I posted on my Facebook this morning about the whole Kony 2012 fad that's happening on my facebook news feed. I know fad probably isn't the proper vernacular for this, however considering America's infatuation with finding a "Cause of the Month," I think this it is the best jargon to use. It seems like we always find some bandwagon to jump onto all the time. Now I don't mind having a heart for something. I just question why our heart changes every time someone famous speaks about something.
If you're not aware of Joseph Kony, he's the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda that is responsible for kidnapping children. The boys are brainwashed into becoming soldiers, and the girls are turned into sex slaves. It's a horrible thing that this man is doing. However this has been happening for years. He's been around since 1986, and you're just now wanting to do something about it because you clicked something on your facebook account?
I'm sorry if I sound insensitive, but it seems like way too many people are doing things because it's trendy as opposed to because it's right. I want nothing more than to see people who hurt children to be put away. I want that Sandusky guy from Penn State (remember him?) gone. I cheer for Steve Wilkos when he catches child predators on lie detector tests. I pine for more episodes of To Catch a Predator where they catch those online predators trying to lure little girls and boys to do horrible things. However, I can't help but wonder how long this Kony 2012 phenomenon will last. Will people continue to be talking about Joseph Kony's horrible war crimes in a year? What about a 6 months? I'm not even sure this will last one month given how fickle we are when it comes to things like this.
There are some great causes and things we can do to prove our humanitarianism. It starts at your own house. Be nice to your family or housemates. I mean, honestly, when was the last time you talked to someone just to talk? How about not complaining about the less than happy waitress you get at a restaurant? You ever ask them why they're upset? I doubt it. Yet, you want me to throw money that I don't have into a charity that I know nothing about. That's not very humanitarian of you to make me more broke than I already am.
Please don't call me heartless for this opinion. Anyone who knows me knows my heart and how I feel about many things. People know how much I love children and care for them. So, no I don't want to hear about me being heartless and not caring. I do care. However I just want you to know that I don't just willy nilly jump into a Facebook trend. No one should do that. Start by praying for those children, being a good role model for the children in your life, and just having a respectful attitude towards others. That's being a great humanitarian.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
My Thoughts This Week
It's that special time of the week where I share my thoughts on random things in life. Sometimes, they're good. Usually they're awesome.
1. Vegans are missing out on omelets. I'm not worried about the steaks and ribs, omelets are awesome and they're missing out. Shame.
2. My ex has orange hair now. I saw her driving by when I was heading to the supermarket. Think Ronald McDonald as a soccer mom, minivan and all.
3. I'm so pumped for March Madness. However, for the first time in 2 decades, I'm missing the selection show. I do AWANA on Sunday nights. I wouldn't miss AWANA for pretty much anything.
4. Kohl's is awesome. I got 160 dollars worth of stuff for about 12 bucks. I will be frequenting that store way more often. If I don't see a clearance rack, I'm out.
5. I probably shouldn't have said what I said in thought number two. Oh well, it's my blog.
6. Sometimes I wonder how I survive work. Yesterday, someone played my head like a bongo drum. Today, I got bicycle kicked, Liu Kang style. Mortal Kombat references never get old.
7. I love my new slippers. It's like I'm walking on pillows.
8. Sometimes I wonder what some people are thinking when they treat people the way they do.
9. Kirk Cameron, you know, Mike Seaver from Growing Pains. Apparently he upset the homosexual community with his thoughts on homosexual marriage and things of the like. The question was asked by Piers Morgan, he answered honestly. I don't see the problem. If you don't want to be offended, don't ask people questions that could potentially offend you if you don't agree with the answer.
10. Speaking of, I have a hard time with the grey area that is "tolerance." Here is Dictionary.com's definition of tolerance. Seems like lately, tolerance is meaning agree with my lifestyle or you're a bigot. I don't think that's very fair. Can I accuse atheists of being hateful and intolerant because they don't like my God? Can I accuse Vikings fans of a hate crime because they don't like my beloved Green Bay Packers?
11. There are way too many commercials for lawyers suing medical companies for some kind of complications. Why don't they take the money and use it to, I don't know, fix the medicine.
12. My roommate cleaned the bathroom today. I think someone's expecting company. My other roommate thinks my pool partner is gorgeous. He was in stunned silence when she was at the door. I love my house. Reality shows should really think about getting at me.
13. I'm blessed. That is all.
1. Vegans are missing out on omelets. I'm not worried about the steaks and ribs, omelets are awesome and they're missing out. Shame.
2. My ex has orange hair now. I saw her driving by when I was heading to the supermarket. Think Ronald McDonald as a soccer mom, minivan and all.
3. I'm so pumped for March Madness. However, for the first time in 2 decades, I'm missing the selection show. I do AWANA on Sunday nights. I wouldn't miss AWANA for pretty much anything.
4. Kohl's is awesome. I got 160 dollars worth of stuff for about 12 bucks. I will be frequenting that store way more often. If I don't see a clearance rack, I'm out.
5. I probably shouldn't have said what I said in thought number two. Oh well, it's my blog.
6. Sometimes I wonder how I survive work. Yesterday, someone played my head like a bongo drum. Today, I got bicycle kicked, Liu Kang style. Mortal Kombat references never get old.
7. I love my new slippers. It's like I'm walking on pillows.
8. Sometimes I wonder what some people are thinking when they treat people the way they do.
9. Kirk Cameron, you know, Mike Seaver from Growing Pains. Apparently he upset the homosexual community with his thoughts on homosexual marriage and things of the like. The question was asked by Piers Morgan, he answered honestly. I don't see the problem. If you don't want to be offended, don't ask people questions that could potentially offend you if you don't agree with the answer.
10. Speaking of, I have a hard time with the grey area that is "tolerance." Here is Dictionary.com's definition of tolerance. Seems like lately, tolerance is meaning agree with my lifestyle or you're a bigot. I don't think that's very fair. Can I accuse atheists of being hateful and intolerant because they don't like my God? Can I accuse Vikings fans of a hate crime because they don't like my beloved Green Bay Packers?
11. There are way too many commercials for lawyers suing medical companies for some kind of complications. Why don't they take the money and use it to, I don't know, fix the medicine.
12. My roommate cleaned the bathroom today. I think someone's expecting company. My other roommate thinks my pool partner is gorgeous. He was in stunned silence when she was at the door. I love my house. Reality shows should really think about getting at me.
13. I'm blessed. That is all.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Judgment Is The Lord's
Seems like lately a lot of judgment has been done by people not named Jesus. I'm sure you've all heard about Rush Limbaugh's derogatory remarks about a lady who wanted to come before Congress to talk about contraception and her health insurance plan. I won't bother repeating what he said because the words are horrible, and no female should ever be subjected to that. The backlash is tremendous as Limbaugh is now losing sponsors left and right for his radio show. It's well deserved if you ask me. No need for that kind of behavior.
I'm anti-judgment by other people. I will never be okay with others giving unjustified analysis of other people's lives. You can't say that someone is this or that simply because they want to talk about certain subjects. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? What happened to judge not lest ye be judged? Considering all the other unsavory things that Mr. Limbaugh has partaken in during his time in the limelight, you'd think he'd be the last to rush to judgment on prescriptions for anything. Jesus said, "First take the log out of your own eye so that you can see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother's eye." Seems like a lot of watchdog groups and political pundits are really good at noticing splinters without removing logs.
Now, if someone comes to you and asks you what you think of a certain subject, by all means tell them. In love, but tell them. It seems that a lot of people are quick to throw their two cents in when no one asked them for it. Yes there are a lot of things wrong in society. Yes there can be some terrible people out there. Yes there are things going on that would make God very unhappy. However your job is to love first, preach last. My pastor always says, "no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." Instead of calling this young woman horrible names, why not ask what her reasons are for wanting to see Congress. Ask her what her insurance is lacking. Maybe, God forbid, you offer to help her with her issues. Stop doing God's job for Him. You can teach when asked to teach. You can preach when asked to preach. You can give your opinion when it's asked of you. However, don't make conclusions about a person until you know 100% of their story first. God knows your story, that's how He knows better than all of us what to do with situations.
I'm anti-judgment by other people. I will never be okay with others giving unjustified analysis of other people's lives. You can't say that someone is this or that simply because they want to talk about certain subjects. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? What happened to judge not lest ye be judged? Considering all the other unsavory things that Mr. Limbaugh has partaken in during his time in the limelight, you'd think he'd be the last to rush to judgment on prescriptions for anything. Jesus said, "First take the log out of your own eye so that you can see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother's eye." Seems like a lot of watchdog groups and political pundits are really good at noticing splinters without removing logs.
Now, if someone comes to you and asks you what you think of a certain subject, by all means tell them. In love, but tell them. It seems that a lot of people are quick to throw their two cents in when no one asked them for it. Yes there are a lot of things wrong in society. Yes there can be some terrible people out there. Yes there are things going on that would make God very unhappy. However your job is to love first, preach last. My pastor always says, "no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." Instead of calling this young woman horrible names, why not ask what her reasons are for wanting to see Congress. Ask her what her insurance is lacking. Maybe, God forbid, you offer to help her with her issues. Stop doing God's job for Him. You can teach when asked to teach. You can preach when asked to preach. You can give your opinion when it's asked of you. However, don't make conclusions about a person until you know 100% of their story first. God knows your story, that's how He knows better than all of us what to do with situations.
Monday, March 5, 2012
This is Getting Ridiculous
Okay, so I'm a fan of food. I love food. I think food is a great way to keep myself sustained. I'm also a big fan of America. America is the greatest country in the world. You can complain all you want, but if you don't like it, leave. However America's love for food has become a bit of an epidemic. Let me explain. There are tons of people who love that Paula Dean lady. She's the one who puts a pound of butter into coffee. There's also that movie Soul Food about the old lady who had humongous family get togethers where they ate tons of horrible foot. The old lady eventually dies from heart failure. The rest of the family honors her by eating the same food that just killed her. We have Rachael Ray (who I think is adorable and should be my future wife), Guy Fieri, and others who show us great recipes and stuff. America loves food. Our food love is, however, is overtaking our common sense.
I'm sure you all saw that movie Super Size Me. I'll condense it: man plans to eat nothing but McDonald's for a month; man must say yes when asked to super size; man becomes almost deathly ill because of this diet. It's a crazy thing to think that something so great can be so deadly. In fact, it was so bad that the man actually found a McDonald's that delivered. That's right, you can get a Big Mac to come to your door. Burger King is doing the same thing now in Northern Virginia. How insane is it that fast food is now able to come to you? Drive-thru is bad enough, but to actually not have to leave your house or the office for fast food? I can almost hear America getting fatter by the minute. Oh but it gets worse.
There is a gourmet cupcake shop called Sprinkles based in California that is actually doing Cupcake ATMs. Yes, you read that right, ATMs that give you cupcakes.
I'm sure you all saw that movie Super Size Me. I'll condense it: man plans to eat nothing but McDonald's for a month; man must say yes when asked to super size; man becomes almost deathly ill because of this diet. It's a crazy thing to think that something so great can be so deadly. In fact, it was so bad that the man actually found a McDonald's that delivered. That's right, you can get a Big Mac to come to your door. Burger King is doing the same thing now in Northern Virginia. How insane is it that fast food is now able to come to you? Drive-thru is bad enough, but to actually not have to leave your house or the office for fast food? I can almost hear America getting fatter by the minute. Oh but it gets worse.
There is a gourmet cupcake shop called Sprinkles based in California that is actually doing Cupcake ATMs. Yes, you read that right, ATMs that give you cupcakes.
 |
| Sprinkles Cupcake ATM |
I don't know about you, but the fact that people can now buy $4 cupcakes with an ATM card is scary. People don't even have to wait inside the shop. They can just run to this little machine, put in a credit or debit card, and get a cupcake. Now apparently they take the time to bake it in the machine. It's kind of like an Easy-Bake Oven type machine.
America is making it easier and easier to be deathly ill and diabetic. What happened to the days when you would try to be healthy? My friend told me that Planet Fitness has pizza parties. That just boggles my mind. How in the world can a gym, a place where health is promoted, have pizza party in the place? It's just crazy how we whine and complain and sue places for our bad health, yet are the first ones in line for all the new fads, inventions, and McRib Farewell Tours. Not fair. We have to take a stand and start being a little more proactive. I'm personally giving up soda for the Lent season, but I feel so great that I'm possibly thinking of giving up soda forever. Or at the very least, do soda once a month as a reward for being smart with my body.
Dear friends, I'm not going to tell you how to live your life. I'm just going to say, be smart folks. Don't let every fad get in the way of your common sense. I'm going to work my tail off to be better at eating. If enough people do it, these fast food chains and cupcake pimps can see that we're not interested in being disgusting slobs anymore.
That also means that I have to stop heckling Biggest Loser contestants while eating Whoppers.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
100th Post Extravaganza Party
This is a banner day for me and my blog. It has reached 100 posts. It was sporadic in its infancy, however this particular calendar year has been dedicated to really sharing my opinions. The result has been a almost 2000 pageviews and a Facebook page. There are a few people I have to thank for this.
1. Al Gore
Without him inventing the Internet, we'd never have things like blogs. He's also saving us from certain carbon doom so that millions of people can read my blog. Such a giving man.
2. Anne Frank
People have been keeping journals and stuff for years. However it was Anne Frank's candid tales of the life she lived hiding from Nazi Germany that really brought journaling to the forefront. If you haven't looked at The Diary of Anne Frank, you're doing yourself an injustice.
3. My Mom
She should probably be higher on the list, but honestly, this is all my idea. She's just super supportive. Which is honestly just fine for this kind of endeavor. Thanks mom, love you.
4. Ex Girlfriends
You've given me a lot to type about. In fact, some of your foolishness is where I got my best blogs. Thanks for being the wrong person for me. When they tell me that I'll never find someone like them, I respond with a "Praise the Lord!"
5. Stupid Ideas
Trust me, stupid idea give me my best work. Things like plentyoffish.com and vegetarianism can really spark my creative juices.
6. Blogger.com
Their easy to use format makes it simple for me to just say what I have to say with little HTML. You haven't lived until you write in HTML.
7. God
Probably the most important person to thank. He's guided me every step of my path. He's been the inspiration for so many things in my life. He's blessed me far more than I deserve or could ever expect. Never forget where your bread is buttered.
100 may not be a huge amount of posts in the grand scheme, but to be able to stick with something as open ended as this for this long is an accomplishment. Thank you for making this blog what it is. Your support, suggestions, and overall feedback is a blessing that you really won't truly understand.
1. Al Gore
Without him inventing the Internet, we'd never have things like blogs. He's also saving us from certain carbon doom so that millions of people can read my blog. Such a giving man.
2. Anne Frank
People have been keeping journals and stuff for years. However it was Anne Frank's candid tales of the life she lived hiding from Nazi Germany that really brought journaling to the forefront. If you haven't looked at The Diary of Anne Frank, you're doing yourself an injustice.
3. My Mom
She should probably be higher on the list, but honestly, this is all my idea. She's just super supportive. Which is honestly just fine for this kind of endeavor. Thanks mom, love you.
4. Ex Girlfriends
You've given me a lot to type about. In fact, some of your foolishness is where I got my best blogs. Thanks for being the wrong person for me. When they tell me that I'll never find someone like them, I respond with a "Praise the Lord!"
5. Stupid Ideas
Trust me, stupid idea give me my best work. Things like plentyoffish.com and vegetarianism can really spark my creative juices.
6. Blogger.com
Their easy to use format makes it simple for me to just say what I have to say with little HTML. You haven't lived until you write in HTML.
7. God
Probably the most important person to thank. He's guided me every step of my path. He's been the inspiration for so many things in my life. He's blessed me far more than I deserve or could ever expect. Never forget where your bread is buttered.
100 may not be a huge amount of posts in the grand scheme, but to be able to stick with something as open ended as this for this long is an accomplishment. Thank you for making this blog what it is. Your support, suggestions, and overall feedback is a blessing that you really won't truly understand.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Impressive to Say the Least
It's really no secret that I love sports. I find athletes to be the most impressive of people. Professional athletes are truly specimens to do what they can do on a regular basis. I can go to the driving range once a month and pretty much be gassed for the rest of the week. I love watching football, but my favorite to play is basketball. I also coached basketball for many years. I love studying strategies and analyzing basketball. I can break down basketball forever. Why am I talking about basketball so much? Today is the anniversary of a special day in basketball. This is the 50th anniversary of the day Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a basketball game.
You're asking me what the big deal is. I say you're out of your mind. For a man to score 100 points in a basketball game is incredible. Now I know that there have been some high school kids that have scored 100 points, however it's a little different here. First of all, Wilt's game was against other professionals. I'm sure most players in the NBA don't go into a game thinking they're going to score 100 points against other professionals. Second of all, he's doing it with no three point line. The three point line wasn't implemented in the NBA until the 1979-1980 season. So he basically did it with short jumpers and free throws. It's insane that a grown man could be so dominant. The closest anyone has gotten to that record was Kobe Bryant scoring 81 against the Raptors in 2006.
I guess my thought for the day is, when was the last time you were this dedicated to something. To want to be the best at what you do? God calls us to be the very best at all times. That way, He can gain all the glory. Do all things for the glory of God. Whether you're a teacher, a singer, an athlete, or a garbageman; you are to be the very best at all times. The late Jerry Falwell used to tell us during convocations that if it's Christian, it ought to be better. We should always try to strive to be better than anyone else in everything we do. Whether we achieve it or not, the effort should be there. If we actually channeled the Holy Spirit in our lives to make us better, the things we could do are unimaginable. And then the glory God would get when people ask what is the reason for your success...wow. This is why I'm such a fan of Tim Tebow. He is such a talented person, but he's also always ready to give God all the glory for his success. I also think of Albert Pujols. He's pretty much the best baseball player on the planet. He's always telling people how God is the focal point of his life. I'm not saying God gives you super powers, but He will empower you to be at your best. When you're at your best, you have no shame in your game.
You're asking me what the big deal is. I say you're out of your mind. For a man to score 100 points in a basketball game is incredible. Now I know that there have been some high school kids that have scored 100 points, however it's a little different here. First of all, Wilt's game was against other professionals. I'm sure most players in the NBA don't go into a game thinking they're going to score 100 points against other professionals. Second of all, he's doing it with no three point line. The three point line wasn't implemented in the NBA until the 1979-1980 season. So he basically did it with short jumpers and free throws. It's insane that a grown man could be so dominant. The closest anyone has gotten to that record was Kobe Bryant scoring 81 against the Raptors in 2006.
I guess my thought for the day is, when was the last time you were this dedicated to something. To want to be the best at what you do? God calls us to be the very best at all times. That way, He can gain all the glory. Do all things for the glory of God. Whether you're a teacher, a singer, an athlete, or a garbageman; you are to be the very best at all times. The late Jerry Falwell used to tell us during convocations that if it's Christian, it ought to be better. We should always try to strive to be better than anyone else in everything we do. Whether we achieve it or not, the effort should be there. If we actually channeled the Holy Spirit in our lives to make us better, the things we could do are unimaginable. And then the glory God would get when people ask what is the reason for your success...wow. This is why I'm such a fan of Tim Tebow. He is such a talented person, but he's also always ready to give God all the glory for his success. I also think of Albert Pujols. He's pretty much the best baseball player on the planet. He's always telling people how God is the focal point of his life. I'm not saying God gives you super powers, but He will empower you to be at your best. When you're at your best, you have no shame in your game.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Change Isn't Half Bad
So today at work, we had a switcheroo day. Basically we all got different kids than we normally work with. It was a pretty fun and interesting day. You got to do some different things. It was a fun time. This gave me a thought. How much change are we as humans willing to embrace? It seems like more and more people complain about changes and differences in routines than ever before. There used to be a time when we would jump on board the change train. It was seen as a sign of enlightenment to look at differences and take them in. What happened to that? Nowadays, change is seen as a bad thing. It's like change means ruining someone's life. It's not that way, people. Seems like the last few years of politics has been all about change and how bad or good it can be. The only change that has occurred is the seemingly more intolerant and resistant to change people have become. The old days, pilgrims took a boat and went about looking for change. Explorers went all over the world, looking for different lands to inhabit. Go back to the 1960s, people were all about changing the status quo. Where is that fire to mix things up? What happened to wanting to see a shift in life? Change makes the world go around. It's what caused a lot of the greatest moments in our history. Of course now that brings the question, "what should we change?" It's okay to have that question. The answer is simple. It's really up to you. What should you change? Whatever is holding you back from being better than you are. Change your thoughts. Change your actions. Whatever causes you problems, that's what you should change. However the problem is that so many people are so chicken to change that they get stuck in a rut. Ruts are no good. If you want to know why you're in the rut that you're in, it's because you refuse to change the things that keep you stuck in that rut. Yes, it's tough to change. It's so worth it, though. Embrace change, people.
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