Questions 41 - 45

41. At amusement parks, are you drawn more to the scariest roller coaster of the tamest merry-go-round? Why?

Roller coaster, all the way! Just keep telling yourself that they test these things, millions of others have ridden it and lived, and that nothing can go wrong. Then make sure not to watch any of those "When things go wrong" t.v. shows! Why ride them then? Because in reality there is this one in a billion chance things could go wrong and that little bit of error is what makes it feel thrilling to take a risk.

42. When was the last time you danced? Rate your dancing on a scale of 1 to 10.

Besides dancing around the living room with my kids, the last time I dances was at my friend Darrell's wedding. I would rate my dancing as a 2.5 out of 10. I got no rhythm, two left feet, and I get winded moving for more than 30 seconds.

43. What are some of the wildest animals you have ever touched?

Hmm...I have touched a shark and stingray in a tank at an aquarium. But actually "in the wild" I have swam with Manatee (large sea mammals often called a sea cow). I was snorkeling once in Florida when three or four of them swam up to me and surface about a foot from my face. They swam around me (did I mention these things are about two to three thousand pounds) and I was able to pet one of them. Very cool.

44. How many hours do you spend on your computer each day? How much of that time is "surfing the web"?

I work at a desk with a computer for about eight hours a day. I sometime (like now) spend time on the web at home too. I usually spend about an hour a day "surfing".

45. What makes you tick?

Wow. What a question. I am honest and sincere. I enjoy gathering information and drawing conclusions. I like to learn new things and gain not just knowledge but wisdom. I am a seeker of truth.

Questions 36 - 40

36. What's the story of a time you got locked out?

One morning I had to take my daughter, who was about three at the time, to my sister-in-laws for the day. I was not the one who usually did this task, but my wife was in mandatory realtor training starting at a time earlier than I had to go to work. I got Jalyn and her things out to the car, buckled the car seat, and sat down to start the car...oh-ooh...no keys. I had no cell phone at the time so I had to walk up and down the neighborhood knocking on doors until I found someone home. Luckily my sister-in-law was up and came to get us. I had to wait until my wife was out of her training to get into the house.

37. When was the last time yo had to give a speech?
How did it go?

Actually, I spoke in chapel at work today. It went fine. I discussed the resurrection and the power it had to change the disciples lives. After I spoke we had an open discussion time that lasted nearly an hour. So I think it went well.

38. How often do you get sick?

I get really sick, by that I mean go-to-the-doctor sick, about twice a year. Usually in the Spring and once in the Fall. With my asthma though, I hang onto a head cold four or five times a year.

39. What's something valuable that you accidentally broke?
Describe the situation.

I have "accidentally" totaled two cars and had at least three other major accidents involving vehicles. Most of these were before I was 25 year old...which is why teenage boys pay high insurance I guess. There are too many details to tell here. Safe to say I am a much more cautions and conscience driver.

40. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "fun"?

Movies. Going to movies with my friends. Staying at home and watching a movie with my wife.

Resurrection week

This past Sunday my family and I spent time just reading through the biblical account of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. My seven year old ask some very good questions. Questions like "why did the people shoot for him and then want him to die a few days later?" Or..."Why did the people ask him to tell his followers to stop singing?" She even asked why he stopped to weep for Jerusalem.

We attend a nondenominational church that is very cautious of religious ceremonies. I'm not complaining. Sitting through a "high" service at some denominations is enough to to drive me batty. But sometimes I wish we had a little pomp and circumstance for "high holy days" like this week. I enjoyed the time together as a family just reading what the Word had to say for himself.

Take some time to read through the gospel accounts of Jesus' last week. When you know you are about to die then people are telling others the most important stuff. No holding back. No beating around the bush. So go, look, read, and think about what He said and did that week. He was a man on a mission, and he was stead fast in his accomplishment of that mission! Pray that God will strengthen you to be as steady and sure as Christ!

Take some time this week to get ready for the "Super Bowl" of Christianity...if it wasn't for this one day;this one event; then we would have nothing. The resurrection is our hope! If he returned and promised to be the "first fruits" of all mankind, then what a day of rejoicing this should be!!!!

Saying goodbye to a friend of the family...

I have been blessed recently with being able to buy a newer car. I have been driving a 1992 Mazda MPV minivan for about five years now. Why I call this little van a fiend of the family is because it has been with our family since 1993. My mom and dad originally owned it for about nine years. It saw us on family trips as kids and numerous moving trips back and forth for college for me, my sister, and my brother.

When they bought the van I was graduating college that year. My sister was driving her own car, and my parents decided that their full size Econoline conversion van was too big an too costly to drive. So they "downsized" to the MPV. Better gas mileage and easier to maneuver through traffic. I remember like it was yesterday...mom haggling with the salesman over $100 like a shrewed Arabian street vendor. My dad rolling his eyes and us kids waiting hours and hours as the final details of the contract were negotiated. Since then the MPV has proven worth the wait.

I remember one trip in particular when were bringing my brother home from Ball State. Me, my mom, my brother, and my aunt Wanda (she's the crazy aunt every family has) were piled into the MPV with just about every earthly possession my brother owned. We actually packed my brother in the seat and then put stuff on top of him...it was the only way to get us all in there. Anyway, we got to laughing about something that tickled us and we had to stop at a hospital ER on the way home because I had an asthma attack from laughing so hard! That's the kind of stuff that happened with my family. Fun memories. Memories that took place either in or around this little hunk of metal that is a Mazda MPV.




So with a sad "Goodbye" and a heart felt "thanks" I have decided to put her up for sale. I just hope and pray that she will bring as much joy or take people to a place of joy as she did for us these past fifteen years.

Questions 31 - 35

31. How often do you read your horoscope? Do you believe there's any truth to it?

Oh, I read it everyday because it is sooooo true and accurate! YEAH, right. And I read it while thumbing my coin I just got from the tooth fairy which was laying under some eggs and candy left by the Easter Bunny who bumped into the jolly old fat elf on his way out the door.....

32. What kind of movies do you like most? Why?

I like guy movies. I like sci-fi, action, mystery, and epic tales. My favorite series of movies are Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, and Star Trek. anything related to comic heroes (Batman, Superman, etc) are appreciated too. As are Westerns, historical topics, biographies, and so on and so on....I LIKE MOVIES! (I even like musicals.)

33. When was the last time you hurt your toe so hard it brought tears to your eyes?

The last time I hurt my toe that bad was last summer I opened the freezer door and a package of frozen bacon fell square on my big toe nail. I had a bruise under my nail for nearly three months until the nail finally grew out.

34. How do you get rid of pesky phone calls from telemarketers?

The quick way is to say something like: "I know you are doing your job, so nothing personal but I'm not interested" and then I hang up. Sometimes if I'm feeling quirky, I'll say: "Okay, sounds great! How about this: give me your home phone number and I'll call you when your off work?" I've never had a response.....

35. What are you a "natural" at doing?

Sleeping. Eating. Watching T.V. I have been able to do all three since birth. As I have grown up I have added whining and complaining. Real easy stuff those....

Roman empire and Camelot

Having recently watched King Arthur and The Last Legion, I was contemplating how Romans became British heroes and legends. And I was wondering if there are any connections or correlations between the Roman Empire being depicted in the Bible as the final evil empire of the Devil (see Daniel 9) and the rise of Camelot?

Follow me here - as I see it, the Romans pretty much sum up all that is evil with man's quest for power: killings at will, slaughter of civilizations and cultures, obscene wealth and poverty together at the same time, etc. Then you have Camelot: peace, equality, justice, etc. Is the move from Rome to Camelot a literary way of men expressing their belief and desire to see an evil world reformed to one of good. A paradise if you will? But a paradise of man's making. Not the paradise that God has planned. The one He died to make for us. But men have the pride to think they can create some form of paradise here on earth.

Let us not forget that Camelot faded. It died when men's hearts were true to what they have always been: Evil and wicked. Love becomes lust. Justice becomes vengeance. Equality eroded in favor of royalty. When man lays the foundation, the plan is sure to fail. But if the foundation is God, then we can rest assure that the Rock of His Word will never fail!

Maybe next time we think of dear ole Arthur and his Round Table knights we will remember that no man can bring perfection here on earth besides Jesus Christ.

My Family

Just a quick little post to introduce my family a bit. The beautiful woman is my wife, Amy, and the two adorable kids are Jalyn and Luke.

And these three Batman wannabes??? Just the three kids my wife has to put up with on a daily basis.