front of the treadmill. That bar with the buttons and fancy screen are right in front of my stomach. I had 6 feet of runway to run on, but I chose the front 2 feet to stay put. Whether I was walking 3 mph, or running 7 mph. It didn't matter. If I upped the speed or pushed it down, I would walk right up next to the bar - as close as I could get.

That bar held me back. That bar was my limit. And that limit is what kept me from achieving what I am truly capable of. It's a mental and physical barrier.

Running outside, there is no bar. You can run as fast as you want, and nothing is stopping you.
Running outside, there is no button. You can't hit "cool down" whenever you feel a little tired.
Running outside, there is no limit. The rest of this endless world cannot stop your feet from moving further.
Running outside, challenges like hills, wind, sidewalks, & cars only enhance your focus and determination. There is no "cool down" button. It's a "I have no choice but to get home, I need to keep running" button.

It really made me question the way that I lead others. As a leader, my goal is to develop people - specifically other leaders. But I suppose I should ask myself how many times I've put that bar on people. I am so proud because I feel like I created this "perfect learning environment" for them. Sure, I may turn their speed from time to time. I might give them an incline every now and then as a token challenge. But the problem is that I need to get them off the treadmill. I need to give them no limits. They're not succeeding because they can't. They're not succeeding because I won't let them. I am keeping them in a box called a gym when their real growth will come in the real world with the hills and bugs and sun.

It would have taken me a lot longer to meet my 5k under 30 minutes had I not gotten off the treadmill. Now that I met that one, I can move on to my next ones - run 5 miles without walking and get down to 185 pounds.

I've got to learn how to better develop people by getting them off the treadmill.

Chronicles to Christ - Relativism

2010-08-15T19:24:00.004-07:00

There was something just not right about what I was hearing. As a junior in college - convinced Christianity was not the answer, convinced God did not exist, convinced we had nothing to live for in this world - I still could not believe what was being said to me - and how people so blindly accepted it.

I would hear it from professors in the classroom and from students in the class. I watched it in the grocery store and on the television. I listened to it on the radio, read it on the Internet and in books. The message I continued to be taught was that "it doesn't matter what you believe in, as long as you believe in something." I heard Oprah say that not too long ago. She seems like an intelligent woman. I would have thought more from her.

Even as a non-believer, a logical thinker can determine that contradicting faiths cannot all be right. They can all be wrong, but they can't all be right. If one faith says Jesus was just a Jewish man, and another said he was God, then at least one is wrong. If one says there is only 1 God, and another says there are 300 million, then at least one is wrong. As an atheist, the view I took was "well, they're all wrong!" Yet the media and public opinion is that nobody is wrong.

The only way I can explain to myself that the majority accept this idea is that they honestly have no belief themselves. Because they have no convictions, they simply allow if not admire those who do the freedom to believe what they want, as long as it does not interfere with their life. The problem with this, of course, is that it contradicts simple logic, and is not correct. It is simply and obviously impossible if you take 5 minutes to read up on your religions.

All religions and faiths cannot be correct. Either 1 is correct (figure out on your own which it is), or none are correct (so quit saying they are all correct).

The way I describe my religious views goes like this - "I have found Jesus Christ as the best answer to the mystery of the quiddity of God." Not too many people know that word - quiddity. I got it in a word of the day email in 2005 and it stuck ever since. It means the "essence of a thing." It's "the quality that makes it what it is." Trying to get a grasp on God is like trying to catch a feather in a whisper. The best we have is to try and get a grasp about the Truth. And to me, the closest we get to the mystery of God is the man of Jesus Christ.

Top 10 Favorite Athletes of My Generation

2010-07-18T10:12:00.002-07:00

Athletes play such a unique role in our lives, don't they? We love them or hate them without even knowing them. We depend on them and yet criticize them. Our feelings towards them - whether love or hate- are generally not even a concern of theirs. Even if you are not a sports fan, there is always at least a few names that you know - because the best of the best athletes usually expand beyond their unique world of sports.

When compiling this list, I only evaluated plays that I watched play in the past or present. These are the players I've formed opinions on based on personal experience. I consider what we know of their character, as well as their level of play.

10. LaDainian Tomlinson- L.T. was the best back of his generation - but you never heard him say it. He simply worked hard and gave his linemen the credit. He was always loyal and committed to the team. That's what made him so great.
9. Jason Kidd - A classy guy but a fierce competitor. Jason Kidd was the ultimate team player with any team he played. A gold medalist and a conference champion
8. Josh Smith - J-Smoove would be higher on this list if he would only grow up. I can't think of another sports player I jumped out of my seat with excitement more than with Josh Smith. Because he plays great defense and offense, every play I am anticipating him doing something exciting.
7. Peyton Manning- For the longest time, I couldn't stand this guy. I think I finally realized it was because he always beat the teams I cheered for. However, he is the ultimate professional and a champion. He's even got great acting skills. Not much to dislike with Peyton Manning. And every time you watch him, you're watching history that your kids and grandkids will be talking about.
6. Larry Fitzgerald - Ever since he was at Pitt, Larry Fitzgerald continues to make plays. The guy goes out and competes every day, never complains, and always carries himself in a professional manner. Usually my 1st or 2nd round draft pick every year in fantasy football, even if it's too high to take a wide receiver.
5. Tony Gwynn - This was my brother's favorite baseball player growing up. Tony is a hero to every fat kid who gets picked last. Watching him hit was a clinic, and there rarely was a time where there wasn't a smile on his face.
4. Greg Maddux - He was the cornerstone of those 14 straight titles for the Braves in the 1990's. The "professor" wore glasses and I bet couldn't throw over 90 mph. He was so boring but at the same time so amazing to watch. He was awful at interviews because he rarely had anything to say. He would just win games and Cy Young award after Cy Young award.
3. Steve Nash- I started loving Nash when he was in Dallas. A scrawny, floppy haired white guy who could make amazing passes and shoot 3's on the run. 8 years later, he's only slightly scrawny and occasionally gets a haircut - but not much else has changed. He's as tough as nails and as a bonus, is a spokesman for being ecologically and environmentally friendly - which I respect a great deal.
2. Warrick Dunn - I was a huge fan of the Bucs in the early 2000's which is where my love for Dunn came from. I would run a HB Screen in Madden Video Games with him every time. The guy was so "small" and yet so good. Off the field, he still makes down payments on houses for single moms. The guy will have an award named after him if he doesn't already.
1. Cal Ripken, Jr. -How do you go to work for so long without missing a day? Not only go every day, but you're the BEST at it? Not only are you the best at it, but you switch positions and are the best at that new position, too? That's what Ripken did for 3001 games - being named not only an all star at shortstop and third base, but a 2 time MVP as well. Never complained, showed gratitude during a 16 minute ovation and thanking fans around the ballpark when he broke Gherig's record. Could you picture A-Rod doing that? Lebron? Tom Brady? Nah- this guy is the greatest overall athlete of my generation.

Free Agents Aren't Free - The Results After a Week

2010-07-16T07:26:00.002-07:00

What was I thinking? Why in the world would I have chosen the most historic Free Agent Offseason in the history of American sports as my opportunity to predict where everyone would go? Especially not knowing all of the things we know now...Wow. Let's get started, even though it hurts to know how bad I suck at doing this.

Chicago Bulls (5% Correct on Predictions)
They didn't get Lebron James, and they just might be better off for it. The Bulls might be having the best offseason of any team with more than 5 players right now. Miami will win a lot - just not sure if the championship will come this year. Along with Rose, Noah, and Deng, Kyle Korver and Carlos Boozer will add a lot to this team. This team will be very tough to beat, even though they aren't very deep. I get small amount of credit for still picking them as having the best offseason.

Miami Heat (50%)

I am going to put aside my nausea on this team for now and get their assessment over as quick as possible.

-I was correct Dwayne Wade would stay

-I was correct in saying Miami would give him what he wanted.

-I was incorrect in what I thought Wade wanted.

New York Knicks (20%)

Everyone is feeling bad for Cleveland- and rightfully so. Not many feel bad for New York - nor should they. They handled this whole situation so poorly and they controlled their own situation. I was correct that D'antoni would be reunited with his former star - just picked the wrong one. I was correct they would get rid of Lee and sign a new Power Forward - just picked the wrong one. I was wrong in that I had confidence they could get one more big free agent signed. Overestimated that franchise. I might be the first person to do that for the Knicks.

Atlanta Hawks (30%)

Joe Johnson was often the 5th or 6th best free agent mentioned, usually behind the Big Three, Boozer and/or Stoudemire. Did anyone else see this guy getting the largest contract this offseason? I was right in that Johnson would rather be the man, and would rather have the money. I just didn't think Atlanta would give it to him without trading him and getting something back. If the guy really wanted to win, he would have signed with Chicago. As a Hawks Fan, my reaction to this signing is, "Okay, whatever. Let's do 7 years in a row of increased win totals. And for goodness sake, get a legitimate center to help out Horford!"

New Jersey Nets (80%)

*whiff*. Called it. They are still the Nets. They still over-payed for what they did get. I miss the 20% for believing they could get at least one big name free agent. After a week of Free Agency, their biggest Free Agent signing so far has been Anthony Morrow - a surprise "star" from the NBDL a couple years back.

Los Angeles Clippers (80%)
*whiff*. Called this one too. They are still the Clippers. No big name Free Agent went to Los Angeles. Wait. Has any free agent gone to Los Angeles?

Dallas Mavericks (100%)
Dirk Nowitzki did stay home and even gave the Mavs a hometown discount instead of signing a bigger contract elsewhere. It's a love thing.

My Top 10 Through 2010 (Preview)

2010-07-11T16:01:00.003-07:00

After over 25 years of living, my personality and personal preferences have really started to sink in. But as we know, very rarely in life are things absolute - especially when it comes to people. I have very few favorites in life. Favorite person? My wife Mindy. After that, any "favorites" get kind of fuzzy. So I prefer "Top 10's" with the understand that shifting among those top 10 can happen on any given day. If you "Google" the phrase "Top 10" you will get everything from sports plays to actors/actresses to natural disasters to songs and movies. There's just something about knowing what is the best of the best.

I couldn't really figure out any better reason to do this series than for the pure enjoyment of looking back on it. It's sort of a journal and a time capsule. In years I can look back at this post and say - "Why did I like that actor so much?" And "Oh and this food is so much tastier than that food."

Doing it via my blog allows others to comment or add their own - perhaps items I forgot. So for now - let's see how this Top 10 Series Plays Out.

Free Agents Aren't Free - My Predictions.

2010-06-27T17:28:00.007-07:00

I know. "Free Agent" means they are "free" to sign with any team they want. But let's be honest. This 2010 NBA Free Agent class is about everything the opposite of "Free." Most of these guys are going to be signing contracts of over $60,000,000. Think about that. How much money do you make in a year? $30,000? $90,000? $125,000? According to Wikipedia's Page, if you make over $100,000/year, you are in the TOP 6% of the wealthiest country in the world. So let's do the math.

Kobe Bryant currently holds the largest ever NBA Contract - $136 MILLION over 7 years.
Odds are that Lebron James' contract will be the biggest contract this year (or in history). Let's just suppose Lebron will get $140 million over 7 years - for easy math.
If you make $100,000/year, it would take you 1,400 years to make that much money.
For every hour Lebron James will work after July 1st, you will have to work over 59 days to match him.

Though Lebron is the belle of the ball this summer, there will be about 6 to 10 other Free Agents who will "get paid." So, without further ado, these are my predictions 4 days prior to the frenzy. This is where the top free agents will end up - and why. At this point, nobody knows. Making predictions is much like filling out a march madness bracket. But this way, I can write it down and later say "I told you so." OR, if I'm way off, I'll just delete the post.

Chicago Bulls
Lebron's new home. Rose and Noah will be running mates for Lebron for years to come - a sure upgrade from Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison. Did anyone hear how much love Lebron gave the Bulls after they knocked them out in the 2010 playoffs? That #8 seed gave the Cavs all they could handle. That series was not about the 2010 championship. That series was about the 2010 summer. Chicago wanted respect from Lebron so that he knew he could go there and be a contender. Lebron wants to be better than MJ, and the only way that will ever happen is if he can split the city of Chicago and make them choose him or Jordan.

New York Knicks
Joe Johnson has always wanted to be "the man" more than he wanted to be a winner. Look at it in Phoenix or Atlanta. He leaves for more money. Just the way it is. In New York, he is reunited with his favorite coach and favorite system, and since he will be the best they have there, that city will love him for it. Chris Bosh, tired of having the entire weight of winning on his shoulders, will gladly join Johnson in New York as the number 2 option. Bosh loves D'antoni's international style of play - a style Bosh used to dominate in the 2008 Olympics - where he outplayed Dwight Howard every night. Bosh cares about winning more than being the man, and him and Johnson will work well together in New York.

Miami Heat
Dwayne Wade isn't going anywhere. Why? Because the Miami Heat will finally give him this offseason what he was asking for at the trade deadline - Amare Stoudemire. Miami has been selling players at yardsales trying to clear up salary space to sign a big name free agent. The reality is that Miami knows they won't get Lebron, so the next best guy available should stay. They will over-pay for Amare - but they know that paying him that much will keep Wade in Miami.

New Jersey Nets
New Owner. New arena (coming soon). New coach. New vibe? Not quite...New Jersey still has a long way to go before they reach respectability in this league. Harris and Lopez are their only two talents. They need more than talent. They need a star. What about all-star Carlos Boozer? Look. Boozer isn't going to get that money anywhere else. And the Nets are not going to get any bigger names. His signing will be for PR purposes to show their fans they're willing to do "whatever it takes to win games." The Knicks will always be the darlings of New York, and always have been (even when the Nets were going to NBA Finals). No legitimate star in the NBA wants to go to the Nets - at least not soon.

Los Angeles Clippers
Their big free agent splash? They wiff out! Well, kind of. Let's face it. The Clippers of L.A. are like the Nets of N.Y. The Clippers lose as much in basketball as the Lions do in football. BUT, they have some talent there with Gordon and Griffin and will be solid for the next 5 to 7 years. Who do they pick up to get them a step above solid? 2nd tier all star David Lee - who becomes too expensive for the Knicks to keep after averaging a double-double, yet expendable because Gold Medal Winner and perennial all-star Chris Bosh arrives to take his spot. L.A. has the money to pay, so off David Lee moves to the City of Angels.

Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki stays home. He's been there too long now not to feel as if he will be there forever. Him and Cuban have man-crushes on each other.

San Antonio Spurs
Manu Giniboli stays put - even if it means a pay cut. He will get bigger offers elsewhere - but he gives the spurs a home town discount. Because nobody coaches like Pop!

Sure, there are other free agents out there - Paul Pierce, Yao Ming, Shaq, Josh Howard, Ray Allen, John Salmons. But the more predictions I make, the more likely I am to be wrong. Gotta cut it off.

The Biggest Temptation I Faced on My Day Off

2010-03-10T22:27:00.003-07:00

Mindy was at work. It was a Wednesday. Wednesdays are not my "Saturdays" but this week it was. And though I was looking forward to having a break in the middle of the week, I really wasn't quite sure what to do with it.

Of course I had plenty of things I could do. Vacuum, read a book, write letters. Just didn't feel like any of those. And doing anything work related was a viable option, but I felt that on off-days, you just shouldn't do that kind of stuff. You should do that before or after work, kind of like a warm-up or cool-down from your actual work shift.

But on this day, I was desperate. I watched the previous two episodes of Lost online while eating Honey Nut Cheerios. I updated personal finances. I brushed the cat. I played NBA Live 2007...yes.... 2007 on PS2....yes... a PS2.

Customers leave stuff at the restaurant all the time. About once a month I'll clean out the lost and found because this stuff never gets found. I'll put it in a waffle fry box or a Honey Roasted Barbeque box or something and throw it in the back of my truck until I pass a Goodwill. I had one such box in the back of my truck today - a Hospitality Mint box. Customers go crazy for those Chick-fil-a mints! Grab a handful and stick them in their purse like their the cure for the common cold. I'm pretty sure Walgreens sells the same kind for a $1 or something.

That box in the back of my truck was the perfect excuse to get out. I left my apartment just after noon to head to the Goodwill. I dropped off the box of children's clothing and wandered around inside. Goodwill is a lot of fun. No, seriously. It's a giant, organized yardsale that is held every day. And every day is a new special. Today was "pink" stickers and "week 7" stickers. Any items with those stickers were 50% off. I took my normal 5 to 10 minutes through the furniture, electronics, and housewares. And though I had looked through all the books before, I had never really paid attention the VHS shelves. I did today.

VHS tapes have lost just about all value. They are big and bulky and not high def. It's like people forget they actually have good films on VHS. Well it just so happens that Mindy and I have a Digital Video Disc/Video Home System combo player. And I had just walked into endless entertainment possibilities.

Redbox is the new thing these days. For $1 and a few pennies, you can rent the newest releases (and even some old ones), and return them at the time and location of your convenience the following day. Mindy and I do this and find it very cheap entertainment. But there are still limits on what RedBox has, and how long you can keep them. Goodwill sells them for less than $2 a piece.

I did the math on these tapes, and there were over 1,000 VHS movies on these shelves. And not just crappy movies. Award winning movies. From White Christmas to Braveheart. From It's a wonderful life to Dumb and Dumber. From Miracle on 34th Street to The Godfather. I could purchase the Might Ducks trilogy for less than $6. And there was plenty. I counted 9 copies of Titanic.

During the 20 minutes I spent looking through these movies, I had plenty in my hand for some period of time. I would find a new one and put another back. I would want one I had nostalgic memories of, but then replace it with one I have always heard people talk about but never did see for myself. I never did buy any, but I came so close! A treasure chest this large would not be gone soon, and new would be coming in for sure. I decided to wait and Mindy and I could decide what we wanted to "rent" together on one of our movie nights. No late fees, and we can write the movie return off on our taxes whenever we're done.

It really made me realize just how much money people make off of "new" things. New things really are just new ways of doing old things. But people who use old things so often save so much money! Cars, clothes, entertainment. It was mind blowing to me how much people spend on new entertainment systems when these films have just as meaning and value on these VHS tapes.

After I left the Goodwill, I went to the Verizon store to look for new phones. I'll be switching from T-Mobile next month. The guy did his best to give me a sell job on the new droid. I was more fascinated and tempted with Shawshank Redemption.

The Bills are Playing the Panties

2010-01-03T19:56:00.003-07:00

I know that the world is changing by the T9* language on my cell phone. In trying to text my brother earlier this year on fantasy football advice, I tried to tell him that "The (Buffalo) Bills were playing the (Carolina) Panthers." Luckily, before I could send the text, I realized my phone thought I was trying to spell the word "panties." That must be a more common word than "panthers."

* T9 is a way of texting in which the cell phone guesses what words you are trying to communicate.

Discovering My Strengths (5) - Analytical

2009-12-26T22:48:00.004-07:00

My analytical theme challenges other people. "Prove it. Show me why what you are claiming is true." In the face of this kind of questioning some will find that their brilliant theories wither and die. For me, this is precisely the point. I do not necessarily want to destroy other people's ideas, but I do insist that their theories be sound. I see myself as objective and dispassionate. I like data because they are value free. They have no agenda. Armed with these data, I search for patterns and connections.

I want to understand how certain patterns affect one another. How do they combine? What is their outcome? Does this outcome fit with the theory being offered or the situation being confronted? These are my questions. I peel the layers back until, gradually, the root cause or causes are revealed. Others see me as logical and rigorous. Over time they will come to me to expose someone's "wishful thinking" or "clumsy thinking" to my refining mind. It is hoped that my analysis is never delivered too harshly. Otherwise, others may avoid me when that "wishful thinking" is their own.

Once again, I find myself not entirely excited about this strength. Particularly because it's true. It does sound like I'm a kill-joy. I know that there are times when my analytical mind is useful. Making purchases. Making business decisions. Hiking. Sports. These situations that require little emotional connection and very often have a "right" or "wrong" decision. "Hm, if I decide to pass the ball to this team mate while he is being guarded by that defender, then our probability of scoring increases." I know that is a crappy example, but my mind works like that. I analyze everything. Our entire day is illustrated by thousands of individual decisions. "Regular or decaf?", "TV or book?", "Facebook or Espn.com?"

But when it comes to people, I have got to find a way to make this strength stand out without it causing harm. People don't always make the "right" decisions. People don't always think logically. Our minds and actions are not theories that are sound or unsound. I have found that often times this strength of mine can cause more harm than good if I am not careful.

Discovering My Strengths (4) - Command

2009-12-21T19:09:00.003-07:00

Command leads me to take charge. Unlike some people, I feel no discomfort with imposing my views on others. On the contrary, once my opinion is formed, I need to share it with others. Once my goal is set, I feel restless until I have aligned others with me. I am not frightened by confrontation; rather, I know that confrontation is the first step toward resolution. Whereas others may avoid facing up to life's unpleasantness, I feel compelled to present the facts or the truth, no matter how unpleasant it may be. I need things to be clear between people and challenge them to be clear-eyed and honest.

I push others to take risks. I may even intimidate them. And while some may resent this, labeling me opinionated, they often willingly hand me the reins. People are drawn toward those who take a stance and ask them to move in a certain direction. Therefore, people will be drawn to me. I have presence. I have command.

So, I've read this definition of "Command" about 4 or 5 times, and it still sounds snotty. I sound like a know-it-all control freak, and yet, the book I read said that this is one of my talents- #4 out of 34 possible talents I could have. But the tricky thing is that I really need to learn how to control this talent.

Either one of my former room mates could tell you that I love to get things out in the open and discuss things (chores, lawn care, religious discussions :) ). I was discussing with one of my employees today the perception people have of me at work. I've known for some time that there are those at work who I lead who feel as though I am heartless, mean, or cold. Obviously nobody wants to be known as a bad person, but what can you do? Those who have worked with me the longest just know that at work, I'm a focused guy with high expectations and socialization comes second to getting the job done. They don't see me as a bad person.

So my challenge with this talent, is applying knowledge and skills to it to where it can develop into one of my strengths. Ideally, I suppose I would want people to see me the way I think & feel - "Michael has high goals & expectations, and a personal pursuit of excellence in his performance."

Discovering My Strengths (3) - Ideation

2009-11-07T16:57:00.005-07:00

I am fascinated by ideas. What is an idea? It is a concept, the best explanation of the most events. I am delighted when I discover beneath the complex surface of an elgantly simple concept to explain why things are the way they are. An idea is a connection. Mine is the kind of mind that is always looking for connections, and I am so intrigued when seemingly disparate phenomena can be linked by an obscure connection. An idea is a new perspective on familiar challenges. I revel in taking the world we all know and turning it around so we can view it from a strange but strangely enlightening angle.

I love all these ideas because they are so profound, because they are novel, because they are clarifying, because they are contrary, because they are bizarre. For all these reasons I derive a jolt of energy whenever a new idea occurs to me. Others may label me creative or original or conceptual or even smart. Who can be sure? What I am sure of is that ideas are thrilling. And on most days, this is enough.

Bingo!!! Three words - "Goats and Barley." My fiancee, peers at work, or family can tell you that not all of my ideas are great ones. But usually the ones I think are pretty good make it to this blog. The primary reason for existence for this thing is to share my ideas. Although a few of my favorites are no longer available through this site, a few more are:

Catching a Feather in a Whisper
Umbrellic Space Heaters
Mmmbop to Dave Matthews
I can tell by the way my butt fits
With the drought comes garbage

I love finding connections in simple things in life and discovering the complex nature of the way things really are. Things that may seem insignificant always mean so much more! Nothing is insignificant!

Discovering My Strengths (2) - Intellection

2009-10-29T18:45:00.003-07:00

I like to think. I like mental activity. I like exercising the "muscles" of my brain, stretching them in multiple directions. This need for mental activity may be focused; for example, I may be trying to solve a problem or develop an idea or understand another person's feelings. But the exact focus will depend on my other strengths. On the other hand, this mental activity may very well lack focus. The theme of intellection does not dictate what I am thinking about; it simply describes that I like to think.

I am the kind of person who enjoys my time alone because it is my time for musing and reflection. I am introspective. In a sense, I am my own best companion, as I pose myself questions and try out answers on myself to see how they sound. This introspection may tend toward more pragmatic matters such as the events of the day or a conversation that I plan to have later. Wherever it leads me, this mental hum is one of the constants in my life.

Hm. That last statement is probably my favorites and precisely describes me. "Wherever it leads me, this mental hum is one of the constants in my life." I used to tell Mindy that at night I hear voices in my head. I quit telling her that because it freaks her out, but I do still hear them. No, they're not audible like someone is in the room, but they might as well be because it's me just talking to myself. I like to play things out mentally. I will have 100 hundred different ways a conversation could go with a co-worker, a room mate, friend, or family member, played out in my head. It gives me satisfaction just to think about what could be said.

Sudokus? Hm, maybe on an airplane. Crosswords? I'm too impatient. Minesweeper? Muscle memory, not mental activity. I do enjoy the intellectual and mental simulation, but what I'm spending my intellection on needs to actually mean something. It's got to have purpose. My good friend Jeff told me once "Michael, I'll give you this. You're always working on a better mouse trap." He didn't realize it, but he was talking about one of my talents!

This aspect of thinking with purpose compliments my 5th and final talent to be discussed later - Analytical.

Discovering My Strengths - Achiever

2009-10-27T21:03:00.003-07:00

My Achiever theme helps explain my drive, and describes a constant need for achievement. I feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day, I must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about myself. And by "every day," I mean every single day - workdays, weekends, vacation. No matter how much I feel I deserve a day of rest, if the day passes without some form of achievement, no matter how small, I will feel dissatisfied. I have an internal fire burning inside of me. It pushed me to do more, to achieve more. After each accomplishment is reached, the first dwindles for a moment, but very soon it rekindles itself, forcing me toward the next accomplishment. My relentless need for achievement might not be logical. It might not even be focused. But it will always be with me.

As an achiever, I must learn to live with this whisper of discontent. It does have its benefits. It brings me the energy I need to work long hours without burning out. It is the jolt I can always count on to get me started on new tasks, new challenges. It is the power supply that causes me to set the pace and define the levels of productivity for my work group. It is the theme that keeps me moving.

When Mindy and I go on vacation, she loves to "relax." You know. Do nothing. Sit. Sleep. Eat. Watch a sunrise over a lake and feel a cool breeze through the trees. Although I do enjoy the scenery and quiet, I still have to do something! I do look forward to my vacations and off days because I know how much I need them, and I do tire of work things. However - if those off-days are not filled with something for me to do or accomplish, my mind will automatically revert back to work thoughts and stress about it. For me, a good relaxing day off means laundry done, a house cleaned, and shopping taken care of. All errands are accounted for, and I can check a few things off the list of things to do. Watching football and a computer screen all day with fantasy footballs scores do count as something.

As far as that fire inside me, I suppose that certain traits/talents can be hereditary. Based on the way this book describes the natural talents, genes and DNA play a role in that. I obviously got that from my father. He does not rest until a task is complete. His work ethic is rivaled by none, and though he does not set his goals in achieving material things, I know that he loves the satisfaction of a job well done, and a job complete.

I look forward to my achievements on my honeymoon in a month.

Discovering My Strengths Series - Preview

2009-10-27T18:18:00.005-07:00

I am reading a good book right now that was recommended to me by a couple of work-related mentors. Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham. Remembering that I started this blog almost 3 years ago to not only vent about things to others, but for my own personal growth as I "worked through" things in life and ultimately for self development. I love looking back at what I thought, and seeing where I've come in life.

The book defines "talents" as a recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied. This seems to make sense to me. A "strength" is the application of knowledge and skills to one's strength (paraphrased). I haven't finished the book yet, but it has essentially said so far that individuals, companies, and educational institutions spend too much time working on people's weaknesses, instead of focusing on their strengths.

The book gives access to an online "talent finding" quiz with about 100 questions. Out of 34 talents available, it calculates 5 talents for you. So, I've decided to write a brief blog for each of my talents, with my initial reaction to it. My goal? To develop my strengths as well as my approach to my strengths. I want to look back on this entry a year from now and feel like I've made progress on my strengths.

Feel free to comment on the entries that follow in this series. I've always believed that one's biggest strength could be their biggest weakness. I don't believe this book will teach that, but that does not mean I would not want to be aware of how my strengths can negatively affect others. That would be part of the development of my strengths.

Lost in The Office of Facebook

2009-10-25T06:21:00.008-07:00

I can't help it. This is the way I view things. Season 3 of Lost, The Wedding Episode of The Office, and "reconnecting" on Facebook. They all have something in common - they were the "Ah-ha. I get it" moments for me about the way this really works. When something good became something normal. When something pure became something deceitful. When something mystical became something transparent.

Mindy loves this show, but I had some catching up to do if we were to share this together. So I started renting the seasons, 1 by 1. Season 1? Survive a plane crash, lost on an island, find a steel room in the ground. "I'm intrigued. This could be interesting." Season 2? Pushing buttons, other people are living on the island, and food is being delivered. "Hm. Peculiar, but I'd like to see where they go with this." Season 3? Invisible men, flash forwards (leading to other TV shows), and kidnapping & murder of a man posing to be one of the main character's fathers on an apparently invisible island. "Done!" It took me 3 seasons to realize it, but they had no idea where they were going with that show, and I don't think they did either. After finishing 3 seasons in 3 weeks, I haven't looked back in the last 3 months.

I had been walking along their path, with a carrot dangling in front of me, only for them to be leading me in circles and to get my money while doing it. To get from point A (the premiere) to point B (not even the writers know where this is), they added an infinite number of random stories and impossible, creative, mystical aspects to the story that they will simply cancel out as unimportant to fill up 42 minutes each week of people's lives. I had felt betrayed & stupid all at the same time.

Have the first 4 seasons on DVD at the house. Watched all of Season 5 online, and haven't missed an episode of Season 6...yet. Until maybe this week when I decide it's not that big of a deal. The "Ah Ha!" moment with this show came during "The Wedding" episode with Jim and Pam. The show has had this episode on their mind since last season when Jim proposed. They had been advertising it since the beginning of the season, and I could swear they originally advertised it to come out October 1st, but pushed it back a week. Lo and behold, October 8th came, and I have to say that I could not have been more disappointed.

Mimicking the JK Wedding Dance Entrance? Are you kidding me? That's the best you could do for the climax of the most advertised episode in series history? That video was posted online July 19th, was world known by probably the 26th. Given that previews for the wedding episode were being aired in September, that gave them what? Maybe 6 weeks to pull that episode together? The writing, scripting, casting, and filming of that episode? I had felt betrayed. I'm sure the writers did have something planned for the wedding episode, but it obviously sucked so much that they used someone else's idea. Whatever they did have before the video came out, someone said "You know what? I think this newlywed couple has something better than us. Our idea is crap compared to this. Let's scrap what we had and do their thing. Let's let a 22 year old newlywed couple write our show for us" So they ripped it. The whole time I was thinking - "This is the best you can do?"

I don't know if Jill and Kevin get anything for The Office using their video, since it is on a public site for public enjoyment. But I do know some executive for NBC or The Office said -"Hey. Every time someone watches that video on YouTube, they'll think of The Office. It's free advertising. It's perfect product placement without the cost." And that's when the magic was gone. It was no longer a good show. It became a good business.

"Solomon M - Reconnect with him." The new Facebook set-up informed me to reconnect with Solomon. Humorous as it is that my pet snake has a facebook account inspired by my former room mate in college, I thought it was funny that Facebook was encouraging me to keep in contact with him. So I turned around in my desk chair, looked at him in his tank, and said, "What's up, buddy?" I then "x"ed that box off of facebook and then it told me to reconnect with Mark William Raney - my room mate. I decided to save myself a 10 foot walk to his room. I felt connected enough.

Launched in 2004, I have been on Facebook since 2005 - when only (major) universities had it. No groups. No Notes. No Photo Albums. No Events. They had the "connection of you:joe:kate:lindsay" thing. And praise God, they had NO APPLICATIONS! But I wonder if anyone else remembers how the thing started. It was called a social networking site. The fun of facebook was seeing your friends, reading their information, finding out more about them, and keeping in touch with them. It was simple. It was a fun, more extensive alternative to email.

Today, it is no longer a social networking site, but a self-promotion site. A narcissistic way of telling anyone who gets on a computer, what you are doing, thinking, drinking, saying, or looking like at any given moment in the day. It is not their choice. Their choice was to simply sign on, and they find out about you. So you better have something good ready to show them! It is not important that you have important photos, but a lot of them. Not something interesting and important to share, but something to share!

But the faze has plateaued. You have so many friends, you think it awkward to write on someone's wall or ask them a personal question. You can't remember why you added that friend from middle school. But praise God! Because you can find out what Disney character you are, what holiday season describes you, how old you will be when you have your first child, and what your name would be if you were a character in a Harry Potter book. "Thank you, Facebook! I can see why this is so important for my own development and social networking!"

So, Facebook went back to the basics. "Hey. Remember this friend? Send them a message." "We've run out of people to suggest to you, so now we'll actually suggest being friends with the people you have as friends." "We know nobody really likes the mini-feed, so we'll filter it to only your real friends and not people you just know." Twitter has the monopoly on the self-promotion, so they'll have to get back to their bread and butter. They even created a diet-facebook, for those who stuff themselves.

Conclusion
I get it. Before you try to comment and convince me of it. I know they're all products in a capitalistic society. Every product has a life cycle. A birth, a life, and a death. And the death of that product is different for everyone. Some people still use landlines. Some people still use tape players. I know. For these 3 products, I have exhausted or just about exhausted all use for their services. This is just the way I see these products.

Georgia Tech Under-dawgs

2009-10-11T08:23:00.008-07:00

It's a classic middle school scenario. The cool kid. The athlete. The genius. You can immediately think back to "that kid" from 5th or 6th grade. They were always the center of attention in whatever it was that they excelled in. Everyone knew who would be together for the big dance before the football game. Everyone always knew who would win the basketball game on "Free Friday" in gym class. Everyone knew who ruined the curve on the geography exam. It was just a given that the favorites, the popular kids, the best of the best - would never be beaten. They were the darlings of teachers, parents, and students alike. They had the most yearbook pictures, the coolest clothes from the gap, and the best lunch table. They were oblivious to the world around them. Unpopular kids knew who both the unpopular kids and the popular kids were, but the popular kids only were aware of the popular kids. Nothing outside their world mattered.

As an average kid, you began to cheer for their demise. It wasn't necessarily that you had to be better than them at their game, but somebody should. It could be the new kid in school who moved from the north side of town. It could be a late-bloomer who lost the braces and stole the good looking guys. It didn't matter. As long as the favorite, the darling, lost at some point. Somehow, they had to be humbled. They had to be average. This football season has exposed this exact same scenario for Georgia Tech football fans. And I feel humbled that I never noticed it before. As a Georgia fan, I only noticed Georgia Tech for one week a year - the week of Thanksgiving. That was the only week that they were significant to UGA. And for 7 straight years, it was a given that would be a "w" in our record. However, what this season has exposed is the mentality that GA Tech fans have adopted. UGA is significant to them every week. Tech fans do not just cheer for their team, but for the demise of the top-team in the state. Most UGA fans couldn't even tell you what day Georgia Tech plays week to week, much less who they play. But it seems that GA Tech fans follow Georgia games just as closely as their own. It is ultimately a sign of respect to have such attention paid to UGA.

The world of Facebook has revealed this mentality. Just yesterday, these are a few of the statuses of some of my Ga Tech Fans on Facebook:
-"GT = 5-1. How bout them dawgs?"
-"Yesterday was a great day with Tech winning and UGA losing!"
-"Go Vols! Beat UGA! Go Tech!"
-"Well, no excessive celebrations for UGA today (hard to get when you're not celebrating), but they've been penalized in other normal ways... 'Good Ole Rocky....' well, okay."
-"[Tech Fan] is singin' Rocky Top and getting pumped up to kick FSU and Bowden while they're down tonight!"
-"[Tech Fan] Is proud of her Yellow Jackets! Oh and Rocky Top!"
-"[Tech Fan] Is singing Rocky Top and ready to cheer the Jackets!"

More words are said about UGA and their opponents in these statuses than GA Tech. Such a pity for Tech football that their fans are more obsessed with UGA losing than their own team winning. Heck, even equal cyber-space time and words for UGA and Tech seems ridiculous. Tech fans should enjoy this. Every so often, the stars align, and the fat kid will beat the athlete in a game of H.O.R.S.E. The ugly girl will will get a dance with the hot, drunk dude. And the dumb kid will get lucky on multiple choice and get an "A". It just happens.

From 2002 to 2008, UGA has gone 74-18 (.804), 6-1 in Bowl games, and 6-1 against Tech. During that time, GA Tech went 53-37 (.589), 1-6 in Bowl games, and 1-6 against UGA. Tech has never really been that bad. Just average. And that's essentially what they want for UGA - to be average. Enjoy this season, Tech fans. Savor it. UGA will not be voted Homecoming King this year, and neither will you. But I know that doesn't matter to you. It does not matter to you if GA Tech is even on Court, as long as UGA isn't.

GO DAWGS!

Michael's Engaging Story

2009-08-19T20:47:00.012-07:00

"Hey babe, do you see my map back there?" He glanced in the rear view mirror at his girlfriend as she looked around in the back seat.

"Is it in your bag?"

"NO! *pause* It's not in my bag. I think you're sitting on it."

"Oh yah. Here it is."

He breathed a sigh of relief. That was a close call. He had been carrying around that engagement ring for 3 days in his Camelback pack. The thing had been only feet from her the whole time and she didn't have a clue. He didn't have a settled plan or speech prepared. He just knew that this vacation would be the time. He had shown the ring to both his father and her's - knowing that he might need their assistance at some point in the future to make sure this whole thing went as perfect as possible. This question is only asked once in most people's lives - sometimes never at all. And the answer for anyone involved or even observing the event, gets their hearts going.

She handed him the map and he tucked it between the driver's seat and armrest. His mother was sitting in the seat beside him. He had brought his parents and she had brought hers to this wonderful, "magical" place of Yellowstone National Park. It was home to him and reminded his girlfriend of hers. Mindy grew up in the pacific northwest and evergreens, lakes, and mountains was what made her happy. The three of them continued the drive through the forests and mountains, making their way through the country's first national park. Stopping for photos along the way along waterfronts, and then again for lunch on the lake. Each minute that passed, he knew the moment was getting closer.

Finally, they had left the restaurant from lunch and started headed north, driving for miles alongside the coast of Lake Yellowstone. He was beginning to prepare himself for what it was he was going to say - what it was he was going to do. A private, lakeside proposal near sunset would be just the thing to catch her off guard and wisp her off her feet. She wasn't expecting it. And he was playing everything so cool and to perfection.

Arriving at the hotel, they walked around the lobby and Sun Room for a little while. One of the first sentences she spoke was "WOW! I want to get married in this room." Dying to say it, but only thinking it, his response was "you'll have to settle for being engaged in it." They decided to take their stroll by the lake. They went back to the car for their rain jackets, which served a prelude to a torrential downpour. The water fell hard and heavy. Even a light rain would not have hindered the occasion, but for those who have lived there, they know a typical Yellowstone thunderstorm comes quick and comes hard. There was no way he could get down on one knee in that rain - at least not without drowning.

So he decided to put it on hold until something else develops. They found two comfy chairs in the middle of the sun room and sat them beside each other. It was really the first time they had been alone in a few days, and she grabbed his hand and laid her head on his shoulder, and they just sat in the silence. They looked out the window to watch the storm come in and cover the lake, being surrounded on windows on 3 sides. He knew this was the place... but he needed the right words and the right timing. Both of their parents strolled sporadically and occasionally near them and around them for about 15 minutes, never all there at one time. If this were the place, he knew it would be best for all of them to be there, or none of them.

Finally, he broke away from his girlfriend in a quest to create a plan to finally make her his fiance. He needed to gather the troops and find a way to get everyone there at one time. He found her father in the gift shop, and with 3 words, put things into action. "Mark, It's time." Mindy's father's eyes grew large and his demeanor filled with movement. His parents joined them at their chairs, and all that was left was Mindy's mother. Where was she?!?!? Mindy went off to find her mother and grab a cup of coffee. Within minutes, her father had grabbed "premier seating" right in front of the window, a perfect place to propose. At this point, there was nothing left to but to wait for his love to return. He settled is chair and did just that. Waited...

He waited some more.

10 Minutes later.... he was still waiting. This was driving him crazy. He was waiting to ask the most important question of his life, and his girlfriend had gotten lost grabbing coffee.

15 minutes later. Her father could feel the anxiety inside of him. His father felt helpless. But soon enough, the time came.

As she approached the group by the window, he anxiously gave her a gift bag from the gift shop. "Where have you been? I got you a gift since you were gone for so long." She received the bag and reached inside. She pulled the white box out, and then the brown box out of that one. As she cracked open the lid, he dropped down to one knee. He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. She looked back. She unknowingly was smiling and appeared to be going into a state of shock.

"Mindy. I love you. I love you more every day." *pause* "Hey. Look at me. I'm down here." In her slight state of shock at the excitement and disbelief at what was happening, she started gazing off into the distance out the window at the lake. In response to his voice, she slowly drew her head back to him and once again met her eyes with his. "Will you marry me?"

Whether she said yes first or pulled him up for his lips to meet hers he could not recall. Perhaps, in some strange way they happened at the same time. As they kissed and then embraced, the audience that they had been unaware that was surrounding them began clapping and cheering - 20 or so strangers all celebrating and rejoicing in their occasion. He slipped the ring on her finger. And just like Cinderella's slipper, it was a perfect fit. Even in the dim, warm lighting of the room, it shone and sparkled brightly to complement the glow radiating from her face.

It was a surreal feeling for him. He had not been overly anxious nor overly excited. His heart had barely altered it's normal pace. Most of his concern was just making it right for her, and once she wrapped her arms around him, he knew that she felt it perfect. It was just right. It was a feeling he had not had in quite some time - just the assurance and peace that he was right where God wanted him all along. Knowing that this was just the next big step in becoming the man (and couple) that God desired. He had asked and prayed for a woman such as this, and God was merciful and gracious enough to provide him with one.

Now he has bigger things to think about - like a wedding and marriage. He is expecting greater things to come.

He had been told to wait. He had been told to be patient, and to save his Goats and Barley for the one who he was truly made for. And God provided. He can't wait to start spending them!

With the Drought Comes Garbage

2009-08-01T21:03:00.004-07:00

When I moved from Athens in the fall of 2007, the state of Georgia was experiencing a severe drought. Everyone was drastically changing their lifestyles from not showering to "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, put it down." I remember leaving restaurants and finishing my drinks completely, because I felt like I was wasting water if I let the ice sit there. Seriously. I remember considering water that precious.

Droughts, unlike floods, don't happen suddenly. There's not a flash drought. The paraphrased definition of a drought is a "prolonged or extended season of dry conditions, causing adverse effects on crops or living conditions." In other words, droughts happen over a long period of time and as they wear on, they cause greater damage. Lake Lanier, the lake that supplies large amounts of water to the Atlanta area, had drastic changes in it's water level. These levels could easily be seen from an airplane.

There was one bright side to this problem, however. As the water level in Lake Lanier recedes, decades of trash were exposed. Cars, motorcycles, beer cans from the 1930's, all were now on the surface. Though the water level receded, it created the perfect opportunity to clean the trash out of the lake. People didn't have to search for it. They didn't have to swim or dive to it. No heavy machinery necessary. The trash was obvious, apparent, and made the lake look completely awful. There really wasn't much of a choice except to clean the lake. People couldn't stand looking at it.

This is exactly how I've felt the last few months. Work has been very challenging and frustrating. Personal life has experienced some set backs. My faith has been tested. I've been in such a drought. Instead of contributing and doing anything productive, I've only been letting anything good and valuable dry up inside me. I've created so many of adverse effects on the things I'm supposed to affect positively - the things I'm supposed to give life to. And as that drought prolonged, more and more trash and garbage about myself has been revealed that's been buried for years, and I've had no choice but to look straight at it and say "I can keep it there, or get rid of it."

I suppose that the months of rainfall I had in my life covered up all the trash that I had. I can only pray that as I remove this trash from my life, that the rains will come again and I can once again be filled (but clean).

In Religion and Worlds

2009-05-25T22:57:00.004-07:00

I don't care about debates and arguments. I could win debates and arguments. I have a quick wit, effective critical thinking skills, know how to communicate ideas, and in all honesty could probably BS my way through anything if I felt I had to. But winning arguments and debates get me nothing. There is no value. There is no satisfaction. There is no reward I win. I have no interest in wasting my time in arguments and debates for the simple satisfaction of winning them. Especially when dealing with spiritual, eternal concepts - what does it matter if I win an argument? What I say - whether right or wrong - changes nothing from the way things really are.

I care about Truth. I care about honesty - both with others and with myself. I care about genuineness and seeing things for the way they really are. I care about transparency. I care about discovering these things even if they are hidden in lies, mistakes, opinions, and beliefs of others.

If you want to know something about what I believe - ask me a direct question, and I will give you a direct answer. If you do not understand my answer, then I will freely explain it to you, but do not get angry with me when you do not wish to follow my explanation, and do not judge my motives behind giving it. Every belief I hold, I hold for a reason, one in which I will gladly share with others if they so desire. But do not misinterpret your lack of understanding of what I believe - and my defense about that belief - as an attack from me about yours. I criticize no belief - only the reason and motives behind possessing it. If someone tells me they believe something, I do not find it an extraordinary request for them to explain to me why.

The problem is, most people cannot discuss religion (or Christianity) without making it personal - without making it about them. Problem is, it isn't about us. It's about God. And He is absolute. God never changes. People do change - as well as their beliefs about Him over time.

Am I Seeing This the Wrong Way?

2009-05-17T23:29:00.004-07:00

There is an ever increasing scrutiny and suspicion of our government, and an ever increasing dependence on it.
There is a super saturation of sexual references from the Internet, to commercials, to music and movies, and to education, and yet we wonder why affairs, divorces, teen pregnancies, and sexual crimes are the highest they've ever been.
We want a world that is ultra-fast, ultra-easy, and ultra cheap. Yet we have no idea what to do with our free time or money once we get it.
We have the information of the world at our fingertips, yet fewer people are actually using it.
It is not important who or how much you love others, or even who it is, as long as you love yourself first.
Don't judge, unless you are judging the judgmental (birthing another judgmental person).
Accept everything, except those who are rejecting(birthing another rejecting person).
It is no longer important what you believe, but that you simply believe in something.

Thanks to the Boss

2009-03-06T23:54:00.002-07:00

Okay, my boss, Jeff, really likes Bill Simmons. So I decided to read one of his most recent Q&A with online readers who email him. From this article, this question was pretty good. And yes, I realize the irony that this post is fed through my facebook account.

Q: Can you think of the sports equivalent of the spouses of buddies whose Facebook friend-request you accepted who constantly update their status on the topic of taking care of their kids? Like "Jenn is watching her little ones nap" and "Sarah is playing 'Bob the Builder' with her kids! Yay!" As a 28-year-old unmarried man, it's not that I don't appreciate females or motherhood, it's just that I don't care. For the same reason that I don't update my status with "Kully just put on jock itch cream."
-- Kully, Guangzhou, China

SG: Wouldn't the sports equivalent be like ending up with an undesirable throw-in for an NBA trade (aka Marcus Banks)? The more interesting angle for me is how Twitter and Facebook reflect where our writing is going thanks to the Internet. In 15 years, writing went from "reflecting on what happened and putting together some coherent thoughts" to "reflecting on what happened as quickly as possible" to "reflecting on what's happening as it's happening" to "here are my half-baked thoughts about absolutely anything and I'm not even going to attempt to entertain you," or as I like to call it, Twitter/Facebook Syndrome. Do my friends REALLY CARE if I send out an update, "Bill is flying on an airplane finishing a mailbag right now?" (Which is true, by the way.) I just don't think they would. I certainly wouldn't. That's why I refuse to use Twitter.

As for Facebook, I don't mind getting status updates and snapshots of what my friends' lives are like -- even if "Bob the Builder" is prominently involved -- as long as they aren't posting 10 times a day or writing something uncomfortable about their spouse/boyfriend like "(Girl's name) is … trying to remember the last time she looked at her husband without wanting to punch him in the face" or "(Girl's name) is … just going to keep eating, it's not like I have sex anymore." Keep me out of your personal business, please. Other than that, the comedy of status updates can be off the charts. Like my college classmate who sends out status updates so overwhelmingly mundane and weird that my buddies and I forward them to each other, then add fake responses like, "(Guy's name) … snapped and killed a drifter tonight" and "(Guy's name) … would hang myself if the ceilings in my apartment weren't too short." It kills us. We can't get enough of it. We have been doing it for four solid months. And really, that's what Facebook is all about -- looking at photos of your friend's kids or any reunion or party, making fun of people you never liked and searching for old hook-ups and deciding whether you regret the hook-up or not. That's really it. All in all, I like Facebook.

The Chronicles to Christ - The Paradox of the Truth

2009-03-02T00:01:00.007-07:00

I couldn't believe she had said that. I am trying to remember even where I was at. On the trail? At a picnic? Maybe I was just hanging out at the church on the weekend. I can't even remember, come to think about it. But it didn't matter where we were at, but what she said. Rachel, one of my best friends, and I were having a discussion of some sort and she told me - "You make things so complicated." What?!?! Oh no you didn't! She could never have been more wrong - and more right - at the exact same time.

I remember exactly 3 things off the top of my head from Chemistry, even though I made A's in the class in college.
1. Water is H20.
2. Hydrochloric Acid is HCl. and
3. Sweet tea is sweeter if you sweeten it when it is hot (and not when it is cold) because of the hydrolysis that occurs with the sucrose when heated, with the resulting sugars fructose and glucose forming a combined sweetness level of 250 between the two.

This sweet tea thing is just so cool. I know most people think it's because the "sugar dissolves" and it doesn't when it's in cold tea. This is what yankees just don't get, and even some southerners. It's a special recipe. And even though what it is may be simple, why it is like that, is not. The fundamentals of why sweet tea is sweeter when sweetened when hot may seem complicated, but it essence, the fundamentals are quite simple. Everything in this world, has a complex system of simple reasons why things are the way they are.

In my quest for Christ, I have been through what many have not. That was a major premise behind this blog and the Chronicles to Christ series. However, I have learned that nothing is ever actually as simple as stated, and the same holds true with my faith and it's origins. The biggest question every person deals with, whether a Deist or not, is why? And it just so happens I like to take the argument a few more "whys" that most others do.

I do know why sweet tea is sweeter if you sweeten it when it's hot rather than sweetening it when it's cold. However, I do not know why heat causes hydrolysis. I ask the "whys" to know more - to know God more and to know more about Him. To know more about other people and their faith. To understand. Challenging my faith to the fullest has always brought me the most joy because it gives me a fulfillment of being genuine with myself, my faith, and my God.

In essence - the paradox of the Truth is so simple, yet so complicated. With God we take joy in His intricate, perfect plan. His intricate, perfect, complicated plan. And yet we want to make it so simple. We want to make Him so simple. God, how I wish You were, sometimes!

Redeeming the Ragamuffin Shack

2009-01-15T23:39:00.005-07:00

I have completed 34 books within the past 4 years (excluding textbook material in school). Now, I know this does not qualify me as an avid reader, but I would say I am an average, if not above average adult as far as how much I read.

But I think that I've decided on the literary trilogy of Michael Morgan's soul. Basically, if I had to sum up my life with 3 books, these three would probably be it. The irony of these books are that they do not support my best qualities or bring to surface my strengths. Instead, they magnify my weaknesses, and humble me to see just how little that I know about God and this world that he created. And those that know me best know just how long and how hard I have studied and wrestled with God's character and my acceptance, or thereof, of who He actually is. My strengths are theism, intellectualism, and skepticism. And yet these books that touch my heart the greatest and most describe my life have nothing to do with those things.

One of the major obstacles I had to face in my theistic quest was this concept that God can be (and is ) more than just absolute truth as we know it. He is more than we can measure, fathom, and nowhere near anything we can understand. His love was far beyond me and these three books pierced my heart like none other in their attempts to explain His love. Together, these 3 just about cover it, I feel.

The Ragamuffin Gospel - by Brennan Manning (read in 2005, 2007)
This book first opened my eyes to exactly what kind of person I actually am, and in comparison showed just how great God's love is to me. It is not until you fully realize just what you are, and what you did in comparison to Christ, that you realize just how great His love is for you. At that point we realize we are nothing is the point we realize we need everything. And God is everything, therefore we need Him.

Redeeming Love- by Francine Rivers (read in 2005)
Perhaps the largest challenge with love? Learning to love others like God does - and sometimes what's even harder - how to accept His love. All of us have that feeling that we are un-lovable. But God's persistent love overwhelms us and all we can do is fight it until we are exhausted and can fight no more. And we finally accept that even us as the unlovable - we are loved. He desires the undesirable.

The Shack - by William P. Young (read in 2008-2009)
Allowing God's love to heal the brokenness inside. Accepting that love does not always mean good things will happen. Accepting that love can be in spite of and not the cause of pain. This book only encouraged me that God still loved me and stood beside me in the toughest times of my life. And His love has the power to heal those wounds, and allows freedom for me to love others.

I am a stubborn man. I am very prideful. And often I think all the bad things about myself that if God ever knew, He would love me no more. And at that point where I realize God's love extends beyond all of that, that is where I don't know if I could love Him any more! And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Tonight

2009-01-14T17:50:00.006-07:00

...a prayer

Today brought burden, and I got through.
Tonight I lay my head down, and it's just me and You.

I know tomorrow I will "feel better."
Tomorrow I will "know more."
Tomorrow I will wake and believe it will go on just like any other day.
Tomorrow I will trust myself.
Tomorrow I will still not be happy.

But we are still in tonight. And tonight I am with You.
And I never want to leave tonight - for it is tonight that I call out to You.
It is tonight that I do not know what to do.
It is tonight where I have no choices but You.

Tonight, I am tired.
Tonight, I am weak.
Tonight, I pray for You to watch over me.
Tonight, I pray You will still be here in the morning,
and then we will talk more about Yesterday.

The Lost Ballads - Gomer's Theme

2009-01-05T00:07:00.004-07:00

In this place, I saw her face.
He was more than happier.
Made for Him.
It was a sin she was not faithful.

She couldn't be foolishly more unfaithful if she tried.
He did not care. He wanted her despite her wandering eyes.
He deserves the very best.
But He loves her none the less.

She's forgotten her first love (maybe one day she'll return)
He's forgotten that she ever went away and broke his heart.

Lavished on silver, gold, and anything she needed.
Wasted thoughts and broken hearts.
Love was not acknowledged.

God only knows that He has shown her more love than she deserves.
There will come a time when she will find that He's not there to give her love,
And He'll be gone away from her forever.

(a song by Third Day)

Mini Road Trip

2009-01-03T13:32:00.003-07:00

I was just remembering the other day something really funny from a mini road trip back in 2006 with a couple of my friends. As we were driving along, the conversation flowed from one conversation topic to the next, and then out of nowhere, Reuben asked Sarah -

"How do I know when a girl is car flirting with me?"

I was young and naive and was not old enough yet to understand what car flirting was, but thought the question was funny, nonetheless.

I am now an experienced car flirter.

Matthew Berry from ESPN sucks

2008-12-23T00:26:00.004-07:00

Okay. I love all of the fantasy football experts out there. All of us guys constantly watch these "experts" throughout the year on all of the shows, take their advice, but after that week, really forget anything that they really said. I mean, nobody ever really comes out and says "I was very wrong two weeks ago when on this show I said...." But there is one guy out there that really just annoys me - Matthew Berry from ESPN. He looks funny and smiles too much. So when he put out his "expert predictions" at the beginning of the year, I had to jump on it. I saved the entire article so that I could assess it at the end of the year. And here it is. Incorrect predictions are in italics. Correct predictions are in bold. My comments are in regular font.

Since they are fantasy predictions, stats are only through week 16.

1. Anquan Boldin will shut up and have a better fantasy season than Larry Fitzgerald. I say 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns. You heard me.
-Fitzgerald BARELY had a better year. Blame it on that nasty hit Boldin took. But Q DID shut up.

2. Leonard Pope will catch seven touchdowns.
-Even with Warner, Pope caught 0.

3. Michael Turner will finish with fewer than 1,000 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.
-Try 1,491 yards and 16 touchdowns at the end of week 16.

4. Willis McGahee will play every game this year and finish as a top-10 fantasy running back.
-McGahee did not even play the first game.

5. Troy Smith will net 24 total touchdowns.
-Not even close. 1 TD. Buddy never even started.

6. Marshawn Lynch will earn more than 1,700 total yards and score double-digit touchdowns. Close.
-He had 1300 total yards and 9 total touchdowns.

7. Steve Smith will not reach 1,000 yards or eight touchdowns. He'll play in only 12 games. Over 1,000 yards.
-Played in at least 13 games. Only 6 TD’s, though.

8. Devin Hester will finish the year as a top-25 fantasy wide receiver and score a total of 10 touchdowns.
-Did finish # 18 in my league, thanks to return yardage, but only 3 TD’s. yuck.

9. Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry. Blah blah blah. Kenny Watson will finish as the leading rusher on the Bengals and will have at least 1,000 total yards. You heard me.
-Cedric Benson finished with 636 yards. Kenny Watson finished with 55 yards. Rudi Johnson is on the Lions, now...I think... I'm not sure where the guy is.

10. Brady Quinn will start for the Browns by Week 9.
-It took until week 10.

11. Marion Barber will finish the year as a top-five fantasy running back.
-Finished #18 in my league.

12. Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson will break up. And Romo will have his best game of the season the week after. And then Joe Simpson will say something creepy about his daughter.
-Who knows what’s going on with those 3? I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

13. Tony Scheffler will finish the year as a top-5 fantasy tight end.
-Try Top 12.

14. Calvin Johnson will be a top-10 wide receiver. And Jon Kitna will throw for more than 4,000 yards, even without Mike Martz.
-Calvin finished # 7. Kitna was benched on IR.

15. Even more people will realize that because its leagues are 100 percent free and offer free live scoring, fully customizable options (including keeper league and fractional scoring) and an auction draft room, ESPN is the place to host your Fantasy Football League. Sign up now! (As you know, I'm a company man.) -I will play ESPN next year so I don’t have to pay $10 for yahoo! Stattracker.

16. James Jones will have 800 yards and seven touchdowns.
-233 yards and 1 touchdown.

17. I'll make good on my baseball prediction of dating a totally sane woman.
- I doubt it.

18. Matt Schaub will throw for 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns.
-2,700 yards and 13 TD’s

19. Dallas Clark will finish the year as the No. 1 fantasy tight end. You heard me.
-Valiant effort. Finished #3 in my league.

20. David Garrard will be a top-10 fantasy quarterback this season and throw no more than six interceptions all season.
-Finished #9 but threw 11 INTs.

21. Reggie Williams will catch double-digit touchdowns again.
-3 TD’s

22. I'll beat Nate Ravitz in a footrace and win more of the board bets. We'll have a listener dress up as a monkey and be our slave for a day. (I'm telling you, you have to listen to our daily Fantasy Focus Football podcast.)
-I am guessing he won after a lot of practice, because he certainly was not spending his time learning Fantasy.

23. Kolby Smith will end the year as the leading rusher for the Chiefs.
-The guy went on IR.

24. Ted Ginn Jr. will reach 1,000 yards and score seven touchdowns.
-700 yards and 3 TD’s

25. Adrian Peterson (the Viking) will play fewer than 13 games this year and finish outside of the top five of fantasy running backs.
-Played in 15 games, finished #7

26. The new "90210" show will be terrible. Yet I'll still watch every episode. Tori Spelling will end up showing up, eventually.
-It is terrible. But I love Tori Spelling, too.

27. The year after he threw 48 touchdowns, Dan Marino threw 30. The year after Peyton Manning threw 49 touchdowns, he threw 28. Tom Brady will throw 40 this year.
-Tom Brady threw 0 TDs.

28. No Saints running back will have more than 600 yards rushing or 1,000 total yards.
-Thomas broke 600, and 2 actually broke 900 total yards.

29. Eli Manning will have another disappointing second half, play poorly at home and finish with no more than 25 touchdowns.
-BINGO!!!! After 28 tries on football predictions, Matthew Berry finally got one right! Way to go! And I don’t care if the first half of the sentence is subjective.

30. Amani Toomer will catch seven touchdowns. You heard me.
-Caught 4.

31. Thomas Jones will be a top-10 fantasy running back.
-Finished # 5.

32. Jerricho Cotchery will be a top-20 wide receiver.
-I don’t know where he ended up, but I know where he didn’t - Top 20.

33. Brett Favre's consecutive game streak will end this season. And Brett will get involved in a scandal before he realizes the New York media is very different than the Green Bay media.
-The streak did not end, but of course Favre was in a scandal (phone calls anyone?). But that’s like saying “It’s gonna rain one day.”

34. Brett Favre will retire at the end of the season and do a long, tearful farewell at various stadiums. There'll be magazine covers and retrospectives.
-Yet to be determined, but I agree on this one.

35. Brett Favre will suit up for the Buccaneers next season.
-Nope. Gonna be Culpepper. Gruden and his QB's.

36. Darren McFadden will have more than 1,600 total yards and score double-digit touchdowns.
-Didn’t get ½ of that – on either prediction.

37. Ronald Curry will have at least 1,000 yards receiving, and JaMarcus Russell will score 25 touchdowns.
-Once again, didn’t get ½ of that – on either prediction.

38. Donovan McNabb will play all 16 games.
-Technically 15 ½.

39. Santonio Holmes will finish the year as a top-12 fantasy wide receiver.
-Not top 25.

40. Marc Bulger and Torry Holt will return to fantasy prominence. Specifically, Bulger will throw 3,500 yards and at least 24 touchdowns. Holt will get 10 scores.
-Neither returned to prominence. Both barely even returned to the field without getting replaced.

41. At least eight other tight ends will have a better fantasy season than Antonio Gates. You heard me.
-Only 3 other tight ends did better.

42. Michael Phelps will "date" Lindsay Lohan and find himself in a weird love triangle with Samantha Ronson. For no apparent reason, a picture of the three of them with Wilmer Valderrama, David Spade and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog will show up on TMZ.
-This is a stretch, and I think he’s actually being serious.

43. Frank Gore won't be a top-15 fantasy player this year. Specifically, he won't get 1,300 total yards or double-digit touchdowns.
-Right except the yardage part.

44. Ben Obomanu will reach 800 yards and six touchdowns.
-Never played. On IR.

45. Tampa Bay's defense will return to being a top-five fantasy defense.
-Finished #5.

46. Chris Johnson will be the leading rusher for the Tennessee Titans.
-I think Matthew has found a groove.

47. Justin Gage will have more than 1,000 yards receiving. And Alge Crumpler will get eight scores.
-Fewer than 800 and 1 TD.

48. Both Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El will have more than 1,000 yards receiving. Jason Campbell will throw for more than 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns.
-yardage for Campbell is the only one he got right on this one.

49. There will be at least 100 comments on this article on ESPN Conversation (beta!). At least 10 of them are positive.
-My blog is longer than a “comment” and none of this is positive for him.

50. My Redskins will win the Super Bowl, and Jim Zorn will be named coach of the year. Hey, it's my list. Make your own.
-Dude. Your list sucks.

Passing Gas Makes More Sense Now, Not in the Summer

2008-12-06T12:05:00.005-07:00

Okay okay. We all knew that eventually gas prices had to drop back down, but I don't think anyone really saw gas prices going back this low - at least nobody without inside information. It was well above $4 in the summer time, I saw gas somewhere around $1.60 the other day. Great news for everyone, right? I just think it's funny to see people's reactions to this.

In the summer, gas prices were updated every hour online so that you could find the "cheapest gas," and people would drive out of their way to get gas 6 cents cheaper. Now? "eh, whatever. $1.69? $1.75? What's the difference?" Seriously? Do people not understand the concept of value, here? You get more gas for 6 cents now than you did in the summer, yet now they are indifferent to prices, and probably wasted more gas in the summer driving around looking for cheaper gas. They would pass some gas stations to get to others that were cheaper.

Really, I don't seek out cheaper gas that often. However, if I did, I would pass gas a lot more now to find cheaper gas.

Am I the only one who has realized this?

I can tell by the way my butt fits...

2008-11-26T19:45:00.004-07:00

I bought a pair of Lucky jeans back in 2006. They are "stylish" and very comfortable. I had paid a good price for them but nothing too expensive. I had gotten a good deal for the Luckys and I usually keep jeans for a good long while.

Tiny problem(s) though. They are low cut and slim fit in the butt. Nice and stylish jeans but that combination always made my butt look big and honestly a little uncomfortable and a hassle. So I rarely would wear them. Up until now. I've been working out with a personal trainer for the last couple of months and been getting some serious form back to my body. In Phoenix, you don't get a desire to wear jeans that often, but pulling those jeans out earlier today and putting them on, I can tell that I'm in a lot better shape. I can tell by the way my butt fits in those jeans now.

Sure, I've worn clothes that would flatter me and hide my inadequacies in my figure. Just pick the right colors. Just pick the right style. Long sleeve T's with sleeves pushed up helps hide the gut and accentuates the chest and shoulders. Yah, I know these things. Wearing bagging jeans and t-shirts has a way of saying "I'm cool. I'm casual. I'm normal." Problem is, it doesn't mean you're in good shape, and changing what you wears doesn't mean a thing when it comes down to how good of shape your body is in and what you are actually capable of doing. And quite honestly, I don't want to just be "normal." Those jeans were my benchmark.

Forget the pretty leaves. Forget the tall vines. Forget the flowers that bloom early in the season. We are judged solely by the fruit that we bear. Perhaps I should start paying more attention to my "other" Personal Trainer a little bit more and making sure I start shaping up in more critical areas of my life.

I Turned My Phone Off For 17 hours.

2008-09-16T11:52:00.004-07:00

It wasn't vacation. It was freedom.

Granted, about 10 of those hours I was asleep. But still. I wonder how many people turn their phone off when they go to sleep. Most probably put it on "silent" or something. Saturday nights are my nights to turn my phone off completely. I keep it on most times in case there's an issue at work or something and one of my managers need to get in touch with me or something.

But it was awesome. Did not have to wonder "wait... did I leave my phone upstairs?" or "when am I going to get a text message?" I just turned that thing off at 11PM Saturday night, sat it on the coffee table, and did not reach over to turn it on until 4PM Sunday afternoon. AWESOME!

The only kink was meeting Mindy for church Sunday morning... "hmm.... will I be able to find her in a church of 10,000 people w/out texting or calling her when I'm leaving, when I get there, or where we'll meet?" Yup. Turns out it was pretty easy. I just sat in a chair outside the worship center, and that beautiful young lady found me just fine. She rocks.

Next time, I'm gonna go for 24 hours. No seriously. I'm gonna do it.

One Month to Live

2008-09-14T23:18:00.002-07:00

So I finally go in for a check up. I've never really been sick before. But after some simple tests, and about an hour of waiting around, the doctor comes back in the room, looks and me, and says - "You've got about 4 weeks." The cancer spread so quickly it is beyond treatment. I stare blankly at him, and a million things run through my mind at once.

Okay. Nobody get alarmed. I'm not dying (that I know of). I really didn't visit the doctor. As far as I know, I'm still healthy.

The series at church was titled "One Month to Live." Essentially, if you were given only one month to live, what would you do? How would you live differently? I'm not sure if anyone started reading this note and started getting a little scared, perhaps thinking something was actually wrong with me. But if you did, take that small amount of fear, and multiply it, trying to imagine if that was your actual situation - while sitting in the room at the doctor's office.

It is tough for me to say exactly what I would do if I knew I only had 4 weeks left to live. That's a lot to take in. I do know this - I would definitely live differently. Not for the reason of changing my own life, per se. I would want to die knowing my effect on others' lives was a lasting, positive one. How much would I give in that month? How many apologies would I make? How many people would I forgive? How many letters would I write? That's probably about all I would do, I think. I would make calls, make visits, write letters and emails for about 3 weeks. Family I've lost touch with. Friends who I've not been a good friend to. Ex-girlfriend's who I would seek forgiveness from.

The last week, I would live in the wilderness. I would get out of the city, away from things that would distract me from the important things left in my abbreviated life. I would savor time with God, just me and Him... sitting beside still water in a valley somewhere in the Rockies. Eventually, someone would find my body, nobody really knowing when I died, but hopefully finding a smile of contentment on my face.

And if I lived my life every day as if I only had one month to live...how truly alive I would feel!

The Chronicles to Christ - Scared of Snakes?

2008-08-29T01:38:00.005-07:00

For 30 minutes they sat there in the dark. 2 girls on the far couch. Him and his girlfriend on another, and his roommate to his left. The climax to the movie Arlington Road was coming. The scenes intense, and captivating the interest of all of those in the room who had not seen it before. The room was dark with the exception of the glow of the television and the lightning flashing outside. He made a brief exit, scarcely noticed by the others and returned a minute later. He sat there, finishing the movie he's probably seen 8 or 9 times. He brought Solomon, his pet kingsnake, downstairs and sat him in his lap to finish the movie. Nobody noticed.

As the movie ended and the lights came up, everyone in the room became aware of the new visitor in the living room. One of the girls on the far couch barely refrained from screaming at the sight of the snake, clinging tightly to the other's arm. They both sat intently, watching the snake that was pretty much not doing anything, but making sure that the reptile never was lost from their sites. They were both very scared of this creature, while at the same time trying to be brave. He tried to ease their minds, making jokes and reassuring them that his pet snake was completely harmless, a sweet animal that was soft and fun to hold and play with. They weren't buyin' it. Only one of the girls would even touch Solomon, much less get close to it or hold it.

He and his room mate encouraged the ladies for minutes, trying to get them brave enough to even touch the animal, yet they refused. They sat motionless, so afraid of something that had never done them harm. For one, this was the first time she had even ever seen a snake in real life! Only seen photos or television.

It is difficult for him to understand these types of fears. His grandfather served in Vietnam - he could understand that fear, being around deadly snakes for so long. But for someone who has never even seen a snake? Like, come on. In this room, a person sat next to an animal that lay motionless. It was small, weighing less than a pound. That little guy had been held by hundreds of people and never shown any sign of agression. This person had zero reason to fear this animal. In fact, all evidence supported just the opposite - that it was a completely docile and fascinating creature. Yet they still refused to believe the facts. They chose to act out of fear in a belief that was unfounded.

He feels that people are the same way when it comes to their faith. It frustrated him a lot as an atheist and even more so now as a believer. It frustrates him more as a believer because he feels those people just make believers as a whole look stupid. But these people will refuse to believe truths in spite of evidence for that truth. They will continue to believe something w/out evidence to support it. They will continue to believe whatever it is that they believe - simply because they've never known anything else and fear what it is that they do not know or understand. And they refuse to learn anything else. They fear. They do not grow. They do not learn.

If someone refuses to believe something even with physical evidence and proof.... If they refuse to accept something when they can see, feel, and sense the evidence of the actuality and reality of things - - - how much more difficult would it be for them to realize the deficiency about their beliefs about spiritual matters? If they refuse to budge about beliefs about things even when they are given evidence that their beliefs are wrong... there is no way they would ever change beliefs about things that cannot be given physical evidence.

A Half Glass...

2008-07-11T00:48:00.003-07:00

An optimist says - "The glass is half full."

A pessimist says - "The glass is half empty."

Michael Morgan says - "You've got half a glass. That's the way it is. Enjoy it and make it last as long as you can."

So... I'm kind of curious what others might say. There's a lot of ways someone can expand this illustration. Feel free to share.

Independent Independence (Days)

2008-07-01T12:11:00.007-07:00

4th of July weekend is coming up. I began reflecting on the locations I've been the last few years on 4th of July - at least the ones that I can remember. From my best recollection, this will be the 5th state in 5 years where I have spent this holiday. It kind of just got me thinking about how quickly life changes and how many different people I get to be in touch with over the course of my life.

2004 - GA or SC I'm quite confident I spent this 4th of July weekend in Georgia, though it was so long ago, I cannot be certain. Quite possible I might have also traveled to South Carolina to visit family for this weekend. That was a family tradition for a while. Fireworks weren't allowed in Georgia for a while.

2005 - IN This was a bit of a rough week. My cousin Jeremy had passed away only a few days earlier. We had already planned the trip to Michigan and unfortunately it became a time of family grieving instead of a family holiday vacation. By July 4th, our family had moved on from Michigan to Indiana to spend the 4th of July with my sister-in-law (Allison's) parents. We parked on the side of the road that night to watch the fireworks and the bugs were AWFUL!

2006 - MT & WY My first summer in Yellowstone National Park. That morning, our housekeeping staff at the hotel had a "parade" where we got in carts and cars and such and walked around all of Mammoth Hot Springs throwing candy. It got me 30 minutes behind on my work, but it was fun and they gave us an ice cream party. Hoo-Rah. My brother Adam and his wife Allison were with me again, this time for a visit to the world's first national park. We exited the park into the small town of West Yellowstone, MT, and lay on the roof of my friend Lesley's explorer to watch the small-town fire station but on a huge show. Allison really loves fireworks.

2007 - MT & WY My second summer in Yellowstone I went crossed the state line once again, just north of the park into Gardiner, MT to my friend Tara's house. A large group of employees from the park were there - playing volleyball, eating food, hanging out in hammocks, etc. I remember sitting on the front porch to Tara's house and telling my good friend Heather - "This is the life. I wish every day could last forever just like this one." As the sun set over Electric Peak, and the night fell, the firework show started. It was considerably smaller than West Yellowstone's, but that small town of 851 people was very active with their own fireworks.

2008 - AZ Well here I am in yet another state. My parents are visiting this weekend. As opposed to the last couple of years where I have to bundle up to go out at night to watch the show, I'm sure the 95 degree weather at 9 PM will certainly allow me to wear shorts and a t-shirt.

2009 - ???? I will be curious to see who it is I will be spending next year's 4th of July weekend with. Perhaps my sister will be up for a visit or something.

It baffles me just how quickly life is starting to pass...

Broken Hearts Heal, Shattered Hearts Heal Slower

2008-06-24T00:47:00.005-07:00

I hate going to sleep. I close my eyes and I am left in the dark.
I think about times past, and what once was.
What could have been, and now there is no us.

We used to talk and know each other so well.
I had invested my heart but You had left me alone.
It makes me fear what I once called home.

Trying to move on; ‘Tis not so easy.
To trust again, to love again, to bring joy:
An awful end to a beautiful story.

One might read and think it were a girl.
“’Twas not”, my friend. “I wish it were so simple."
So the hole is left – one that only One can fill.
And I wait and wait… hoping one day that He will.

God! I'm waiting.

The Lost Ballads - When I Go Down

2008-05-29T11:41:00.004-07:00

I'll tell you flat out that it hurts to think of this. So from my thoughts I will exclude the very thing that I hate more than everything - the way I'm powerless to dictate my own moods.

I've thrown away so many things that could have been much more. And I just pray that my problems will go away if they're ignored. But that's not the way it works.

When I go down, I go down hard. And I take everything I've learned and I teach myself some disregard. And when I go down, it hurts to hit the bottom, and of the things that got me there - I think - "If only I had fought them."

If (and when) I can clear myself of this clouded mind, I'll watch myself settle down into a place where peace can search me out and find that I'm so ready to be found.

I've thrown away the hope I had in friendships.
I've thrown away so many things that could have been so much more.
I've thrown away the secret to find an end to this.
And so I just pray that my problems will ago away if they're ignored. But no, that's not the way it works.

Any control I thought I had slips right through my hands, while my ever-present conscience shakes it's head and reprimands me. And then & there I'll confess. I'll blame all of this on my selfishness. Yet You still love me. And that consumes me. And I'll stand up again, doing so willingly. You give me hope. And hope gives me life. You touch my heavy heart, and when You do, You make it light

As I exhale, I hear your voice. And I answer you, though I hardly make a noise. And from my lips, the words I choose to say seem pathetic, but it's fallen man's praise. Because I love You.

And life is now worth living, if only because of You. And when they say that I'm dead and gone, it won't be further from the truth.

When I go down, I lift my eyes to You. I won't look very far, cause You'll be there with open arms to lift me up again.

(a song by Relient K)

The Lost Ballads - History

2008-05-28T11:03:00.006-07:00

It's been a bad day. I've been looking back, and all I can see is everything that I wish I could take back. All of my mistakes, a world of regrets. All of those moments I would rather forget. I know it's hard, but let Him refresh my memory.

Yesterday is history and history is miles away. So leave it all behind me. But let it always remind me of the day that love made history.

I know I can't stay right where I fell. The hardest part is forgiving myself. But let me walk into today, and not let my past get in the way. Could I believe that I am history in the making?

Every choice that I am making...
Every step that I am taking...
Every chain that I am breaking...

History is in the making.

Every word that I am saying...
Every prayer that I am praying...
Every chain that I am breaking...

History is in the making.

(a song by Matthew West - inspired by Philippians 3:13-14, 1 Timothy 1:12-17)

The Lost Ballads - Let That Be Enough

2008-05-27T16:15:00.005-07:00

Wish I had what I needed to be on my own.
Because I feel so defeated, and I'm feeling alone.

And it all seems so helpless, and I have no plans.
I'm a plane in the sunset with nowhere to land.

And all I see- it could never make me happy.
And all my sandcastles spend their time collapsing

Let me know that You hear me.
Let me know Your touch.
Let me know that You love me.
Let that be enough.

It's my birthday tomorrow. No one here could know.
I was born this Thursday, 23 years ago.
I feel stuck watching history repeating.
Who am I? Just a kid who knows he's needy.

Let me know that You hear me.
Let me know Your touch.
Let me know that You love me.
Let that be enough.

(song by Switchfoot)

Adjusting The Mirrors on Yorkshire

2008-05-10T02:15:00.003-07:00

I-17 South. Exit Yorkshire Drive. I was driving to work at an uncommon time for myself and finding traffic to be a little heavier than what I was used to. Stopped at a light behind a few cars, waiting to make a right turn, I contemplated on whether or not my truck was thin enough to squeeze between the Acura in front of me and the concrete wall to my right. I decided that I could make it - but that I was just being impatient and should just wait until the light turns green, the traffic would move in front of me, and I would make my right turn.

Killing time, I inspected the car in front of me. A silver Acura quite clean - especially for a dusty Arizona. Even through the dark tinted back window, I could see the golden hair of the woman driving - shining in that Arizona sun. Blonde is a popular color here in the Valley. Of course she knew what to do with her red light. I saw her move her hand to her rear view mirror and pull it down. She stared at it for a while, brushed her hand through her hair, scratching her head a little bit, and then running her fingers through her hair again. Light turned green. She put her hand back up to the mirror and fixed it back to it's previous position.

I kind of thought about it. Her actions seemed a little peculiar to me. Any time I have to use the rear view mirror in my truck, I just stretch my neck out as far as the seatbelt will allow me , and see what it is that I can feel in my teeth. I adjust to it, not the other way around. I mean, it's not there for me or my personal appearance is it? It's there for my safety.

It kind of piggy-backs on my previous post, I suppose. But it kind of makes me wonder what else exists for our safety, but we see It as nothing more than existing to accommodate to what we want and the way we may appear to others. Hm.

There Are Those Like Me! Only Better!

2008-05-04T21:35:00.006-07:00

If you're reading this blog, you probably are someone close enough to me and someone who has heard me go off on this before. I'll do it. To anyone who wants to listen, I'll tell them. I'll tell them how sad I think it is how people today seem to think that the world revolves around them. They think their religion, their government, their job, their family, and anything else they come in contact with exists for one reason - to make their life easier and better.

It was a busy night at Chick-fil-a. A Family Night where kids eat free. The place is packed with families. And get this. I actually had two mothers come up to me one night. They were complaining to me that there were too many kids in the playground and some were "rowdy" and wanted to know what I was going to do about it. What was I going to do about it? All were all within the size requirements to be on the playground. The parents and kids had paid for their food. Nobody was throwing anything. What am I supposed to do? And the whole time I'm sitting there thinking - Is this really happening? Are they seriously upset with me because there are too many kids on the playground? I looked over there. Nobody is throwing stuff. They are all within size requirements of the playground. Everyone is having fun. I'm no parent, but I have a feeling when(if) I become one, and there are too many kids on the playground at a restaurant, I'll either let mine stay in an get roughed up a bit, or pull them out. That's called good parenting. I couldn't believe what these ladies were asking. I know some people expect the government to help raise their child (and do a poor job of it). But now they're getting fast-food managers to do the work for them. Color me flattered (and extremely annoyed they wasted my time from keeping the drive-thru rolling) but it really isn't my job to go in there and play preschool teacher with everyone else's kids while they eat their hot, fresh, crisp, golden waffle potato fries.

So anyways - this is just an expression of my general thoughts on people these days. Everyone expects everyone to do something for them. They think this world revolves around them. They sit around ask themselves - "Why doesn't anyone do anything?"

Well, I was completely amazed last week with what I saw - in a good way. I was coming up on my exit on the interstate. I was in an "exit only" lane and it was moving swiftly, but the 3 lanes to my left for thru traffic were all slowing and stopping at a quick pace. "A wreck?" I had wondered. As I continued on the ramp, I passed what caused the stoppage of the wreck. The highway had been littered with what looked like rocks the size of shoes and basketballs. Not many - maybe a dozen or so scattered across. I glanced around to see perhaps what vehicle they had fallen from, but I saw nothing that made any sense. What I did see was traffic stopped across the highway by a semi truck, a sports car, and an S.U.V. I counted 4 guys running around on the interstate in their polo shirts, khaki shorts and sunglasses - all from the different cars parked on the interstate holding up traffic. They were picking up the rocks and throwing them to the side of the road! I couldn't believe! Not just one, but 4 people had the common sense to safely stop their cars, take the 60 seconds out of their time to fix a mess that was not theirs for the safety and "overall benefit" of everyone else. It was not their job. It was not their fault, but they took the initiative. I was amazed. Really amazed. I wonder how many people would drive by and avoid that debris and say to themselves "Man! When is someone going to pick that up? It could hurt someone!"

There ARE people like me out there! But better! Because though I wouldn't have thought someone else should get out there and pick it up, I probably wouldn't have stopped, either. People still do the right thing.

In my rear view mirror, I saw them get back in their car and traffic was soon flowing smoothly again. wow. Now why couldn't the government have done that with Katrina? (Sarcasm)

In The Beginning...

2008-04-21T00:21:00.006-07:00

He just laid in the back of the truck, looking up at the stars. Those stars were miracles, and for hours he would just lay there, think, and be amazed at God's awesomeness. The sky and space that never ended yet somehow held those stars in the sky. Stargazing had been something he had done a lot in recent months. He started in the summer, feeling the warm breezes that drifted by, surrounded by fireflies as they lit up the darkness around him. Yet tonight the air was cool and crisp, and hot chocolate sat on his tailgate - brought out by the father of his good friend Robert.

But tonight was different for more than just the change in the season. He was struggling in believing God even knew he existed. He could not understand what had happened, and where he went wrong. He just poured out his heart to his good friend, who sat on the tailgate of the truck and gently played his guitar. He told him the whole story...from beginning to end. It couldn't be coincidence could it? All of the miracles, events, & words that led up to this point? Surely, this must be God's plan. It couldn't have been a coincidence. His good friend listened to his story and offered his counsel. "Dude, you're gonna have to buy her back. You better start saving your goats and barley." It was said in a joking manner in order to create light-hearted relief to the sensitive situation. He kind of chuckled to himself. However, even in it's joking manner, the statement offered hope to him, and he decided that his good friend was right.

Years later, he realized that the statement really was just a joke. The entire thing was. And it was just a coincidence. There are no miracles. And stars are nothing more than just balls of burning gas, pulled by different gravitational forces. And so started Goats and Barley. It was through this that he could sift through the miracles. Sift through the coincidences. Sift through the reality of the way things really are.

He just wished that he would have started saving earlier without spending so much on nothing.

Makes No Sense...Expiration Dates On Cookie Dough

2008-04-12T13:14:00.006-07:00

I bought a large tub of Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie dough last week at the grocery store. It was like, $5 for 2 1/2 pounds or something like that. I am pretty sure that it's intended for cookie cakes, but it can make 4 dozen cookies or something like that. I went home and started chowing down on the couch watching TV, and I read the "use or freeze by" date on the tub. July of 2008? What the heck? Who can let chocolate chip cookie dough just sit available in their refrigerator for 4 months without using it?

There was no way that cookie dough could last four months in my house. Mine didn't even make it to the oven. It's all gone now.

Comatose

2008-04-10T00:32:00.004-07:00

I hate feeling like this.
I'm so tired of trying to fight this.
I'm asleep and all I dream of is waking to You.

Tell me that You will listen.
Your touch is what I'm missin'.
And the more I hide, the more I realize I'm slowly losing You.

Comatose. I'll never wake up without an overdose of You.

I don't want to live. I don't want to breathe, 'les I feel you next to me.
You take the pain I feel, waking up to You never felt so real.
I don't want to sleep. I don't want to dream, because my dreams don't comfort me.
The way you make me feel, waking up to You never felt so real.

I HATE living without You. Dead wrong to ever doubt You.
But my demons lay in waiting, tempting me away.
Oh how I adore You.
Oh how I thirst for You.
Oh how I need You.

Don't leave me alone.

I find it so tacky when people post song lyrics in their blogs and notes. It's so unoriginal and a fad to get into a song. But then I catch myself doing it about every 3 or 4 months or so, or at least with the desire to. So I'm gonna do it this time, too. I mean, there's a reason these people get paid millions of dollars, right? They think of great stuff AND add music to it. And I do enough of my own stuff on here, so whatever. It's my blog. Get over it.

I love this song by Skillet. I really have no idea what the intentions were in the lyrics, so I might be taking them out of context, but I feel this is one of the many pictures of my struggles with my faith over the last couple of years. Doubting God and his faithfulness is probably something we've all struggled with, either on a tiny or a very large scale. But you can't deny how much you need Him, regardless of how much of Himself He gives.

The Chronicles to Christ - The Bible Q & A

2008-04-01T14:28:00.004-07:00

I was asked a series of about 60 questions in an email from a pastor one time, so that he could "better define my theological position." I had not requested this of him, but he thought it was in his best interest so that he could better debate me. So here are a few of the questions he asked, along with my responses - verbatim.

1. Is the bible inspired? I cannot say. I do not know. I do not think we as humans can claim divinity for anything. It is too subjective.
2. Is the bible true? I would answer that "depends on what part." However, I would say that it is completely honest and sincere. I am not a conspiracy theorist in that I think it has been manipulated or was intended for political or militaristic gains.
3. What parts are or are not? It could not be possible for me to analyze each verse, but I will direct the key matter at hand - the Gospel story. It is true.
4. Is the Old Testament inspired? See answer to question 1.
5. Are Jesus' words inspired? Based on definition - as they are the exact words from/of God - they are "inspired." I have always believed "inspired" to mean "God through someone." Obviously if they are from God himself, then then God cannot be "inspired." He is simply God.
6. Did Jesus correct the sadducees regarding their understanding of the OT? (MT 22:32)? Jesus did correct the Sadducees in their understanding of the resurrection, as well as informed them of their misinterpretion of the scriptures. I would assume scriptures, here, refers to Old Testament but they also held other non-canonical books in high regard, and even quoted them in the canon.
7. Does inspiration exist? I believe so.
8. Does inspiration exclude errors? If I am understanding the question correctly, then yes.
9. Were the scripture writers intentionally lying, innocently mistaken, or telling the truth when they said that the Spirit inspired the scriptures, and protected them from error? (II Tim 3:16, II Peter 1:21) They were not lying because it was their belief that God inspired them. It would only be a lie if they did not believe they were inspired but said they were. Innocently mistaken, perhaps. Telling the truth - I am unsure. But, what option along with these three you failed to leave out is opinion. Since divine inspiration is subjective, they were giving their opinion on the divinity of the OLD TESTAMENT (since the NT did not exist for another 200 years). They were not lying, perhaps mistaken and perhaps telling the truth, but they were giving their opinion. Do you see the 4th option? Inspiration is subjective, as we have all seen with our cynicism of TV evangelists, "healing" sermons, harsh, fire & brimstone methods of evangelism, etc.
10. Does God exist? I believe so. I think even creation exclaims there is God.
11. Are you sure? No.
12. Has he spoken in written words? Not that I know of.
13. Is the bible authoritative? I think more so than any other book.
14. Is it possible for God to speak through apostles and prophets, as well as through his Son? (See Hebrew 1:1) Very much so.
15. Did he do both, one or neither? I believe He has done both.
16. Is it possible for God to speak through nature (See Romans 1:20) ?I believe so.
17. Is it possible for God to speak though nature without that message being salvific? I believe so.
18. Do you believe that the canon of scripture is closed? This could be a difficult question to answer because our potential differences on the emphasis of the word "closed." But I am going to say yes, and I will say yes because I believe the canon as it exists today will not ever change again.
19. Is the bible different in nature from other books? In nature - I am assuming it is meant by it's character, and I believe it is different.
20. How so? The message that it sends is different than other religions. (This is why I eventually turned to Christianity from Atheism. Christianity has many unique, different, & rational aspects that are carried in no other faith, and that is why I have found Jesus Christ as the best answer to the mystery of the quiddity of God).
21. Are Mohammed or Joseph Smith prophets? I think so. However, that does not mean they are prophets of God just like there were prophets in the OT of Baal and other Gods. They could be false prophets or not very good ones. Ha ha.
22. Did Jesus say that he was the only Word or the only Way? He said he was the only way.
23. Can Jesus be the Word, the fullest personal verbal expression, of God without contradicting his claim to be the only way to God? yes
24. When Jesus clarified that "no one comes to the Father but through me" (Jn 14:6) was he refuting the inspiration and value of the OT? he was not
25. Did he acknowledge the OT scriptures as the inspired word of God? I have not found any quote from him in which he did.
26. Is the OT the Word of God ? I don't claim it to be.
27. Did I ever accuse the teacher who taught that the bible was not the inspired word of God of being of Satan? I hope not.
28. Can words be used in more than one way? of course.
29. If we cannot identify an inspired book, what difference does it make of one exists? inspiration can still exist and move even if people are unaware of it's presence. Would you agree? Why do we have to identify an inspired book when there are inspired men - and more importantly - the Man (in Christ) who was the ultimate "inspiration" as God himself. (This is how the earliest church developed - without the canon.)
30. How would you summarize your view of scripture? Educational and revealing
31. Is it ethical for one who holds a non-evangelical view of scripture (such as you)to participate in an evangelical, bible-believing ministry sponsored by an evangelical, bible-believing denomination? I was not aware that there was an "evangelical and non-evangelical view of scripture." Evangelicals believe in the truth of the Bible and telling others about God. I love to tell people about the Gospel - about God's gift of love and grace. I love telling people about the Truth of Christ. And once again - I am a "Bible Believer" so I see no ethical dilemma is participating in a bible-believing ministry when I believe the Bible and Christ's words.
32. If your view (Jesus -yes, bible -no) is true, why would you not want to help people escape for their erroneous view that the bible is the inspired word of God and hold your enlightened and true view that it is not? My view is not Bible-no. I believe the Bible to hold truth. THE Truth. My view is Bible. (cannot exclaim divinity). Not believing that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and believing that it isn't is not the same thing. I am saying that it could be - but I don't know, and therefore do not hold the belief that it is. That does not mean that I do not hold the view that it's not. My belief is that it's something I (nor any other man) cannot determine and (is not important to salvation as well as long as I believe the story of Christ to be true). I do not attempt to "help people escape their erroneous view" because A: I do not know if in fact they are erroneous, and B: I do not feel it holds any significant weight in whether or not they are a Believer in Christ
33. Do you believe in the Aristotelian law of non-contradiction? Yes.
34. Are cats actually dogs because they both have 4 legs? No.
35. Is the bible uninspired because other truth exists? Not because of that premise, no.
36. Did Jesus say that those who are not for him were against him, or vice versa? (Mt 12:30) Yes. (and I am with Jesus)
37. If Jesus were to appear before you and declare that the view that the bible is the true, inspired word of God, and different from all other books what would you say? Wow. What a situation. I am not sure what I would say but I would then believe that it is the word of God.
38. Why do you think my kids (a lawyer and his sister, a 3.8 GPA student) were able to refute their teacher who was critical of the bible and rejected its divine inspiration? I have no knowledge of this conversation, the professor, the schools in which your kids attended, the topics they discussed, etc. I cannot draw conclusions with so many variables and things I do not know about. I will ask - did the teacher convert? If they were refuted, then I would assume that they converted. I graduated UGA with a 3.7 GPA. As you can tell from our discussions, "smart" people exist on both sides of the spectrum. How can they look at the same book and draw different conclusions? It's interesting..... Great questions. I enjoy the intellectual stimulation.

Hopefully that clears up any confusion for the readers of my blog. If you stuck all the way through that, major props. Feedback is expected and appreciated, as long as people don't get carried away with stupid comments like - "You're a glitch," and "you slipped through the cracks," and "Don't drink the kool-aid." Those kinds of comments are insulting, personal, and just plain childish and lack any rational ground in any type of debate or argument.

The Chronicles to Christ - The Bible - It's not about winning!

2008-03-30T19:31:00.002-07:00

This isn't about winning and losing, people. It's not about who can win the argument, believe it or not. It's about discovering the truth. It's about being honest enough with the person across from you and the person inside of you about what is true, and seeing the holes and problems with things that not only others believe, but with what you yourself believe. I get so insulted when people say things like "What are the advantages to believing what you believe?" or "Sure you could live without believing the Bible is inspired - but why would you want to?"

March 19th -God Inspired?
It is not necessary to believe the Bible is the Inspired Word of God in order to be a Christian.
March 21st - The Bible vs. Sportscenter
Something can be true without having to be the Word(s) of God.
March 26th - It's a Simple Question
Where is the proof or evidence that the Bible is the Word of God?
March 27th - "The" Ohio State University
Either Jesus is the one and only Word of God, or there are multiple words of God.
March 28th - Snap! The Power
What gives any man (or men) the power to claim divinity? Only God can make such a claim.

Saying that my side has advantages is irrelevant.
What I want is irrelevant.
Heck, even what you or I believe is irrelevant.

It is all irrelevant when it comes down to the way things actually are. I could give a crap about winning arguments or debates. I could give a crap about what I want. I could give a crap about convincing anyone of anything. Nothing of what I do, say, or believe changes the way things really are. All I want is to know as much truth as I can. Perhaps I may not discover more truth, but sometimes uncovering un-truths, lies, and mistakes is just as productive. And the more honest I am with myself about the things that I don't believe, the more confident I become in the things I do believe.

The Chronicles to Christ - The Bible & Snap!

2008-03-27T23:26:00.007-07:00

Oh those 90's, one-hit wonders. I love them. Vanilla Ice, Tag Team, and EMF all had their 5 minutes of fame-played on the radio and movie soundtracks over and over again. Chumbawumba rocked it out getting knocked down, but then getting back up. Then getting knocked down, and then getting back up again. And then... well, you get the idea. But of course there was Snap! and their song The Power. I loved the placement of this song in the movie Bruce Almighty, where Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) just received God's power from the Almighty himself. He's walkin' around using God's power for new clothes, getting revenge, and just plain goofing off. He truly did have "THE Power."

March 19th -God Inspired?
It is not necessary to believe the Bible is the Inspired Word of God in order to be a Christian.
March 21st - The Bible vs. Sportscenter
Something can be true without having to be the Word(s) of God.
March 26th - It's a Simple Question
Where is the proof or evidence that the Bible is the Word of God?
March 27th - "The" Ohio State University
Either Jesus is the one and only Word of God, or there are multiple words of God.

So okay. Let's get down to the nuts and bolts of this "divine inspiration" thing.

When people tell me that they believe the Bible and it's writers were divinely inspired by God, I bring this to their mind - "So if you believe that, then you also believe that those 300 that canonized the Bible are just as inspired, if not MORE inspired, than the authors themselves. They were the ones who picked the books. They were the ones who had to decide not only what is inspired, but what is not inspired. They were the ones who actually made the call. You have to believe that God was in complete control of their minds, thoughts, and actions throughout the entire process as they picked the books out. For that entire time, there was absolutely no "fleshly" interference in any one of those 300. There couldn't be. Not for something that was inherent, inspired, divine, and flawless."

They kind of open their eyes a little wider as their lower lip drops a little. "Uh... well yah. They were inspired, too."

"Okay. How do you know they were inspired? I mean... what makes them so special? I mean, it's he said/she said, right?"

"Well they voted on it. It wasn't just one person."

I hate to say it, but a lot of people can be wrong at one time. My friend Adam brought this to my mind. Think about it. Did anyone reading this post ever live in the 80's? Did anyone see the clothes and make-up they wore? Guys wore bright pink. Girls had crazy big hair and make-up 8 different colors. Guys wore bright pink! Girls had those scrunchy socks. Guys wore bright pink!! Those big, crazy sunglasses and nasty mustaches. Guys wore bright pink!!! Yes, millions of people were very wrong. The general consensus was that it was right - but as a group, they were wrong. People can vote on the wrong things.

Someone prove me wrong on this one, but the way I see it, only one person can claim something Divine - and that's God himself. Every human is filled with flaws and sin, and is neither perfect nor divine. Which means that anything we say or do cannot be credible when trying to define or assign divinity. However, I would agree that anything that (we KNOW) comes from God is Divine. Not 300 people who say "God says so," but God literally says so. And the only time that we know of for sure that "God said so" on anything- were the literal words of Christ Himself.

I never recall him saying "I will send you a written word, and it will be with you always," or "those will write about me and it will be my words as theirs." I suppose I just find it funny that if there were to be a "Word of God" and Jesus was going to back it up, that he would have mentioned it in at least one of the Gospels. He never gave divine authority to the Bible, nor prophesied it's coming, therefore is any man on this earth credible or have the authority to claim something divine? Bottom line is that when it comes to the Bible - it always has been and always will be men making that claim.

Who's got the Power? Snap!

The Chronicles to Christ - The Bible & "The" Ohio State University

2008-03-27T22:29:00.003-07:00

I love watching Monday Night Football. If you ever watch it, you know that at the beginning of the broadcast, just after the game has started, there will be video footage of one (or all) of the starters introducing themselves. Most times the player will say their name (sometimes their positions) and then what college they went to. And you've got to love those Buckeyes. "I'm so-and-so, from "The" Ohio State University." *emphasis added*

So far in this series:

March 19th -God Inspired?
It is not necessary to believe the Bible is the Inspired Word of God in order to be a Christian.
March 21st - The Bible vs. Sportscenter
Something can be true without having to be the Word(s) of God.
March 26th - It's a Simple Question
Where is the proof or evidence that the Bible is the Word of God?

Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

I am not sure about other denominations or sects of Christianity, but I know Baptists absolutely love this verse! Usually they say something like this: "Jesus did not say he is 'a' way, or 'one of many ways.' He said that he was the 'the' way." Of course their implication here is that there is only one way to heaven, and that's Jesus. Their argument, of course, is because of the wording of the sentence. The word "the" is an absolute implication that there is only one way to heaven, and Jesus is it. This verse is useful for people who do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, or for those who are relativists and believe that there are multiple ways to heaven. It is very simple, very absolute, and very radical. It is a very effective argument. So much so, that I think I will use it.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." - John 1:1

Based on the above argument for use of the word "the," this verse, which actually uses the word "the" 3 times, says there is only ONE word of God. However, anyone who has studied the book of John at all, especially Christians, knows that the reference of "Word" here is Jesus himself. In other words, "In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God." Okay. So, if Jesus is "THE" Word, than He is the only, one true, Word of God.

So if that's the case, then the Bible can't be the word of God, correct? I mean, if the argument fits for some verses and doesn't fit for others, and there can be multiple Words of God, than I'd say we've got quite a problem on our hands.

The Chronicles to Christ - Author's Note

2008-03-26T11:17:00.004-07:00

As I've continued on with this series, I've realized that I'm getting into touchy areas for some people. Please understand, that in this series of "Chronicles to Christ," I know that I will be hitting the nerves of those who take their faith very personally and seriously. My posts will affect the emotions of some of my readers - which is not my intention. I approach my faith from an intellectual standpoint and the arguments that I present as a devil's advocate in these posts are the very arguments I would give to Christians when I was an atheist. I do not intend to make these posts personal, but it is my hope that Christians will read these posts and grow in their faith because of it. My hope is that they can read them with a critical mind with the intention to grow as opposed to becoming defensive and shutting off. I do not care if people agree with me or not, so much as you have an open mind to understanding the other side. I have yet to receive any negative feedback either online or personally, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

The Chronicles to Christ - The Bible - It's a Simple Question

2008-03-26T10:26:00.006-07:00

Well here we are in part 3 of the sub-series about the Bible in the series "Chronicles to Christ" inside of the blog Goats and Barley, being fed and read through facebook. I hope none of my readers have gotten lost yet with that previous sentence or with the series itself. But in case you have, here is a brief review of each entry with their main argument. I think I will do this from now on.

March 19th -God Inspired?
It is not necessary to believe the Bible is the Inspired Word of God in order to be a Christian.
March 21st - The Bible vs. Sportscenter
Something can be true without having to be the Word(s) of God.

When I was an atheist, and then even later after becoming a Christian, I would baffle Christians with the same question over and over. It was not intended to confuse them, but it would catch each one of them off guard. This was the question - "Why do you think the Bible is the Inspired Word of God?" I would ask them this question, and they would stare blankly at me and stutter and fumble for a response. Oh come now. This shouldn't be hard, folks. It's not some deep theological question or trivial information about the 5th son of Jacob. It's actually quite a simple question. I mean, if you're a Christian and your entire life (and afterlife) is based off the fact that the Bible is the inspired word of God, you had better have a reason to make that eternal decision. Fumbling and bumbling for answers did not make Christians look that comfortable or confident in their faith when I asked them this.

But of course, let's discuss the more common answers -
-"Because all scripture is God breathed - 2 Timothy 3:16" Although there are a few small problems with this response, there is one major problem. Just because something says it is the word of God, doesn't make it the word of God. If just "because it says it is" is a valid reason for something to be the word of God, then so is the Qur'an, and we've got quite a problem.
-"Because of the change in my life" Well okay. Once again, this is not a basis for divinity. Things change people's lives every day in either good or bad ways. Aside from the claimed "holy books" in the world, there are also songs, letters, artwork, etc that change peoples lives every day.
-"Because it has lasted for so long." Homer's "The Odyssey" has lasted a lot longer.
-"Because of the prophecies that are fulfilled." This is the best response I've heard to the question, but there are still some issues. First, some prophecies in the Bible are ex eventu, meaning that the events they prophesied happened before they were prophesied, which isn't much of a prophecy. Second, if only one prophecy in the book is not fulfilled...we've got quite a problem. That's another argument. Third, prophecies being filled isn't necessarily a credential for being God inspired as much as it is proof for Divine intervention. (There is a difference). And fourth of all, the books were chosen after events happened. Meaning the Council of Nicea easily could have excluded certain books used for study whose prophecies had not been fulfilled. Out of 1000's of writings that made prophecies, picking the 10 or 20 that guessed right would be the most obvious and easy choice.

I wish that people would answer the most honest way the first time -
"Because 300 men 1700 years ago said it was and that's what I've been taught."

There's a Serious Problem With the World... Our World.

2008-03-25T00:01:00.004-07:00

I like to come home from work at night and read the news online to see what's up. Well tonight I come home, and I see an article on Mexican obesity- how Mexico is now only second to the U.S. in overweight people. How it's easier to get a soft drink than a clean glass of water. How people are "addicted" to junk food and fast food. I am reading about how Americans eat so much (and waste so much).

And then literally less than 60 seconds later, I navigate my world wide web to cnn.com, and read about food prices rising & people rummaging through garbage to find food or else they'll starve. The prices are caused by multiple factors such as bad weather, oil prices, economies, etc. But people are dying just in riots for food, much less starvation.

I am sure this problem is nothing new in this world. I'm sure the media is just a more advanced outlet for the knowledge of it, now than a few years ago. However, I just think it's really sad that the North Americans waste food and waste our own bodies and there are human beings on the other side of the planet starving to death and can't afford $0.57 bags of noodles to feed their family.

We're a selfish, spoiled country.

The Chronicles to Christ - The Bible vs. Sportscenter

2008-03-21T18:10:00.004-07:00

Living on the west coast has it's disadvantages. Being 3 hours behind and over 1800 miles away from my home city of Atlanta, it's tough to catch a break as a sports fan. The Falcons will rarely be televised (as if I would want to watch a 4-12 team, anyways). I get to see Hawks in High Def the 3 times they play Phoenix a year, and 4 times when they play the Bulls on low-def, WGN. But this year my Hawks are actually in the NBA playoff hunt. Every night they play I will come home from work to see the highlights and scores of not only their game, but of those battling for playoff positioning. As of this post, my Hawks are 1/2 game ahead in the race for the final playoff spot.... something they haven't done in 8 years, which is the longest current streak any NBA team has gone without making the playoffs. No seriously, it's true.

And with that statement (and the acceptance of that true statement), myself & Stuart Scott were both speaking the words of God.

Okay, I was only kidding on that last statement. Everyone knows that whatever we say about the Hawks can very well be true, but it's probably agreed by most that we're not intermediaries for the Almighty.

I think it was in math class in 3rd grade that I learned:
A square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is not necessarily a square.
I realized just a couple years ago that:
The word of God is true, but something that is true isn't necessarily the word of God.
The bottom line and the basic argument of this post is:
The Bible can be true without having to be the Word of God.

The Chronicles To Christ - The Bible - God Inspired?

2008-03-19T10:47:00.006-07:00

It has been quite some time since I posted an entry in the "Chronicles to Christ" series. The concept of starting this series within my blog was to further describe my thought processes, frustrations, and road traveled from Atheism to Deism to Christianity. I do not feel everyone goes through these same thoughts as myself, nor cares to analyze as much as I do. I also know that not everyone will come to the same conclusion as myself, given the same information. But in light of recent discussions with both atheists and Christians, it's kind of got my juices flowin' and I wanted to get right back into it.

But of course this post will be very touchy and controversial with many Christians, so I'm going to try and spread out my feelings on this subject over the course of a few entries, taking perhaps one argument or statement at a time, gauging the responses and then continuing.

It is not necessary to believe the Bible is the inspired word of God in order to be a Christian.

I had trouble deciding if I should just leave the post at that, and if enough people read it/heard about it, I'm sure it would cause discussion. However, to perhaps soften the blow, I could easily support my conclusion and hopefully deter those whose knee-jerk response is to scream "Of course it is!" This is the most basic, fundamental argument for my statement above.

Fact. The Bible was canonized around 300 years after Christ.
Fact. It was Christians who canonized it.
Fact. Christians existed before the Bible (or else there would have been no Christians to canonize).
Therefore, Christians can exist without knowledge of the Bible, much less belief about it's origin.

There's Trash in the Parking Lot

2008-03-09T19:28:00.006-07:00

An hour and half just to look at my truck and tell me why my check engine light is on? That's what Jeff at the dealership said. I grabbed my book from the front seat and walked through the parking lot, past the salesmen standing outside and the newly washed cars sparkling in the lot. I got to the road and turned down the sidewalk, hoping to spot a good place to eat lunch while I waited on them to fix my truck - my new truck with less than 6,000 miles on it.

I spotted a waffle house perhaps a 1/2 mile down the street. Haven't been to one of those since I lived in Georgia. But those billboards make them easy to spot. I started walking down the street, with the cars in the 4 lane highway just blowing right by me. As I started to pass a small shopping center, I noticed a Quizno's. I walked in, looked at the menu, and walked right out. Nothing sounded appetizing. Back to Plan A with the Wa-Ho. But there was no need to go back to the street. I cut through the seldom-used back parking lot. I walked across the worn-down pavement. I looked at the ground exposed in the Phoenix sun, covered with rocks, sand, and trash. Cigarette butts, garbage, plates, bent pieces of metal beyond anything I could recognize. I walked around from the back of the Waffle House and outside the back door was a grocery cart full of clear garbage bags with some kind of soupy mess from the restaurant. I was slightly surprised a gag reflex didn't occur.

I walked in the restaurant and chose a dark corner to my right. I saw a flannel-shirted, bearded man sitting at the counter. I know, I know. What waffle house doesn't have a man like that, right? Well he rubbed away at lottery tickets with the end of his fork. He didn't jump for joy while I ate my omelet so I suppose he didn't win anything. I paid for my food and Jude and Theresa from the Waffle House asked me about my UGA Shirt I was wearing. I had told them I had just moved to Phoenix to work for Chick-fil-a, and gave them each a coupon. Toothless smiles spread across their face and I entertained them for a few more minutes with conversation.

I walked the sidewalk back this time, avoiding the dirty parking lot. Passed a man sitting at a bust stop. First impression was just an old man - which is all I would have noticed if driving. But as I got closer, I noticed his shoes - or what was left of them. From his face I could tell he was an elderly white man, but as I gazed towards his hands, I could have sworn he was a black man. His body had been so tanned from that Phoenix sun that he was now a black man. I wondered just how many days (and nights) he had spent outside at a bus stop, or under a bridge, or anywhere else to find food.

I waited at the crosswalk to arrive back at the dealership. As I stood there, I saw Hummers, PT Cruiser convertibles, jacked-up F150's, Escalades, etc all flying past me. I wonder if those drivers saw the old man. I continued chewing on my toothpick thinking about it as I walked towards the dealership. They weren't done with my truck yet so I wandered inside to look at all the chrome accessories they sold for their GM models. You had to finance them. If you wanted to have a chrome, gas tank door for you car, you could finance for about $15/month. I wonder what that old man could have done with $15 a month.

It's funny, sometimes I get going so fast on the highway I don't see the littered roads, the sloppy garbage hiding behind the back, or the last-chance lottery tickets. I'm so focused on where I'm going I don't see the places I pass or the condition they're in. It's kind of sad how quickly I go through life - worrying about myself, the condition I'm in, and how quickly I can get there, ignoring the people and places in between. All of a sudden, I look around, and wonder how much good I could have done if I would have slowed down for just 1/2 hour.

I picked up 3 pieces of trash in the parking lot. I bet if anyone saw me they would have thought I was a weirdo.....picking up trash that wasn't mine. Who does that?

The Things I'm Afraid Of

2008-02-28T00:36:00.006-07:00

I've got to be honest. When I was a kid - I really wasn't scared of a bunch of different things. I never really was scared of monsters. I was smart enough to know they didn't exist. I wasn't scared of bullies - I was a nice kid and never really got bullied. I had a lot of friends. I wasn't scared of animals. I had zero fear of any type of creature. I even tried picking up a dog by the ears one time and it bit me right on the nose.

But I did have some fears. Unfortunately, I was a pretty smart and very aware child and the things I feared were pretty valid, I'd say. Some things I feared as a kid: 1. Getting Kidnapped 2. My family getting in a car accident and dying while I was home alone. 3. Demons. Okay, I know that the third one is a little strange, but I credit these fears to two things - My mother being a very religious person and her watching entirely too much of the Lifetime channel on TV.

But these days - I have realized that I have very real fears of the world around me I think most of these fears already were settled deep within me, but came to surface in my ecology and economics classes in college. Today, these fears are fueled by my ever-increasing awareness of the real world around me. I read in the paper today that gas prices will soon hit a record high this spring. The cost of food is up. The housing market is at an all time low, and rumors of recession are in every media outlet. My home area of Atlanta is running out of water and trying to move state borders hundreds of years old just to claim water they feel is theirs. They still haven't taken any real action in fixing this problem or creating effective water restrictions. Fresh water running out globally, national forests, environments, and animals becoming extinct, & overpopulation increasing at an exponential rate. Millions dying every day of hunger. Global warming rumors still swirl. Oil running out while demand goes up. Wars will soon be fought over water, oil, and land. As I was about 1/2 way done with this entry, I saw a commercial for the first time for a video game - called "Frontlines: Fuels of War." It was a war video game fought over oil. Go figure. With each new generation in this country - people get more lazy, fat, arrogant, ignorant, and stupid. It's really sad.

Of course these fears are applicable in my own life. I am thousands of dollars in debt between student loans, car payments, and credit cards. I don't have any retirement fund or savings bonds. I have to pay more money each day for even groceries, much less eating out at a restaurant. Visiting family 1850 miles away will be even more difficult now, and recreation and socializing will be more expensive as I have to drive my truck to places just to hang out with people.

So it's kind of scary and depressing all at once - and I just think to myself - "Where is the Hope?"

Valentine's Smalentine's

2008-02-14T23:43:00.005-07:00

It's about 4 miles away, right off of the Interstate between my house and work. I remember passing it just after a couple days of being in Phoenix and being a little curious. The place is called "Castle" and it looks kind of intriguing. It's got that middle-aged architecture and I thought perhaps it could be like a family entertainment place, kind of like an amusement park or something where you buy whole pigs with apples in their mouth or something. I mean, the place is huge and I could imagine a giant ball pit and slides inside and things like that. It reminded me of the Renaissance Fair back in Georgia.

But then I started to wonder - signs that said things like "Knights and Damsels Welcome" and there weren't many windows in this castle. And of course about a month ago a sign put out facing the Interstate - "Valentine's Day Headquarters." Bingo. Giant porn shop. Right across from the Denny's. *sigh* What a dissapointment. I was hoping that would have been a fun place for a date. There goes that idea. *awkward turtle*

So here I am - Happy Valentine's Day. I thought back to the last time I had a girlfriend on Valentine's Day. It was freshman year of high school - Brittany Jones. I remember she gave me cologne and a Gap hat. She was the best. I am pretty sure I got a silver, heart necklace or something for her - recommended by her mom. I mean, come on. 15 year old guys aren't extremely creative. We need help. But we were a really cute couple - and then broke up a week later. However, I kept that hat until sophomore year of college when the bill broke, and that cologne could very well still be in my cabinet. It smelled great and I have always used it for special occasions. Since then Brittany and I have remained friends, she met her true love back in high school and is presently engaged. They've been together forever and I couldn't be happier for such a terrific person. But having been so long since I've had a "special" Valentine's Day says two things about me - 1. I've never had a relationship at least a year long and 2. I've saved hundreds of dollars on gifts in February.

So my Valentine's Days are now pretty much wearing pink shirts to work (which I rocked with that baby blue tie today), preparing myself for wishing my friend Ashley a happy birthday the next day (your card is in the mail) and with my business-oriented mind wondering how much revenue is generated through the brilliant marketing ploys out there. So while my fashion sense, calendar, and business degree are put to work on Valentine's Day, my creativity and enthusiasm for showing that special someone how much I love them has to be put on hold for one more year. I treated myself to a "gotta have it" ice cream at Cold Stone tonight instead of buying chocolates and flowers. It was very tasty - and I got very sick. Too much chocolate and peanut butter.

Mmmbop to Dave Matthews

2008-02-07T23:39:00.002-07:00

I walk in the door and usually head straight for the TV. Turn that sucker on - all 4 remotes needed - and search for anything that will occupy my mind from myself. Doesn't work? Go upstairs and spend 10 minutes just looking at my Gmail Inbox - waiting for an email. Nothing? Okay, click over to facebook - no new messages. Hmmm.... Perhaps if I check every possible news website - ajc.com, azrepublic.com, cnn.com for any breaking news in the last 17 minutes. Nope. Still talking about Britney Spear's latest date with AA. Wait. Did the Hawks play tonight? YES! Crap - they loss. Ah... I'll watch the highlights on NBA.com AND espn.com. They're usually slightly different - showing different dunks and blocks by J-Smoove. After 30 minutes of doing nothing - I'll wander back downstairs and look for food - finding cereal (with no milk) and chips that go stale because I always forget to put the clip on. So then I walk back upstairs, and decide it's time for bed. So after a total of about an hour of doing nothing, I turn on my iHome stereo (since repaired from Solomon's adventure), set the snooze to 30 minutes, and go to bed listening to anything from Mmmbop to Dave Matthews, Eminem to David Crowder. Only until I wake up the next day for work.

It simply amazes me what I will do just to avoid having to be alone with myself. But it usually catches me around 11:30 at night, though - when my mind runs out of things to distract me from myself. Sometimes in my room. Sometimes in my truck. Sometimes laying down trying to go to sleep. My mind is rewinding the events of the day (or the events that never were). Sometimes it happens while driving home - and my mind was so busy thinking about the problems with myself that I forgot to turn the radio on and I realized that I had been driving for 15 minutes in silence. Go figure. I actually drove without music. Just me and my thoughts. It's in these times that I realize just how crappy of a person I am. The kind of person who gets too busy to remember birthdays of close friends and family. The kind of person who always has the good intentions to do something right - but can't seem ever to get around to it. You know... too busy updating my profile status on Facebook. "Michael is..... being a jerk."

I have lots of great books sitting on my book shelf - that I never read anymore. I have all the desire to serve others - which I don't "have the time for" anymore. I desire to help others grow in their faith - while my bitter past only surfaces to break down what they already do know just to pridefully reveal my own knowledge on the subject. I see the honest goodness in others - their sincerity, love, patience, and respect - and it seems as though I can never put into words just how much they inspire me. It's probably because I feel so ashamed of my own life. Instead, the words that come out are filled with mockery and skepticism of their true joy - declaring ignorance as the real identity of their feelings.

I can blame so many things on "problems" in my life. Until I finally stop believing that lie and realize that I am the only problem in my life. And I'll check Facebook 1,000 times just to avoid realizing that.

I need to change. God help me.

Umbrellic Space Heaters

2008-01-10T23:48:00.003-07:00

We walk up to the restaurant- a nice, Italian-cafe style restaurant. The waiting area, the hostess stand, and even a section of tables were all outside - and at this point filled with people. A 35 minute wait? Well, whatever. We're celebrating someone's birthday. We might as well wait around for our table and just relax. I looked around at all of this and then wondered. "What do they do if it rains?" I asked one of my friends. "It's Phoenix. It hardly ever rains here," was her response. 5 of us get seated early at an outdoor table, and we find it unusually warm. Above our table is a powerful space heater hanging from a bar across the outdoor seating area, keeping our table quite comfortable in the cool, winter air of Phoenix.

We ordered our waters (with lemon) and pulled out our menus. The five of us sat there as the waitress brought out some napkins, silverware, and dinner plates. All of a sudden *drip* *drip* *drop*. A few rain drops began to fall. The 30 or so people sitting outside kind of looked around and smiled. It was a bit comical, these drops beginning to fall. Everyone saw the irony of it raining in Phoenix but did not seem to concerned, perhaps even amused. The drops would land on the table *SPLAT!* and bounce off of that hard green plastic. Then the few drops began to come together. The rain splashed into our water glasses, saving us from having to ask for a refill later. Then the heavens opened up and down came a nice, steady rain.

The large party sitting in front of me all stood up, not forgetting their wine glasses, and started running for cover under an awning. The couple at the table next to us quickly got up and left (and never came back as far as I know). My friends at the table held on for a little while, but then they just couldn't take it. One realized that her new coach bag was getting a good soaking and decided it would be best to find shelter until the rain stopped. The gentleman to my left had basically hopped the railing to the indoor area, leaving me as the one, lone guest sitting outside in the rain. One who has never been bothered but only gratified by a cool rain, I reached for my water (with lemon) and took a few sips. Some who had ran from the rain found my reaction comical, others unimpressed, and others, I'm sure thought I was crazy.

As soon as the rain picked up a little more, I simply pulled that cheap, plastic table towards me with my feet, and picked up the chair next to me, sitting it directly over my head on top of the chair I was sitting on. Within one movement of my feet and one with my hands, and within about 2 seconds, I was now dry - completely covered and sheltered from the rain - though completely surrounded by it. I found it ironic that I could sit in the middle of a shower and still be dry.

The workers quickly came to put up umbrellas above the tables to protect them from the rain. However - the one problem was that the umbrellas would touch the space heaters and they had not yet cooled from being turned off only moments earlier. Putting up the umbrellas would only cause a fire hazard at this point. But as soon as the workers were well drenched, they got the umbrellas up and quickly pulled out towels to start wiping down the tables and chairs. As everyone (else) began to dry off and make their way back to their seats, there was a chill in the air and everyone shuddered a bit with the combination of the moisture, crisp air, and lack of space heaters.

Of course within minutes of getting the umbrellas up, the rain subsided and I asked our server if we could pull our umbrella down and turn back on the space heater. The manager was there within seconds, pulled down the umbrella, and turned the space heater back on. We were there for another hour - and it never rained again - and no other table had their umbrella taken down and their heater turned back on for the duration of our meal. Instead, they chose to sit in the cool air, with no heat, and an umbrella up protecting them from a rain that was no longer falling.

Tying all of this together, of course - was the very message the speaker gave only an hour earlier at church. He was talking about how so many times Christians fear sharing their faith. How, when push comes to shove, we get scared, and don't say a word. When that non-believer is not accepting, how we give up. He talked about how when we feel attacked, we don't fight back - and we aren't prepared.

I found it so funny that once the rain started - most could take a little bit - and even find it comical. They found the attack of the rain even somewhat refreshing at first - and their confidence and strength was tested. But then it got harder - and more wet. I suppose people could only take so much. They grabbed what was important to them - their food - their wine - their accessories. They ran from the rain to find shelter - what was familiar to them to protect them from the rain. They needed to find a place that they knew was safe. They walked through the rain, over chairs, and through people just to find a dry spot. But the funny thing was that God had already given me the power to be dry in the presence of the rain. My shelter was right next to me the whole time. It took two seconds, and a bit of understanding to see that I never had to move to be dry. I could be in the presence of the rain with ever getting wet. I suppose when our faith gets attacked, most of us panic, and run to what we know is safe. We grab what is precious to us - our testimony, our scripture verses, our church, our friends, and try to make sure those things don't get attacked as well. Instead of standing up and fighting for what we know is right, we simply run and put up our defenses.

Once back in the swing of dinner, everyone else was so jaded. They never asked for the heat back because they were so scared the rain would come again. They were content to eat in the cold for fear of the rain. They kept their jackets on and their hands in their pockets. They kept their glasses close and ate quickly. They feared being exposed - when all it would take would be to ask someone to take down the stinkin' umbrella and flip a switch and they would once again be comforted by that warm breeze from Above.

Of course my chair didn't have to be wiped down since I was sitting in it the whole time. But the rest of my table made their way back. The gentleman to my left tried to sit in a dry position. The waitress brought out dry napkins, and since the rain had landed in his water, he asked for a fresh water. Not sure if you could get any more fresh than rain water, I laughed in the inside at the irony of his request.

Chronicles to Christ - The Limits of God's Love?

2007-12-27T23:25:00.002-07:00

Most of my early childhood exposure to Christianity was in a Southern Baptist Church. From the kid's puzzles to the paper plate crafts to the Vacation Bible School lessons, I was taught that God loved everyone. "Red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in his sight" was the way the song went. So I was taught that God is Love. God loves us. He wishes that none should perish. He wishes that everyone join him in heaven.

Then of course as I got into my youth years, I was taught "what it takes to be a Christian." Not just to have a "religion" but a relationship with Jesus. So of course going to church wasn't enough. Saying prayers wasn't enough. Being a good person wasn't enough. You had to have a genuine, consistent, walk with God. At one point in your life, you had to have made the decision to accept the fact that Jesus was your savior and the only way to heaven. In order to be a true Christian, you have to be a "born again" Christian. This one day and one decision should be enough to get you in heaven, and keep you in there after you die, no matter what happens after that day. After that day, you had to let God run your life, and live it out on a day to day basis. But of course many make this decision and then go the rest of their life not thinking twice about keeping the faith and maintaining their commitment to God. Many would say that those people never had a "genuine" experience to begin with. So then Jesus says that "narrow is the gate, and few will enter" (Matt. 7:14), and according to revelation, Jesus will only take the hot, not the warm. (Rev. 3:16).

But here's the problem - the world is approximately 6.7 billion people. Demographics delegate about 2 billion of them to be Christians. But wait - according to the debate, many people would be taken out. Let's say those who should be taken out would be those who simply based on the relationship vs. religion debate. Also, take out those who were born into their religion, only believed it because it was what they were taught, and only those who practice it on a few Sundays a year, perhaps Christmas and Easter, and never actually live it out. Take out all of the people who are not "living the life" because they never actually had a genuine commitment to Christ, take out all the luke-warm and fence sitters that God will spit out of his mouth, and what are you left with? Obviously the only people who live their personal relationship with Christ - only those who bear fruit (Matt. 7:18) will be accepted into the Kingdom. You know who they are - the people who do charities, orphanages, give their money to the poor, the widowed and orphaned. You know - all those things that Jesus tells us to do. (For theirs is the kingdom of heaven). According to all of these beliefs, just how narrow is that gate to heaven? Perhaps not even wide enough for 10's of millions who have ever lived, out of the 60+ billion that have roamed this planet.

If God is all loving, or even 1/2 loving (and the other 1/2 Just), how could he possibly allow so many people to burn in hell? We're talking about less than 10% making the cut. Something is wrong here. Either God does not hold life to be as sacred as we would like to think, or He is simply much bigger than any one religion.

Some credible and reliable demographic and religious statistics that I've found.
World Demographics
Religious Statistics
Also a special thank you to my friend Tom May who contributed to this discussion for many hours in many forms over our breakfasts at Chick-fil-a.

The Chronicles to Christ - Putting Together the Puzzle

2007-12-18T22:21:00.004-07:00

My sister was actually evil when she was young. My parents, of course, did not realize this until much later in life when she confessed. Perfect example - my sister, during her pre-teen years - would consistently hit me, scratch me, make me mad, etc. However, she would never get in trouble. As my mom would say- "Nicole is having a rough time these days. She's going through some changes." However, apparently, I never went through changes or had rough times. Whenever I hit her, I got spanked. It was about every day. To her own admission, she was a snob - a very smart one. She knew how to pull off the sweet and innocent exterior while on the inside scheming ways to get both of her brothers in trouble, and to get her sweet little face off the hook. A middle child starving for attention.

A wonderful illustration of this occurred when our family would put together jigsaw puzzles. We would work together to complete the puzzle, flip it over, stick Elmer's glue on the back, and glue it to the back of a piece of cardboard we cut out of a box or something - and then we hung it on the wall. However, what my sister would do is take a piece of the puzzle immediately when we opened it, and then stick the piece in her pocket. She would hold on to this piece - sometimes for days or even weeks - hiding it from us. As the puzzle began to come together as one, my sister would hold out - and when everyone was looking for this piece, she would "magically find it" and it was her who put the final piece in the puzzle. She wanted the satisfaction and attention of putting that stinkin' piece of the puzzle in last. Somehow I never caught on.

I can't stand the puzzle of Christianity most days. It aggravates me. In my brief time on this planet, and from what I've studied, Christianity gives me different pieces of the puzzle - and what "life is supposed to be about." It has failed me in the past. It has saved me in the past. It has been everything I've needed while nothing I've wanted. But what is has been - is my strongest answer to the questions that haunt me every day and with every breath.

It is sometimes difficult to tell non-believers why I believe Christianity. Not because I don't know what I believe. Not because I'm lost as to why I believe it. But because I was once a non-believer. The reason it is difficult is because the non-believer needs it all - all the answers, all the truth, and all the knowledge. But I tell them that it's kind of like a 500-piece puzzle - one that is not complete. I tell them that I see Christianity as this puzzle, but I'm missing about 30 pieces or so. I've put together the other 470 and I can see the picture that the puzzle is putting together-though it is still incomplete. Other puzzles of faith have pieces that don't fit - or perhaps too many of the same piece. I think where most of my disappointment has come is where I have to guess what is in the holes created by missing pieces. It is more difficult since I have no picture to look at except the one that is being formed with every piece that falls into place. It is a mystery disguised as a conspiracy, to me. I have tried to fill those holes on my own, guessing. And I was wrong.

I wonder just how many pieces He's saving for the end. I wonder if I can be content seeing the general picture of what the puzzle is showing or if I have to demand every detail present to appreciate the beauty.

What I have found, is that no matter how hard I have tried in the past - I can't walk away from this puzzle once I have started. It nags in the back of my mind (and heart). A desire in me wants to see the end. It wants to see and know the whole story. Through my frustration of missing pieces, it is the glimpses of the beauty of this picture that keeps me seeking for those missing pieces.

From Athenian to Phoenician

2007-12-08T07:51:00.003-07:00

Well my 2-day, 28-hour, 1900 mile journey from Atlanta to Phoenix is complete. My new (dirty) truck sitting in the driveway of my new house. My new room has carpet, paint on the walls, a door (not made of plywood) and so far no bugs or rodents. My new full size bed is sitting behind me - one night broken in - with my roommate's sheets because I have no money to go buy some new ones yet. I am at my new desk that was a hassle to put together, sitting beside Solomon as he LOVES the new, warm climate here and has not stopped moving around in his Christmas tree that Becky got him.

My room, although getting settled, still shows signs of a move-in. My floor is littered with everything random. Sitting at my desk looking at my floor, I see things like Chapstick, Clorox wipes, my degree from UGA in it's original tube (I still have yet to get a frame), a red & black scarf my friend Samantha had made me, and NFL edition Monopoly, among other things.

As I exit my room and make my way to the stairs, I pass the other 3 rooms and 2 bathrooms in the house, pass the living room with the 32 inch HD TV. I go downstairs and pass the kitchen and sit down on the sofa. I pick up the remote to turn on the light and fan. Then I pick up a second remote to turn on the TV. I pick up another remote to turn on the sound system. I then pick up a fourth remote to turn on the cable and browse what's on our TV - a 62 inch, HD, 1080P Television set. I counted 6 remotes downstairs on the coffee table and only 3 upstairs. My one remote is for my iHome stereo in my room for my iPod.

I look out in my yard and see all the dirt - well actually it's mud. My first two days in Phoenix, and I get rain all day. A city that only gets 6 inches a year. Go figure. After leaving a state 30 inches behind in rain. But we're trying to grow grass. Everyone else just has rocks. But we will prevail. We've already got the lawn furniture, grill, tiki torches, etc. Just need the grass.

My neighborhood is nice. I have a nice view down my street and it's flat (unlike Athens) for when I want to go running. I have sidewalks instead of running in the road. I get in my truck and leave my house, and I have to make one right turn and go 1.9 miles to get to a Wal-Mart, Bank of America, Barne's and Noble, Lowe's, Staples, World Market, Party City, Petco, Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, (and an infinite amount of "smaller" stores and restaurants). 5 miles away is my work - across from the AMC 30 movie theater in case I want to see Shrek 4 (if it ever comes out). I look across the landscape at the mountains, cacti, and rocks. It's actually quite beautiful and more lovely than the sum of it's parts. The sunsets are gorgeous and I will have to be sure to get some photos later on.

Depending on what turns I made, I could keep driving and within a few hours arrive at the beaches of San Diego or Las Angeles, the casinos of Las Vegas, the power of the Hoover Dam, snowboarding in Flagstaff, the awe of the Grand Canyon, or perhaps a quick trip to Mexico. The question is - what weekend trip will I take first? (When I start getting weekends off, that is). It could be a while.

But for now... just wanted to paint a quick picture.... much different than what I am used to, for sure.

The Chronicles to Christ - Leaving at 4 A.M.

2007-10-31T19:53:00.002-07:00

A few days after my previous post, I started realizing just what it was that I claimed I was going to try and do. I am intending to give a cogent argument for Christianity, while attempting to give the best description of my path to Christ. Not exactly the easiest thing to write about. Where the heck do I start? I concluded that before I could even talk about God, I had to first discuss his "existence."

Dr. Ravi Zacharias proclaims that every person who has ever lived on this planet, whether knowingly or not, answers Life's two most important questions. The first is Does God Exist? If the answer to the first one is a "yes," than the 2nd most important question for every person is What is His Character? It REALLY irritates me when people tell me what God is like, but cannot back it up with anything factual. It is simply "what they think" or "what they feel," or according to them "how it is." It is at this point that I will start ignoring them because just because somebody wants to believe something, or wants something to be a certain way, doesn't make it true. Answering these two, very difficult questions is a very daunting task for the most educated of scholars and philosophers, much less a recent college grad who is ever-skeptical and has has his fair share of spiritual highs and lows. But I will do my best.

When I was a kid, my family used to take road trips to my grandparents' houses in South Carolina and Michigan. Our family would pack up our things the night before, and my dad would wake everyone up about 4 a.m. to start our long drive. We would slowly walk towards the car in the pitch black morning, dragging out pillows and blankets, and quickly fall back asleep, or at least my brother and sister would. It was often hard for me to get back to sleep, and putting three kids in the back of a Ford Festiva isn't exactly comfortable. So I would usually lay my head against the window and listen to my Walkman or talk to my dad or something. After a few hours, I would look up, and realize that it was bright outside. The sun rose about 2 hours ago, but I hadn't really noticed it until it was well up in the sky, revealing everything on the planet below.

The point is, this is kind of like my arrival as a theist. It wasn't one day, one piece of evidence, or one person that convinced me God existed. One day I looked around at everything I saw about this world, and realized that I believed God existed, that it was him who shone on everything. God reveals himself to others like a light bulb. Once the switch is on, it is a huge contrast to how they live their life. For me, it was not so. It took me some time and a lot of light to do the trick. To this day, I could write a very convincing paper on how God does not exist. I could use scientific evidence to support my paper, and arrive at the atheist conclusion. I could also probably do the same for the existence of God. There is certainly evidence for both sides, and I determined that there was more evidence for the existence of God than the opposite.

Scientifically there are all kinds of holes with the Big Bang Theory and the Theory of Evolution for explaining how the planet and humans got to the point they're at today. For the sake of time and space on this blog, I won't get into all the holes with the theories that leave them at just that - theories. But I will say that the bottom line is that I had a decision to make. I had to decide if I believe that A) Nobody took nothing and made something, or B) Somebody took nothing and made something. To me, Choice B just made sense. Something cannot create itself if it is not there to create it, especially non-living matter. But of course, one could ask the question - Where did God come from? Good point. But to me, it is more believable that a living being has always existed and perhaps "created itself" than for a non-living thing "created itself." To me, it takes "more faith" and "less proof" to conclude that God exists through scientific evidence.

On the philosophical level, I arrived at the existence of God through deduction, as funny as that sounds. Dr. Zacharias took this approach in one of his books - Can Man Live Without God?. It was an interesting way to approach anti-atheism. Where others try to prove God's existence by proving our necessity to live with him, he basically arrived at the existence of God based on the fact that it would be impossible for man to live without Him. As many atheists fight the non-existence of God with the existence of evil, they forget that without God or any other moral absolute, evil cannot exist. I was not prepared to accept the fact that morality was relative. I simply did not want to live with the consequences of never knowing what was truly right or wrong. God would have to be the deciding factor.

On a supernatural level, C.S. Lewis and New England Quarterback Tom Brady say it all. First of all, C.S. Lewis states - If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing." But even on a more contemporary level, New England Patriots' Quarterback Tom Brady was on 60 Minutes in 2005. You can find a summary and pieces of this interiew online, as well as video clips at

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/03/60minutes/main1008148_page2.shtml

At the time, Brady had been dating a super-model for over two years, is a great looking guy, has won 3 Super Bowl rings, and makes $6 million a year, actually turning down millions more in endorsements because he doesn't want the extra hassles.

Here is an excerpt:

But with all Brady's fame and career accomplishments, Kroft was surprised to hear this from him: “Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? [...] I think, ‘God, it's got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn't, this can't be what it's all cracked up to be.”

“What's the answer?” asks Kroft.

“I wish I knew. I wish I knew,” Brady replies.

It's obvious that Brady struggles with the same thing we all do - fulfillment. But why can't we get it like every other animal with food, shelter and sex? Great question. I have found the answer to be that we are special- and something inside of us is supernatural. We were meant to live for more than all of this - more than the basics. It's inside of us. Somehow we are special.

To Be Continued......

The Chronicles to Christ - Preview

2007-10-24T18:50:00.002-07:00

"Oh The Places You'll Go!" I remember that book by Dr. Seuss. I remember my friend Jae Lynch memorized the book in 5th grade for a poetry contest. As a contestant, I remember sitting on stage behind her, watching her dramatically not only reciting it perfectly, but acting it out with no hesitation. She was fantastic. Not to be outdone, I had tried to memorize Green Eggs & Ham. Not quite the inspirational, poetic compilation that hers was, it was still a "moderate" on the difficultly level, don't you think? I remember more about her performance than mine. I am pretty sure I stammered through most it, hands by my side squeezing the sides of my overalls, and skipping about 5 pages of the book. Needless to say, I am pretty sure she won the poetry contest, and I think I was so nervous I had wet my boxers.

I've decided I'm going to start a "mini-series" on my Blog. I've written in Goats and Barley for almost 2 years, now. I've kept the old entries and pull them out every now and then and read them. I realized I love metaphors and stories. But I suppose what I've missed is the underlying themes of these stories - a quest for truth. Anyone who spends any time with me knows that I'm an intellectual, and not a feel-goody type of person. I criticize almost everything and don't believe things just because people tell me. It was not until I had criticized the faith, researched, and most importantly, sought the Truth, that I finally arrived at Christianity as the Truth a little less than 2 years ago.

So I've decided that I am going to write about my quest for Truth in this series entitled "The Chronicles to Christ." This series will be written, not based on "the Place(s) I think I will go," but based on "The places I've been." I will certainly say that I have been places I never thought I would. In this series, I will lay out all of my problems with Christianity, most of which arose during the time in my life as an Atheist. I will discuss my feelings on the Bible and the extent of it's divinity and authority. I will mention all of the holes with Christianity and the problems that most Christians don't want to acknowledge. The mystery of prayer, and just how far is the extent of the love of God?

I suppose that my reasoning in wanting to do this now is because I've really never written them down in a single, coherent, simple discussion before. Most of these arguments and problems spring up in my personal journals and are alluded to in my previous blogs. More importantly, is I believe there are people out there who say they are Christians, but don't know what they really believe. There are people out there that don't believe Christianity, but don't know why they don't. There are people out there who faced the same questions I did, but were not motivated enough to look into the truth for themselves. I really hope that people will read these and post some comments and get some discussion. But the most important reason for me doing this is for myself - for those times of doubt, I can look back and see why I chose Christ - and why he Chose me.

This time, I will not speak 1/2 hearted and with no confidence, with my hands squeezing the sides of my overalls, nervous and unsure of myself. Instead, I will speak with confidence. I will speak of the Place I will Go, because of the Places I have been.

Standing Still at Kroger

2007-10-18T20:59:00.003-07:00

I don't believe I've ever shopped for yogurt before. I remember my mom bought it for us a lot as kids, but I thought that perhaps it'd make a good snack or something when I got hungry around the house. So I worked my way down the refrigerated section against the back wall at Kroger, picking up my OJ and Milk, and then there I was - at the yogurt section.

"Well, this should be simple," I said to myself. "I'll just pick up a couple cups of my favorite flavors, and off I'll be." Oh, but it were not so simple. As I approached the yogurt section, I was overwhelmed by the pressure.

-"Hmm..." Kroger brand, Dannon, Yoplait, Gogurt, and GoCrunch.... and some other ones... "I remember seeing commercials for some of these. Which ones are supposed to be the best? Is there a difference?"
-Lo-cal yogurt vs. lite yogurt. "Is there a difference?"
-Yogurt with Oreos and Nestle Crunch bars- "Can they do that? I suppose that would make it taste better."
-Yogurt with granola - "Wouldn't that take away the appealing crunch of the granola?"
-Fruit on the bottom - "Is that supposed to be an appealing thing? That sounds kind of gross."
-Cylinder shaped cups, Volcano Shaped cups, Upside-down volcano shaped cups.... "This is so difficult!"
-Peach, Vanilla, Orange, Original, Blackberry, Strawberry, Banana, Strawberry-banana, Banana-strawberry, Orange-apple, Pineapple, Lemon, "COFFEE FLAVOR?!?"
-Individual packs, twin-packs, four-packs, six-packs, tubs, "family sized" tubs. "Why are the four packs more expensive per ounce of yogurt than the individual packs?" My head started spinning.

When I was able to regain my clear vision and my headache went away, I took my hand off the Dannon display and quit leaning against the yogurt shelf for balance. When I came out of my yogurt coma, I realized I had been there long enough to go through 2 songs on my ipod and had not even put one of those suckers in the cart, yet.

And then it happened. I glance to my left. I still had about 8 more feet of 5 yogurt shelves I had not even looked at yet. I closed my eyes, grabbed 4 from in front of me and threw them in my cart. I hobbled to the register, too exhausted to make my trip to the frozen food aisle. I just wanted to get back somewhere safe. No wonder my mom quit buying this stuff. I couldn't imagine having to spend that much time for yogurt for three kids.

Those Irritating People at Stores

2007-10-04T16:15:00.003-07:00

Taking a different approach to this blog than my normal deep thoughts, I thought I'd run with some motivation on a soapbox and sound off on this.

There are many things I do while shopping to try and ease the pain of shopping, especially grocery shopping. I bring my iPod to Kroger, and keep it on low as I stroll the aisles and complete my list. Many times I will browse the random items for sale on the aisles and shelves around the registers, and wonder - "What kind of person would buy this?" and "Gee. I wonder who thought of that!" But if the stores usually aren't bad enough, I can count on the others who shop there to make it that much more irritating.

Here are a few:

1. I'm second in line. Been waiting for ten minutes. The old lady in front of me decides to buy 12 frozen dinners, 3 bags of cat food for her 7 cats, come candles, and a box of Depends. The line behind me is huge. All of a sudden an associate from Register 4 yells out "I can help someone down here!" and the LAST person in line runs over there. Some mid-30's woman wearing clothes entirely too small for her while on her cell phone. So irritating. To me, it's just common courtesy to allow whoever was next in line to go to the open register.... not the last person in line. It should be whoever has been waiting the longest.

2. You're finally second in line. That person finally has their items rang up. Then for whatever reason - they run away. There are multiple reasons for customers to run away from the register. I just have not really discovered any good ones. The bad ones are: "I forgot something." Another one is - "I forgot my money." Another one is "That's not the price of that loofah. It was $1.00, not $1.50. Hold on... I'll go check the price." For whatever reason you must leave, PLEASE just cancel your stinkin' purchases until you solve your problem and let others go ahead.

3. The "perfect change" queen. This one usually doesn't take as long, but it's just annoying. I can hear her now - "Hold on... I have the 83 cents. I know that nickel is in here, somewhere," as if confetti would fall from the ceiling and they would come out with balloons and hand over to her the Perfect Change Award. Good Lord, woman. Take your 17 cents change and get out of the way. People are hungry.

4. Didn't see this one until yesterday. I was in a T-Mobile store checking on a new case for my phone, and a guy comes in there and sits down at one of the stools. The associate, with already a few customers waiting, sees him and says - "Sir, it might be a little while." His response? "Oh it's okay, I'm just charging my phone." He had unplugged one of the display phones and was charging his own phone! Her response - "Uh, sir, those don't charge the phones. They just keep the phones on for display." Him - "Oh... well it worked yesterday." Are you kidding me? You come into a store every day to charge your phone? Frustrated and annoyed, she walked over, and plugged his phone into a real charger. I really just didn't know what to say about that.

Please stop annoying me, inconsiderate, selfish, cheap people! I will never say anything to you in store, but it is people like you who make me wonder where we are headed in this world.

They're Black So The Dirt Won't Show

2007-10-01T21:35:00.001-07:00

He was sitting at a traffic light and saw them coming across the crosswalk.

Mid-50's. She was wearing some faded, cotton, green, skin-tight capris that she probably bought in her mid-30's. She wore a baggy t-shirt and a sun visor. He had on some short shorts and a cotton shirt. Both wore the crew socks - and there they were- all black, leather "sneakers." Out for their late morning walk and exercise, they were wearing their all black sneakers.

He kind of smiled at this. He had worked in a shoe store and knew everything there was to know about running shoes, or any shoe for that matter. He knew why people bought black shoes. Most times it was either adults in their 30's or older, or mothers buying them for their children. But he knew. People buy black shoes so the dirt won't show. They can get as scuffed up as they want, get all dirty, wear them for walking, church, or work. Doesn't matter. The dirt never shows. What would people think if they found out that their shoes got dirty?

Of course these black shoes are hideous. They're ugly. They are hot because they're all leather (mesh is difficult to clean). Most times they are incredibly uncomfortable. "Good ones" cost about $50, but those who are very cheap buy the ones that cost $10 at Wal-Mart. But hey- the dirt never shows.

It's not even that the dirt isn't there. It's that people don't see it there. They don't know if it's there. But people will pay money for shoes that are hideous and uncomfortable just so people don't know that their shoes get dirty. Of course they get dirty. Everybody's shoes get dirty.

He knew that the best running shoe companies made their best shoes mostly white with crazy, vibrant colors. Pinks, yellows, and greens for women's shoes. Blues, oranges, and reds for guys' shoes. Mesh was most of the shoe to allow a person's foot to breathe when they're running. There are all kinds of high-tech cushions by shoe companies to allow support and cushion for each fall of the foot. He knew this. He knew that not all shoes were the same. He knew each shoe showed the character of the individual and met their needs. He knew that the best shoes would show dirt, but it didn't matter. Because through that dirt, others would see character, comfort, and control. Running shoes weren't made for looks. They were made for performance.

And yet so many people these days settle for what is uncomfortable. They settle for not having support for their falls. They feel no cushion in times of pain. They invest so little. And they suffocate inside of their cover-up, all so that people won't see the dirt on their shoes. Everybody's got dirt - why are we trying to hide it?

And of course.... we're just talking about shoes here... not life ;)

Catching a Feather in a Whisper

2007-09-28T22:07:00.001-07:00

I haven’t tried too often to catch a feather as it was falling. But for the few times I have, it’s tough. You would think it would be simple. A soft, floating, slow moving object – no problem, right?

But as I throw my hand at it to snatch it out of the air, it quickly wisps away. I quickly grasp for it again ferociously. But again, the current caused by the movement of my hand only stirs it back into the air wildly as the generated winds blow it freely into space. But then I finally relax. I lay my hand beneath it, not grabbing for it. It slowly floats into the palm of my hand, landing softly and rests. I feel the texture and the softness of this feather, meant to fly and move with the currents of the wind, yet now it settles. It moved freely and I simply had to wait for it to come to me.

I have grabbed at God so ferociously at times. It’s almost as though I can see him and I think I know what it is that He going to do, but when I go there to find Him, He’s gone. My aggression, movements, and choices of actions are not going to be what finally connects me with Him. But I hate waiting. It’s so difficult for me to just sit there and wait, with my palm open. My arm gets tired. I fear the current will change. But sure enough, when I quite grabbing, he softly lands.

In the book of 1 Kings in the Old Testament, a story is told of Elijah who experienced a windstorm, rain, and fire, and yet found God in none of them. It was not until he was silent that he heard God in a whisper. For the One who is so powerful, so controlling, and so large, it is amazing to me that so many find him light, gentle, and soft-spoken.

Skillet puts it this way –He’s both a silent rage and a hurricane. He is everything we cannot see and can’t explain. Why grasp ferociously at something you will never understand anyways? We really have no choice but to wait until it finally lands on us.