The holiday season is upon us. The traffic is slowing, the malls and stores are crammed, and I am facing hypertension and claustrophobia. Today we participated in the madness of the ritual and have sworn off for the rest of the year.
First stop... Party Store for Isaiah's birthday (He is turning 4 in two days) . My blood pressure was normal as I waited with Lydia(2) and Toby(8 months) in the van waiting for my wife and Isaiah to return with the supplies for the birthday party tomorrow. My wife hating city traffic asks me to drive. Since I was off work today and will be off through Monday I was feeling fairly relaxed and said "Sure, I don't mind at all". "Lets go to Toys-R-Us and see what we can find for the kids for Christmas" she said enthusiastically. The first trip stop had gone without a hitch so feeding on her enthusiasm I said "OK". That is about as enthusiastic as I can get about shopping.
Second stop... Toys-R-Us. Traffic slowed slightly as we made our way deeper into the city. we reached the parking lot to find it was nearly full and instead of doing what any sane person would do and going to another store or better yet taking this as an early warning sign and heading home we circled, dodging pedestrians and road raged drivers. Finally parked in the last spot on the face of the planet it started to rain. I am getting a little less enthusiastic about this trip. When we made it inside we were shocked at how many people were in this store. "Isn't Christmas like a month away" I pondered to myself. We made it to a section of the store where we would like to browse and as we started down the aisle we realize that store had miscalculated the width of the carts when they set up the shelves and displays. There was no way to fit more than one cart down an aisle at a time and if someone was standing in the aisle you could not get past! Pre-Hypertension was setting in coupled with claustrophobia because there were far to many people in that store. We slowly made our way around the store while the kids, overwhelmed with the selection, want everything in sight and begin to whine, beg, and plead.
"Can I have this"
"No"
"Will you buy this for me"
"No"
"Pleeeeease"
"No.....o"
We found what we were looking for. We looked at it and then left without buying anything, kids pleading all the way out the door and continuing in the van.
In the van... I was glad to be out of the store and plopped down into the passenger seat, a little drained from the excursion. While we sat and waited for my son to calm down from toy overload my wife and I made a pact to never go back to Toys-R-Us especially with any child. My son finally calms down and comes to grips with the fact that he is not going to get that new Ben 10 toy that he picked up in the store. Aimee looks over at me as exhausted as I was and ask me "Will you please hand this back to Isaiah now that he has calmed down". I looked down at the cup of pretzels and selfishly said "No" (He is in the very back seat and you have to get out of the van to do this). "Come on, he is on your side" she retorted. Still feeling somewhat tired I refused again but realizing I was being lazy and selfish gave in after the third attempt.
As my wife drove down the circle to the the other side of town we noticed a significant slowing of traffic. A wreck... how did we not see this coming... there is always a wreck in the city when it rains. I became frustrated with the number of people in city today especially the ones from Ohio. "Don't they have enough stores in Ohio to shop from" I thought bitterly.
Third Stop... Another Party Store which we thought may have the decorations that the first one did not. I volunteered to go in this time while Aimee sat in the van with the kids. I rushed through the aisles and not finding what we were looking for returned to the van.
Hunger sets in and we made our way across the road to the Outback Steakhouse to use a couple of gift certificates that I received as a bonus from work. The meal was excellent and the children were well behaved. My wife and I were now energized enough to continue the journey to our last stops and then on to home.
Fourth Stop...Whole Foods...Aimee and Lydia went in after rounds of, "I HAVE TO GO PEEEE!" My daughter has a bladder the size of an empty water baloon and this is the fifth time she has been to the potty on this outing. Quick and smooth stop and the kids got a free sheet of stickers there.
Last stop... Walmart... We needed to get some finger foods for the party and to get Isaiah's birthday gift (Yes, I know bad parents not having a gift until now). After grabbing all the groceries we could fit in one cart with a car seat in the lower section we headed over to the toys. It began again.
"Can I have this"
"No"
"Will you buy this for me"
"No"
"Pleeeeease"
"No.....o"
We alternated turns distracting the kids while we tried to come to an agreement on what we should get for him. We came to a decision and started towards the checkout line. "Oh wait, I saw something that I wanted to get Lydia for Christmas" Aimee said. She sent me away with the kids and placed the Ariel doll on the bottom rack of the cart covered by some random food items.
As we stood in the checkout line, I make the suggestion that I take the kids on to the van. As I turned and started off she spotted it. "Are you going to buy my Ariel?" Lydia said excitedly as she escapes my grip and grabs it. Not wanting to ruin the already ruined surprise I took it from her and asked "How did that get in there?" as I set it up on a display knowing Aimee would pick it up after I left. The man in front of us tried not to laugh. This upset Lydia far more than I had anticipated and she did not stop her fit all the way out the door, after she was buckled up, and at least 5 minutes after that. Feeling sorry for her at this point I offered her a drink. She immediately proceeded to vomit all over my hand and herself.
The rest of the night was uneventful comparatively.
The End
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Trick-or-Treat
Since Aimee had to go to the rehearsal for Brooke's wedding I had to take the kids (minus Toby) trick-or-treating by myself. Here are a few pictures of Halloween and several other occasions that they dressed up prior to. We got a lot of hand-me-down costumes so there are a lot of different princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, Tinker Bell, and Aerial) . Lydia is set for the next 5 years.
" My Candy"
Lydia as Cinderella
One of Isaiah's Pirate Costumes He also had an alien costume that we do not have a picture of.
Lydia as Snow White (This was our favorite dress on her)
"LETS GO GET CANDY!!!"Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Chasing the American Dream We Lost the Dream of America
When did we abandon our watchful post keeping our eyes on liberty and setting our goals towards freedom. Too long our posts have been left empty. The people willing to shed their blood for freedom have too long ago died of old age and faded away. My country is left in left in shambles. We have lost democracy for a republic and the republic for an aristocracy. We have abandoned freedom for capitalism and now capitalism is threatened by socialism.
The democracy was dead long before it started and the republic gave us a good many years of service. But now that service is to those who can afford to line their pocket with gold. With the exception of a few the corruption is complete. The law makers work America as if she were a prostitute, pushing her out into the streets to pull more money into their pockets.
The latest prostitution gave birth to a bailout that no American wanted and two very interesting senators swapped their vote from nay to aye after they were bribed with donations for their campaigns. Is this what we elected them for? To obtain wealth and forward their careers at the expense of the people?
Obama:Goldman Sachs $739,521UBS AG $419,550Lehman Brothers $391,774Citigroup Inc $492,548Morgan Stanley $341,380Latham & Watkins $328,879Google Inc $487,355JPMorgan Chase & Co $475,112Sidley Austin LLP $370,916Skadden, Arps et al $360,409
McCain:Merrill Lynch $349,170Citigroup Inc $287,801Morgan Stanley $249,377Wachovia Corp $147,456Goldman Sachs $220,045Lehman Brothers $115,707Bear Stearns $108,000JPMorgan Chase & Co $206,392Bank of America $133,975Credit Suisse Group $175,503
(just thought you would like to see the companies that could be running the country for the next four years.)
The media rushes to the aide of Americas attackers and no they are not the terrorist from 9/11, they are not Muslim radicals. They are not even of a different nationality, they are the people we trusted to defend and uphold her. Why should we have not trusted them, they swore this before God to us the people that they would perform these duties. We have been betrayed by every senator that has taken a bribe in form of donation or otherwise, any representative that has taken his own interests and career above ours, and any president that would use our military without just cause.
How did we stray so far from what was intended? Is there still hope to recover what was lost? I want to obtain the dream of America, the dream that set the pilgrims sailing across unsure seas and dream that our forefathers so eloquently stated in the declaration. That dream was freedom and it drove millions to the United States fleeing political and religious persecution all over the world. Have we awoke from the dream or awoke from a drugged sleep to find our freedoms stripped and our persecutors here on our own land disguised as one of us.
I hang my head in shame while I ponder how we got to the place we are now. But through my pondering and listening I have come to the following conclusion:
Our descent began with the industrial revolution. A series of attacks on farm life was needed to fill the factories and was successful. The most successful tactic was to encourage specialised farming. after this was accomplished it was a simple task to convince people that factory work was much more profitable and less mundane than farming. In this we lost our independence and soon to follow our happy family life. Our lives were segregated and unfulfilled.
The next step on our descent, now that were are dependant upon companies to fill our bellies, is to destroy our community. This was accomplished through government handouts and the devaluing of human life through government regulated teaching. The church lost its place as the provider of the community and now we are dependant upon the government.
Once we are intertwined with the government it was not a large task to eventually move forward to a more and more centralized government and economy. The greed continued until only a handful of companies remain who use their gains to influence the government to make their company more profitable.
Finally we are at a point in our country where we teeter on an economic collapse. The media is pushing along a presidential candidate that is energetic and passionate about changing the world. He is in favor of removing your rights to push forward the good of the community. If you haven't guessed yet, yes I am comparing Obama with Hitler. He is pushing this country towards socialism or possibly communism and I am afraid of who will be in the concentration camps this time.
The democracy was dead long before it started and the republic gave us a good many years of service. But now that service is to those who can afford to line their pocket with gold. With the exception of a few the corruption is complete. The law makers work America as if she were a prostitute, pushing her out into the streets to pull more money into their pockets.
The latest prostitution gave birth to a bailout that no American wanted and two very interesting senators swapped their vote from nay to aye after they were bribed with donations for their campaigns. Is this what we elected them for? To obtain wealth and forward their careers at the expense of the people?
Obama:Goldman Sachs $739,521UBS AG $419,550Lehman Brothers $391,774Citigroup Inc $492,548Morgan Stanley $341,380Latham & Watkins $328,879Google Inc $487,355JPMorgan Chase & Co $475,112Sidley Austin LLP $370,916Skadden, Arps et al $360,409
McCain:Merrill Lynch $349,170Citigroup Inc $287,801Morgan Stanley $249,377Wachovia Corp $147,456Goldman Sachs $220,045Lehman Brothers $115,707Bear Stearns $108,000JPMorgan Chase & Co $206,392Bank of America $133,975Credit Suisse Group $175,503
(just thought you would like to see the companies that could be running the country for the next four years.)
The media rushes to the aide of Americas attackers and no they are not the terrorist from 9/11, they are not Muslim radicals. They are not even of a different nationality, they are the people we trusted to defend and uphold her. Why should we have not trusted them, they swore this before God to us the people that they would perform these duties. We have been betrayed by every senator that has taken a bribe in form of donation or otherwise, any representative that has taken his own interests and career above ours, and any president that would use our military without just cause.
How did we stray so far from what was intended? Is there still hope to recover what was lost? I want to obtain the dream of America, the dream that set the pilgrims sailing across unsure seas and dream that our forefathers so eloquently stated in the declaration. That dream was freedom and it drove millions to the United States fleeing political and religious persecution all over the world. Have we awoke from the dream or awoke from a drugged sleep to find our freedoms stripped and our persecutors here on our own land disguised as one of us.
I hang my head in shame while I ponder how we got to the place we are now. But through my pondering and listening I have come to the following conclusion:
Our descent began with the industrial revolution. A series of attacks on farm life was needed to fill the factories and was successful. The most successful tactic was to encourage specialised farming. after this was accomplished it was a simple task to convince people that factory work was much more profitable and less mundane than farming. In this we lost our independence and soon to follow our happy family life. Our lives were segregated and unfulfilled.
The next step on our descent, now that were are dependant upon companies to fill our bellies, is to destroy our community. This was accomplished through government handouts and the devaluing of human life through government regulated teaching. The church lost its place as the provider of the community and now we are dependant upon the government.
Once we are intertwined with the government it was not a large task to eventually move forward to a more and more centralized government and economy. The greed continued until only a handful of companies remain who use their gains to influence the government to make their company more profitable.
Finally we are at a point in our country where we teeter on an economic collapse. The media is pushing along a presidential candidate that is energetic and passionate about changing the world. He is in favor of removing your rights to push forward the good of the community. If you haven't guessed yet, yes I am comparing Obama with Hitler. He is pushing this country towards socialism or possibly communism and I am afraid of who will be in the concentration camps this time.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Ben Stein Expelled
Hey Guys,
Aimee and I just rented this movie and really enjoyed it. Daniel give me a call after you watch it. I have some new conspiracy theories I would like to run by you. By the way don't watch the super trailer on YouTube. It spoils the movie.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
My Son vs. Hammy the Squirrel
My Son
Hammy the Squirrel
Which do you think has more energy and what would you do with this much inexhaustible energy?
Leave your comments and vote.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Christian Apologetics
I'm sorry....
I'm sorry...
I'm sorry
As most of you know this is not what christian apologetics is about. In fact you will rarely hear an "I'm sorry" in a religious debate from someone who studies, teaches, or practices the subject.
Christian Apologetics is the art of explaining and defending the christian faith. This can take place in books, debates, personal conversations, and just about anywhere people have a difference of opinion about religion and Christianity.
OK... Why am I boring you to tears with all this anyway. It has become increasingly harder to win people for Christ because they feel that they would lose intellectual credibility based on their decision of faith. While most Christians know this to be false it is a hurdle that sometimes we must get through to make a lasting impression on someone we are witnessing to. People have been trained by Darwinism, Scientology, and several other ism's and ology's that are forced into their brains by the public school systems or at least by a real desire to know "how did I and the world around me come to be". Unfortunately when they asked that question it seemed too simple that God created them and they find themselves fortunate enough to have thousands of arguments prepared for them by the ism/ology thinkers of their day which they will gladly throw at someone if their new found or deep rooted answer to the question of life is threatened.
Most questions are fair enough but when they ask them we as Christians should be prepared to answer. These questions can range from contradictions in the Bible to aliens and are usually asked in a way that takes Christians aback because most likely we never considered the ridiculous notion. At this point you are at a disadvantage because you have no prepared argument to make and you are now on your toes and battling uphill. If you are not skilled in debate or quick thinker you will have an incredibly hard time witnessing to people in this situation.
Lucky for us there are still minds in the Christian camps that are skilled in debate and can take their arguments and break them down. Most arguments are self destructing and you can easily get them out of the way by taking them back to the origin. In example the Big Bang Theory, the origin is an explosion involving all the mass in the universe. So your response could be "Where did the explosion come from?" or "Why would all the mass in the universe be contracted together?". This is a simplified example and but you get the point.
If you have now countered their theories and they still are adamantly opposed to believing in God, they may still not feel that this is an intellectual option and you must get through another hurdle. They are looking for some scientific evidence that God exists. Your response in this case could lead them back to intelligent design. Below are some examples.
This is a window from the Yorkminster cathedral in England. Anyone who would look at this would assume that there was someone who designed it.
This is just one example and if your not at your computer you can easily give them an analogy of man that found a watch in the field and wondered how all the pieces came together in that fashion on their own.
This post was made possible by Pastor Kevin who preached on this subject a few months back and readers like you.
This post is not an invitation for debate but a word of encouragement to someone who may be looking for a way to share their faith with someone who has subscribe to these thoughts. Please keep your comments to this format.
Here are some links that may be useful if you would like to know more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id2Ik4whVr8
I will add more later but it is late and I am tired.
I'm sorry...
I'm sorry
As most of you know this is not what christian apologetics is about. In fact you will rarely hear an "I'm sorry" in a religious debate from someone who studies, teaches, or practices the subject.
Christian Apologetics is the art of explaining and defending the christian faith. This can take place in books, debates, personal conversations, and just about anywhere people have a difference of opinion about religion and Christianity.
OK... Why am I boring you to tears with all this anyway. It has become increasingly harder to win people for Christ because they feel that they would lose intellectual credibility based on their decision of faith. While most Christians know this to be false it is a hurdle that sometimes we must get through to make a lasting impression on someone we are witnessing to. People have been trained by Darwinism, Scientology, and several other ism's and ology's that are forced into their brains by the public school systems or at least by a real desire to know "how did I and the world around me come to be". Unfortunately when they asked that question it seemed too simple that God created them and they find themselves fortunate enough to have thousands of arguments prepared for them by the ism/ology thinkers of their day which they will gladly throw at someone if their new found or deep rooted answer to the question of life is threatened.
Most questions are fair enough but when they ask them we as Christians should be prepared to answer. These questions can range from contradictions in the Bible to aliens and are usually asked in a way that takes Christians aback because most likely we never considered the ridiculous notion. At this point you are at a disadvantage because you have no prepared argument to make and you are now on your toes and battling uphill. If you are not skilled in debate or quick thinker you will have an incredibly hard time witnessing to people in this situation.
Lucky for us there are still minds in the Christian camps that are skilled in debate and can take their arguments and break them down. Most arguments are self destructing and you can easily get them out of the way by taking them back to the origin. In example the Big Bang Theory, the origin is an explosion involving all the mass in the universe. So your response could be "Where did the explosion come from?" or "Why would all the mass in the universe be contracted together?". This is a simplified example and but you get the point.
If you have now countered their theories and they still are adamantly opposed to believing in God, they may still not feel that this is an intellectual option and you must get through another hurdle. They are looking for some scientific evidence that God exists. Your response in this case could lead them back to intelligent design. Below are some examples.
This is a window from the Yorkminster cathedral in England. Anyone who would look at this would assume that there was someone who designed it.
This is a cross section of Human DNA.
This is just one example and if your not at your computer you can easily give them an analogy of man that found a watch in the field and wondered how all the pieces came together in that fashion on their own.
This post was made possible by Pastor Kevin who preached on this subject a few months back and readers like you.
This post is not an invitation for debate but a word of encouragement to someone who may be looking for a way to share their faith with someone who has subscribe to these thoughts. Please keep your comments to this format.
Here are some links that may be useful if you would like to know more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id2Ik4whVr8
I will add more later but it is late and I am tired.
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