Don't cry Brian....

seriously... What the heck? I'd like to know the part of the Bible that tells me that I'm going to Hell for going to the movies... Maybe it's in the Apocryphal texts...

People need to stop doing this crap... It really doesn't help save people, it pushes them away... Maybe they just want Heaven all to themselves... Jerks...

Thanks Pastor...



Remember this message is "Chuck Norris Approved."

Happy Veterans Day!

Be sure you thank a Veteran...

Yeah, yeah, its my birthday too, but Veterans have done much more for us than I have. So wish me a happy birthday if you must, but more importantly thank a Veteran for their service to our(their) country.

I am sure they would appreciate it. Unfortunately, I don't think they get thanked enough.

We should thank them everyday, not just 2 or 3 specific days out of the year... Thank them for the sacrifices they've made. Thank them for their protection of our freedoms that we take for granted so easily. Thank them for the dangers that they've encountered and prevailed over on our account.

Just thank them...

Info on Veterans Day

Some of my favorite Chuck Norris "Facts"

#1
A Handicapped parking sign does not signify that this spot is for handicapped people. It is actually in fact a warning, that the spot belongs to Chuck Norris and that you will be handicapped if you park there.

#2
Chuck Norris invented Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous secret recipe, with eleven herbs and spices. But nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear.

#3
The Great Wall of China was originally created to keep Chuck Norris out. It failed miserably.

#4
Chuck Norris once roundhouse kicked someone so hard that his foot broke the speed of light, went back in time, and killed Amelia Earhart while she was flying over the Pacific Ocean.

#5
Faster than a speeding bullet ... more powerful than a locomotive ... able to leap tall buildings in a single bound... yes, these are some of Chuck Norris's warm-up exercises.

#6
Some people like to eat frogs' legs. Chuck Norris likes to eat lizard legs. Hence, snakes.

#7
Chuck Norris CAN believe it's not butter.

#8
When an episode of Walker Texas Ranger was aired in France, the French surrendered to Chuck Norris just to be on the safe side.

#9
When Steven Seagal kills a ninja, he only takes its hide. When Chuck Norris kills a ninja, he uses every part.

#10
Chuck Norris and Mr. T walked into a bar. The bar was instantly destroyed, as that level of awesome cannot be contained in one building.

#11
If you spell Chuck Norris in Scrabble, you win. Forever.

I've listened to this song a hundred times, but for some reason today the lyrics really caught my ear...
*
Full Lyrics

This song makes me think about how much I doubt God and his plan... I often wonder what exactly God wants me to do here... What He has planned for me... Sometimes I wonder if what I am currently doing is what God wants me to do... If He even realizes how hard it is to be a Christian in this world...

Then the first and last parts of the song come to mind...

"The rain falls on the righteous and the wicked
Mine is not to reason why this is
In this I rest in this I find my refuge
That my thoughts and ways are not His
I spend my life on looking up the answers
It’s rare that I can’t find a reason why
But reasons fail at children without mothers
His plan is more than I can know"

"I have spoken too soon put my hand over my mouth
I can’t contend with You
Your ways are so much higher
And we pass through the fire that Christ endured before us
When You were in the wilderness"

Then I realize that this is my sinful self making me doubt God and His plan... His supreme wisdom... Of course He knows what it is like to be a man... He was one... Jesus Christ, and He paid the Ultimate Sacrifice for our sins... He knows the full burden of God's wrath... So who am I to complain that God doesn't know what its like... or How difficult it is to live in this world...

I should be grateful of His love and His willingness to send His one and only Son to die on the cross for my sins, your sins, everyone's sins... Past... Present... Future...

I shouldn't be angry that the life of a Christian is not an easy one... I should be happy that I have been given the opportunity to say that I am a Christian, and that I serve Christ and that He(Jesus) is the ONLY way to heaven...

I shouldn't be ashamed of Christ... Who cares if people stop wanting to talk to me... Who cares if I am labeled a fanatic... Who cares if people see Christ in me and despise me...

I shouldn't care...

But I do...

Everyday I have opportunities to talk to people about Him... Practically on a tee to hit straight into Heaven... but I avoid it... I ignore the conversation when it steers that way... I even participate in the conversations that I shouldn't be participating in...

I am scared what might happen... I'm scared of being labeled... I'm scared of becoming an outcast...

I want to be more bold for Christ, I do... I do... but(i know there shouldn't be any "but") I am scared...

Questions hit my brain all the time...

What if they ask me something I don't know the answer to?
What if I make them think worse of Christ?
What if they see my example and think that is how all Christians are?
What if they say 'yes'?

Right now my heart is aching... I hate what I have become... I hate what I am... I am a coward... I don't deserve anything He has given me... I never have...

*And yes Miss Aura, it is a copyrighted song. I'm not selling it, and its not available for download from this site either. Its only there so you can hear the song...

Here is the video Dan was talking about Brendon...


Here is another one he does...


And here is Goblin Bloggin'


Everyone has to love this, or Chuck Norris will find out, and that would be bad... Very bad...

more facts about Chuck Norris

Some might enjoy this...

Have you seen this person?
He has been missing for quite some time...

Name: Samuel

Age: 21
Race: Caucasian
Missing Since: August 2007

Also known as:
Ugly
Chump
Jerk
Snot
Sam
Manuel
Monkey
Uncle Monkey

If seen, do NOT approach, as he is very skiddish, and may run.
Do NOT corner him, he can become violent if he feels threatened.
Instead call a family member to inform us of his current location.
Or try and bribe him into your car with a trail of candy or popcorn.

We miss Samuel very much and wish he
would come home and back to church.

We just want him to know his family
misses him and loves him very much.

Thank you for reading this announcement.
We hope you will be able to help us.

My future kid...


Interrupting Completely Uncalled for...


South Park's story about Joseph Smith
It's got a little cursing towards the end, so beware.


Go long for Jesus...

Trunk Monkey...


Little Superstar...


Evolution of Dance...


Different candies in various beverages...


Lost Experiment...


If you don't like it... too bad...

I know all its been is videos lately... but come on... They are hilarious...


The Chronic(what?)cles of Narnia!

gotta have more cowbell...

Random videos today.... sorry...


Holy Smokes... 2000+ Horses...


This will get stuck in your brain...


Amazing.... Check out all his videos...

more later I'm late

ok... well after much bothering by Jourdan, I am posting a new post on my blog... Yay... well not really yay... Some maybe be excited, most not so much, they probably thought I died, and were happy. No such luck...

Well today I am posting about old friends... Old friends as in the people I used to work with. Why is it that when you get together with old friends, its like it hasn't even been that long?

You start talking, and re-acquainting with each other, and then its like there was never any time lost. Still joking around, horsing around, talking about the good old days, where people are today... Its seems like only minutes, but actually hours have gone by...

Truthfully I am very fearful of people and social gatherings, but once I get to know someone(s), its hard to keep me quiet... You may not like what I have to say a lot of the time, but thats what you get for letting me get comfortable with you.

So when I see/visit someone I used to be fantastic friends with, there is no nervousness involved, even if it has been a few years... It feels like only yesterday we were working together.

I may not seem like it sometimes, the way I treat people, but I really do enjoy conversing and talking to people. I may be a jerk a lot of the time, but hardly ever is it seriously directed at someone... I may call you a Jerk, or make fun of something you enjoy doing, or even hassle you about your job/school. But all in all its just my way of making conversation.

Sorry this post jumped around a bit, not really a focus. I just had a fantastic conversation with an old co-worker and it inspired me to possibly write something... Hope this counts as a satisfactory post.

I am definitely going to try and post more often, mainly to keep Jourdan off my back. Because quite frankly, she scares me.

Have a great day ya'll. Pray Education Celebration goes well, and someone hears the gospel and takes advantage of God's free gift of eternal life. I know I'm glad I did.

Hey sorry again for the lack of posts. Hmm... two and a half weeks... Thats quite a while...

Anyways, since Brendon called me out, on the 4th of July I got this:

It is a 1983 Honda V65 Magna 1100CC. I got mine from the same guy as Brendon and it came with a parts bike as well. It doesn't need any real work done on it. It works great. I have been riding it the last few days as much as I can. Even just riding around the church parking lot.

I plan on using it as my main means of transportation to and from work and stuff.

I do plan on changing the oil and filters to Amsoil. This oil is kind of a family tradition. My grandpa sold it, my father sold it, and now my sister and her husband are selling it. Amsoil was the first Full Synthetic Motor Oil to meet API service requirements. If you are wanting to help relieve dependence on foreign oil... Go Full Synthetic. If Amsoil interests you, let me know... Its really not that much different cost wise, and the benefits are a lot better.

So for those of you who didn't know I got a bike... SURPRISE!!

Thanks for reading guys. I'll try and post more often if ya'll desire... but no promises...

First off, I am sorry for not posting in almost two weeks... Brendon complained to me on thursday... So my apologies to those who are desperate to read my ramblings...

Anyways today I was talking a friend about how some Christian Bands were unbending in their faith of Jesus, they didn't care who knew... But then there are so-called "Christian" bands that try to distance themselves unless its beneficial to themselves...

Those who don't know, I really like music, I can't sing, I can't play, so about all I can do is listen... And I had for a few months gotten into a lot of praise music. I like it, but not as much as more rocky type music. So after a few months of listening and enjoying it, I decided to see what Christian bands were similar to the secular bands I like. Supertones came up... I think I really like the horns in unison with the rest of the music, it almost makes it bouncy. They sound a lot like Reel Big Fish, but not secular. Almost every song I have of them singing is about Christ. I especially like this song: , and this one too: , and this one:

well anyways... I am really feeling blessed by this music, Audio Adrenaline is another one I am currently liking.

Well me being one to want to listen to new music, I had heard of a band, The Fray, that my boss liked. I didn't particularly like the songs they sang, not that they were bad, just not my taste... well one day I heard someone say that they were Christian, I was like cool... Maybe I misjudged them... So I went looking around the interweb. and saw an article on Christianity Today, I was reading it and then I didn't want anything more to do with The Fray... Here's why:

The band avoided Christian record labels, saying God called them to the secular market instead. "I feel he would be disappointed with us if we limited ourselves," Wysocki says.

Slade says he used to "write all Christian lyrics" until he had an epiphany while working a shift at Starbucks: "None of my friends outside the church understood any of my songs; we had a different set of vocabulary," he says. "So I went home and threw away all those songs."

He adds, "If I handed somebody a double grande mocha latte and told them, 'Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,' they might throw it back on me. (So what! At least you tried).

"If we grow up in the church, it's easy to think it's our Christian duty to preach to every single person because God is the most important thing. And he is, but I'm a musician first. This is my job. We're not pastors. We're not preachers. We're not even missionaries."

Slade likens his job to any other. "If you're a painter, paint, but you don't have to have Jesus in every picture(Why not?). Paint well, and if you paint well enough, they might ask you why you do that."

See how this would make me upset... What they are saying is totally opposite of what we should be doing. We should make Christ part of everything in our lives. Not just do it when we are comfortable, or when it is convenient. That way people aren't just wondering "Why do you do that?" Making Christ the focus of everything you do, People will ask "Why do you do this for Jesus? How can Jesus work through me? How can I have Jesus in my life just like He is in yours?"

Why would you claim to be followers of Christ and then hide your faith when you have the greatest opportunity to share it? This angers me, but also shows how I am a hider of my faith when it is inconvenient.

I dunno why this made me angry... I'm not even a fan of their music... its too sappy...

Stop ripping off Nikola Tesla!! It's getting annoying.... see what I mean, Brendon will agree... jerks...

Today I was driving around for deliveries and started thinking, for me this can be dangerous... I am not very good at doing too many things at one time...

I was thinking, "You know how people ask you, 'So who's you hero, and why?'" I thought to myself.

My grandpa(passed away January '06) is my hero. He was a man who found God in everything. Taught that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That no one goes to the Father except by believing in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. He taught Sunday School, he helped my grandma in the church library, he used his engineering talents to build and fabricate many different things around the house. Everything he did he gave to the Glory of God. At Christmas Eve every year he would read from the 2nd chapter of Luke, then would explain the scripture and what it meant/means to us. I regret never really listening, I will never hear it again. But thats alright, he is in heaven having a fantastic time. And one day I hope we will both be there to praise God together with all the others who have gone home to be with Christ.

Then I was thinking, "Gee... Grandpa was a lot like John the Baptist. He proclaimed God's grace and mercy and forgiveness, all that was needed was repentance and faith." Then I thought, "John the Baptist is my hero." John's unashamed proclamation of salvation in the coming Christ. He didn't care how he was dressed, how dirty he was(but with a name like Baptist, he was probably pretty squeaky clean, and pruney), he didn't care that he couldn't cut his hair, ate locusts and honey for food. He didn't care that he was blunt and to the point, no dancing around it... I admire that. His only goal was to reach the people to get them to repent, and to realize the Messiah was coming(and had actually come).

I want that unabashed faith in God, to proclaim His plan for our salvation through Christ Jesus. I want to be more John the Baptist like in my ability to talk to others about Christ. I want to be bold for God. Unwavering, unashamed and shouting God's grace and mercy to all those around me.

If any of ya'll have actually talked to me, you know that I am very much the opposite of John the Baptist in terms of openness to others about anything.

So today my prayer is that God would give me the strength to overcome my fears of others, and my fears of expressing my faith, and give me the strength and knowledge to share with others.

Now don't get me wrong, there is a difference in a hero and The Saviour

So am I allowed to have two heroes? Grandpa and John the Baptist?

I only want one Saviour.

Thanks for reading.

For those who don't know yet... Yesterday I was arrested...

Yes that is correct finally Paul was arrested. Except that it wasn't for doing anything wrong... Here goes...


Yesterday I was writing an e-mail, and all of the sudden I hear my mom screaming bloody murder in the backyard, "Sam! Sam! Sam! Sam!, etc...(about a thousand times)" I'm in my room which over looks the back porch where she was... and can hear her loud and clear. I thinking she has hurt herself... So I go running down the stairs, Sam is right in front of me... Then I hear "Paul get your cat out of the window..." I thinking, "Whats wrong with my cat?" so I go back to my room and snatch my cat out of the window... Well turns out there is a hole in the screen, and my mom thought he was going to jump 15ft to his death, so at 7:30 in the morning she starts screaming bloody murder... about a cat... a cat that has in the past done, what she saw him do, a million times before... a cat that is over 15 years old... But apparently she had first called my brother Sam on his phone to remove the cat from the window. He said he would but didn't. Reminds me of this.

Well anyways... after all that I look at the clock, I had forgotten I was supposed to deliver something to Buena Park at 8am. So I run back to my room shut the window, grab most of my stuff... and run out to the truck and drive off. Well, about halfway to the freeway on-ramp I realized I left my Bible and cell phone at home. So I turn around and go back home, park halfway into the driveway. And run up and get my Bible and phone. As I am heading back down the street, I see a cop. Cops are not my friends... They tend to single me out. So I make sure I am driving correctly, not speeding, etc... as I get closer to the corner he pulls his car out in front of mine blocking the street. Then he jumps out and points his gun at me telling me to turn the truck off...

Once I see the gun, my hands are in the air... He tells me to put my hands out the window and open the door. Problem is the outside door handle of my truck is non-op. So he was yelling at me to open the door and keep my hands up out side. I had to open it. I used the inside handle. I didn't get shot. Yay!

Now I am outside the car and he tells me to turn around, and walk backwards... I shout to him, "What did I do?", he says "Get on the ground now!" Keep in mind the gun is still pointed at me... I get on the ground and he says "Cross your legs!" I cross my legs. He says, "Put your legs out to the side!" I uncross my legs, and spread them. He yells "I said cross your legs!" I say to the asphalt, "But you just said spread your legs." This goes on until another cop arrives with gun drawn on me. I finally get it figured out that he wanted my legs crossed and my "hands" out to my sides... Buffoon.

heh... take that jerk. Now face down on the street, legs crossed and arms spread out to my sides. The new cop that just arrived moments ago, comes walking over to me, still with gun drawn... I say, "What did I do?" He says, "We'll tell you what you did, you (expletive deleted)." Ok, I stopped talking, they were being ridiculous. They cuff me and then roll me over on my right side. And start searching my pockets... In my left pocket were two packets of Pop-Tarts, like I said I was late for work and grabbed food and ran. Well, as he is about to reach into my pocket I say, "Wanna Pop-Tart?" So then they stood me up and walked me over to the cruiser, and finished searching my pockets. I thought it odd they never asked if I had anything sharp in them... And they only searched 4 of the 7 pockets the shorts have.

After groping around in my pockets they decided to ask me some questions...

"Where are you going?" I'm late for work.

"Why in such a hurry?" I said I'm late for work.

"Whats all the screaming about?" Now, I am totally lost, I had forgotten what had just happened 20 minutes ago. Then I remembered and told them, "It was my mom screaming because she thought the cat was going to jump to his death."

They said "That's it?" Yes.

"Is you mom home?" I see her car and say Yes.

"Will she verify that thats all that happened?" I hope so.

So one goes down to the house and I look in my corner neighbors window and see she is on her phone watching this whole thing... Nice. They stuff me in the back of the cruiser, and I say, "This is the first time I have ever been in the back of a cruiser with cuffs on." The first cop, says to me ,"Lets hope you're not lying about the screams." I say, "I assure you I am not." Then he takes my info, and then has the nerve to make small talk with me...

"Oh... you have a motorcycle license?" Yeah...

The cop who went down to the house called back and said, no one is answering, does he have a key to the house? We are going to have to "make entry." I say try calling her cell phone... They call my mom, tell her the deputies are at the door and she need to speak with them... Turns out she was in the bathroom before they called.

Back to the car, after hearing them talk to mom the guy has the nerve to make small talk with me again...

"What kind of bike are you gonna get?" I want a Yamaha V-star 1100, but will take what I can get...(jerk)

"Your not gonna get a Harley?" No. (jerk)

Then some fat cop comes over and says, "I've never pulled Pop-Tarts off a guy before, hee- yuck hee-yuck." (jerk) Got all your giggles in on my behalf?

Anyways they call back saying my story is legit... So ten minutes after I hear them say to let me go, they finally decide to let me go. As they pull me out of the car I say to fatty, "Mind taking a picture?" He ignores me... Maybe hes eyeballing my breakfast... They un-cuff me, and say "Your stuff is all in your hat. You can leave now." Alright... no apology, no sorry about all this but its standard procedure.

Nice job guys... you really made me like the LA County Sheriffs Dept.

So apparently when my mom was waking the neighborhood, people called 911, then someone saw me run out to my truck and take off, Then I guess the same person saw me comeback. People thought I had hurt her and ran off then came back.

So here's what I have learned from this, mom needs not to scream bloody murder over a cat. Possibly murder, but not a cat. Sam needs to do what mom tells him to do in the first place. Not just go "uh huh". And I need to leave the house at a more reasonable time... If I had left sooner maybe they would have arrested Sam instead...

Ok, thats the arrest story that I will pass down to my kids and grandkids (Lord willing).

Thanks for reading.

I was out at an install today (those who don't know I am a Sign Installer, ask me later and I'll try and explain), and was talking to one of the underlings of the person I was supposed to meet. As she was trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing (I already knew what I was supposed to do, but they don't want to listen to the sign monkey), She finally told me what trucks I needed to work on.

I said to her, "Ok, so those two trucks that have no decals on them(just humoring her, it was pretty obvious which ones needed decals), well ya'll have all the leftover decals from the time we did the 20 other trucks, so I'll need those."

And she says, "'Ya'll' huh? I don't know anything about the decals, I'll go check."

So I walk back into the lobby, and she walks past and says, "I'll be right back. Where are you from?" I said, "America's Instant Signs." Thinking she needed to know what company I was with, typical question. She says, "No, like what state were you raised in? Why do you say 'Ya'll'?"

That kinda flustered me... I dunno why I say "ya'll", I was born and raised in Long Beach, CA. Just about as far away from the country one can get, and yet some of the words I use are very much not "SoCal lingo". Like some times I'll say "woursher" instead of "washer" or "'wourshing machine", or "couple three" instead of just three.

I can speak normally(if you think what I say is normal in the first place). I can say "The washer is done washing the washables, I'll put more washables in for washing.", I can say "You all need to stand here", or "Can I have three days off work in August?". My parents are from the mid-west, but moved out here when they were middle school aged. You hear a little bit from them, mostly dad, but I think I may use it a bit more than them.

Is it bad to talk like this? Does it make one sound "slow" or "dimwitted" or even just "plain lazy" for not attempting to pronounce the words correctly. Everyone knows I'm the first person to hassle someone for misspeaking. Its all in good fun though. Should I try and stop? Would I even be able to stop? Or would stopping be me denying where my family has come from? Would that be trying to distance myself from the mid-west in which my grandparents were raised?

I'm not embarrassed of my family, or where we come from. Dad's side is part Russian, part Swedish, living in Missouri, moving to California. My grandpa explained it to my dad in a great way when he was growing up.

Your quarter Russian, quarter Swedish, and all the rest is poor white trash from the south.

And my dad was proud as can be with that explanation. And I like it to...

Mom's side is... who knows a little bit of this a little of that, in know some Irish is in there, I looked it up. My grandpas great, great, great grandpa(follow the Clark line) was born in Ireland. So there my red headed sisters. You can no longer say you are not any part Irish. The green eyes and red hair had to come from somewhere. I wonder if he fought in the Revolutionary War. He lived forever too... 88 years... basically the same age as my grandpa when he died.

So anyways... I don't think I'll stop. If you don't like it, tell me, then get over it. There are more important things to worry about.

Like the coming onslaught of killer ladybugs. They eat babies you know... Think about it.

I love the Bible re-accountment of Elijah, and his work as a sole surviving prophet of Israel. I love how God did so many amazing things through this wanted man. He wasn't wanted because he had broken some law, no he was wanted because he loved God.

I would love to be a person so on fire for Jesus, that everywhere I went people would say, "There goes that Christian... He's crazy because he believes that the only way to go to heaven is through the belief in Jesus as the Son of God, I just hate him so much, that intolerant jerk. We should make it illegal to for him to be like that. We should kill him, so that there wont be any more like him."

That would be great, to be able to stand for Christ in the midst of any and all oppression. To declare aloud "Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and NO ONE gets to the Father except through Him." And for people to hear that and think it intolerant, would be correct. Christianity is not a belief of tolerance. Its a belief of faith in Christ Jesus that He died as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (past, present, and future), allowing us a relationship with a Holy God, instead of complete and udder destruction and eternity in hell. That belief is the one and only way for someone to get to Heaven, it is very intolerant.
Instead of the more common belief of the world that as long as your a "good"(what constitutes "good" in this fallen world?) person you can go to Heaven. Well the heaven that they are going to is not the Heaven I would like to go to. A heaven where there is no glorification of God in all His splendor, no endless praising of God, no New Jerusalem, just hangin' out with all the "good" people, who did "good" things according to their own opinions of "good." With no real belief in anything, no care for others eternal security, not wanting anything except for themselves, and for others to say "What a good person. I hope to chill with them in heaven some day, playin' my harp." Bleh...

Back to Elijah, In I Kings 18:20-40 Elijah is talking to King Ahab, and King Ahab says,

"Is that you (Elijah), O troubler of Israel?"

Elijah's response is,

"I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals."

No fear in Elijah, he's talking to the king of Israel, he stands firm in the truth of God. Whomever he talks to. Then he issues a command,

"Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table."

First you think, why is the king even listening to this guy still, he just totally bad mouthed him directly to his face. This king has already killed most of the prophets of God, why not one more. This just shows how great God is, in that one could stand in front of a king and tell him he is wrong.

So all the false prophets were gathered together, along with all of Israel on Mt. Carmel (great name by the way, we're going down candy cane lane next time). And Elijah said,

“How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”

He's like "Dude, ya'll can't be like 'I worship the LORD', and then the next minute turn and start worshiping Baal. Ya'll gotta choose." Thats like the people who are like "I'm a Christian but I believe in evolution too", or "I'm a Christian, but I like some of the Buddhist beliefs too." That's basically saying, I don't really trust in God to be my one and only, He's just not "big" enough to have created the earth in 6 days, or He's just not wise enough to think of this philosophy. Guys(gals too), God made it all... how is it so difficult to read the first freakin' verse of the Bible you "believe" in and still say evolution is the truth.

Well just like most people nowadays react when confronted with this sin, Israel "responded" appropriately,

"But the people answered him not a word."

They knew they had sinned, they knew they were in the wrong, they had no answer for their polytheistic ways.

Then Elijah challenged the people and their "prophets",

“I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”

The way Elijah phrased this, he was already secure in who would win this challenge, "...and the God who answers by fire, He is God." I think that is awesome, to be so secure in one's faith that they are unafraid to blatantly point out the outcome before the challenge has even begun. That's like me going to the first Angels game of the season and saying before the first pitch is thrown, "Hey, you pit your teams against mine, and when the Angels have scored enough runs, we'll call them the world champions." That's giving them everything before anything has even started.

And all Israel responded in a "can't wait to see this fashion",

“It is well spoken.”

Don't be too excited, your about to see an amazing thing happen, false god vs. The LORD. Saturday all-day PPV event, call your local cable provider for details. Held at beautiful Mt. Carmel, bring the kids, its a great family event. Baal vs. The Creator of the Universe. Saturday! Saturday! Saturday!

Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal,

“Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

Nice of him to give them first go. Builds up the suspense a little bit. "This guy is nuts, Baal is gonna torch this thing and he wont even get a chance to try." Read on.

So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.

Hmm... I wonder whats going on... "But there was no voice; no one answered." Maybe jumping jacks might help, you know gets the blood flowing, maybe Baal doesn't answer unless your in top physical condition. Read on.

And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”

Now Elijah, you'll get your turn, you don't have to be rude. This wasn't necessarily supposed to be mean, he was just pointing out how some of their beliefs in Baal were goofy and dumb, for a god to be sleeping, traveling, busy, or meditating is fairly ridiculous, because how is this god supposed to be a god if he is napping. I guess you gotta get in touch with his assistant and make an appointment for some fire from nowhere.

So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention."

Baal must be commanding fire somewhere else, but we'll get ya'll some band-aids anyways. Now its Elijah's turn.

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.

Whats wrong with this guy... water won't burn. He must be trying to make a lame excuse for when his prayers go unanswered. 'The wood was too wet.", etc... Crazy old Elijah, too many raven burgers, they've gotten to him. And where does he think we'll get this water, there is a drought going on...

Then Elijah prayed,

And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”

I love this prayer. He has the earnest desire for Israel to turn back to God and away from the idolatry. And that last word of the prayer is sad... again. Not just turning their hearts back to God, but having turned away so many times in the past that that word "again" has to be used. I can't believe how unbelieving a nation such as Israel could become after witnessing such great and miraculous things. It just makes me want to scream. But that wont help.

Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

Beautiful! The fire of the LORD burned up everything, even the dust. The dust! And even more beautiful, it "licked up" all the water that had over flowed into the trench around the altar. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back and see just how amazing this act was. But with the Bible, and a good imagination I can get some idea, but nowhere close to what actually happened.

Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”

Oh... so now you believe... it only took one fantastic miracle, oh no what... God currently has a drought going... oh and then theres only The Exodus, David vs. Goliath, etc... God was constantly working miracles, and ya'll refused to believe. Ya'll decided "you" knew better than God.

And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.

Fantastic, get rid of them while they're in one place. Also while the people are all gung ho for God again. But it will fade... we all know it will fade.

I look at Elijah and see how one can be a fantastic witness for God in any circumstance. I wish I had the boldness of Elijah when he stood before Ahab and spoke the truth. To proclaim God as the LORD of all to all that were there, and for all that read or hear about it later. Thank you Elijah for your love for God and your desire for Israel to return to Him. I see where John the Baptist is Elijah returned. His only desire was for Israel to turn back to God and see that the Messiah was soon coming.

We should all be like Elijah or John the Baptist, with our desire to be like Christ and seeking Him, so strong that we want nothing more than for others to have that same desire, no matter the cost, be it ridicule, embarrassment, suffering, or hatred.

Thanks for reading, I gotta get to sleep.

One never realizes just how much of a sinner they are, until people pray aloud for them about how much of a Christian one is and how much they have seen that person grow in Christ. Tonight was the C&C prayer meeting (which was great by the way). And Nate had everyone pray for each person that was there.

After Brendon was prayed for, it moved on to me, and some of the things mentioned hit me like, "I don't feel like that," or "Am I really all these things that they are praying/thanking God for/about me?" I know it wasn't supposed to make me ashamed of calling myself a Christian, but it sure made me realize how much I behave like one some places and not others. How it feels like a facade to call one self a Christian, and only behave like one around other Christians. Sometimes I wonder if I even can do that.* Its just makes me sick inside when people praise how "Christian" I am. And I look at myself and see all the hate, anger, spite, lust, deceit, filth and grime, and I think "I'm no Christian... please don't praise me, and for heaven's sake don't follow my example." I feel a lot like a song by Casting Crowns called Stained Glass Masquerade



I know that even recognizing this is a step in the right direction towards Christ-like behavior. I know that one will never be perfect on this side of heaven, you can only strive to get as close as possible.

So as I write this blog I am currently evaluating some of the many factors that cause me to hide my faith some places and not in others and how I can make myself more bold in my walk with Christ no matter where I go.

One of the issues I have is a fear of crowds and large social gatherings. I don't know what it is about it. Maybe it's the dozens of voices talking at once, or just the lack of personal space. Maybe the unfamiliar people, or just me being stupid and not controlling this fear. But I see myself running for the door every time I am in one of these situations.

Another is my inability to hold a lasting conversation about anything... Usually its mostly one sided with me listening, maybe throwing a few words in and then there being an awkward silence. How can I be a proclaimer of Christ's redemptive sacrifice if I can't even tell someone "how I am doing today"? Instead its a "I'm good, you?" even though I'm not. Then half-listening to them say "I'm good, thanks" and then separating from one another.

One thing I have noticed more about myself lately is that I have grown more openly honest. Which I don't know if thats good or bad (probably bad). Ask me a question and I won't usually dance around it, even if the answer is not one you want to hear. But this has also gotten me in trouble sometimes. I have been told I need to filter what and how I say things. You know the whole think before you talk thing. Especially being in politically correct. But as most people know I'm no hippie, and I don't act like a hippie. And being politically correct is just lame.

So now I am searching Bible Gateway, for some kind of relevant verse. I look up hypocrite, and find this:

James 1:26

26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

That sure made me feel better...**

And then I started reading my Bible, and I started reading through Psalm again, and I found this:

Psalm 6:1-7

1 LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger;
do not discipline me in Your wrath.

2 Be gracious to me, LORD, for I am weak;
heal me, LORD, for my bones are shaking;

3 my whole being is shaken with terror.
And You, LORD— how long?

4 Turn, LORD! Rescue me;
save me because of Your faithful love.

5 For there is no remembrance of You in death;
who can thank You in Sheol?

6 I am weary from my groaning;
with my tears I dampen my pillow
and drench my bed every night.

7 My eyes are swollen from grief;
they grow old because of all my enemies.

Then Psalm 38, is one Nate brought up at the meeting:

1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,

Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
2 For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.

3 There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.

6 I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
7 For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

9 Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

11 My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
12 Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.

13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
14 Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.

15 For in You, O LORD, I hope;
You will hear, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”

17 For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I will declare my iniquity;
I will be in anguish over my sin.
19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
20 Those also who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

21 Do not forsake me, O LORD;
O my God, be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

Now I pray LORD please don't leave me, make come quickly and help me, make me stronger in You. Help me to put all my trust and faith in You. And not try and do it all myself. I am weary from the weight of my sins, take them from me that I can be a more glorifying person for You. Help me to make sure my religion is not useless. Thank You God for Your grace and mercy. None of which I deserve, but because You loved me, You sent Your Son to die for me. Now all You ask is for me to be more like Him, to strive for perfection in all I do. Thank You for putting this on my heart to want to love and serve and be more honest for and about You. Thank You for your grace. Amen.

Thank you all for reading, hopefully it wasn't completely incoherent.

*Ask Emily about the sign-language, or don't, it doesn't make her happy, and I think that's why I do it. For the reaction. Something I have got to work on ending.
**obvious sarcasm.

at the time of finally finishing this post it is now 6:30am Saturday.

more random videos...



The second part of Batman on "I'm a Marvel and I'm a DC"




"Berries and Cream" for Brendon per Jason


Definition of a Code Monkey

I didn't realize how many people read my blog. It's weird going to church and someone coming up and saying "I read your post on Monday.", or "I really like the video you posted on Wednesday." etc... I kind of figured that some would read it, but not so many as have. I guess that’s what happens when your link shows up on popular blogs such as Emily's and Brendon's.

I guess I should say thanks to those who have read it, and commented on it. It kind of makes me feel less stupid for trying this out. Like it's not all completely dumb ramblings. Like this one.

Today I feel compelled to write about how I keep sane on the freeways, driving all day, with all those crazy orange countyites.*

Listening to music has always been my way of not going all road ragey on people. If you didn't know I actually have quite a temper. And it only seems to get more enraged when people drive stupidly around me. When Brendon, Rachel and I were at Magic Mountain I told him, "I just in a punching mood today."

I know, I know, I not one to talk about proper driving procedure. Just look at the front of my truck. But that was mainly because my brain stopped working in the middle of a left turn. Otherwise I think I am pretty good driver. Others may say different.

Anyways back to music, I used to listen to Kroq 106.7 on the radio, or if I had a cd it was usually a Reel Big Fish CD, or something like System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, Black Sabbath, etc... I used to feel that the harder, edgier it was the more relaxed while driving I was. I would sing along**, not caring about the lyrics, just liking the sound.

Then I wondered one day, "Is this music, for all intents and purposes, good for me?" Like was it helping me grow in Christ? I actually sat an listened to some of it. And decided that no it wasn't. Now I still like the music, but its not going to be on my radio for a long time.

So I started listening to The Fish 95.5. Considering the only Christian music I own is Veggie Tales CDs. I listened to that for a while, but grew tired of the amount of actual "Christian" music they played. Its a great station and I am sure a lot of people really enjoy it. But for me it just wasn't flying.

So I started listening to political radio, and just found myself getting angry.

Well one day at work I was messing with my HD-Radio (which is awesome by the way), trying to find the different HD-Sub-stations. While doing that I stumbled upon a station coming from Redlands. Its called KSGN 89.7, and its fantastic. It plays all "Christian" worship type music. They don't have a very large song list, but thats alright because most the songs they do play are great no mater how many times I hear them. Now I know that when I sing** along its usually glorifying to God. And I feel less angry when I drive.

My only issue is that the station comes in very faintly and I am always struggling to keep it up. So now I have to go buy some new CDs to fill those dead areas.

So give it a listen if you can catch it. They also stream online so try there if you like. Its also completely listener supported. So there are very few commercials.

Thanks again for reading. I'll see ya'll sometime this week Thursday or Sunday.

Pslam 126:2-3

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."

3 The LORD has done great things for us,
And we are glad.


*I have had more drivers try to kill me in OC than in LAC.

**singing is a term used lightly. Like I told nate on saturday, "I can't sing, play, or do anything musically, but I can usually tell when something/someone doesn't play/sing right. And I usually get chastised for pointing it out.

just some random stuff I found pretty funny....


Spiderman, Superman & Batman...


Bruce Campbell Rules


Moo & Oink... I wish we had a moo & oink...


If you ever played Genesis you'll get this... not necessarily funny as much as odd...


Glad I never took Driver's ed... I might have killed somebody.


Racewalker!

Today was an odd kinda wake-up call... I was kinda hoping for about 7 hours sleep, but me being a fairly light sleeper, heard my dog barking in the backyard... at about 4am. Usually it’s because my neighbors are going to work and stuff. So I normally knock (pound) on the window next to the bed and call her name, and most times she stops... This time she was relentless and it was getting really annoying with her little double half-bark... so I get out of bed it’s about 4:15 now. Go down stairs and call her name. She doesn't come. I look at my neighbors back yard, no lights... they're not awake, at least not in the backyard. Then I see my dog diggin' and scratchin' and barkin' in the back corner of the yard under & around a bench. I'm like "Crap... it’s a possum."

Now after this the post gets fairly graphic... not for those who are friends to all animals, but what was done was for the protection of another animal, and thus my family. For those of you who love/like possums. Here is a site for you. I decided censorship is dumb and you should make your own choices whether or not to read or do something. But then I was talking to Brendon and figured out that its probably better censored. Highlight to read on if you want.

I don't know how many of ya'll have killed one of these before, but they're pretty tough. I have only killed two in my life.

The first one was on top of the car one day and I had to beat it to death with a golf club... and then when I was scooping it up with a shovel it resurrected. I dumped it on the ground and then I had to break its neck with the blade of the shovel. Even after that it was still hissing and looking around for like another 10 minutes.

The second one was the visitor I had this morning.

Well now I am calling my dog over to me so I can tie her up out of the way. And she starts to come my way then right before I can grab her, she runs right back over to the bench she was diggin' around. Now the barking has turned into fighting and biting noises. ARRRRGGGG!!! So I walk over to her and snatch her collar into my hand and drag her over to the post to tie her up. Now I'm looking for the pellet gun. It’s not in the garage where it usually is. I check my parents room, nope not there; their bathroom, nope. My parents are in Arizona for the week of Convention. So basically I'm by myself here... well after much searching and cursing*... So I call my dad in Arizona, it’s now 4:45-5:00am, "Where’s the pellet gun?" I ask. He says "In the garage where it usually is." Nope... So I dig around in the garage and find it buried under some stuff, nice right where I needed it. I grab the pellets and the gun. This is a pellet gun that shoots BB's too so you have to load the pellets specially, and I'm trying, but can't get them to load, turns out there is a stupid little "clip" that you load 5 pellets into and then load into the gun. And that’s the only way the gun will load them... I get the clip now. I line the possum up in the sights, shooting for the eyes, the skin is too tough to try and penetrate, or so dad told me. I hit him... he’s still moving... pump it up again... slide the clip. This time he’s tucked his face under himself. So I take a body shot. That got his attention. One more to the face, then one to the neck, and now the dog is going nuts... It must be dying. I look under the bench and the thing is oozing blood out its nose and mouth. But it’s still hissing (fairly chokingly).

So I go get a trashcan, a bag and a shovel. I come back "It should be dead by now." Wrong... Still alive, still breathing, kinda. So I take the shovel and poke it in towards the critter and line it up on its neck, and jam it into the wall "now it’s dead..." Wrong. But it basically curled up and died a minute later. So I scooped it up, put it into a bag, tossed it into the can, and put some dirt on top…

So now I sit here blogging about it. It’s now about 5:45 and I have to leave for work in about an hour. No point in going to bed just to wake-up more tired.

Nothing starts the day better than killing one of God’s creatures. Well Thanks for reading my adventures, Off to work I go. I'm so tired...

Today is not going to be fun, but Thank You God for today in the first place. Help me to glorify, give credit and honor to You in everything I do and say* today.

*(sorry folks this is one of my habits I am working very hard on ending.)

Day 2 of class done... I think I did alright... better than others that were there. I didn't die obviously, so to those of you who were hoping, sorry. Maybe tomorrow. Sunday is the last day of this class. I am really glad I am taking it, because without it I don't think I would get the hang of it as quickly.

Thanks to Emily yesterday I was quite upset, because she told me (paraphrasing Tony The Tiger) "how grrreat!" Bible study was. Thanks Emily. You could have said it was horrible and made me feel alright about missing, but noooooo... And now I am going to miss Sunday School. Arrrrrggg... It better be just plain awful.
I hope everyone understands sarcasm, or else this post might sound mean...

Today was a good day in general, motorcycle class, then lunch, then Brendon and I went "shopping" for bikes, sitting and looking at a bunch of them. I have pretty much settled my mind on what I want. A cruiser is the bike for me. I just have to find a good price on a used one. Well nothing inspirational today, have to get to sleep, with an early wake up call tomorrow.
Stay safe all. Enjoy church. I'll see most of ya'll Sunday night. If you want a verse, Psalm 65-66

Psalm 65

(Praise to God for His salvation and Providence.)

1 Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the vow shall be performed.
2 O You who hear prayer,
To You all flesh will come.
3 Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
You will provide atonement for them.

4 Blessed is the man You choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.

5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;
6 Who established the mountains by His strength,
Being clothed with power;
7 You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.

9 You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it;
The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.

11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.

Psalm 66

(Praise to God for His awesome works.)

1 Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
2 Sing out the honor of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
3 Say to God,
“How awesome are Your works!
Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
4 All the earth shall worship You
And sing praises to You;
They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah

5 Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
They went through the river on foot.
There we will rejoice in Him.
7 He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations;
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
9 Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to be moved.
10 For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
11 You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
12 You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

13 I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows,
14 Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats. Selah

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
19 But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!

Alright good night again... Hopefully I wont get "deadened" tomorrow...