i love my vegetables... but this is ridankulous

Blondie..

So I did it again. I powered up and went blonde. I had a few people ask me "What the heck?!?!" So I decided to post about it and tell you the many reasons why ;)

It seems like every summer for the last 10 years I have decided to bleach my hair out. I like to do it because it is fun and I love the look on ppls faces. But the real reason I do it is because it reminds me of my love for my wife Kim.

You might be thinking-What?!? are you crazy?- Yes, I am. Let me take you back in the day. I remember in May 2000 I was on my way to Orlando, FL to be a summer missionary. I decided b4 I went to FLA, i was going to bleach my hair. And that's what I did! So when I first met Kim, I had this crazy blonde 'do and she laughed at me (in both a "what a weirdo way" and "hey you are kinda cute way").

If you read some earlier posts, you know that was one of the best summers ever and Kim and I got married a year later. I know it has nothing to do with my hairdo and more to do with God's promises and providence, but I'd like to think I get a little of that swagger back when I bleach my hair.

So it seems like every summer since 2000 I bleach my hair. It takes me back, and Kim and I both like it, so that's all that really matters. I think about how God was (and still is) so active in our lives back in 2000 and every time I bleach my hair out again it reminds me of God's faithfulness. So, if you see the crazy 'do on Sunday, now you know the back story!!!

no explanation is necessary...

Out tha box

Sorry i havent posted in a while I have been out tha country and out tha box for a while, but stay tuned for some lessons learned in the D.R. and at Catalyst West Coast!!!

Norm Tumlinson 2.0

Please bear with me as I am trying out a few different outfits for my blog. I thought I'd give it a little facelift, but there is heaps of stuff that i do not know about html.

I don't even want to think about if I had to code all this jank myself. It is so hard to get good templets for Blogger too! It's like all the dope ones are on Wordpress. But alas I will stick with the free Blogger until I cannot handle it no more! So in the meantime I will tweak and groan.

If you don't like the new skin, just grin and say "it looks greeeeaat," like you used to do with your grandma when she asked you how you liked your crocheted Christmas sweater. Yeah that's right. Lie to me.

After all this work trying to make this blog look halfway presentable I am tempted to go back to writing blogs on spiral bound tablets. Not sure how you'd read it though ;).

Caption Please

I was reading in @loswhit's blog and alot of times he will have a "caption please" post. So I wanted to try it out. I would like for you to comment a caption for this photo. A few rules; obviously keep it clean. Be creative. You can also put a small story plot if you'd like. So comment away!

"Dawn Rising"

It's been a while since I have taken a crack at a poem, but here it goes....

Dawn rising,

The day stretches out

its arms of sunlight

Breaking into

a new day.

Scattering darkness

Clearing vision

It's easy to see when the sun is shining through.

Hope awakens

Dawn grows taller and wider

The sun burns warmly

Creatures stir

Birds sing

Their creator has given them a

new song

for this day.

Fresh.

Calm.

New.

Peace.

Dawn rising.

I'll have some links on the side...

Just thought I'd throw up a quick post about the "Friends and Such" menu on the right hand side of this website. I mean I know it's pretty self explanatory but you might wanna know why stuff is there. So quick an easy, here's the skinny.

Brad Cooper-- This guy is a stud student director @ New Spring church in South Carolina. I love what he says and what they are all about at *Fuse

Church Cruch-- Anything tech-geek and church related can be found here. Whether you are a social medialite or just trying to use technology for the glory of God, this site has lots of good news, info and tips.

Grace Fellowship Orlando/Grace Student Ministry: Doy. It's us ;)

Pastor Steven Furtick-- Seriously, this pastor is wise beyond his years, but has a fresh and insightful way of bringing the gospel to life, lot's of good wisdom, teaching, leadership insights on his blog.

Reach Records-- one of Hip Hop's best up-and-coming record companies. Has (in my opinion) some of the best artists in the rap game.

Restored Students-- nothing like good friends right? This is one of my best friends student ministry page. They are doing great things in West Orange County and I wanted to help him get Jesus' shine on out there.

Viva Pancho Villa-- This is my dog. He has a blog. I know it's sick, but he's a pretty talented writer, when he's not chewing my slippers.

Where it's not-- Trent and Kay Jones, who are good college buddies of mine, are serving as missionaries out in rural Bolivia. They are such awesome and selfless people. Their blog inspires me to be more passionate about Jesus in my neck of the woods and keeps my eyes on international missions. Good Read.

World Vision International-- Kim and I have sponsored children thru this organization and it really is one of the best out there. Take a look at the website and consider it yourself, it is really a great ministry and you can make a huge difference for dollars a day.

Toms Shoes-- I'm just a big fan of this organization and how they have really met a need that sometimes we just forget about. They are solidly committed to their mission and plus they are some pretty cool kicks too.

Still #1 on my playlist: POTG Remix

Now if you missed all the buzz about General Larry Platt, then you have been living under a rock. He is this old dude that tried to get on American Idol (see it here) with his great song "Pants on the Ground".

Someone on YouTube picked it up and created this dirty south remix of the song and I like it!!! Teach them youngins right! Get your pants up off the ground, lookin like a fool!

truth in advertising....

A restaurant has some mettle if it's willing to propose that it has the best "whatever" in town. Now this is okay if you are in a town that has a blinking yellow light at its only intersection and a general store for its town center. You can claim that you have the best orange marmalade preserves in this town if you want. No one has to know that it is the only orange marmalade preserves available in town, they just need to know it's the best.

Because when stacked up against, well.. air, yours is most likely the best. No worries to you restaurants in one-horse towns. You can probably claim to have the best whatever in town that you want, because it is the best (albeit the only) in town.

My beef is with establishments in the city that claim they have the best (you fill in the blank) food in town. I think you better have some serious grub, especially if you are in a city as big and diverse as (where I live) Orlando. Will I experience what you are claiming about your food??? I think it is only fair, if a restaurant claims they have the best in town, that they should be able to back it up. (i.e. the proof of the pudding is in the eating)

Now, I guess restaurants can't go around advertising themselves as "some of the most average" food in town or even "quite possibly the best second-tier" food you will ever eat. But don't B.S. me. Don't advertise your food is "the best" when it is average "at its best"

But as I thought about this I wonder if we can say the same thing about churches. I mean do we really mean what we advertise?

When your marquee says, "passionate about people", is that really what you are cooking? Does your mission statement say, "Caring for the city", when what the meal you are really serving is "Caring only for the insiders". I'm not saying I'm immune, because do I really believe that someone who came into our church (Grace), experience our moniker? But I think we seriously need to ask ourselves this question if we want people in our city to respect what we advertise.

Again, I'm not saying to adopt slogans like, "Jesus loves you..., but then again He loves everybody" or "You have three weeks to shape up, or you need to leave". But we need to get real with ourselves when it comes to our vision and mission. I mean do we just "say" that we are the light of the world and salt of the earth. Or are we illuminating dark places and creating a savory aroma of Christ in our city??

Big question to ask, but if we ask it of other things, why cant people ask it of us?

Help! I fallen and...

Well I hurt my back again and am stuck laying (lying; lain; I never got that one in English, so my apologies if my word choice is incorrect) on my back. So, I have decided to make the most of my immobilization and blog it out.

A funny thing happens when you hurt your back. You realize how fragile you are as a human being. I mean one second you are moving along just fine and the next second you find yourself lying (laying; lain; lederhosen) on the ground staring at the ceiling hoping no one stops by your office to taunt you or steal anything off your desk .

I feel like such an idiot with back pain. Because unlike a broken ankle with the bone protruding and all, back pain really isn't visible to the observer. Usually people assume that you have some sort of incontinence problem and are wincing to hold it in, or that you have worn your belt one notch too tight, or that you have an acute late-blooming onset of the rickets. (Those are the most common three diagnoses that I receive... really... in that order.)

So you just wince and tell the observer, "Man, my back really hurts!" But you still get no solace, because as far as they can see you just look like you need a laxative. All I'm saying is there are two kinds of people in this world. Those that have never had severe back pain and those who have. There is no in between. People either know exactly what you are talking about or they "pretend" to know what you are talking about-never actually having experienced it firsthand. Oh. But you can tell the difference between those people, believe you me!!! okay... now Im getting a little bit cynical, but it's making me feel better. And as this is MY blog, I think it is okay that I do that. You can go on YOUR blog and talk about factitious disorders and what not, but on this particular blog... okay, I digress... :)

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. I think to truly appreciate the "wonderful" we also have to be aware of our fragility. Think about how we come into this world. All tiny, fragile, clueless and ...gooey. We cant feed ourselves, we cant use all of our faculties, we cant defend ourselves if a hungry Bengal tiger happened to barge into the delivery room. But God designed us this way... for a reason.

Why the heck would God make us so fragile? Im not 100% sure, but it stands to reason that God would do this to graciously remind us of our need for others, and our ultimate need for Him. And in this I am humbled. In this I am thankful. And in this I find rest. (backpain notwithstanding.) ;)

And who doesn't love college football?

Do you ever have some days that just go wrong before you seem to get started? If you are feeling down just think about this guy. At least you didnt get rejected in front of 100,000 people by a banner.Right? Enjoy!!! 

Mute Math @ HOB Orlando 11/5

Kung Fu: Do what you do to me

I am a product of the late80's / 90's. But I do vaguely recall the kung-fu frenzy of the early eighties. The only reason I knew what was up as a four/five year old is because i had two uncles who were in their teen years and they were 'bout it 'bout it on some Saturday Kung Fu Theater.

Anyways, I have always been captivated by kung fu/wushu movies. I love them. I could watch them 24/7. Many are predictable, and the voice-overs can still prove to be pretty indecipherable, but I still love them. Does anybody share this strange liking? Or am I han solo on this one?

I always wanted to learn wushu. Ever since my uncles whittled nunchuckas in their shop class and "practiced" what they watched on TV. Then, like my uncles, we realized kung fu masters don't make much money in real life. Bump that.

Im the best... no really I am.

Today I was mystified by a certain individual. I was just amazed at how much of an air of superiority they walked around with. This person had no regard for anyone else around them. It was like the world was made especially for them. Now as a psychology major, I know it is usually a deep seeded insecurity that drives this kind of behavior, but that doesn't excuse it. It just doesn't.

I saw this video and it reminded me of that person, maybe it will make you laugh. (or maybe it won't) But I sure did.

James 4:6 says "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." These aren't just words, but a concrete truth. If you love yourself so much that everyone else seems inferior, then you might be on the verge of fighting against the Almighty. Just think about that the next time you run into this person. Oh yeah, you know who they are... If you don't... Well then maybe you can figure it out. ;)

Just walk across the room... or else...

my rant on crazy christians

Okay this is a rant. I don't rant much, so consider it a rare moment on my blog.

When I was in college about once a semester some crackpot would invade our "free-speech" area and yell at all the students with some twisted form of what they believed was the message of Christ. I remember this one guy with his wife and 8 kids who traveled in a VW bus from California all over college campuses to tell people they were "going to hell". He ranted on and on about how everyone on the campus was a sinner and was going to hell. Everyone...

Not just the frat boys, not just the vegans, not just the liberals... Everyone was going to hell, except for him and his family.

By the fourth day scores of people were standing around waiting to see what this crazy bird would do next. They all thought he was an idiot. He was doing lots of damage to the credibility of ministries on campus as well because many people thought this was what a typical "Christian" was like. Some of my friends tried to reason with him between his rants but he would yell at them and say they were going to hell too.

Finally on the last day he was there I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Okay we all get that we are going to HELL, WHAT MUST WE DO TO BE SAVED!?!"

He looked at me and paused.... He had a captive audience... He didnt say a thing for what seemed like 15 seconds... Then he took a deep breath and continued to tell everyone they were "GOING TO HELL!" just like before. I gave this joker the benefit of the doubt to give him the chance to give at least a few words of truth and this guy just kept on.

He didn't want to tell anyone about Jesus. He just wanted to tell everyone they were going to hell. He had no story of Grace. He had a story of self-righteousness that no-one could live up to.

So the reason for this rare rant is I have seen these weirdos start popping up in cyberspace. I feel like now that we have the interweb that they seem to be popping up more and they are even more incessant than the guy that invaded our school. They spit their venom at people, on their blogs, on their you tube videos, on their websites. They comment with such unwarranted suspicion and hate.

The latest attack I saw was about a student pastor I have met and respect greatly. In meeting with him, I was able to see first hand his passion for the Gospel and how the staff serve Christ with every ounce of their beings. In their ministry they are trying to win as many people before their time on earth is done. They are doing so with integrity and honor to God's word.

So...

To the haters, LEAVE THEM ALONE! GO DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR LIFE besides tear everyone else down. I have already spent way too much time on this post and giving you the time of day, but please STOP IT! If you are one of those closet bloggers dogging other ministries or churches CUT IT OUT! You aren't getting mad props from God for "outing" their ministries, or "exposing" their false teaching.

Please quit hating. Spend that time and energy serving others, give time to help the orphan and the widow. Use that time you would have wasted recording a hateful video to encourage others in your community. Quit this nonsensical and self-righteous crusade of blasting people you dont even know... God doesnt need you to be the "holier-than-thou watchdog". I think He's got it under control.

Okay Im done....

Friday Funny: Just Plain Weird

This amazing photo is brought to you by my friends at awkward family photos. I was thinking of what to write about this picture when I realized this picture actually says volumes without a caption. 

So thanks weird dad for coming up with this brilliant idea for a photo. It has the unique ability of making me laugh and creeping me out at the same time. Happy Friday everyone!

One of my favorites...

Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.

1.The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.	20

i like lasers...

I know this is completely random. But I like lasers. I don't know why. I just think they are the coolest thing ever. I wish I could just shoot lasers all day long. Like I said. Random...