Quote of the Day

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Thanksgiving Feast at the Academy

Isa's daycare had their annual Thanksgiving Feast today at lunch time. I was looking forward to it, because, over the last 2 years Isa's been enrolled there, the food has been excellent. Definitely up to par with the quality food prepared by families all across the country on this day of thanks.

I was very tempted to stuff myself silly, but was able to muster up some self control and only eat smaller portions. On my drive back to work there was a pleasant sensation in my stomach. I was full enough to be satisfied, but not stuffed and bloated as is typical this time of year.

I want to say a quick thanks to Miss Stephanie and Miss Zoe for all of the hard work they put in to make the Thanksgiving Feast great for the kids and their families.

My thoughts on Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360)

So, we picked up this game yesterday anxious to see if it lived up to the hype. Reviews were split, some loved it and others were disappointed.

My take, it's awesome! I didn't get a chance to play until late last night and before I knew it, it was 3:45 a.m.. Reluctantly, I had to shut my 360 down and get some sleep.

There are so many things I like about this game. I'm not a big fan of sandbox games, I have to say, AC really appealed to me. You play a man in the future, who comes from a long line of assassins. A lab holds you prisoner and forces you to use a machine to tap into ancestral memories to locate something. Of course, they don't tell you what you're looking for and I'm not far enough into the game to even guess.

The interaction with the environment is excellent. It reminds me of when Splinter Cell first came out, having the ability to scale walls and use beams and other objects to fulfill your purpose. But, AC goes even further with the crowd interaction and having the ability to either shove or gently push away people you come in contact with. Truly a gaming first.

I can really go on and on about the game, especially the controls, graphics, and the utter fact that you get to play an assassin in the Crusade world. It's just plain cool.

I definitely recommend it and look forward to playing some more after work.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Are you sick of hearing about Britney and Kevin?

I know I am. And this morning, I couldn't have been more sure of it.

I went to CNN.com to get an update on what's going in the world around me. I look down the list of links in the Latest News section, and, to my utter disgust, there's an article about Britney Spears. Apparently there's a video that shows Britney running a red light. Not that it's not a bad thing, but is it front-page-latest-news worthy? I don't think so. I'm to the point now where I'm ready to boycott the mainstream news sites for this kind of crap.



So, if anyone has any suggestions on reliable news sites I can check out where I'm not going to get bombarded by celebrity crap, please, please let me know.

Monday, November 12, 2007

When I Say, "I Am A Christian"

Piet, our pastor, quoted this poem at the service yesterday. I think it's right on as far as how I feel about my beliefs and what non-believers should know.

When I Say, "I Am A Christian"
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"
I'm whispering, "I get lost! That's why I chose this way"

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't speak with human pride
I'm confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong
I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot ever pay the debt

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't think I know it all
I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible but God believes I'm worth it

When I say, "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name

When I say, "I am a Christian," I do not wish to judge
I have no authority--I only know I'm loved

Copyright 1988 Carol Wimmer

Friday, November 9, 2007

Life happens

We're all familiar with the phrase "life is hard." In fact it is. Sometimes more than others, but in general, life has a tendency to throw you lemons. All that remains is how you respond and react. I firmly believe that if life weren't hard we wouldn't need God. People have a tendency to ignore God when things are good, but, when times are tough, really tough, it's all you can do to keep on. Our saving grace is falling on our knees and asking for grace and peace and comfort.

My mom just called, and she's at that place in her life. The month of October has been difficult for my family.

We almost lost my abuelita, and she was ready to go. She had a peace about where she was at and where things could go. You can't help but be in awe about it. After my abuelita recovered, praise God, we then had to deal with the wildfires.

By 'we' I mean my brother, Henry and his girlfriend, Vanessa. At one point, they were packed up and ready leave their apartment. The fire came within 200 feet of their place, but was pushed back by the hardworking firefighters. My brother admired them and praised them for the dedication and diligence they displayed.

More recently, just this past week, my tia (aunt) Maria Elena, my mom's older sister, was apparetnly knocked down by a group of skaters and suffered a head injury. She was taken to the emergency room because of hemorrhaging. My mom's heart broke as she saw her laying in the hospital bed, head swollen and tubes. My tia has lost a lot of weight too, being a single mom, trying to raise 3 boys, who are now men who could care less for her and her situation. They've basically run her ragged.

To hear my mom's heartbreak on the phone is, just plainly, hard. I want to just reach over and hold her and cry with her. But, all I can do is listen and pray that God will comfort her and my family.

We're going out there for Christmas in a few weeks. My heart is anxious and excited all at the same time. I really don't know what the trip will be like.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Unconditional respect?

I recently started reading a book by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs called Love & Respect. I'm only a few chapters in, but I have to say that it's the best book I've read all year. It is challenging me and my beliefs about a godly marriage and what it means to be a godly wife.

I'm tempted to include excerpt after excerpt from the book, but I'd end up posting most of the book. What I do want to include is the verse the book begins with that is overlooked by most men and women of the church. At least until now.

The verse comes from Ephesians and goes as follows:
"However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." 5:33 (NIV)

Most women undestand that, in marriage, love must come unconditionally. In reality, it's not that difficult a concept to grasp. Even men get that. But, if you notice, girls, we're not called to love our husbands unconditionally, we're called to respect our husbands unconditionally. I had a difficult time with this. I mean, we're taught that respect is earned, not just given freely. But, in the marriage commitment, we are called to respect our husbands, regardless. Heck, we expect our husbands to love us regardless of our failures and shortcomings, right?

Think about it. It would absolutely break our hearts at the thought that our husbands don't love us. To a man, respect works the same way. They know deep down that we love them, but respect them? According to Dr. Eggerichs, that is the man's greatest fear.

You might not agree with Dr. Eggerichs, so here's an excerpt of how this plays out in a typical marriage:

"The Crazy Cycle often starts when women start scolding in their homes. The word scold is often associated with mothers bawling out their children; the dictionary definition, however, says that scolding means to reprimand or criticize harshly and usually angrily and even openly. When a wife comes at a husband with repeated reprimands and "scolding," this is a surefire way not only to annoy him but to treat him with disrespect. Wives, however, tend not to see this. As mothers, correction is a part of their maternal nature. Unfortunately, they tend to mother their husbands also..

When a wife scolds her husband, she's only trying to help correct things, to keep things on an even keel. And there is no doubt at times men need this kind of help. But when a man begins to feel that what his wife is saying reduces him to a child being scolded, there can be trouble. He doesn't necessarily see his wife's heart; he only hears her words, which are saying that she's looking down on him. To paraphrase Proverbs, he would rather live in the wilderness than with this irritating woman. While many wives do not intend to be disrespectful, they appear that way to their husbands, and their husbands take refuge in stonewalling them."

Monday, November 5, 2007

Quick notes..

Quick notes is simply a collection of ramblings about whatever the heck is on my mind. It might be confusing, but I'm just writing what comes to mind.

The rumors about Joe Torre were validated late last week as news of his signing through 2010 for $13 million filled the airwaves and Internet. Great news for Dodger fans, like me. Finally, a top caliber manager running the show.

The weekend was great. We did absolutely nothing. I had the girls (from MBS) over Friday night for some food and Guitar Hero III. Jennifer and Jenny got into it. Saturday, Matt, me, and Isa just sat around the house watched TV, played together, and did nothing, all day. It was great.

Yesterday, Sunday, we attended a great service at Woodcrest. They started a new series called Sex, Drugs, and I Want Control. You hardly ever hear churches deal with the issues of sex and drugs head on. Well, Woodcrest isn't your typical church. The dove right into a topic that needs to be talked about, especially today. The main ideas from the service, sex was designed by God for a man and woman to enjoy, not just to procreate, and that it was intended within the marriage commitment. Next weekend, they're tackling the subject of drugs.

The Chiefs almost pulled it out yesterday. Almost, but the great Brett Favre stole the show. The Packers are having a great season, and I was torn between who to root for. I respect Favre and am a Chiefs fan. While I don't like to see the Chiefs lose, I like that Favre and the Packers won.

More football, the Colts and Patriots match up lived up to it's billing. The game went back and forth, and, in the end, Brady came out on top. I like both teams, and think that these two teams will meet again in the post-season.