Crazy Day!

Tuesday morning started out just like any other normal day. I usually help out by taking Gabe to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help April out since she has to go to work earlier than normal on those days. I also had to go to Paris Uniforms to take a drug test before I could begin my new job (read my last post about my new job) Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong! I think they should rename Murphy's law to Lewis's law. Here's how it all went down: As I got ready to take Gabe to school I realized that I had locked my keys in the car the night before. I had used my air compressor to inflate Gabe's basketball and his bike tires. No problem though, I had a spare key in my wallet so I used that to open the car doors. Then I go to turn the key that's already in the ignition to find out that the key had been in the "on" position all night. The car's engine wasn't on, but the key was turned just enough to use up the battery. So I called April to let her know what was going on. She told me Gabe had a field trip that they had to leave for at 9:15am and it was already 8:40am...AHHHHHHH!

Fortunately, my friends Jesse and Natalie live close by. So Gabe and I walked to their house. Natalie opened the door after just waking up and offered us a ride to Gabe's preschool. As we neared the pre-school, I came to the realization that I left Gabe's backpack in my car which contained the money and permission slip for the field trip...AHHHHHHH!

Fortunately, Gabe's teacher allowed me to write a permission slip for him there and sign it and she said we could get the money to her later. Natalie took me back to my car and we tried jumping the battery. After a half-hour and many tries later the car just...would...not...turn...over...AHHHHHHH!

Fortunately, Natalie offered to give me a ride to Paris Uniforms so I could get my drug test done. She kept telling me to look on the bright side because she must have sensed I was getting a little stressed by now. She said "Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to get a pacemaker." (I was actually referred to a cardiologist about getting a pace maker at one time, I mentioned it in this post.) We arrived at my destination and I told her that she didn't have to wait for me since I didn't know how long I was going to be there. I went in and I was only there for about ten minutes, and I didn't have a ride home...AHHHHHHH!

Fortunately, I gave my friend Gary a call. He just happened to be working nearby and he was on his break. He picked me up in one of those little 4x4 utility vehicles which looked a little like this:



...except it was green. He drove me to where he parked his Bronco and let me borrow it. He told me a few good places to get a car battery. So I went and got the battery, took the old battery out of my car and put the new one in. I had never replaced a car battery before so all I could do was pray I was doing it right. After I finished I sat in the driver seat, closed my eyes, said a little prayer, and turned the key...AHHHHHHH!...I mean...VROOOOOOOM! It started!

So that was my crazy day. I think we need days like this once in awhile, but not too frequently. And did you notice, for every "AHHHHHHH!", there was a "Fortunately" in this story. I feel blessed to have some great friends that God has placed in my life. Tuesday would have been rough without them.

WWWE: I'm Going to Paris!

If you have been reading and keeping up with this blog then you're probably wondering why I'm doing another WWWE, or Work, Work, Work Edition on my blog when I've talked about all the jobs I've had. Well, I have a new one! I'll be working as a delivery driver for a uniform rental company called Paris. After almost eight months of unemployment I finally have a job again!

I did a ride along yesterday for the route I'll be taking over. We started at 5am. (The sun doesn't even get up at 5am) We loaded uniforms, floor mats, shop towels, and a few other things into the truck. We traveled to about 20 different locations to make deliveries and to pick up uniforms, mats, and towels to be washed. It's a very physical job, and that's something I appreciate. If I don't have to spend my spare time in a fitness center because my job helps me get in shape, that's a bonus! Plus I'm tired of sit-down jobs. I worked an office job for almost two years, and I don't know if you've seen the movie Office Space, but it may as well be a documentary because a lot of what happens in that movie is true.

Today I went in for my drug test which I'm 99.999% sure I'll pass that one. They also have to check my driving background which I'm not worried about either. Haven't had a speeding ticket in over 5 years. God bless cruise control. Next Monday, I have to drive about two hours west of here to a town called Dubois for my orientation/training. I'll get to stay over night in a hotel and then finish up orientation on Tuesday. I'll start on Wednesday. I'll receive about three weeks of training and then I'm on my own.

This job has great benefits and it's quite a bit more money than my last job, plus I get commission. Out of all the jobs I've applied for and all the interviews I've had, this is probably the best one. Many times during my unemployment when I would get turned down for a job or not even get an interview I started questioning God, like I usually do in such a situation. With the wedding getting closer and closer and no way to pay for it I started asking God why I didn't have a job yet.

Sometimes I like to say that God is the God of close calls because so many of the things I pray for seem to happen at the last minute. But perhaps God isn't the God of close calls, perhaps he's the God of perfect timing.

I'm Not Satisfied with this Song

So, the other day in church we sang a song called "Believe". I don't care for this song. In fact, I don't care for a lot of praise and worship music out there. So much of it is recycled, unimaginative, and uncreative. But a line in this song really stuck out to me and it bothered me. The line says, "Where's the power, the power of the cross in my life?"

I know many Christians see the cross as a symbol of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for everyone, everywhere. I wear one myself sometimes. But saying that the cross has power, that bothers me. Why? Well, the cross is nothing more than a device designed to slowly and painfully kill someone, not to mention totally humiliate them in the process. "Where's the power, the power of the device designed to slowly and painfully kill some one, not to mention totally humiliate them in the process, in my life?" Does that sound right? What if Jesus were around at a different point in history and a different means was used to kill him?

"Where's the power, the power of the guillotine in my life?"

"Where's the power, the power of the firing squad in my life?"

"Where's the power, the power of walking the plank in my life?"

"Where's the power, the power of the gallows in my life?"

"Where's the power, the power of the electric chair in my life?"

"Where's the power, the power of the lethal injection in my life?"

"Where's the power, the power of plunging into the sarlacc pit in my life?" (Star Wars reference, I'm a geek)

You get the point.

I know I'm probably just ranting, but I think we really need to think about some of the lyrics that show up in the songs we sing in church and ask, "Does this really even make any sense?". Anyway, if you would like to critique the song yourself, here are the lyrics.

"Believe"

I say on Sunday how much I want revival
But then on Monday, I can't even find my Bible
Where's the power
The power of the cross in my life

I'm sick of playing the game of religion
I'm tired of losing my reason for living
Where's the power
The power of the cross in my life

I'm not content just to walk through my life,
Giving in to the lies, walking in compromises now
We cry out as a generation that was lost
But now is found in the power of the cross

We believe in you
We believe in the power of your word that is true
We believe in you
So we lay down our cause
That our cross might be found in you

I'm not satisfied doing it my own way
I'm not satisfied to do church and walk away
I'm not satisfied there's no love in my life but You
I'm not satisfied living in yesterday's hour
I'm not satisfied to have the form but not the power
I'm not satisfied, Lord I am crucified in You

We believe in you
We believe in the power of your word that is true
We believe in you
So we lay down our cause
That our cross might be found in you

So we lay down our cause
That our cross might be found in you

What are your thoughts?

Flesh Eating Film Reels

I wanted to share another short film today called Flesh Eating Film Reels. I remember watching this on HBO when I was little. I remember enjoying it but at the same time it was kind of scary. I think it was the way the filmstrip is animated. It still kind of freaks me out to this day. But I haven't seen this probably since I was 5 or 6 and I just happened upon it on YouTube the other day. Enjoy!



And here's a little more nostalgia for you if you remember watching HBO in the early 80's:



Brings back memories.

Read "Hear No Evil" Because I Plan to...Someday

You may have found your way here via Matthew Paul Turner's blog, Jesus Needs New PR, looking for a review of his new book "Hear No Evil" which releases tomorrow, Feb. 16th! I admit I haven't read it yet, but I plan on doing it...someday. I do have a copy of MPT's "Churched" which is still in my "to-be-read" stack of books. I actually did read the "Christian Culture Survival Guide" and loved it. I am an avid reader of MPT's blog and watcher of his two YouTube channels, MatthewPaulTurner, and thewoak. His latest video is great:



So I don't even have to read "Hear No Evil" to tell you that it's going to be a great read. How's that for a review? A review driven by faith alone that Matthew has once again written yet another masterpiece!

I first found out about Matthew Paul Turner when I picked up the "Christian Culture Survival Guide" at the Purple Door Arts and Music Festival in Lewisberry, PA in 2007 at the Relevant booth. I found it hard to put down. I was at a turning point in my life where I started challenging what I believed. This book was a real eye-opener for me. I eventually came to a point in my life where I realized it was okay to have questions and doubts rather than pretend to know all the answers. Reading what Matthew has written has been a part of what has brought me to where I am now.

So I suggest that you not just read "Hear No Evil" but read other things Matthew has written. He'll make you laugh, he'll make you cry...we'll maybe not cry, not intentionally anyway. He'll make you think and make you laugh again.

Read it.

Enjoy it.

You will not be disappointed.

I know I won't be.

Bored Panda

Today I would like to share a website I found called Bored Panda-the Only Magazine for Pandas. It is a treasure chest of random visual oddities, I think that's how it can be best described. I'll share just a few images along with links to the articles that go with each image. I found this site through StumbleUpon.com of course. I'll share five interesting things I found at this site and I'll leave the rest of the exploring up to you.

1) Here are some images from an article called "Top 33 World's Strangest Buildings"

The Kansas City Library, Missouri.
Apparently they carry books with large print.




Rotating Tower, Dubai.
It would be great to live in an apartment where you can say, "Honey, the sun is glaring on the TV, could you turn the room about 90º?"



The Basket Building, Ohio
I'm assuming it's a mental institution.

2) "One Sheet of Paper"-Here are some works of art made from one sheet of paper (just in case you couldn't figure that out from the title of the article).

Impenetrable Castle
I don't know about that, last time I checked, scissors beat paper.


Look at that detail!



White Hand.
Oh no, that skeletal hand is attacking a turkey!

Down the River.



"Do you hear that sound? Why is the current getting faster?"




Holding onto Myself.
Nice title.

3) When God Runs Out of Paint: 26 Albino Animals

"I am not a lab rat!"



"Corn always makes me sneeze."

"Wanna see my impression of a water sprinkler?"

4) Top 40+ Creative Ads Made to Stop You Smoking

Sorry, no funny comments for these ones. There really isn't anything funny to say about these. (Click the one above to see it larger if you can't read the label.)

5) 25 Incredible Photos Made without Photoshop

Are you sure that water is clean?



We have lift off.



She's an awfully mean big sister.

Hope you enjoyed these images, head on over to Bored Panda to see more!

Rest in PEZ

The other day I heard some sad news. Curtis Allina, inventor of the PEZ dispenser died at the age of 87 on December 15, 2009. PEZ has always been one of my favorite candies. It's not only a big part of American pop culture, but a part of pop culture the world over.

Here are some fun facts about PEZ.

1) People who enjoy collecting PEZ dispensers can attend an annual PEZ convention in Ohio, Missouri, California, Minnesota, Connecticut, South Carolina, Austria, Finland, and Sweden.

2) In 2006, a PEZ dispenser in the form of a clear 50's space gun sold for $11,000 on eBay.

3) PEZ candy comes in the following flavors: Apple, Cherry, Chocolate, Coffee, Cola, Grape, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Peppermint, Raspberry, Sour Watermelon, Sour Green Apple, Sour Blue Raspberry, Sour Pineapple, Strawberry, Sugarfree Orange, Sugarfree Lemon, Sugarfree Strawberry, and Yogurt.

4) There is a documentary called PEZheads: the movie. Here's the trailer:



5) A Tweety Bird PEZ made a special guest appearance on Seinfeld:




Here are a few pictures of some PEZ dispenser collections:











You can even put your own head on a PEZ dispenser:

(Click the pic to enlarge)

Since PEZ has become such a huge part of pop culture, I think a statue should be erected in memory of the man who invented the PEZ dispenser, Curtis Allina. So I took the liberty of making some concept art for a statue:

Rest in PEZ, Mr. Allina.

Jumping

Just wanted to share a short animated film that I remember from my childhood. I remember watching it at the day care I attended as a child. It's called "Jumping" by Osamu Tezuka, and it won the grand prize in 1984 at the World Festival of Animated Films in Zagreb, Croatia.



After watching this again after so many years it definitely takes on a whole new meaning for me. It's funny how we view things when we're children and then take another look at them when we are older. Now that I think of it, I can't believe they showed this at the day care I attended.

Calls From Chris: Part Three

I thought I would start off the New Year with another installment of "Calls From Chris". Click here for part one, and here for part two if you haven't heard the previous ones, or if you want to go back and listen to them again. I feel I should make a disclaimer before I post this. Something I haven't mentioned before is that I am not posting these to make fun of Chris in anyway. Chris is the kind of person that can brighten your day just by being around him, and I just want to share that with everyone. So enjoy "Calls From Chris: Part Three"!