another failed resolution...

So I made it my "goal" this year to read the Bible... the entire Bible.  That's right, Genesis to Revelation.  It seemed daunting, but with all the "One Year" this and that at the local Christian bookstore I figured it was do-able.  

I only call it a goal because I've recently been convinced to not have New Year's resolutions.  (more on that later)  I've been a Christian of one flavor or another for about 14 years.  During that time I've never dedicated myself to read the Bible (not even academically).  I guess that shows the kind of Christian I'd been for the last 14 years, but that is a totally different blog...  After finding myself caught up in God's Grace late in 2007, reading the entire Bible in 2008 seemed like a good place to start.  

So how much did I read?  I guess I got a good start.  I read:  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and Romans.

When I get bummed that I didn't meet my goal, I resort to calculation.  My study Bible has 1700-some pages, and I read about 800 pages of it.  Not bad, I guess.  Did I mention I work full-time, go to school, and have an awesome family that welcomed a new child this year.  Just kidding.  I don't need excuses but I thought I'd throw that in...

So there are under 26 hours left in the year and I've talked to God and conceeded the race.  Even if I could read like the guy from the Micro Machine commercials there is no way I could knock out the remaining 900 pages.  Besides, am I ever going to finish reading the Bible?  I wasn't going to put my Bible up on the shelf next to Catch-22 and East of Eden shortly after I read Rev 22:21.  It has a permanent spot on my nightstand, my heart, and my life.

Next year I will continue to read the Bible.  Now that I realize I will never finish it, I don't feel the pressure to get to the back of the book.  Although the way things are going maybe I should read the back of the book first, but that's another blog...  New Year's Resolutions are dumb.  Take it from me.  They are too often a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.  If you must focus on your shortcomings, then look at the man in the mirror and be the change you want in the world.  Because, if nothing else, it's funny to take advice from Michael Jackson and Gandhi in the same sentence.

Happy New Year

A Survey??? Booooo!

I hate things of the chain-letter genre. E-mail attachments, surveys, sticker clubs, pyramid schemes, and the like. Actually, I think I like beach balls at baseball games more than chain-letter type stuff. I abhor beach balls at baseball games (some of us go there to watch the game not smack around a ball you snuck in the stadium in your pants).

That being said, my wife "tagged" me to write this survey. Whatever that means. I'll admit that said "tagging" was the final motivation to start this blog and my site. So as much as it bugs me, I will participate in this survey (albeit grudgingly) to show my undying love and affection for my amazing wife.

And here we go:

1. Where is your cell phone? Good question... On the counter I think.
2. Your significant other? My wife. I'd crash the server if I wrote everything about her. Let's settle with awesome, amazing, wonderful, perfect, and hot.
3. Your hair? Bedhead at 8:40 pm. I love days off.
4. Your mother? The coolest barista I know. I owe her a lot.
5. Your father? The ambassador. "If you had shoes on, it wouldn't have happened." "You're on your honor." I owe him a lot too.
6. Your favorite thing(s)? Being loved by my wife, greeted at the door by my son with hugs, making my daughter smile, and playing with my hair.
7. Your dream last night? I don't remember it now, but it was funky. Funky wierd, not funky cool.
8. Your favorite drink? Dr. Pepper
9. Your dream/goal? It used to be unattainable. I renegotiated with myself and now I live it everyday.
10. The room you're in? Living room
11. Your fear? Not seeing my children as adults.
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Doesn't matter. See #9
13. Where were you last night? Bed
14. What you're not? Able to come up with an answer to this question.
15. Muffins/donuts? Spice muffins from Mimi's Cafe
16. One of your wish list items? A DSLR camera for my wife so I can use it.
17. Where you grew up? 10 blocks away from my current home.
18. The last thing you did? Answered question 17
19. What are you wearing? Jeans, hooded sweatshirt, t-shirt, underwear, socks, wedding ring.
20. Your TV? Sony 46" LCD - a living testament of credit card debt
21. Your pet? Murphy (RIP) until we get a new one.
22. Your computer? Dell laptop running Ubuntu (Linux) but I love to moonlight on the wife's MacBook Pro
23. Your life? More than I deserve
24. Your mood? Mellow
25. Missing someone? Not until I just thought about them.
26. Favorite pastime? Too many to list. I'm easily distracted.
27. Something you're not wearing? My watch. Don't leave home without it.
28. Favorite store? Too many to list. See #26.
29. Your summer? Really hot. Was hard to convince people that global warming was a William Randolph Hearst-esque media hoax.
30. Your favorite color? Blue
31. When is the last time you laughed? Today, I think. If not, yesterday.
32. Last time you cried? Recently I'm sure. I just don't know when.
33. Who will re-post this? Definitely not John and George.
34. Four places I go over and over? Home, Church, Work, School
35. Four people who e-mail me? angelsbaseball.com, apple, cabela's, disneyland
36. Four of my favorite foods? sushi, enchiladas, steak, Chick-fil-a Polynesian Sauce
37. Four places I would like to be right now? Heaven, Hawaii, my Grandmother's childhood farm in England, anywhere my family is.
38. Four people I tag to repost this- John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Too bad John and George are unavailable, and I bet Paul and Ringo are too busy to post this...

That was exhausting... Oh well, I love you babe!

In the beginning...

After thinking about it for way too long, I decided to start blogging in the blogosphere.  Who could blame me?  Where else could you be part of the revolution that has added more words to the dictionary than George W. Bush?  Case in point: blogosphere and blog for that matter.  Apparently "web log" was way too long to type on someone's Blackberry.  Abbreviations bug the crap out of me.  I do not want to live my life as one giant instant messaging conversation.  We are not that busy, and if you are... learn how to type faster.

I figure in this day and age of globalization, world-wide media, and instant information that's as far away as your iPhone, my opinion should be counted with the masses.  Everyone has an opinion.  They're like belly buttons you know...  I wanted a soap box, and now I have one.  

It's just too bad that no one is listening.  But, who cares...  As much as I would love my own wikipedia article that is not why I'm here.  Maybe I'll figure it out later, but for now I'm just enjoying writing again.  I really missed overusing transitions and underusing commas.

Stay tuned...