Tuesday, October 31, 2006

You asked for more....(finally)

Because we all love Weird Al....

Here he is, in probably one of my favorite videos of his.

What really makes this video for me is Florence Henderson. I mean, hello, Mrs. Brady!

OK, enough of that silliness.

Friday, October 27, 2006

a look inside the world of "soft-porn"

Here's an article about Joe Francis, the founder of the "Girls Gone Wild" porn empire.  It's a painful and disgusting look at the effects pornography has.

I need to throw up.

Monday, October 23, 2006

I just want to make a note that on October 23, 2006, it was 2 years ago....

I remembered it then, but didn't get a chance to post on the "anniversary".

Honestly, it is getting easier. I find that a look back on 10/23/2004 - 01/06/2005 with fond remembrance. I had a lot of fun during those months. I don't regret a thing. Well, maybe one thing. If I could do it all over again, I would. Heck, if God gave me the opportunity to do it right now, I would (he'd have to give me an awfully large sign, though).

There's healing, though. God is good!

Monday, October 16, 2006

Keeping things in perspective....

Courtesy of my Mother:

A young man was at the end of his rope, seeing no way out, he
dropped to his knees in prayer

"Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear."

The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place
your cross inside this room.

Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."

The man was filled with relief and said, "Thank you Lord," and he
did as he was told.

Upon entering the other room, he saw many crosses; some so large the
tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning
against a far wall.

"I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered. The Lord replied, "My son,
that is the cross you just brought in."

Friday, October 13, 2006

More Weird Al

During my travels through Google Video, I came across yet another gem:



It brought back happy memories. How?

Back in 1989, I believe, I received the PXL-2000 camcorder. It recorded both video and audio on a standard video cassette. One of my favorite things to do with it was get together with my friend and her brother and make "videos" of Weird Al songs. I believe "Ricky" was the first one we did. I really enjoyed watching someone else who had the same idea.....

I would love to be able to put the video we did up (though Friend would probably kill me if I did -- she threatened back then NEVER to let anyone see that video....).

Watching all this Google Video and YouTube has given me a desire to order a cheapie video camera (can be gotten for < $100 now!) and start doing some of the same stuff....probably not in the same way that I once would've when I was in 9th grade, but I think it's something the youth would enjoy doing....it's got potential, I think.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Oh my word!

Google Video has got to be one of the greatest productivity stoppers ever. I haven't been lured to it because the sound coming from flash wasn't working, so I couldn't watch it on my Linux box. All that has changed! For today, I can view (and hear!) videos from Google and YouTube (which was recently bought out by Google!).

And so a new era begins.

What got me curious is, last night on the way home, my youth were talking about Weird Al Yankovic's latest album and one of the songs from it "White and Nerdy" (parodying "Riding Dirty", which happens to be one of Wife's favorite songs!). So last night I was playing and, just out of curiousity, wondered if you could find music videos on video.google.com. Sure enough, a search for "Weird Al" yielded several of his videos. And so, instead of doing something productive, I give you:

"White and Nerdy"


And the "How White and Nerdy Are You?" Quiz:

You are 36% white and nerdy.
How White and Nerdy Are You?

The David Zucker ad heard round the world

This campaign ad rocks....it's a stark reminder of what will continue to happen if the enemies of the United States (both outside and within the US borders!) are permitted to continue in the direction they seem to be going.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

It's 2:53am....

I'm generally not one to suffer from insomnia.  It's been a long while since I last had any problems going to sleep.  This morning is different.  I was awakened by the sound of messages going to my phone.  I started leaving it on loud because I'd been missing important work related pages that I really needed to know I'd gotten.  That said, it's also susceptible to spam being sent to it.  At 2am.  So I got some, woke up, and couldn't go back to sleep.

I came out here to the study.  I ordered flowers for Wife.  When I was in college, I would send her "just Tuesday" presents.  The first one I got her was a Muppet calendar.  I brought it to her dorm room.  When she asked what the occasion was, I told her "because it's Tuesday".  From that point on, any present that was bought for no reason was called a "just Tuesday" present.

25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.   (Ephesians 5:25, NLT)

My prayer for my marriage is that I will love Wife in the same way that Christ loves the church.  And yet, I know I fail so badly.  I know that I've caused a lot of hurt for her, unintentionally, but still there.

YFCRED reminded me that "delayed obedience is immediate disobedience".  It was in reference to my calling into the ministry.  I felt the calling as a Junior in High School.  I originally went to school with the intent of going into the ministry.  But I got distracted and lost that focus.  I didn't answer the calling until a few years ago (for anyone doing the math, it was 11+ years later).  He mentioned that because of my disobedience, there was a lot that had to be undone.

I think my marriage is like that.  When I first got married, my focus was not on loving Wife like Christ loves the church.  My focus was on me, and what I thought I was missing out on, in impressing people, wanting to do what I wanted.  During that time I had a wife that wasn't perfect, but who loved me very much and did so much to try to please me.  She got nothing in return.

There's a lot that has to be undone.  If it's not, then none of the options are pretty....

In one of the many conversations Wife and I have had during the last few days, I've been reminded that ultimately, nobody really knows me.  I don't think it's intentional.  I don't think I set out trying to hold back my true feelings and emotions.  I just....do.   Though now, I have to admit, the less contact I have with people, the better.

This past weekend, I went to go visit a friend in the hospital.  This person is an incredible person, whom I love very much.  They've been an indespensible part of several Youth trips we've taken recently.  When I went to see them, on one hand I was sad to see them there.  On the other hand, I was jealous.  To just be able to take some time away would be nice.

It's 3:33am now.  I'm supposed to get up in an hour and get ready for the gym.  I haven't been in a week and a half.  I hate that.  I hope I still remember what to do.

I just put in some time with my Ultima Online account.  I enjoy playing UO.  I once explained to Wife that I enjoy Ultima because I can kill things and not feel bad.  My character is good, so I only kill the bad guys :)

I think I'm going back to sleep now.  Hopefully.

--
Brian Johnson
http://khelek.blogspot.com
"And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight." (2 Samuel 6:22)

Monday, October 09, 2006

Everybody Run....North Korea has a nuke...

With apologies to Julie Brown.

The big news today is the nuclear testing that N. Korea did over the weekend.  They've been over there screaming for some time that they had the ability for nukes, and we've more or less dismissed them.  Now, they've tested it, trying to see what sort of reaction they'll get.  They're like children -- children like to see how far they can push their boundaries.

If I were a betting man, I'd say that this will do nothing more than bring about another round of talks, negotiations, sanctions, and "tsk, tsk, bad communist dictator!" hand slapping.

I'm convinced that the only way  some people in this country are going to wake up to the real threat our enemies pose is when something is finally fired our way that takes out part, if not all, of the United States.

Then it'll be too late.  And when we all wake up the next morning as glowing, radioactive clams, the liberal clams will be pointing whatever passes as fingers on clams at President Bush, saying, "he didn't do enough to protect us".

If this is not taken seriously, I'm afraid it's going to be open season on the United States by everyone that hates us.  Which is pretty much the entire world.  Except Israel.  And possibly England.

Am I being overly paranoid?  I don't think so....

--
Brian Johnson
"And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight." (2 Samuel 6:22)

Reconciliation

7 Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. (Mark 16:7a, NLT, emphasis mine)

I don't know about anyone else, but I've managed to upset a good number of people. Some weeks, it seems to be on a regular basis. And I'm pretty sensitive to it too; it upsets me when I believe I've made someone angry. And so I try to make things better as quickly as possible. It stinks when you want to make something right, but you don't have the oppurtunity, or worse yet, the offended person isn't ready to talk yet.

As I was reading Mark 16 today, this particular verse jumped out at me. It's part of the exchange between the angel at Jesus' empty tomb and the women who had gone to annoint His body. Here we see the angel give the women a message to pass on -- that Jesus was alive and would meet them in Galilee. The beautiful part is, it was a message to His disciples, "including Peter".

Why is that significant? Because the last time Peter had seen Jesus was the night He was dragged away by the religious leaders and the other Jews. Peter had followed and watched when they took Jesus away. Prior to that, Jesus had predicted that Peter would deny Him, and Peter vehemently denied the prediction. Yet, while waiting in the courtyard outside, when asked if he knew Jesus, Peter did just as Jesus had predicted. In Mark's account, "Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he broke down and wept." (Mark 14:72b, NLT)

Not a good way to end -- after that, Jesus was "tried" and sentenced to death on the cross. The only disciple to be there at the crucifiction was John. Peter never had the chance to apologize to Jesus. I imagine those last moments were pretty hard on him.

But in that angel's words to the women, there was hope. Why mention Peter specifically outside of the other disciples? If Peter reacted the way I would've, I imagine he withdrew from everyone else in his shame. I imagine he felt humiliated, after making such bold claims. Although Mark's account doesn't mention another disciple there, in John 18, there was another disciple in addition to Peter (probably John himself, as Peter and John are often seen together, and John doesn't refer to himself by name in his Gospel). If John was there, perhaps Peter felt too ashamed to feel a part of that group anymore.

By mentioning Peter specifically, it was Jesus saying, "tell Peter it's OK". Amazing! Peter didn't have to apologize, it was Christ making the move of reconciliation! What we see is a small glimpse of the overall picture of the cross! Peter didn't have to go to Jesus, Jesus gave Peter an invitation to Him! We never went to God and said, "I want a relationship with You, please make a way." God wanted us to have a relationship with Him, and He made the Way, He gave us the invitation to Him!



Thursday, October 05, 2006

NaNoWriMo (www.nanowrimo.org)

National Novel Writing Month is coming!

Every year I grapple with the idea of doing it. I don't remember the first year I tried....maybe 2001? For whatever reason, the idea of writing a 50,000 word "novel" in a month intrigues me.

Yet, each time I've tried, I failed. I signed up several years in a row, and I know I didn't even bother last year. Sadly, as much as I want to write, I am not a creative person. Now Wife, she's a creative person! I've tried to talk her into it for several years, and she refuses to try. Which saddens me, because I believe she's capable of the next great American novel. OK, maybe not by doing 50,000 words in a month, but I believe she's capable. I think she's capable of a lot of things. The problem is, I think she lives by the motto that I claim to live by, "you can't fail if you don't try." (honestly, the motto I live by "it's much more work to try than not to try....", but I digress). I really believe that wife is afraid of failing, and is therefore doesn't take the risk.

But, this isn't about Wife, it's about me. I love NaNoWriMo. I want to do it so badly. But yet, I know that there are a million other things I have to do with my time in November instead of trying to write a novel. Sigh. Good luck to all of you who are going for it!

Other random thoughts while I'm awake and typing:
  • I'm so glad it's Fall -- those who know me best know I love cold weather. My favorite two seasons are Winter (first) and Fall (second). So I love when September 20 (21, 22, I can't remember exactly which day it is) comes around and Fall is here! I love the shorter days and the cold nights. I will, however, admit that I actually didn't mind this past summer so much. I think it was a mix of the fact that it was some what mild and, having lost 75 pounds, I was much more comfortable, even on the hotter days. When I could, I would even take a lawn chair to the top of the parking garage and lay out in the son. Didn't get to do it as often as I would've liked.
  • Exercise -- I've been going to the gym. With such a massive amount of weight loss, I now have to do some toning. Wife has said some, um, not encouraging things about the way I look, so I need to build some muscle. I'm really not looking to do more than tone, though. I don't want to be big and bulky.
  • OK, I've run out of randomness....hmmmm

It's not about me

It's been a while since I've actually done this. I love keeping a blog, especially about what I'm reading on a daily basis. But, the truth is, it takes time to do something like this. And sadly, time is not something I have an abundance of. I'm hoping to do better. But, we've heard that one before.

25"I--yes, I alone--am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again. (Isaiah 43:25, NLT, emphasis mine)

This past week I had a deacons meeting at church. For whatever reason, I'm astutely aware of the last time we had Lord's Supper (it's a time that I very much look forward to, as I find it to be spiritually refreshing and renewing (though we should be spiritually refreshed and renewed daily...)). I don't remember the last time we had Lord's Supper (oh, actually, I do, right before our Youth mission trip in July), and knew it was time for one this quarter. I brought it up with Pastor, who mentioned we had a baptism that he'd like to do along with the Supper. He mentioned it would be either October 22 or 29. Knowing that I'm going to be out of town the weekend of Oct 29, I raised my hand and said, "I vote for October 22." I was then reminded that it didn't matter what I wanted, but when was convenient for the one being baptised. You see, it wasn't about me or what was convenient for me.

As I was reading through Isaiah tonight, I came across the above verse. It really caught my attention. I'm fully aware of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, His resurrection 3 days later, and what it means for me -- forgiveness of my sins and a renewed relationship with God the Father now, and eternal life with Him after I leave earth. It means that I have the Holy Spirit living in me, the same Spirit that Paul reminds us, "The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you" (Romans 8:11, NLT). I'm called a child of God. I'm being made into the image of Christ day-by-day. The list of the privileges resulting from the sacrifice Christ made could go on and on....

But here's the kicker. As God is speaking through the prophet Isaiah to the Israel and Judah, calling them to repentance, the above words are spoken. God blots out their (and our!) sins. What's amazing is, for whom He does it. It's for HIS sake! It was for Him and His glory that Christ came to die for our sins. It's a stark reminder to me that it's not about me at all, but all about God. I think we forget that. Well, I KNOW I forget it! I especially have a hard time remembering that I'm no better than other people. I get irritated when people don't behave the way I expect or believe they should. I forget the fact that my Christian brothers and sisters are saved by the same Grace that I'm saved by. I get cocky in what I perceive to be my good works which, again, in Isaiah, I'm reminded are no more than "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).

I'm a sinner saved by Grace. It' s nothing I did, or can do. It's all about what God did....for HIS glory! I'm reaping the incredible benefits of God's glorication through Christ. Now, the question is, will I begin really living like it? Or continue to believe that it's all about me?

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Another signatory, Debbie Findling of San Francisco, described her difficult decision last year to have an abortion after tests showed that she would bear a son with Down syndrome

(from http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/03/D8KHAKIO0.html, discussing Ms. Magazine's cover story "We Had Abortions")

It really puzzles me how people can see abortion as a "right". The baby was not even given a shot at life because the mother decided it was better off dead than being born with DS.

God even has a plan for the "handicapped"....what if everyone born with a "defect" had been aborted?

I hate reading garbage like this. Why are people celebrating the fact that they had an abortion? Why are people proud of this? I just don't understand.

But then again, I'm beginning to find I understand less and less each day.....

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Not sure how often ill post from my phone

But it's cool i can!

a week of ticking people off

I think I'm going to make it my goal this week to tick off someone everyday....

Sunday - I got blessed out by one of my youth
Monday - had a drag down, all out argument with Wife
Tuesday - pretty much had a co-worker mad at me all day because he's (rightly) fed up with dealing with work stuff after hours while I'm not able to handle them....

I think I've got the person in mind for tomorrow....someone I need to talk regarding their behavior. I'm SURE they aren't going to like what I have to say.

I honestly think I've gone off the deep end.