The Revolution

"The flashing spirit of Jesus Christ breaks new paths everywhere.  His sentences stand like quivering swords of flame because he did not come to bring peace, but a revolution" (emphasis mine)

Brennan Manning wrote these words in his book "The Furious Longing of God."  

I wonder if you've ever considered such a statement, because when I read it the first time I immediately stopped...then read it again.  Now, I am not a person who has dedicated his whole life to saving the whales and giving peace a chance.  I am after all a Marine. I am very into love.  The love Christ showed us and taught us to give.  However these words brought a whole new way of thinking my way.  I wonder if you agree. I also wonder if you disagree.  

I mean let's think about it. What if those words were absolutely true.  Not bring peace? The Savior of Man and creator.  Not only did he not come to bring peace, but a revolution!  Let's take another read through the Gosples and keep that idea in the back of our heads and see what we come up with.  If you believe in this Christ and believe He is who He said He was...then you believe that He is all knowing...right?  

Well I would think that an all knowing God would be aware of the repercussions that would come from a baby born in a major, who grew up as a carpenter claiming after 30 short years to be the Messiah.  Almost everything He did was controversial in some way to some groups of people.  Is this an underlying message of peace? He must have known our human nature and how we would react.  And by we I mean all man kind. Whether you believe in Him or not He has drastically and  radically changed your world.  For better and for worse.  

The controversy, the arguments, the laws and the changing of laws.  All done because of Him.  Wars have been fought.  Babies have been saved.  Lives have been changed.  He must have known that His presence on earth would forever create turmoil because of  two gifts he gave us. The gift of salvation and the gift to choose.     

His plan is always perfect and always unfailing.  So what if next time you read through the Gospels you think about this revolution and it's cost.  Think about the actions of this God/Man and not only what he was teaching and illustrating with his life, but what He knew would be the outcome of those actions. 

I think maybe he just cared for us so much that it was worth if for the love.  I also think never before in the history of creation has any one person uttered a more controversial statement...Luke 23:3

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Do we miss "the point"

I recently read a couple of things that are quickly changing the way I think.  The first one was a book by an amazing author named Brennan Manning called " The Furious Longing of God".  Brennan, (cause he'd be insulted if I called him Mr. Manning) in my opinion understands God's Grace and Love just about better then any other person I've ever encountered in word or in person.  This book is about just that, God's unconditional love for his people and how much he desires to be with us.  There are some choice passages from the book but I really suggest just buying it.  It's a quick read.  One of the main things I took away from my experience with this written work was that we miss "the point" a lot. At least I do. 

I also recently read a little article on home schooling.  This was a propaganda piece where the writer used many verses and a story about a bunch of kids in 1212 that tried to evangelize a nation only to meet their demise, to his points benefit.  I am not posting a link to this article because I don't really think anybody else needs to read it.  It is my opinion that the author of this article, and many others like it, have manipulated scripture to fit their agenda.  This is what I'd like to call Christian propaganda.  It certainly doesn't appeal to me and I would venture a guess it does even less for those who don't know Christ yet. 

There is a lot of this around these days in many aspects of life with a lot of "hot topics".  Christians are always on the forefront of the arguing ground.  I am not above it.  Until now I hope.  I have often gotten caught up in the fight and the rules, what is right, what is wrong.  A lot of this arguing is going on between only the Christians, with the rest of the world just looking on and laughing. 

This brings me back to Brennan's message.  Something he took a lot of heat for in the upper level theological circles.  That's the message of Christ.  I'm not going to use this blog to preach at you.  If you have a bible get it out and read it.  If you don't you can get one free on the Internet at youversion.com.  Read about His life.  What did He come to do and how did He do it.  After all, His life is the one in which Christians are to model theirs after right? Did He use propaganda or sling hate?  Was there bullying or strong arming people to do things His way?  Throughout history these types of tactics don't seem to get anybody anywhere. 

But Love.  Maybe that's one of the biggest examples and gifts we were given and always seem to over look.  What if love was just a little more important than the rules?  Just a little.  Then what would happen?  It's too easy to forget the real message in these times of right's and wrongs and competitions and pride.     

I'm going to wrap up today by saying I'm very grateful there are parents out there that are willing and capable of home schooling their children.  It is a gift to be able to spend so much time with them and pass on a legacy of knowledge.  I also want to say how grateful I am for all those out there who have taken public education on as a profession and a calling.  There is no greater calling in this world then passing on the gift of education and a society's history.  With all the rules and regulations today these teacher have a tuff job.  I believe both are following the scriptures, putting children first, and raising them up in The Lord.

                                                                                                                                Gal 5 (emphasis 6)

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Honesty is costly!!

“Great to see you folks, I’m glad you could all make it today. The reason I wanted to gather all you media giants together today is really pretty simple.  See we seem to have a major piracy issue on our hands.  It really isn’t getting any better.  So I wanted to throw this idea at you and get your thoughts. 

~ Let’s increase the cost of production DVD’s. 

~We can start charging people basically the same price for digital copies and just give it to them a few weeks early.  Then we don’t even have to print or ship.

~We’ll add a new kind of disk called a Blu-ray and charge even more for that.  Then we can put them together and bump the cost even more for the combo. 

~I also want to delay DVD release for as long as possible and then when it does release only release it to certain vendors like Blockbuster.  Everybody else will have to wait an extra month.   

~We can also continue to pay “the talent” more and more every year into the tens of millions so ticket prices at the theater are astronomical.

With all those new and improved options out there,  I believe nobody will want to get their Smartphone out of their pocket and watch our movies for free any longer!”

I don’t believe that those words have ever been spoken.  Although to be honest I’m getting a little tired of the game here.  Let me tell you why. 

Due to the fact that my wife and I have young children and are both busy and broke we were able to get to the theater a grand total of 3 times in the last 15 months.  I am a self-proclaimed movie buff, or was at one time, so that is very sad and pathetic.  That means we have to wait until it comes out on DVD or Netflix.  In my area there are a few choices.  Blockbuster, Redbox and Netflix are really the big three.  Then there are of course online renting deals such as Apple.

Well I waited until Tuesday of this week for my movie to finally come out on DVD.  It must be said that it came out digitally a month before this week.  I went to the local Blockbuster to finally satisfy my cravings only to find out that blockbuster is closing its doors and no longer renting DVD’s.  So they don’t have it.  Redbox won’t get it for at least 3 or four weeks if I’m lucky.  That leaves me a little stranded (and as you can tell irritated).  I can buy the DVD for a minimum of 17.99 or rent it from Apple for 5.00 dollars!!  This is all after an insanely long DVD release time.  Considering the DVD was probably just about ready at the time the movie came to theaters. 

So I’m mad and it’s not even because I just want to see my movie.  I can truly live without it.  We don’t even subscribe to a TV service in my house for basically the same reason (and haven’t missed it for one second). I’m mad because we have crazy technology right at our fingertips.  I live just barely north of Hollywood, and there is currently no way for me to rent this new release movie without paying a premium.   I wonder if the studios ever take a look around and think before they make their anti-piracy plea’s.  By the way quite a bit of this happens in other countries where it’s not illegal so are we being charged for their loss overseas?

Nobody wants to bend a little bit and meet the public half way?  I understand that everybody needs to make a living but REALLY?  There’s nothing better we can come up with.  No better solution to this problem on either side of the coin. 

We’re being charged the same basic rate for a digital copy of something today that we got in a case a few years ago.  So where’s all the extra money for printing and shipping and so forth going?  What’s the incentive to buy digital?  I wonder what people’s limit on what they will spend for 2 hours of entertainment is? And how long they will wait.  A hundred years ago we could pass our books around and going to a state park was free. 

Now??  Not so much…

WE WILL LIVE FOR YOU!

Dear Girls,

Life is confusing.  Let there be no doubt in your mind that in your life you will encounter many difficult decisions, many hard lessons and many tuff choices.  But rest assured that you don't go alone.  For One has gone before you and He choose your mother and I to be here for you every second of your life.  In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. 

See girls, you are to young now to understand what I am saying.  You are too young to understand a lot of things.  But your mom and I will not let you down.  We will be here to make decisions for you.  We will be here to pray for you and to guide you.  We will not give up.  We will not give in.

We will not give in to what society decides to accept.  We will not give in to exhaustion.  We will not give in peer pressure.  We will not even give in to you.  We love you that much.  Even when it causes us pain and sadness.

We don't have all the answers.  There is quite a lot that we are learning ourselves.  But we are adults enough to realize that and ask those that have come before us for help.  We do know what you are going through now as we have gone through it our selves.

We also know that a lot of what you hear in mainstream society is wrong.  Many parents these days expect their children to make very important life decisions that they are incapable of making.  Decisions about, gender, sexuality, body modification, medical care, religion and schooling.  Your mother and I do not expect you to make such life altering decisions and would never place that kind of burden and stress on you as a child.  We will shoulder that weight and teach you as you grow. 

While you are a child we desire nothing more than for you to enjoy your childhood.  For we know that we have been chosen to shape and mold the future. We vow to lead by example.  If necessary we will give our lives for you.  But please hear this... THIS is much more important!

No matter the cost.

WE WILL LIVE FOR YOU!

Here's a tip…Don't eat yellow snow!

Is there an over abundance of people ready and willing to accept tips these days.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I am a pretty gracious tipper when you earn it.   I spent more then 3 years in the food service industry as a waiter and bar tender so I know what tips mean and how hard some work to earn them.  But let’s jump to what started this thought in the first place.

 

The other day I was at Starbucks, which I rarely go to, and I noticed a tip jar.  The tips of course are for the barista.  This got me thinking.  Do we tip a barista?  If so how much and why? I just paid seven dollars for a medium coffee, wasn’t the making of that seven-dollar coffee included?  Then while I stood there and waited I thought about all the other tip jars I’ve been seeing lately. 

 

When you really think about it, 

Do it …

Go ahead and think of all the places you go that accept tips. 

 

OK good. 

What did you come up with?  Probably the same thing that I did.  Who are we supposed to tip these days and why?  I see tip jars at the ice cream parlor, the car wash guys, even at one of my local Panda Expresses.  They had a tip jar at the end.  I mean really?  What am I tipping you for, scooping out the orange chicken with speed and accuracy!  I think the tip jar at 7-11 is really what put me over the edge.  HA!  You stood there and took my money so let me tip you. 

 

Here’s the flip side to the tipping debate.   The poor pizza guy!  Next time you order pizza take a look at your bill.  Did you know that the pizza place charges you for delivery, usually between 2.50-3.50.  They are very specific about that charge not going to the driver.  If it’s not going to the driver where is it going???  I delivered pizza for about 6 months and they did give us a very small reimbursement.  But not all companies do that.  So basically I’m being charged an extra few bucks just for the convenience of delivery. But wait a minute…the pizza business is kind of a delivery business!!! ISN'T IT? 

Maybe everybody deserves an extra few bucks for doing the same thing they have been doing for the last 20 years? Maybe we should all just carry around tip jars and hope for the best!

Yeah, that’s right, A REAL BOW

So last week was Halloween.  I pulled up to a local middle school to drop of my wife and we were sitting there saying good bye for the day I see a young man, dressed as some kind of hunter, carrying.... wait for it...a real compound bow.  Now I didn't see any arrows, which is good.  But he was in fact carrying a bow.  BUT it was part of his costume!! So that makes it ok. 

So lets talk about a few things here.  I mean really mom and dad.  A Bow or weapon of any kind regardless of it having a projectile with it and regardless of day.  This is the same era when children...yes CHILDREN...are getting suspended and expelled for biting their pop tart into a toy gun and wearing shirts that have weapons on them.  And you thought it was ok to let your kid out of the house with a BOW!! 

Now I want to qualify my thoughts on this.  I am not an anti-gun or weapon person by any means.  Guns and weapons don't kill people, people kill people and I personally think we have gone a little to far with this whole crazy gun control deal.  Some schools around the country have even requested that uniformed police officers not bring their guns when they drop their kids off to school I mean really.  A UNIFORMED POLICE OFFICER!!!  Let me tell you, I was a little boy once and I am a grown little boy now and I can remember many games of cops and robbers.  We just used our fingers, which they can't take away.   I believe in education not stupification.  (I'm pretty sure I invented that word but it works really well I think) A lot of kids in the mid west learn about guns when they are nine and ten years old.  They know how to handle them and they know how to respect them and what they are used for.  EDUCATION! 

Now back to the issue at hand.  So when did parents stop paying attention to their children?  I know we've talked about this in the past but Halloween seems to really bring a lot of issue to light here.  The same people who are complaining and whining about gender stereotyping, and violence are letting their kids leave the house in outfits that are scandalous if your a girl, and down right indecent these days.  And some of the costumes I've seen the guys in aren't much better. 

Everybody seems to think it's ok because it's Halloween.  But let me ask you this, if it's just because it's Halloween, why are your children choosing to go out half naked in the first place. Why do they want to be a psycho killer even if it's just for play?  Where does that thought process start? 

Since we brought it up let's talk about the way the young ladies are dressing these days.  What happened here?  Are the mom's trying to re-live their youth? Do the parents just not care about what messages their sending out? Or maybe it's that they just don't care about their daughters. Yep, I said it.  The outfits I see some young ladies in these days are "lacking" to say the least.  So let me spell it out for you.  Ladies, you don't want the attention you're getting by wearing tight revealing clothing.  Nothing good can come from it, and if you're a parent of a young lady.  Do her a favor and TEACH HER what a real man is and what real men look for in a woman.  Teach her how much she is worth and that that worth doesn't come from her looks or her body.  The adults need to be setting the standard and building our children’s confidence and self esteem from within!

I would never tell a parent how to parent their child.  That is really up to them.  What I will tell you is what the outcome of your decisions is going to be.  That really isn't hard to figure out.  It's in the news every day.  But for some reason people are missing it.  So start paying attention and start parenting! 

To Those Who Serve ver 1.0

I find that the news these days is pretty boring and quite depressing for the most part.  We don't actually have subscription TV in our house so I'm fortunate enough to not have to watch the news or the latest commercials.  And most newspapers are full or propaganda so we don't get much of that here either.  My Dad stopped by this morning and asked about it and it got me thinking.  So I mentioned my twitter feed.  To keep up with what's going on in the world I use twitter.  It's usually quicker and I can get many points of view instantaneously with little effort.  However, as mentioned earlier very rarely does it seem that the "news" is positive. I found that reflected in my blog. So today were going to dedicate a simple message to those who serve. 

I have a big heart for a lot of people.  And today I'm not leaving anybody out, but I do want to specifically say thank you to some a few groups of people.

I've always thought a lot about "blue collar workers" in our country. Construction!  They have taken a little bit of a beating in the past.  At least in pop media and even conversation.  But when's the last time you drove by a construction site and paid a little attention to what was going on.  Really watched what these men and women were putting themselves through every day for not much pay and no thanks.  This particular group of people sweat and bleed for a living...literally...and they will pay for it the rest of their lives with sore joints and bad backs.  Their skin is leather like from the son and callused.   So here's to those that build!  Without them we would all be sitting in the dirt. 

How often to secretaries get overlooked.  The people that have to put up with the people in charge.  Often working countless hours, on the phone and computer all day.  Then on the other end of their job they get to deal with US...THE PUBLIC!  The very rarely receive any grace for a job in which they often have very little control and yet are the front line of defense to the public today.  They have to make schedules work, meetings happen and all while on the phone and dealing with two or three other people while standing in the office.  They make most of the things in life that we take advantage of just a little smoother and happier for us.  So here's to the secretaries! 

The last group of today is very special to me.  I am a big fan of veterans.  But I have a special place in my heart for Vietnam Veterans!  Every veteran of foreign wars is an amazing person.  But today I want to say a special thanks to those who gave their lives in Vietnam.  And by gave their lives I don't just mean died.  You will learn if you get to know me that I believe every person who has served in the military gave their lives.    Whether for 1 min or for eternity.  These people fought and served in an unforgiving land.  During a time when for the first time in history they received little support from back home.   In my humble opinion these are truly unique warriors and have served us in a way that we will never understand.  So next time you see a Vietnam Vet say thank you.  So here's to you Vietnam Vet's!

It's nice to have some positive thoughts every once in a while.  If you have stories about some of the individuals above, comment bellow.  Or if you want to say thanks to a group of people who should get recognized more often now is great time.  This is only version 1.0, so doing worry!  I love to give credit where credit is often missed!

Ironic Discrimination

Is it possible that anti-discrimination laws have actually become the biggest and most strict form of discrimination?  When did the individual become greater then the whole?  The most heated anti-discrimination issue of the day is same sex marriage.  This has been going on for years.  But at what cost I wonder.  I recently learned that here in CA this same sex marriage and anti-discrimination  battle took on a whole new realm.  The government here decided basically that we can no longer discriminate against sexual preference.  You can read up on SB 1172 and CA Congresswomen Jackie Speier. The articles written will do a much better job highlighting the issues with this bill.  In and of itself the heart of the law isn't the problem.  The problem is in what this congresswoman decided to defend.  Pedophilia (yes you read that right) was brought to light.  And the law was written so vaguely that pedophiles could now possibly make a case that this was their sexual orientation and they could no longer be "discriminated against".

Scary what not thinking things through will get you!  As far as I know, as of right now this law is still blocked and up for review this month. However the people that passed it are not only fighting it they are looking to bring it to a federal level.  So who really is being discriminated against? 

There are a few more problems with this particular sexual orientation fight that I’ve never heard anyone bring up.  The biggest scariest one (to me anyway) is this, while everybody was celebrating the victory of the laws that have been passed...or un-passed, nobody (on either side) as it were, stopped for moment to really think. What just happened here?  We got what we wanted, or how did this happen…but how about hmmm.??? (finger on cleft of chin) We voted as a state.  The people decided what they wanted. And a few select people said, nah. We don't really care what you want; we're going to do what we want. Regardless of your stance on the issue doesn’t this seem like a problem?  Am I the only person that is scared by this?  Not only did they take away our choices and our decisions, but they dictated to us how it would be and then we celebrated them for it.  That thought is kind of scary to me.  What else might they just decided for me in the future since now they know there won't really be a problem.

There has also been a long time issue of discrimination in the workplace.  What ever happened to whoever was able to complete the job at hand the best got the right to be paid to do that job. I don’t really care what race, gender sexual orientation, age, size shape or language you speak.  Are you the best for this position? Now I know what you might be thinking, and I do know the heart of the law.  But did it work?

So here's my thought.  It seems like maybe we went from a few people being unhappy and discriminated against to discriminating against everybody in some way.  Is this progress? And should we call this movement “anti-discrimination” or would maybe you have a better title?

What are your thoughts?

what RIGHT do we have

Last night I was reading my twitter feed and my local school district posted an online chat titled, "Should parents spy on their kids?"  I was immediately irritated and it unfortunately got the wheels turning. There was a lot of commentary on both sides of the coin.  To my surprise 88% said yes, we should "spy" on our kids.  My irritation came mostly from the word spy. They are my children. It is not spying...we call it PARENTING!  LEARN IT! 

So some of the things that are talked about these days are our kids personal space such as their rooms, smart phones, back packs and school lockers.  Are you kidding me!  I am being told by the masses that I'm not really supposed to spy on my kid’s smart phone or look in their backpack because it's their personal space and their right. That is really another topic for another day.  But it made me think about this "rights" conversation that we seem to be having for the last few years. 

All of a sudden everybody has all kind of "rights"!  Where did we get these rights?  Who gave them to us?  Did we earn them?  One of the topics that has come to mind is the "right" to drive a motor vehicle.  I am constantly hearing (and I'm not even an officer) about people's rights involving their car.  I have bad news.  There is no law (that I am aware of) that gives anybody in this country the RIGHT to drive. I believe that driving a car is a privilege.  It can be given and taken away at any time for pretty much any reason by the correct powers that be.  So don't feel so entitled next time your behind the wheel, or the next time the kind gentlemen who's is reminding you that your abusing your privilege by giving you a little reminder ticket.  He is just doing his job, and no you don't have any right. 

How about the right to free health care?  This should stir the pot a little.  Do we all have the right to FREE health care?  Everybody's heard the saying nothings free right.  So who's paying for this...right?  This entitlement.  Let me pose this thought, maybe there's a reason that we can't afford healthcare in this country?  Maybe we should start looking into the root of the problem before we just throw up our hands and start handing out free rights? Cause those freedoms cost somebody, don't they?

So please tell me...what are we entitled to?  What do we have the right to? Maybe if you know the answers to these questions you can explain where we got these rights from in the first place and who is paying for these rights?  As far as I know, the only real RIGHT we are truly given is the right to have any personal religious belief structure in place that we choose.  That one can't be taken away regardless of the law of the land. I’m not sure we are entitled to much else before a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

What The Heck Happened?

I grew up to the words, “because I said so”.  These words were enough to get the job done.  Usually being sternly shoved our way by Mom or Dad because we had not listened the dozen times before.  The kids of my generation didn’t really need a reason to clean our room, take out the trash, mow the lawn or do our homework.  Yes there was always a very good reason for us to be doing those things.  But what was more important at that age… for us to know the reason, or to just understand that it’s not always about us and we just need to do what the boss says to do?

We also didn’t get participation trophies.  Church, school and family always came first, and the teacher or adult ALWAYS got the benefit of the doubt! My parents weren’t afraid to spank me in public, or even say spank for that matter and almost all decisions about my young pre-adolescent life were discussed and made by my mother and father.  AS IT SHOULD BE!!

What the heck happened?

What example is being set for our children these days!  What is more important that the legacy that we pass on?  My wife is a public school teacher and I am constantly hearing “excuses” that get made BY THE PARENTS for the children. 

Things such as…

~I can’t really go over their homework every day because we have sports practice every night.

~He/she won’t stop playing their video games long enough to get all the subjects done they have to do.

~He missed the test because we had to go to a movie or sporting event.

~Well we took an extra 5 day cruise before Thanksgiving break so we didn’t have to miss the holiday…can he make up the work.

There also seems to be a trend going around that is all about letting the child make decisions for themselves.  They don’t seem to like eating with the family so we let them eat whatever they want.  They need freedom to express themselves.  There are parents out there who are feeling guilty about making decisions for their children because their children may not like those decisions later in life.  Are you kidding me! 

If this is your thought, then let me ask you this…what exactly is your job?!?!  I know my children don’t know the first thing about raising themselves.  And I believe I was chosen to be their PARENT, not their FRIEND.  They need leadership and discipline.  If they don’t get good examples of that by watching their mother and father they will most certainly grow up believing that everything should be handed to them and they can show up when they want. 

Is this the kind of legacy you want to leave?  Or even better…is this the kind of attitude you want taking care of you in your elder years when you can no longer take care of yourself?

I guess my kids will suffer because they will learn to do things because they are told.  There will be discrimination, because the eldest child will get privileges the youngest child doesn’t.  They will learn to show up to school and do their work.  They will be taught to do their best, but that they don’t always win…and Dad AND Mom approve all decisions that happen in our family.

Sacrifice

Webster's definition of sacrifice is:

A: destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else

B: something given up or lost <the sacrifices made by parents>

I was driving today with my two girls in the back seat and thinking about my childhood.  For some reason my Dad popped into my head as He often does.  When I was young and involved in Scouting I used to get pretty home sick.  So in the beginning, my Dad would come on campouts with us to make them a littler easier for me.  Well during the summer we had a "long term" campout that was usually about 7 - 8 days, and since I missed the last one due to my little issue I asked him to go.  It didn't take much convincing and he knew it would mean a lot to me.  So off we went. 

What I didn't know as a young boy is the cost of that simple request.  My Father worked in construction so he didn't really get paid sick days or paid time off.  If he didn't work...he didn't get paid.  He also risked someone else coming in and doing his job for him.  Back then there was a union but it was on its way out.  It would also mean leaving his wife and daughter for those 7-8 days home alone. 

But I remember that week very well and we still talk about the memories today!  So I wonder if a re-definition of the word sacrifice is in order? Or maybe just some clarity? 

I'm not really sure that HE would call it sacrifice.  Some money was lost, and maybe some adjustments to the budget for a month or two. But what was gained?

When I was growing up I knew my sister and I came first.  And my parents "gave up" a lot to make that happen. They even gave up our friendship for a few years because they knew it was more important to be our parents then our friends.  I’m very glad to say that sacrifice for those few short years has paid off, because I can now say they are great friends and mentors. 

So I wonder when you hear the word sacrifice what do you think about. Who comes to mind? Who "doesn't" come to mind?  This word is a big word that could have a hundred different stories written a hundred different ways. I hope that if you read this it made you think a little and brightened your day because of the people that have sacrificed for you!