Chesting is a time honored tradition dating back to.........


Jan. 19th of this year!

It is played by the same rules that our forefathers played by when they engaged in such tomfoolery.
Chesting is not for the weak of heart or chest, and should only be played by the bravest of competitors.


You may be asking yourself, "What is chesting?" Well sadly chesting has some simple rules that must be followed at all times. They are as follows:
1) We do not talk about Chesting.
2) We DO NOT talk about Chesting!

Good now that we have gotten that out of the way let me tell you how to play.

First of all someone sneaks up and punches some in the chest. Then the chesty becomes the Chester and must find another person to chest. That pretty much sums it up!

Now a few words of warning:
a) I suggest that you do not chest people who have no sense of humor.

b) Chesting is not really supposed to be a coed game. So stay away from that!

c) Hitting someone in the chest may not be allowed by your parents or local, state or national government. So you will want to check into that before starting.

Well there you have it! Now get out there and take part in the greatest sport ever invented (or as if is often referred to as,"that weird game I saw on a t.v. show last week)!

Good night and good luck.

PS. Here is a picture of what Jim would like if I chested him.

Who or what is this?
Who is she?Who let these guys in?Do you need help? Take your finger out of that!


What?

No I can't hear you over the screams!









This was not my idea!




I believe he invited us for a time of fellowship.



Yes, fellowship is the word he used.











Lemons? Yes I do remember something about lemons.....









Ok for the last time would someone claim that!

Well it has been a busy weekend! Jen took baby Zoe on her first trip out of state. Sadly the trip was the result of family moving away, but we hope to see them again soon. I was also gone to the back woods of Wisconsin. No, I was not off killing things, but instead of the joy of hunting I had the joy of Jr and Senior High school students on a winter retreat. I will post my thoughts on the retreat later. Today is dedicated to missing my beautiful ladies and finally posting the pictures of Zoe that my family have been waiting on for so long.
This first picture is of me holding Zoe while working on my blog.

In this picture I was trying to teach Zoey to sit up.

Zoe enjoys her fist. You can read more about that on her mom's blog.
You can get there by clicking on the link in the side panel .

She has quickly out grown the need for the support pillows.

If you can't tell from the pictures we believe that Zoe will be a redhead like her mom. She does have her fathers dimples though!
I hope to get a picture of them soon.

Having mastered the art of leaning Zoey now demands a place of honor on dad's stomach! Dad doesn't mind at all.

Take a moment:

-to think on the things of God.

-to be honest with ourself.

-to put aside your bias.

-to put off the things others have told you.

-to find out for yourself what is really contained within the pages of the number one best seller of all time.

-to forgive.....because no one is perfect.

-to respond in love when others spew hate.

-to ponder grace and.....



........to dance in it!

UNLEASH THE POWERS WITHIN YOU

Well that's what the back of the case said, but I really felt that it should read, "Unleash the repetitive game play within this game".



Today I am reviewing Kameo, one of the launch titles for the Xbox 360. First off I must say that I wouldn't have bothered playing this game at all if it were not for the beautiful graphics. Secondly, my first point contained all the nice things I have to say about it.

Graphics......Great

Story............Weak

Sound..........Good

Game Play...Limited

Me...... Disappointed

Now I have to admit that I didn't really stay with this game (as it lost my interest so quickly). I will point out that if games like Halo or Splinter Cell are your bread and butter, and if you get your fantasy in the form of Elder Scroll or Final Fantasy this is not the game for you. However if you are looking for a beautifully rendered, non-engaging distraction from your already wasted life........this would be it.

P.S. Thank you Hunter for letting me borrow this game!

Just wanted to let you know how I am feeling today. Sometimes what you really need to do is sleep, but what you have to do is work. Then you end up so worn out that you can't sleep. If only I was allowed to express myself like baby Zoey. The indiscernible cries, not the other things. That would stink!

Speaking of stink-The basement bathroom floor has been poured. Thank you Ray(my father-in-law)! I helped him with another job and he helped me with mine. I use the word "helped" to represent the fact that I carried bags of concrete up and down stairs along with dirt and rocks. Ray did all the stuff that requires any type of knowledge and skill. He also taught me some new skills along the way.

Have you ever noticed that people spend way more time complaining about their job than they do bettering themselves so they can get a better job?

No I am not looking for a better job (because I love what I do), but I am getting all my "stuff" taken care of so that I can (hopefully) start on my Masters this fall. Yes, I know it has taken along time, but I had other things on my mind. Things like life, love, God and cheese.

Have you thought about cheese today?
You know what I'm saying....really thought about it! If you have then good. Now you can move past it and give some serious thought to God. If you haven't thought about cheese today then I suggest you skip it and move straight on to considering God. Once you've considered God then attempt communication. He is always listening and he never gets worn out.

Did you know that I feel worn out?

I guess I'll talk to God about it.

That always makes me feel better.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.....


Oh, yes I feel better already!

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

When The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was first announced I was thrilled, but as the release drew nearer I began to dread what Hollywood could do to this classic.


Last year I read a very disturbing article in which HarperCollins Publishers, the company that holds the rights to the books, announced its plans to create a new series of Narnia children's novels and picture books, using a stable of established children's fantasy writers. They promised to stay true to the works of C.S. Lewis, but a HarperCollins strategy memo leaked to the media stated otherwise:

"Obviously, this is a biggie as far as the estate and our publishing interests are concerned, we'll need to be able to give emphatic assurances that no attempt will be made to correlate the stories to Christian imagery/theology."


What was I to expect from the movie when I had heard that the new books would be devoid of the deep Christian allegory that I had enjoyed discovering as a child? In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting much more than a good family film.

When I viewed the film, I was pleasantly surprised to find it a sharp, well-produced movie adaptation that not only drew me into the world of Narnia, but also enriched my childhood memories of the book. The child actors were easily embraced as Edmond, Susan, Peter, and Lucy, and were able to convey the wide emotional range needed in this constantly changing adventure.


This would have been a mute point, however, if not for the excellent special effects. Nothing removes me from the movie experience the way bad effects do. This is especially true in fantasy films, which must take us fully into a new world in a believable way. The best compliment I can give is to say that the effects were not distracting, and that is what was so amazing about them.


Now back to my original fears. I was pleased to find Lewis' intended Christian allegory still intact. Good and evil; justice and injustice; truth and manipulation; and sin and sacrifice are all clearly portrayed for what they are. The most powerful moment in the film comes not at the slaying of Aslan on the sacrificial table, but at the splitting of the table. This moment of destruction so perfectly conveyed the message that there would be no more sacrifice. I couldn't help but compare this to the scene in The Passion of the Christ where the veil was torn, a scene that I found lacking in conveying the weight of the message. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe does not suffer from weakness at this all-important moment of redemption--for that I am thankful.


This underlying message will set Chronicles apart for most of us. It is not just another morality play. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is C.S. Lewis’ expression of child-like faith and the movie truly captures this feeling.


It is to be expected that this movie will suffer from the inevitable comparison to The Lord of the Rings trilogy because it was put into production due to the immense success of the Rings and Harry Potter series, but these comparisons should not stop us from embracing this film for what it is--a good movie based on a great book from a master of Christian allegory.

IN THE DIRT

Well today was my day off work.
So naturally my body hurts from working so much.
If you didn't know, and you probably didn't, we are putting a bathroom and bedroom in the basement. Now at first this may just seem like my way of avoiding the long hike up stairs to use the bathroom, but it is so much more than that. If you ever came over, you too would avoid the long hike up stairs. We are also holding out hope that my brother will come and live with us. We love him and he is a great guy to have around. He is also single. Now ladies control yourselves. Here is a picture of him with Zoey.


Back on point. I spent most of the morning and early afternoon in the dirt getting the subfloor ready to pour concrete. My father-in-law, who is also a great guy, has been a huge help to me with the plumbing. He however was not here today. So me on my bad knees in the dirt.


This story has an all to happy ending. My beautiful daughter ,who has been sick and crying for days, slept in my arms for two hours tonight.

This brings me to my point for today. Holding my daughter made all the work on this house worth it. I have often been amazed at people who say they want something but are unwilling to do the work needed to get it. I want a good home for my family. So I work at it. And when I look at my daughter I know it is worth it because one day she will be a teenage girl and if I don't have a second bathroom I will never get to use the bathroom at all.


Really I do it because it is worth it. And here is a picture of my brother Scott, my friend Aaron (who is also single) and me. Oh and Aaron doesn't want to make the long hike up stairs to the bathroom either, but he still says our friendship is worth it. For now anyway!

What is it that makes this guy so interesting?

And why are squirrels and little squirrel like creatures so popular right now?
I ask this because I have noticed that they seem to be the trend in animated films these days.


Also my neighborhood is infested with them.
Please feel free to comment.....

.....even though I know they can here everything.

One last thing I want to ask. Did anyone else think that the first hour of King Kong could have been condensed to 20 good minutes of back story? The second hour was great, (I love bugs!) and the third hour was necessary to the story. I still wouldn't want to pay sit through that first hour again, and I didn't pay the first time.

And would it kill them to put a few squirrels in the movie? In fact why not change the title character to a squirrel and animate the whole film instead of just the special effects. I cannot believe Peter Jackson is making us wait for the Hobit because he had to do this "Dream Project".

But that's just me. Jen liked it so it can't be that bad.

Where Did That Come From?

Have you ever been reading an article or book and you really like it? Then out of nowhere the author makes some statement that just strikes you dumbfounded. Where did that come from!?!

The author has stated it with such certainty that you feel almost foolish to question it and you do. Most of the time I just reread to see if I misread the first time. Sadly for the most part I have not misread and the author has given me any reason to accept it as true other then his/her word.

When did this happen? Was there a memo that I missed?
_______________________________________________________
MEMO

P.B.
We no longer need to have our writings, communication or thoughts based on any reason or proof or even train of thought.

Thank you for you cooperation,

The Brain Trust
_______________________________________________________

The hardest part is that most of the time I agree 95% of the time with people. Its the 5% that just kills me. Not that I am always right, far from it, but can we please think about things before we blindly swallow.


P.S. This is a pic of my baby girl Zoe. She communicates better then some of the authors I've read recently.

Fight the Power!

Often times I have thrown up my fist and shouted at the one that I see as wronging me. The odd thing is that I have began to see how wrong it is for me to get angry with one who does not follow my rules. When did I start thinking that I made the rules? And more importantly.......why should the one in power bend to my whim?

Today's world seems more concerned about demanding personal rights then with understanding why we would have any rights to begin with.

Questions: Can I give myself rights? If I can then how did this happen? What if my rights interfere with your rights? Are we both right or are we both wrong?

More importantly if we are wrong how do we get right? And what does this have to do with fighting the power?