Doomsday

I have been asked by many Christian friends and family if I think that this is a sign the end is near. Many of my closest Christian friends are beginning to think so. I have tried to look at this from a few angles and the best thing I can say in response to that is, "God will watch over his children."

There are a few different schools of thought on "the end days". One idea is that all the souls listed in the book of life will be raptured before the beginning of the end times. For those who are saved, know the Lord, accepted Christ as their personal Savior, and repent of their sins, then this is reassuring. Those left after the rapture will be left with the horrifying realization that they have not lived a Christian life and did not accept Christ. Those who do not believe will think this is just a weird occurrence of nature and be led like lambs to the slaughter by the Anti-Christ. Their fate is sealed.

Another idea is that there is no rapture, and we (Christians) will all be martyred. This is not as appealing to most. Suffering is not something anyone likes to go through. Christ suffered horribly and most Christians, while willing to die for our faith, do not desire to end their life in such a savage way. If anyone is not familiar with the way Jesus Christ dies, just rent "The Passion of the Christ". That is not the way I want to go, but as a Christian, if I am called to go that way, then I have no choice than to obey.

We have had a lot of disasters, anti-Christian bias, and rampant displays of hedonism over the past 25 years or so. We live in a society that loves to think for the minute, not worrying about tomorrow. It would be easy to see why some who study the books of Daniel and Revelations in the bible are concerned. We have a reason to be concerned, but no reason to panic. No matter which end times scenario plays out, we know the end of the story. Devil ,YOU LOSE.

Al I can say is, if you are concerned about end times and think it may be upon us, then be sensible and start conserving: water, fuel, money, non-perishable food, clothing, etc...just like you would for a camping trip, only longer. Pray with all you heart for discernment, open your homes to other Christians. Fellowship and share your concerns/fears. The last thing we need is a panic. As I said, we know how the story ends. We just do not know how many pages are in the book.

Gaining

I blogged last week that Hugo Chavez wanted to sell cheap gas to the US poor. His plans are picking up steam. People, DO NOT fall for this. This is how civil unrest starts. Tyrants will try ANYTHING to gain the support of the poor and when they gain that support, the undermining of our way of life will begin. BOYCOTT CITGO!

Read here and here. Even the Arab newspaper Al Jazerra has the article. That alone should frighten you (although it mostly cut and pastes from other articles). Al Jazerra is not exactly "fair and balanced".

We need to keep supporting our president, praying for him and his cabinet, and fighting to keep our country strong. Falling for the offer of cheaper gas/oil is not going to help you at all. It will be just a short term fix. You think we have dependencies now? Just allow yourselves to be addicted to Chavez and his cheap oil. What will you do when he wants you to sell your soul for that precious "black gold"?

Painful NC News

Looks like RTP, NC (That is Research Triangle Park, North Carolina for all you non-southerners) may have more of an Asian theme to it if Lenovo gets its way. Read the story. If you think this is bad, Dell has done similar. This tactic is common. This is how bigger companies can get away with paying lower fees...I call it extortion. Thank you Davien for the tip and the Herald-Sun for the story.

This is a CHINESE company, from a COMMUNIST nation. Forces around the world are working to undermine our way of life by using our values against us. China has attempted to buy oil companies (and they still keep trying) to help satisfy their growing need for energy. IBM sold them their PC business, they are now leveraging themselves to have "free rent" in RTP. We really need to stop this economic invasion before we are at a point where turning back is impossible. We need to rethink the way we work.

I wonder how soon it will be before Tom Clancy's book, "The Bear and the Dragon" comes true. Maybe Russia will ally itself with China and that will work for a while, but as China grows, her appetite will grow. Russia may look like a tempting morsel to her.

I Am Getting Better At This ...

When I first heard of Google's new voice/text chat proggie, I said to a colleague, "We better watch out for Google. They are going to be the next Microsoft." He laughed, but oddly enough I am not alone. Read this and you will see what I am talking about.

First, Google made a fantastic search engine. Then they had Picasa (a photo tool), Gmail (a free web based e-mail that has insane amounts of storage), and now Google Talk. Rumor has it they are working on a browser and if the conspiracy theories can be believed, an operating system. Even without the OS, Google is in a good position to control a lot of your internet life. Are you ready for that? I am not so sure. I do not like putting all my trust/stock into one company. I may not be an MS fan (I use the OS, but most of my apps are open source), but I am not going to give Google the keys to my house just yet.

If you want to see what Google has to offer you, just head over to www.google.com and poke around. You may be surprised on how much they can do for you. If you let them, that is.

Would It Be Worth It?

Would you directly support a communist minded dictator if he offered you gas for $1.30 a gallon and give you free health care? You might get your chance. This story from CNN is very interesting. I would like to do more research but since I am not in the mood at this point, I will just toss out a few thoughts and let you mull them over.

The ploy that Hugo Chavez is attempting is an old one. He will attempt to gain the support of the poor by selling them what they THINK they need at a very reduced rate or better yet, give it away free. Chavez will attempt to undemine the social thread of US by sowing seeds of discord among its residents. He will "prove" that he is not a bad guy, making Pat Robertson look like an idiot (sorry Chavez, you are too late. Pat has done that without your help), making us even MORE dependant on him, and pretty soon we have civil unrest and quite possibly anarchy in the USA. It COULD happen. Fidel Castro is Hugo's buddy and Castro is just 90 miles south of the US. Sounds like trouble to me.

Also mentioned in the article is the fact that Citgo Petroleum is owned by PDVSA, a Venezuelan company. Nothing against those of Venezuelan blood, but I would rather not support a dictator.

So it sounds like we have a couple of missions here.
1) If offered low cost gas from Venezuela, do not take it.
2) DO NOT shop at Citgo.

I am starting my boycott now.

Why?

I was perusing the headlines today on Drudge, CNN, and a few others when this headline from CNN caught my attention:

Robertson: U.S. should 'take out' Venezuela's Chavez

The "Robertson" CNN is referring to is Pat Robertson, Conservative Christian Broadcaster for "The 700 Club".

This frightens me. Those who know me, know that I am a Moderate Christian that has Conservative tendencies. I am often at odds with what many in the Christian Church believe. I support our military, although I think making war is something that is done far too often.

Mr/Rev Robertson said that Chavez was, "a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil, that could hurt us badly." Why did he mention oil? Because that is the key, underlying reason we are despised and feared. We think we need to control the oil, simply because we need /use so much of it.

He goes way beyond what I am comfortable with as a Christian. If you are a non-Christian and read his remarks, please do not think he speaks for all Christian's. I personally find his thoughts disturbing and dangerous. I did not/will not support any political moves this man makes.

Another issue that I found interesting was the draft of the new Iraqi Constitution. The new Iraqi Constitution will be based on the Q'uran. Why is that interesting? President Bush has spent the past 4 years telling us not to judge Muslims harshly. He has repeatedly stated that Islam is a religion on peace. I disagree to an extent. Mohammed is compared to Jesus in regards of the religious importance in the Q'uran. Mohammed was a warrior, waging war on non-Muslims. Jesus was a king who spoke of God's love, not a warrior who came to liberate and overthrow. Now the country we liberated will have its law of the land based on a non-peaceful religion. What will President Bush say now? He cannot oppose the constitution or he looks like an occupier. He cannot support it because it is just one step away from the radical Islamic government we fought to remove. What to do...

Lastly, have you seen these? They have been nicknamed, "Pubic Pants". GROSS. Where are we going and why am I in this bucket?

I Respect Your Opinion, However...

My son is a soldier in the United States Army National Guard. He is also 17 (18 in a couple of months) and still in high school. He busted his hump all summer long to graduate Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, giving up his "senior" summer to learn the art of become a warrior. I have taken some heat (even from some people at our church) for allowing my son to join the armed forces as a minor, but I stand by my decision to allow him to do so. I am proud of his accomplishments.

With all that said, my son took *some* of the money he earned as a soldier this summer to buy a used car from a neighbor. It needs a little work, but it is going to be a good *first* car for him. Our son went to Auto Zone last Saturday (August 20) in the little town where we live in North Central Texas and bought some parts that he needed and was assisted by a young lady named Lea, who was in her mid to late 20's. She asked my son if he was in the military, and he informed her he had just returned from BT. She then said (I am paraphrasing, bear with me), "I do not support the military. My husband was in the military and when he got out he was not the same. I didn't like what did him..."

Let me say one thing. Giving me your UNSOLICITED OPINION when I am a customer is completely out of line. When you are a public facing employee of a company, your comments could be misconstrued as the thoughts and opinions of the company. Now it would be financial SUICIDE for a company to say they were not supporting our troops. And, if Advance Auto decides that is their *official* stance, then they have lost me as a customer for life and I will do my best to spread the word NOT to shop there. However I am sure that the comments made by Lea were not the opinions of Auto Zone.

I fully recognize the right Lea has to her opinion. She could march up and down my street with a picket proclaiming her disdain with our military and I would honor that. She has that right and even though I do not agree, I respect her right to do so.

Now truth be told, I was FURIOUS when my wife and son (the ones who experienced the event) relayed the story to me. However I knew better than to do anything about it at that moment. I support our troops. Any derogatory comment towards them is one towards me. It is because of them you have the right to protest almost anything (Odd thing isn't it? If not for people you despise, you would not have the right to despise them...ironic).

When I went to bed Saturday night and started my evening prayers, I surprised myself by including Lea. I was not planning on doing so. I was very upset at her for making her comments at a place and time when she was a servant (cashier) to us and she was disparaging the US troops. However, God does not want he "sun to go down on our anger" and he pressed upon me the desire to pray for her. I felt much better after that prayer and it has allowed me to reflect and become closer the Christian I want to be.

To those who share Lea's sentiments, I respect your opinions. All I ask is that you respect my space. If you are working in the services sector (waiter, cashier, etc) DO NOT give my your opinion of the military, religion, or politics if I do not ask for it. To do so will endanger your job. There maybe someone who will not go to the Lord in prayer before they unload on you. Also, please remember that we have the freedoms we have because of the sacrifices that our soldiers (and Airmen, Marines, Sailors, etc) make and have made. I am not asking you to become a warmonger. I am not. I think wars (just for the sake of making them) is stupid. I also realize that it humanly possible I could have to bury my only son if he were to be sent to fight in a foreign land to protect ours. That concept is painful. However as a Christian, I have to accept that.

Lea, I am very sorry that your husband has not returned from the military in a condition that is pleasing to you. Go to the Lord and ask for his peace. You will find it, but first you have to ask.

**Update** I had erroneously reported the WRONG parts store. This has been corrected. My apologies for any confusion.

Dealing With a Loss

Yesterday my son received notice that one of his dearest childhood friends took his own life recently. My son and Levi had had not seen each other for several years, but when they lived close to each other, they were inseparable. The details of the death are few. My mother snail mailed the obituary and the story printed in her small town paper to my son and we received it yesterday. My son was visibly upset, but he is a soldier and will not openly grieve. As I went in his room to put away some laundry, I noticed he had the items his grandmother mailed to him on his desk along with an elementary school yearbook open to Levi's picture. Beside his name, my son scribbled, "RIP, bro." I hurt for him. I can because when I was in my middle 20's, one of my childhood friends took his own life in a similar manner. I grieve to this day over him. He was a core part of our group of friends. He is greatly missed. I will try to comfort my son, but I am sure he will not accept it. He does not handle death very well. Seems odd that a soldier would have trouble dealing in death, since he may be called to be a "death dealer" at some point, but there is a time for everything.

I also wanted to mention that my Christian Sister, AAA, is dealing with some medical issues and is not sure what is causing them. I have been praying for her (and so has my wife) and have hope God will heal her. If for some reason she is not healed, then I pray that God will use this time to better his kingdom. That is why we are here. This body means nothing. It is just a temporary home for our spirit until we are called back to God.

On a lighter note, my son has purchased his first car (he has owned one before, but he bought it from us, so that does not really count). He is now the proud owner of a 1995 Mazda Millenia. While far from a perfect car, it is in good shape over all. It needs a few things (tires, a headlight, paint job, new battery, etc) it runs well.

Silent No Longer

I was not going to post much, if anything about Cindy Sheehan, the woman who has been camping outside of the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas. I feel the MSM (Main Stream Media) and the bloggers are saying enough. However, when I read the post that Matt Drudge had about her outburst at a rally she attended at San Francisco State University earlier this year, I changed my mine. From www.drudgereport.com, here is the link, but since I do not trust links, here is part of her rant courtesy of Mat Drudge (I have edited the language):

"We are not waging a war on terror in this country. WeÂ’re waging a war of terror. The biggest terrorist in the world is George W. Bush!"

"We are waging a nuclear war in Iraq right now. That country is contaminated. It will be contaminated for practically eternity now."

"TheyÂ’re a bunch of f**king hypocrites! And we need to, we just need to rise up..."

"If George Bush believes his rhetoric and his bull**it, that this is a war for freedom and democracy, that he is spreading freedom and democracy, does he think every person he kills makes Iraq more free?"

"The whole world is damaged. Our humanity is damaged. If he thinks that itÂ’s so important for Iraq to have a U.S.-imposed sense of freedom and democracy, then he needs to sign up his two little party-animal girls. They need to go to this war."

"We want our country back and, if we have to impeach everybody from George Bush down to the person who picks up dog sh*t in Washington, we will impeach all those people."

Now first I want to offer my condolences to Cindy on the loss of her son. I cannot image the pain she must be in, HOWEVER, I can safely assume that she is not a Christian spouting out that tirade at SanFran Uni. and she has no right acting in such a manner. She has been making a big stink in the media (which she has the right to. Her son died for that right she is abusing) and people are getting tired of it. She has had her meeting with President Bush over a year ago. She did not spout those obscenities at him then.

Michelle Malkin has a lot more linkage and more linkage.

Cindy, while we grieve with you on your loss, there are better ways. Promising not to pay your 2004 taxes (shouldn't they have already been paid?) until President Bush brings back your son (Bush is not Christ, honey) is not going to cut it.

Most people sympathize with you, but not your methods. You need to take your Paxil.

A (Dirty) Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste

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Yes they are all web searches, but that is not what I am getting at. These are all searches that my blog has been included in. Ain't that a hoot? It boggles the mind to think about what others do web searches for. Don't they have better things to do?

Now I am not going back to search each one of these but if you comprehend the way search engines handle searches, you will understand why my blog was in each one. Because I will write about things that will make you think, sometimes my posts are have "key words" in them that search engines (like Yahoo!) pick up on. I have had 1 visitor from Singapore, one from South Korea, one from Canada, and the rest were from the US. The US and the Singapore visitors were the ones who were searching on the risque subject matter.

I enjoy going through my web logs (both for my blog and my main page, www.mistergeek.com . I get to see what kind of things people search for...and man do they search for some WEIRD things...Here are a few (exact) phrases that have been searched for (just in the past few months) from my main mistergeek.com page :

* calculus jokes
* compare rifle calibers
* christian geek
* sarah lane mini skirt
* pencil necked geek
* international beers geek
* i ve been spoofed
* spooky e-mails
* slutgirl
* groovy granny
* geek on scooter picture
* flaming pop tarts
* christian chicks in mini skirts
* mini skirts
* jokes about the name shielah

This is not an complete list, but just a few of the more interesting ones I have noticed over the past few months. I get tons of hits for "geek of the week", "Christian Geek", plus a ton for people who vanity surf (those who type in their names in their favorite search engines to see what comes up).

OK, so maybe that was boring, but geeks like me think it is funny/interesting.

I hope you have a blessed day :)

A Little Excitement for a Sleepy Town

Sunday I was waiting for my wife to return from running some errands, so I logged on to work to check my work e-mail (I had about 100 for 1 week. Not too bad) when I noticed the weather map was showing a storm heading our way. I need to walk one of our dogs (the other was with my wife), but I did not want to leave her to unload the van by herself, so I waited.

She arrived safely and I explained the problem, so after unloading the van, I set off with our oldest and most finicky dog, Maxx. We got about 1/6 of the way into our walk and in began to rain, but not overly hard, so I kept walking. A short while later one of the neighbors we had not met yet stopped me and asked me if I knew what all the police cars were doing in the neighborhood. I just made a confused looking face and said, "Huh?". They stated that there were at least THREE police cars in the immediate area, and one was a K9 unit. I told them I had no idea but I would try to find out.

I walked a bit further and saw the K9 unit parked, but not moving. I then noticed a man with two small children walking AWAY from the K9 unit looking very nervous. He matched my pace for a few meters, then he noticed a squad car coming towards us and he did a 180 and continued back from where he came, still looking very nervous. The rain had momentarily stopped so I called my wife and told her to lock the doors and shut the garage, and explained the situation. You see, my first thought was a man hunt and with my wife home and at least 1 door unlocked, she would be at risk IF some psycho was on the loose.

I continued on with my walk, keeping my eyes open. Two more police cars passed me, but did not look my way, so I did not fit the profile of who they were looking for. I circled around the school and noticed a police truck (They have some SWEET Dodge Dakota's they use), so I flagged him down. I told him I was not trying to be nosy, but since I was out walking the dogs, was there something a tax paying citizen could to do assist. I also told him that if I ever saw 2 or more police cars in the same neighborhood around here, especially if a K9 unit was involved, that I knew something was up. He finally told me they were looking for a blonde haired teenage girl who has run away, but they offered no other details. Well, that made me feel much better so I called my wife back to tell her the news. The storm had picked back up and the call was not clear, so I just hung up, after TRYING to tell her that I would be back soon. 2 minutes later, she was pulling up to me in the van telling me to get it. She had towels to dry the dog and me off. She is so sweet.

Well, that was my excitement for Sunday. Add that to a very busy Saturday and a hectic week prior to that and I am ready for work today!

Coming Home

Monday, August 8, 2005, me, my wife, and our 2 dogs started a trek to Fort Benning, GA to watch the graduation ceremony of our son. As a Senior in high school, 17 years old and not quite a man, I have been very emotional at times over the past 11 weeks. I would read his letters and listen to his voice when he was allowed to call and I could tell this has been the toughest thing he has EVER been through. Tougher than the divorce of his bio-mom and I, tougher than the custody battle over him, tougher than getting acclimated to living with me and my new wife (his new stepmom), tougher than relocating to Texas after living in NC for 6 years...tougher than all that put together. I would learn this later on in the week as he and I talked. I was almost in tears at times.

We arrived in Birmingham, AL at about 5:30 PM central time to meet with a couple of my wife's friends (twins) for dinner. JoJo and Nancy are wonderful people. They are dear friends to my wife and for that I am eternally thankful. They are just fantastic.

The hotel was right next to the steakhouse where they wanted to have dinner. Nancy is a steak woman and nothing else would do. With that, she paid for dinner and I was in awe that she would be willing to do that. I am a stranger to her (but not to JoJo), but she showed me kindness that comes from a Christian heart.

After dinner was over with, my wife had the staff at the steakhouse sing me, "Happy Birthday" and bring me out dessert. All the while I was red-faced (I hate attention like that), but I hold no grudge. My wife loves me...it shows in the way she deals with my short temper.

After dinner, we returned to our room to chat for a little while. Nancy and I have a bit in common due to our current/past jobs (telecom) although JoJo and I more alike in the food department.

Nancy and JoJo left at about 9 PM and Debe and I turned in. We were driving to Fort Benning on Tuesday (a three hour drive from Birmingham) and we needed our rest after being on the road for 11 hours or so.

We drove to Columbus, GA the following day and the trip went well. Once we got to the hotel, we realized there was almost no place for the dogs to do "the dog thing". My wife talked to the front desk and they said there was a park about 5 miles down the road. That worked out well most of the time, but it rained every afternoon and the older dog, Maxx, was not being very cooperative. Actually he is the reason why I dislike travel with pets. He takes a bit of the joy out of travel.

We ate dinner out that night and Applebee's (after eating a light lunch of sandwiches and water) and got a surprise call from our son. He was at a concert that was being held on base (I think it was "The Donna's", not a band I would go see...) and he was just making sure we made it in. We chatted for a few minutes and then he had to go. He was calling from a Sprint phone booth. They were giving away free 3 minute calls and our son took advantage of it.

Wednesday was Beret Day at Fort Benning. Beret Day is the day before graduation when the soldiers get their black berets and then they are released to their families for the remainder of the day. The ceremony was delayed about an hour or so due to a transportation problem and after the ceremony, we took some pictures (I will post some a bit later). We toured the National Infantry Museum on the base and after our son signed out, we left to go eat (Ruby Tuesday -- our soldiers choice) and then to our hotel. The food was good and we all got our fill. Our son and I had burgers (they are very good there), my wife had salad. Women. :-)

We got back to the hotel, grabbed the dogs (who did not recognize our son at first) and took them to the park to let them do their thing. With that complete, we headed back and got changed into swimming gear so we could try out the pool. This was the place that he and I got to talk. We laughed and enjoyed the moment, wanting to savor the time we had. After an hour or two in the pool, we went back and cleaned up some and I fired up my work PC so our son could surf the web (something he had not done in a while). My wife napped some and I just watched our son. He looked so much different than he did 11 weeks ago. He looked older, more seasoned. I guess it is the 'warrior look' he has burned into him. He still has an easy smile, quick to laugh, but as his father, I can see he is now a man. He has been transformed.

After some goof off time, we got directions to a funky little pizza place, The Mellow Mushroom, a place we originally discovered in Chapel Hill, NC...home of the 2005 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions, The UNC Tarheels. Sorry...I got a bit carried away!

We ordered a half and half large pie, BBQ chicken and portabello mushrooms/meatballs. It was not cheap, but it is the best pie I have ever had. Our soldier ate his fill and they we noticed we needed to get him back on base.

After a getting gas and making a few wrong turns, we got back to the hotel. We were tired and needed to get some sleep since Thursday would be a long day for both of us. Graduation was at 9 AM, checkout of the hotel was noon, but we had to leave the dogs there so they would not overheat. That meant we had to get things done with our son on base, get back to the hotel and then check out. After checkout we had a 13+ hour drive back home to Texas.

The next morning, we were up at 5 AM, at breakfast at 6 AM and at the ceremony at 9 AM. Graduation went well and the ceremony was short. We took some pictures of our soldier and his 'battle buddy' (a young man that our son was able to witness to) and went to get his duffel bag so we could take it back for him. He had 3 bags total and he planned on only taking back 2.

We said our goodbyes to our soldier and his battle buddy (who really is a wonderful young man...he really helped our son out quite a bit) gave them hugs and handshakes, prayed for them and we went back to the hotel to get the dogs, check out and take them to the park to use the bathroom and tire them out some for the long drive back. After a quick walk, we ate the leftover pizza, some Gatorade, and a granola bar before hitting the road. I started the trek by driving to Birmingham, filling up the gas tank and then letting my wife drive so I could get some rest. She drove for about 3 hours and I took over. I drove until we got to the Texas welcome center and then she took over. She was able to make it about 2.5 hours or so then I had to take over for her. We did a final bathroom break for her and I finished up the trip.

When we got home, I made her go to bed. She is notorious for getting home and unpacking as soon as we get back. I told her to go to bed while I unloaded the van. We could unpack once we had some sleep.

I got up at 6:30 AM to walk the dogs (yes...5 and 1/2 hours sleep) and made a pot of coffee...the first coffee I had made in 5 days. It really hit the spot. I washed the travel dishes (Tupperware, etc), unpacked my stuff, the non-perishable food box, and the cooler. I collected all the trash and recyclables, entered in the bills and travel receipts, and made some boxed muffin mix for us to eat. I was getting a head start. I know this will be a long day. I also want the place to be in order when our soldier comes home this afternoon/evening. It will be good to have him back.

40

Happy Birthday to me, I turned 40 today. :-)

I met with my AP (accountability partner) yesterday for coffee after work and it was a very good meeting. We discussed many things and really got an understanding on the struggles each of us faces every day. We traded stories, strategies, and concerns. The hour that we had to chat just was not long enough. Ok, maybe it was, but it went by fast. Ben* is a very good listener.

I added a traffic counter to my blog because I was curious on how many people are reading this. I am not getting my hopes up, since I do not advertise it, but it is always nice to know.

My project work is going well. I have many meetings today to do some fact gathering and if we get most of the data we will be ready to make a business case to the executive mgmt team next week. That should be interesting, since I am out of the office next week. We are going to watch our son graduate Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Money is tight, so we will have to watch our spending (making sandwiches instead of eating out, lower priced motels, etc). We blew our budget for travel about mid way through the year.

Last night I had a dream. It was not a "nightmare" but it was not a pleasant dream. Due to personal reasons, I will not share it with my readers, but I will say that it was the type of dream that bothered me as a Christian. In my dream I was doing things that I would not do in real life.

The good thing about this situation is that I know why we have the dreams we do. Our subconscious takes random memories and stitches them together in the form of a story. These events may not be related in any way, shape, or form, but they come out in story format none the less. Sometimes Christians get very upset when they have "un-Christianlike" dreams, but they shouldn't. The Devil is planting that seed of fear in you and if you allow it to germinate, you will be hurt and may even doubt your faith. Don't go that route. Immediately pray to God to remove that fear. If you have accepted him, he understands you (inside and out) and loves you. You cannot control your dreams, but do not have to let them control you.

*Not his real name.

Coffee Talk

I am scheduled to meet my accountability partner (Ben*) at Starbuck's today after work. Yesterday was his day off (and his birthday) so we did not chat, although I did send him a short e-mail. I am not sure that we have much to "confess", but it is always good to see him. He is a very funny guy with a sarcastic wit. He is not rude, he uses sarcasm very well. He turned 49 yesterday and does not act like someone heading into his 50's soon.

Personally, I am having pretty good day. I got 7 hrs sleep last night and woke up with very little pain in my back/neck/hip. My morning walk with the dogs went well (although Maxx has regained his 'tude now that he is off HIS meds) and my coffee was almost perfect (it is hard to get it perfect when you are half asleep when you are brewing it). The only hitch this morning was with my wife, who "could not get back to sleep" and got up at 5 AM AND STARTED CLEANING THE MASTER BATHROOM. The more she cleaned, the more her positive attitude went down the drain. She was obviously heading south quickly, so I grabbed her hands and prayed for her. After I finished, I gave her a hug and left for work once I was all ready.

Once I was at work, things were rather slow. My ticket queue (there have been only 4 so far today) has been very easy, taking just a couple of minutes each to solve. I had a 8 AM meeting that went very well (and ran over 15 minutes, but that is ok) that resulted in an action item for me to type up all my notes and give them to my boss to proof.

I ate lunch at my desk, stopping long enough to talk to Paul** and see how his health has been lately. Paul has been prescribed Paxil and Wellbutrin and is not overly happy with the way it makes him feel. I am finding a bit of perverse humor in this simply because I do not think he needs the meds. What he really needs is love and a change of environment, but that is another post.

While it is now just before 3 PM Central, I only have about 1 hour or so left (I am going to cut out early to go meet Ben). Work has been slow, but a welcome change. My boss most likely will not give me any more to do since he is mired down in his weekly report and is not likely to step out of his office until it is done.

Hmmm...I just got an e-mail from my Ben asking if we are still on for coffee, so I e-mailed him back confirming the meeting. I should be able to get there at 4:30 ish or so. Now I just need to confirm which Starbucks! We have two, one on one side of the expressway and one on the other.

*Ben is not his real name.
**Paul is not his real name.

It is Amazing What You Can Do When You Are Pain Free

Tuesday night is Volleyball night at the old church we used to attend. When we changed churches, I never considered giving up VB since the new church does not have the facilities for it and also because I love the game.

Last night I arrived as usual and we had enough to play 4 on 4, which is my favorite way to play (6 seems like to many people to me). I helped set up the net, then I stretched and warmed up with a few sets and digs. I felt pretty good, rested, I had a good energy level (lots of B12, Taurine, and ginseng) and was pretty flexible (for me that is...I am not an overly athletic guy). Shortly after we started playing, one of the better players suggested we try a different strategy/formation (using 1 person in front,1 middle and 2 back) to see if would improve our play some. I had trouble with the idea (the front person would have the second hit (the setter) since I am not great at setting, but I came around quick enough.

At one point in the game I was playing back and the setter had set one up and yell my name, indicating that I was the one to spike it over. I ran up, got my timing and delivered a fantastic spike. When we regrouped, my team was very kind and said that I spiked that better than I have ever done before. I must say that I felt pretty good playing. Then after about an hour of play, I noticed that my hip was not hurting like it normally does after a bit of play. The meds the doc gave me were helping a good bit.

We went on to play about 6-7 games and I think we only lost 2, the second game and the fifth. At one point we became sloppy and let the opposing team score 7-8 in a row.

Without the pain in my hip and neck, I was able to cover more ground, dig at more hits, and spike much cleaner than I normally can. I hope I heal completely. The feeling of playing well (in a friendly environment, with good sportsmanship) was tremendously satisfying.

What a Pain in the Neck!

Seriously! I have had a stiff/sore neck for about 3-4 weeks now. I asked my doc about it and he thinks it may be stress related (hmmm I work in IT, have a son in Basic Training, 2 dogs with allergies, bills that are getting out of hand...STRESS? NAH!).

My doc prescribed 2 meds to see if he can determine the problem. One of the meds is a muscle relaxer to take before I go to bed to help me get a good night's sleep. The other is a non-steroid anti-inflammatory/pain med. I took the night time med last night before I went to bed and I slept OK. Not earth shattering sleep, but decent. I was told by the pharmacist that I would dream and remember them, but I didn't. With my life as wacky as it is, I would rather not remember any :)

I took the other med this morning after I had eaten a good breakfast (it said to take it with meals) and my neck is not as sore or stiff, but I can still feel discomfort.

He (the doc) told me that I needed to take the night time stuff for 2-3 nights and the other pills for 5 days or so to see if it helped.

I will report on my progress later.

**Update**

Day two and I am feeling pretty good. Only a small amount of pain/strain in my neck and almost none in my hip.

Of Men and Their Weaknesses

A few months ago I felt God leading me to find an "accountability" partner. An AP is a person to whom I could go to and privately explain my struggles and fears, as well as to pray with and for, someone who would not judge, but who would rebuke me (in a Christian manner) when I fall short. Last Thursday, I approached a man in our church, who I will call Ben*. While visiting with Ben and his family, I took him aside privately and asked him to consider my request. The look on his face took the wind out of my sails. I told him that, "'No' was an acceptable answer. Do not agree to this task lightly. My private thoughts and yours will be on the line." I asked him to pray about it and get back to me when he felt his answer had been given to him. That was on Thursday. Friday afternoon, on his way home, he called me and stated that he was happy to accept. He was concerned at first, that he was not strong enough to fulfill the job, but he said that it was the right thing to do. He was guided by the Holy Spirit as well as a sermon he had recently heard to do this.

I began to open up, bit by bit on Friday to him. He listened. We agreed to exchange books (Every Man's Battle for Wild at Heart) once we were both finished reading our books. It was a good conversation and he told me that he would keep up with me via e-mail and phone. I was pleased.

Monday rolls around and I get a call from Ben. He is in good mood and begins to tell me of his struggles. I listen. I empathize. I give him my thoughts and opinions. He listens. He agrees on some of them. I find he and I have a similar weakness in the computer/internet area with music. I have told him my goals and what I have accomplished so far. He seems impressed (not that I was pushing for that) that I have made this progress without external (not discounting God in this) help.

I told him of my struggles. He was very understanding. Men will understand each other's weaknesses, especially Christian men. Women, as wonderful and caring as they are, are not programmed/wired in a way that would allow them to understand. This is not my opinion, this is a fact. For the women reading my blog, please take no offense. Only women can truly understand the struggles women face. Men are not programmed/wired the same way. We have to REALLY get past our basic programming just to begin to grasp at women's issues/struggles/weaknesses.

Men, if you think you understand the way a woman is wired/programmed by God, you are truly blessed. It takes a long time just to understand the basics. Also men, I am going to give away a secret we have to women, so they can better understand us. Go ahead and get mad if you want to and argue that "I am not that way. If you think that way then you must be a pervert", but God wired men a certain way. If he didn't the population of the earth would dwindle to nothing. So with that tasty nugget to savor, here is the main course.

Women, here it is: men are sexual creatures. We have been wired by God that way on purpose, just as he wired you (well, most of you that is) to be more emotional based. We are the "yin and yang", "peas and carrots", "PB and J", etc. We (men and women) just go together. We compliment each other. We (initally) are drawn to your beauty and you (initally) are drawn to our ability to provide and protect.

Every man is tempted (you must understand that temptation is not sin. Jesus was tempted, he did not sin) by flesh. Flesh is weak. Spirit is so much stronger. We are BOMBARDED with sexual imagery all day long: at work (the clothing of our female colleagues), music (sexually charge lyrics), the internet (pop-ups and banner ads with scantily clad women), billboards (Have you really looked at them?), movies (Duhh), TV (Sex in the City, Friends, etc) the gym (the clothing that is worn there is just not acceptable at all), and even at your son's high school football game (the pep squad/color guard/etc have the most provocative outfits I have ever seen. They just scream, 'LOOK AT MY BUTT!'). Now, remember that while you think about the fact (yes, it is a fact) that men are wired to be more VISUALLY oriented than women are. See? Now do you see why we struggle? God wants us to notice beauty, but SIN has perverted God's desire for us to notice your beauty into a temptation to look at others the same way we look at our wives.

Now, so I do not sound like some sort of (please pardon this expression from my youth) "whore dog", I do a very good job of being a man of integrity. I practice what is called "eye bounce" when I notice something/someone that I should not be looking at. With that, when you see something that is "off limits", you "bounce" your eyes to something else. While this may be difficult if you are driving in a neighborhood and some female is running along side the road (or in the road as it happens so much here), you move that to the edge of your field of vision until you pass them and then you keep going. DO NOT LOOK in the rearview mirror. After a while it becomes second nature. Doing this enough helps a man "rediscover" how enticing his wife is to him.

When it comes to the internet, I simply use Firefox or Mozilla as my web browser and turn on pop-up blockers and configure the ad-block extension to block the ads. It not only keeps me focused, but my pages load quicker. Not a bad trade off.

With e-mail, I get a lot of spam. A large chunk of it is adult based (get a date tonight, make your p*nis larger, etc) and is usually followed by a graphic. I simply tell my mail client (Mozilla, Thunderbird, Outlook Express, etc) to make all mail text based instead of web page based and I never have to see the ads.

I think that covers most of what I need to do. I have almost stopped watching TV (we are down to basic cable now, for the broadband access), only go to fantasy/sci-fi movies every couple of months, and sit away from the pep squad when I attend sporting events.

My wife tosses the lingerie catalogs away after she has glanced through them, or we just do not have them delivered. We "commercial skip" when possible since a lot of late night TV has some trashy commercials.

My wife is fully aware that men (including me) struggle. She is proud of me for being honest with her. So, if she understands, why do need an accountability partner? Well, if I stumble, I will be too embarrassed (initially) to tell my wife. But if I have a AP, I can confess, be rebuked, pray, then tell my wife. Admitting things that you have done wrong is difficult. A good wife makes it easier. I cannot imagine being a single Christian man. I would literally go crazy.

Now one last thing on the subject, then I am going to lunch. If any woman who is reading this is disgusted, then you should be disgusted with yourself. If you wore a tight skirt JUST ONE TIME to work, you contributed to this. If you left you lingerie catalogue out and asked your husband or boyfriend to pick out something for you ON HIS OWN, if you watch "Friends", "Sex in the City, Desperate Housewives" (or any other trashy show) or allow him to watch Spike TV for hours, you have enabled him. Don't blame him completely. It is your job to lovingly keep him honest. He has the biggest part, but you women have to do your part as well.

Just think about it.



*Ben is not his real name.