Wrong, Mr. Gore

I just got done watching Al Gore give his little save the planet speech on the MTV Video Music Awards. I won’t even bother wasting much time stating that the fact that Mr. Gore uses a “do as I say and not as I do” approach when it comes to the environment. Just do some searching, and you’ll find the evidence pretty quickly.

Anyway, Mr. Gore stated that environmental issues would be the greatest threat to our generation in the upcoming years. I’m sorry Mr. Gore, but I don’t agree with you on that one. Sure the environment is an extremely important thing not to be toyed with, but how about the radical terrorists who will stop at nothing to see our way of life destroyed? How about Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadenijad, who was photographed at a speaking engagement entitled, “A World Without Zionism,” that featured a picture of globes of Israel and the U.S. crashing to the ground and breaking into pieces.

Don’t believe me? Here’s the image:

Let’s not forget that a serious threat to our way of life exists in radical terrorism, whatever faith it might lay claim to.

So, while it’s important to take care of the Earth and all that good stuff, let’s not forget about the war we are currently waging.

Glad to be back

It’s always fun to get away and go on vacation, but it always seems just as nice to be back home.We

just returned from a little day-and-a-half trip to Erie, with our friends, Darrin and Krista. To call them our “food friends” I think would not fully describe our relationship, but I will say that we never eat a bad meal when we’re with them.In

our short trip, it seems like we travelled the world in terms of food. There were the down home burgers of Any Town USA at Max and Emma’s, the exceptional steak with a Texas feel at The Longhorn,  the Italian gelato (I hope that’s how you spell it), and an American staple – all you can eat Buffalo wings in more flavors than I could hope to sample.We

didn’t just eat on this trip, although you might think we did : ). We also visited a local zoo in Erie. Seeing apes and orangutangs up close is truly amazing. I don’t buy for a second that we evolved from them, but they do have a very human persona to them. I think I could have sat there all day watching them and trying to guess what they were thinking.We

We also watched not 1 but 2 movies for a grand total of $3.50. You would be hard pressed to rent one movie for that much.

The lake was cold and kind of dreary, but that was also a nice touch to the trip.

And what vacation would be complete without some shopping? I have since been informed that I, “shop like a girl,” when it comes to shoe shopping. I make no excuses for my shoe shopping style, thank you very much : ) I’m particular about what I wear, and I guess I always will be.

All in all it was a great trip, but it’s always nice to be back home.

Watching History

There are only a few times in my life when I’ve felt like I’ve been watching history. Michael Jordan and the Bulls winning all their championships in the 1990’s, September 11, 2001, and the various wars I’ve lived through.

Today I’m watching Tiger Woods make history by winning his 12th major championship. To those of you reading who don’t follow golf – that’s a HUGE deal. There are only 4 major championships played each year – The Masters, The US Open, The British Open, and The PGA Championship. The record all time is held by Jack Nicklaus at 18 total. Barring a major disaster, Tiger should have no problem getting there.

I’ve been watching Tiger since he was an amateur, and I saw him dominated a match play event on ESPN. So I hopped on the bandwagon early.

To watch him play when he’s on his game is simply amazing. It’s funny to listen to the commentators say, “he’ll have a hard shot here, ” “he can’t make that shot,”, etc. etc. And it seems like every time, he simply silences them with one fascinating shot after another.

I believe one day Tiger will prove that he is the greatest golfer of all time. He is so focused, so fine-tuned, that he’s almost like a machine. In fact, he’s never lost a major championship when leading or tied for the lead after the third round. Other players seem to fade away while he charges ahead.

Has Tiger gone through down times in his game? Sure. Has he slumped as much as some people make it out to be? I think not. Some people would sell their soul to play the game the way he does and to have had the success that he has had.

I am glad that I get to watch history in the making. It’s nice to watch a fun piece of history being made, what with all the wars, terrorism, and every other crazy and evil thing going on in this messed up world of ours.

I have been fortunate to have watched almost all of the major championships that Tiger has won, and I have seen some amazing golf in those 11 (soon to be 12) wins.

Mr. Woods, keep amazing us. Keep chasing history, and keep making history.

Reminder

The happenings this morning in England are a reminder of the increasingly crazy world that we live in. A reminder that we can’t just sit back and assume that everything will go back to normal.

A reminder that there are people who are bent on two things: the destruction of Israel, and the destruction of the United States – plain and simple.

It is sad in a way to think that people are so desperate, confused, whatever you want to call it that they would blow themselves up on a plane to defeat the “great satan.” (America) How does someone get to that point? I don’t know.

To me it seems ever more clear that we are approaching or in what Christians call the End Times – the period of upheaval on the Earth before Jesus returns. Sometimes when I read what will happen, it seems so crazy, like some fanciful movie plot. But then I remember that this is truth (whether you agree with me or not). And as I watch events unfold in the Middle East, sometimes it does frighten me. Sometimes I wonder, “is the end soon?”, “am I ready?”, etc. etc. It has been an interesting two weeks or so for me personally.

Just know this, whether we like it or not, there will be an end someday. There will be a final judgment of mankind as much as we want to deny it sometimes. My hope is that anyone who reads this blog will be ready for that judgment day when it comes.

Older Brother Syndrome?

If you haven’t read the parable of the Prodigal Son, you should. Check out Luke 15:11-32 in any version of the Bible.

Am I an older son? No. I am an only child, but recently I realized that I suffer from what I like to call “Older Brother Syndrome,” which has nothing to do with the fact of whether or not you have siblings. It has everything to do with the older brother in the story of the Prodigal Son.

Basically, the older brother was faithful to his father and continued to work for him while the Prodigal Son squandered his inheritance and basically ended up as a bum, before humbly returning back to his father. When he returned, his father welcomed him back with open hours, but the older brother was miffed about all the attention his brother received. Basically the father says, “get over it, because your brother – who was lost – is now found.”

I feel like the older brother sometimes, and I don’t like that. Not that anyone has come back or anything, but I often find myself comparing myself to other people I know – friends, family, etc., and I get mad because I feel like I try to live what I think is a good Christian life, and when I see people – especially those who know better – doing the opposite, it really upsets me. Especially when things seem to be going well and easy for them, and it seems like I’m facing constant struggles.

As a wise person reminded me last night, “life isn’t always fair.” And, unfortunately, that is true. I do however feel bad, because I have let a sense of pride cloud my vision / judgment. For that, I apologize to the people I have felt that way about. You may not know that I did or not, but I do apologize.

I hope to be more of an understanding “older brother” in the future and not get hung up on the whole me vs. them mentality.