Dear Smoker in the Gym

To the Dude that Smokes and Works out at the Gym With Me,

I’m glad to see you are at the gym working out.  Seriously…great job!  I always want to support anyone who summons the fortitude to actually go to the gym and workout…BUT…

If you walk in after smoking a cigarette, you are killing everyone around you.  Seriously, dude.  It is hard enough working out as it is let alone having to do it while feeling like I’m sucking on a previously smoked cigarette.  This isn’t about the fact that you smoke.  Hey…it isn’t good for you…but…you already know that.  This isn’t about Jesus loving you less because you smoke because he doesn’t.  This is purely about not wanting to run next to an ashtray.

So please…grab an Altoid…change the clothes…something…but your killing me on the treadmill next to you…it is one powerful scent!

Sincerely,

Your fellow gym-goer

P.S.  This same principle applies to farts as well…good grief man…just run to the bathroom

Glad I Could Help

I just got this e-mail:

My Dear Transfer Of Fund

I am Dr.George Konan from Ivory Coast, I need your honest assistance to transfer Usd$17.7 Million Dollars from here. Please reply with your direct phone number if interested. I await your quick reply.

Dr.George Konan

I am always just so glad that I can be in a place like this to help people looking to legitimately transfer $17.7 million from the Ivory Coast.  My life is good…really good

Getting Dressed in the Morning

I thought I was the only one who woke up and got dressed like this.  But then I saw this video!!

LOST Season Finale Tonight

Yea Baby…big time tonight!!  So many questions…will I have them answered?!

 

Unofficial Start of Summer

Today was the LAST DAY of school for my kids.  Summer break has begun.  Time for a shift of routines!

May 24, 2008 Message On-Line

The May 24th message “When Worlds Collide” from our three week message series on the church in Ephesus entitled A Church in the City is now online.  It is the first week of our series taken from Acts 19.  It takes a look at what happens in a city when the church is empowered by the Holy Spirit and becomes bold within its city!  You can find the message here.

Standing in the Intersection

Some days you have the high honor of standing in the intersection where heaven and earth cross.  They are “holy ground” moments where God leaves an imprint on the earth.  They aren’t always easy.  Sometimes they are scary.  Sometimes they are full of joy.  But yesterday was full of those intersecting moments and I had the privilege of getting to be close to the intersection:

• Got to celebrate the joy of a brand new baby (congrats to Ben & Jennifer Kress and her new little boy Sullivan…8 lbs. 9 ounces).
• Participated in the Memorial service of Jim Muddiman who died tragically on May 17th after a punch to the back of the head.
• Went to the jail to speak and pray with a woman who couldn’t be more torn and in trouble.
• Was allowed access to a baby we dedicated three weeks ago at the Living Stones Church (seriously…had to go through CPS with all sorts of security checks) who is in PICU on every machine you can think of fighting for his little six week year old life because someone decided to punch him in the skull and fracture it. (this intersection is full of sadness and great anger)
• Sat and talked with a friend that God is in process of healing her from cancer.
• Finished the day with a party at Hacienda (if you have never mixed their salsa and ranch dressing together for the chips…you are missing out) to celebrate the coming of another little baby boy.  As of now, there is no name picked out.  I think “Sam” is an excellent and strong name for any newborn boy!

Anyhow…more than normal, yesterday was one of those days where you witness the “intersection.”  It is holy ground.  And I wouldn’t trade what I get to do for the world!!!

Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull

Took the family to see the new Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull movie (minus Alex…too young…glad we did).  I’ve read very mixed reviews on this movie…from it is the greatest movie of all times to complete bore!  We liked it.  Of course it is the genre of Indiana Jones movies which has a lot of goofiness in it (trying not to spoil anything…but…e.g., refrigerator, swinging in trees like a monkey, the unbelievable bad aim of enemy fire, no debris hits them at clearly dangerous scenes, etc.), but that is what makes a great Indiana Jones movie!

Anyone else see it?  And if so, what did you think?

Putt-Putt Golf

There might be a rumor floating out there that Lindsey & Alex Peek along with my wife kicked my butt at putt-putt.

Don’t believe it.

It is a lie.  I schooled them !

Four Part Harmony

Earlier this week I hung out at Rochester College for their Resource Seminar.  It was a good seminar.  While the attendance at the conference was pretty ecumenical (at least it was supposed to be), the hosts of the seminar are from Acappella Churches of Christ.  This is the tradition I grew up in.

The times of worship at the conference were all acappella…meaning no instruments… (including a Taize worship experience on Tuesday evening).  I much prefer instrumental music…BUT…one thing that I am grateful for in being raised in acappella Churches of Christ is being taught how to sing four-part harmony.

I actually have fun singing the old hymns acappella/four-part harmony.

I HATE singing contemporary songs (at least most of them) acappella.  They sound terrible.  They REQUIRE instruments (in my humble opinion )  But the oldies sung in four-part harmony…oh…it is fun!