Ah Stupid Bets.

This is simply brilliant.

The Search Ended...

...before it began. So I officially ended my search for the world's ugliest building before the search ever began or for that matter was thought of. The search came to an end as I discovered the "batman" building in Nashville, TN. Any thoughts or finds on some really ugly buildings? Feel free to add to this ugliest buildings ever list.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3 - At World's End Trailer

Saw it last night with a few friends. And yes it is worth seeing. Better than 2 and challenges 1 for supremacy. If this is the end it was a good ending. I give it a big fat A.

Arranged Marriage Conclusion

So about that article. You know the one I posted a few posts back. I like what she had to say, albeit a little short for my tastes. The perspective she brings is a good one. Because in truth it is not about romance. It is about commitment. There are times when you will not feel the romance. There will be times when you want to give up, but it is the commitment to the commitment that will make a marriage last. Things you have in common are good, but in the end of the day that is not what will continue your marriage during those dark times. You must be committed to the other more than to yourself. My buddy Mike got married last week and one of the bridesmaids said something truly brilliant, I honestly wish I had a tape recorder. But since I didn't have one at the time I will paraphrase for you all. "If you truly believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ remember to forgive. Because in the end of the day thats all we have." It was something to that affect. That is where we must start. We are forgiven so we forgive. We are not perfect so we do not expect them to be. We love not because we look past the faults of others, we love because we are loved. No don't get me wrong I find romance to be important. But it will not get us through each and every day. We must as Christians remove the word divorce from our vocabulary. We must be committed as Jesus was committed unto us. We must die to self. We sacrifice not because they sacrifice but because we are called to do it. Our relationships must become ones of action first. Marriage will not work if it is purely reactionary. So yeah thats a lot to say from a guy who is not married. You don't have to listen to me, but at least consider it.

Why I'm Neo-Orthodox.

Because this text said I was. When I got the result I was like "What the heck is Neo-Orthodox?" Which will hurt the ego of a religion major any day of the week. So I went to the ever amazing Wikipedia and read up on Neo-Orthodoxy. Not that this truly says a whole lot; internet tests are not perfect as you all well know. Personally I would put myself in the dead middle of the top three. Imagine a perfect triangle and Im in the exact middle. Thats where I am. So yeah take the test and see where you land. You scored as Neo orthodox. You are neo-orthodox. You reject the human-centredness and scepticism of liberal theology, but neither do you go to the other extreme and make the Bible the central issue for faith. You believe that Christ is God's most important revelation to humanity, and the Trinity is hugely important in your theology. The Bible is also important because it points us to the revelation of Christ. You are influenced by Karl Barth and P T Forsyth. Neo orthodox 64% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 57% Emergent/Postmodern 54% Reformed Evangelical 50% Fundamentalist 46% Charismatic/Pentecostal 32% Roman Catholic 25% Classical Liberal 18% Modern Liberal 14% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

The Balance: Sports and Relationships

So I found this good article today on how to balance Sports and your significant other. Guys it is worth reading.

Oh Donald, How I have Missed You

So tonight I had coffee with Jesse and he allowed me to borrow the above book. Which I really wanted to buy the other day with Jared at Borders, but do to lack of cash I decided it would be better not to. But I noticed something very interesting about Miller's writing style as I read the first few pages. It really feels like I sat down to have coffee with a long lost friend. If you haven't yet read one of his books I suggest this or Blue Like Jazz. It will be the beginning of an amazing friendship, much like your imaginary friendships as a child, except you might one day meet Mr.Miller.

Transformers Trailer

I'll admit I had my doubts but this trailer has relieved them to some extent. Hopefully this is good.

twirl a squirrel

I will take two. How many do you want?

Arranged Marriage Anyone?

So my buddy Dave is working for this online magazine and showed me this article on Arranged Marriage. It is interesting and sparks some thoughts. Go and check it out. I will inform you all later what I think about it.

Mysterious Starbucks Cup

So recently I have gotten a Starbucks cup with Spanish writing on it. I believe the size was grande. I had it written down but I have seemed to misplace it (actually I deleted it accidentally from my mac). So if you happen to get this said cup and are able to read it please inform me of what it says I am really curious. Or if you get the cup and cannot read it write it down and I will attempt to find someone to translate. Thanks for your time. Oh yes it was not just once it was twice. Brent was witness to the first one. Can you tell how exciting my life has been lately.

P.S. I have a job interview of sorts on Sunday, yippee. Keep it in prayer and I will update you as the process continues.

Planet Earth

So I am currently watching Planet Earth. And they just did a segment on the arctic wolf and caribou. They happened to film a hunt in progress and talked about the tactics of the wolf. The wolf uses a method that causes the weak to be separated from the rest of the group. I watched a young caribou being chased down by the adult wolf. So I was thinking about Peter's reference to the devil being like a prowling lion. We are meant to live in community as we go through life. If we don't we can be caught alone and we are done for. It is only when we live in community that we will know how we need to grow to become more like Christ. While Peter does not use this example specifically in this way it is important that we realize it does apply. When we are cut off from the body of Christ we are lone wolfs. We do not have others to encourage us, build us up and challenge us to change. We need all these things in our lives. It is these things that help us to become more Christlike. So in light of this episode of Planet Earth here is to community despite all the stuff that goes along with it. Just remember we are called to bear with one another despite our short comings.

Discipleship

Recently I have been immersing my self in multiple books on discipleship. And as I am working on the most current book, Transforming Discipleship by Greg Ogden, I came across something I wanted to share. Here is a quote from the book discussing discipleship from Jesus perspective. As you read this I want you to remember that discipleship is not optional from Jesus perspective. When we acknowledge Jesus as Lord that is not simply as word. But it is filled with meaning. Lord means that he has control over all of who we are. We must be whole devoted to him and his ways. We cannot be on the fence "for what does light have to do with darkness." There should be no such thing as a Christian who does not participate in discipleship. This is not only for the super-Christian, it is for the average Joe. Peter, James and John all were mere fisherman. They were average Joe of their world. And look what Jesus helped them to become.

"Everything centers on him, his person. Discipleship means knowing him, loving him, believing in him, being committed to him.' The message was enfleshed and inseparable from who he was. 'Jesus' leadership development of his under-shepherds was not so much a course or a curriculum as it was a shared life.'"

Out of Courtesy

So out of courtesy to all of you out there I decided to go back to the full feed for RSS readers. So yeah enjoy it blog world. And you won't believe how many different spellings I tried for Courtesy, but I finally got it.

Kingship

"I will tell His Majesty what a king is. A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at watch upon the wall. A king does not command his men's loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold; he earns their love by the sweat of his own back and the pains he endures for their sake. That which comprises the harshest burden, a king lifts first and sets down last. A king does not require service of those he leads but provides it to them. He serves them, not they him." - Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. Describing Leonidas from the view of one of the characters in the book.

The question is "What kind of king are you serving, one that requires it or earns it?" It is often said that this is how a man is to love his wife and there by earn her respect and following. He must first sacrifice then she can aptly follow as seen in Ephesians 5.

The Big Chipotle Question:

Is Chipotle owned by McDonalds? Over the years I have heard many a answer to this question. But today I found out the real answer while wandering around Chipotlefan.com. Here is the skinny.

Short Answer: No, Chipotle is not owned by McDonald's.

Long Answer:
Chipotle became a susidiary of McDonald's in 1999 when McDonald's acquired the controlling stake of the company. At one point, McDonald's owned shares accounting for approximately 87% of the voting power of Chipotle's common stock. In Chipotle's earlier stages, McDonald's helped Chipotle's operations by sharing its own distribution networks.

Currently, Mcdonald's no longer has anything to do with Chipotle Mexican Grill. They have divested completely from Chipotle.

Source: Joe Stupp, General Manager, Chipotle.com

It is found on this page at Chipotlefan.com. Needless to say I am happy to finally have an answer, especially this one.

New Sheriff Town

That is the town known as the NFL. The new commissioner is laying down the law big time. ESPN has a great article on the new way things are going to go around the town. Its about time, in my opinion.

Oh Those Greeks

Here is a great article on a well known theater in Greece that has amazing acoustics. I thought some of you might be interested (Hayley and Andrew).

Link Failure Unknown

The only reason I can think that it no longer works is that they took it down for some reason. Sorry about that. Weird considering it worked yesterday.

Link to the Link

Ok since that link didn't work earlier go to here and the link is at the bottom.