The Rooster's Crowings

Prayer? Who needs it?

2005-01-28T01:07:00.000-06:00

--Wow, november? Has it really been that long?....sorry--

Ok, on to my topic. Recently I came across a conundrum/interesting thought. It went something like this: if God knows everything, and has a definite plan, then isn't praying for something to happen pretty pointless? I mean, it's either going to happen--it's in His plan--or it isn't.

Now the textbook answer I was given in college said, "prayer is there to align your will with that of God's. It's more of something you do to help you understand that whatever God is doing, it's a good thing." Now, while I have slight concerns with how close that is to being brainwashed, (slight because I know God only intends our best for us, and helping us see that isn't brainwashing as much as it is showing us the wisdom in His decisions--which we would otherwise be ignorant of) it wasn't my largest concern.

My largest concern was verses like James 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (bolding mine). Or the parable about the widow and the judge (Luke 18:1-8). Those verses insinuate that our prayers DO matter. There are many others, even some that indicate that God actually changed His mind after talking with people on earth. So the idea that prayer is there to change our mind--as opposed to affecting things--seems unbiblical.

So I'm back to my original problem. Why bother? God has a plan. It will happen no matter what. Therefore prayer won't change a thing. This bothered me because it brought into question God's honesty, (if God says to pray because it will be effective, but it won't be...it's a lie).

Then I read something in Brian McLaren's More Ready Than You Realize about God creating the universe to be interactive. (For those of you who aren't religious, I recommend his book Finding Your Faith. It's a great book that doesn't hit you over the head with "Jesus is right, you suck" like some Christians--and I use the term loosely. It just gets you thinking. Try it if you're not afraid of honest--sometimes brutally--questions and answers about faith). But think about it. The whole universe depends on itself to exist. Ecosystems can fall apart if one organism is taken away or introduced unnaturally. The whole world is set up to interact with everything else like some massive, choreographed dance.

If God really created everything in this way, wouldn't it make sense that He would include himself in that dance? And if He did include himself, than He has to allow others to dance along with Him--even use some of their own moves--or else it's not a dance as much as a puppet show.

I think God is creating a story. A tapestry if you will. One of the primary misunderstandings in the church today is that us humans are the threads, or at best, holding the threads for the master weaver. Helping but never really participating. But I think God says, "Come. Sit. Help me weave this tapestry. Pick up some thread and weave with me. Together we'll create something beautiful and artistic. And it will be ours." (As opposed to His). In that light, prayer makes a whole lot of sense, as does the idea of a loving God. Love includes, it doesn't tell you that you're not allowed to play.
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God includes us. The creator of everything desires for us to help Him tell the story. Not only desires it, but actively asks us to; practically begs us to. Think about that. It's mind-boggling.

I need to go meditate on this now. I'm stunned, once again, by the way God honors someone as undeserving of honor as I am. Thanks for listening.

Sincerity and going through the motions

2004-11-20T11:49:00.000-06:00

I read an article that proposed an idea for a Thanksgiving youth service today. It said to have everyone go around the room sharing something that they are thankful for--sounds good so far. Then it says to have each student say "Praise God" or "Thank you Jesus" after each blessing. This is where I have issues....Well one of many places I have issues, depending on who you ask...But I digress.

My issue here is with the fact that the Christian world in general, particularly in America, talks real big about being sincere and authentic. On any given Sunday you can hear a sermon preached about how the Pharisees just went through the motions but us, well we are authentic and do things because we love God.

But in those same churches there still multiple traditions, ceremonies and rites that have nothing to do with God and everything to do with going through the religious motions of the past.

In the Thanksgiving example above, I am appalled by the idea of making every teen say, "praise God" after they share their blessing. Why? So it becomes trite, meaningless and boring to them? I would rather have 1 student who is genuinely thankful in his heart but says nothing, than 100 students who say "Praise God" every 5 seconds but no longer feel any sincerity because they've done it so much.

Unfortunately this is just a mild example. The church is full of meaningless rites that the congregation continues to do because it "feels nice" or because they don't hurt anyone so why not? The problem is they hurt more than we know.

They make the world around us see us as a religion steeped in useless traditions but without substance (to many, the two cannot coexist, so if your church has one {useless traditions}, the other {substance} can't possibly be there). They see us as stuck in the past, ignoring the present, and denying the future.

While none of those things may be true, there is that perception. And why? So we don't have to tell the highest tither in our church that we won't recite the Lord's prayer anymore? That's insane! (disclaimer: I have no problem with the Lord's prayer if it still has meaning when we recite it, but when it becomes a meaningless ritual that we do because we have always done it, I have to take issue with it.).

The other problem is with our future church: our youth. More and more I talk to youth today or friends from churches I attended in High School who say that after a while they realized they were just faking it. Doing church because they felt obligated or because they had always just done it. That sort of religion gets stale and old very quickly.

This is not the fault of God or Christianity being boring and lackluster, but because we forgot why we are in church: to worship God in a way that means something to us. If we are doing something that serves no purpose when it comes to worshipping God, but calling it worship, then we are damaging our children--who see to the heart of things. They grow up seeing their parent performing worthless rites and claiming to be worshipping God, but not having any changes in their lives, and, indeed, not even being touched by God. They draw the conclusion that Christianity is a fake and dead religion. And when it comes to their parent's Christianity, they would be right.

I am not calling for a stop to tradition, but for the proper focus for said traditions: God. And if those traditions can't honestly be directed at God, then remove them. And please stop with all thepractices that we just do as a formality but have no real attachment to God. In a culture that hates religiosity and craves something real, the future of our church may very well depend on it.

My youth professor used to always say "you can clean up webs all day, but until you kill the spider, it does no good." We can put on the religious trappings and play church all our lives, but if we don't actually worship God and serve Him in a real and meaningful way, it does no good.

Matthew 7: 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Quote of the whatever

2004-11-08T11:24:00.000-06:00

Peter King, commenting on the Steelers thrashing of the Patriots and my beloved Eagles.

"[They were] whacking the two best teams in football like rented mules."

That just made me laugh...

Evangelism and those who fear it.

2004-11-05T12:40:00.000-06:00

Why are so many of us afraid to share our faith? And I don't mean in the door-to-door way or in some sort of evangelism trip (both of which I think have the potential to do more harm than good) but in the way Jesus intended us to: in our relationships.

We all form relationships and friendships for various reasons. Friendship is one, of course, but what about that guy you know just because you work in the same place? What about that girl you know because you sit next to her in Geometry? Heck, I have people I know and talk to almost everyday simply by virtue of the fact that we both play fantasy football! So why is it so hard for us to start a friendship simply to share the gospel? I mean you meet someone, they aren't saved, and you have something in common, but you avoid talking about God. Why?

I don't presume to know all the answers but I think one of the reasons we avoid them is we are afraid of openly sharing our spiritual walk. The things we love about God are easy to share, but sharing our fears, doubts, struggles and the inconsistencies in our walk is what I think holds us back. Almost as if we think that by voicing them out loud--and not hiding/ignoring them--we will talk ourselves out of or own faith. If that's true, how completely weak is our faith!

Or maybe our self-crafted illusions of being near-perfect Christians--without doubts, fears and stuggles--have become so comforting that we've learned to love that illusion more than we love people; more than we love truth. If so, we've missed the point.

Or maybe you think God loves our little illusions more than He loves people?

Actions speak louder than words, friends, despite what we claim to believe. So what you do reveals what you truly believe.

Which do you do? What do you believe?

Right, wrong and faith.

2004-11-03T13:47:00.000-06:00

I was called arrogant the other day because I believe that my beliefs about God are right and others are wrong.

Let me say two things in general response to this:

One, to believe something--really believe it--is to assume opposing views are wrong. It's not arrogance, it's logic. If you hold a belief--and truly believe it--you're going to also think any opposing view point is wrong. To do otherwise means you don't truly hold that belief, but that you aren't sure. You think you have a good answer but there could be others. So to think opposing views are wrong isn't being arrogant, it's just having a firm grasp of your belief and a deep hold on it.

Secondly, my belief that I know the only true way to live--i.e. Christianity--isn't a product of me thinking I'm super-smart. I think there is a way the universe works. I simply recognize it. it's not my intelligence, but my willingness to agree that things do indeed work that way, and my fortune that God was willing to show me His Bible and reveal Himself to me. Not arrogance--good fortune and a willingness to acknowledge the truth.

I don't write this to appease my own conscience or defend myself--I'm very secure in my lack of arrogance in this matter, (because I know how stupid--not smart--I can be). Why do I write this, then? Well for one to blog, because I find it therapeutic at times. Two, to show those of you who believe strongly that you are not arrogant or prideful, but simply doing what it takes to truly believe something. Three, to show those of you who think you can believe in Jesus but also think other ways are "ok" that your faith isn't as solid as you think, and all you're admitting is that you don't know. Pray that God gives you a stronger faith, won't you?

To be sure of what you believe is to be labeled as close-minded. So be it. Better close-minded than so open-minded that I don't even really believe anything.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. James 1:6

The germatriculator says...

2004-07-03T00:45:00.000-05:00

That the phrase, "Pete Jones Rules!" is 1% evil, and 99% good. That proves it folks, no more debate will be entertained on the issue.

You can test other phrases here.

Everything beautiful...everything.

2004-06-23T09:47:00.000-05:00

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11a

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time....

This verse struck me in my devotions today. He has made everything beautiful in it's time. There is such an inherent beauty in things like birth, healing, planting, laughing, building, dancing, ummm...gathering stones (?), etc. Those things are obviously beautiful. But I think Solomon--and God--had a purpose when this was written. Notice the good side isn't always first. Right at the end it says, love then hate, war then peace. Why? It would make sense that something like this would be better written if it were uniform: good then bad.

I think God's message here is this: everything is beautiful--in it's time. Death--else how do we see Heaven? Uprooting--else how do we eat? And where do we plant the next year? Killing--lest healing be worthless. Tearing down--so that something better can be built. Weeping--to make laughter worth the effort; and sometimes I just need a good cry. Mourning--so we might appreciate the good things in life. Scattering stones--ok I still don't get this one, but who doesn't like to throw rocks?

Take time today to look at everything as beautiful. Not just the things that are obviously beautiful, but the things that have a hidden beauty in them. Death, pain, sorrow, tearing down...they all have reasons and one can always find something good in them (which shows just how good God is: He won't let bad things happen just because). If you doubt this consider that the cross had all those things: death, pain, sorrow, tearing down--yet you don't doubt its goodness.

Next time you face hard times or difficult trials--remember this.
Next time you see that ugly, smelly person sitting alone at the mall--remember this.
Next time someone lets you down, your mom, your friends, me--remember this.

Next time you think that maybe, just maybe, God has forgotten you and forsaken you.

Remember this.

Quote of the week or day or....whatever..

2004-05-24T19:05:00.000-05:00

"The worst thing about reality TV is it makes stars out of common folks, who then fill the covers of the People and Entertainment Weekly mags that infiltrate my house, which forces me to acknowledge the existences of people I care nothing about."

~Peter King

In the immortal words of Air John and rappers: word.

Or would that be "in the immortal word of?"

I am megatron

2004-05-20T21:32:00.000-05:00

cower you patheitc fools!

Which Colossal Death Robot Are You?
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey

Time fo da foosball!

2004-05-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

Ok it's not even June 1st and the traditional June roster cuts haven't come in, but I'm kicking my fantasy football league back into gear and I'm all giddy. Chane if you're reading this, you better play this year! Also if anybody really likes fantasy football, feel free to email me and let me know so you can join, too. We have some openings. It's a keeper league--if you don't know what that is, you probably shouldn't play, but I won't necessarilly hold it against you.

MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-shugana..had to be said, sorry.

Hmmmm

2004-04-28T22:26:00.000-05:00

Once again it's been a while and someone got on my case for not updating. I won't say his name, but it starts with a C and ends in Harlie. I plat Tactics Arena Online, alot. I'm the Rooster of Doom. Everyone should learn to play, it's great fun.

Youth tonight was awesome, as usual. No, I know what you're thinking, it wasn't ME it was HIM. Slappy and Esmatilderanda helped alot, too :D

Words of wisdom? Sure I got some from the book of Job, chapter 38. It's God responding to Job's criticism of what God was doing.

Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone, While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise? And who took charge of the ocean when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb? That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds,
and tucked it in safely at night. Then I made a playpen for it, a strong playpen so it couldn't run loose, And said, "Stay here, this is your place. Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.'

Next time you think to question if God knows what's going down, or if he messed up...look here, and pray He doesn't strike you down with lighting....just kidding, He doesn't do that stuff.....much.

--Lovin' like only a chicken can
--The Rooster

Wow it's been a while

2004-03-30T08:22:00.000-06:00

I should start doing this more often again. I'm sure I will. But for now, suffice to say this: You're on the right track, my friend. What you said is true, just don't let other things get in your way from doing it yourself. No one thing, no one person is worth giving away the time, energy and passion you devote to God. If anything I say confuses you, as they say in da 'hood, gimme a holla.

Oooh, I'm White

2004-02-21T09:27:00.000-06:00

A WHITE Dragon Lies Beneath!

My inner dragon is one of two harmonious dragons (the other is Black). On the inside I am the perfect example of balance, patience, power, and reclusive intelligence. Evil-doers beware; my breath weapon is a combination of fire and lightning. Even the nicest dragons can do some serious damage. Click the image to try the Inner Dragon Online Quiz for yourself.

hmmmmmmmmmm

2004-02-21T00:28:00.000-06:00

Nothing really to blog about, but it's been 2 weeks, officially, so I feel like I'm letting you down...you know who you are.

So what to say? I know! What has God been showing me lately?

It's tough to define. I have this thing sort of swirling around in my head, almost forming thoughts that are good and make sense, but not quite.

A couple quick notes: Gossip is wrong. Period. Gossip is this: if you're talking about somebody in a bad way when they can't defend themselves and you aren't doing it in their best interest, (like as a genuine prayer request or to a doctor or pastor in the context of helping that person), you're sinning. There's no way around it. Try as you might to get around it or justify it, you can't.

It Is Wrong.

It's hurtful and spiteful and NOT loving at all. This applies even if what you're saying is true!!!!! Some people justify it by saying, "Well it's not gossip, it's true." Wrong! It may not be heresy, but it is still gossip....and did I mention that's a sin? Get it through your head, if you're wondering even the tiniest bit if God is talking to you: HE is!

So what has God been showing me? Grace and love. One thing I'm learning through Severyn is this: punishment is not nearly as effective as reward. He's just been showing me the world through His eyes:

Imperfect. Constantly screwing up. Knowingly and willingly doing bad things. Yet He loves us infinitely and would die a thousand more times for us if need be.

Wow. Think on that, it'll leave you speechless............like it left me...Praise God..Praise God..Praise His name, Holy Holy Holy is the Lord our God, hallelujah.....see ya.

Hahaha the blog's spell check doesn't have blog as a word..irony at it's best.

Grace

2004-02-06T11:37:00.000-06:00

Grace and mercy are amazing things. God gives them to us simply because He loves us. The only real requirement is that we love Him back. If you love someone, really love them, what they want is infinitely more important than what you want. You being happy comes from making them happy. That's real love and it's all we need to have grace, mercy and forgiveness....

Someone confronted Martin Luther, upon the Reformer's rediscovery of the biblical doctrine of justification (grace), with the remark, "If this is true, a person could simply live as he pleased!"

"Indeed!" answered Luther. "Now, what pleases you?"

Think about it....................................

Fear me, those who would try to rear attack ;)

2004-02-03T18:22:00.000-06:00

Your Superhero Persona by couplandesque
Your Name
Superhero Name	Butt-Man
Super Power	Can Cry On Command
Enemy	The Cheating Boyfriend
Mode Of Transportation	Shopping Cart
Weapon	Attack Gerbils

Created with quill18's MemeGen 2.0!

That's 2 1/2 years....

2004-01-29T10:34:00.000-06:00

better start kissing up now if you want to be a 'preferred' slave.

What is Your Destiny? by Valcion
Name
Color
Birthday
Destiny	Enslaver of all humanity
Date when you fufill your destiny	October 20, 2006

Created with quill18's MemeGen 2.0!

10 things I think I think....

2004-01-27T09:06:00.000-06:00

1. I think I am not trying to dethrone anybody from any type of throne as some people have suggested.

2. I think there are few things more disappointing in life than shutting a team out (in other words, they score 0 points) in Madden and having their passing game--which up until this point was lacking virility--suddenly go on a 7 play, 95 yard touchdown drive with less than 2 minutes in a game where you're leading by 4 TD's already. Not only does the TD not matter because nobody is scoring 4 TDs in 2 minutes, but it's cheap and makes an hour of hard work feel like it's worthless.

3. I think that despite #2, I still love Madden.

4. I think my heart is football shaped.

5. I think there is no cow.

6. I think that the coffee bean was one of the original fruits in the Garden of Eden and that explains why all things coffee are inexplicably delicious. (Although I did just explain it, so I guess it's not exactly inexplicable anymore....don't worry, I confused myself on that one, too).

7. I think I hate weather that goes below a balmy 70 degrees.

8. I think I should've made this 5 things I think I think...this is hard.

9. I think I want to see LOTR The Return of the King again..and again...and again...repeat ad naseum.

10. I think I wish more people really, really showed the dedication to God that they claim they have. Never going to church, never learning about God, never devoting themselves to anything outside of their circle of interest, never reaching out--to God or people, never having much in your life that shows you are a Christian besides you saying you are and owning a few Christian CDs. If that sounds like your life, guess what? You're not doing it right!

Beware!

Matthew 7
22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Don't laugh. Don't brush it off. You need this. You KNOW who you are.

Oh yeah

2004-01-25T21:56:00.000-06:00

I missed Miles Davis and John Coltrane...mmm jazz.

Everybody's doin it, first time's free...

2004-01-24T19:43:00.000-06:00

Since everybody else is doing it, I figured I might as well do some list about muzack. So here's my top 10 fav band list, though it will probably expand to be about eleventy billion since I like music way too much.

In no particular order:

1. U2
2. Johnny Cash
3. Pink Floyd
4. Faith No More
5. Poor Old Lu
6. Blindside
7. Nirvana
8. The Violet Burning
9. Mortal
10. The Eagles

Honorable mentions:
1. Pantera
2. Project 86
3. Stainless
4. Bootsy Collins
5. Crashdog
6. Sometime Sunday
7. Led Zeppelin
8. Beastie Boys
9. Soundgarden
10. Outkast

ok that's all I can think of for now, though I'm positive I'm missing somebody....like Sublime
so Enjoy ...

Very....sick....today

2004-01-13T13:13:00.000-06:00

That's all, really. I am sick (burp) mmm gassy.

Eating Popcorn

2004-01-01T15:19:00.000-06:00

And my wife is getting all worked up, saying it's bad for me and stuff....of course, it IS a popcorn cake with caramel, M&M's, gumdrops and peanuts--the food, not the comic. But geez...

Saw stainless last night. They were good. Very good. I must say I think they are a truly great talent--and I'm not just saying that because I work for their dad. The music is tight, both vocally, and instrumentally. The lyrics are poetic and heartfelt. The shows have so much energy! Adam Culver is like a modern day Mick Jagger--no joke! If you don't know who that is, you should find out before you think to call yourself a rock fan. Travis' play is from his soul and the energy of Jordan and Aaron on guitar are amazing-- even though Jordan's wide eyes when he's 'in the zone' freak me out some times. All that being as it is...I must say a couple things about last night. First, kudos to Stainless for their selections of cover songs. U2 is a top 3 all time band in my book and it was thoroughly enjoyed though I'm sure a few of the younger folk had no clue whose songs you were singing. I loved it.

Second, I was impacted by 'With or Without You.' I don't know the guys from Stainless all that well. I haven't been a lifelong fan or even a yearlong fan due to my being recently moved here. But that cover. If you missed it you missed a rock and roll spiritual experience. The raw emotion that poured from the stage was overwhelming and somewhat transcendent. I could see their hearts ripping from their collective chest when they sang that song as a sort of farewell to Travis and Aaron. As I said, I don't know these guys all that well and if I were to call them close friends I'd be lying--not because they aren't 10 kinds of cool (which, by the way, they are) but because I just don't know them like that. But watching the emotion and sweat and heart and energy--knowing there was more to that song than covering a classic. I nearly wept. Part of me was overwhelmed with emotions for a band I am a relatively new fan of, and part of me felt like I should leave because this was a personal, intimate moment between them; like I was intruding on their moment. Take that as you will but I count it as a compliment to those guys.

A lot of people in music have talent. A lot of them live for the paycheck involved. But only the great ones have passion. The mark of a great band has always been passion. That ability to make the audience connect with you on a deeper level than familiar lyrics and catchy tunes. All the great musicians displayed that--U2, The Stones, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Johnny Cash. They were different because they didn't play the music--the music played them. And the audience went along for the ride. The audience felt like they were the bands best friend because the band's raw emotions streamed from their mouths, their instruments and their souls and only good friends share that sort of intimacy.

Am I overexagerrating a good song at a good show? maybe.

All I know is that it's been a long time when a song that I've heard a hundred times, (and wasn't a worship song), has made me want to cry. And I don't think I've ever seen one sung with more passion and emotion. I feel like the guys took a little piece of themselves and fed it into that performance, and I was lucky enough to see it.

Thanks, Stainless.

PS: [Disclaimer] Please don't think I am trying to read into what that performance was for them. I'll be the first to say I don't know near enough to even fathom a wild guess. This whole thing was just how the song impacted me--and my appreciation for it. Life is about experience, remember? (see below). When someone gives me an experience like that I like to thank them. And praise them for it. So there you go.

Gone 'til Novemeber

2003-12-25T23:54:00.000-06:00

Or Monday, whichever comes first. Goin' to MT to see family-bamily. Take care I will return soon (see above). Have a good weekend all...and don't call me! (seriously it's roaming over there for my cell).

Deep thought of the week: Christmas--birth of Christ: did God plan to become human and save us from our sins waaaay back in the beginning? I would say yes (otherwise issues of omniscience come up)...but what does that say about Him? Did He set up the fall of mankind through Adam? Did He plan it? No. It says He was that devoted to loving us in freedom--even if that freedom meant we messed up. That He didn't have to resort to becoming one of us, He planned on it. Seeking to relate to Him--the way He sought to relate to us. That's the true meaning of Christmas.

For Your Pleasure

2003-12-22T22:27:00.000-06:00

Goin' with the Christmas cheer,
drinking cider, not no beer,
it's that ending time of year,
my cool song you now will hear.

I play Madden and I love it,
there is not no game above it,
other poser games can shove it,
I cannot get enough of it.

I like Poor Old Lu, you know,
they've got crazy rock-star flow,
guitars, drums, no horns that blow,
country music is their foe.

Mullets are the coolest hair,
long in back and worn with flair,
but the sides are short (just there),
I can't grow one (it's not fair).

Now my song is almost done,
I hope you've had lots of fun,
no non-rhyming lines (not one),
Hot Street Fighter babe: Li, Chun!

Thank you, thank you,...I'll be here all week. tip your waitress.

I Object

2003-12-20T08:12:00.000-06:00

To the idea some people promote that says that those who love sports games--which I number amongst--don't expect anything new. Not true. I expect new things every season! Otherwise why buy the game? I think you will find that those who play sports games fanatically--again one of the 'clubs' I belong to--demand more per sequel, hence the new and ultra-crappy ownership mode in Madden. Blah...you guys at EA, you reading this? (probably...it seems more people every day who I didn't know knew about my blog are reading it) Anyways, EA! Fix the screen pass, the DB coverage and the pass blocking scheme before you add another mode! Bah...See how you are, you got me all worked up.....now I must go play Madden.

Before You Even Ask.......

2003-12-19T10:49:00.000-06:00

I was trying to cut my hair this morning. I have a set of clippers I use a 1 inch attachment on and get the overall-one-length look. We also use these for Severyn, but since his head is smaller, we use a 1/2 inch attachment. Well the 1/2 inch attachment got left on a few days ago and I didn't check it......so before you even ask, THAT is what happened to my hair.

Merry December 17th

2003-12-17T23:19:00.000-06:00

We had a Christmas party and it was lots of fun. A few heathen sinners went to see LOTR part 3: Return of the King and missed all the fun--by the way he wasn't the only one, just the only one I know who also has a blog. But I still love them. Hey to each his own, right? I would have been annoyed had it been something real important but all they did was miss out on food, drinks, presents, games and the coolness that is me. In all seriousness, I'm not mad at all.

On my end I get to go see that movie this Saturday. If you want, you can come to my house at noon and watch the first two movies and then we're all going to go see the last one after wards. Shoudl be fun. Ok well I am tired and sleepy and stuff, so goodnight.

~Peeto

Ow

2003-12-16T23:27:00.000-06:00

My foot is bleeding.

I'm quite tired so if this makes little to no sense than please keep that in mind. Because fatigue>logic....especially in my case. I'm pretty sure it's mostly due to my coffee habit. You see, between the hours of Monday morning and Tuesday night, I've had 2 Pop Tarts, 2 Kit Kats [the new minty ones yum!], a burrito and taco, and some spaghetti..oh and a wrap/roll from Applebees. 3 real meals and some sweets in 2 full days....and I have had 3 full (entire) pots of coffee in that time. I think that means I have a problem--that problem being not enough coffee to keep me awake with so little food in my body. Solution? more coffee of course.

Here's my tribute to Air John, Mad dawg and Pistola

coffee > no coffee
Let coffee = CO ; Let No coffee = NC
CO= Colorado ; NC = North Carolina
therefore Colorado > North Carolina
if Colorado has the Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets and North Carolina has the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets then:
Nugget Broncos > Panther Hornets
NB > PH
(NB > PH) d
NBD > PHd
Never Being Dumb > PHd

that checks out...good job me...Good night

Poor Old Lu

2003-12-13T23:57:00.000-06:00

Is probably the greatest band of all time...seriously. Just thought you might want to know.

Ever wish?

2003-12-11T01:25:00.000-06:00

Do you ever wish that you could just make everything ok? That you could convince people of the truth of things, that they saw everything through your eyes? That they could, in an instant, live through the stuff you've been through so they could avoid the heartache...the pain...the junk in their own life?

Experience.

That brings an interesting point up. Some have said that our whole purpose in living on earth is to experience things. I don't pretend to know the whole truth of life, but I think that that is part of it: experience. Not all of it, we're here to worship and serve God, but I think experiencing life is part of it all. And despite the pain I've dealt with, I still relish those experiences for what they've taught me. So in wanting to save others from their pain--and deny them the first handedness, the journey of their senses, their mind--am I selfish? What truly guides my thoughts here? A true love and desire to see them saved pain, or a desire to avoid my own heartache at worrying over them and watching them hurt? For surely their pain causes me pain. So the question arises: do I want to prevent their pain, or my own?

A little of both I think. Does that selfishness make me a bad person? Does that love make me a good person? I don't know but I think the combination makes me something undeniably:

Human.

That said, I think I see a bit more clearly the reasons why God allows us to suffer. We are independent and rebellious by nature. Human nature has always had an element of challenging the rules to it; a sort of attitude that says, "Yeah it didn't work for you or anybody else, but maybe, just maybe it will work for me" It never does, of course, but we keep trying all the time--I think this philosophy guided much of my teenage years. We have to give it a shot and see, and then after we fall flat on our face a few hundred times, we realize that those who went before us actually know what their talking about and then we listen to their advice. Then we listen to God and realize there's a reason He's in control of everything. This is the beginning of wisdom, I think--the fear of the Lord, i.e. the respect of His view, His opinion. Swallowing our pride and acknowledging that He knows what is good and bad and we are clueless.

But it all comes from experiences, even the bad ones;especially the bad ones. Suddenly the idea that a good God would never allow bad things to happen doesn't seem to make much sense.

Yeah bad things happen; we experience junk in our lives.

But what makes a thing bad, the going through it, or what you get in the end? We're so willing to go through pain to do 'cool' things; get tattoos or get our pierced or train laboriously for a sport or good grades and it's all worth it to our thinking. But when God asks us to go through some pain so we can relate to His suffering and Himself better--so that we draw closer to Him and share in His pain--so that we commune with the creator of the universe at the cost of a little pain--so that we fulfill our true purpose on earth (knowing God)! That's when we cry and complain about a good god not allowing suffering and how God isn't there for us and how He let us down.

Lord have mercy on our pitiful, wretched, selfish souls!! We are truly lost.

I guess it's true what they say about people: we're self-absorbed babies who want to get get get and never give anything back. No wonder our world is going down the tubes. No wonder there's so little love. No wonder we have such difficulties knowing God when all He asks is the one thing we are completely unwilling to give Him; a willingness to share in his suffering--to really get to know Him. I hope I'm at least a little less selfish like that than I was when I started this blog.

But I'm probably not--such is the way of men. Thank God for His salvation and His grace.

Without it.........................................................................................................................

Update...

2003-12-10T22:19:00.000-06:00

Updating...hmm...not much to say. I bought some neat stuff to play CS with but nobody is online......I want someone to play CS with.........

Waste management

2003-11-23T01:03:00.000-06:00

I just finished gutting my deer and I'm fairly sure we threw away more meat than we kept...but I guess that's always true...I just feel like we threw away alot due to our complete inexperience with doing it. Turkey day is fast approaching and I'm excirted cause we're making fresh cranberry sauce...mmmmmmmmmmm.....fat kids like me love holidays where eating is the primary activity.

Too bad more people don't actually take the day to be Thankful (like they should) and just use it to eat more than is healthy (or holy) to do then watch movies or football and get plastered. I love food and football, but that is not what it's about...just like Christmas isn't about presents...............*sigh*

I'm all depressed now about this world..........people are dying everyday and all us so-called christians can do is look for the next cheap thrill online or otherwise. I think Jesus would be upset at American Christians were he here. i think he is here so he probably is upset. But we're too blind and deaf (and unwilling) to notice him so he can't let us know. It's a shame. I'm going to bed now, hopefully I can sleep......................stupid world..............stupid people .....................stupid me.

Run, Rooster, Run!

2003-11-22T08:24:00.000-06:00

Went hunting. My firstchance at a derr and the thing stood 150 yards away and didn't move while I fired three shots. Some hair flew from it's head and it collpased and I thought I'd killed it. Fat chance. When we got to it, the thing got up and ran away. I guess I cliped it's ear, which can make the so dizzy they fall over as if dead. Kind of cool, but embarassing that I missed a standing target from 150 yards (if you don't hunt...just know that that is a pathetically easy shot, may as wellbe standing two feet away).

Anyways, then next one I shot at, I hit perfectly so that we didn't have to gut it! Unbelievable.

That's how a lot of things have been going in my life lately. I feel like I'm Forrest Gump sometimes. A sort of dumb guy who just knd of walks around being himself and stumbles into all sorts of good things. people come up and say, "You did such a good job!" and I'm thinking, "Really, I thougt it was junk." or "I didn't do anything special." I call it Gumping into things and I seem to do it alot. just get lucky and seem good or talented or whatever when I'm just some schmo who Gumped into it. Whatever. Some people say when you're lucky it's because you're good enough to unconsciously prepare yourself for success ahead of time, but I don't buy it. I think those people just like to claim credit for their Gumpings.

Me, I'm happy to admit it's mosly blind luck and keep running, hoping to Gump into greatness at one point. But You won't hear any lame sayings about chocolates. I'm more of a coffee and caramel guy myself :D

2003-11-19T00:54:00.000-06:00

My Blog, not yours

Air John just informed me that he's quite disturbed by my address for this blog (roosterstrikesback.blogspot.com). he thinks it's too long and I should go with something shorter, but I hate messenger and other names that have numbers (e.g. rooster4532). So methinks he should mind his own blooming business and leave my blog alone.

Take that, Air Johnathan

2003-11-19T00:52:00.000-06:00

New Blog

Ummmmm........on advice from Air John...or maybe just him mentioning something to me.........I'm starting a blog.

wow

I don't feel any different. Who reads these things anyways? I mean I'd like to type stuff here and think I'm doing it with some person waiting hopefully by their puter for it to finish a post....but that's a little naive (even with my cool rating being astronomically high)....I think I'll choose to believe it anyways, so I'm motivated to do more than post my private thoughts publicly...cause that's always a good idea :S othwerwise it'll become boring to me quickly. I have the attention span of a rock........well maybe a rock isn't a good eample, they sit there on the ground for years and years and do ok...attention span of............speaking of short attention spans, I think I'm done.