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A few upcoming movies I want to see

07/20/2007 / Blake

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.

Blast From The Past :: Dog Bites

07/19/2007 / Blake

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.

Tattoo’d? Would you?

07/16/2007 / Blake

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?

Tagged: Part II – Can You Dig It?

07/13/2007 / Blake

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?

Tagged: Part I

07/11/2007 / Blake

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.

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.
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.
I’ve been married now for over eight years. When I was eight I didn’t think I’d ever get married.
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.
I enjoy online communities. I’ve created one once before. I have a project now in mind.
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.
I think one of the best feelings is brushing your teeth with a brand new toothbrush.
I’ll always be a MSU Bulldog fan no matter where I live.

There…I’ll add tags later.

A whole lot of stuff

07/10/2007 / Blake

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]

Changes in the Church

06/22/2007 / Blake

Well, last Sunday was Bob‘s last Sunday. Now he’s headed to be a District Superintendent for the Starkville District. I guess if you gotta go somewhere, Starkville is a great place to go. So this Sunday will be an “off” day of sorts in the way of having a pastor, but then July 1st is Mitchell’s first Sunday here as our pastor.

We hate to see Bob leave. He was a great man to work both for and with. He’ll be missed. But I think Mitchell will be a great man to work for and with as well.

BUT…big news this week was that Tracy, the Associate Youth Minister that worked with me turned in her letter of resignation. So in the next couple of weeks I’ll be flying solo for a while. But I hope we’re able to get the position filled before school starts. I think that it would be important to have the two responsibilities divided between me and them Jr. High and Sr. High. The way things were with Tracy and me was that it was almost a complete overlap in most responsibilities.

Do you think it’s best to split responsibilities between Jr. High and Sr. High?

[tags]youth ministry[/tags]

Feast One Hundred & Forty Nine

06/22/2007 / Blake

Appetizer
Name a funny habit you have.
I like to eat Cap’n Crunch with every meal.

Soup
If you could instantly know how to play a musical instrument, which one would you pick?
Probably guitar. That way I could wow some people w/ my new skill. And maybe even fill in some Sunday nights when we don’t have someone to lead worship.

Salad
How long is your hair?
I keep it short in the warmer months. So much that I started shaving it w/ clippers last summer. It’s easy and cheap.

Main Course
When was the last time you forgave someone, and who was it?
Eh, it happens daily. And I think people forgive me daily.

Dessert
What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
The freezer. It keeps my ice cream from melting…

BigStuf Camp and Student Life Camp

06/14/2007 / Blake

Matt Jackson asked me my thoughts on comparing Student Life summer camps and BigStuf summer camps.

I’ll start off by saying that I think that both are top notch organizations and you can’t really go wrong with either. I’ve carried groups a bunch of times to the Student Life Tour and never was disappointed. And one year we went to the Student Life camp at Covenant College. With BigStuf I went as a college leader back in 1994, and then I’ve carried a group of my own every year since 1997.

Again, you can’t go wrong if you’re trying to decide between the two. BUT…if I was having to choose between the two, I’d probably choose BigStuf (I guess I have since I’ve gone 10 years in a row!) But here are a few thoughts:

I think BigStuf is the best combination of teaching, worship, and fun. It’s located right on the beach @ Panama City Beach with lots to do literally right out side the door of your room. With Student Life, their camps are spread out all over the country in some really good locations. It was beautiful on top of Lookout Mountain when we went.
The schedule at BigStuf is a lot more relaxed than the schedule at StudentLife. At Student Life breakfast starts at 6:45 vs. 7:30 at BigStuf. And BigStuf breakfast is not mandatory. Most of my students go, but not all. Also the first “meeting” of the day is 9:15 at BigStuf vs. 8:15 at Student Life.
There is more free time at BigStuf as far as the afternoons. But this year our “free time” was full of the tournaments our church was involved in. We did quite well in Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, and Basketball. But that was our “rec” time. At Student Life, there are scheduled recreation times where everyone participates. And afternoon free time seemed much shorter.
At Student Life there were quiet times in the morning w/ your youth group where they were more individual times in the afternoon at BigStuf. I see the value in both of these…
Each camp has a time for your church group scheduled in there.
Student Life has the kids split up in to “Family Groups”. BigStuf does not. I think it’s kinda cool that Student Life does that. And they have adults from church groups to lead these. Cool stuff.
Both camps have good teachers and worship leaders. I’ve actually seen some of the same teachers and worship leaders be at both camps during the same summer even.
Randy Hall and Lanny Donoho are both visionary leaders w/ a great camp. Both guys have done exceptionally well with what God’s built through their efforts.
Student Life does seem to be a little cheaper, but not tons.
I’m not sure about all of them, but I notice that at some of the Student Life Beach Camps you have to drive to and from the meeting place and the hotel. At BigStuf…it’s all w/in a few hundred yards.

Anyway, I think they both have the edge in different departments. One thing Matt asked about was the Mission Experience that Student Life has in some of its camps. BigStuf does not have that as a part of their program, so they’re absent of that.

And I don’t want it to sound like I like BigStuf better just because there is more free time and you can sleep a little later (though it is nice). But the one year I was a Student Life, the overall schedule seemed a little too tight. Like you were always moving from one thing to the next w/ hardly a break. But some people really like this because it wears the kids out and they go to sleep more quickly at night!

But … either way you go, you can’t go wrong. Both are being used by God to touch the lives of both students AND adults!

Somewhere in Middle America!

06/09/2007 / Blake

So after all is said and done. After all the heat and sweat. After the long balls and double plays… After two days of baseball that set records and rejuvenated a fanbase that had been grumbling for years now.

Mississippi State is headed back to Omaha! Yes, this team that was said to have no pitchers and started many freshmen through out the season. This team who was picked last in the SEC…not just the SEC West, but #12 out of 12. This team that battled injuries caused both on and of the field is the first team to have it’s ticket punched for the CWS.

They held off the Clemson Tigers again today. Mitch Moreland had a fantastic weekend as hear earned MVP. He used to come to my former youth group. Was a good kid then. Now he’s a great young man. But it wasn’t just Mitch. It was the whole team.

So now that leaves us with some questions:

Who will leave and who will come back? Moreland & Easley were both drafted. Easley is gone I expect. Moreland might want to return (he was drafted in the 17th). Jeffrey Rea returned and now he’s getting to go to Omaha. But depending on what happens the next couple of weeks. What will Moreland have to accomplish?
What will the lineup be? It seems that Polk has used a different lineup almost every game the last three weeks. But whatever he’s been doing, it’s seemed to have paid off lately.
Will the hitting continue? We had some great bats early on in the season. They tailed off, but they returned when we went to Tallahassee.
Pitching depth…will it emerge? We pitched 4 guys in each of the last two games. We’ll have to go much deeper to advance in the CWS.
What will Polk do? Lots of people were grumbling and really dissatisfied w/ him during the season. Some called for his job. But he’s managed a team to the point where they’re right where everyone in college baseball wants to be. Is this his last hurrah? Is this just another year as he keeps on coaching?

MSU Baseball is fun…no doubt about it. Oh, and that record that was set yesterday for Super Regional Attendance