Sometimes words just aren't there...
"The World's First Conservative Comic Book and hopefully the last.

Click, you know you want to.  ¶
3:31 PM 4 pithy comments

  Accident...
I HATE Insurance companies and lawyers and accidents and all of this CRAP. It's only day two and I just want my frickin' van fixed.  ¶
1:35 PM 1 pithy comments

  If You Go Missing I Hope You're White...
Latoyia Figueroa is missing. Unfortunately for her, she's black and pregnant so she doesn't get any TV time.  ¶
3:04 PM 3 pithy comments

  Bang Up Job....
I rear ended a guy this morning on the way to work (more specifically I rear ended his Explorer). It was his fault for failing to signal and making an improper lane change, or so says the officer and I am inclined to agree. As a result my van's radiator is toast along with my grill, front turn signals, and probably some body work. I hope that his insurance company doesn't fight it and just cuts me a check. Yes the most important thing is that no one got hurt, but only slightly less important is until my wheels get fixed I am...wheeless.  ¶
2:02 PM 3 pithy comments

  7up Plus

Drinking one right now. Pleasant, just a little fruity, VERY effervescent, a slight artificial after taste from the Splenda. Aren't you glad that you know that now?

  ¶
2:36 PM 3 pithy comments

  Stranded Update...
For those of you reading my serial I did an update last night and your comments would be appreciated. Click on Scott's Brain over on your left there.  ¶
1:16 PM 0 pithy comments

  Beer Update...
No bottleage yet but I do want to get this done tonight so I can partake next week.  ¶
1:15 PM 0 pithy comments

  Abortion...
Go read Virus Doc's take on a NOW protest and the concept of choice. Then go read Get Religion here and here.

Those views pretty well sum up my views on the whole abortion thing. Yes I'm a democrat, but I believe that abortion is the worst possible choice that can be made. I do not believe that it is a choice that our Constitution should be used to defend. I believe it needs to be a state's rights issue. I don't believe that children should be able to get abortions without parental consent. (That strikes me as an attempt to conceal the crime of statutory rape since I don't believe that a child can legitimately consent to sex and I can't believe that a 13 year old girl has the presence of mind to say no to an abortion if pressured to get one by a man who pressured her to have sex in the first place.)

I could see a case being made for an abortion when it is a case of the mother being raped or if the mother is in imminent danger, but those are pretty extreme exceptions and can be adequately handled by the state.

I am pro life in just about every sense except for that of assisted suicide. I do believe that a person should have the choice to end their own life and if they need help to do so then they should get it. That's all for now.  ¶
1:18 PM 0 pithy comments

  Spiritual Day Planner...
Romans 15: 23But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, 24I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there. 26For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. 28So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this fruit, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way.

This was the passage preached on yesterday. I missed it unfortunately but my wife pretty much filled me in. He focused on Paul’s plan to go to Spain and other tasks that he had. Paul planned out his trips in some detail apparently. Of course transport being what it was in the first century I could imagine how necessary it was to do so. Our pastors point was that Paul didn’t wait until the Spirit moved him.

So frequently as Christians we lay down the whole “God will open doors and close doors and I’ll just wait.” I think we need to make a plan, move forward, and God will do with it what He will. In short, we need to get off our bums and do something for the Kingdom.
  ¶
3:14 PM 0 pithy comments

  Le Weekend...
The missus and I went to see the Greensboro Grasshoppers play with a bunch of folks from work. It rained for the first hour we were there but people kept their spirits up and the game went on. In my case that was helped by a pint of Natty Greene's Buckshot Amber.

I spent Saturday with the kids and as a result I watched Finding Nemo two and a half times. The first while the kids napped, the half in the afternoon, and the second full time after they went to bed. The last time I watched the video commentary.

The amount of work that goes into Pixar's films is tremendous and it shows. I was blown away by the attention to every little detail and it totally pays off (not that this is news to anyone). To put that much love and creative energy into something is inspiring. I can't imagine being the director and keeping the energy level up for the five years or so it took to make this. Pixar does look like a most fun place to work and work they do. Can't wait to see Cars!

Sunday the boy and I went to Lowe's and Home Depot so I could look for Weed-Eater attachments. We laid out of church as we didn't want him to share his germs so the ladies went without us. It was good bonding time. That afternoon I spent four hours battling weeds at a guy's house. I went machete and weed eater and brought them mostly under submission. That evening we went to a cookout with our smallgroup and that night I slept WELL.

Tonight we go over to some friends and I will work on his PC while my family plays at their lake. I might have time to bottle my brew, I might not. If not tonight then tomorrow for sure.  ¶
11:01 AM 0 pithy comments

  Music...
Listening to NPR on the way home yesterday I heard about Funk Carioca a fusion of portugese music, hip hop, and funk. Give it a listen.

Also while searching for that story online I found out about Xavier Rudd, an artist who plays guitar and didjeridoo simultaneously.

World Music on NPR ROCKS!  ¶
11:40 AM 0 pithy comments

  Wayback Machine...
Okay so this is probably old news to some of you but this is a really cool thing that archives most of the net for the last 8 YEARS! Thanks to it I found a friend's web site that had another friend's story on it.  ¶
9:59 AM 0 pithy comments

  James Doohan Dead at 85
No tasteless jokes here. This was one of my favorite of the crew. Go with God sir.  ¶
2:50 PM 1 pithy comments

  Beer Update...
The wort is in the carboy, repeat, the wort is in the carboy. That sounds kind of secret agentish if you have no clue what it means.

The wort (unfermented beer) is in the carboy (big glass thingy). It is fermenting nicely and if the yeast gods are with me it will be ready to bottle by next Tuesday.  ¶
12:32 PM 3 pithy comments

  Christian Art, Update...
Today is Pimp Other Blogs Day. I was reading Church of the Masses and she was (as a screen writer) critiquing the state of Christian Art. Give it a good read.

It pains me that someone has spent millions of dollars on something that in the long run will hurt more than help. Even if this idea is ten times as good as she says (heck a thousand times) there are several dozen crappy ideas waiting in the wings. I try in all of my fiction to write real stories about people you might identify with (I usually fail IMHO, but I try). I know that there are many Christian artists out there struggling to do good things and might feel as I do that if they use real language, situations, or depictions that they will be shunned by the masses of Christians and because the artist wears the label Christian and the history of bad art that has gone before they will be shunned by non-Christians.

I see this happen in contemporary Christian music. There is finally some good music out there that can appeal to a broader audience (I'm thinking of Switchfoot and POD) and they get slagged by both sides. Amy Grant got (you should pardon the expression) crucified when she went "mainstream". Heaven forbid you should create art that doesn't mention God at all, even if it is positive.

What's the solution? I don't have one. Or maybe I do. Maybe I or someone who has discipline and talent that I don't have can break the mold. There's always hope and LOTS of prayer.  ¶
12:00 PM 1 pithy comments

  What science doesn't know...
Virusdoc has posted the top 125 questions science hasn't answered yet. Run over there and check it out. Post your favorites over there (it's a fantastic blog) and then come back here and tell me.

Here are mine (I commented over there but if you're too lazy to click then you can at least see mine).

16. How Did Cooperative Behavior Evolve?
I love the assumption this makes. Remove the "How" and maybe that's real science.

94. Is morality hardwired into the brain?
I would argue yes but for wholly unscientific reasons.

100. What is a species?
"We don't know but we can tell you its origins."

I know that scientists have to seek purely objective, quantifiable answers and in the kind of science that would answer most of these questions, that works. I think it falls apart on questions like the above. Can we ever answer these kinds of questions?

  ¶
11:46 AM 0 pithy comments

  Storms a comin'...
Romans 15:
14And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. 15But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, 16to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. 18For I will not presume to speak of anything except what (AE)Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

This was the passage from our sermon on Sunday. Hunter talked about the concept of being a living sacrifice and our role in bringing, as ministers, the “offering of the Gentiles” to the altar. The sermon involved a stuffed monkey, kids building an altar, and the startling idea that I am “full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish”. Of course I think in my case as it was with the people Paul was writing to it was an “all ready, not yet” sort of observation intended to build these people up.

I am a minister of Christ to the Gentiles. God has empowered me to do this. I am an empty vessel that he has filled with the clear, living water that can slake the thirst of the weary traveler. I can admonish my brethren. I can help them grow in the love of Christ, but I can only do this by proclaiming what Christ has accomplished through me. The distance he has brought me down the road and the long stretch left yet to travel. The result of this will be a calling in someone else’s life that will further result in their obedience.

This road could take me as far away from home as I have ever been even if that is just down the street. It is certain that it will take me out of my comfort zone and into uncharted territory. Leigh and I spoke last night and we believe that God could be preparing us to be missionaries. We are daily called to trust in Him for financial matters as especially missionaries would be. Our various moves, our love of a wealth of foreign cultures, our love of teaching all speak to a preparation for something. If it isn’t missions work in a foreign country or helping plant a church right down the street, that’s okay. The possibilities are endless. It could be something as simple as opening our home to a community Bible study.

All I do know for sure is that I see distant rain clouds bringing more of that refreshing water that comes to fill my cisterns. A storm that promises turbulence aplenty, but rapid and beautiful growth that points to a creator who loves and wishes to make His presence known.
  ¶
2:10 PM 0 pithy comments

  Homebrew...
Kit is bought. I shall be boiling my first wort this very evening!  ¶
9:13 AM 6 pithy comments

  Theological Worldview...
I need to read something by this Barth guy...

You scored as Neo orthodox. You are neo-orthodox. You reject the human-centredness and scepticism of liberal theology, but neither do you go to the other extreme and make the Bible the central issue for faith. You believe that Christ is God's most important revelation to humanity, and the Trinity is hugely important in your theology. The Bible is also important because it points us to the revelation of Christ. You are influenced by Karl Barth and P T Forsyth. Neo orthodox 68% Fundamentalist 57% Emergent/Postmodern 57% Reformed Evangelical 54% Roman Catholic 54% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 50% Charismatic/Pentecostal 39% Classical Liberal 29% Modern Liberal 21% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

  ¶
12:01 PM 0 pithy comments

  Which Theologian Are You?

You scored as Karl Barth. The daddy of 20th Century theology. You perceive liberal theology to be a disaster and so you insist that the revelation of Christ, not human experience, should be the starting point for all theology. Karl Barth 80% Anselm 73% Martin Luther 73% Jonathan Edwards 73% Friedrich Schleiermacher 67% John Calvin 60% Jürgen Moltmann 53% Augustine 27% Paul Tillich 27% Charles Finney 20% Which theologian are you? created with QuizFarm.com

  ¶
9:27 AM 0 pithy comments

  Under the Overpass...
I want to read this book. Two college students decide to go live on the streets and see how the church is handling the homeless these days. For the most part the answer depresses me but doesn't surprise me. If you've read it give me a shout and let me know how it is. If I get it expect a review.  ¶
4:12 PM 1 pithy comments

  Banning CS Lewis
Craziness and more craziness. C. S. Lewis dangerous? I think not. It amazes me how foolish some of my brethren are.  ¶
3:15 PM 0 pithy comments

  Creationism, Here There Be Dragons...
So Leigh and I are watching a video series by Kent "Dr. Dino" Hovind and it's pretty interesting. He falls victim all too often to the same thing rabid evolutionists do. That is, he looks at the "evidence", lays his beliefs over the top, and voila it proves x theory. It isn't science any more than evolution is really, but it is fun and I believe much the same he does (God created the world, there was a global flood, etc.). I don't know that the world is as young as he believes or that it literally took God six days, though either certainly could be true.

Anyway, last night the tape got interesting. He believes that dinosaurs are still walking around in the forms of Nessie, Ogopogo, Mokele Mbembe, and other cryptozoological beasties. He also believes that dragons are/were real and that the leviathan of the OT was a dinosaur. I like all of these ideas.

I mean if there was a global flood and Noah took along some baby dinos as Hovind would have us believe they could certainly still be around. If they are then I could see how they would propagate the dragon legends and all of the various lake and sea monsters. There's something there.

I firmly believe that there is a core that exists in each legend. A core of truth that inspired it. Look at all of the flood myths. I think it's also possible that there is a race of giant people that may still be around. Giant in the Shaq sense or the Goliath sense, not 20 feet tall but 8-9 feet. Not unrealistic and could explain Sasquatch.

Maybe Hovind is a bit of a crackpot. Heck Answers In Genesis put big holes in some of the theories that he and other fellow creationists have and if you don't get backing from your brethren then that says something. But he's a likeable crackpot, seems pretty smart, and is a heck of a speaker. And anything that encourages a belief in firebreathing dragons (yes he literally believes they breathed fire) can't be all bad can it?  ¶
12:05 PM 0 pithy comments

  The Little Professor...
Does anyone else remember this scary little gem?



I turn 34 today and it's amazing to think of what has happened since I was born. We have calculators, computers, space shuttles, Mars probes, and a decent Batman movie.  ¶
10:47 AM 3 pithy comments

  Tomorrow is the big day.
I turn the big three-four. Don't expect that I'll get up to much. It's not a landmark or anything but I hope that I shall garner enough fun money to get me a home brew kit.  ¶
3:58 PM 0 pithy comments

  Poll...
Put my poll on the sidebar so it stays "live".  ¶
12:12 PM 0 pithy comments

  I swear...
Guilford county judges recently rejected offers by the Greensboro Islamic center to donate copies of the Koran for Muslims to swear on.

I think they just need to do away with swearing on any book since even swearing on the Bible is meaningless to most people and even some serious Christians won't swear on a Bible (using Matthew 5 I believe).

Either way, whether you swear on your Holy Book or a stack of Denny's restaurant menus, if you lie that's perjury. As it is you have the right to just make an affirmation. I have no doubt that no matter what decision is made, someone will be offended.

If we allow swearing on the Koran - This will offend right wing Evans.
If we don't allow it - This will offend Muslims.
If we don't allow swearing at all - This will probably offend both.

I mean after all you can't just take someone's word that they'll tell the truth. You have to bring a god in somehow.   ¶
11:50 AM 0 pithy comments

  Yeeeehah, Bring on Them Laser Guns
I like this article but have a few problems with it.

Since the ammunition is merely light or radio waves

The ammunition would include the power to generate the waves.

"When you're dealing with people whose full intent is to die, you can't give people a choice of whether to comply," said George Gibbs, a systems engineer for the Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad Program who oversees directed-energy projects. "What I'm looking for is a way to shoot everybody, and they're all OK."

An example of why you should never let a systems engineer or a marine make a public statement.

Military officials also say more needs to be done to assure the international community that directed-energy weapons set to stun rather than kill will not harm noncombatants.

If you're stunned aren't you harmed in some fashion. And if you're harmed aren't you still alive?

The whole Active Denial gun-thing sounds good but the name sucks, unless you're describing the state most politicians are in.

the Middle East because, he contends, people there are especially afraid of lightning

I think people are afraid of lightning everywhere  ¶
3:09 PM 0 pithy comments

  PC Consulting Business Name
So here are the five best I've gotten so far. Which one do you think is best? Feel free to comment and continue to suggest.




  ¶
10:27 AM 2 pithy comments

  PC Consulting Business...
I do some side work and want to develop that into more of a full-blown business, but I feel in order to do that I need a business name. I kind of want to put an element in the name that reflects my religious convictions too, so I come to you lot for help.

So far all I got is Solid Rock (or Rock Solid) Solutions (or PC Solutions).

I want to stay away from the cheese factor (so the above name may not be a good choice). Anyway, heeeeelp!   ¶
1:16 PM 2 pithy comments

  Are We Christians Lazy or Just Stupid…
I saw this in the local B&N yesterday while I had the kids on an outing.




Who needs a book to tell them how to mine religious messages from Narnia? I mean I love it (I’m re-reading the whole shooting match), but it’s really a series for kids, a fairy story, and not complex enough to need a study guide. If you’re a reasonably well read brother then you ought to be able to make it out on your own.

I find it almost as silly as



That got me to thinking about something I read on another blog (I’d link it but I forget which one it was at) regarding how easily we swallow the silliest flavor of the week because it happens to be Christian (I’m looking at you Mr’s LaHaye, Jenkins, and Warren). Not that there isn’t value in their books, but we are capable of better as believers.

We don’t need someone telling us to think positive and good things will happen. We do need complex stories about realistic people. We do need movies that show people, Christian people, as capable of sinning. We don’t need any more Carman movies (I love you brother but stick to singing).

We have so many folks out there capable of thinking for themselves and creating challenging art, but I have a feeling that they would be shunned by the majority for being controversial.

Expect more from Christian publishers and artists. Let them push the boundaries. Don’t buy something just because you saw it in a Christian bookstore or heard about it on TBN. And if you do, read it with a critical eye.

End of rant.  ¶
12:09 PM 4 pithy comments

  Blog Links...
Since I had so many I organized them somewhat topically. And to prevent duplication I had to decide if it was more important that people know you where a friend whose blog happens to be entertaining or that your blog was entertaining and you happened to be a friend. In short if you aren't listed as a friend you may still be and if you are then that doesn't mean that your blog isn't religious or entertaining. Clear as mud? Good.  ¶
2:02 PM 0 pithy comments

  Roach Coach...
Found this thanks to Geektronica. It's amazing what people will do with time on their hands.  ¶
8:24 AM 0 pithy comments

  Cool cartoon...

From Clay Bennett.

This is cool in a "We know you're hurting." kind of way.

  ¶
8:01 AM 0 pithy comments

  Ongoing Fiction...
Goes on after a few days of down time. Click Scott's Brain to your right.  ¶
2:23 PM 0 pithy comments

  Joel Osteen
So I'm bouncing around the internet from blog to blog as I eat my lunch and I land here. It's an article lambasting (okay maybe that's strong but it's a word I like) Joel Olsteen. Go read it and the links...

Okay, so now that you've done that I'll chip my two cents in. I was talking to a friend last night about an organization that my buddy Bear used to belong to. I'll call it an organization because cult is a mighty strong word and I don't want to confuse anyone by calling it a church. I said something along the lines that when I would visit his organization I never heard anything really bad. And yet here he and a host of other people were swallowing some VERY bad things. All I'm sure people of at least average intelligence and people who probably read the Bible a heck of a lot more than I do. How can that be?

I'll tell you this. All that has to happen is for the leader to mix just a drop of garbage, be it a prosperity gospel message or an idea that baptism is a required work, into an otherwise okay message. Once you can no longer taste that odd additive and you move into the circle just a bit they feed you a bit more and so on. That's how that happens.

Now I'm not saying that Osteen is preaching an evil message. It doesn't seem like he's preaching a Christian one and okay that can be dangerous (and evil depending on your definition). What I am saying is that if you make the Gospel message about anything other than one of grace undeserved for sin at our core you are playing with brimstone. God holds those who teach the Gospel to a high standard.  ¶
12:07 PM 8 pithy comments

  War of the Worlds
This was a good flick. If you haven't seen it then you may not want to read on.



We have a REALLY disfunctional family here who undergoes a disaster and at the end comes out still disfunctional, but perhaps more connected.

I love the fact that the characters are far from perfect, no better than you or I. Tom plays a very fallen man, selfish to the core. His kids have been forced into an early adulthood by divorce.

When the invasion hits (and I love the way it happens) the tension, already starting to build thanks to some excellent interplay between Tom, Dakota, and Justin, doubles and keeps going up throughout the rest of the movie.

The aliens and their tech are excellent in design and are scary without a doubt. A sense of hopelessness pervades most of the film.

There are a number of references to 9/11 and the aftermath that are at times a bit heavy handed. There are some plot holes and some things left open ended. The ending pretty much sticks to the book/original movie and leads to a fairly quick ending. The ending is a little schmaltzy but all the ends aren't nicely tied up Hollywood-style.

The action is superb. There's quite a bit of violence (which leads me to wonder why this was PG-13). This isn't one that I would take the kids to see (unfortantely many of the parents that were at my show didn't mae that same choice), but overall I was quite happy and this film gets a solid 9/10.  ¶
10:16 AM 0 pithy comments

  Television...
For purely economic reasons my wife and I are giving up the Dish starting today for two months (canceling it all together cost money but we can suspend service for free, go fig). I am a TV junky and this scares me.

I will miss Alton Brown. I will miss Iron Chef. I will miss History and Law and Order (in all its iterations) and all of the rest.

But I am hoping that this will lead to my reading more. I want to write more. I want to play games with my wife and kids. And thanks to a weakness I have for this single-lensed box sitting in my living room, I haven't been doing those things. Heck, even going to bed early may become a nice habit to get into.

And hey it is the summer so we'll largely be missing a bunch of crap reruns anyway. But those crap summer reruns have been part of my life for quite a while, so even they will be missed though it's the TV equivalent of drinking sterno.

In any case I won't really miss network TV. They often cancel shows that show promise (Welcome to the Neighborhood, Revelations, Manimal) and let shows that were good enough for a while languish into mediocrity (ER, L&O, the Simpsons).

The premium channels are where it's at anyway. If you have an interest then I bet there's a channel that if it isn't devoted to it at least shows a few dozen hours a week of it (Poker, Shopping for Stuff, Food, Golf, Horror). Heaven forbid you should actually get up and do any of these things (okay except for that last bit, we have enough homicidal people running around).

The cable/satellite industry should give it to us a la carte anyway. I want to pay twenty bucks and get what I want. All I need is one local channel for news and like three or for premiums. Who can watch six hundred channels anyway.

Oh well, wish us luck in our grand experiment, even if we aren't doing it because we want to.  ¶
9:36 AM 6 pithy comments

  Word...
Would the random travel from blog to blog via links be better called blog-hopping or blog-trotting?  ¶
9:20 AM 1 pithy comments