Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Judged


Judged Message 10/19/2008 from David Tate on Vimeo.

Friday, September 12, 2008

My Summer 2008 Movie Predictions - Results

Each May, I like to predict the top 10 movies of the summer. Here were my predictions:(counting from May 1 through Sept 4).
1. Indiana Jones
2. Prince Caspian
3. Iron Man
4. The Dark Night (Batman)
5. Hancock
6. Wall-E
7. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon
8. Kung Fu Panda
9. Sex and the City
10. Get Smart

Here are the results from Boxofficemojo.com
1. The Dark Night (Batman) - 504 Million
2. Iron Man - 317 Million
3. Indiana Jones - 315 Million
4. Hancock - 227 Million
5. Wall-E - 218 Million
6. Kung Fu Panda - 213 Million
7. Sex and the City - 152 Million
8. Prince Caspian - 141 Million
9. The Incredible Hulk - 134 Million
10. Wanted - 134 Million
11. Mamma Mia - 132 Million
12. Get Smart - 128 Million

Well, I was close on a few, and far off on others. Who knew the power of female movies, Wanted and Mamma Mia.

World Wide Grosses are slightly different (from May-Sept).
1. Dark Night - 950 Million
2. Indiana Jones - 782 Million
3. Kung Fu Panda - 611 Million
4. Iron Man - 571 Million
5. Hancock - 560 Million
6. Mamma Mia - 418 Million
7. Sex and the City - 388 Million
8. Prince Caspian - 378 Million
9. The Mummy - 296 Million
10 Wall-E - 289 Million

This is why bad movies in the US get a sequel, because it made a lot of money overseas.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

My Faith in Word Pictures

I used this program to turn my statement of faith into a word picture. I like it.

title="Wordle: My Faith"> src="http://wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/179655/My_Faith"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

Friday, August 15, 2008

Harry Potter move to Summer 2009

There will be a longer wait for the next Harry Potter Movie.
Poof! Next `Harry Potter' flick moves to summer

It's summer school for Harry Potter.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth installment in the blockbuster film franchise about boy wizard Harry, is moving from its planned Nov. 21 release to July 17, 2009, distributor Warner Bros. said Thursday.

Click here for the rest of the story.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Maybe Later Campaign

I could join this campaign, tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

JEDI GYM

Thanks to Deadly Viper for this video. Stay with it until the 4 minute mark, then it gets good.

Jib Jab

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

The Big Story, Part 2

A follow up video to explain how you can interact with a person from each circle.

The Big Story

A very good explaination of the Gospel Story for a new generation.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

JESUS Anime Demoniac Concept (English)

The producers want feedback. Give feedback on this video, if you like it.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Before He Speaks

Thanks to Josh for sharing this video. I warning to every pastor to not use your family as a sermon illustration unless you have their permission.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Hobbit 2

Here is the timeline for the movies (yes, they are planning a Hobbit movie, then second film to cover the 60 years between the Hobbit and LOTR).
Peter Jackson typed:
Dear Jesslyn - at this point in time the plan is to write for the rest of this year and start early conceptual designs. 2009 will be dedicated to pre-production on both movies and 2010 will be the year we shoot both films back to back. Post productin follows one film at a time with The Hobbit being released Dec 2011, and F2 release Dec 2012. That is the schedule in about as much detail as we have ourselves at the moment.

Hobbit Update

Here is a link to a chat that was hosted by Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro. Here is a blurb to wet your appetite for the Hobbit.
Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro answered live questions from fans in a huge chat event this morning.

Close to 6,000 fans asked almost 4,000 questions before the chat started and then asked another one question per second during the hour the chat was running. In other words, a total of over 7,000 questions. Several people (not least Peter and Guillermo) worked hard to sift through the questions and in the end answered 60 questions. One for every minute. We do of course regret that we didn't get to all questions, but hopefully we can have more chats in the future.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Indiana Jone 4 - Movie Review

I just saw Indiana Jones 4 today. It is great movie. Now I am a bad movie reviewer because I like just about everything I see. I enjoyed see Indiana again on the screen and did not mind the Sci-fi aspects of the movie. It is definitely worth seeing in the theaters.

My favorite viewing time for movies is noon on opening day. The theater is usually empty and you pay the matinee price. Today was a bonus because Frank's Theaters have a special that the first showing of any movie is only $4.75, Monday through Thursday.

Plus I got to see the movie with Hassan, Mer and Jeff.

If you have not purchased the first three Indiana Jones movies, they came out with a special edition. I asked for it for Father's day.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Walt Mueller letter to Pastors

Today - Free Saddleback Feed

Some how I was invited to watch a live saddleback feed from their purpose driven conference. The email said:
As a valued subscriber to Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox, we’d like to offer you a LIVE look into the first session of this year’s PD Network Summit. For today only, beginning at 8:30 a.m. (PST) we’re turning on this LIVE connection for you to watch the opening session where Rick Warren will be addressing, “Renewing Your Personal Life” – Manifesto for Renewal (part 1). In this morning’s session Rick Warren will be sharing his perspective on the State of Pastoring in 2008. You won’t want to miss this insightful and encouraging message.

You’ll also receive a LIVE, ongoing, and behind the scenes peek into this year’s conference from our LIVE Summit team.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Whew - what a ride

I have not been blogging the past few weeks because of some big events. First, I graduated on May 9/10 from Regent University with my PhD in Org. Leadership with a major in Human Resource Development. Here are some pictures from the days.

Dr. Carr (my dissertation chair) and me.

Dena, Andrew and me



Being hooded


After graduation, Dena and I flew to Paris for a short 4-day celebration. It was a big "thank you" to Dena for getting me through my PhD, plus we celebrated her birthday in Paris. Here are some pictures from the trip.





Thanks for all your prayers and support as we completed this amazing journey.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Summer Movies Predictions

I love when Entertainment Weekly comes out with their summer movie preview. I am a movie junkie. So here are my predictions for the 10 biggest summer blockbuster (counting from May 1 through Sept 4).
1. Indiana Jones
2. Prince Caspian
3. Iron Man
4. The Dark Night (Batman)
5. Hancock
6. Wall-E
7. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon
8. Kung Fu Panda
9. Sex and the City
10. Get Smart

Here are the predictions of EW:
1. Indiana Jones
2. Prince Caspian
3. Hancock
4. Wall-E
5. Iron Man
6. The Dark Night
7. Kung Fu Panda
8. The Mummy
9. The Incredible Hulk
10. Tropic Thunder

What are your thoughts?

Thursday, May 1, 2008

What you ought to know

Here is a well-done webcast about many different subjects. Below is an example. If you like it, check out the website.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Hobbit cast is forming

Here is some news about the Hobbit Movie from Yahoo Movies:


Report: McKellen to reprise Gandalf role
Wednesday April 30 3:16 PM ET

Ian McKellen will again take up the robes of Gandalf the Wizard in the cinematic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic "The Hobbit" a British film magazine reported Wednesday.

But McKellen's publicist warned that final arrangements were yet to be made.

"Of course he wants to do it, but nothing's been agreed or signed," Clair Dobbs said.

Phillies Baseball

My friend Tim took me to a baseball game on Tuesday night. It was the Phillies vs. the San Diego Padres. It was a pitching duel between Greg Maddux and Cole Hamels. Phillies won 7-4 (most runs were off relievers).

Here is a picture of Tim and a view from our seats.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Dissertation Dedication

One of the last sections I wrote for my dissertation was the dedication page. As I wrote the dedication, I was very thankful to everyone who supported me throughout my whole life. Since very few people will ever read my dissertation, I wanted to post the dedication here for everyone to see.

This dissertation is dedicated to Jesus, my Savior, my Lord, my friend and my salvation. It is hard to find the words to express my gratitude to my God for all good He has given me. There words from Psalm 9:1-2 summarize my feelings:
I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. (NTL)

I would like to thank my amazing wife, Dena. Dena, you have been my biggest cheerleader. You believed I could do this program before I even started. I would not have completed this journey without you by my side encouraging me every step of the way – Thank You! I would also like to thank my kids, Rebecca, Catherine and Andrew. It has been a joy to have you walk with me through this adventure. Now the daddy dates can start again.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Paul Carr. Dr. Carr, thank you for not teaching me anything, but for facilitating my learning. Your unwavering support and belief in me kept me in the program. You saw my potential and always called me to live up to it. You modeled to me how to create colleagues instead of teaching doctoral students. I would also like to thank Beta Phi, a judicious literary society. Joining Beta Phi while at the Eagle and Child Pub in Oxford is a memory I will never forgot. I would also like to acknowledge all the Beta Phi fellows, particularly Dr. Mike Ponton, Dr. Jim Coe and Dr. Gary Confessore for enhancing my academic pursuits especially at the Autonomous Learning World Caucus.

I would like to thank the professors of SGLE for their non-stop encouragement. Dr. Mike Hartsfield and Dr. Gail Longbotham, thank you for serving on my committee and pushing me to create a document, I can be truly proud of writing. Your calling as professors were evident with every conversation at residency, over the phone or through the dialogues. Thank you for your love, compassion and prayers that surrounded me throughout this academic journey. To the other professors who read my papers, taught the classes and were available for all my questions. Thank you for your time and for believing in me. Thanks to our Dean, Dr. Bruce Winston, for creating an environment where our degree is worth more each year. You push everyone to be their best, and because of your efforts, you have the best group of professors.

I would like to express my appreciation to Cohort 2004 for all that you have done to make this very difficult pursuit, a little easier. You have become more than classmates, you have become my friends. Words cannot express the love I feel for each one of you. We embraced the concept “that we all rise together” and we pulled each other along on this journey. I could write volumes about the ways each one of you have supported me through Yahoo, phone calls, residencies, conferences, prayers and unconditional love, however, for the sake of space, your names will have to do: Rusty Ricketson, Jamie Swalm, Greg Lewis, Frank Christopian, Ann Solan, Katie Buvoltz, Jason Carthen, Jay Gary, Jeff Guichard, Dan Lawson, Brian Duhart, John Hale, Tim Rahschulte, Anita Stadler, Dan Novak, Mark Rennaker, Dee Dee Kramer, Freda Powell and Melissa McDermott. Each one of you has touched my life and my soul.

I would also like to thank Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell for your love and support. Thank you to George, Barbara, Trish, Bob, Betty and Don, Ed and Becky, Ed and Kristin, Adam, Tim, Bob S., my small group and many others who have supported me in this crazy dream of mine. I would also like to thank all the students who allowed me into their lives and have become friends. Without the love, support and prayers of each of you, I would not have been able to complete this journey. Each of you holds a special place in my heart.

I would also like to thank my circle of friends who held me accountable, prayed for me and listened endlessly to me as I talked about my PhD. Thank you to Todd and Julie, Andy, Brant, Tony, Chris, Dan, Joe and Shawna, Alan and Sharon, and Jeff. A special thanks to my spiritual director, Dave B. Dave, your compassionate listening and attentiveness to the Spirit, was invaluable to my completing this program.

I would like to thank my family, Lois, Sandy, Jim and Billy, and Mike and Jan. Thank you for believing in me when I was younger. Finally, I would also like to thank Dena’s parents, Clyde and Joyce. You have been a constant encouragement from listening to my endless PhD talk, to watching your grandchildren so I could study a little bit longer. Your support of our marriage and ever willingness to watch your grandchildren allows our marriage to flourish. Thank you for making me feel like another son.

Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.
Eph. 3:20 (NLT)

Correction - I spent 244 hours (14,626 minutes) on my dissertation, not 300. I added wrong. :)

Twitter - I do

I am now twittering. Following me at twitter.com/davewinner. For those who don't know, it is like a text message journal of what I am doing. Very fun.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Dissertation is Done

I am happy to type that I have finished my dissertation and successfully defended it. I completed my dissertation on Monday, April 14 and defended on April 17, 2008. My chair was awesome to rush everything along. My official degree is a PhD in Organizational Leadership with a major in Human Resource Development.

Here are the numbers (since I am a geek):
Final word count - 29,182
Time spent (according to word, only included time at the computer) - 308 hours
Pages - 104 (1 1/2 spacing with single spaced block quotes)

All that is left for me to do are the final revisions with the proofreader and then submit it to ProQuest Dissertation Database.

My graduation is May 10, 2008 with my hooding on May 9. Here is a blurb from Regent:
Celebrating 30 Years!

The largest class in its 30-year history will graduate from Regent University on Saturday, May 10, 2008. Among the 1,095 students who will receive bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees are two who will receive the School of Divinity's first Ph.D.s ever awarded in Renewal Studies. The Regent School of Law will also award its first Master of Laws (LL.M.) in American Legal Studies.

Bob McDonnell, Virginia's 44th Attorney General, will deliver the commencement address. McDonnell holds a master's degree in public policy and a law degree from Regent University. Click here for full bio.

For those who want to watch online - click here

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

What Super Hero Am I

I wanted to be Batman or Ironman:
Your results:
You are Superman
























Superman
100%
Spider-Man
85%
Robin
70%
The Flash
70%
Supergirl
68%
Green Lantern
65%
Wonder Woman
58%
Batman
55%
Iron Man
55%
Catwoman
45%
Hulk
40%
You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.


Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test



Thanks to the Deadly Viper for this link.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Stuff Christians Like

Here is a great satirical site about what Christians like. It is so true and soo funny. Here is a sample:
Lots of my friends have used dating sites and a few have met their spouses with them. But like a lot of things in society, alongside match and eharmony, Christian versions have emerged. You probably have a favorite, but based on the 978 radio commercials I've heard in the last week, I'm going with the site, "Equally Yoked."

I think this is probably a good site. They sincerely seem dedicated to helping Christians meet other Christians and it looks like a safer dating alternative. In fact, this is one of the benefits they talk about, "You are meeting proactive people with criminal background checks, sexual offender background checks, who want to be contacted!" Can you imagine if your friend set you up for a date by saying, "He's a proactive person with a sexual offender background check. And he's good with animals."

I don't have any issue with the site except the name. Being yoked just doesn't sound like an awesome experience. I know it's a biblical term and important. I believe that my wife are yoked and that yoking is all around cool. But have you ever in your life said to a friend, "I think it's time I settle down and get my yoke on."

Probably not, but when my friends that aren't Christian say, "you guys are so weird," I completely understand what they are talking about.

Thanks to Marko.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Mr Rogers


I loved Mister Rogers as a kids (and adult with kids). Here is a great blog posting about Mister Rogers. Thanks to Kristin for forwarding this to me. Click here to see it.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Twitter

As my dissertation is winding down, I am thinking about joining twitter. This little video explains it.



So do you Twitter? How do you like it?

Thanks to Andy for this video.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Who's on first?

My favorite routine from Abbott and Costello. A good dissertation break.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

I am going to Mars

Join me in going to Mars with Google. Click here and read all about it. In 100 years we will be living large on Mars.

Sign up today and join me.

Yes, Google does one of the best April 1 event announcements.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Dissertation update

Here is the latest update on my dissertation. I have passed my proposal defense, which means my committee approved my first three chapters, with only minor revisions. I am now collecting data and hope to write my final two chapters in the coming weeks. My deadline for completion is April 15. This will allow me to participate in commencement, May 9 and 10, 2008. I am praying for a miracle.

Here is some useless data from my proposal:
It is 71 pages long with appendices. It contains 17,973 words. I have spent roughly 8623 minutes working on it at my computer, which is about 143 hours. This does not include research time or writing away from my computer.

Please pray for me to finish everything by April 15. Thanks.

Monday, March 24, 2008

How Many of Me

Here is a fun website about names in the USA. Here is my name - David Winner

HowManyOfMe.com
LogoThere are
76
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?


The rest of my family:
Dena = 1 in the USA
Rebecca = 14 in the USA
Catherine = 12 in the USA
Andrew = 17 in the USA

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Sixers Game

I have not been blogging much because I have been focused on finishing my dissertation. My deadline is April 15 to have everything completed. Soon, I will give a more complete update on my progress.

However, it has not been all work, no play. Wednesday night (3/19), my son and I went to the Philadelphia Sixers basketball game with his basketball league, Upwards. There were about 200 kids from the league that attended the game. Here are some pictures:

Andrew in our seats

View from our seats

After the game, Upwards had arranged for Willie Green from the Sixers to address the kids. He shared his testimony with everyone. Then we had 45 minutes to play on the court. Also, Andrew and I made the local news, in the background as the sportscaster described the game.

Willie Green

Andrew at Center Court

Oh yeah, the Sixers won 115 to 113 over the Denver Nuggets.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Holy Week

Here are some amazing thoughts on Holy Week from Ben Witherington. He writes:
A crucial part of the entire story is the story of the Last Supper, involving a meal that likely transpired on Thursday night before Good Friday. The later Christian celebration of this night came to be called Mandatum, and then Maundy (for short) Thursday. Mandatum is the Latin for mandate, or commandment. The ‘mandate’ in question comes from the Johannine account of things--- ‘a new commandment I give you, that you should love one another’. This is where the name of the day ultimately derives from.

How should we celebrate this most holy of all church seasons? One way historically the church has done so is by fasting. And one way to do that is to follow the line of the story. Jesus at the last supper in essence says about the cup he was partaking of after the meal “I shall not drink it again, until I drink it new in the Kingdom”. I have followed this lead by fasting from Thursday night until Sunday morning, rising early for an Easter breakfast. I tend to do a solid food fast, though some do without beverages or even everything during this period. What is the point?

The point is to force yourself to slow down, and focus on the story of what happened at the end of Holy Week, and what Christ has done for you. Instead of eating, you spend the hour (or however long) praying, or reading the story, or going on a spiritual walk, or the like. When you get hungry, you simply drink water. By Friday night you will go to bed hungry, and by Saturday night you may well need some Advil to go to bed. But this spiritual discipline will remind you of the things that Jesus went through to bring us redemption. It will remind you of his last meal, because you have had your last one for a while. It will remind you that you are called to die to self and live to the Lord. As Paul puts it—“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Are you ready to take up your cross and follow the Master? One of the benefits is that as Paul says in Phil. 4, you learn how to be content, and to live without, as well as to live with. It reminds you of your mortality, but also of your fragility. This body keeps needing air, food, water to prop it up day after day. It reminds us of those who often go without these basic necessities many days of the year. It reminds us to pray “give us this day….”

How do you celebrate Maundy Thursday? At Grace, we have a sacrificial supper (bread, water and soup) and a service. I am intrigued by the idea of fasting for the weekend. I will be pondering how to slow down this weekend and "hear" the voice of the Lord.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Improv

Thanks to Josh for this improv video.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Derren Brown - Subliminal Advertising

Testing to see if I can post to my blog again.
Please forgive multiply posts.

Derren Brown - Subliminal Advertising

Another amazing video

Derren Brown NLP

I think I posted this already. If not, here it is again.

Derren Brown NLP

This is an amazing video - freaky. Do you think you would fall for it?

Another Dennis Brown

Here is another great Dennis Brown video. Would you fall for it?

How well do you pay attention?

Dennis Brown

I have recently discovered Dennis Brown's videos at youtube. He is a magician/street artist/showman. He is fabulous. Here is one of his videos. (I tried posting this directly from youtube, but it has not worked. If it appears multiple times on this blog, it did work.)



Imagine what you could do with your friends.

Amazon Reviewers

Here is an interesting story about the reviewers at Amazon. Here is the key point:
Like celebrity bloggers and Wikipedia "Gnomes," then, the Top Amazon Reviewer heralds the arrival of a curious hybrid: part customer, part employee. This feels like a loss. But perhaps it means that in the coming age, every writer will be a salesman: up past dark, sifting through the data stream for evidence that somewhere, some honest soul is buying.

Read the whole article here.

I always assumed that the reviews of Amazon were done from helpful readers, not necessarily the work of professionals. What do you think?

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Overnighter

A video dedicated to every person who ever did a lock-in.

Hermeneutics Quiz

Scot McKnight and Leadership Magazine have developed an online Hermeneutics Quiz. Here is the introduction:
The Hermeneutics Quiz ran in the winter issue of Leadership Journal, and the response has been strong. We're excited to now give you the opportunity to take the quiz online for the first time. The survey is 20 multiple-choice questions designed to reveal how we read, or fail to read, our Bible. It then plots your score on a scale between conservative, moderate, and progressive. You may be surprised at how you rank, or the inconsistent way you interpret the text. Have fun!

Take it here and see where you are on the scale. My score was 51, which is were I guessed I would be.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Larry Norman Died


One of my all time favorite Christian Musician died this morning. Larry Norman passed away. Here is the email.
Hello everybody.

Our friend and my wonderful brother Larry passed away at 2:45 Sunday morning. Kristin and I were with him, holding his hands and sitting in bed with him when his heart finally slowed to a stop. We spent this past week laughing, singing, and praying with him, and all the while he had us taking notes on new song ideas and instructions on how to continue his ministry and art.

Several of his friends got to come and visit with him in the last couple of weeks and were a great source of help and friendship to Larry. Ray Sievers, Derek Robertson, Mike Makinster, Tim and Christine Gilman, Matt and Becki Simmons,Kerry Hopkins, Allen Fleming and a few more. Thank you guys.
Larry appreciated your visits very much. And he greatly appreciated the thoughts, wishes, support and prayers that came from all of you Solid Rock friends on a daily basis. Thank you for being part of his small circle of friends over the years. Yesterday afternoon he knew he was going to go home to God very soon and he dictated the following message to you while his friend Allen Fleming typed these words into Larry's computer:
________________________________

I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home.

My brother Charles is right, I wont be here much longer. I cant do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help.

My plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside. But still it will be costly because of funeral arrangement, transportation to the gravesite, entombment, coordination, legal papers etc. However money is not really what I need, I want to say I love you.

I'd like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be a funeral posted here on the website, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die. Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.

Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.

Larry
________________________________________

Thank you to all of you who were so nice to my brother over the years. Kristin and I will post funeral information in the next day or two. Right now we're not able to function very well, but the whole family is here... our mother Margaret, our sisters Nancy and Kristy, Mike Norman and his new wife Tiffany, and Silver.

We miss him beyond words. Thank you for everything.

Peace to you all in Christ,

Charles Norman



I once spent a weekend with Larry when I was a college student (it was 1990, or 1989). It was an amazing weekend, he was doing a concert at Eastern. I remember taking him to Denny's for dinner and in the middle of dinner, he start writing a song on a napkin.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Dissertation Help

Hey Friends,

I could use your help. I would like those who read this blog to partake in a pilot study for my dissertation. I am am trying to develop a survey to measure the sternness of an adult leader. I need to pilot my survey to make sure the questions are clear, it is easy to understand and the survey process works.

If you are interested in helping, please Click Here to take survey. It should only take about 10 minutes or less. All answers will remain confidential.

The survey will close at 5:00pm (eastern) on Tuesday, February 26, 2008.

Thanks for your help.

Dave

Monday, February 18, 2008

Felon Alert

Here is an interesting website I found on Matt's blog. It is a felon search for your address to see what felons live near you. Click here to visit.

Hint: Change your address to your neighbors address and the felons change, so you might want to put in various addresses from your street to get a more complete picture of who your neighbors are.

Friday, February 15, 2008

123 Book Meme

Jim tagged me on this book meme, so here are the rules:
(1) Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. No cheating!
(2) Turn to page 123.
(3) Find the first 5 sentences.
(4) Post the next 3 sentences.
(5) Tag 5 people.

It is important to realize that the initial and fundamental split between Sunnis and Shi'a was over succession. The issue was of political nature. Today, approximately 85 percent of all Muslims are Sunnis, while 15 percent are Shi'a.


This comes from Encountering the World of Islam, edited by my friend Keith Swartley.

If five people read this blog, I tag Shawn, Ethan, Lou, Steve and Mike.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Star Wars - The Clone Wars

Yea, more Star Wars:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars," an animated film, will open in theaters Aug. 15 and be followed by a TV series of the same name, to air on the Cartoon Network and TNT this fall.

"I felt there were a lot more 'Star Wars' stories left to tell," said "Star Wars" creator George Lucas in a statement. "I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the animation forward."



Click here to read the whole article.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Political Cartoon


There is a fun blog where Jon from England posts some cartoons. Here is one of my favorites about politics. You can check out his site here.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Deer + BMW + Autobahn =

Here are some amazing pictures of what happens when a BMW meets a deer on the autobahn. Wow!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Great Game

Here is a great way to waste some time and let your brain relax. It is called Fancy Pants. Play it here. But be warned, you might lose a few hours.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Dissertation takes over my life

Well, I have not been blogging much lately because I am focusing on finishing my dissertation so I can graduate in May 2008. I had a wonderful fall, but it was too good because I fell about 2 months behind in my schedule for the dissertation. So I am now playing catch up.

Here is a status update - I have finished chapter 1 & 2 (more revisions may be needed) and I am working on chapter 3. I hope to finish chapter 3 in the next week or so. Then I have to defend my proposal (first three chapters). Once I pass that, I am allowed to conduct my research. It should take about 3-4 weeks to complete my research. After that, I can do statistical tests on my data, write up chapter 4 (my results) then proceed to chapter five (conclusions and future research). I hope to finish all of this by April 1, which would give me time for revisions, and time to defend my dissertation. The whole process must be completed by late April.

I am walking by faith because I have reserved my rooms at graduation, and requested vacation. I am about to order my robes and my framed diploma. I can't believe after 4 year I am nearing the end of this journey. I will reflect on all that I learned through this adventure in future blog posts. I may also update you the details of my dissertation as I complete more of it.

I would ask that you would keep me in your prayers. It is only by God's grace that I have walked this far, and it is only by His grace that I will finish.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Tim Sanders on CSR

Tim raises some great questions. Do you agree? What does it mean for the church? How can we have a bigger CSR? Should we be having the conversation?

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Youth pastor resigns - an eye opener

Josh blogged about a youth pastor who had to resign over a personal failing. You can read his own blog post here. He also wrote article about his experience here. I am amazed at his honesty; especially that he is letting everyone into his internal struggle.

His honesty has sparked a reflection on my spiritual/emotional health. What I am doing to avoid temptation and stay faithful to my family and friends. Here are some of the things I do:

I meet monthly with a group of guys to share my struggles and pray.
I meet monthly with a spiritual director to keep me in tune with God's workings in my life.
I have clear boundaries for TV, movies and spending time with the opposite sex. For example, I will not ride alone with a woman.
I tell my wife everything.
I try to monitor my thought life and pay attention to my feelings.
I try to have a consistent devotional and prayer time.
I have a software-reporting program on my computer, which sends reports of my Internet activity to a friend.
I have a friend who I am completely honest with. He knows my deepest failings and struggles and I know his.

However, all of these actions could fail if I am not honest within each of them. I could lie to my friends and I could lie to God. Honesty is the key to keeping my integrity.

What is something that you do to stay in the race? Are you completely honest with at least one person in your life? Are you lying to anyone?

A simple check for integrity and your spiritual health is to monitor your lying. Once you start lying or justifying your behavior, you are on a dangerous path.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Jib Jab Year in Review 2007

Here is another great video by Jib Jab to remind you of all that happened in 2007. Thanks to Reyes-Chow.

Monday, January 7, 2008

How much do you have to believe to be “Saved”?

I would like to have a dialogue on this blog about the topic, “How much does one need to believe to be saved?” (I am not comfortable judging someone’s salvation so I am trying to find a better phrase, like “Called a Christian”, or I could say, “Have right standing with God.”) I know language is important that is why I am struggling with these words.

Here is how I got here. One issue in the news is that Governor Mitt Romney, a Mormon, is running for president, I keep reading different Christian responses to his faith, and if Christians can/should vote for him. I heard him give a great speech about religion, which I felt was a positive answer to all these questions.

I also am a big fan of Glenn Beck, the radio and TV person. In fact, I listen to Glenn so much that it is like listening to a friend. Well, Glenn is a Mormon; In fact, he is the most evangelical Mormon I have ever heard. Glenn is deeply in love with Jesus (as far as I can tell from his words). As it happens when a friend shares parts of their faith with you, it leads you to think about that issue in new ways. Back to the language issue, both Glenn Beck and Governor Romney have called themselves Christians, yet acknowledge that Christians and Mormons have different doctrines.

Here is the question I am struggling with, “How much does one need to believe to be considered a Christian or have right standing with God?” or to put it another way, “what if a Mormon is very orthodox in their view of Jesus, i.e. he is the son of God, fully human and fully God, etc. could he or she be considered a Christian?” We have messianic Jews, could we have messianic Mormons?

I will put it one more way, “how much orthodox Christian doctrine does one have to believe to be considered a Christian or to have a right standing with God?”

Food for thought:
The council in Acts to decide if Gentiles need to become Jewish; the thief at the cross; the Ethiopian eunuch, the demoniac, etc.

I value the input of those who might read this blog. Let the dialogue begin.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Movies to see in 2008

Yahoo had a list of ten movies to seen this spring, with trailers. I thought I would add my own list of movies I anticipate seeing.

Veggietales - Pirates who don't do anything
Hannah Montana in 3D (I have girls that really want to see this)
Cloverfield
Rambo
Horton Hears a Who
Iron Man
Prince Caspian
Speed Racer
Wall-e
The Dark Knight

What is your list?

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Who to vote for?

Here is a very good website that helps clarify this issues, where you stand and how you compare to the candidates. It picked the two candidates that I am considering voting for in the primary. However, I still need to decide between the two of them.

Thanks to Jim for posting this on his blog.

Classic warning signs of an abuser

I read this in Dear Abbey (yes, I do read Dear Abbey) and I thought it was really helpful.

Classic Warning Signs of an Abuser
1. Pushes for quick involvement
2. Jealous
3. Controlling
4. Unrealistic expectations
5. Isolation – tries to cut you off from your friends and family
6. Blames others for problems or mistakes
7. Makes others responsible for his or her feelings
8. Hypersensitivity
9. Cruelty to animals or children
10. “Playful” use of force
11. Verbal abuse
12. Rigid gender roles
13. Sudden mood swings
14. Past battering
15. Threats of violence

If you or your significant other has the majority of these signs, talk to someone today.

How Much is My Blog Worth?

Thanks to Josh for this fun item.


My blog is worth $564.54.
How much is your blog worth?