Most of you, especially if you are new subscribers, probably aren’t aware of my photo blog, i4Daily. I’d love for you to check it out sometime.
Here’s the Story…
The iPhone has been a wonderful tool. I have used it for school, work, study (I can access my whole LOGOS library online), video, and photos. It had proved nearly indispensable to my blogging. Therefore, because I take pictures that usually never end up in this blog, I decided to create another one to showcase some daily pics.
Now, rarely do I just post a picture without first using an editing app. The pictures taken on the iPhone 4s are good, but it usually can be tweaked. So, for the most part I use BeFunky for editing.
Therefore, if you have a moment, browse my photos. I have no theme, or anything like that, but some are pretty dadgum good if you ask me. But of course, I’m prejudiced.
Click HERE to visit i4Daily.You can go to the “archive” tab at the top and browse through all the photos from the past. Each has it’s own little story, too.
As I get ready to head off to the land of slumber, let me leave you with a precious poem which will encourage, strengthen, and uplift your spirits. It’s like one of those you see on Facebook every day.
Roses are red and violets are blue.
I’ve always known that, and so have you.
Puppies are sweet and faithful and fun;
The world would be sad if we had none.
So share this sweet poem with all your friends.
Hit the “like” button again and again!
If you love God, your mother, your children, puppies, kittens, or the Baby Jesus in a manger, you will now forward this poem and post it on your wall. If you don’t, millions of demonic monkeys will arise from the abyss, come into your kitchen, and then dirty every stinking dish in your house!
For the love of all that is holy and pure; for the love of children; for health and decency; “like” and share this poem – a precious poem which made you feel warm and fuzzy – or you just might find yourself in everlasting torment wishing you had at least one more Facebook friend to message.
Remember how I just wrote about writing for the sake of writing? Well, here we go again, but on a smaller scale.
The other day I wrote a post about my wife’s grandmother’s 90th birthday. I even included some pictures. What I didn’t include was my favorite picture of the day – Mr. Monkey and the guitars.
In a break between playing music and eating cake, I took this picture of Katie’s guitar and my bass, along with Mr. Monkey striking a pose.
Two Weeks (or so) Left
In two weeks I will be presenting my final paper to my last seminary class. Believe me, I am stressed – it’s nowhere near done! Even worse, I have to present my paper in front of a PhD with a thing for punctuation (“Have you never heard of an Oxford comma?”).
OH! Guess what? My class ring just shipped today! Now, if I don’t pass, I’ll have a ring with the wrong date! Good grief!
To my shame, I forgot what yesterday and today were. Wrapped up in my own little world, I forgot the significance of April 7-8, and for that I am sorry. Just because I am not Jewish is not an excuse.
Yom Hashoah is the day in which the people of Israel and Jews around the world remember the millions who died during the Holocaust.
Below is a video I watched on a website called UnitedwithIsrael.org. Here is a description of the video from the website…
At 10am the following morning, sirens are heard throughout Israel for two minutes. Israelis every where stop what they are doing and stand up out of respect. It does not matter if one is driving ones car, taking a train or bus, walking to the grocery store, working, studying, sleeping, etc. Every one drops what they are doing in order to commemorate the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust within Israel and show their respect to the Holocaust victims and survivors.
“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” – Genesis 12:1-3 KJV
“Grandmommy” is my wife’s grandmother on her mother’s side. Her actual name is Helen, and we celebrated her 90th birthday with a big party at our place (in the fellowship hall of our church – I’m the only guy on the block with a gym in his back yard).
It was a real treat to be able to take part in such a rare occasion. 90th birthdays don’t come around too often. As a matter of fact, living to 90 is nearly 20 years beyond the average. So, it was a privilege to be able to play music with my daughter as she sang for her great-grandmother.
One of the greatest moments (in my mind) was when Mr. Monkey sang happy birthday. Of course he would only sing when my face was covered. For some reason he couldn’t sing when I was looking.
Another great moment was when she sat there staring at the candles as they slowly burned, dripping melted wax onto the icing of her cake. “Make a wish, Grandmommy!” they would say. “I don’t know what to wish for,” she replied.
“How about another 90 years?” I suggested. Nervous laughter, like an “lol” that is never really “out loud” filled the room.
New Family
Besides getting to celebrate a birthday, I got to meet a wonderful young couple, Ian and Lisa, who is now part of the family. Both of them are graduates of Liberty University and love the Lord. We had a lot of things in common, even though I was 20 years older. They even laughed at Mr. Monkey, so how bad could they be, right?
Crosses
As I was talking with Lisa I found out she had a website and business. She makes little cross necklaces out of horseshoe nails. Below is a link to her website. Check it out, and if you buy anything, let her know you found out about her on this blog.
It’s Friday. It’s April. And this was written on a Friday 2 years ago, long before many of you began following this blog. So, step back in time and enjoy!
BTW, I’m glad to see Rebecca Black is doing well, recording better music, and has a real future – unlike the mean and hateful losers who bullied and made fun of her. Where are they, now?
“Friday, Friday…”
What would be the chance that we could convince the calender people to change the names of the days? Could we change Friday to something like Frickabrack? How about Flurble? We have to do something, or every time the weekend comes around I’m gonna be singing that song. DANG IT!!
If you have been fortunate enough to have never heard this song, then that is about to change. You are going to submit to the temptation and click the link below. You have to share in the pain. You HAVE to!
Why Me, Lord?
Just because a song is popular, doesn’t make it good. An example would be “Why Me Lord” by Kris Kristofferson. I HATED that song. However, a song I hate more is “One Day at a Time.” Kris co-wrote that, you know. The part that I hated the most was the second verse…
Do you remember (Are you kidding? Ever heard of Omniscience) When you walked among men Well Jesus, you know, if you’re looking below(If? What’s He doin’, cleaning harps?) It’s worse now than then(like when the Romans were feeding lions) Pushin’ and shovin’ crowding my mind(Mental breakdowns are worse than martyrdom) Lord for my sake(It’s all about me, isn’t it?) Teach me to take One day at a time (Just go take a nap, and you’ll feel better)
Well, “Friday” is a popular song, that’s for sure. What started off as an 8th-grader’s dream project has turned into a multi-million dollar success. Once it was posted on YouTube, it went viral. Now, as of this article, it received over 88 million hits (views). I just want to know why I had to be one of the unlucky ones to hear it.
It’s Cute
It could be worse, you know. Rebecca Black could be singing a song about teen sex in the back of a convertible, or drug use while worshiping Satan in the bathroom of a public school. So, from a content perspective, it’s not that bad. The tune is annoying, but catchy, and the lyrics are clean. In short, it’s a cute song. But who on earth thought it was a poetic stroke of genius to end a line in a song with “afterwer-erds?”
The Worst Example for Teens is in the Video
If I really wanted to point out the negatives, it would have to be in the video. Here you have a song about a girl who goes to the bus stop, but instead hops a ride in the back seat of a convertible driven by a 10-year-old. Did her parents say it was OK to ride to school with her underage “friends?” Were any of them wearing seat belts?
The second verse presented some disturbing images. The last time I checked, it was not only illegal for 8th graders to drive alone, much less without an adult, but shouldn’t they sit IN the car, not ON the car? She said “on the highway” while waving at her friends from the trunk of a convertible. Can you say “Girls die in tragic accident after falling out of car – News at Eleven!?”
But there’s another thing – who is this gangsta’ rapper that knows so much about little Rebecca Black and her partying? What’s the deal? If it was my little girl, dude better watch where he parks that ride. I don’t think ANY grown man with gold teeth and “bling” needs to be concerned with my middle school girl, her parties, OR her fun fun fun. Got it?!
Wishing Rebecca Well
I wish her the best. I hope this is the start of something big for her. God bless her, really! She seems like a sweet kid with a monotone voice that grates through my soul like a recurring chalkboard nightmare. All I ask is that she leave all the other days of the week alone – and for Heaven’s sake, find another writer.
One thing that I have heard over and over again from experienced writers is, “Just write.” When asked how to become a better writer, they say, “Just write.” When asked, “What if I don’t know what to write about today?”, they say, “Just write.”
Okie Dokie.
There once was a blubber named Blue who went to the ocean blue – who knew? He went there all scared, then came back prepared to marry a rubber rain shoe.
So, what’s all this stuff about North Korea? I think their leader actually believes the propaganda he heard as a child. Either that, or he has been affected by lead poisoning leaching from the medals of his generals.
I think that bullies are victims, too. Seriously! I read a meme posted by somebody on Facebook that blasted others for making fun of people. Well, when you bash bullies, remember that they are only scared, insecure, babies in big-boy clothes. They need love, too.
Have I ever told you that I hate the word “meme” almost as much as cottage cheese?
I have learned in my last semester of seminary that I am just as intelligent as my professors and most of the authors of my text books. No joke. I’m just not as well educated.
I broke my glasses this week, so I had to pull out an old pair with an older prescription. Until I can get some new ones I am wearing this pair with a broken ear piece put back together with a steel-like puddy. It’s not been too bad, though. Now I look like the nerd I never was. Maybe I’ll score an IT job making $150K a year!
There comes a time in every preacher’s life, especially one who preaches three times a week, when he asks the question: “What in the world am I going to preach on this Sunday?” Imagine being enrolled in a never-ending speech class!
I don’t mind when I snore.
Don’t you hate it when the weather is cold in the morning but hot as the Sahara in the afternoon? One has to start off the day in a parka, but end it in shorts and a t-shirt. It gets bad when you forget to check the forecast and end up later in the day wearing a flannel shirt and no deodorant.
It has been determined that I will never be a Calvinist.
I never liked Elmo on Sesame Street. Grover was my hero. I can even talk like him.
Kenya could use some of President Obama’s vacation money. I wonder if his daughters will go there on their next mission trip?
People are putting up gutters outside my window. I wonder that they are thinking as they look inside and see me sitting here, typing away like a professional writer? I bet they’re thinking, “Those blisters he has to get on his fingers must be painful, poor guy.”
Have a great Tuesday!
Or, if you are reading this on another day of the week, have a great whatever that day is, too!
As I write this, the day is coming to a close. Therefore, you have probably heard it many times before now, but…
Happy Easter!
For the Christian, this is the day we remember the most important event in history – the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There have always been those who don’t believe, of course. But ever since that first morning when the women showed up to an empty tomb (Matthew 24), untold numbers have staked their eternity on the testimony of those who “heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life” (1 John 1:1).
As a matter of fact, one cannot call himself a true Christian if this day means nothing, for unless one “believe in his heart that God hath raised him [Jesus] from the dead,” he cannot be saved (Roman 10:9). The resurrection is so important to the Christian faith, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14 RSV).
Again, have a happy Easter.
And if you don’t believe, well, there’s always tomorrow, isn’t there? 😉
You may have read somewhere in the news about a Florida professor asking his students to stomp on the name of Jesus. Here, in an excellently worded piece, Rob Stroud points to similar instances in the past that were not so academic.
I highly recommend this post by Mr. Stroud, and I would encourage you to check out his blog, Mere Inkling.
Something unbelievable just happened in America. Something offensive, abusive, and utterly intolerant.
At Florida Atlantic University, one of the professors taught a lesson so distasteful that, had it maligned any faith other than Christianity, it would have led to his dismissal. Instead, the student who challenged it was suspended from the course.
The class is entitled “Intercultural Communication,” and the instructor happens to be the county vice-chair of one America’s major political parties.
So, what was the malicious class exercise? The students were instructed to write the name “Jesus” in large letters on a piece of paper which they laid on the floor in front of them. Then, they were directed to stomp—yes, stomp—on the name of the person millions of people throughout the world regard as their Savior.
It’s difficult to comprehend anyone would design such an offensive “lesson,” let alone that they would actually attempt to implement it…
There is a suggestion floating around the internet on places like Facebook, Twitter, etc. The suggestion is to get yourself a big can of wasp & hornet spray (a pesticide) for protection – not from bug, but from criminals.
You see, it is getting more and more difficult for honest, law-abiding citizens to own and carry firearms. On the other hand, criminals are becoming anything but more friendly. Therefore, some are suggesting that using a can of wasp spray is a good alternative to a gun. Here’s an example from a post on Facebook…
[Wasp spray] can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate [than pepper spray], while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. [A church secretary] keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn’t attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection.
A Legal Problem
Having an inexpensive form of self-defense sounds all fine and dandy, especially if you are the type who either cannot or won’t own a firearm. The only problem with using a can of bug spray is that it would be illegal. Yes, illegal.
Now, you may be asking yourself, “Why would I worry about using a can of bug spray on an attacker trying to harm me or take my life?” In a normal universe, it would seem perfectly acceptable to use anything at your disposal to defend your life, correct? Well, we don’t live in a world ruled by common sense, but by lawyers.
If you were casually walking through your house one day, and a burglar broke in and chased you through the garage, and you picked up the first thing handy, a can of bug spray, and shot him in the face, you might be OK. On the other hand, if you have a can sitting on your desk, or beside your bed, or in your purse, then you could get in real trouble.
Take a look at the highlighted portion of the picture. There you will read the following: “It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.” As any trained pest control technician would tell you, “the label is the law.”
So, if you are ever forced to use your bug spray on an attacker, bear this in mind: a good defense attorney will have your skin for the premeditated illegal use of a potentially deadly substance. If your attacker is harmed in any way, don’t think for a moment that a sleazeball lawyer won’t take advantage of you “violating Federal law.” Your attacker may even get off without jail time, all because you hurt his feelings with anything but a double-barrel shotgun.
Law and Grace
When the law is all there is, legalists will seize any opportunity. There will always be someone willing to twist the law to his (or his client’s) own advantage.
Paul told Timothy, “we know that the law [is] good, if a man use it lawfully” (1 Timothy 1:8). Unfortunately, in this day and age, there are those who don’t always use the law for good, but for gain. Therefore, be careful.
Most of you, especially if you are new subscribers, probably aren’t aware of my photo blog, i4Daily. I’d love for you to check it out sometime.
