Reolutions...are they worth it?

So every new years eve people make promises they call resolutions. I would bet that these resolutions are the number one broken promise in the world. (Even higher than the promise that someone looks good in a really bad outfit) These broken promises leave us with nothing other than us saying we'll try again next year.

Why not make this year different? Check out the links below for some help in making this new year one where changes actually happen.
Photo by Kozini/Shutterstock.



Antiresolution  - This site, hosted by meyouhealth.com, is all about changing the way we look at resolutions. For many, they are too broad with no direction and that is why they never work out. Antiresolution takes that large idea (they only have a few but everyone should find at least one that works for them) and gives you some suggestions for smaller steps to help you keep that resolution this year.

Its all in the mind - This article from the Cincinnati Enquirer helps gives you some helpful hints at making sure your mind set is right both when you decide on a resolution and when you are trying to complete it.

Lifehacker's 10 Easy-to-Keep Resolutons - Trouble picking a resolution? This article, from one of my favorite blogs, gives you 10 ideas to pick from for a resolution. They are all great ideas and range from what I would say is easy to difficult (not in that order mind you). Each idea contains links to help you accomplish that resolution. Be sure to check out their article on tips for keeping your resolution too

Hopefully these articles will help your resolution.

Party safe and have a Happy New Year

Crazy Food Stuff From This Past Year

As the new year closes in on us, we start recounting the many different things that have happened over the past year. One of the coolest that I have found is this article on Crazy food stories. It contains links to articles about a donut maker, coke's secret formula, what's actually in hot dogs, and making an egg in a waffle maker. Check them out. They are some pretty cool articles.

SYM - Trading Things

So Christmas is over and we are all taking inventory of the different gifts that we received. Did you get some unwanted stuff for Christmas? Stuff that you can not take back? Instead of stuffing it in a closest and forgetting about it. Try out this unique site to get rid of the stuff you want and get some things you might actually use.

Swap.com "is where you turn what you have into what you want." You register for the site (they have the option to use facebook to do that) and then you can either look at what other people are trading or post your own items for trade. If you want  to swap just send the person a message with an offer or a question. Hopefully  this will help you get things you will actually use instead of that sweater your great aunt made you...surely someone out there will like it. Maybe?

MMM - The Bible

So I was thinking about today's post and decided that I would use the Bible as this weeks meaningful media. This time of year (ending Christmas and begining a new year) we hear a lot about the Bible. The Christmas story is told many times and we make plans to read the Bible more in the coming year.

The ultimate source of encouragement though is the Bible so I want to encourage you to really commit to reading it more often this coming year. Most people make open commitments that they never really fulfill. They start with good intentions but end up leaving it behind before really getting into it. Here are few ideas/tips to get you going:

1. Pick a schedule that works for you and stick to it. It doesn't have to be every day or even a scheduled time. Whatever works for you the best but still gets reading done. It doesn't have to be daily, especially to start with, but the more often the better. If you haven't do it much or have had trouble in the past I would suggest start with a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule.

2. Pick a plan that fits your likes. There have been so many plans on Bible reading that it can be hard to choose one. If you like reading, pick one that is of the whole bible. If you like history, find one that puts the Bible in Chronological order. If you have trouble following the way the Bible reads you can try to out a new Bible style that takes out all the verse and chapter numbers and makes it more like a book. If you have trouble understanding what you are reading then it might be the version of the Bible you have. Try picking up a New Living Translation (NLT) of the Bible. It is easy to read but still an accurate translation.

3. Pray. Prayer should be a major part of life and reading the Bible is no exception. Pray that you will learn what you need to and what God wants you to while you are doing your Bible study.

May God Bless the rest of your holiday season and may you dive into His word in the coming year.

Almost Missed It

(Adaptation of message by Kenny White River Hills Christian Church East Campus 12/23/2011)

This time of year so many things are going on...buying presents, planning parties, helping others, making sure no one is forgotten, seeing family and friends that you haven't seen in a long time. None of these things are bad (I'm not going into a rant about that). Even if all of them are going on at the same time (which for most of us they are) it is still not a bad thing. However if you let it get in front of the true meaning of the season then it is bad.

Now you are probably like "Oh great, another guilt trip at Christmas just what I need." or maybe its "Heard this one last year, and the year before, and like a dozen years before this one." I hope you'll keep reading though cause my goal is to make this one a little different from what you usually hear. See most often we are told not to forget about Jesus and honestly we do pretty good with that. We think of the little baby in a manger, with shepherds and kings worshiping him. (won't even go into how that is actually wrong lol). Truthfully if you do that you are on the right track but I think Christians can do better than what we all ready do.

See often times we almost miss it. We are doing our holiday thing and then its Christmas eve and its off to church only to rush home to finish our Christmas parties or wrapping or whatever we still have to do. We come so close to just missing the mark. Oh we might get on the target but do we really hit where we should? Are we focused on the bulls-eye? In the story of  Jesus' birth, the inn keeper/head of house just missed it. He could have played a major part in the Christmas story but now he is just a man who turned them away. (See Luke 2:7) Many people today just miss it as well, but like I said even if we get it, all to often we almost miss it.

Another part of the story illustrates this almost missed idea (at least in my mind). The shepherds were tending sheep on a quiet night. Now if you have never been out on a hill at night away from everything. It is very quiet and very dark. These shepherds were just sitting around their fire more than likely when all the sudden a bright light appeared and a shinning figure was standing in the sky. The Bible said that when they saw this they were terrified (see Luke 2:9) Now what do most people do when they are terrified? I believe the answer is RUN! I have no doubt that this is what came across their mind. If they had done that they would have missed the birth of Jesus. Whatever the reason they stayed; whether they were frozen in fear, held captive by the beauty, or worried about the livelihood if they left their flock, I think its safe to say they almost missed it.

Now its easy to say "Well I don't miss it; I help with the church Christmas pageant, volunteer at the local homeless shelter and spend time with my family, and read the Christmas story every night before bed for a week before Christmas. I don't miss it at all." I'll agree you sure don't miss the spirit of the holidays but that's just it. Outside of it being church functions some, aren't you just doing what everyone else does this time of year.

Here's my point. Whether you almost miss it, just miss it, or you completely miss the target, this time of year is to remind us of Jesus' birth but it shouldn't stop there. Jesus grew up, he didn't stay a baby; we don't pray to a "eight pound, six ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus." So shouldn't we look past that even at Christmas time. I mean shouldn't we really be trying to live like Jesus, not just at Christmas when we remember him as a baby (almost missing it) or going to church during this time of year because "its what you do" (just missing it).  Every day of our lives we should be trying to hit the bulls-eye with our lives. It won't all ways happen, we're bound to miss the mark sometime. I mean the Greek word translated as sin, literally means missing the mark and Romans tells us that all people will miss the mark. (see Romans 3:23)

My hope though is that we use Christmas to evaluate how close we are coming to the bulls-eye all year round, not just during this season.

Merry Christmas everyone and may you hit the bulls-eye more in the coming year.

Check Out This Nifty Gadget And The Site Its From

So Gizmodo posted a blog about this nifty little device. I was intrigued and still am with it. Its' pretty sweet but what I found while looking for that was even cooler. Have you ever wanted to help create something but never really had the creativity for it? Do you work better in large groups? Have an idea but need some friendly help in getting it ready? Well the site that this spoife (or maybe it should knifoon) comes from is a commuinty inventor site. The products there are thought up by people and then the site members help make it a viable product including design and cost help.

Check it out...the item above is found here....the site info is found here. To see the products they already have (and there are some really neat ones) go here.

It Really Comes Down to What You Like

So we all know about the bitter war between At&t and Verizon on who is faster, who has the better service, who has the nicer phones. Well we all know that phones and even the service comes down to preference. (Unless its the iphone but I won't get into that now) Turns out there are so many factors when it comes to network data speed that no one network really is faster (or at least not easily determined). Data is influenced by the number of people on the network (especially locally), the device you're using, and where you are at. So really there isn't a definitive answer to the who is faster question. Check out more details on the reason here.

People Crash Cars No Matter What

Just found this article and thought it was quite interesting. Apparently cell phone bans don't reduce the crash rates. Now you might assume what I did, that cell phone use rate didn't actually drop but according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (funded by car insurers themselves who will obviously have a large stake in what the report finds) cell use actually did drop in places where bans were in place. Shocking I know. More shocking though is that in the face of all this it didn't lower crash rates. So what really causes all the crashes? I am going to guess that it is idiot drivers who don't pay attention. They don't pay attention when on their cell phone or off them so crash rates don't actually drop.

Just a thought, maybe we should outlaw bad drivers instead of cell phones.

MMM - You Know Better Than I from Dreamworks' Joseph: King of Dreams

This time of year we spend a lot of time looking at the year past; more so during the upcoming New Year's celebrations, but even at Christmas we look back. I mean we all have received the family newsletters in our credit cards telling us all the things we wanted to know (and some that we didn't) about the people in our lives. Hopefully when you look back good things come to mind. I hope that 2011 was a year filled with wonderful things, but for some I know it wasn't. So many things have happened over the past year to friends and family that I couldn't even name half probably. For some the good still out weighs the bad but there are those who could not say that. While today's MMM is for everyone, those who feel like 2011 was one of the worst years (or perhaps the worst year) ever, please take the time to think deeply about this blog.

Last night I watched a movie from the year 2000 (man it sounds really long ago when I say it that way). Joseph King of Dreams was a Dreamworks animated film that followed the blockbuster hit Prince of Egypt. The movie is a musical portrayal of the story of Joseph from the book of Genesis. Now it isn't biblically accurate but it is still a good movie and gets the message of the story of Joseph across to the audience. In the middle of the movie, when Joseph is in jail for a crime he didn't commit, there is a great song that is the focus of today's MMM. Check it out below or by clicking here.

Often when things go bad or things just plain go with neither an up nor down, we can feel abandoned by God wondering where he is. Like Joseph in the clip, we find ourselves challenging God that we don't belong where we are, that the things that have happened to us should have happened to someone else, or even that He doesn't really care. Yet if we take time to realize God is in control we also realize that He knows what he is doing better than we do. The chorus has a line in it that goes "I've let go the need to know why" that's what we have to do. Maybe 2011 wasn't great for you and you question God but if you let go the need to know why it happened you will have and easier time finding peace.

My favorite line from the song is the start of the second verse which goes "If this has been a test I cannot see the reason But maybe knowing I don't know is part of getting through." When things go bad or don't go anywhere we feel like God is testing us but like a kid in school, if we don't understand the reason for the test we get upset at the person giving us the test and look for meaning everywhere else. Sometimes though a test is just a test and the reason wouldn't even make sense if we knew why. This isn't to say that we should make light of anyone's tests, they deserve support but to push deeper than just through the test is to question God. The second part of that verse looks at that "I tried to do what's best But faith has made it easy To see the best thing i can do Is to put my trust in You." We try to do what we think is best based on what we think the test is for but if we would just put our faith in God, he would get us through. First Corinthians 10:13 tells us that no temptation (or trial) is too hard for us cause God has given us a way to get through it.

As we look back at the year and forward to the next, I hope you will remember that no matter what has happened or what you think the next year looks like; God will be with us. He know what lies in front of us and the best way around it. Trust Him to lead you where you need to go, knowing that where you've been is only part of the journey. Whether you trusted Him then or not, look to Him for way to get through whatever is to come.

God Bless and Happy Holidays

Take Control Of Your Body

Check out this article for a few tricks in overcoming your basic body reactions, including your gag reflex, brain freeze and the urge to go to the bathroom. These are some awesome tips.

Save Your Money (SYM) - Car Repairs

Wanted to try writing a new series called Save Your Money with ideas and articles about ways that you can save money. Life is rough right now, especially financially, so I want to help people in the best way I can and that is to provide a place where you can find ways to Save Your Money.


Today's article is a good one if you don't mind getting your hands a little dirty. Lifehacker (a great site by the way) has put together a collection of information on doing your own car maintenance. Now obviously you would need to have the time and location to do this kind of work. The article contains tech and tools that will help you along the way. Things like battery changes, replacing brake pads, and regular maintenance (things like oil changes and air filter changes). Each comes with links and even a glossary of sorts so you know what the articles are talking about.

Check it out here and save yourself some money.

Don't Complain Just Accept

In expectation of everyone complaining about changes. I wanted to provide a couple helps for you.

First from PC World is a real basic article about the new Timeline feature and how to use and how to make sure only people who you want to see it will see it.

Second if you wanna get it ahead of time just click here.

Finally I would love if all of you would not write your complaints about the new timeline on your wall.

Thanks. If I can help you out with this new thing just let me know.

Everyone's Favorite Drink Might Be Slowly Killing Us

Apparently 10% of sodas in the US (most of them citrus) contain a chemical called BVO. This chemical is "also added to polystyrene foam cushions in furniture and plastics in electronics because BVO can slow down the chemical reactions that cause a fire." Not only that but it is banned in Europe and Japan. Really? Well at least we don't have to worry about self-combustion. Check out more in this article from Gizmodo.

Star Peace?

For all of you who are either Star Wars fans or Star Trek fans, you know the war between the two is a war that has raged for a long time. It is a bitter, almost bloody, war that is waged between all the true syfy geeks. Yet is there hope for peace on the horizon? George Takei hopes so. The only actor to work in both the Star Trek and Star Wars franchisees hopes to unite all Star fans in battle against a common enemy. Wanna know who? Check out the video below.

MMM - Don't Waste Your Life by Lecrae

I recently started listening to Christian Rap. I got turned on to the genre when I got invited to a rap concert by some friends. The main artist was a rapper named Lecrae. Such honest out of an artist is what keeps me listening to the genre. This is one of my favorites by him.

Everyday we wake up and have choices to make. These choices determine where we go and who we become. Our lives are lived out based on the choices we make (obviously) and as Christians its important that we make the choices that will make the most of our lives.

 However, it seems that we make so many choices that aren't necessarily the wrong ones but they don't help us out. Now I'm not talking about the foods we eat or what type of clothes we buy or where we get our milk from. I am talking about the people we hang out with, what we say when someone wants to talk to us. The things that in themselves aren't wrong but are they really what we should be doing with our lives. Two parts of this song really stand out to me when I listen. The first is when he says

"Paul said if Christ ain't resurrected we've wasted our lives

Well that implies that our life's built around Jesus being alive

Everyday I'm living tryin' to show the world why

Christ is more than everything you'll ever try"

This just reminds me so much of what we are actually called to do. Matthew 28:18-20 tells us that our lives should be focused on telling people who we are and why. Letting them know that nothing in this world can ever take the place of Jesus. That he lives so that we don't have to feel lost and empty. 

The second part that I really like goes

"Your money your singleness marriage talent your time

They were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine

That's why it's Christ in my rhymes

That's why it's Christ all the time

See my whole world is built around Him He's the life in my lines

I refused to waste my life"

Everything we are and have belongs to God. It should be our daily goal to use what we have been given to bring glory to him. Yet so often we chose to waste our talents, our gifts, our lives on the meaningless things in this world. 

My prayer this Monday is that you will join me in saying that "it's Christ all the time." We will mess up and choose to waste parts of our lives, but shouldn't we strive to use as much of it as we can to glorify God?

May God bless your week

"You Have Caused This..."

(Originally posted to Facebook Notes June 27, 2008. It is kind of a long read but it is good)

Please read the following section carefully, it comes from Romans 2:17-24. There are three versions of it because I believe that it will be more helpful in the understanding of what I am going to try and say.

17Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; 18if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." (NIV)

17 What about you? You call yourself a Jew. You trust in the law of Moses and brag that you are close to God.18 You know what he wants you to do and what is important, because you have learned the law.19 You think you are a guide for the blind and a light for those who are in darkness.20 You think you can show foolish people what is right and teach those who know nothing. You have the law; so you think you know everything and have all truth. 21 You teach others, so why don't you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but you steal.22 You say that others must not take part in adultery, but you are guilty of that sin. You hate idols, but you steal from temples.23 You brag about having God's law, but you bring shame to God by breaking his law,24 just as the Scriptures say: "Those who are not Jews speak against God's name because of you." (NCV)

17-24If you're brought up Jewish, don't assume that you can lean back in the arms of your religion and take it easy, feeling smug because you're an insider to God's revelation, a connoisseur of the best things of God, informed on the latest doctrines! I have a special word of caution for you who are sure that you have it all together yourselves and, because you know God's revealed Word inside and out, feel qualified to guide others through their blind alleys and dark nights and confused emotions to God. While you are guiding others, who is going to guide you? I'm quite serious. While you are guiding others, who is going to guide you? I'm quite serious. While preaching "Don't steal!" are you going to rob people blind? Who would suspect you? The same with adultery. The same with idolatry. You can get by with almost anything if you front it with eloquent talk about God and his law. The line from Scripture, "It's because of you Jews that the outsiders are down on God," shows it's an old problem that isn't going to go away. (The Message)

As I was reading a devo this past week at Western Buckeye Christian Service Camp, I read the above passage of verses. In this section Paul is addressing the Jews and their reliance on the law. However, I see much more in this passage then a critique of the Jews, I see a critique of some Christians. As I read this my mind was drawn to the church in America today. Scandals rock every denomination and there are false teachers in abundance. Members of the church will say one thing and then do the exact opposite. Verse 24 is what really stands out though. This is what we should take to heart. While he appears to be addressing teachers in this passage I believe that it can be aimed at all those in the church, for we will all be teaching in one way or another whether in a class or just talking to someone at the water cooler. We must be careful not to go back on what we tell someone for whether it seems big or small, it will not matter to the person it affects. This verse (verse 24) is found in the Old Testament in two places. In Isaiah 52:5 and Ezekiel 36:22. (See them below) We often think that we are doing soo much better than the Jews of old but when we actually stop and look at what is going on around us we realize that the problems of today trace back not only to the New Testament church but even back into the days of the Jews of the Old Testament.

We must work hard to not cause people to think badly of our Lord and God.


Isaiah 52:5 "Now see what has happened," says the Lord.
"Another nation has taken away my people for nothing.
This nation who rules them makes fun of me," says the Lord.
"All day long they speak against me. (NCV)

Ezekiel 36:22 "Therefore, tell Israel, 'Message of God, the Master: I'm not doing this for you, Israel. I'm doing it for me, to save my character, my holy name, which you've blackened in every country where you've gone. I'm going to put my great and holy name on display, the name that has been ruined in so many countries, the name that you blackened wherever you went..." (The Message)

Ezekiel 36:22 "So say to the people of Israel, 'This is what the Lord God says: Israel, I am going to act, but not for your sake. I will do something to help my holy name, which you have dishonored among the nations where you went.

The Most Over Used Question

Every day we are asked questions. So many questions that there is no way we could ever remember them all. Sometimes its little questions like "Cash or credit?" That really makes little impact on most peoples daily lives. Others can change our lives completely like "Will you marry me?"

However, there is one question many people both answer and ask every single day. It is a rather significant question, yet it is often over looked. Sometimes people don't even realize they ask this question it has become so common place. I am just a guilty as the next guy at this as well, although I work to try and make sure that I don't let this question slide. The question I've been talking about is "How are you?"

Every day people over use this question asking to those passing by, having no real time to listen to the answer let alone respond to it. On top of that the question now gets thrown around in IMs and texting so much that it has made it an even cheaper question. I see several problems with the way this question has been thrown around.

1. It causes shows no repect for the individual asking or answering the question. When people throw this question out the in passing it usually doesn't include a time to actually listen to the response they aren't just letting a person slip by they are showing no respect for that person. Often a response is so simple that even if we are listening it doesn't matter. The answer has shown no respect for the person asking. This lack of respect builds up so that as a soceity we are just so much less respectful to each other than we should be.
2. People can feel even worse if they were already feeling bad (or even if they were feeling good). We all have bad days. For some they seem to be more numerous than the good. Either way though the one thing that can usually pick a person up is being asked how they are doing. Yet with the way this question gets asked it is of no help to a down person. You get asked and as you answer they continue to walk away or even if they do stop to listen it is obvious they don't care or aren't truely listening. Talk about feeling bad. Even a good day can be ruined when this is done.
3. People have a greater tendency to lie and hide their feelings. Because of this trend in asking how someone is doing people often respond with a single word that doesn't allow for as much hurt if the person asking doesn't truely listen. We have all had conversations that go like this..."How are you?"   "Fine"   "That's good."    "And you?"     "Fine."    "Good."    And that's the end of the coversation. Really? That is what passes for a conversation today? Yep and I'll bet you have had a similar conversation in the past 24 hours. Worse than the cheap response is the fact that sometimes its a lie. Even when someone is truely asking people feel compelled to lie to protect themselves or worse it is just the first thing that comes out and they stick with it.
4. When Christians do this we really aren't promoting Christ's love. Let's face it none of think Jesus had a conversation like this.... "Peter how are you today?"    "Honestly Rabbi it hasn't been...."    "That's good, that's good. Andrew wat about you?"    I mean I'll bet you loled right there just a little at even the thought that Jesus would do that. Yet aren't we Jesus to this world? Aren't we supposed to be act like Jesus? Then why would we throw this question around when we laugh at the thought of Jesus doing it. Show someone you love them and care. Ask how they are doing and mean it. Is it really gonna hurt you?

So these ae just the problems I see. You might be able to think of more.  Really though I think the question to ask now is what can we do to fix this?
1. Only ask when you have time to listen.
2. Don't let a simple answer satisfy. Dig deeper.
3. Don't answer the question with just a simple answer.
4. Just show that you actually care.

If we work to do these four things maybe we can save this question and actually make it worth everyones time ask and answer "How are you?"

Merry Bah Humbug

For those that have talked to me in any recent time, you are well aware that I am not a prime example of Christmas Spirit. I often answer my friends Merry Christmas' with a very proper Bah Humbug. I want take the time to clarify some things though.

First I am not AntiChristmas. Christmas doesn't upset me or make me mad or anything like that. In fact Christmas as a holiday is a nice time of year. However that is about as far as I'll go for liking Christmas.

My problem with Christmas is the way everyone handles it. We hype Christmas as a time where we are with our family and friends. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but shouldn't we do this all year round. It just upsets me that we make such a big deal out of it during this time and then seem to forget about it the rest of the year. The same can be said about generosity. It just bothers me but on top of that even when we do these things it seems we make a show out of it. "Oh look at the big package I got for Susie who I only talk to during this time of year" "Oh i put 50 bucks in the red kettle this year, that's really gonna help someone out" It is just upsetting. What makes it worse is that the season starts off with a bunch of people fighting over stuff often either for themselves or so that other people will be impressed with them.

So forgive me if I don't get as excited about Christmas as other people. I don't hate you or Christmas but I also just don't feel a need to get that excited. I work to live my life with the characteristics of Christmas year round.

Want me to have a Merry Christmas then check out this article by Mark Driscoll (correction the article is actually by Grace Driscoll). It has several good points. The only thing I would add is in his first point, let some people NOT be overly excited about the holiday. Its ok.

To All My Mac/Apple/iOS Friends...

I just want you to know that Android is better than any of that. I now have religious backing to such a fact. The pope is using an Android this Christmas (find out more here). That is so close to God saying that Android is the  one that I feel I should wash my hands before I use my smartphone again. Feel free to disagree but I now feel that I am on the right path. (smirk)

Maybe This Will Help Driving In Cinci

Have you ever tried to change lanes and had a horn honked at you because there was a car in your blind spot that you swear wasn't there a few moments ago? I have (quite a few times). I came across this article (or at least a similar one) a while back and tried it. It really works. Try it just make sure you take it slow cause it can take some getting used to.

Is This Really Necessary?

If any of you have been following my blog or you know me, you know that I like really cool looking architecture. This one may be the first one that I have found that is awesome yet I don't like because it is useless. It looks sweet but it is only steel framing and seems it will only let people walk through it. Either way the design is sweet. Read more about it here.

See The Future Now

So in the future we will all be able to sleep while we are on our way to work. Our cars will drive themselves and all we have to do is tell it where we want to go. This is at least one of my dreams of the future. (best sleep I ever get is a car). Anyways...I was super excited when I came across the Google's self-driving car several months ago. The car and idea is awesome but the tech behind being able to do that is even cooler. However, most of that tech (outside of GPS) is pretty expensive and not available to the nontech professional. If you are like me at all you are impressed easily by anything that seems cool and futuristic. Well I found somethign like what will be used in the cars of the future. This android only app monitors the distance between cars in front of you while you drive. It actually works pretty well. If you are interested check it out. Its called iOnRoad.

Some day I will get to sleep all the way to work but till that day I will enjoy everything I can as we get towards that day.

MMM - Someone to Watch Over Me

So today I was cleaning up from the children's Christmas musical. I had my internet radio on and ended up listening to some big band/standards era stuff. One of the songs that me up was the Frank Sinatra version of Someone to Watch Over Me. (hear it here) As I was listening to this song, it got me thinking, Isn't this one of the deepest desires of everyone? To have someone that will be there for you. Someone who loves you for who you are and you can show your love back to as well.

Sometimes life can drag us down and make us feel so alone and like no one even cares. Even though we can feel like that some days there is one thing we can be sure is true. See the one thing I realized as I was listening to this song is that no matter how I feel or what day of the week it is or what problems I might be having, God is there watching over me. He has a plan for everything that happens in my life. Now obviously that doesn't mean that everything will go well and be easy, but it does mean that we have someone there.

Need some more encouragement...check out Psalm 121:1-4 

Get Smarter With Just One Piece

According to Willia Wonka and the Chocolate Factory chewing gum all the time is not a good thing (see this video if you don't get this reference), but could they have been wrong. Recent studies are showing that chewing gum may have benefits to your education. Apparently chewing gum makes you smarter. No one actually understands it but studies all seem to conclude toward the positive in some way. Check out more here.

MMM - The Words I Would Say by Sidewalk Prophets

Its Monday again so that mean its time for another Meaningful Media Monday post. My hope is that you will be encouraged to get through the week.

Check out this youtube video of the song. Its a live recording of the band in the Klove studio.

The chorus of the song goes...

Be strong in the Lord and,

Never give up hope,

You're going to do great things,

I already know,

God's got His hand on you so,

Don't live life in fear,

Forgive and forget,

But don't forget why you're here,

Take your time and pray,

These are the words I would say,

This is my prayer for all of you. God is there to help us through everything that comes our way but it is so easy to forget that in the rough world in which we live. 

May God bless your week and may you live in His strength.

Eww....Gross!

Ever wonder why people seem to get sick so often even if they never leave their own home? Or maybe you have wondered just what is the dirtiest thing in your house. Believe it or not its your remote control. Although so of the other stuff in your house is pretty dirty as well. Check out the infographic below for some idea of just how dirty your house could be. It also includes some cleaning dos and don'ts to help you avoid getting sick this flu/cold season. (Obsessed with clean? Check out their full site at www.keepingitkleen.com)

Miley Cyrus Is A Great Role Model -- Wait Did I Just Say That?

Ok so you read the title and you think I am off my rocker probably. First since when does he talk about celebrities (almost never in case you didn't know) and second Miley Cyrus? Really? You got to be kidding?

Alright so I it does seem a little crazy and I am not excusing her for the things she has done in the past by any means but in a world where most celebrities are never (and I mean never) a good role model, I do believe in giving credit to those that do provide even some resemblance of being a good role model and Miley Cyrus did that.

In a recent twitter back fire, Miley let some of her critics have it. She has been taking flack for gaining weight over the past year. Fox News reported that Miley tweeted "By calling girls like me fat this is what you're doing to other people. I love MYSELF," Cyrus tweeted in response, posting a graphic picture of an emaciated woman suffering from an eating disorder to her 3.5 million Twitter followers."(Read more)

She may not have done it all right in the past but she defiantly made an improvement in her character in my book with a comment like that.

Finally My Potato Chips Will Stay Fresh Without Hard Work

Alright so have you ever thought you had your chips closed up but when you open them the next time they are stale? Well that can now be a thing of the past with the new invention from copco [not capco thanks for the correction Betsy] called the Bag Cap. This handy device lets you make any bag resealable. You can get it on amazon for around $10. Finally my chips can stay crunchy and my marshmallows can stay soft.

Meaningful Media Monday -- Blue Like Jazz

So this past weekend I got the privilege to preview the upcoming movie Blue Like Jazz. The movie is based on Donald Miller's widely popular book by the same name. I had never read the book but knew of it. However when I saw the trailer I was very intrigued and wanted to see the movie. The director was there and explained the movie to us and answered the questions we had about the movie. The movie has an incredible story behind it. It almost didn't happen but thanks to a campaign and funding from almost 4,000 individuals the movie will come out April 13 (Friday the 13 no less).

For those of you that have read the book, you should know that many things were changed so that the meaning behind the movie could get put across the best but before you get up in arms about changes you should also know that Donald Miller helped right the screen play and has his blessing. 

In Blue Like Jazz, the main character Don who grew up in a traditional, conservative, baptist church ends up going to Reed College (which has been labeled the most Godless campus in America). While there he turns his back on God and joins in with the people of the college. Through a series of events Don finds his way back to God. The movie has an open ending but is still excellent finishing up with the confession booth scene (similar to the book).

In a world where the media is just becoming more and more graphic (and not in a good way), its nice to be able to look forward to a movie that is not going to be 

Check out the trailer here and then go see Blue Like Jazz in theaters starting Apr 13.

Message In The Media - Movie: Immortals

Alright so I went last Saturday night I went and saw the movie Immortals. (Check out the trailer here if you don't know the movie) Typically it is not the type of movie I would go see but the people I was with said they wanted to see it and I really didn't care. (I was happy to be out of my house lol). The movie was so much better than I expected it to be though. Aside from one scene (I won't say much other than they didn't leave much to imagination) the movie was great. The more I watched it thought the more I realized that it was more than just an action flick with great fight scenes and lost of blood and gore. As anyone who knows me knows I like to do, I began to analyze the movie for points to make a message or messages out of (hence the title of this blog series)
Here is what I came up with for Immortals:

1. There is a battle between good and evil that is going on all the time that we never see.
        The movie is based on greek mythology. It talked about a war that mortals never saw. The gods even hid their form from the mortals. The entire movie is founded on events the mortals never saw, they only knew about them. This is similar to what goes on around us all the time. The forces of Satan wage war over us all the time with the forces of God and we will almost never see it. Now just like in the movie, every so often if we are paying attention we see something of this war; sometime involving us and sometimes involving others but overall we don't see it. This is important to remember because just like in the movie, although we don't have an impact on the outcome of the war, everything we do has an impact on the battle. So make sure that your impact is for the right side.

2. The unseen makes believers out of unbelievers.
        The main character in the movie starts out as a professed unbeliever of the gods. However, as the movie progresses he becomes a believer. One of the major factors in this is the fact that the war is going on and he saw the war happen. I think this is important because it reminds us that we don't change people, but that God does.

3. The battle between good and evil is never over (at least not in this life).
        One of the last scenes of the movie has the son of the main character being told that he will follow in his father's footsteps because the war between good and evil is never over. For the most part this is true. As long as this world exists this will be true. Yet as Christians we can be certain that in the end evil will be defeated and good will win. This is just a great thing to know and gives us hope to make it throug the battles around us all the time.
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(NOTE: This is not a review of the movie nor a recommendation. For more info on the movie itself check out www.pluggedin.com)

This One Is For All My Bible College Friends

Check this out. 

Not much more to say than what you can already see. (No debates please lol)

Coolest Green Project Ever

Alright so check this out...a vertical forest

Trees on top of each other...genius

Already under construction

If you wanna check this out more follow this link

Electronic Etiquette - Yeah vs Yea

So I am gonna start an ongoing series of posts called Electronic Etiquette. In this electronic age, people don't seem to take care when they text or IM people. The entire age shows a lack of etiquette and I find it very frustrating so I am going to write my frustrations out here to all the many (or few) people who read this.

So have you ever asked someone a question and they respond with 'yea'. For those that don't know it, 'yea' is pronounced with a long A sound and is not the same as 'yeah' (pronounced with a short A sound). 'Yea' is a cheer or an exclamation of happiness. 'Yeah' is a affirmation to something. It shouldn't be that hard to get it right but most of the time I get texts that back from people after I ask a question and they are cheering. I'm like "Did the question really get you that excited?" So the next time you are text keep in mind that 'yeah' and 'yea' are not the same. Figure it out please!

One Of The Best Pranks I've Seen

So I came across this going through the blogs I follow. This is arguably one of the best pranks I have ever seen. No lying, no messes, and no hiding. Not to mention its cheap. Check it out and let me know if you try it cause I wanna know.

There Are Places Without Facebook?!?!?!

Yeah you read that right...there are actually places in the world that don't have Facebook. How do I know? I have a map. Alright so its not a conclusive science or anything but the bright yellow areas on the map are places without Facebook. Wanna know how they came to this conclusion check it out here.

Getting Where You Need To Go And Staying Healthy

Here are two articles to help you get where you need to go and stay health doing it this flu season

Our society relies on GPS to get anywhere and to find everything. Even our cameras have GPS now. But what are you gonna do when that system goes down? What happens if, God forbid, you battery dies? Can you get where you need to go? Most people know I am like a human GPS but what if you struggle with getting lost on a daily basis. Well here are some tips on becoming a better navigator.

Every year the flu comes and goes and seems like everyone gets sick. What might be worse than the free of when you get sick is all the stuff you do to keep from getting sick. We all have heard of the ways to keep from getting sick...wash your hands a lot, pump your body full of vitamin C, eat chicken noodle soup...but which of these actually work? Find out in this article which of these home remedies work, which of them are good to try, and which of them are busts. It may surprise you how easy some of the things are to do that might help keep you from getting sick this flu season.

When I Was Your Age....

Seems like every conversation I have with one of my students at church ends up with me saying something along the lines of "When I was your age..." or "You really don't know what I'm talking about do you?" People say I'm not old and I agree but I certainly feel like it. I finally figured out the reason why this is true.

Most of us feel like we can't remember a time where we weren't using those type things but truth is most of the electronic and online things we use today didn't exist 15  years ago. Everyone under the age of 20 has a hard time remembering at time when stuff didn't exist. Check out this article to see just how different things were only 5, 10, or 15 years ago.

Another childhood memory passed on to an new generation

So I was browsing the movie trailers for films that are coming later this year and low and behold I find one that i would not have guessed at all. This November a new generation gets to experience the Muppets. Made by Disney we will get to meet again all of are favorite characters.

Check out the trailer here.

Summer is here and so are the pests

Ok so we all love summer; the swimming; the sun; the vacations; the grilling but there is definitely one thing we all wish were not a part of summer. Mosquitoes! These pests ruin just about anything they come to. I guess they might be called the ultimate party crashers. However there is hope. Check out this article to find the rumors and the real solutions to keeping mosquitoes out of your summer. Happy Early Summer everyone.

Another reason for the end of the world...The Google Wallet

I am sure there are those out there who are already calling this "the mark of the beast" or "the coming of the end of the world." I assure its no more the end of the world than it was yesterday.

Today Google announced its latest step to simplify life, Google Wallet. The Wallet has many things about it but in particular it will allow users to skip the wallet and put their credit cards on their phones along with things like tickets and coupons (some of which can be done using various apps).

Now don't get too excited it is being rolled out slowly and first to Sprint (really??!!?? Sprint?!?! Whose idea was that?). But be sure that we will being seeing our wallets grow thinner as our phones continue to grow in what they are capable of. (Some type of Terminator reference might be appropriate here.)

Check out an article about it and the full press release at the bottom of the page. Google Wallet

Another childhood idea going away

The FDA announced recently that they will be releasing a replacement for the food pyramid on June 2. While i look forward to something new, it is sad to see a childhood friend go away. Oh food pyramid you taught me that  eating bread items was most important and that although they were different fruits and vegetables were equal (the old 5 a day campaign). You taught me that beans were a meat and oh so much more. You got a make over not to long ago but it just didn't help. People no longer look to you in awe and say "Oh great pyramid how much of this should i eat?" Goodbye friend. RIP

So what is replacing it? We don't know yet but it is something that is gonna use these six ideas:

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.
• Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose the foods with lower numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

For a deeper look check out the WebMD article here.

Dinos...The most fascinating dead thing out there

Tomorrow is the official launch of the largest animatronic dinosaur park in the world. King's Island announced back near in March (I believe) that it would be adding the dino park to its wide assortment of attractions. It isn't just a bunch of robotic dinos. They have taken the action theater and made a 3D dino experience. They also are using not just as an attraction but as a teaching tool. It all seems pretty sweet.

Check out the website here to see all the cool things that the new Dinosaurs Alive park at KI.

Interesting Use for a Pencil

This is one of the most interesting uses for a pencil I have ever seen. Check out this article.

This might be especially useful if you are into card games.

http://lifehacker.com/5804898/use-a-pencil-as-a-6+sided-die

The Holy Ghost is being phased out? Dang we all in trouble

Hey check out this funny ONN Radio report. It made me chuckle to think God would phase himself out.

http://www.theonion.com/audio/god-quietly-phasing-holy-ghost-out-of-trinity,20400/

You know you are in the digital age when...

So I came across this and thought it was just kind of funny. Interesting as well but funny that Youtube can now be used for basically anything. Music videos, training, and now political agendas. Yep we are really in the digital age now. Sad part is doesn't really mean anything will change just a new way to voice your opinion that they aren't going to listen to. Oh well at least its pretty looking....

Youtube Town Hall

MacGyver could do it all...Now you can to.

So this site is pretty sweet. It has all of the recipes or ideas that MacGyver used. If you don't know, MacGyver was a tv show that ran from '85-'92. It was about a guy who seemed to be able to make things out of anything he found lying around.

Check out the website for a few ideas in case you ever get trapped in a room or kidnapped by mercenaries.


http://fathom.info/macrecipes/

Onion News Story - $8 Billion Dollar Abortionplex

Check out this Onion News Story. It is disturbing, scary, and funny all at the same time. I mean there are defiantly days where I feel we aren't far from this. Yet the idea of it at the same time seems preposterous.

For those of you who don't know the Onion News Network is a fake news source to make fun of todays world.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/planned-parenthood-opens-8-billion-abortionplex,20476/

I love flow charts

So I love flow charts. When I saw this one I thought it was awesome. Check it out and I think you will agree. Honestly since its from College Humor I thought it wouldn't say go to class at all but it actually does.

graphjam.memebase.com/2011/04/08/funny-graphs-you-can-always-leave-at-the-break/

My Conclusions about Marijuana

So I have been a youth minister for around a year now. I have answered a lot of questions and spoke on a lot of topics. Some of them easy; some of them not so much. There are several that i don't have the best answers for that keep popping up. However there is one that I had very little answer for, especially if they asked a deep question about it. The topic of these questions was Marijuana.

I have kids ask me if its wrong and when I give the its illegal response, I always get the "well other than that" line from them. And i understand that cause although legality is a big thing they aren't coming to church to be lectured or taught about legality. They are asking a deeper question. "Does the Bible/God say that smoking is wrong?" After some study and some thought and prayer,
These are MY CONCLUSIONS:

God lays down two rules for us. Love him and Love others. Our lives can be spelled out in these two laws. Everything we do as Christians should be tested by these two.

First off like most things the actual action is not wrong (again outside of the legality problem). There are several things that he does say are wrong though. Most important of those, anything that is put as more important than God is wrong. This is where the first law comes into play. God wants everything from us; he wants nothing to be in between us and him. Marijuana use usually causes a person to begin to use more. It may not be in the form of addiction but lets face it the number one use of Marijuana is escape. This then means that we are not running to God but instead to a drug. It becomes what we put our trust in. While this may not happen to all can we really risk our relationship with God over a high? I would hope not but luckily this is not the only reason.

God says that getting drunk is wrong and it is pretty easy to assume that it is because of the loss of control and what can happen. I mean even the Bible shows this. (check out Genesis 19:30-35). Getting high definitely has some of the same effects as being drunk. How often do we here stories of people doing stupid things because they were high. (Granted people do stupid things without being high but that's just people being people). It is easy to see why God would not want this for us. He is all for us having fun but not at the risk of ourselves.

These are my main thoughts on the subject. If you are interested in a more in depth look at this then check out
http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/marijuana.html

Now I know someone is gonna ask "Well what about medical marijuana?" So here is a video of a guy talking about that subject.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKpjpxmvgO8

*Both of the links listed above are the only things that I am backing. Any other ideas of these sites or people are their own and I do not claim to back those.*

Cee Lo Green records a special song

So I first found out who Cee Lo Green was while watching the first episode of The Voice on NBC (Sidenote: This is an awesome show and you should check it out. Find past episodes on Hulu.) I liked him a little. Not exactly what I would consider the most moral person but he was funny and sincere.

Today I was listening to the radio today and heard something that caught me by surprised and really made me happy. Cee Lo has redone his #1 hit "Forget You" to honor volunteer firefighters. Called "Thank you" the song in partnership with duracell is really awesome. Check out the link below to see the video. Also check out the second link to hear Cee Lo talk about it.

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKQc7zFcCD0&feature=related

Behind the Scenes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oviUOyBMZQ&feature=relmfu

I don't know what to say

Check out this story. I really don't have anything I want to say but thought it was something that should be brought to the attention of those out there who might care.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110511/ap_on_re/us_rel_presbyterians_gays

Who's your daddy skype?

Alright for all you tech geeks out there. This one may come as a surprise and will either cause you great joy or great sadness. It seems that Microsoft has bought Skype. Yep thats right Skype is now a piece of the great Microsoft machine.

This could mean some really great stuff for you kinect users. They have already stated that it will interface with all their tech so we could see some really nice video chatting to come. Although we will have to see since you never know what Microsoft will do.

Oh yeah and with a price tag of 8.5 Billion they better do something sweet.

'Avengers' To Film Near Cincinnati - Entertainment News Story - WLWT Cincinnati

This is kind of exciting to me. Check out this story.

Hopefully we will find out more, but if not is anyone up for hide and seek with some movies stars?

'Avengers' To Film Near Cincinnati - Entertainment News Story - WLWT Cincinnati

Long time no post

I haven't posted in awhile. (yeah i know i am a horrible blogger) However I hope to be a little more diligent about posting.

One of the things that I look forward to posting on here is a series of posts that I will be working on. It is called "My Conclusion on..." This series of posts will happen periodically and will attempt to explain my view on topics of today. Most of them will be based on questions I have been asked about things in our walk with Christ. These will not just be my opinion either, well in a way I guess they will, but I will only have arrived at these conclusions through study and prayer. I hope these will be informative to people who have hard questions about their faith. If you have a question you would like me to take a look at email me at savedman97@gmail.com or leave a comment on one of my posts.

Also watch for posts about funny, neat, or weird things I find. As well as things that I want to give my straight opinion on. (No worries you'll know these cause I'll probably start them with in my opinion.)


God Bless and In Christ's Love
Jeremy