Charlie Brown Christmas

My favorite christmas movie (along with A Wish for Wings that Work - Opus). Christmas Video #12. Merry Christmas to all.

It Feels Like Christmas

Christmas Video #11

Snoopy vs. The Red Baron (Snoopy's Christmas)

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Christmas Video #10.

The Two-Hour Star Wars Holiday Special in only Five Minutes!

My friend Shawn Coons had this on his blog. I did not even remember this the first time. I would love to see the whole 2 hours.

This is for yesturday - Christmas video #9

John Denver Christmas

Christmas Video #8 (i hope)

A Muppets Christmas Carol

Christmas Video #7 (I think I lost count)

Stop and Hear the Music

An amazing story of missing greatness because we are too busy. This story might become part of my Christmas Eve sermon.

My Personality

I was checking out Marko's blog at youth specialties and saw this fun personality test. Here are my results.

From the report:

"INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types."

"INFJs tend to be devoted to what they believe in and seek work where their needs, values, and ideals can be deeply engaged. They move on the wave of their inspirations and are determined to see that their values are worked out in their lives. They will work toward their goals individually and, when needed, will put together a team of other highly dedicated people like themselves."

Temperament
NF (Visionary)

INFJ Population
Total: 1%
Male: 0.5%
Female: 1.5%

Primary Function
Introverted Intuition

Secondary Function
Extraverted Feeling

Tertiary Function
Introverted Thinking

Least Function
Extraverted Sensing

feels like christmas,Cyndi Lauper

Guilty Pleasure - I enjoy Cyndi Lauper. Christmas Video #7.

Wow - The Hobbit - Could it be true?

Here is the most amazing Christmas present for all LOTR fans (Thanks to Comingsoon.net for breaking the news - you can finish the story by clicking above). I do hope it is true and not a hoax:

Peter Jackson to Produce The Hobbit and Sequel!
Source: New Line Cinema, MGM December 18, 2007

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM); Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of New Line Cinema have jointly announced today that they have entered into the following series of agreements:

* MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, The Hobbit and a sequel to The Hobbit. New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.

* Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on The Hobbit. New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously.

* Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the "Lord of the Rings" (LOTR) Trilogy.

The two "Hobbit" films – The Hobbit and its sequel – are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, with pre-production beginning as soon as possible. Principal photography is tentatively set for a 2009 start, with the intention of The Hobbit release slated for 2010 and its sequel the following year, in 2011.

I guess having a $250 million dollar movie bomb (The Golden Compass) made them desperate to settle their disputes and make this movie.

The Nativity and

#5 Christmas video (only 8 days until Christmas).

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS Rowlph Denver

#4 christmas video

merry christmas muppets

Video three of the 12 days of Christmas videos.

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS John Denver and the Muppets

Did I post this yet? Well, better safe than sorry.

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS John Denver and the Muppets

Another classic christmas song.

Twelve Days of Christmas?

From the website - How Stuff Works, here is one theory on the 12 days of Christmas. See if you could name all the biblical items mentioned in the list.

One theory, however, connects the carol to the era when Catholicism was outlawed in England, from 1558 and 1829. The carol, it is said, was a catechism song for Catholics to learn "the tenets of their faith," as they could not openly practice in Anglican society [source: Snopes.com]. While many still hold the idea of a coded hymn to be true, there's no substantive evidence that this was the case, nor is there any evidence that the verses contain anything uniquely Catholic.

Here are the verses of the song, along with their supposed symbolism:

A Partridge in a Pear Tree - Jesus Christ
Two Turtle Doves - The Old and New Testaments
Three French Hens - The three virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity
Four Calling/Collie Birds - Four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Five Golden Rings - First five books of the Old Testament
Six Geese-a-Laying - Six days of creation before God's rest on the seventh day
Seven Swans-a-Swimming - Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
Eight Maids-a-Milking - Eight Beatitudes
Nine Ladies Dancing - Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
Ten Lords-a-Leaping - Ten Commandments
Eleven Pipers Piping - Eleven faithful disciples
Twelve Drummers Drumming -Twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed
[Source: BBC.com]

While these verses are what most of us associate with the "Twelve Days of Christmas," the phrase refers to an actual 12-day period. The 12 days of Christmas, in fact, are the days from Dec. 25, celebrated as the birth of Jesus Christ, to the Epiphany, celebrated on Jan. 6 as the day when the manifestation of Christ's glory was realized.

Twelve Days of Christmas Videos

Since yesterday was December 13 (only 12 more days until Christmas), I decided to post a Christmas video a day from YouTube. I discovered that it has some of my favorite Christmas video moments. Enjoy.

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

I very good mix up of christmas songs by an a cappella men's group.

Ice Storm

Home today because we had a mini-ice storm. Not super bad, but enough for the schools to get out early. Here are some pictures of my car and a tree at my house.

Leadership?

I have been intrigued by the Bobby Petrino decision to leave the NFL for college again. I wanted to blog about my concern that he is a leadership role-model for all the players on his team, yet he has lied repeatedly to his bosses. Well, someone else beat me to the article. Pat Forde at ESPN has summarised my thoughts exactly. Here is a quote:

Bobby Petrino will return your embrace, Hog fans. But while he's hugging you he'll be looking over your shoulder, scanning the terrain for his next hook-up.

Even in a profession rife with dishonest posturing, Petrino is singularly mercenary. Loyalty, allegiance, commitment and honesty are foreign concepts to him. It must be a sad existence.

I apologize to Alabama's Nick Saban -- last year I named him president of the Liar's Club. He's been impeached and replaced by the disingenuous drifter.

Click here for the rest of the article.

Deadly Viper Club

Be a part of the deadly viper club and fight the deadly vipers that try to assassinate our character. It is a new character and integrity movement. This is a teaser trailer for a small group DVD that is coming out in January.

Wintuk

This past Saturday, we were treated to the Cirque Du Soleil show, "Wintuk" in New York City at Madison Square Garden. It was amazing. I am in awe of the ability of the performers. I really enjoyed the tightrope walker, juggler and stunt bikes. Then we attempted to go shopping at Macy's. Here are some pictures.



Notice how crowed the streets are...that is the back of Dena's head. She is in the light pink jacket with my phone shadow on her back.

November

Wow, what a November! Here is a brief summary of my last month. It started with my wife’s grandmother passing away on Nov.7. Then on Nov. 8, my senior pastor received a kidney transplant and went on medical leave for two months. Two weeks flew by with funeral activities and visits to the hospital. I also preached on November 18. I may post my outline of the sermon.

Everything finally slowed down and we took a week vacation. The trip included New York City for the Radio City Music Hall 75th Anniversary show starring the Rockettes, visiting my brother and being part of the 3 million people to line the streets of New York to watch the Thanksgiving Day parade. After all that fun, we spent the next few days in Lancaster with my wife’s family. Here are some pictures.






Last weekend, I was on retreat with our senior high teens. We joined with two other churches for a great weekend of fun and faith. I will post pictures on our groups Facebook page.

So now, I am finally caught up and back to focusing on my dissertation. I lost a whole month, but with God’s help, I can still reach my goal of graduation next year.

"24" in 1994

Thank you Lou for sending me this video clip. It is very funny especially if you like the TV show "24" and lived in 1994.

Say "Thank You" to our Troops

Here is a great way to say thank you to our troops serving around the world. Xerox is sending free cards to the troops to say thanks. There are about 200,000 troops (my guess) serving around the world. Won't it be great to have each one receive a card. Go to Let's say thanks and click on a card to send. No email address needed.

Former Korn Guitarist Interview

Here is a great video interview of the former guitar player of the band Korn. Here is the introduction:

Why Brian Welch Walked Away
The former guitarist and co-founder of heavy rock group Korn talks about the amazing turn his life took when he accepted God for who He is.

I highly recommend you take the time to watch it.

3D movies

Wired magazine had another great article about new technology - 3D film making. If you have been to Disney world lately, you know that 3D shows are very cool. This newer technology has spread to some big name directors.

Almost a decade ago, Cameron, flush with profits from Titanic and bored with conventional moviemaking, began developing a stereoscopic camera system he would later use to shoot undersea documentaries for Imax. Then, when Zemeckis was making an Imax 3-D version of The Polar Express, Jackson stopped by his facility in Santa Barbara and was wowed by what he saw. Zemeckis' friend Spielberg soon became a convert, too. Now Spielberg and Jackson are planning a 3-D trilogy based on the Belgian book series The Adventures of Tintin, Zemeckis is working on a 3-D performance-capture version of A Christmas Carol, and Cameron is deep in production on Avatar, a live-action 3-D sci-fi flick that he boasts will be Titanic in space

Apparently the new Beowolf movies was also shot in 3D. I now think I want to see it.

Ivy Jungle

Here is a website that is dedicated to those who work with college students. They have a good monthly enewsletter that keeps one up-to-date on news events that affect college students.

They also host a college ministry event in November.

House Tour 2

Our friends in Romania giving a tour of their house.

Rob Bell: Everything Is Spiritual

I enjoy Rob Bell and his perspective on life/scripture. This video is on sale soon. He also has a Nooma/Myspace page for more video previews.

Spiritual Type Test

Here is a fun test I just located on the web. It identifies your spiritual type based on 4 different options (Sage, Prophet, Lover & Mystic). Did I tell you that this is sponsored by Upper Room Books.

I am a lover:

You are a Lover, a feeling type, whose spirituality comes primarily from the heart or emotions. You value freedom, independence, and spontaneity. Along with your gift of enthusiasm, you show us how to have fun and appreciate beauty. More than any other type, you know how to experience joy. This puts you in a unique position to experience God in the moment, to revel in what is happening around you, and to be in the present tense.

To Lovers, God is a nurturing parent. Prayer for you is often extemporaneous, speaking to God about what is on your heart at the moment. Music moves you deeply; so does heartfelt preaching and worship. You believe that real faith must be shared. Consequently, many Lovers are interested in missions or in spreading the Gospel through the media. You are passionate about holy living.

On the other hand, a Lover's impulsive behavior can get you in trouble. You sometimes focus on satisfying immediate desires to the detriment of investing in longer term needs. You have been known to exude a "holier-than-thou" attitude toward other spiritual types. That does not endear you to us. Guard against thinking that to be right everyone else must share a spiritual experience similar to yours. You also may need permission to acknowledge anger, disappointment, sadness, and doubt, and to allow yourself to be less than ideal.

Yea - that is pretty much true of me.

Soulja Boy Tellem - How to Crank That - INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO!

I just learned about this dance at YG. I am so old. However, this looks like a fun dance.

Web 2.0 - Now I get it!

Thanks Shawn for sharing this video.

Emerging Conference - $30.00

To all my emerging friends, you can attend Soulize 2007 via webcast for only $30.00. Check out the website and see the list of speakers. It looks like an awesome conference. If you can hop on a plane, the conference is being held in the Bahamas, but you would have to leave today.

Favorite Sports Column

My favorite sports column is Tuesday Morning Quarterback by Gregg Easterbrook. Here is a section from this weeks column:

The Pool of Vicious Sharks in Rupert Murdoch's Office Actually Does Make Sense: In the Harry Potter books, at the center of the Ministry of Magic stands a stone arch that envelops a shimmering barrier. The barrier is the veil between life and death -- if you pass through, you die. Needless to say, there's a fight scene in front of the arch and someone tumbles through. My question: Why would you have an archway that kills you if you go through? The arch in the Ministry of Magic does not appear to serve any function: People on the opposite side can't come back to life. It's just something characters fall through in fight scenes. In one of the James Bond movies, the supervillain has a pool of hungry sharks in his office, and inevitably there's a fight scene on the edge. In the third (that is, sixth) Star Wars movie, the emperor has a bottomless pit in his office leading to a fusion generator, and inevitably there's a fight scene at the edge. If you were a galactic emperor, would you want something in your office that would kill you if you stumbled in? My favorite scene of this nature is the opening sequence of "Goldfinger." Bond destroys a drug baron's headquarters by attaching a detonator to a giant vat of nitroglycerin, said vat helpfully labeled "NITRO GLYCERIN." Where is the giant vat? In the drug baron's bedroom. If you were a criminal mastermind, wouldn't you want a large supply of deadly explosives in your bedroom?

I also enjoy Bill Simmons' "the sports guy" and his take on life and sports.

True Confessions

I must confess, I am fascinated by toilets and the variety of types used around the world. Someday, I will have to post all of the pictures I have taken of my various toilets. I will start with this picture from the Baptist Temple in Philadelphia. It has not been used for many years, but imagine the famous people who may have used it, including Martin Luther King Jr., President Eisenhower or Russell Conwell. This is also the church I work for, we just moved out of the city in 1975 and then changed our name a few years ago.


Here is an article that highlights another creative toilet. Fascinating!

Eye Opening College Video

Great video to send to your college kids and remind them to Live Above the influence.

Book Review: The Search to Belong

The focus of this book is on our understanding of community, commitment and belonging. Myers makes a great case for questioning the present small group movement and its focus as the "best" way to make disciples. Drawing of the work of Edward T. Hall, Myers applies Hall's proxemics to community and a search for belonging. He is not against small groups, he wants to a more healthy view of community/belonging than just small groups.

This is a must read book for anyone in charge of small groups or wishing to have small groups. I loved it.

Conan - Fire Alarm

Conan is very funny. I wish I could stay awake long enough to see his show.

Star Wars is Coming

Here is a great little article about 2 future Star Wars Shows, one live action and the other CGI. Here is a highlight:

"Filmmaker George Lucas said Tuesday that he has "just begun work" on a live-action television series rooted in the "Star Wars" universe, which is huge news not just for fans of the science-fiction epic but also for networks looking for a piece of the Lucas magic that has grossed $4.3 billion in theaters worldwide."

I can't wait.

Visual History of Religion

Go to the website to see the full screen - Maps of War Also check out the Leadership and War map. These are very interesting

Book Review: Sacred Rhythms

I loved this book. This book focuses on spiritual transformation through spiritual practices. Barton discusses these 8 practices:
Solitude
Scripture
Prayer
Honoring the body
Self-examination
Discernment
Sabbath
A Rule of Life

Barton writes in an easy, non-threatening manner that allows God to speak through her words. This a must read for every Christian that feels like ministry is running on a hamster wheel. It will help you develop more intimacy with God.

Book Review: You don't need a title to be a leader

This is another book I finished this summer. It is a good primer on leadership written with a lot of antidotes to make the point. There is not a lot of research or theory to back up the advice.

This book would be good for a small group study (you would have to add your own scripture) or to give as a gift to leaders in your church. It is an easy read with lots of encouraging stories.

Book Review: The Wisdom of Harry Potter

This had been the summer of Harry Potter at my house. (I am having trouble accepting that fall is here-I feel like I lost 2 months.) Here is one of the Harry Potter books I read this summer.

First, this book is dated and only covers the first four books. What I enjoyed about this take on the HP series is the focus on Stoicism. I did not know a lot about Stoics but it is very fascinating. The author builds a convincing case that Rowling writes in a classical stoic manner.

It's true - I am addicted to books

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm You're probably in the final stages of a Ph.D. or otherwise finding a way to make your living out of reading. You are one of the literati. Other people's grammatical mistakes make you insane.
Dedicated Reader
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Maximise the Power of Your Brain - Tony Buzan MIND MAPPING

Here is a video the further explains Mind Maps.

Christian Education

There is great blog called GRACE Writes, which focuses on Christian Education and teaching. It is very applicable to Youth Ministry. Today, Dr. Galindo (one of my favorite contributors to the site) talked about the importance of teaching how to learn. In the post, he included a video by Tony Buzan talking about creativity. Tony Buzan is famous for his Mind Maps - a way to organize information and take notes.

The question is (as my professor says) do we teach or do we facilitate learning?

Blogger Play

Josh over at Simply YM finds the most interesting items to post. Blogger has a new feature called Blogger Play. Turn it on if you want to waste lots of time watching the pictures of what has just been posted to blogger. Be aware, they try to filter out all the naughty stuff, but some slips by the filters.

September 11th Remembrances

Two of the blogs, which I regularly read are Jim’s and McNair’s. Both of these blogs had a post remembering September 11th. Please pause and read them, they are both very good. I responded to Jim’s blog with where I was on Sept. 11th. This is what I wrote:

“I was home with my 2-year-old daughter, while my oldest was at preschool and my wife and our youngest were out. I turned on ESPN and started folding laundry. By chance, I changed channels at about 9:30am and watched everything unfold before my eyes on many different news stations. My daughter still remembers me crying while watching TV even though I tried to protect her from my reaction and the images. Living in Philadelphia, it felt very close and very surreal.

We found out later that a couple from our church was staying at the World Trade Center Hilton and was having a late breakfast in their room when the first plane hit. They fled immediately and he did not remember to put on his shoes. They walked south; someone gave him a pair of shoes and then took a boat to NJ. That is how they got out of NY.

It is still hard for me to watch the images. I still have not seen they movies about 9/11. I am not ready yet.”

What I did not write is that my brother lives in NY City in the Village. His apartment was downwind of the towers and receive some of the dirt. He had to show is ID every time he left the Village and returned because he lived in the area that was quarantined. I remembered how worried I was about him, until I spoke with him.

Another significant event that happened around 9/11 was on Friday, September 14; my wife went into the hospital with a blood disorder. She spent 5 days there and I made many trips back and forth. It was a very emotional time.

Hopefully someday I will ready for the movies about 9/11, but not yet.

Don't smoke or sell pot

Here is a great story that illustrates another reason not to be involved with pot. Two freshmen at Northeastern we busted for selling pot and then expelled from the university, all because one yelled out the window that they had pot for sale. Don't smoke pot and don't sell pot, you could get kicked out of college.

Summer Movie Results

At the beginning of May, I made the following movie predictions as to which movies would gross the most money over the summer. Since summer ended with Labor Day weekend, it is time to see how I did.

May 2007 Predictions:
1. Pirates of the Caribbean – At the World’s End
2. Spiderman 3
3. Shrek 3
4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
5. The Transformers
6. Ratatouille
7. Fantastic Four – Rise of the Silver Surfer
8. Ocean’s Thirteen
9. The Bourne Ultimatum
10. The Simpsons Movie

Here are the US totals for movies that opened this summer:
1. Spider-Man 3 $336,530,303
2. Shrek the Third $321,012,359
3. Transformers $310,578,372
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End $308,681,208
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $286,825,495
6. The Bourne Ultimatum $202,810,455
7. Ratatouille $201,249,448
8. The Simpsons Movie $178,526,451
9. Knocked Up $148,170,675
10. Live Free or Die Hard $133,614,216
11. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer $131,597,271
12. Rush Hour 3 $122,695,339
13. Ocean's Thirteen $117,033,632
14. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry $116,637,095
15. Hairspray (2007) $112,415,489

Not bad, I picked 8 of the 10 movies correct, I just had the wrong order. In fact, I did not predict the correct order for any movie.

Here are the worldwide totals for movies that opened this summer:
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End $959,800,000
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $911,800,000
3. Spider-Man 3 $890,200,000
4. Shrek the Third $757,500,000
5. Transformers $685,600,000
6. The Simpsons Movie $481,100,000
7. Ratatouille $391,700,000
8. Live Free or Die Hard $356,400,000
9. Ocean's Thirteen $305,500,000
10. The Bourne Ultimatum $278,900,000
11. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer $276,800,000
12. Mr. Bean's Holiday $210,400,000
13. Knocked Up $185,400,000
14. Rush Hour 3 $175,700,000
15. Evan Almighty $147,200,000

I was much closer here predicting the highest grossing movie worldwide. I also correctly predict 9 out of the top 10 movies, just in the wrong order.

You can also see why some movies keep being made like Mr. Bean. They make a lot of money around the world. Thanks to Box Office Mojo for all the data.

Robot Chicken Top 10 Star Wars Special Clips

Thanks to Josh for this very funny video. If you love Star Wars, you will love this.

Wizards, Wardrobes & Wookies Book Review

I enjoyed the book, Wizards, Wardrobes and Wookies by Connie Neal. It will give you a brief overview of Star Wars, Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia. The book is not designed to analyze these movies and books, but to review then through The Hero’s Journey. Connie Neal writes:

Some of the most powerful literature is made up of fantastic stories—fairy tales, fantasy fiction, folklore and myths….The basic story line shared by such stories has come to be known popularly as “the hero’s journey,’ chronicling unlikely heroes who grow to confront evil and overcome evil with good. (p. 12)

She also adds stories from Scripture that also follow this pattern. As one who slept through college English, I found it fascinating how these amazing stories follow a predictable pattern that all people can relate. This book will help you see these three stories and Scripture in a new way, focusing on the power of story.

License Plate Game

Have you ever played the license plate game? It is easy, when you are on a long road trip; you keep track of all the different license plates that you see on all cars and trucks you pass. My highest was 37 states, which I achieved back in college driving to see my college sweetheart (who is now my wife).

On our last vacation, we achieved a new high for me — 46 states. We only missed five states: Rhode Island, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Idaho and Hawaii. (For those keeping track of my math, I am including Washington D. C. as a separate state, since we saw a license plate for there also). Now I can’t stop noticing license plates when I drive, I can spot them just by their designs.

Vacation Summary

A quick vacation summary, it was fantastic. We had a lot of down time to hangout at the pool (important since it was 100 degrees almost every day). I had lots of fun with my wife and kids. Some of the adventures we took:

Creation Museum – it was worth it because of the great discussions it allowed us to have with my kids. It is a little heavy-handed in its attitude towards culture, but that it to be expected with all the controversy it is getting in the news. It was a good visit, but I will not need to go back unless they add more features. Here are some pictures.
Outside

Archeologist

Dinosaur

Noah's Ark



We also visited the Tuckaleechee Caverns, which is awesome. Here is a bad picture.

Then we drove into the Smokey Mountain National Park and went up to the highest peak in Tennessee, Clingman’s Dome. It is 6600 feet above sea level and on the Appalachian Trail.

We also rented a pontoon boat and swam in a lake. In addition, I did not do any schoolwork, which was a great break for my mind. It was a wonderful time away.

Robin Williams - Jim Bob

Very funny take on Mary, Joseph and Jesus. It is PG-13, especially the last 30 seconds, so keep the volumne down.

Vacation

Vacation is wonderful. I hope to post some pictures from our adventures which included visiting family in PA, KY, the creation museum and lots of time in Tennessee. Tomorrow is Gatlinburg and the Great Smokey Mountains.

Second Answer, Omnipotent and Pain

Let us start with the first on God’s omnipotent. Here is my full disclosure. I believe fully in God’s sovereignty and predestination yet I also believe fully in free will. The percentage would be 52% freewill and 48% predestination. Now, God holds both of these issues in perfect tension. I am not God, so I can’t perfectly reconcile all of this.

Here is why I lean slightly towards the freewill side because in scripture, Jesus asked people to follow him. They looked in his eyes and walked away. (Matt. 19:21-22; Luke 9:57-62). On the God level, you would say that Jesus knew that those people would not follow him. However, on our human level, I think Jesus is asking them to follow him and they are exercising their freewill and saying “no”.

It is what I once heard some say. “When we get to heaven there will be a sign above the gate that says, “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” [Romans 10:9 (NLT)] however, after we walk through the gate, we turn back the gate reads, “You didn't choose me. I chose you.” [John 15:16 (NLT)] This sums up my view of this

However, because I tend to be confusing, here is an analogy that my help. Imagine our life is a book with God as the author. (Everyone has a book and God wrote them all.) God knows the whole book, how it ends, what are decisions will be made. We know this because God is Omnipotence, Omniscient, and Omnipresence.
• Omnipotence (literally, "all power") is power with no limits or inexhaustible, in other words, unlimited power.
• Omniscient means the state of knowing everything
• Omnipresence means God is eternal, and therefore not limited by time, and not limited by space (Psalm 139:7-10; Proverbs 15:3; Jeremiah 23:23,24). He is universally present to all of space at all time.
OK, if you are buying that, let me continue with the analogy. Therefore, our life is a book. God knows everything in there. However, we are the reader and we do not know what is happening until we turn the page (or make a decision – which is the same). However, I think when God interacts with us, we deals with us on the page we are on.

For example, if I am struggling with deciding to follow God and go get a PhD. God will deal with me on that decision, even though he knows what I will decide, and where I will be in ten years. He does not criticize me for not knowing the future, but he deals with me with where I am. He helps me make my decision today to trust him and go to grad school.

It is the same when we interact with someone else. We do not know the ending of their book. We do not know if they will accept God or reject God. We do know that God has asked us to share his love with everyone. Therefore, we share with people hoping that they will choose to follow God. It is not our job to decide who will be saved. It is our job to share God’s love and let God do the convicting.

Now, I sense also in your question a need for assurance, since you ask about living a life and then finding out it was all in vain because you were not chosen. Here is a scripture that help me:
Col. 1:23 (NLT)
But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed by God to proclaim it.

Col. 1:27 (NLT)
For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory.

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.

God gives us assurance that we will be saved. The assurance you have it because you have Christ living in you. If God was not in you, you would be seeking him, you would not be asking these question. It is an issue of faith. We have to believe God’s word is true and Jesus is really living in our life. Satan wants to make you doubt your faith, and think you are not saved. (by the way, doubts are OK, event the disciples had doubts – Matt 28:18-20). Remember, So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. - Romans 8:1 (NLT)

Now about the question of pain, here is my answer to that question. First, I believe that God see pain, suffering and trial as a good thing. God does not see them as a negative. We see them as a negative and we try our whole life to avoid pain and suffering. Here are some Scriptures to think about:

Romans 8:17-22 (NLT)
And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
18Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. 19For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse. 21All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

James 1:2-4 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. 3For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT)
So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.
7These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

1 Peter 4:12-13 (NLT)
Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13Instead, be very glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world.

We can also add the story of Lazarus. Everyone saw death, Jesus saw an opportunity for God to be glorified.

These scripture show us that God uses trails and pain as opportunities for us to grow. He can use anything to help us grow, but he will not waste the pain in our life and make it meaningless. God always redeems pain and allows us to use it to help others.

God does not cause bad things to happen. Bad things happen because we live in a fallen world, people make bad choices and Satan wants to destroy us. However, God does not shield us from the bad and evil in this world, because he does not see pain and suffering the same way. He knows that sometime we can only learn things through pain or suffering. It is a great way to shape our character.

A book that could help is “the Problem of Pain” by CS Lewis. It deals specifically with this issue. (Actually, any book my Lewis is great, especially his Mere Christianity)

Prisoners Dance to Thriller

What a great idea. Use dance video to get prisoners to exercise. A very fun video. See the story on Foxnews.com - http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292785,00.html

One Answer - No to Pot

Here is what I sent to one person about the question, "should Christians smoke pot".

The answers are the same for pot, and all drugs. Drinking is slightly different because it is legal, but the Bible still gives lots of guidance on how one should only drink in moderation not to get drunk.

1. The Law - The first reason is because it is illegal and Christians are called to obey the laws of the land. We are only to reject laws when they go against God’s word.
Romans 13:1-7 (NLT)
Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God. 2So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow. 3For the authorities do not frighten people who are doing right, but they frighten those who do wrong. So do what they say, and you will get along well. 4The authorities are sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for you will be punished. The authorities are established by God for that very purpose, to punish those who do wrong. 5So you must obey the government for two reasons: to keep from being punished and to keep a clear conscience.
6Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid so they can keep on doing the work God intended them to do. 7Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and import duties, and give respect and honor to all to whom it is due.

Titus 3:1 (NLT)
Remind your people to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good.

However, Pot may not always be illegal, so why should we avoid it.

2. Our Body is the Temple of God - Our body was bought with a price, we should not abuse it and pot abuses our body. It changes us, it robs us of our desires, and makes us slave to it, so that we need it all the time. Challenge him/her to go 2 weeks without pot, if she/he can’t, he/she is addicted to it.
1 Cor. 6:19-20 (NLT)
Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

3. God gives Cautions - God gives many warnings about getting drunk, partying and wild living. These can also be applied to Pot.
Proverbs 23:29-35 (NLT)
Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? 30It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. 31Don't let the sparkle and smooth taste of wine deceive you. 32For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like a viper. 33You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. 34You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. 35And you will say, "They hit me, but I didn't feel it. I didn't even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can have another drink?"

Romans 13:11-14 (NLT)
Another reason for right living is that you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light. 13We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior. Don't participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy. 14But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires.

1 Cor. 6:9-13 (NLT)
Don't you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, 10thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers—none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God. 11There was a time when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.
12You may say, "I am allowed to do anything." But I reply, "Not everything is good for you." And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything. 13You say, "Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food." This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them. But our bodies were not made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.

Galatians 5:19-24 (NLT)
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.
24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

4. Live a New Life - God calls us to live a new life, different from our old life. We need to learn to lean on God to meet out needs. Pot and drugs are often used to escape, deal with pain, or to experience a new level of fun. However, God wants us to turn to him for everything. We need God to help us with our pain, or to deal with our desire to escape (whether through drugs, eating, TV, etc.) and to show us how to have healthy fun. God wants a relationship with us and be involved in every area of our life. Drugs prevent that because they are a substitute for God.
Galatians 5:16-18 (NLT)
So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.

Ephes. 5:15-18 (NLT)
So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. 16Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. 17Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.

5. Abundant Life - God sees all that we do and he wants us to trust him for a life more abundant that we could ever have on our own. Satan wants to destroy us and drugs are one way that Satan uses to destroy people and keep them in slavery. Slavery to our desires, slavery to him and keeps us from turning to God.
Psalm 139:7-12 (NLT)
I can never escape from your spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.
9If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are both alike to you.

John 10:10 (NLT)
The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

6. Temptation - Jesus promises to help us with every temptation.
1 Cor. 10:13 (NLT)
But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.

I hope that helps. Call me if you need any more advice.

Oh yea – I forgot.

God created many things for us, which we are supposed to avoid.
There are poisonous plants, mushrooms, flowers, and food. Just because God made them, does not mean we should eat them.

Just like in the Garden of Eden, God made the tree of knowledge, but told Adam and Eve not to eat from it. It was an area of trust and obedience. It is the same today, God still gives us limitations for his creation.

Dave

Creation Museum

Next week, we will be going on vacation to Crossville, TN to stay at a timeshare place. On the way, we hope to visit family near Pittsburgh, friends near Cincinnati and family in Kentucky. Well, I stumbled upon another place I would like to stop - the Creation Museum. Now regardless of what you believe about creation (young earth/old earth, evolution/literal 6-day creation, or combination of all the above) I think this will be a very interesting place to visit. It seems that you walk through the first 11 chapters of Genesis including a full size Noah's Ark. I think it will be fun to expose my kids to these chapters of the Bible in a 3-D/real life sort of way. I will take some pictures and update you after the trip.

I am a Simpsons

I have always thought it would be fun to be on the Simpsons TV show. It seems like a lot of famous people have had the same desire because they end up on the show. Well, not thanks to the Simpsons Movie website, I can a least guess what I would look like on the Simpsons. Here is my character that I created on their website.

Tree

Here is a tree outside my office that I noticed the other day. I do not know what type it is, maybe a Blue Spruce. But I think it is beautiful. The color is amazing. My friend Jim has inspired me to notice more of the beauty around me and to take pictures of it when I see it (Check out Jim's project 365). So above is my picture of this tree with my VGA camera phone. Not quite as good as Jim's pictures, but it is a start.

Questions

I am in the middle of two theological email conversations. I love this stuff. I love talking theology and applying it to our lives. I am honored that someone would ask me these questions and even want my opinion. Here are the 2 questions I have been asked. All names and details have been changed to protect the innocent.

1. Can Christian use pot? If God created this earth then he created pot as well. Therefore, why is it wrong to use it? Besides, when this person smokes pot, he/she enjoys it and feels that it is right. If it "feels" right to him/her than why shouldn't he/she do it?

2. We operate on the assumption that God is omnipotent, if so he would be capable of seeing the results of our behaviors before they even happen. Would this not mean that he already knows which of his children will turn from him and which will believe? Why then bother if he already knows his effort will be in vain? I appreciate God's undying love for us, but is that all there is to it? I mean, it would be maddening to go through all that effort even though you know from square one that it won't do any good.
Also, what is the role of pain in life? Is pain and misfortune simply a necessary side-effect of the free-will God has given us or does it serve a direct purpose (i.e. punishment from God, or a tool used by him for our instruction)?

I am still working on my answers, so I look forward to how you would answer them, it may help me as I try to formulate my responses.

On the cover of a magazine

I became famous last month, well not really, but I did get my picture on a magazine cover. No, I did not do anything to deserve this, it was a Wired magazine special promotion which if you were one of the first 500 to send in a picture to their website, your picture would get on the cover. Here is mine:

The picture is from October when I had orange hair.

I'm back

It has been a very busy month, so I have not found the time to blog. Side note, I am realizing that blogging takes discipline and time, two things I have little of because of my dissertation, but I will try to record my thoughts a little more often.

Here is some of what I have been doing this past month. The second week of July was our vacation bible school at church. The theme was Lift Off. It was a great week with many fun science experiences. I was in charge of the science lab.

Then I prepared for our student ministry summer mission trip to Niagara Falls, NY with Reach Workcamps. It was one of the best mission trips I have ever been on. Reach does an awesome job making it easy for my kids to connect with God while doing simple home construction for low income and elderly homeowners. Here are some pictures.


Also dyed my hair blonde, it is the surfer look.


I am now on a two month sabbatical which the church graciously gave me for 10 years of service. I am using these 2 months to write my dissertation. You can keep me in prayer as I try to spend 6-8 hours a day at my computer working on my dissertation. My goal is to finish the first 3 chapters and have my survey questions complete by October 1.

Star Wars Marathon

As I have said before I am a geek, especially a Star Wars geek. This past Friday, I was in my glory. Our church held a Star Wars Marathon, all six movies, starting with Episode 1 and finishing with Episode 6. We also watched Clone Wars Volume 2 since that is an important set up film for episode 3. The whole event took about 15 hours. Only 2 of the 15 people who stopped in that day made it through all the movies. It was definitely a blast.

Now that I watched them all in one day, I can say that it felt like two very distinct trilogies. Episode 3 did not flow very well into Episode 4, but I rather expected that. It was still a very enjoyable day.

Ocean City, NJ

I love vacations and travel. I think I need vacations or travel on my calendar to get me through the months when I am not going on a trip or vacation. I think I got this desire to travel because every summer my family would head down to Morristown, TN to spend weeks on my grandmother’s farm. I loved it. I loved the car rides, the visiting of relatives, and my grandmothers cooking.

As I became a teenager, the beach became an appealing place to vacation. Now, one aspect of growing up in Pittsburgh is that there is not a beach near by. In Pittsburgh, we had wave pools. Large pools with cement bottoms that made waves. It was very hi-tech stuff in the 80’s. If you went to the beach, you would drive to North Carolina. Therefore, North Carolina was my first introduction of the beach, when my sister let me tag along on one of her vacations. I liked it so much; my senior trip was to Myrtle Beach, SC.

When I married Dena, who grew up in Lancaster, I was introduced to Ocean City, NJ. It was her family’s vacation spot every year. Once we were married, I got to tag along. I now can say that OC is my favorite vacation spot. Every year we share a house with Dena’s parents and have the time of our life. I get to read, go for bike rides, eat Brown’s doughnuts, Mallon’s sticky buns, and hang out at the beach. I am not a big ‘sun’ person, but I love playing in the waves and sitting under our umbrella. Last week, we had our annual beach vacation (another plus, no internet connection, thus the reason for no posts on this blog). It again was a blast. Here are some pictures:

My kids,

View from the boardwalk towards the beach house

View of the ocean

Mike Yaconelli

This is one of my favorite speakers. He always encouraged my heart and he helped me stay in ministry for this long. He past away a few years ago. This is a nice tribute video to him.

My Anniversary at GBCBB

On July 17, Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell celebrated my 10th anniversary at the church. It was a great day. I knew they were having a reception for me, I did not know all they had planned in the service. The youth group created special t-shirts for the event (tie-dyed). The church gave me a gift certificate to Barnes and Nobles, gave Dena a free spa treatment and gave us a free weekend at the shore (Ocean City, NJ). They made a highlight video of my past ten years (see other post). My friends from Royersford Baptist Church brought their youth group to celebrate with us. (See the photo below). It was amazing day.

I want to thank everyone involved in the event, Ed and Kristin, Bob, Barbara, Betty and George. I felt so much love and support, just as I have had for the past ten years. I am spoiled to be a pastor at a church that knows how to care for pastors and their families so well. It was a very special day, one I will not soon forget.

10 Years at GBCBB

Here is a video that was shown at my 10th anniversary celebration last sunday. I will blog more about it later.

Google.org RechargeIT: Plug-in Hybrids

I find this a very interesting video. I like the idea of a plug-in car with a real motor.

Stong Fathers, Strong Daughter Review

Another book I recently finished was Strong Fathers, Strong Daughter by Meg Meeker, M.D. A powerful book uses research and personal experience to build a case for dads to be involved in their daughter’s lives. She offers “10 secrets every father should know”. Here are the ten secrets:
1. You are the most important man in her life
2. She needs a hero
3. You are her first love
4. Teach her humility
5. Protect her, defend her (and use a shotgun if necessary)
6. Pragmatism and Grit: two of your greatest assets
7. Be the man you want her to marry
8. Teach her who God is
9. Teach her to fight
10. Keep her connected

I enjoyed this book, even though all the statistics are sobering. The basic premise is “Dad be involved and love your daughters!” Every dad with a daughter should read it. You may not agree with everything, but you should read it.

SexGod Review

Last month I finished the new book by Rob Bell. (Full disclosure, I like Rob Bell and I listen to his sermons every week on iTunes.) It is called SexGod. I thought it was wonderful. I enjoy this writing style and he never fails to provoke new thoughts and insights. Chapter 6 was my favorite. It is a chapter I will encourage couples to read when I do premarital counseling. Here is a good quote:

But sex is not the search for something that’s missing. It’s the expression of something that’s been found. It’s designed to be the overflow, the culmination of something that a man and a woman have found in each other. It’s a celebration of this living, breathing thing that’s happening between the two of them. (p. 123)

I also enjoy the endnotes. Do not skip them. They are worth reading.

I am a little nerdy

Shawn and Jim helped me find this site. It is a little biased towards computers. It if was included more science fictions, I would have had a higher score. I am more a Sc-Fi geek, then a math/computer nerd.

Bunny Movie Parodies

Here is a great website called Angry Alien which creates 30 second parodies of popular movies. However, the stars of the parodies are bunnies. It you would like to waste an hour and watch some very funny parodies of popular movies, visit Angry Alien. Be sure and check back often, since they are always adding more movies.

Caution, the site does parody all movies including rated R.

I passed!

I PASSED. Thank you to everyone that prayed for me. I passed my last comprehensive exam, so I am officially a PhD candidate and can start my dissertation. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Here is a rough title for my dissertation – “The Measurement of Leadership Sternness in a Leader.” I will be creating and validating an inventory to measure the sternness of a leader.

I will blog more about it as I go along.

Star Wars part II

The video on my last link was disconnected. Here is the link to Starwars.com, you can see the new video there. Plus you can make your own star wars movie with a mashup program.

Star Wars: Clone Wars 3D TV Series 2008

Ok, I am a Star Wars geek. Here is a preview of a new 3D TV series that will debut in 2008. Thanks to Josh Griffen for posting this and for leading the way at theforce.net

Things I am better at than Golf

I went golfing today with my friends, Ed, Tim and Chris. It was blast. It was a great way to celebrate completing my last exam. Here are some pictures.




However, I also realized that I am not a very good golfer. I shot a 145. The funny thing about that score is that it is not my highest ever. It is not my lowest either. So Tim suggested that I should write about all the things I am better at than golf. Here is a brief list:

Writing, school, reading, volleyball, sleeping, eating, drinking, bicycling, eating, throwing a golf ball, tennis, running, walking, eating, sledding, football, basketball, softball, etc.

You get the idea, I am almost better at everything than golf. However, I still love the game and one day I will be good at it. At least good enough to get close to 100.

Chris Nickels Wedding

My friend, Chris Nickels got married today. It was a very nice wedding. Here is a (blurry) picture of the groom and me.


It was very nice to come home from my exam and spend sometime with friends celebrating Chris’s wedding. It was a very good day.

Thank for your prayers

Thanks to everyone that prayed for my PhD exam and me. Everything went great, meaning I felt I wrote a solid answer to the question. Thanks for all the support, prayers and cards that I received.

It will be about 2 weeks before I know the official results.

Here are some more pictures from my time on campus and driving home. I apologize for the blurred pictures, my phone is not so good, and I am not a good photographer.

CBN Building


Pat’s House


A fountain at the center of campus


Jay Gary and Jason Carthen who were taking all four PhD exams with me.


A sunset (I hoped it would be more pretty)

Comprehensive Exam

The few that read this blog may not know I am getting a PhD in Organizational Leadership with a major in Human Resource Development from Regent University. The basic structure of this program is 2 1/2-years of class work. Then you have to pass 4 comprehensive exams (topics are - Individual/Follower, Group/Organization, Dimensions of Leadership and a Research Question). After you pass all four, you can start your dissertation. The whole process takes between 3 1/2 to 7 years.

As I study for my last PhD exam (Dimensions of Leadership). I thought it would be fun to put some of the names I am memorizing into my blog. No guarantee that I will remember the theory that goes with each name(year).
Gilley, Eggland and Gilley (89)
Swanson and Holton (01)
Bandura (86, 97)
Stacey (01)
Bowen (75)
Maslow (54)
Alderfer (72)
Herzberg (59)
Vroom (64)
Adams (63)
House and Mitchell (74)
Lock (68)
Fishbein and Azjen (67)
Vaill (96)
Lewin (51)
Argyris (70)
Miles and Snow (78)
Invancevich and Matteson (02)
French and Raven (59)
Deutch and Coleman (00)
Ellis and Fisher (74)
Dunnette (76)
Dunn and Dunn (03)
Houle (61)
Knowles (78)
Brookfield (86)
Grow (91)
Confessore and Park (04)
Brooks and Brooks (99)
Merriam and Caffarella (99)
Dewey (16)
Valentine and Darkenwald (90)
Morstain and Smart (74)
Harvey (88)
Janis (72)
Davis (53)
Stewart, Manz and Sims (99)
Meyer (04)
Tuckman (65)
Wood (92)
Thompson (67)
Vroom and Drago (88)
Heifetz (94)
Gladwell (00, 03)
Baird and Weinberg (77)
Bennis (97)
Bass and Avolio (99)
Burns (78)
Greenleaf (77)
Heider (58)
McGregor (60)
House (76)
Hersey and Blanchard (69)
Fiedler (64)
Chaleff (95)
Depree (87)
Patterson (03)
Graem and Cashman (75)
Kouzes and Posner (02)
Bernerth (04)
Weisbord (78)
Morgan (97)
Burton and Obel (04)
Weick (69, 79)
Senge (90)
Littlejohn and Foss (05)
Eisenburg and Goodall (04)
Craig (99)
Hofstede (93)
Marquart and Engel (93)
Schein (92)
Niebuhr (51)
Yukl (02)
Ohio State Studies
Michigan Studies
Blake and Mouton (64)
Vroom and Yetton (73)
Spreitzer (95)
Green and Mitchell (79)
Wortman and Linsenmeirer (77)
Manz and Sims (80)
Jacobs (70)
Hickson (71)
Stodgill (74)
Johnson (97)
Weber
Handy (78)
Taylor
Ouchi
Argyris
Rogers (48)
Wlodowski (85)
Northouse (04)
Fayol(16)
Kotter (90)
Collins (01, 05)
Schnieder (87)

Virginia Beach

Sounds exciting to be in Virginia, but I am stuck in a hotel room studying for my final PhD exam, which I take on Friday at 3:00pm. I thought it would be fun to share some pictures from the 5 ½-hour drive to Regent.

Above the truck is a road sign that reads “Winner Ave”. Honest it is there, my camera phone is only VGA.


Pretty Flowers


What it looked like most of the time outside my car window.


My favorite spot of the whole trip – The Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I love driving on this bridge; it feels like you are in the middle of the water.

Then I like to stop on the bridge at the rest stop to stretch and watch the water up close. Here is the fishing pier.


This is the classroom building of Regent University where I will be taking my test.


Since you endured my rambling driving log, here is a definition of leadership:
Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. – Northouse (2004)