Tag Archives: Monkey

by | July 11, 2013 · 3:17 pm

1000th Subscriber

1000 FollowersWoo Hoo!

Guess what, everybody? Just the other day this blog reached a major milestone – 1000 subscribers! Isn’t that cool?

It wasn’t that long ago – actually it was in October of 2011 – that I was doing all I could to come up with 100 subscribers. Can you believe that was the beginning of Mr. Monkey and the Monday Monkey segments?

Meet Muriel

Say hello to Muriel Debroy! Miss 1000!

This lovely Canadian real estate agent and food expert became my 1000th subscriber, and I am so proud to introduce her.

Muriel DebroyI talked with Muriel, today. She was kind enough to allow me to publish her picture and say a bunch of great stuff about her. The sad part is that I was about to go into a meeting when she returned my call, so I couldn’t talk long. But, even though we didn’t get to talk long, I found out that…

  1. She can call me cheaper than I can call her. International calls can get expensive!
  2. She deals with real estate, and Canada has a lot of that.
  3. People don’t know how to cook, but she’s the go-to woman for that problem. Sorry guys, she’s married.

Make sure you check out her website. I’m know she’ll appreciate it.

Blessed

Seriously, I want to thank all of my subscribers. Each one of you is a blessing, including the ones of whom I have no blooming idea why you read this blog (and you know who you are).

I hope all of you understand that I appreciate you and care about you. That is why I write what I write. May you be encouraged, challenged, strengthened, enlightened, and ultimately pointed towards a greater understanding of what it means to live a life of grace.

It’s only 1000 subscribers, not 10,000 or a million, but I’m still blessed.

To God be the glory; great things He has done.

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by | June 25, 2013 · 1:29 am

Objective Reality

Resumé Review

Recently, after having to look at other people’s resumés, I thought it would be a good idea to review my own. Even though I am not actively seeking another pastorate, information does change from time to time. So, after a quick glance, I noticed some areas needed tweaking.

For example, I earned my Masters, so that needed to be added. Also, puppets are no longer considered valid references, so Mr. Monkey’s name had to be deleted.

However, one part of my resumé did not need changing. When I read the “Ministry Objectives” section, my heart was convicted. Were my objectives being met? What am I doing to reach them?

Ministry Objectives

Some people take a sentence or two, or even a paragraph, to describe their ministry objectives. I decided to divide mine into five points and put them right up front for everyone, including myself, to read.

My desire is…

I.    To bring glory to the name of Jesus Christ in all that I do (Ps 19:14) and go through (1Pet 1:7).

bibleII.   To “give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Tim 4:13) and “to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).

III. To be known as a humble and consistent husband and father whose household serves the Lord (Josh 24:15; 1 Cor 15:58); a forgiven sinner who understands grace (1 Tim 1:15); and a fearless soldier of the Cross (Mark 8:34) who never compromises the truth (1 Tim 4:16).

IV. To affect future generations yet to come as children are grounded, parents become responsible, singles are emboldened, and the aged get a second wind (Josh 4:21-24; Pro 22:6).

V.  To promote the preaching and teaching of the Gospel in every part of the world (Acts 1:8).

Dear Heavenly Father, make them more than objectives… make them reality.

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by | April 9, 2013 · 8:23 pm

Random Update

Monkey Poses

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.

monkey and guitarsIn 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!

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by | April 8, 2013 · 6:00 am

90 and Kicking

Grandmommy

“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).

grandmommieIt 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

lisa and husbandBesides 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

cross with copper wireAs 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.

Visit Nailed4Christ.com

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by | March 18, 2013 · 10:37 am

Monday Monkey (Fur of Fury) Episode 35

It’s Monday.

I’m alive, but there’s so much to talk about right now that it might kill me.

So, heeeeeere’s Mr. Monkey!

If you need a hero to fight your evil, blue Care Bears, then Mr. Monkey is your, uh, man. OK, so he’s a monkey, but who cares?

i movie(The following video was hastily done with my iPhone 4S and the iMovie app.)

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by | February 25, 2013 · 1:30 am

Monday Monkey (At the Ball) Episode 34

I Don’t Dance!

Well, at least that used to be the case. Now, after a trip to Kentucky, I can officially say that I have danced at a ball.

For the last two years my daughter, Katie, has been aggravating the snot out of me…”Daddy, are you going to take me to the Purity Ball this year?…Daddy, do you have the tickets?…Daddy, don’t forget the ball!…Daddy, I need a dress.”

So, after a bunch of promises, we finally went to the Father/Daughter Purity Ball in Hopkinsville, KY. It was an event sponsored by Alpha Alternative, and the purpose was to promote the beauty of saving one’s self until marriage.

BUT, Mr. Monkey had to go, too.

Embarrassing Your Teenager

Let me tell you something, men. If you have a teenage daughter, it is imperative that you embarrass her in front of her friends at least once. It’s a law. Just be careful how you do it; you don’t want her to hate you.

You see, the trick to embarrassing your teenager without making her hate you is doing it in such a way that she knows you love her. You need to do display your pride in a crazy way that would, under any other circumstance, be considered insane.

As much as my daughter was embarrassed by a dad with a puppet on his arm, she was thrilled that I would put aside my own dignity and be a fool for her.

Loving Your Teenager

Men, let me add one more thing: if you don’t show your daughters how much you love them, there are plenty of scum buckets out there waiting to take your place. If you love your daughters, show it. Treat them like the princesses they are.

Monday Monkey (At the Ball)

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by | February 18, 2013 · 12:30 am

Monday Monkey (Monkey Shakes an Egg) Episode 33

Nashville

IMG_9903Katie and I, along with our youth pastor, Daniel (in the orange UT shirt), went to Nashville this past Friday and Saturday. We were there to begin the hard work of pounding out a quality recording project. And yes, it is hard work.

The only problem is that Mr. Monkey just had to get in on the act. He wouldn’t let it go. So, out of sheer frustration, I finally gave in.

See Mr. Monkey get introduced to his very own musical instrument.

Special Thanks To:

  • Joel Ziegenmier, for letting a monkey take over his studio
  • Steve Castlen, for knocking some sense into Mr. Monkey’s head
  • Roy Cavender, for keeping Mr. Monkey entertained with all his crazy antics
  • Daniel Ziegenmier, for not acting like a monkey or doing that “call me” thing with his hand
  • The makers of shaker eggs (Katie loves them)
  • The makers of polyester fur

Reunion

IMG_9910On a separate note, it was good to get back in the groove with my old friend, Steve Castlen. The best I can figure, the last time he played drums while I played bass was probably in ’94.

Check out his website, SteveCastlenApologetics.com.

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by | January 14, 2013 · 1:49 am

Monday Monkey (Monkey Ain’t a Preacher) Episode 32

He’s Back!

It has been a long while, but due to popular demand by at least two popular people, Mr. Monkey is back with a new episode.

What is about?  Well, just watch it.

Quality

By the way, forgive the production quality of this episode. I was sleepy. But hey, I played a mean ukulele!

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by | January 7, 2013 · 11:16 pm

Monday Monkey Suggestions

Where’s Monkey?

It has been a while since Mr. Monkey has been in front of the camera. Part of the reason has been a lack of creative ideas. When one is totally stressed with matters that are actually serious, coming up with monkey videos tend to be pushed to the side.

monday monkeyHowever, some have been asking, “Where’s Monday Monkey?” Believe it or not, there are Monday Monkey fans out there. So, I would like to bring Mr. Monkey back to the little screen very soon, but in order to do that I need ideas.

Got Suggestions?

What would you like to see Mr. Monkey do (that would not harm him)? Where would you like to see Mr. Monkey visit (no vulgar suggestions, please)? Any topics you would like Mr. Monkey to address?

The Beatles sang that all the world needed was love. I disagree. I believe it needs laughter, as well. It also need cute, fuzzy puppet monkeys.

Give Away Announcement!

I just thought of something (which usually means something unwise is about to happen). How would you like an autographed photo of Mr. Monkey and myself (or just Mr. Monkey, or both?) to frame and hang on your living room wall, in your baby’s nursery, or in your office at work?

Let’s see… How ’bout the first 10 people to give me an original idea that won’t cost me a lot of money to produce (like with props and stuff) and won’t harm my 30-year-old puppet, will receive an autographed 8×10 (allow 4-6 weeks for delivery, which will give me enough time to take the picture and get the money to mail copies)?

Disclaimer: In order to receive a picture 1) you must be a subscriber; 2) you must give me an address to mail the picture; and 3) my wife has to approve of all this nonsense.

Even if you don’t want a picture (tell me, but try not to hurt my feelings), please leave some suggestions for future videos.

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by | November 19, 2012 · 12:30 am

My Top Posts (A Stolen Idea)

Not an Original

I am an original work of art (some just call me a “piece of work“). This post, on the other hand, is not an original idea, but one I am stealing from a fellow blogger, Chris Jordan.

Several days ago Chris wrote The Top 10 Posts on New Life. I said to myself, “Self, you should do something like that.”

Top 10

Below are the top 10 most-viewed posts on The Recovering Legalist. You may be new to this blog, so take a moment and scan the titles. There may be something there worth sharing with everyone else in the world.

Make me famous and I’ll buy you a cookie.

  1. What to Wear to Church (People do wonder, you know)
  2. Appetite for Comfort (The post that made Freshly Pressed)
  3. Dinosaur Bones Found On the Moon (Some people still take this seriously)
  4. Recovering Legalist Meets Building 429 (I acted like the legalist I don’t want to be)
  5. Even a Trash Can (God can use anything)
  6. Prostitots? (My daughters are not)
  7. Does Divorce Disqualify? (My take on a serious issue)
  8. Why Be a Legalist? (Why, I ask you?)
  9. Was John R. Rice a Heretic? (A post about Bible translations)
  10. My Take on Chick-fil-A (Don’t be a hater; it’s just my opinion)

Honorable Mentions

None of my “Monday Monkey” videos made it into the Top Ten. That makes me sad. Therefore, let me recommend a few of my favorites.

I have also done several series on The Recovering Legalist. Here is a selection of a few favorites from the archives.

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