I AM A DOOFUS!!!!

If I did not say it before, I am a DOOFUS!!

See what happened is that I thought today was April 28th. Alas it is not, yesterday was April 28th and I missed something. My sister's birthday. How terrible am I? I didn't even wish her a happy birthday on her birthday. I feel so terrible. Like eating dirt. I am so so so sooooooooooo sorry! I hope that she will forgive me. I shall flood her with messages today wishing her a happy belated birthday from her dork of a brother.

And so it goes...

Last night, I had my first free night in three weeks. I know, crazy. Maybe I should slow down, but I am betting I won't. It's been fun and I have no ill effects from it. So, back to last night which was free. I went to Lowe's and bought myself a nice portable grill. I spent a good hour putting it together and then had some delicious burgers off of it. My first grilling of the season. I am sure that there will be many more. I think I am going to have to have a couple of get-togethers for some grilled food, in fact. Those of you who know me, stay tuned. Maybe a small group grillin'.

After I was done eating I had all of this time. What to do, what to do? I decided to read. I have done that in a while. I discovered something. I am extremely uncomfortable with silence. I was reading away with nothing else happening and it spooked me a little. Not that I was scared or anything, just a little uneased. Just because of silence. Interesting, huh.

Why do some people have sticks up their butts?

I am on the softball team at church. Last night we were going to have practice on a field that was just outside the development. So I get there and find out that we are not allowed to practice on the field. Why? Because one of the people in the development decided that they didn't like us practicing there. Were they going to use the field? No. Just wanted to cause trouble. Therefore we were not able to practice last night.

So what do I do? Practice is cancelled but I still would like to get some exercise on this beautiful day. So I decided to run on the fitness trail. Wow, did I forget how steep it was in parts. It isn't extreordinarily long, but still gives quite the workout with steep ups and downs. The good thing though is that it is covered in wood chips which is a fantastic running surface.

Well enough of that. I get together with a bunch of friends each week and play games. Last night we played Heroscape. Not bad. I almost won. I was in a pretty controlling position, but alas, due to some bad die rolls and good plays by others, I lost. Oh well. I had a good time hanging out.

Who is God to you?

Is God your obsession?

OBSESSION

What can I do with my obsession?
With the things I cannot see
Is there madness in my being?
Is it wind that blows the trees?
Sometimes you're further than the moon
Sometimes you're closer than my skin
And you surround me like a winter fog
You've come and burned me with a kiss

And my heart burns for you
And my heart burns

And I'm so filthy with my sin
I carry pride like a disease
You know I'm stubborn God and I'm longing
to be close
You burn me deeper than I know
I feel lonely without hope
I feel desperate without vision
You wrap around me like a winter coat
You come and free me like a bird

And my heart burns for you
And my heart burns for you

Written by Martin Smith ©1995 Curious? Music UK

Broken

Sometimes it seemes like God needs to recenter us. It seems the God chooses to do this to me by breaking me. This is not done usually by causing something bad to happen. It is done by mentally and emotionally breaking me. Today seems to be one of those days for me. It actually started for me yesterday. Certain things happen that focus me. Today it was extended by reading some of David Crowder's blog. The deepness that he is able to reach is incredible. He has no problem expressing his emotions. It also seems like he has a spotlight into me. I have never met the man and yet it seems like he knows me as well or maybe even better than some of my closest friends.

So back to God breaking me. It is usually something that I need. I usually get caught and distracted by life and God has to bring me back to Him. I have been too far from Him lately. I use the excuse of business, but that is not an excuse. That is something that I will rail other people for because it's lame. If I wanted to make time out for God, I would. Right now though, I have decided to slide Him down my priority list. Not good. God doesn't like this and to be honest neither do I, but complacency can sneak in. So God has chosen to break me. I have turned into a deep-thinking, emotional person today. God is slowly forcing me to think and dwell on Him. I need it. Nothing but good can come from this. That being said, I am having a really hard time focusing on anything else today. Work has been almost pointless because of this. It's hard to concentrate on anything. This much I know though...

...out of this will come a better me and a closer relationship with God...if I don't get lazy.

Some blogs to check out

DCB 1

DCB 2

Update

For my post 2 posts ago, the gentleman's name is Frank. It was at the Mechanicsburg Outback. So if you're ever over there, try to get him. It will be worth it.

My feet hurt

I have just finished a day of learning. It was a lot of information to take in. If you don't know, our church is moving into a new building. With that comes new technology. For those of you who don't know, one of my abilities is sound engineering. I have pretty extensive experience and have worked on many different boards. Let me clarify...analog boards. The board the church got for the new sanctuary? Digital. Let me quickly tell you the difference. With an analog board, all the buttons that are in front of you is all that the board does. With a digital board, the main part is the computer with a few buttons on the board to help run the software. Totally different mindset. Should be complex. After a day of training though, I must say that I think I have a pretty good handle on it. Not that I know everything or even close to everything, but I thnk that I could do a decent job tomorrow if I needed to run the board. I look forward to learning a lot more about it.

I don't knowing why I am writing about this because nobody else probably cares, but I am anyway. I guess just to say that I love to learn and this is another opportunity to soak in information.

Politeness can go a long way

Last night I enjoyed a nice meal at Outback. I got the very delicious Alice Springs chicken and it was everything I wanted it to be. In a very positive note, our waiter was very polite and did a good job. As my friend and I sat and talked, he continued to stop by. He had already taken the payment for the meal, yet still stopped by to make sure that we were doing okay and that we had enough water. Most of the time when you have paid, the waiter abandons you. Not this gentleman. I only wish I could remember his name. Maybe SM does.

Today I had the enjoyable fortune of having lunch with my uncle. I know what you are thinking. Lunch and dinner out in a days span. Well, yes, no matter how rare it is and trust me it's rare, this is just how schedules worked out for people. Anyway, back to lunch. My uncle works at Messiah as a professor of Chemistry and since I work 10 minutes from Messiah, we enjoy meeting up and chewing the proverbial fat. We went to Cracker Barrel which is a favorite of mine. I got the grilled Reuben sandwich. It was very delish. Two very enjoyable meals in a row.

In sports news, Manchester United lost to Everton yesterday 1-0. Good job Everton, I hope the Man U continues to lose.

All is right with the world

Looking at the baseball standings is a feel-good move for me right now. See, in sports, I have very strong dislike for two specific teams: the Duke Blue Devils of college basketball and the New York Yankees of the MLB. My favorite baseball team is the Baltimore Orioles. Right now, 14 games into the season, the Orioles are in first place in the AL East and the Yankees are in last. This is an absolutely wonderful thing.

For all of you Stars Wars fans, check out what they are doing in London. That's a long time to watch some movies. My other question is what order will they be shown in. The third one is missing. Nothing like taking an idea from Lord of the Rings.

I am going to the Outback this evening. I haven't been there in a while and really enjoy the food. It will be what I am sure is a very enjoyable time. If you have never had it, next time try something different and get the Alice Springs chicken. It is a great dish. Of course this assumes that you don't need or really want steak at a steak place.

Didn't know I was rich

Check it out. My own soccer team.

Heard the new Coldplay single today. Not bad. Although I must say that rather than progress in their music style, it seems that they have decided to stick with what they know. I haven't decided whether that is a bad or good thing.

Remember to thank God for everything that He has given you today.

As the world turns...

It's been a while. Here are some random musings over the past few days.

1. Car inspections are a good thing. Even though they cost money, they are a good check up. For a few bucks you get a professional to look at your car and see if there are issues. I had to get my front brakes replaced. I knew they weren't as good as they used to be, but i didn't know they were low enough to need replacement. So rather than lose my brakes while driving, I got them replaced.

2. It is nice to see college friends that you don't get to see often and catch up with them.

3. Practice helps. The more practice the better.

4. I will sometime win as the good guys in 'War of the Ring'.

5. Polaroid scavenger hunts can be a blast, especially with a bunch of high-schoolers.

6. Sports are more fun when you are playing well.

7. Life is short so if you can handle a busy schedule, pack that sucker as full as possible.

8. Moose don't like being touched.

9. God wants us to confess our sins so that He can do His magic and help us.

10. Why do lists need to have ten items?

God bless, and realize that we are here for His name and His renown.

The site undergoes changes

Well, I have finally gotten around to adding some links to my page here. They are right over there to your left. Check them out. I am sure that there will be additions to them, but as for now, that's what I got. At the bottom of the links are the blogs of 4 of my mates. A specific one that I would like to highlight just started yesterday. So check it out.

In futbol news today, the rest of the UEFA cup semifinals have been set. Yesterday Chelsea defeated Bayern Munich in aggregate and AC Milan most likely moved on against Inter Milan although the match was suspended with AC Milan leading 3-0 aggregate. Today Liverpool beat Juventus in the aggregate and PSV Eindhoven moved to the semis by beating Olympique Lyonnais in penalties. So it will be Liverpool v Chelsea and PSV Eindhoven v most likely AC Milan.

Boo on You, Microsoft

Recently, Internet Explorer has crashed on me. It just runs and runs. If I try to close it, it won't. So what do I do? I try the help on the website which is of no help. Microsoft puts out some major crap and has become popular. How? I don't know. So what have I done? I am using Netscape's browser and it is working wonderfully. It even blocks pop-ups for me. Yea for you, Netscape.

Also, I am going to shamelessly promote on of my favorite bands. The David Crowder Band is awesome. Very original. Check their website out.

Where Has It Gone?

Over the past half year or so, I have had the privilege of singing and playing guitar on the worship team for our church's kids program on Wednesday nights. About once a month, I show up and have fun. Last night was one such night. Something hit me as we were playing and singing. The kids were having fun. Not only having fun, but having fun worshipping God. If you walk into most any church on a Sunday morning, you will see a bunch of adults standing there motionless except for their mouths which will move just a tiny bit with the words of the songs being played. You may even see a hand raising or somebody clapping or swaying. Where did we lose the reckless abandon in worshipping God?

These kids last night were jumping up and down, spinning in circles, doing motions while singing at the top of their lungs to God. Where in our time of growing up do we learn that this is not the way to sing to God? We learn so much as we get older yet we also can lose some of the precious things that as kids we just do without caring. Next time you are worshipping God, think about how awesome He is. Don't worry about what everyone around you is doing, just do a bit of what the little kid inside of you wants to do. Then maybe bit by bit, we will realize that worshipping our AWESOME creator can and should be fun.

Aah, The Motherland

Lately I have been listening to Virgin Radio which broadcasts from England. Today I heard a Pizza Hut commercial for their four-in-one offering. Here in the USA we have Jessica Simpson and the Muppets in the commercials. So what do they offer over on the island. The commercial features pirates conversing with each other about the different toppings. It's interesting how different the advertising can be.

In concert news, Charlie Hall will be at Christian Life Assembly in Camp Hill, PA this friday. It promises to be a great show. Also appearing at the Harbour Coffeehouse, Saturday April 16 will be the Bobbleheads. That promises to be a wonderful show also.

In sports news, props to Baylor for demolishing Michigan State and in the process winning the NCAA Division 1 Women's basketball championship.

Here's the church...

So like I said last night, I went to Lancaster County Bible Church this past Sunday. I decided to go to their second service at 10:45. For a church of 5 or so thousand, I was surprised at the ease of parking. Props to them for having it organized and people showing you where to go. I walked in the door and was greeted by a friendly fellow and then released into their huge gathering area that was quite packed. I made my way into the auditorium. It is big. I found my most liked seat in the house and sat. They have their small groups on a schedule. They meet on certain days and take off the summer months. Neat idea. The bulletin was also informational and organized.

Now for the service. Via the bulletin I found out that Matt Goss was leading worship. I had wanted to hear their worship pastor because I had already heard Matt Goss at other places. The worship was awesome. Matt Goss was not playing with his band, but with other church volunteers. They had a rock band set-up and rocked the house. It was very refreshing for me.

The pastor spoke on the balance between work and family. There were a couple of videos (one had DC Talk's 'Time is Ticking Away') and a skit. The pastor was engaging and very good at communicating God's word in easy-to-understand terms.

Overall it was a great experience. I was very happy that I had decided to check it out. If anybody doesn't have a church home and doesn't mind a big church, I would recommend it.

Baltimore is in FIRST!!

What a day in sports. Just so you all know, the Orioles won today. That means that they are in first place in the AL East. This may be the only time this year, but I will rejoice in the fact anyway.

In other news, props to Illinois and UNC. First off to UNC who won the championship this evening. They played well and Roy finally got the monkey off his back. Also, props to Illinois. They were down by 15 and 10 points and came back and made it a game. Theyprobably shot too many threes which cost them the game. Either way, they had a great season and that can't be taken away from them. Still no one has won 38 games in the NCAA Division 1 ball.

In other news, I visited Lancaster County Bible Church this Sunday. Tomorrow I will tell you more about the experience.

Pennsylvania Peeves

Why are you still allowed to smoke inside in Pennsylvania? I was over at the Bear's Den this past weekend to watch to Final Four. In the midst of greatly enjoying the food and watching the game, I started to become annoyed. Two people at different tables around me lit up their ciggarettes with no concern for others. The consequences of second-hand smoke have been proven over and over. States everywhere are preventing smoking from occurring inside restaurants. But PA, nope. We seem to not have a problem with people causing health problems for other people. Oh well.

Opening for baseball is today. Yippee. I know a lot of people do not enjoy MLB, but I do. Hopefully my Orioles will pick it up this year and finish over .500. And my pick for the World Series is the Cardinals over the Twins.

In other news, props to a good gal pal of mine who got engaged over the weekend. May a life of happiness bless her and her soon-to-be hubby.

The Sky Screams

So last night at small group I had everyone write down their own interpretation of Psalm 19. It ended up being pretty cool. Everybody has a unique world view when they read and what they get out is different. Last night was no different. Each person focused on different parts of the Psalm and provided a learning experience. It was nice because I heard things in a way that I would have never come up with. If I only hear my thoughts I don't get a full perspective. This gave me a much broader perspective than I have ever had on the Psalm. A great experience given to my thought by Mr. David Crowder who wrote "Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi' It is an awesome book that I recommend to all...and we had pizza too.

Yesterday I saw Final Four tickets being sold on E-bay. One person had two tickets and his required starting bid was $13000. OH MY WORD. Are you kidding me? The face value is between $250 and $500. I hate scalping. Real sports fans that want to see the games can't get tickets because everybody else buys them up and then resells the tickets for an outrageous sum of money. Something greatly wrong with society today.