Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles

Focus on the Family's Unplugged on Twilight

To be honest, I've been waiting for this. Contains spoilers (thanks for the warning Melissa!)

Read it here.

Give me Your Eyes . . . updated

This is an incredible song with amazing lyrics, convicting lyrics. I must confess I get so hung up on the minor struggles in my family and I, and the immediate sphere of influence around us that I am completely blind to the pain and troubles of those I am continually find myself in contact with.

Lord, give me Your Eyes so I can see. Amen.

Here's the video I found today (Monday)




Or

Listen here.

Give Me Your Eyes . . . on Mars!

Remembering Frances

I've always been impressed with how well I dealt with the severe blow and unexpected redirection Frances provided almost four years ago. Especially now, it is so easy to see God's hand guiding, protecting, loving us.

But tonight I'm watching Fay find her way up to Jacksonville, and I can feel the anxiety build slowly in me. When all is going well, it is easy to have that confident reliance in God, that "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away" faith. Then, in the other direction, how easy it is to be blind to His faithfulness and His blessings when weighed down with what He has taken away.

I don't know God's plan for us over the next few days. But if I'm honest, that's not completely true. I know He is working all things for the good of those who love Him. What else do I need to know?

2004 was rough year for Emily and I. God used Frances to move us out of our routine and closer to Him. It pained us to leave our church, our friends, our family. We're still trying to adapt to a home almost half the size of Palm Bay home.

Choosing to trust Him, to believe that "God is good all the time", even when storms approach, even as you clean up the mess they leave behind (even through the pain), is all you can do sometimes. In my life, it took God taking away things I placed between He and I that I might have the vision to choose Him.

Tagged?

Emily had to explain the rules to me (since she tagged me, she felt obligated). While I struggled to get my head around Rule #4, Mike tagged me, too. Now Emily has called 'no-tag-backs' so I will falter on that point Rule #4. Here are the rules, for what it's worth:

1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks you possess.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Six unspectacular quirks:

1. I check the weather online about twenty-plus times a day.
2. I'm addicted to air-popped popcorn.
3. I dislike dreaming.
4. I can't wear wet socks.
5. Despite Emily's vocal objections, I'm still hopeful I'll have, one day, a motorcycle with a sidecar.
6. Though I pursued poli-sci in a former life, I cannot tolerate political emails.

I've never been too good with rules or keeping chains going, nor can I think of six people outside of those I've seen getting tagged over the past couple days.

Completely unrelated, your life will be incomplete until you check out the Cover Tune Grab Bag.

Kill Your TV?

I don't know why, but I've been watching the Olympics. I've never been interested before. Though not I'm athletic by any means, I believe it's the typical male's over developed sense of competitiveness. Men can create a competition out of anything. I've found myself jumping up and down shouting at and cheering on some swimmer, half the world away (so you've got to be loud), I've never heard of prior to reading their name on the screen thirty seconds before. Then in the middle of my little victory dance back and forth in front of the television (being mindful that Emily is attempting to go back to sleep after being startled awake after my sudden yelping), in middle of all that excitement emerges the destroyer of my desire to watch any sporting event on television, commercials.

Not that they're all bad. I've learned that the corporate machine in America (especially car companies) loves nature and has been the leading force in the green movement. Also, Olympians desire McDonald's food more than any gold medal. I've been taught that I can do it, and they can help. I've come to know that Barack has never been on a construction site if he thinks the same hands that install roofs would ever be trusted to even touch a solar panel. And, I've learned that NBC can't promote a show from their fall line-up without sex.

That sucks.

I'm a just about a month and a half from having a teenage boy about the house. It would be nice to be able to watch some sports with him and his brothers. No, not all the commercials are trash, but enough are. I can steer clear of the lousy shows on tv these days, but how do you avoid the commercials? My folks mute the tv at every commercial break, but you still get the images of women in various states of undress.

So what do you do? I'm going to turn it off (well, right after Michael Phelps swims again in a few minutes. Go USA!)