Dead tech

I was watching the movie Boondock Saints with a friend the other day. I've seen the movie MANY times. It's pretty inappropriate for some audiences, but I love it.

I've noticed it before, but when I watched it this time... I couldn't ignore the payphones, pagers, and Discman's. It's surprising how far we've come in the last 11 years. What will it be like in another 11 years? I can't imagine watching a movie with my kids, and having them say: "Dad, what was up with that whole iPad thing?"

Life giving rain

As I was letting my dog out for his morning #1 yesterday, or was it day before (I don't know... it was 6:30 AM...) I was standing on my porch, watching the rain. From somewhere deep inside of me, I had a profound though (which is even more impressive given the time. I usually don't know my own name at 6:30 AM).

As a Christian, I've heard The Holy Spirit compared to "rain" more times than I could possibly count. In songs, in sermons, in The Bible itself. The comparison is absolutely everywhere. For some reason, on this morning (whatever morning it was), it made sense. Standing in the cool, sweet smelling air, listening to the drops splatter around me... I got it.

There are different kinds of rain events, just like there are different kinds of Holy Spirit encounters. Sometimes He comes as a quick sprinkling, just long enough to drop the temperature of your situation, and cool down your circumstance. Sometimes, as a summer thunder storm, loud and violent and dangerous, but beautiful and exciting. Other times, like the morning in question, He comes as a slow, steady, soaking shower. This type of rain doesn't just evaporate away when the sun comes up. It penetrates the earth, hard and dry as it may be. It gets deep down, and changes things from the root. It brings life. Dead and withered things become fresh, and new, and green once again. The dust gets washed away, and the soil is renewed, preparing the way for the things that will grow next.

I've always heard people say "he doesn't have enough sense to come in out of the rain". Looking at rain this way, why would you want too??

Angerment

So, after weeks of being locked out of my account... I finally got my Blogger access back today. Can anyone explain to me why a website owned by Google... won't let you use your Google e-mail as a primary method of notification for password reset info? So frustrating...

Backwards priorities

As I sit here this morning, I again contemplate something that I've thought about often in the last 2 weeks. That thought: my priorities are JACKED! Just one example:

I was thinking the other day about how connected the world is becoming. Smart phones, social networking sites... Google Wave... As a matter of fact, this very blog is being typed on my BlackBerry Curve. I have facebook and twitter not only on the internet, but applications on both my BlackBerry and iPod Touch. I can check/ update the status of/ load pictures too those sites from just about aywhere. As long as I have a phone signal or WiFi, I can tell the entire world about what I'm having for lunch, how bored I am at work, or share a humorous quote from famous person that we think is important or influential.

Then it hit me... I have a Bible on my desk. One in my car, one at home, on my BlackBerry, on my iPod, on the internet, and even an entire Bible study application on my MacBook. How often do I look at that?

I look at my phone for fb/ twitter updates several times a day. Sometimes up to 65 times (thanks @RNC. Jerks.), but I'll go days or even weeks without looking at any form of Bible media outside of church. Printed or electronic, multiple translations (41 to be exact. In 21 languages), get ignored. I need no signal from an outside source. If my internet crashes, I can read via my cell phone signal. If both go out, I can read the offline versions I downloaded to my iPod. Or... I can read the book itself. Atleast, I should...


Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Interesting...

I can't take credit for this. I didn't write it, and I don't know where it originated. I stole it from a friends facebook page (thanks Jordan!) and thought it ran pretty parallel to my previous post, so I thought I'd share it here as kind of a "Part II". Enjoy...



Try and Guess WHO I AM?
I was born in one country, raised in another. My father was born in another country. I was not his only child. He fathered several children with numerous women.
I became very close to my mother, as my father showed no interest in me. My mother died at an early age from cancer.

Later in life, questions arose over my real name.

My birth records were sketchy and no one was able to produce a legitimate, reliable birth certificate.

I grew up practicing one faith but converted to Christianity, as it was widely accepted in my country, but I practiced non-traditional beliefs & didn't follow Christianity, except in the public eye under scrutiny.

I worked and lived among lower-class people as a young adult, disguising myself as someone who really cared about them..

That was before I decided it was time to get serious about my life and I embarked on a new career.

I wrote a book about my struggles growing up. It was clear to those who read my memoirs that I had difficulties accepting that my father abandoned me as a child.

I became active in local politics in my 30's then with help behind the scenes, I literally burst onto the scene as a candidate for national office in my 40s.. They said I had a golden tongue and could talk anyone into anything.. That reinforced my conceit.

I had a virtually non-existent resume, little work history, and no experience in leading a single organization. Yet I was a powerful speaker and citizens were drawn to me as though I were a magnet and they were small roofing tacks.

I drew incredibly large crowds during my public appearances. This bolstered my ego.

At first, my political campaign focused on my country's foreign policy. I was very critical of my country in the last war and seized every opportunity to bash my country.

But what launched my rise to national prominence were my views on the country's economy. I pretended to have a really good plan on how we could do better and every poor person would be fed & housed for free.

I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this mess. It was the free market, banks & corporations. I decided to start making citizens hate them and if they were envious of others who did well, the plan was clinched tight.

I called mine "A People's Campaign" and that sounded good to all people.

I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside the traditional path of politics & was able to gain widespread popular support.

I knew that, if I merely offered the people 'hope' , together we could change our country and the world.

So, I started to make my speeches sound like they were on behalf of the downtrodden, poor, ignorant to include "persecuted minorities" like the Jews. My true views were not widely known and I needed to keep them unknown, until after I became my nation's leader.

I had to carefully guard reality, as anybody could have easily found out what I really believed, if they had simply read my writings and examined those people I associated with.

I'm glad they didn't. Then I became the most powerful man in the world. And the world learned the truth.

*Who am I? *

I am ADOLF HITLER

WHO WERE YOU THINKING OF?
Scary isn't it?

Nazi America

Last night, I spent the late evening with friends. The night consisted of a chicken burrito bowl from Chipotle, a "Gotta have it" (large) Cake and Shake milk shake from Cold Stone, and a movie. The movie we chose to see was Quentin Tarantino's new film, Inglourious Basterds starring Brad Pitt, Mike Myers, and B.J. Novak (The Office). The movie takes place in WW2 Germany, and focuses on a band of American's that go undercover, and behind enemy lines, to kill Adolf Hitler. I personally liked the movie. It was funny and balanced. It was bloody, but not to extremes (it IS a war movie after all). It was humorous and entertaining... but less than 100% factually accurate. This is not a post critiquing a movie, but this serves to bring me to my point.

As we were leaving the movie theater, I found myself going over the facts that I had learned in high school. Replaying in my mind the things that I learned, and comparing them to Hollywoods version. Seeing as how I've been out of school for, going on eight years now, some of these facts were a bit shady to me. When I got home, I attempted to refresh my memory on some certain things via the interweb. As I read about Nazis, Hitler, and the SS, I started to remember some things. The more I read, the more I remembered. Suddenly, it hit me. America is slip-sliding in the direction of Nazi Germany.

Before the flaming starts, I do not think that Mr Obama wants to kill Jews or that Nancy Pelosi is going to start setting up concentration camps. I'm merely pointing out the FACT that there are multiple similarities, with more and more being made evident each and every day. (On a side note, I think we could learn a few things from the Nazis. One thing they did that I wish America WOULD adopt, is a strict prohibition on, and penalties for, abortion... but I digress...)

So many comparisons... where to begin? Might as well jump right into it. No use in dancing around the issue. Social Welfare, anyone? Different sources give different definitions, but essentially they all elude to "assistance given by the government to those in need" (although I think sometimes that the word "need" is being exaggerated, but that's another rant).

Several instances of this in America today jump to mind, besides the welfare system itself. Remember the lady at President Obamas town hall meting in Florida? The lady (Henrietta Hughes) who was in tears because she and her son were living in her car? She was given a house. They GAVE it to her. Free and clear. To see just a FRACTION of why this puts me in a state of mind, that I have coined: "insta-pissed", feel free to visit this website.

How about bail-outs? Nazi Germany focused on making jobs for citizens (green jobs?) and maintaining a minimum life style for ALL Germans ("Spreading the wealth" policies?). Volkswagen literally translates to "Peoples Car". It was a government program to create a vehicle that all could afford. Sounds a lot like the government controlling the auto industry to me. Although it isn't the EXACT same thing, it also sounds a bit similar to "Cash for clunkers". Government, giving you money, to buy a government car. They're using a different excuse, and a different method (or cover) to achieve the same result.

Ever hear of the Autobahn? Nazi transportation program. I wish that I had time to total the amount of Stimulus Package money that was being spend on transportation. 4,724 projects on streets and roads (like the Autobahn) alone, not to mention the 1400+ general transit projects (airports, trolleys, etc).

The Nazis were big on anti-smoking, and we too are placing extra taxes on cigarettes and tobacco, trying to force people to quit. (I'm not saying it's bad, I'm saying it's a similarity). Nazi's had an environmental conscience... although I think they were smarter about it than we are... and were interested in the benefits of organic foods. Our government now is trying to tax certain foods/ drinks to influence our citizens to "eat healthier". They also had a heart for animals, and even tried to ban hunting/fishing practices.

These are not all the similarities, but they are all I will list at this time. As I said previously, not all of these are bad things. Some are good things. I merely point them out to show that we are more alike than we like to believe. God help us if we don't realize how we look, and perhaps, continue to look more like each day. Eventually it could be hard to see where the "looks like" ends, and the "acts like" begins.

So, I haven't posted anything since January. I just don't see myself as having anything really new and exciting to say. I have no exclusive insight, or inside track that gives me an angle that others don't have. I'm just another dude. Sure, I can regurgitate things like everybody else. I can talk about the weather, government, religion, etc... but as far as "innovative", "fresh", or "original"... I just don't see how I'm all that different from the majority of the blogging world.

Then again, if Perez Hilton can vomit his mess all over the internet, and people find THAT interesting... I guess we can all be writers. Maybe I'll give this thing another shot after all.