Blake Thompson daht NetI'm just saying….

Two years ago the youth ministry took a Destination Unknown trip to Dallas. We repeated the trip this past weekend. We scored some tickets to Six Flags over Texas and then went to have a lock-in at Group Dynamix. All in all it was a great time. Destination Unknown is a youh trip where the kids don’t know where we’re going, they just show up and hop on the bus and we take off to parts unknown…

Six Flags was hot…and I mean HOT! I think most of us got close to dehydration just because of the heat. But when you can buy a $4 bottle of water, no one should get dehydrated, right? The food prices are atrocious at Six Flags. People would get a hamburger, fries, and a drink fr $12. A salad and bottle of water was $14. Papa John’s pizza was about the same. So the key is to sit with people who won’t eat all their food and finish it up for them.

The bus was pretty hot too. The AC worked in the front, but not in the back. So that made riding interesting. And we got hardly no sleep.  I bet I got about 45 minutes of intense rest. I’m not going to call is “sleep”, but really good rest.

The guys who ran the show at Group Dynamix really did a good job. Caleb and Taylor knew the games well and how to make it fun and involved all the kids. I’ll give a more lengthly explanation of Group Dynamix soon.

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I don’t go to the movies as much as I’d like. And I have a decent theater about less than 2 miles from my house. But here are a few upcoming movies I want to see.

This one, 01-18-08, looks good. The trailer doesn’t show you much. But it’s pretty much the launch pad for the movie. Seems viral marketing is going to take this one by storm. There’s not even any title of the movie given. Only that it’s made by JJ Abrams (who I’ve loved from Alias and LOST). Is is a new Godzilla? Is it related to LOST? Who knows…? But I’ll watch it.

The new Get Smart movie. I used to watch these back in the day. And now Steve Carell playing Maxwell Smart? Can you say genius? And Anne Hathaway as Agent 99? The Rock as Agent 23 (whoever A23 is). Good times.

Rush Hour 3 …. nuf said. These guys crack me up even when the plot seems to start stalling.

And of course I’ll need to carry the wife to No Reservations.

But still, I’m wanting to see Transformers and the new Die Hard.

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If you’ve read my blog for a couple of years (back when it had a different name) you might remember these pictures from when my grandmother’s dog bit my oldest daughter.

The first one was the next day after, and the 2nd one was a few days later…there are still a few scars if you really look for them.

Well, it seems that history repeats itself in certain ways. Last night Kid #2 got bit. And this was a good one too. But we were actually there to see this one go down and all.

Anyway, we called the clinic and they said that unless it was gapping or pulled apart, that it probably didn’t need any stitches. So we waited. Last night it looked “not good” but not really that bad. But this morning it looked bad. I took her to the doctor and they said they eye is fine, no stitches were needed. But that it might be a little infected.

Expect swelling and bruising too. But Ella is a trooper. She got bit, and after the initial drama was over, she was ready to go get a hotdog. And today  she’s not complained at all about it. So now we play the waiting game to where it turns all bruised looking and The Wife and I get curious glances in the grocery store.

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Last weekend was my grandmother’s birthday, so we went back up north (north Mississippi, I mean) to visit the fam. Amory is where I grew up, and where The Wife and I spent the first 5.5 years of marriage. So it’s good to be back around, but sometimes I’m glad I’m not there anymore…if that makes any sense.

But we ran by the small town Christian bookstore while we were there. The kind of store that has most of the current best selling books and music, but also tons of what I call “Jesus Junk” too. The lady that was working that day actually taught me in preschool some 30ish years ago. Very nice lady.

As we talked she asked about a girl that I knew a long way back. I’ve no idea where the girl is now, but she commented that she always seemed to be a sad child. But that someone said they saw here a couple of years ago waiting tables in Tupelo, MS. Then her tone changed and she said, “…and she had all kinds of…piercing and stuff,” and said it in a minor key tone of voice. Because everyone in Jesus Junk stores knows that piercings and tattoos are signs of something wrong with our spirit, right?

But then again, I think that those implications are in large part just a product of the Southern Culture. Sure, we can think of examples and people we know from here that are not depressed or “hurting” and have tats and piercings. But I guess it’s just a stereotype. But elsewhere it’s quite common and/or celebrated.

Los is about to get to be on reality TV with getting tattooed. If I lived in a different region, or worked at a different place would I get a tattoo? Not sure, but I’m probably not signing up for anything just yet. But what about you? Why have you (or why have you not) gotten a tattoo? Would you consider it? Do you consider it a sin (as some people do) or no?

Thinking of getting a tattoo now?

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Now second in this series of taggings is a tag from Yafreax Jeremy. I’m supposed to list 5 reasons I “dig” Jesus. It sounds like Shaggy from Scooby Doo talking here…like, wow! But here we go:

• I did Jesus because He first dug me. It was way back before I knew He even existed (or knew I even existed).
• I dig Jesus because of the ways I’ve seen Him at work in my life. Sometimes I’ve wished for more evidence of course. But He’s provided almost constant confirmation of Himself at times.
• I dig Christ because of the difference I’ve seen Him make in the lives of people. Totally turned them around. Not just buying some sort of “Fire Insurance” but because of them honestly giving their life to Him
• I did Jesus because of how I see His love at work in my family.
• And lastly…I did Jesus because He was a part in creating all of this… and one day I’ll be hanging out with Him face to face.

Now I’m supposed to tag like 5 or so people with this. But I’m just getting my feet wet again with the site, so I’ll leave it open ended. If you are reading this …why not consider yourself tagged?

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Rick tagged me, and I must reply….that’s how life works.

The rules are simple…Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. Any time my daughters have thrown up on a person, it’s always been me. Always. I don’t know if I attract that sort of stuff or if they feel comfortable emptying their stomach on me or what.
2. Tonight I’m going to go see Evan Almighty. I’ve heard it’s really good. Looking forward to it. Not been to a movie theater in a while.
3. I’ve been married now for over eight years. When I was eight I didn’t think I’d ever get married.
4. I need sleep but wish I didn’t. If I didn’t need sleep I’d read more books, learn more skills, watch more movies, exercise more, pray more, have more projects, maybe make extra money, and have to cut my hair more often.
5. I enjoy online communities. I’ve created one once before. I have a project now in mind.
6. I’ve recently started having some hands on time with a Mac. And now my next computer I buy will be a Mac. Either an iMac or a MacBook.
7. I think one of the best feelings is brushing your teeth with a brand new toothbrush.
8. I’ll always be a MSU Bulldog fan no matter where I live.

There…I’ll add tags later.

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Well, sad to say that I’ve been under cover lately, it seems. I’ve had TONS of stuff in my head. I’ve been reading, listening, praying, being quite, and all kinds of stuff. And through all that I think my head has been really crammed with stuff, but also quite clear too…if that makes any sense.

But since we last caught up, I’ve had a busy life:

• Went to Camp Lake Stephens for Camp Rainbow just outside of Oxford. CLS is such a part of my own history and faith journey. God matured me in a lot of ways there, and even introduced me to my future wife there. The Wife and I were able to take a few high school students over to volunteer for the week. I think everyone should volunteer for Camp Rainbow at CLS at some point in their life (I did it for seven and want to go back sometime!)
• Got to attend The Orchard Oxford while in town. A good friend, Pat Ward (I mentioned him here once before), is the pastor of this church plant. It’s being planted by The Orchard in Tupelo. The Wife and I have a good history with the church and its people. The pastor of the Tupelo church even married us.
• Got to see many friends, some planned, some unexpected while there. Always good times.
• My dad took our girls for the week! He lives about 30 minutes from CLS. So we had no kids for a week.
• Therefore our Fourth of July consisted of sleeping late, playing tennis, then watching it rain the rest of the day and night.
• Went back to get the girls and visit with family in town from Virginia. I saw cousins I’d not seen since nine years ago. That was pretty crazy, but really good. Everyone is grown and married now. I got their emails. Now I gotta make sure to keep up contacts with them.
• Brought the girls home, then realized my dad has strep throat. And now Addie does too. Fun times!
• It is so nice to get a few days break w/o the girls. But it’s so great to have them back.

So…did you miss me?

[tags]Camp Lake Stephens, Camp Rainbow, The Orchard[/tags]

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