Back from Vacation

We've been on vacation. We went up to the St. Louis area to see my folks and spend Christmas with them. The trip was pretty easy...PRAISE GOD FOR PORTABLE DVD PLAYERS. As long as Mihaela had her "Blue's Clues" and "Dora the Explorer" on, she was happy. Noah slept alot of the way up and back down as well. We only had to stop one time each way and made the trip in about 8.5 hours.

Spending time with the family was fun. We played a couple of new (to us) games, Ono 99 and Stare. We really enjoyed the Ono 99 game.

I did get a chance to start a new book. Erin and I are currently reading "Velvet Elvis:Repainting the Christian Faith" by Rob Bell. WOW!!! It is very good. I can't wait to finish it. It has put words to some things that I have been thinking as well as challenged my thinking in other areas. A must read for any church leader!!!!

Anyway, its good to be back and I will try to be more faithful with updates and random thoughts.

Have a happy New Year!

Fun Christmas Quiz

You Are Blitzen

Always in good spirits, you're the reindeer who loves to party down with Santa. Why You're Naughty: You're always blitzed on Christmas Eve, while flying! Why You're Nice: You mix up a mean eggnog martini.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

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Trouble Posting

I rely on my brother to provide the hosting for this site. Which he does for no fee...so no complaints here about that!!!!

However, he recently changed hosting companies and I moved my files over but have been unable to get Blogger to publish on the site.

That of course, means that you can't read this explanation...but when it comes back up you will be able to.

Dirty Santa

We played Dirty Santa at the staff Christmas Party today. I ended up with a very nice cheese server in the shape of a wine bottle. However, I was really torn when it was my turn. I knew I didn't want any of the gifts that had been opended (I was like the third or fourth person to go). When I went to the pile of gifts, I had a choice to make. Do I get my own gift (a paperback copy of all the "Chronicles of Narnia") or do I go with the unknown?

I really wanted the gift I brought...but is that right? I chose an unknown gift, got the cheeses server...and that was is it. Nobody ever stole from me. I sat and watched the book go to someone who, when she opened it, looked a little peturbed about getting a great book. She ended up trading the book after it was over with another guy who got candles or something. I should've gone with my own gift...I just don't know if that would've been the right thing to do.

Tee-Tee in the Potty

Mihaela went tee-tee in the potty. When I bathe her each night, I start running the water and then I undress her. She likes to just sit on the little potty while the water continues to fill up. She has been doing it for months. We aren't potty training her or anything...I just took the potty out of the attic last time I was up there and she likes to sit on it...like it is a chair. Anyway, tonight when I picked her up to put her in the bathtub, the potty was filled with a half inch of yellow liquid... Erin quickly grabbed her camera...I gagged at the thought of that. She took a picture of Mihaela and I sighed in relief...

We plan on starting potty training after the Holidays...***shudder***

My brother's best post

If you don't read my brother's blog regulary, well, you should be!!!

Nevertheless, make an extra effort to go read this one post. You will be blessed.

Breaking News: Bush authorized NSA to spy on Americans

This just popped up on my MSN messanger news alerts.

NSA spying on Americans

Well, DUH!!!! Not really a revelation.

PCA - Possible Spiritual Emphasis Day Logo

The other day I posted a segment that overviewed the book of Daniel so that Erin could get ideas for a theme for Spiritual Emphasis Day at PCA. Well, one of the people that I forgot to list in my post about regular guests, Tyler (aka Wicky-Wicky), a technophile teenager that goes to PCA and assists me in the Sound Ministry at church, sent this idea to Erin:



She really likes it. I really like it. I've made the following suggestions, though, to really make it *POP*.

Ideas:

• Daniel's life is one marked with prayer. It is that commitment and dedication that allowed him to "Raise the bar." So, modify the Cingular Man/"ink blot thingy" to look like he is praying instead of looking like he is jumping.
• Remove the antenna from the rising bars.
  
• Place the words "Raising the Bar" so that they fit between the "p" in "spiritual" and "y" in "day". It will look like the "p" and "y" form brackets around the phrase, "raising the bar." Then, the rising bars would slope up on the long side of the "y" with the "y" giving it a look as if the bars are making the back of the "y."

Tyler liked the ideas and is going to see if he can make it work. Other ideas are still be solicited, though you best be brilliant to beat Tyler!!!

Noah's "Gotcha Day" Set

We recieved a letter stating the the Hearing in the matter of the adoption of Noah Asher Bowman by Randy and Erin Bowman will be on March 15, 2006 @ 10:30 AM.

Welcome New Guests

We sent out our Christmas cards and referenced my blog in them, so hopefully I will be getting some new guests. I hope to be able break 20 regular guests. Right now, I hover around 16 visits a day. I know most of those are regular visitors.

Let's see, I know that I get regular visits from my brother, my dad, 3 or 4 people from small group, and our daycare provider. I set up the home machine to use by blog as its homepage, forcing my wife to read it. I can't forget my sister-in-law also reads it regularly and tells me that when she takes the online quizzes, she always scores just like me. My wife married a male version of her sister, I guess. A couple of the guys from work hit the site every-so-often as well. So that is 11 or 12 people.

Not bad considering I break so many of the "rules" by not posting regularly, posting on a myriad of topics, and not having categories and stuff. One of these days, when the kids are grown and I've retired, I will redesign the site, break stuff out into categories, spellcheck all the old entries, and do everything right. So, come back in 25 years and see if I am following the rules.

Antichristian Atheists

On my way to work this morning, I was listening to The Rick and Bubba Show on Y-102. They related a story about some Atheists in Utah who object to the use of a cross being used to mark places on the highway where State Troopers had died. Like most Southerners Rick and Bubba are Christians. They are very vocal about their faith on their radio program and they were discussing this story as an attack on Christianity, especially in light of all the Christmas controversies taking place around the country.

During the course of their discussion, Bubba asked why do Atheists make such a big deal out of these symbols. After all, he concluded, if they think all this "god" stuff is just hocus-pocus, shouldn't they dismiss all the symbols as well. This is a good question and one that needs to be addressed.

In my experience most Atheists are people who have had been hurt by Christians. The Atheists really do not "not believe in God" so much as they do not believe in a God that has been presented to them by these people. The hurt and pain they experience at the hands of Christians (usually someone in a position of authority) has driven them not just away from God, but to become a warrior against all things God. This is why they are offended by the symbols of Christianity. When they see the cross they are subconsciously reminded of that hurt and react to it.

It is my opinion that we as Christians have to pour an extra measure of grace out to these people. I think of them as spiritually wounded as a child who is sick with some interminable disease. It breaks my heart when I hear these people clamoring against God because I know that they are just reacting to painful situations brought on by those who should have known better.

I also think that we do a great disservice toward their healing process be fighting against them. Christians are taught to "turn the other cheek" and I think that in this case, that is our best course of action. When we confront those who are hurting, we only do more damage.

Well, Randy, you say...we have a right to speak our piece just as much as they have a right to speak their piece. Don't our rights matter, too? Not really. See, we American Christians sometimes think that because we are Americans, then we are free, liberated people. We get our "rights" of political freedom mixed up with the concept of spiritual freedom and think the two go together somehow. The truth is, though, that while we are free of the bonds of sin and death, we must subject our will to that of our God and His Son. We are not "free." I am not in control of my own destiny. I do not get choose how to react to people. I am to be Christ, not me to the world. So, while politically, we are free and we have certain "rights", spiritually, we belong to someone else and He has told us how we can expect to be treated in this world and how to relate to those who mistreat us. And none of it includes complaining or fighting against it.

Anyway, I hope this sheds some light on the question. It is just a theory I have and I have been wrong in the past...so take it for what its worth.

Carpallabelitis

We worked on Christmas cards tonight. My job was to peel return labels, address labels, and stamps from their respective backings and affix them to the envelope in the appropriate place. I messed up a little bit and some are going to be delivered upside down. Please accept my humble apologies.

As the night wore on my hands started cramping from the work. I told Erin I was getting carpal-label-itis (should that be one or two "l's"?). She replied for me to stop whining that I was too young to have to worry about that.

This story was a lot funnier to me while I was sitting on the living room peeling labels. It seems to have lost something in translation to the written word. Please laugh now at my funny tale and witty mixture of the job I was performing with a real medical disorder.

Daniel Overview

Erin wants to use the Book of Daniel for her spiritual emphasis day in the Spring. So, I have spent some timre reading the book and studying it so that I could help her get get some good topics/themes/lessons to provide to the teachers of classes.

She is still looking for a catchy theme for the day and some sort of branding for the brochures, workbooks, t-shirts, etct... Personally, I like "Daringly Different" and use "Apple iPod"-like ads branding of a solid background with a sillehoutte of someone praying. Erin isn't too excited about that one, so it isn't right.

Here is my overview of the book and brainstorms for some ideas. Feel free to include your own thoughts. Good ideas will be stolen (borrowed) and implemented (with credit to you).

Too Busy

With my new responsibilities at work, I am more tired when I get home. I am so tired after the kids go down that I have actually fallen asleep on the floor while watching TV this week. I'm sure once I get in the groove, I will be less tired. Until then blog posts may be spotty at best.

Of course, I've had some stuff I wanted to blog about happen, but can't share my insight/opinion publically. We don't have a policy against it, its just a bad idea.

Which Narnia Character are You?

Of course, when I see my brother has posted results from a new "What...are you?" quiz, I have to take it. So, from BeliefNet.com comes "Which Narnia Character are you?"

I am Lucy:

You have a strong sense of responsibility toward others and a deep respect for other people, even strangers, though you are not always sure what the best course of action is. You are Lucy, the brave child who who is wise beyond her years and kind to all she meets.

I'm giving 5:1 odds that when Erin takes the quiz, she comes out as Aslan.