Check it ... this Sterling Silver & Cubic Zirconia Phat Bling Christ Pendant ... it's off da hizzle ... fer shizzle!

Scrap dat WWJD bling, yo ... fellas n ladies be rushin' 2 represent, sportin' bling as phat as dat. And forget da benjamin's ... tis 56% off!

Werd up, homeslice. Fo reals.

[via relevant]

A Google employee was washing her underwear in the company washing machines (company washing machines?) when Colin Powell walked in. Yeah ... Colon Powell.

Seeing her handful of tighty whities and her black jeans already in the washer, he said, "Well, you're mixing colors!"

Man, that's a story for the grandchildren. If only she would have called him a racist ...

march 26, 2005
11:21pm est

i vividly remember my family's sporatic visits to the beach when i was little ... we didn't go many times, but when we did (usually to Hilton Head) i always had traumatic things happen to me ... bad sunburns, getting lost, getting caught in storms, etc. nevertheless, i still loved swimming in the ocean, trying to bodysurf and jump through the waves. every single time i tried, though, i remember getting violently tossed to the ocean floor ... the undertow would drag my face on the rough bottom and scramble my limbs, leaving bruises and road rash all over my body. it was horrible ... until i learned that the only way to survive was to let it happen. i couldn't fight the waves ... i simply had to close my eyes and hold my breath, letting the water swirl me around, then patiently get my bearings and poke my head above the water.

now, as a quasi-adult, i see the beauty in the thrashing of the waves. the power is magnificent ... even terrible, i would say (like Aslan) ... and the mere fact that we have no choice but to submit and let it happen is such a humbling thing. i think life is often like that too.

but regardless ... we weren't designed to live in this place ... we are immortal beings stuck in mortal bodies. of course we fall apart, screw up, hurt each other, and just plain don't understand it all ... this mortal life sucks. but the whole point is that we were intentionally designed to be with God in eternity. i think paul says it better than i can (in 2cor 5):

"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it."

isn't that amazing? in fact, the whole chapter just spells it out, plain and simple. this world is not our home, but the amazing thing is that God has made us for the very purpose of having "what is mortal" be swallowed up by the REAL life. we're intentionally designed to ditch these feebles bodies and sinful lives and be with Jesus.

this year i learned that the world "salvation", when used in scripture, didn't usually refer to getting saved. it referred to getting healed ... like a "salve" on a wound. and the more i think about that, the more i realize how much Christ's sacrifice makes sense ... by His wounds, we are healed. our eternal souls, bruised and wounded in this messed-up mortal life, can have eternal healing and restoration through His wounds. like john said (10:10):

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

the purpose of Christ was to give us access to life ... access to an excess of life. that's why we're celebrating Easter. His answer to your questions has already come, my friend. you have not been fashioned to fit into the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. only then will you be able to see what his good, pleasing, and perfect will is (rom 12:1-2). only then will you know how to live and love in this wretched world (but for a hint, read the rest of 2cor 5).

my specific hope is that this sort of eternal perspective will grow in your heart as the waves crash over you.

If you haven't noticed, I've been placing less and less emphasis on this website in the past couple of months. Simply put, it's not that important right now. Sorry, guys. :)

But I suppose that a life update is in order anyways. This has been a great week ... it's spring break, so I've had ample time to simply relax. Amber and I went to visit Brian and Val for a couple of days, we've had some fun track practices, and many details (finances, taxes, cleaning, movie watching) are slowly getting checked off the list. I'm still looking for houses, an opportunity to pursue my Master's might be opening up, and I've become a little more involved in my church. Oh, and the weather is just starting to shape up for the spring ... all in all, life's "stuff" is just fine. Peachy, I might even say!

I, however, have had a lot on my heart lately, big questions that I don't even know how to begin answering. The more patient and conscious I get, the more I become curious if there really is an answer or if I'm just supposed to make one up. Isn't that sometimes the case? I think it is.

Regardless, I'm thankful for this Lenten season, when the focus shifts off of us and our puny lives and shifts onto the Eternal. My needs and desires really don't matter ... they grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

     father, i love you
     thank you for your patient way
     your quiet touch
     your steadfast mercy

may my life become a signal     
a solitary beacon in a desolate place     
causing confusion and bewilderment     
and illuminating the way to your love     

A couple of months ago my brother told me about a bank that exists only online and via phone/mail ... it doesn't have your typical brick-and-mortar buildings, so it can keep costs down and interest at phenominal rates (currently at 2.8%!).

I'm not going to do a big sales pitch here, but if you're of the investing type and are interested, email me or leave a comment. I've done the research (they're FDIC Insured, on the NYSE, over 100 years old) and can pass it on to you if you want to be sure that it's legit. Plus, if I refer you they'll deposit $25 in your account for free (you can't withdraw it for 30 days) and I'll get a $10 deposit too.

Ok, that's enough of that ... I have to go wash my hands. :)

The new Lance Crackers ad campaign has me in stitches!

Grown adults chasing each other around in silly costumes in the middle of a large city. Oh, yeah.

Would you rather feel:

      a. alone and unloved
      b. inadequate and not respected

"The name flu comes from the word influenza, which means 'flu.'"

- A website on "FUN FACTS ABOUT THE FLU"

I've had this idea before. In fact, I feel like I say that a lot ... I seem have a knack with silly, weird, stupid, and awkward ideas. One of these days I should act on one ...

Happy Pythagorean Triple Day! Today's date, 03.04.05, is a Pythagorean triple. A Pythagorean triple is a set of three positive integers that name the lengths of the sides of a right triangle (a² + b² = c², according to the Pythagorean Theorum).

The next time a Pythagorean triple occurs is 06.08.10 but it's not a primitive triple (it's a multiple triple since 6-8-10 is a multiple of 3-4-5). The next primitive triple will be 05.12.13. So enjoy this one while you can!

Class, can anyone tell us our next major mathematical day this month? Bueller?

Teachers in Berkeley, California are in the midst of a very interesting sort of workers' strike. Their school district hasn't raised their salaries in the past two years (not even enough to keep up with local cost-of-living increases), so they're refusing to work any extra hours. They don't answer parent phone calls or emails when the school day is over, grade papers at home, or attend extra-curricular activites ... they go home when their contracts say they should.

And when you think about it, that's not unreasonable ... most professionals do the same thing when the clock strikes 5pm. They work 40-hour weeks and then leave it all at the office. Schools simply can't function like that ... and it's good that way.

"Teachers do a lot with a little. All of a sudden, a lot of things that they do are just gone. It's demoralizing," said Rachel Baker, who has a son in kindergarten.

Personally, I can't imagine having a union that requred that. I regularly work 12-14 hour days ... not only because it's the only way to keep up, but also because I want to. I am consumed by the ministry of loving these kids, and God has simply designed me as a person who wants to get the job done right, no matter what it takes. Excellence requires dedication, and middle school kids require tons of time.