13 Best Cd's of 2008

13. Anberlin--New Surrender
12. Various Artists--Juno Soundtrack
11. Children 18:3--Children 18:3
10. Family Force 5--Dance or Die
9. Capital Lights--This is an Outrage
8. The Briggs--Come all You Madmen
7. This Beautiful Republic--Perceptions
6. Jack's Mannequin--The Glass Passenger
5. Search The City--A Fire so Big the Heavens Can See It
4. Sum 41--Underclass Hero
3. Flogging Molly--Float
2. Weezer--The Red Album
1. E for Explosion--Reinventing the Heartbeat

Top 13 Movies of 2008

I'm going to do a "Best of 2008" series over the next couple of days. I'll do the best movies, best cd's, and best books of 2008. Some of the movies may have been released in 2007, but I didn't see them until 2008. This is only my preferences.

13. Burn After Reading. I only put this one on there because it was one of the only movies that I saw in a theater. Brad Pitt did a great job, and the last 5 minutes were awesome. Other than that it was a disappointment. I usually like the Cohen Brothers movies. But this one had a lot of possibility, because it was a great idea, but it just didn't deliver.

12. Fireproof. Come on, it's got Kirk Cameron. Actually it was a pretty good movie. It was a feel good movie. It also made me want to be a fireman.

11. Tropic Thunder. It could have just been Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr., and it would have been worth it. They were hilarious. I just wish it hadn't been rated R.

10. Lars and The Real Woman. This was an awesome movie. It was so funny, and so happy. It was very weird though.

9. The Pirates who Don't Do Anything. We like the Veggie Tales and Parker loves them. It was a good story and had some good songs.

8. Juno. I liked this movie a lot. Jason Bateman is becoming one of my favorite actors, even though he was kinda jerky in this one. The slang from the kids got annoying in the beginning but it evened out after a while. But the story and the characters were great.

7. Kung Fu Panda. I think this was hilarious. Jack Black is funny even when you can't see his face. Plus it was a great story.

6. Iron Man. I know most people would make this number 1 or 2, and it was great, but there were a few I liked better. But it doesn't take away that I liked this movie a lot.

5. Cloverfield. I liked this movie a lot. I thought it was cool how it told the story. It was incomplete because it was from one guy's point of view, mostly. It had a lot of holes in it and it left a lot for conversation afterwards.

4. 21. This made me want to play Blackjack and go to MIT. I read the book first, which was way, way, way better than the movie. But, it was still a pretty cool movie.

3. Hancock. I thought this movie was awesome. Most super hero movies focus on the powers. This one focused more on his personality and the powers were a secondary component. Again, Jason Bateman was in it and had a cool role.

2. Dark Knight. I was skeptical of this movie at first with Heath Ledger being the Joker, but after watching it I became like everyone else who thinks he did an awesome job. This would have been a mediocre movie without him and his character.

1. My favorite movie of 2008 came out in 2007, but I didn't see it until January. It was "I am Legend." I loved this movie and could watch it over and over. I just like the idea of what would I do if I was the last person in a city and had to kill some zombies.



Runners Up: Dan in Real Life, Step-brothers
Movie I didn't like at all: Semi-Pro
Movies of 2008 that I hope I will never see: Mama Mia, Sex in the City

Catch Up

A lot has happened since the last post I made over a month ago. I had been thinking about whether or not I should keep the blog going, and now have decided to go ahead, but maybe with a little different purpose. The purpose was for parents to see what was going on in Jr. High Ministry at Harvest Fellowship. Here's some update to why that needs to change.
The Thursday before Thanksgiving, I was pulled into the executive pastor's office. In there with him was the senior pastor and the high school pastor. I had a great morning, and we had a great Wed. night the night before, and I was in a great mood. I knew the church was having some financial problems, so when I was called into his office, I knew it was probably going to be bad. I was preparing myself for a 10% pay cut, which they had done to me 2 years earlier. I was in such a good mood, that I really wasn't too upset about that.
The first thing they said to me was that they were having to lay off 4 people, and that I was one of them. I couldn't believe it. The junior high ministry was basically one of the only ministries in the church that was growing and the only one doing any kind of ministry outside of the walls of the church building.
The second thing I couldn't believe is that they let me go instead of the high school pastor who had only been there 2 months, who has no experience as a youth minister. He was a volunteer, and he's great, but he has no experience in youth ministry and leading a group the size of the youth ministry at Harvest.
Needless to say, I was pretty hurt by this and angered by it. I disagreed with a lot of the things the pastor was doing, and instead of speaking up, I kept quiet and focused on youth ministry. I think that was my downfall, because many of the other people didn't know me. The men who made the decision to lay me off didn't know what I had been doing for the last 3 years. The new high school pastor had been at the church for 10 years and knew everybody, and everybody liked him.
The crappy thing is that the pastor was responsible for the financial problems due to some poor decisions on his part. The executive pastor is just as responsible because he was just a glorified "yes man" who tried to make the bad decisions work instead of fighting against them. Because of their work about 25 people have been laid off in the course of a couple of months, because they closed the school down in October.
So, now I am looking for new ministry to be a part of. I think this is actually going to be a blessing because I'm getting out of there. It's been a while since I trusted the senior pastor's leadership. And really should someone be on a church's staff when they don't trust the senior pastor. I had been struggling with that for a while. The only thing is that I can't imagine a better group of youth or of youth workers. They were amazing. I know God is still going to bless the youth ministry because of the workers that are there. I'm going to miss the kids and the volunteers a lot.
So, now I'm a stay-at-home dad looking for a new ministry to become a part of. We're praying that God will lead us back to California. We haven't heard much yet because churches are super busy this time of the year with Christmas extravaganzas, so I imagine the job search will heat up after the New Year.
I'm going to keep this blog up, mainly for myself, to give me something to do. I'll talk about the job search and the things Parker and I get ourselves into. If you are reading this, I hope that you will become a follower of the blog, just so I'll know if anybody is ever reading the stuff that I post.
Hope you guys are having a great Christmas so far.

They're Coming to Your Town!!!

I read a post from the Friendly Atheist about a video from the American Family Association called "They're Coming to Your Town." Here's the description of the video:

Residents of the small Arkansas town of Eureka Springs noticed the homosexual community was growing. But they felt no threat. They went about their business as usual. Then, one day, they woke up to discover that their beloved Eureka Springs, a community which was known far and wide as a center for Christian entertainment--had changed. The City Council had been taken over by a small group of homosexual activists.

The Eureka Springs they knew is gone. It is now a national hub for homosexuals. Eureka Springs is becoming the San Francisco of Arkansas. The story of how this happened is told in the new AFA DVD “They’re Coming To Your Town.”

One of the first actions of the homosexual controlled City Council was to offer a “registry” where homosexuals could register their unofficial “marriage.” City Council member Joyce Zeller said the city will now be promoted, not as a Christian resort, but a city “selling peace, relaxation, history and sex.”

AFA’s “They’re Coming ToYour Town” documents the story of how and why this happened. And how homosexual activists plan to do the same in other towns.

Order a copy of “They’re Coming To Your Town.” Watch it. Then take the 28-minute DVD and share it with your Sunday School class and local church. This is a story the liberal media will never tell, but one you need to know.

This makes me sad in my stomach. I watched the trailer for this video and it was a scare tactic. It was like homosexuals are more dangerous than terrorists in Afghanistan. I believe the Bible. I trust what God says, but I don't see where God says we are to live in fear. Do you believe that God is bigger than any political agenda? I do. I believe also that God wants us to love people, so when we start making an "us vs. them" mentality, that separates us and shows hatred. I know it's not intended to be hatred, but I feel that's how it comes across.

And even though I don't want my son being taught some of the things in school that are against the Bible, I feel there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Making a video as though homosexuals are an evil group coming to overtake your city is ridiculous. It's like they are a bunch of extraterrestrials who are coming to take over the planet. I guess I've ranted long enough.


hit to Friendly Atheist

Sunday Morning Impact

Yesterday morning was a good Sunday morning. It was a little weird and different, but it was good. I started with a game where kids had to come up to the front and stand behind a hook that was hanging from the ceiling. It was a big fish hook, and I covered the sharp end with gum, so they wouldn't stab their eyes out. Then we put donuts on the hook and the point was to see who could eat the most donut without having it fall off the hook. It was fun watching them try to eat it.

Nathan led worship and did a totally unplugged set. They didn't have microphones or their guitars plugged in. It was quiet, but it was really cool because you were able to hear the kids singing. Usually the music is so loud you can't hear people singing, but yesterday, you could really hear the kids singing. It was awesome.

Charles brought the message, and he talked about living as a child of the king. If God is the king, and He is our father, then that would make us princes, so we should live as princes. So often, we live outside of God's kingdom as someone who shouldn't even be in the kingdom at all. He used an example from the Lion King. Simba believed lies that his uncle told him, and he ended up leaving his kingdom. He ate grubs and bugs instead of the meals that a prince should eat. Until Rafiki (not sure how to spell that...I guess I could look it up, but whatever) the monkey came and told him to look at the reflection in the water. Simba said he saw himself, and it was nothing. Then the monkey said, "look harder," and then Simba saw his dad, Musafa, in the reflection. Then he went back to reclaim his kingdom.

So often, we believe lies about ourselves that keeps us from living how God wants us to, as His children. When we should see God's reflection when we see ourselves, many times we see nothing.

I think Charles did a good job in bringing this message, and I hope the kids caught what he was saying to them.

New Video

This is an announcement video that we made last week. For some reason, when I uploaded it to youtube, the background music turned off. But just imagine it with "You're the Best" as the background music from Karate Kid.

Wed. Night Impact

It's been a long time since I've posted anything. It's been one of those things where I haven't had much to say with a lot of procrastination and busyness. So, I'm planning on making this blog a priority again so that everybody can keep up with what's going on in the junior high ministry and what's going on around here.
Last night, we had Saturate, which is a time of prayer and praise. Gideon led worship and did several songs, and really did a great job. I got up for only a couple of minutes and talked about prayer, and read from Psalm 71. When you feel like you are in a pit and there is no way out, God can and will deliver. If you have a friend who you think feels like they are in a pit, pray for them.
Our student leaders got up and circled the room and made themselves available to pray for kids if they needed it. I think it's awesome when a 6th grader goes up to pray with an 8th grader. I also think it's awesome to see that these kids are going to be so comfortable praying for others at such a young age.
I got to spend some time in prayer with Samantha, who had her house burn down last weekend while we were at the lock-in at Malibu. She lost everything. But this girl is awesome and has such a cool attitude about it all. But it was cool having that prayer time with her. And if you can, please pray for her and her family during this time.

Contest

Fill in the punch line: I'm going to give a sentence, and then whoever comes up with the best punch line will be the winner.


Question: What did the Oklahoman say to the New Yorker when they came across a kangaroo at the zoo?

Wed. Night Impact

I was a little disappointed with this Wed. Night. Nathan led worship, and did a great job. It's been tough to find drummers for Wednesdays, but Russ stepped in. He didn't get a chance to rehearse with the band, but he still did a great job. The band was definitely not what I was disappointed with.

I spoke about Sibling Rivalry things. I used the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob deceived Esau and stole from him and just all-around treated his brother like poop. So, Jacob ran away because he was afraid. Years and years later, Jacob is told by God that he is to come back to him home land, but Jacob is still afraid. When he gets back, Jacob is so afraid and tries to send gifts and apologies to Esau, hoping that will appease Esau. But when Esau sees him, he runs up to him and embraces him and kisses him. Esau had forgiven and forgotten everything Jacob did to him.

My points were that:
1. we need to be humble (don't think of yourselves as better than your siblings)
2. we need to ask for forgiveness
3. we need to be willing to forgive.

I talked about how God wants us to love our family and puts huge emphasis on that. And nothing that bothers us should separate us from our family. It's really a great story, but I don't feel like I did a good job communicating it. I don't think the kids were connected with me. But, they all still had a good time in dodge ball.

Contest

Another contest on who can come up with the best caption for this picture: