Which M*A*S*H character are you like?

i am most like.... what about you?

whose your state?

well, my state is not the hoosier state. it is still michigan, for now! we are not going to indiana. same crap.... different church! and so the conversation goes, "your an extremely strong candidate, but this one small thing...." with texas it was no big group experience, this time it was that i did not have full-time experience. i had a feeling though that i would not get it, it is odd that God each time has let me get a feeling that it wouldn't happen. God has something else for me not sure what it is, but i will find it and for now..... i am following Him!!!!! that is the best place to be!

it's that time of year!

it is that time of year once again! the annual backyard battle in michigan! this is where family and friends decide to not talk with one another as these two universities do battle. the trophy that goes to the winner of this contest is the paul bunyan governor of michigan trophy in which michigan leads the series 64-28-5. it is hard to call it a rivalry when there is such a lopsided record, but every year it doesn't matter what the records are or who is ranked where, by the way michigan is not ranked going into this game. i will be glad to see this game get done with because i am sick of state fans who are glowing in their victory over notre dame and saying, "see we beat them and michigan lost to notre dame!" DUH!!!!! it doesn't matter. what matters is who beats who on the field, because they are the kings in the state for next 365 days. so come saturday we will see once and for all who is the better team. last years game was a great one that went into triple overtime and i hopr this years is another nail biter, because.... aww, who am i kidding.... i hope michigan pastes those stupid sparty's! GO BLUE!!!!! CRUSH STATE!!!!! the battle is on! i will have to see if amy wants to make a bet and if that team up north wins then i will put the state fight song in my blog and if michigan triumphs once again, then she has to put "hail to the victors" in hers!

here is why!

a friend of mine asked on his blog "why DO you blog?" and in light of someone who commented that they did not like me giving sports updates and wanted to know what Jesus was doing in my life. i thought that i would answer that question here. because after all this is my blog and i originally started it to help people keep up to date on what is going on with me and my job situation, because it makes it easier on me for people to read it here and then i don't have to tell a whole bunch of people the same thing a whole bunch of times. just makes things easier. then as time has gone on i have begun to see how cool it is to have a way that i can write out my thoughts on a myriad of subjects that i chose to write about. i have covered God, politics, sports, etc. here. i have always been challenged by the words of paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NLT), "And you should follow my example, just as I follow Christ's." so as i follow Him and people read along here about me following Christ, i would hope that they could follow me. and though God is the most important thing in my life, there is so much more to me that just that. i am not just a follower and lover of God, but a husband, father, son, university of michigan fan, detroit red wings fan, detroit lions fan, etc. some days i have a deep revelation from God that i may share here and some days I don't. but that doesn't mean that God is devoid in my life or missing. it just means that things are normal and/or there are other things on my mind that i want to write about. but the biggest reason why i blog now, is because i find it as a great way to write about things i want to write about and rant about things i want to rant about. it is my own personal forum. and plus i can go and look back on what has happened aver time. now a little bit of job news.... i got an email from the church in indiana and the guy said that he would be "contacting [me] on Monday September 26th to talk about what is the next step." so things sound good there and i will update ya'll here. and i also sent out another resume to a church in nevada. things seem to be slowing down on new jobs being listed is what i expected. but i imagine it will all pick back up in october or november. but check back after monday and then later in the week for the new house pic!

new fall look!

so do you like the new fall look to my blog? i hope so. i love the pic across the top, because it is totally me! a jeep driving and it is following Him!!! LOL another thing i am gonna do for the fall is that i am planning on posting pictures of my house once a week so you can see my yard's transformation into fall! we have 7 trees in the front yard and 4 in the back yard, so i have plenty of color in the fall! so keep checking in weekly to see waht happens. here is the pic for the first day of fall! btw, whomever anonymous is that commented in the post below, just keep checking in and you will be satisfied. but allow me to rant.... if you want to comment please leave your name. basically stand behind what you have to say, by leaving your name. i respect coments made by people who will leave names and usually ignore or delete comments by "anonymous". so please leave names!

one and a half years is too long!!!

hey, hey hockeytown! is back! i am so excited to see hockey playing again. sadly though this will be steve yzerman's last season as captain and player. he has been the longest serving captain and that is something to be proud of, but stevie y. is a very humble person. check out these quotes from him: “If I don't play well, I don't think I will be on the Olympic team because there are too many good players.”; “In practices here, the way he (Mike Babcock) wants things done is different. Like we were working the power play and penalty killing, and he has some different ideas on where he wants you to go and why he wants you to do it. So for me, I'm just trying to pay attention. … I'm just trying not to make mistakes.” that is probably why he has won the hearts of this blue collar town, his hard work ethic and humble attitude. thank you, oh captain, my captain! this was in the usa today today: Steve Yzerman is the new active leader in many categories after the retirements of Mark Messier and Ron Francis: Statistic -------- Active -- Overall 1,721 points ----- 1st ----- 6th 1,043 assists ---- 1st ----- 8th 678 goals -------- 3rd ----- 9th 1,453 games ---- 2nd ----- 13th and the other good news is that pavel datsyuk is back! i think the wings are gonna be a serious contender this year. watch out nhl, hockeytown is back! now if we could just get them refs to swallow the whistle and get the nhl to take the skirts off of the goalies. in an update about the nascar race..... Robby Gordon was fined $35,000 and docked 50 points in the driver standings for intentionally trying to hit Michael Waltrip's car during Sunday's race at New Hampshire International Speedway, throwing his helmet at Waltrip's car, and cursing during a television interview. Kasey Kahne was fined $25,000 and penalized 25 points in the standings for intentionally hitting Kyle Busch's car in retaliation for an earlier accident. Waltrip was fined $10,000 and 25 points for using an obscene gesture during the televised broadcast, and his car owner, Teresa Earnhardt, was penalized 25 points. from the usa today 20 september 2005

what a day!

today was a very interesting day in nascar racing. kasey kahne got into a wreck that was caused by kyle busch bumping him. but as you can see in the above picture, kasey decided to retaliate the next time kyle came around the track by pulling up in front of him. this is a no-no in racing. you may be mad, but to do something this stupid when safety crews are out there and other cars are trying to pass by the wreck slowly and avoid debris on the track. kasey could have caused other racers to have problems. this is kasey's response after the race.... ------------------------------ "I just drove up in front of him and stopped. He run into me, it didn't really hurt his car, but it was the wrong thing to do," said Kahne, who also was ordered to meet with NASCAR after the race. "You feel like you get crashed, you want retaliation, but that is not the way it works in NASCAR. Definitely the wrong thing to do." from nascar.com 18 september 2005 ------------------------------ good job, kasey! then on the main card we have robby gordon (long known as a hot head) and michael waltrip. from what i saw it looked like robby slid up into michael and he did not give robby much room, because he didn't have much more room himself. robby felt that it was mikey's fault and so after the wreck he did what kasey did earlier. as mikey came back around the track robby tried to back up into him a crash into him. and if that wasn't bad enough he almost caused tony stewart to wreck into him, because he missed mikey and tony was right behind him. then after being unsuccessful with that, he got out of his car and the next time mikey passed by he threw his helmet at his car. which just goes to show really how much of a baby he really is. and again if that wasn't bad enough he almost caused tony stewart to get damage on his car, because his helmet was left on the track as tony was passing by. i really hope that nascar sit this idiot for the next race and fines him at least the entire race winnings he had for this race. but what amazed me about this whole thing was after the crash as tnt was interviewing robby he said that michael was a "piece of shit" and the tv announcers apologized for that word being used. then as i was watching the green bay-cleveland game i overheard someone on the sidelines or in the crowd say very distinctly something along the lines of "let them play the f-ing game" and the announcers said nothing about it. no apology or anything. that is the difference between nascar and the rest of the sporting world. but what was even cooler was this quote on nascar's website.... ------------------------------ Gordon got out his car and hurled his helmet at Waltrip's car, then proceeded to call Waltrip a profane word in an ensuing TV interview. from nascar.com 18 september 2005 ------------------------------ they said that he used a profane word, not a curse word or swear word. wow! they find it profane. such a difference. here is what dictionary.com says is the definition of the word profane: Marked by contempt or irreverence for what is sacred or vulgar; coarse. nascar, i am impressed! not only do you have prayer before races that the networks are supposed to show, but you also have high standards for your drivers. this fan thanks you! now just in case you were wondering if the universe was going to come to an end because the lions played so well last week, they once again played like the lions i have grown to love. was i surprised not really. the lions have and will always suck. my daughter said, "but daddy i thought they always win?" and i said, "no, they usually lose and will always lose." it is a sad reality, but for a lions fan, it is a reality! at least we get to host the super bowl. before you start going off that it was only one loss, just remember that i have been watching them my whole life and this is a normal thing and they showed their true colors. but at least the wolverine's won yesterday!

what color are you?

i got this color not just because i cheer for michigan! GO BLUE!!!!! or that is my attitude after another lions loss, whom also happen to wear blue. but i think it actually is pretty well right on. BLUE You give your love and friendship unconditionaly. You enjoy long, thoughtful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive. Find out your color at Quiz Me!

job news

i had the interview with the church in indiana today and met with their exective pastor who drove up for the afternoon. he arrived about an hour late, because indiana is a crazy state and some counties do daylight savings time and some don't and some are in the central time zone and some aren't, as you can see in the map on the right. so while he was in the eastern time zone, they were not on daylight savings time, so they are an hour back. and he messed up that time shift when he left, but called while on the road as soon as he realized it. so it was no big deal and gave us a good laugh. then after he got here i took him to my favorite restaurant, bd's mongolian barbeque. well, on our way there, as he was following me, i almost got into an accident! how embarassing, but oh well! then it ended on a very funny note, because as we were leaving i noticed that he had toilet paper stuck to his shoe! i quickly stepped on it and threw it out! way too funny! but overall the interview went very well. i really like this guy because he is straight forward and very up front. my kind of a person! :D don't beat around the bush, just say it. so he was very honest with us about the church, their building project and some of the things that the other yp had done that weren't so good. he has got to fly out to interview 3 other people over the next 2 weekends, so we won't be hearing anything back until monday, 26 september 2005 at the earliest. so it is back to the same old thing, waiting on Him!

sporting news

Who needs it anyway? Player to cut finger Australian Rules Football player Brett Backwell plans to have one of his fingers amputated in an attempt to improve his game, telling the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Tuesday that he has suffered from pain since he broke his left ring finger three years ago. Doctors had suggested fusing the bones in the finger, but he rejected the idea. “To chop a finger off, that's a bit drastic,” Backwell said. “But I love my footy, and love playing sport, and if that's going to help me to succeed at this level, then it's something you've just got to do.” from the usa today sports brief 14 september 2005 what the.... okay, i have heard of people being passionate about things, like my friend Derek. but this is just insane! i am passionate about working with students, but i am not sure if i am as passionate about it as brett is. sorry, to anyone who is reading this that may be dissapointed. and in other sad news..... jeff gordon and robbie loomis have decided to part ways. while i am glad that it was over good terms and that robbie has decided to devote more time to family. i am sad to see this happen, because i think they made a great team despite having a disappointing end of the "regular season" this year. but i am happy that they chose to do it now so that way jeff and steve letarte can get used to one another in this new setting. but at least they have worked together for the past 10 years and know one another pretty well. this wil give them an opportunity to get things going for next year. when jeff does the drive for five!

God closes another door

so over the weekend the church in arizona asked us to make a decision if we wanted to continue pursuing the opportunity there and after much prayer and taking with friends for advice, kimmy and i decided to tell them "no". i just do not think that i would be a good fit for them. basically, they are a traditional church that wants to transition into a contemporary church, because their community is in the midst of a population boom and so they need to change with the times. and we did not feel that after they get to that point that it would even be where we want to be. i also had a friend of mine ask me if i had ever been a part of a traditional church or if i had always been at a contemporary church, which i had only ever been at contemporary churches. so he then said, "so you wouldn't even know how to help them then, since you don't know what a traditional church is like." and that was kind of the last thing that helped seal the deal. so i called the pastor today and told him that i just did not think that i would be a good fit for them. it is odd how hard it was to hear "no" from the church in texas, and it was just as hard to say "no" to this church in arizona. but the conversation went really well and i know that this church will get the right person and that person will get a great senior pastor to stand behind him. but the good news is that the church in indiana is coming up for the interview on thurday. and this church i believe will be a really good fit for us. but God knows for sure and we are just following Him!!! will keep you posted, please continue to pray for us.

hail to the victors....

i am doing this because i lost a bet..... Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame Wake up the echoes cheering her name, Send the volley cheer on high, Shake down the thunder from the sky, What tho the odds be great or small Old Notre Dame will win over all, While her loyal sons are marching Onward to Victory congratulations notre dame and adam! and at least the suckeyes lost as well! the day is not all lost or too bad.

thanks.....

thank you all for your kind words. it is so odd to think that a year ago i never had a blog, never had gone on a forum, and never even knew about the ys forum, where i met so many cool friends who work in student ministry. and know here i sit thinking how did i survive before? LOL you guys all wrok! i am so thankful for my new and old friends and the great support group i have found on the forum. i have grown so much from knowing all of you. thanks! God closed the door with that church in texas, just as i have been praying that He would do (not necessarily with that church, but just the one's i wasn't supposed to go to), and now i am looking for that other door or window. i'm not rebuilding, i am reloading! and as my blog headliner says.... i am "following Him". i want to go where He tells me to go and no where else. another job update..... talked with the church in az and they are really interested in me. so we are praying if we are interested in them. the church is in a transition and i like where they want to go, but i am concerned that they may not really want to go there and then i have uprooted my family and moved them across the country. so pray for wisdom. the church in indiana is coming up next week thursday to interview me and meet my wife. so i will update you on that one later. i like where this church is at and where they are going. but pray again for wisdom. i am one of three. and i also sent a resume to a church in fl that i am really interested in and think that i would really like it. their job description was right up my alley. so pray for that as well! thanks again, dear friends!

hold me Jesus cause i need words.....

i need words by david crowder I need words as wide as sky I need language wide as this longing inside And I need a voice bigger than mine And I need a song to sing You that I've yet to find I need You, oh I need You I need You, oh I need You To be here now To be here now To hear me now To hear me now well, in case you did not hear yet i did not get the job in texas and there is so much that i could say regarding that. but usually at times like this that there are songs that carry me to a place with God where i can escape and be in His presence as He cradles me in his arms. the song i quoted above has doen that for me today. i got the call from the church, then had to go to our kids open house at their school, and then i had coffee with one of the elders at the church i previously worked at. as i drove there i played that song over and over again. it helps, but i do not know where i am gonna go from here. this is hard and it makes me wonder if this is what i am even supposed to do. maybe i am just supposed to be a braoch maker for the rest of my life. i don't think it is true but it just how i feel right now. in case you did not know, rejection SUCKS!!!!! i was prepared for it and even had a feeling that i wouldn't get it, but it still makes it hard. nothing can prepare you for it. for now there is another song that i am gonna escape with and it is by one of my favorite christian artists, rich mullins, and it was the song that carried me through my grandmothers death over 10 years ago. hold me Jesus by rich mullins Well, sometimes my life Just don't make sense at all When the mountains look so big And my faith just seems so small So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf You have been King of my glory Won't You be my Prince of Peace And I wake up in the night and feel the dark It's so hot inside my soul I swear there must be blisters on my heart So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf You have been King of my glory Won't You be my Prince of Peace Surrender don't come natural to me I'd rather fight You for something I don't really want Than to take what You give that I need And I've beat my head against so many walls Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees And this Salvation Army band Is playing this hymn And Your grace rings out so deep It makes my resistance seem so thin So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf You have been King of my glory Won't You be my Prince of Peace You have been King of my glory Won't You be my Prince of Peace

this blog has gone international! LOL

so you can see it here for yourself. and thanks to those of you from.... singapore, chile, pakistan, argentina, mexico, denmark and canada! i hope you enjoyed it and feel free to comment!

rest in peace

1 october 1924- 3 september 2004 another sad news story for the week. may you rest in peace and i pray that his family will find comfort as they mourn the loss of this great man. i was reminded of this by a friend and i will quote it here..... Please pray for the President and the rest of the leaders of this country. New Orleans, Afghanistan, Iraq, An economy in danger of recession, Two Supreme Court vacancies. And they are all... Fathers, Mothers, Brothers, Sisters, Husbands, Wives, Human

my rant about the "hurricane relief" show

i put "hurricane relief" in quotes, because to some (and i am including nbc in this) it was obviously a politically motivated event. read the following blog from the pmsnbc website blog Mike Myers and Kanye West are on now, talking about the homeless situation. Kanye brings up an important point, talking about how the media portrays white people as seeking food and blacks as looters. He goes into an impassioned speech about the difficulties blacks are having during the Katrina fallout and in the country in general. Mike Myers is with him at the start. About 10 seconds in, it's clear he's not reading from the prompter. He stumbles a bit on his points, but most of them get across. The basic message to the government? Stop dragging your feet and help the people down there. Myers gives him a couple "oh my God" looks, and then another when Kanye says "They've given them permission to go down and shoot us." Myers, clearly stressed, goes into another point about the hurricane and how New Orleans is forever changed. Then Kanye drops the biggest bomb. "George W. Bush doesn't care about black people," West said. Myers turns to him and clearly has no idea what to say. Then they go to a flabbergasted Chris Tucker. Kanye was one frustrated man on TV. Not sure what kind of flack Kanye's gonna catch for that last bit, but I'm sure he doesn't care. And good for him to bring up a point on the media's portrayal of blacks that can't be said enough. Not sure if I agree, but it's always good to have someone out there, challenging the media to be as fair as possible. and then here is the following comments found on the pmsnbc website An angry Kanye West sounded off on how the media portrayed the poor, black victims of the hurricane as “looters, ” while saying the white victims are “seeking food.” NBC pulled the comments from its West Coast broadcast and issued a statement after the show. “Tonight's telecast was a live television event wrought with emotion. Kanye West departed from the scripted comments that were prepared for him, and his opinions in no way represent the views of the networks. It would be most unfortunate if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person's opinion.” was that really an apology? and why did NO ONE say this live on the air? i will tell you why... because they are glad that it was said. it is how they feel and have been hinting at all along. so you are pissed that buxh won and your guy lost! well, get the flip over it and move on. i hated the fact that clinton won, but i moved on and dealt with it. i'll say it again! can't we set aside politics and work together to help save lives? quit being a part of the problem and be a part of the solution. put down the damn cameras and use your resources to help out. okay, rant over.

the wait continues.....

they called today and asked for more time, because they need to finish calling my references and talking with the people from their church that spent time with kimmy and i over the weekend. so the wait continues..... gotta love it! LOL :)

patience.....

...little patience, mm yeah, mm yeah, need a little patience, yeah, just a little patience, yeah, some more pati... that is part of the chorus from the song patience by guns n' roses. song has been on my mind lately, because i am waiting to hear back from that church in texas. so hard to wait, but it is good to wait cause, well... you know... it teaches you patience! LOL but i will post something here to let ya'll know what i hear. but i got an im from someone today and they said they were contacted for a reference check by that church, so that is good news! :D as i watch news coverage of what is going on down in the new orleans area i also think about that song. i know that the people there are desperate and with each passing minute things are getting more and more dire, but they need to have some patience and realize that people are doing everything they can to get relief to them. i have been so encouraged by some of the heart-warming stories of people helping one another out, but it seems for each of those you see these thugs who shoot at people trying to bring them help. can't we set aside our gang differences and our desire to profit off of the destruction by looting! (note: people who are taking food and water for survival are NOT looting, they are surviving! but people who are stealing tv's, toys, shoes, etc. are stealing and need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!) i know they are in panic mode and i can not even begin to fathom what they are going through, but panic will not help, nor acting like thugs! when the mayor has to ask the police to stop searching for survivors and start policing instead, because of the thugs, there is a major problem. act like humans! but what ticks me off more than anything is the stupid news media that somehow feels like now is the time to make this whole thing political! not even the stupid terrorists who want to think that somehow this is allah judging america and calling hurricane katrina, private katrina ticked me off the way brian williams did today! i am watching the nbc evening news and he interviews a guy from fema (can't remember who it was) and he tells him about a group of people in n.o. seeking food and water and the fema guy says they are "moving heaven and earth" to get them pallets of food and water. so brian williams says well we here at nbc and the people watching will be holding you to your word. and they also had a video of one of their photographers talking about what he has seen and there was a definite slam on the President and his administration. and brian had harry connick, jr. on there touring some of the areas and then a live interview with him, where brian proceeded to slam the President and his administration. can't we lay aside politics at a time of crisis? what is with the democrats? lay it all aside and just help your common man! our nation is in a time of catastrophic crisis and all we can think about is advancing our political agenda. i am disgusted! not really amazed, because they obviously some people have not tact what so ever! and on a side note... as much as i appreciate the media giving us this amazing coverage, why is fox news, cbs, nbc, abc, cnn, etc. not bringing these people food, water, and clothing. turn off the damn cameras for a minute and hand out some goods. you have gotten into those areas to help people out and could be bringing them relief instead of their 15 minutes of fame as they yell for help. just some thoughts and personal opinions! it is my blog after all! back to waiting......