iPhone jerk

Well, this is an appropriate post to make before I leave to fly to Honduras. I hope you all have a good week, and if you think about it, pray for our team as we spend the week at Montana De Luz.
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The story is a "Squawk" from the tracking web site, Flight Aware. Many thanks to Tyler, who was watching his wife fly to her destination during my sermon on Sunday, and subsequently pointed me to this site.

And now... for you iPhone users...how NOT to use your iPhone.

One of our subscribers sent me this story today. We all knew this one was inevitable when the latest iPhone commercial rolled out -- now didn't we?

"Oh joy! I can't wait for the next ground delay or long taxi due to weather somewhere to get a smart ass with a freakin I-phone shoving it in my face saying "It's NOT raining there... SEE !" Too late ... already happened to me. We push back, get advised of a ground stop in MEM due to storms in the area. Go to the penalty box and wait. My Captain does the lecture over the PA... not one minute later, we get dinged from the F/A "Some guy with an IPhone says the weather is good, and wants to know what the real reason is for the delay. Is something wrong with the plane?"

I want to tell this clown what he can do with his IdiotPhone - but the Captain does it even better. He gets on the PA and makes the following announcement :

"If the passenger with the IPhone would be kind enough to use it to check the weather at our alternate, calculate our fuel burn due to being rerouted around the storms, call the dispatcher to arrange our release, and then make a phone call to the nearest Air Traffic Control center to arrange our timely departure amongst the other aircraft carrying passengers with IPhones, then we will be more than happy to depart. Please ring your call button to advise the Flight Attendant and your fellow passengers when you deem it ready and responsible for this multi-million dollar aircraft and its passengers to safely leave."

Needless to say, the pax was pretty embarrassed. The F/A later told us the rest of the plane was outright laughing at this dude. What a clown."

Technology...

You just got to love it.

glumbert - The Most Perfect Technical Glitch

Dustin and Jennifer

Thursday I did a photo shoot of Dustin and Jennifer. Honestly, I was disappointed because it was raining. I had all these ideas for a fall/outdoor shoot. I even scouted some locations. Wrote some ideas down in a notebook.

Rain and cold.

And the light was terrible.

So we spent the majority of the time on the couch.

Which brings me to a question: You photographers out there... how do you choose your best shots? I am going to post more on my Flickr than most people would post... pretty much a series of shots I took. I like them for different reasons. I guess if I were a pro, I would given them all of them as proofs and let them pick, but as I look at the shots, I like them for different reasons: light, composition, expression. So I plan ask you to vote. Also, I don't process my pictures much... so any ideas on exposure, cropping, etc, fire away.

Sorry to be so photography oriented lately... I just find it relaxing. And I'm really at a point right now where I need a hobby. :)

If you are interested in this kind of stuff, surf on over to my Flickr account and tell me what you think.

Car Phone Salesman

America's Got Talent. American Idol. Yea, does anyone else find Simon annoying? But it is always surprising to me the people who come on these shows and actually think they have an ounce of talent. I mean, how deceived can you be? They are giving away a million dollars! Come on!

Then you have Simon who gets to tell them they suck (and you are actually on his side for once). And you know it's coming. You know when you see them walk on the stage that this is really going to be bad. And you can see it in the faces of the judges. I mean, you don't want to judge someone before they even sing...but really...

Meet Paul Potts.

Paul Potts sells car phones and has a life dream of singing... wait for it... opera.

Help for parents

Oh my.

Just some rocks

My daughter has been having a difficult time adjusting to pre-school. For the most part, she does well with adults, but she just doesn't relate to kids. She doesn't like new places or new situations. And it's really hard, as a parent, to see her struggling with adjustment... and at age 3. Funny, a friend and I were talking about this a while back, but there is a lot of subtle pressure on parents for their kids to be "normal" (whatever that means). "Well, my child walked at [age]... well my chid can write her name... well my child knows the Periodic Table of Elements..." There is a line in "Beauty and the Beast" where Bell's father says, "What, my daughter, odd?" None of us want our kids to be "not normal" -- and there is always this pressure to compare.

Last week, I went to pick up my daughter at pre-school. All the kids were out playing on the playground. They were sliding down the slide. Playing tag. Laughing together.

My daughter was off by herself.

She was alone; laying on the ground, examining some rocks very closely. She looked so lonely... but more likely, she was just "lost in her own world" of concentration. But the scene seemed pitiful to me. I almost cried.

"What, my daughter? Odd?"

She saw me, ran to me and said, "I want to go home, Daddy!" So I picked her up and we went home.

Later, we were sitting around the table, talking about her day. "So, what did you do you do today, Lydia? [response] Why didn't you want to play with the other kids? [I don't know] Why were you laying there alone?" And she reached into her pocket, and pulled out these rocks. She said, "I was picking out these rocks for you, daddy, because I love you. Here you go."

So they are just some rocks. But they remind me of this amazing gift of a very thoughtful child. My daughter. No, she is not "normal." But I am not sure what normal is... and I love who she is and who she is becoming.

I can't believe...

I can't believe I'm about to post an email forward. Now nobody get any ideas. I generally hate it when people forward stuff to me. I use email largely for work and I don't need any cute stories... especially if they end with "Forward this to 10 of your best friends." And the truth is... these didn't come from email, but they sound like they should.
________________________________________

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

Garden Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink whatever comes out?"

Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its rear end."

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

The Laura S shoot, the sequel

Well, Laura was a real sport, I needed the practice, and I actually had an hour of time free...so I grabbed my camera, ignored the rotten light and we made the best of it.

I am learning more how to tell people to move... and although I gave one direction pretty poorly (which caused lots of laughter and will remain between Laura and me) I think I did better this time. I came up with some new ideas, tried some new things, and am feeling more comfortable giving direction.

And Laura did a fantastic job.

Maybe it will just take me shooting tons of pictures and working with lots of people.

Again, if you don't mind, surf on over to my Flickr account and tell me what you think.

The Laura S shoot

Surf on over to my Flickr account and tell me what you think. I'm still really new at taking pictures of someone other than my daughter or wife. And to me, most of my pictures look the same... like I'm shooting senior pictures! My goal over the next couple of months is to get more creative with posing people... to bring out more personality.

Now for something different

I've been a fan of Julian Beever since 1999. I saw one of his chalk drawing in Chicago a number of years ago... and it is really stunning. His work has been the subject of email spam for a couple of years, but to see it live is something you will never forget.

He uses a technique called anamorphosis - which is a way to do perspective art so that something "abnormal" looks "normal" when viewed in a strange or different angle. Done well, anamorphosis can create the illusion of three dimensions. I actually studied this process taking some art classes and as a magician... it's actually used a LOT in magic (but don't tell anyone!).

So... I think Julian's work is a feast for the eyes. I have included some pictures here, but for more of his work, you can surf the web and find a bunch of stuff.

The "gospel"

"I guarantee there isn't a homeless person in Portland who couldn't tell you the gospel verbatim. They've had to listen to it three times a day to get a sandwich. They've heard about Christ, but they haven't seen Christ. Who will sit next to them while they panhandle, who will enter their world? I've had friends doing that for 15 years. That is seeing the gospel."

-Rick McKinley pastor of the Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon.
Taken from "Dei Laborers" in the Fall 2007 issue of Leadership journal.

You've heard of road rage?

Now... it's water rage.

Sometimes you really have to wonder about people.

______________________________________

Man faces court over water-rage attack

1:24pm: Grandfather dies after being punched and kicked for watering his lawn.

Ken Proctor, 66, was watering his front lawn on Formosa Street in Sylvania, about 5.30pm yesterday when another man, 36, who was walking past the house, allegedly challenged him about water restrictions. The two argued and Mr Proctor turned the hose on the other man, wetting him,
police said. The 36-year-old allegedly attacked Mr Proctor, punching him, pushing him to
the ground and then kicking him.

Mission and Masturbation

How's THAT for a blog title! (I've been gone way too long!)

So I don't always agree with John Piper (sorry Jeff), but I really like this quote from Christianity Today:

"So many young people are being lost to the cause of Christ's mission because they are not taught how to deal with the guilt of sexual failure. The problem is not just how not to fail. The problem is how to deal with failure so that it doesn't sweep away your whole life into wasted mediocrity with no impact for Christ. The great tragedy is not masturbation or fornication or pornography. The tragedy is that Satan uses guilt from these failures to strip you of every radical dream you ever had or might have. In their place, he gives you a happy, safe, secure, American life of superficial pleasures, until you die in your lakeside rocking chair."

Yea... what he said.

"The tragedy is that Satan uses guilt from these failures to strip you of every radical dream you ever had or might have."

I often wonder how many people are stripped "of every radical dream" they have because of past sin. I wonder how many people don't go into full-time ministry because they don't feel they are "good enough." And so, rather than fulfill their calling in full-time ministry, they become "successful" in some other field.

Now, to be clear -- all jobs are equal and all jobs can be ministry. A Christian accountant is no less holy than a Christian pastor. UNLESS, that accountant is called to be a pastor and didn't respond.

So... as a pastor, let me ask you... if you are reading this and you have sinned (which should cover just about everyone, right?); the question I have for you is how do you view that sin? Are you being beat down by it? Is it keeping you from "every radical dream you ever had or might have?"

The gospel is not about sin avoidance. Yep, it's good to avoid sin. But the gospel is this great news that a new way of living is available. A radical dream. And we should willingly, excitedly, arrange our lives in such a way as to live in that God dream.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

Create a Caption

Yea, I'm a bum

Yea, I know I haven't been posting much. I will try and work on that. But I have been reading all of YOUR posts! (For you bloggers out there).

Nothing right now, but if you don't mind... surf over here. Read and comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Prayer

This is from a seminary professor of mine:

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island.

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do,agree that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing the first man prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit.

The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land.

On the other side of the island,there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic,all of these were given to him.

However,the second man still had nothing.


Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that his wife and he could leave the island.In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island.

The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings,since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from Heaven booming,

"Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered, and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."

"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

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For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.

I'm so sorry.

No really, I'm so sorry for sending you to this link. I really am. It's in bad taste. In fact, you really don't need to click here. Because if you do click here, you will be really sorry. I'm warning you. Don't click here. Jeff D. gave me this link if that helps you not to choose it. But really, don't click here.

You did it, didn't you?

Time

Tomorrow, my daughter goes to her first day of pre-school. My wife and I were just talking about how it just doesn't seem like it has been three years. Time is flying by so quickly. It's funny, as you are going through life, sometimes days seem to stretch on... time can feel like an eternity. But it really is just a blink. A dot on a page. Often we don't see this until hindsight; until it's too late.

I suspect, three years from now I will be typing on this keyboard, posting pictures saying, "I can't believe she is in Kindergarden. I can't believe she is already 6."

I wonder what my daughter will be like when she grows up? I wonder what our relationship will be like? I wonder if she will walk with God? I wonder if she will think of her childhood with the same warmth that her mom and I do?

I'm lucky to be her dad.

Tired

What sustained me...

From one of the books Mdog lent me to get me through the "post surgery days," I give you:

"Great Lies to tell Small Kids."

Rain is Jesus' wee-wee
Wine makes mommy clever
Milk feels pain
A slice of cheese will play a short film about cows if you insert it into a DVD
One in ten fish are afraid of water
Mugs are just cups who've been to the gym
If you try a vegetable, you might like it
It was grandpa who burned all your Barney videos, not us
Most birds wear parachutes in case they suddenly forget how to fly
You know the mug in the Kitchen? The one that says "World's Greatest Dad?" There are only 3 in existence. They are awarded just once every 100 years.