What Covenant Groups Are All About

I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  This is what pastors do when they get together.

Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

So, back in March, I was trying to find a YouTube clip from 30 Rock to commemorate St. Patrick's day. It was the one where Jack Donaghy goes to confession. I thought it was rather appropriate, even though that scene took place on Valentine's Day, because Jack is an Irish-Catholic who never goes to church. However, in that process, I came across a clip that I thought would be great for Halloween. Unfortunately, I have a terrible memory when it comes to things like this, and so, on March 17, 2010, I pulled together a posting for today, October 31, 2010. How's that for advanced planning!!!

Bowlin'

Tripp Crosby and Tyler Stanton are two funny dudes.  That, first and foremost, is what you need to know in order to fully appreciate this breakout hit.  You can check out their website at TrippandTyler.com for more funny videos, but here is one that they recently debuted at Catalyst '10.  Oh, and by the way, that's Chris Tomlin...

Fantasy Football 2010, Week 1

Well, that was a rough way to start the season.  Let me just say, I pondered replacing Guy A with Guy B all week long, really felt like I should do it, but stuck with the "experts" who had Guy A ranked above Guy B for the week.  Guy B - San Diego rookie Ryan Mathews, not a bad game for a rookie - 75 rushing yards, but he did lose one fumble; total - 5 points. Eh.  Guy A - Matt Forte, who only had 50 rushing yards and also lost a fumble... and then he had 151 receiving yards with 2 TD's.  Yup, I didn't go with my gut, and ended up with an extra 25 points sitting on my bench, which, as you'll see, I could have used.

Starting Lineup for the Hillsboro Rabid Monkeys:
QB - Drew Brees
RB - Ray Rice, Steven Jackson, Ryan Mathews
WR - Johnny Knox, Jabbar Gaffney
TE - Jermichael Finley
K - Sebastian Janikowski
DEF - 49ers

High scorer: Brees, 15
Low scorer: 49ers, -1
Result: Rabid Monkeys 56, Hokie Pokies 72

You guessed it, that 25 point turn-around cost me an 81-72 victory.  That's all right, though. I'm still shooting for 12-2 this season.

And if you've stuck with me this far, here's an update on the other fantasy football leagues I'm doing:

Pigskin Pick 'em - Picked 9 games correctly. All my incorrect picks were visiting teams - that should say something.  I'm not sure what, but something.

Gridiron Challenge - 104 points w/ Matt Forte (go figure) leading the way

Eliminator Challenge - Miami Dolphins won, so I continue to next week.

MW2 Fun

I came across this picture this afternoon as I was putting off mowing the lawn for another 10.... okay 15... minutes.  It makes me want to play a little MW2.  I still don't understand the purpose of the riot shield, but whatever....

The Oregon Trail

All I can say is.... it's about time!

The Oregon Trail - Official Trailer - watch more funny videos

Oh... and in case you didn't know, this is a fake.

The Future of Lego Video Games

Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Harry Potter, Lego Rock Band.... what will they think of next.  If only it was Lego Modern Warfare....

Bases Loaded Balk

I decided yesterday that I would love to start reading a baseball humor blog. So, I tried to find one... key word: tried. I didn't really see anything along those lines, and the more I thought about it, the more I decided to give it a go myself.

I'm sticking with the Blogspot platform for now. We'll see how it goes. You can find the new website, Bases Loaded Balk, by clicking on the link.

I'm certainly open to new ideas at this point, so if you have 'em, let me hear 'em!

Top Grossing Movies of All Time

For some reason, my dive into the top movies of 1981 got me wondering what the top grossing movies off all time were. So, I looked it up, and some of the things that came out of this exploration were quite interesting.

First off, here's your Top 10 with the year and worldwide box office dollars.

1. Avatar (2009) $2,727,946,415

2. Titanic (1997) $1,835,300,000

3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $1,129,219,252

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) $1,060,332,628

5. The Dark Knight (2008) $1,001,921,825

6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) $ 968,657,891

7. Alice in Wonderland (2010) $ 960,357,949

8. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) $ 958,404,152

9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) $ 937,000,866

10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) $ 933,956,980

As you can see, Avatar is far and away the top grossing movie of all time in strict dollars. Some would probably want to adjust for inflation and actual number of tickets sold. Quite frankly, I don't care about that. What I find really interesting is that on this list, only 3 movies are sequel-less (so far): Avatar, Titanic and Alice in Wonderland. All of the rest of the movies are either sequels, or spawned a sequel. It got me thinking, what if we expanded the list?

In the Top 50, only 17 of the movies are not sequels or did not spawn sequels. In the Top 100, that number expands to 41. In other words 59% of the Top 100 movies of all time are either sequels or spawned a sequel, and 12 of those 41 are cartoons put out by Disney/Pixar.

So, basically, what does this tell us about society today?

1) Movies are important in today's society. Yes, people make more money now than they did in the 1940's, and it is more expensive to go to the movies today than it was back then, but movies play an important part in our culture. They always have, and I do not foresee a time when they will stop becoming relevant.

Lesson - Be connected to what is going on in society. If a movie is popular, it tells you something about society. Learn from it. I'm not suggesting that we watch whatever comes out, we have to be able to discern what is worth watching and what is not, but keep tabs on what is going on in culture because you never know how you may connect to people.

2) Originality is not the most important thing. We like sequels. If something is successful, we stick with the formula. If something is a box office bomb (a la The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Battlefield Earth, Gigli), we don't see a sequel because there will not be one.

Lesson - Don't be too concerned about being original. Be true to yourself, even if that means doing something that has been done before. Sometimes people aren't true to themselves because they are afraid of being cliche. I'd rather be a cliche than irrelevant.

3) We like stories. In the same vein as the above, we like movies that show a progression in the characters. We like movies that tell a compelling story, and we don't necessarily mind having to wait in order to get the next chapter in the story.

Lesson - Do you have a compelling story to tell? Do you show progress in your life? As a pastor, I'm all about stories. I love stories; I love epic journeys. In life we are all on a journey, and if we aren't moving forward (and I define that by growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ), then we aren't going anywhere.

4) Children & youth make important financial decisions. With so many of these movies being animated features (16 of the Top 100), and so many more being appropriate for the under 18 crowd, it shouldn't surprise anybody that children and youth have more say than we think they do in today's society. Listen to the younger generation, they are telling you what they want. Of course, as anybody with kids will tell you, what they want and what they need are sometimes two different things.

Lesson - Teach your children how to make good decisions, not just in the financial realm, but in all aspects of life because they are already making them, whether we like it or not.

Top Movies of 1981

Out of curiosity, I decided to look up the top movies of the year I was born.... and, yes, it really was 1981. I'm a young buck, or an old man, I guess that depends on your point of view.

Top 5 Grossing Films of 1981

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark

2. On Golden Pond

3. Superman 2

4. Arthur

5. Stripes

Of the movies on the list that I've actually seen: Raiders of the Lost Ark, On Golden Pond (don't judge me!), Superman 2. And a little further down: Stripes, For Your Eyes Only, Clash of the Titans.

What probably strikes me the most here is that the biggest budget on any of these films was Superman 2 at a whopping $54 million. Minuscule by today's standards.

Vacation 2010 - Gatlinburg

Our vacation didn't end in New Orleans. We were back for a day to rush around and try to get some work done, then we took off for Gatlinburg because our nephew Damon had a choir competition. It was our 4th trip to Gatlinburg in the last 5 years because of this competition, and it will probably be our last one for quite some time. It was the first time in those 4 trips that it didn't absolutely pour the whole time we were there. The weather was absolutely gorgeous!

We got into town on Thursday evening, after making some stops at the Lodge outlet store, a Christian bookstore and a couple more outlets. We stayed at a different place than we have before. This one was right across the street from the Convention Center where the competition was being held, so it was a lot more convenient than the places that we stayed before. We shared a two-room suite with my sister, her husband and their youngest daughter. It was a lot of fun to just relax and spend some time with them.

On Friday, we went into the park and saw Cataract Falls. It's the first time that Katie and I have been into the park because of the weather. We had a nice, easy hike to the falls, took some pictures and made our way up the mountain to the Newfound Gap. It was an absolutely beautiful view up there. After lingering for a while, we headed back down and took showers to get ready for the competition.

Katie and I had lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, which was pretty good - not nearly as good as the food we had in New Orleans, but it wasn't all that bad either. It's interesting to me how "cajun" means "really spicy" everywhere but in New Orleans. It's something to ponder.

Damon and his choir did a fantastic job at the competition, winning first place in their division... of course, they were the only one's in their division, but the kids were so excited about winning first that it's okay not to tell them. Afterwards, we spent the evening walking down the parkway with my sister and her family. It was a nice, relaxing evening.

It was a short trip this year because I couldn't make myself take 2 Sundays off in a row, so after breakfast on Saturday morning, we headed back. It was quite a trip. We stopped just north of Knoxville for gas, then we went straight to Lexington, where we had lunch with a friend and met her new baby, who was born right around the same time as our little Sqooshy would have been born. I caught myself wondering what it would be like now if we hadn't lost the little one back in August. After we left Lexington, it was a straight shot to Katie's parents' house to pick up Pork Chop, and then to home.

It has been a fantastic 10 days of vacation, but I am certain ready to get back to the grind. As you know from a previous post, I've started a series on the Holy Spirit at church, and I'm really excited about it. I can't help but think that God is preparing us for some awesome things on the horizon.

Vacation 2010 - New Orleans

Katie and I took a few days to go down to New Orleans with her mom for a conference. We worked for part of the trip and enjoyed the town for the rest of it. We left on Tuesday, April 27th and flew to Tampa where we had a 2 hour lay over, then landed in New Orleans around 3 or 4 local time.

The best part about the vacation was that, because we were working while we were there, we didn't have to pay for the flight, hotel, or food for half of the trip. If you're going to take a vacation, be sure you do it on somebody else's dime!

Now, the real best part of the trip had to have been the food. I can't even begin to describe how good the food was down there. We went to some top notch restaurants - Domenica, Court of Two Sisters, Mr. B's Bistro, Besh Steak, Brennan's, Frank's, Charlie's Sea Foods, Cafe du Monde and Bacco... and McAlister's Deli, but I don't think that really counts.

I decided that I was going to try something new at every meal, and it was quite an experience: roasted goat, turtle soup, red snapper (along with some amazing grits.... seriously, if grits actually tasted like this each time I ate them, I would eat them all the time), 38 oz "cowboy steak" (a bone-in ribeye), fried oysters, muffuletta, whole crawfish boil, po boy, and giant (whole) grilled shrimp.

What was really cool was that while we were at Charlie's Sea Foods, we met the owner/chef Frank Brigtsen, who is a friend of the people we were visiting for the afternoon. Why is this so cool? He is a James Beard awarding winning chef - that's like a culinary Oscar. He was, simply put, the nicest, most gracious man... not to mention, he could cook like nobody else!

We did do some other things besides eat on this trip. We took a guided tour of the French Quarter. Our guide was very good and he gave us some great insight into the history of New Orleans and the French Quarter. We also were able to see his father's house, which is right in the middle of the French Quarter. Very fascinating.

We took a stroll down Bourbon Street, which was awful. I know that it's one of those "things to do" when you are in New Orleans, but it is disgusting and heartbreaking. Half-naked girls stand in the doorways trying to get you to come into their bar/strip club. People are running around acting like idiots all over the place. One place, called Big Al's World Famous Love Acts, had a guy standing outside trying to get people to come in, and as a way of enticing the passers-by, he held a sign that said, "No Cover." Clearly, he meant there was no cover charge to get in, but certainly there was no cover on the people inside as well. My only thought, which I tweeted afterwards was - "so many broken people looking for the wrong kind of fix." In honor of Mr. Gump... that's all I have to say about that.

After the conference was over, we still had a couple of days. On Saturday, Katie's friend Tre picked us up and gave us a local tour of the area. She told us a lot about the rebuilding that has been going on. It seems like on every corner there is something new, or something that is in the process of getting torn down.

On Monday, we had planned on doing a walking tour of the Garden District, but that fell through, and we spent the morning/afternoon walking around the French Quarter some more. We went through the French Market, where I purchased a gator head to go next to the mounted piranha in my office.

One big deal while we were down there was that New Orleans was inaugurating its first white mayor in decades. The outgoing mayor decided to hold on to a lot of money during his tenure, and decided to spend it now that he was leaving office. Because of that, nearly every single street in the town was getting worked on, which made traffic quite a chore. Thankfully, we didn't have to navigate it ourselves.

Obviously, the other big thing going on was the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It was on the forefront of everyone's minds because if it comes too near the shore, it is going to have a major impact on the fishing industry, which supplies the seafood for nearly half of the United States. On our flight out of New Orleans, we passed over the area where the oil spill is going on, but there was too much cloud cover to see it. Apparently, though, it is bad enough that we could have seen it from the plane.

All in all, we had a great trip. Unfortunately, the miscarriage that we have been expecting decided to happen while we were there, so that certainly put a damper on things, but we tried to not let it get us down. New Orleans is certainly an experience, and quite frankly, the food is incredible. It's not cheap, but it is fantastic.

A New Kind of Worship

I came across this video this morning. I think it is an important direction that all churches need to move in.... Okay, that's not true. I do find it pretty funny that Northpoint isn't above making fun of itself. It's encouraging.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Nike Commercial Spoof

In case you don't watch SportsNation, this is one of the hosts, Michelle Beadle. Colin Cowherd, the other host, provides the voice-over. This makes me laugh every time.

Motivational Speech

I need to get this kid! Worst part about it: he's encouraging the Red Sox.

2010 Baseball Predictions

Because, based on my brackets in the NCAA Tournament this year, I'm so good at prognostication, here are my picks for division, playoff and major awards this year:

AL East - Yankees

AL Central - Twins

AL West - Seattle

AL Wildcard - Tigers

AL MVP - Joe Mauer

AL Cy Young - Jake Peavy

NL East - Phillies

NL Central - Cardinals

NL West - Rockies

NL Wildcard - Braves

NL MVP - Albert Pujols

NL Cy Young - Chris Carpenter

All Star Game - NL wins a close one

Divisional Round

Yankees def. Tigers in 4

Twins def. Mariners in 5

Phillies def. Rockies in 4

Cardinals def. Braves in 4

Championship Round

Yankees def. Twins in 6

Cardinals def. Phillies in 7

World Series

Cardinals def. Yankees in 7

This, my friends, is the perfect baseball season.

Old School Video Game Mash-up

I somehow came across this short video on YouTube today. It made me laugh, and I thought I'd share it with you.

Do you remember playing Oregon Trail in school? I remember the best thing about it was not deciding whether or not to ford the river, but when you ran out of food and it was time to go huntin'!

Do you remember Mortal Kombat? I never really played it because Street Fighter II Turbo was too awesome. The following is what happens when Mortal Kombat meets Oregon Trail. I love the "Come here!" shout at the very beginning. Enjoy!

In Honor of St. Patty's Day

Because today is one of the most frivolous of holidays on the calendar, here is my favorite YouTube video of all time.

Political Commercials

I came across this video courtesy of a friend on Facebook. Awesome stuff.

Finally! A Twilight Movie I'll Watch!

I came across this video in one of the blogs that I follow. I'm super pumped for this movie!

PS3 Games - E3 2010 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2