Political Humor

Gmail

It's sort of like getting picked in gym class.

Gmail is the email offering from Google. It's very similar to Yahoo! mail. The differences are that it has 1 Gig of storage space (awesome) and it is not available unless you receive an invite from someone that already has an account. I'm not sure why, but this is the way Google has set it up. These have been the thing to get for the last few months. They even got up to $35 each on ebay at one point. I refused to give in to buying something that was given away free.

Well, my patience paid off. While browsing around the Third Day forum yesterday trying to find out more about their appearance at the RNC Wednesday night, I found someone offering up some of their invites. I politely asked for one and BAM! I'm in!!

So when I get an invite to give away I'll post it here. I have a couple spoken for already, but you will be the first to know of any I have to give away....FREE! Here is my updated email address list. I can be reached at any of these:

russellhawkins@myway.com
russellhawkins@yahoo.com
rthawkins@gmail.com

The Draft

First time doing a live draft and it went off without a hitch.

With 9 of the 10 guys there, we stuffed my small house. We had barbeque and hot wings, brats, homemade fries, chips and dips and a lot of football talk. It really was a lot of fun. We had a huge chalkboard that was broken down into a grid. We had a make-shift lottery drawing with ping pong balls to determine draft positions. With cheat sheets in hand we made our picks. Every manager had 60 seconds to make their pick. If you missed your time, the next manager got to pick, then back to you for another chance. We only had to enforce it once. After 8 rounds we had a 15 minute "halftime" break. All in all I think everyone's team was much improved by the live draft vs. the autodraft. Here are the players I ended up with:

QB:
Mark Bulger, David Carr

RB:
Ahman Green, Rudi Johnson, Quentin Griffin, Willis McGahee, Ron Dayne

WR:
Joe Horn, Derrick Mason, Darrell Jackson, Corey Bradford, Larry Fitzgerald, Donald Driver, Mushin Muhammad

K:
Sebastian Janikowski

DEF:
St. Louis

I think I made out pretty well. Ahman Green fell into my lap. I took a flyer on Larry Fitzgerald and Willis McGahee. I used my last two picks to draft the Defense and Kicker but I don't think they are that bad.

I'm already excited about doing this again next year and the season hasn't even begun yet.

Vaco Day

Cedar Point

(I have 2 remaining for the year. Not good.)

The Passion

I was lucky enough to see a special screening of this film in Chicago in early January. My dad received a special invitation from Mel Gibson's company and he could bring one guest. So we took a road trip.

That was one of the weirdest few hours I can remember. For starters I just watched a movie, more like a documentary, detailing graphically what Jesus went through in his last few hours. It was all in Aramaic and subtitles which was awkward for a bit, but eventually you were sucked in and didn't notice it. The film was beautifully done, but the story wasn't beautiful. It was awful. Not the story itself, but the fact that we are now seeing what we all tried to gloss over our whole lives. This is not a movie to eat popcorn and candy at. Then there was the Q&A with Mel. It's always nice to see celebrities. Especially one that has stuck his neck out for his faith. For your faith. But he's much stranger than I thought. He was a lot like his character in Lethal Weapon. He was very fidgety and uncomfortable. It was a great trip, but like I said it was weird. The movie received the same reaction that day as it did in theaters around the world in March. Silence. What do you say to somebody after you see that? What do you do? All you can do is sit there and digest what you've just seen. The Truest Definition of Love. And it was all for YOU.

Now the movie is set to release on DVD next Tuesday. Am I excited about it? I don't know. I want to buy it but I don't want to watch it. I don't have the slightest desire to see it again, but I do want to support Mel. And I do want to own it, perhaps to loan to others who haven't seen it. It is quite convicting. So while I'm probably going to buy it, I'm sure I won't be popping any popcorn on a Friday night with the wife.

The thing I think I'm more interested in is the soundtrack. At first that may sound weird, but it is a compilation of songs by artist's who were inspired by the movie and produced songs for the CD. It features artists like Lauryn Hill, Scott Strapp and Brad Paisley. For more information Click Here >>

Slumping Sammy Sosa

It was only two years ago it was Slamming Sammy Sosa.

I started following the Cubs in 1996. It was my second semester in my freshman year at Harding University. It was also the first time I had cable in my life since I had grown up without cable. (That would soon change that summer at home).

While surfing the seemingly thousands of channels, I came across WGN, Chicago's own superstation and they were televising a Cubs game. I love baseball and I'd been fond of Mark Grace, so I watched. That season began with them losing their first 12 games or something. I would tune in every time I could just to see if that would be the day they won their first. Thus began my love for the Cubs. It's an easy hook. The park is beautiful, the fans are rabid, the uniforms rock and the players are fun.

While watching my new favorite team that year, I started noticing that this one guy hit a homerun EVERY SINGLE TIME I WATCHED THEM PLAY. Seriously, I might have watched them 35 times that year on WGN and in 30 of them he hit a homerun.

Of course, I'm talking about Sammy Sosa.

Over the next two years his popularity rose to astronomical levels. It started in June of 1998 when Sammy belted a record-breaking 20 homeruns. That was the year he became steeped in the chase for the most prestigious record in sports. He finished second with 66, but his team, my team, got to the playoffs and he earned the NL MVP.

Starting with that year, he broke another record and hit 50+ homers four straight years. He was the new lovable player. His homerun derby exploits were out of this world.

Then he started getting a big head. The year after he won the homerun derby, he got an attitude. That years derby, after he hit the clencher to send him to the next round, he dropped his bat, made a scowl and walked off. No more big smiles for him, he was "The Man".

I thought last year was terrible, what with the corked bat and then getting jelly legs after getting nailed in the head. But this year really IS terrible. He's hitting .255 with very few homers. He's starting to get dropped in the lineup and now Nomar is starting to become the toast of the town. Sammy is getting booed as he makes his trademark run out to right field. He gets booed when he hits into grounders. Whispers of bench him can be heard around the world.

He can revive himself however. If he vaults his team into and through the playoffs into the World Series he will regain his superstar status and bring them all back. However, if he is the reason they fail, he'll be gone next year and Nomar will be the new face of the Cubs.

Tuesday Spotlight: The Freak

Over his elustrius career, Michael Jackson has proved over and over that you can always change your image. Literally and Figuratively.



From his beginnings with the Jackson Five, he has always shown that he was talented. He has accumulated more awards than I can even take time to count. He's also changed his face more times than I care to count. And now his public image is taking yet another turn.

In the early 80's, Michael was the man. My buddy Charlie and I would practice his moves. Standing on our toes. Doing the Moonwalk. Throwing the hat to the side. We were only eight. I remember staying up late one night and watching Thriller. WOW!

Then something happened. I'll never know what, but something. Probably all the plastic surgery. He's now turned into a freak show. Nobody takes him seriously. Even I, one of his biggest fans, have doubts about his sanity.

And what about this child molestation stuff. I can't figure that out either. Who pays off a kid TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS just to avoid a trial? That is a little excessive. It is possible that he thought he was so rich that the money didn't matter, but I just don't buy that. And this new accusation. It could be a gold digger, but he still has done some things that are most inappropriate for a 35 year old man.

He says he had no childhood. We know he's never had privacy. He certainly didn't have good parents. So now we're left to sit and gawk at these new pictures of a fallen idol. It goes to show you that we should never put our faith in man. It will only disappoint.

I just hope that one day he can figure himself out and change his image back for the good. Just lay off the plastic surgery, there's not much more canvas to work with dude.

Short Week

I'm done at noon on Thursday. You gotta love short work weeks! We've got a big weekend planned. Friday we're going to Cedar Point. Saturday is the big Fantasy Football Draft! I'm going to be a bit tired this time next week, but hey, that is Labor Day Weekend which will include opening day of The Big House vs. Miami of Ohio and the 7th Annual Dougie Invitational.

So many things to look forward to. Did I mention Tanner is 13 months today? He doesn't look a day over 12 months! :)

It's A Beautiful Day

U2 - All that you can't leave behind

The heart is a bloom
Shoots up through the stony ground
There's no room
No space to rent in this town

You're out of luck
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck
And you're not moving anywhere

You thought you'd found a friend
To take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand
In return for grace

It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away

You're on the road
But you've got no destination
You're in the mud
In the maze of her imagination

You love this town
Even if that doesn't ring true
You've been all over
And it's been all over you

It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
It's a beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Teach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case

See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out

It was a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
Beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Reach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case

What you don't have you don't need it now
What you don't know you can feel it somehow
What you don't have you don't need it now
Don't need it now
Was a beautiful day

Freecycle

Ever need a bar of soap and not wanted to buy one? Ever been searching for that perfect pair of jeans that's been handed down for 6 generations? How about one of those console TV sets? You can even find a bag of used bits of crayons on the Freecycle website.

This a really cool idea and I'm amazed at the success of the site. It's simply a community of people who would rather give something away to a needing person, than throw it in a landfill. Hop in and find your area. You'd be amazed at the things people are giving away, and at the urge you'll have to offer up your own stuff. Have fun.

It's Hard To Consider The Lilies

Especially in the bad times.

But what about the good times. Do we take time to remind ourselves that we don't need all the things we keep storring up with? We buy thinking we need something. We buy without thinking. We buy just because we can.

How about living the way Jesus taught. Sounds simple enough. We think life is roses and apple pies and new cars, but if we are to live the way Jesus taught, we should be downsizing, not supersizing. Giving not getting. Loving not wanting.

We are to be in the world, not of the world, and the world is full of stuff. Did I really need to buy that new computer? Isn't there a cousin that could use that money more than I needed that rocking chair for my porch? Who really needs that many DVDs? Who have I helped without wanting something in return?

Sure, I'm convicted, but I'm going to slip back into the same habits. Satan will sneak up and convince me of something I just have to have. And I'll give in. I don't have to though. I'm not fighting this battle on my own. There is power in prayer. If God is for you, who can be against you?

So pray for me. Pray for yourself. Pray for our materialistic tendancies. Pray that we always consider the lilies.

Especially in the good times.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -Matthew 6:25-33<

New Search Bar

The new search bar on the top was added by Blogger. I thought it was annoying at first, but it serves a great function for my site. This is their explanation of the new bar:

The Blogger NavBar is a navigation bar and toolbar with a form that allows people to search just your weblog using Google's SiteSearch and gives you the ability to check out what's happening on other recently published blogs with one click.

Basically, you can use the search bar, or NavBar as they call it, to search only my blog. I like that! The right side offers you an option to click to another random blog, much like a webring works. So feel free to search my site for topics. If you want to re-read the et tu Ridgeway post or the Jet Lag Overdrive post or forgot what I want for my birthday (which is only 9 days away), just type in a keyword and click search. Google does the rest.

Be Nice

Unknown Love

We never know the love of our parents for us until we become parents. —Henry Ward Beecher

Tuesday Spotlight: The Brother-In-Law

You know when you're growing up and you say nobody will ever be good enough for my daughter or my sister? Well, this guy blows that theory out of the water.



Pepe', Peep, Pete, Peter Bortell, the man that swept in from left field while I was away at college and stole my sisters heart and her last name. I have to say I was skeptical in the beginning. Mostly because of the age difference. She was so young and he was so old. But now I know. She is older than her age, and he's still a boy at heart. He's also quite dedicated to her. He broke is back recently and literally carrying her to bed after she had her wisdom teeth pulled. :) He'll give up his needs to meet her needs. He'll work his butt off to make sure she's happy. And to this day, I haven't seen him get testy with her, even though she needs some testy every now and then.:)

This guy I call my brother enjoys good movies in great settings. He's all about the Bose® lined home theater system. He loves automobiles. Fixing them, driving them. Let him tell you the story of the time he did a 360 on the highway because he was spinning already and decided to try what he'd seen in the movies. He's got a remote controled car. Did I mention it can go faster than my first real car?

And to top it all off, he's an Engineer. Notice the nice work he's doing with my bathroom furniture above. Seriously though, he's the smart type. He's great to have hanging around. Maybe something will rub off eventually. Even if it doesn't, I'm glad he's my brotha! Hey Pete, "Brother's don't shake hands, Brother's gotta hug!!"

Monday Blues

Always give 100% at work.
12% Monday
23% Tuesday
40% Wednesday
20% Thursday
5% Friday

Tips To Look Like You Are Working Hard

1. Never walk down the hall without a document in your hands
People with documents in their hands look like hardworking employees heading for important meetings.
People with nothing in their hands look like they're heading for the cafeteria.
People with a newspaper in their hand look like they're heading for the toilet.
Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you do.

2. Use computers to look busy
Any time you use a computer, it looks like "work" to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal e-mail, calculate your finances and generally have a blast without doing anything remotely related to work.

When you get caught by your boss -and you *will* get caught - your best defense is to claim you're teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable training expenses.

3. Messy desk
Build huge piles of documents around your workspace.

To the observer, last year's work looks the same as today's work; it's volume that counts.

Pile them high and wide. If you know somebody is coming to your cubicle, bury the document you'll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.

4. Voice Mail
Never answer your phone if you have voice mail. People don't call you just because they want to give you something for nothing – they call because they want YOU to do work for THEM. That's no way to live.

If your voice mailbox has a limit on the number of messages it can hold, make sure you reach that limit frequently. One way to do that is to never erase any incoming messages. If that takes too long, send yourself a few messages. Your callers will hear a recorded message that says, "Sorry, this mailbox is full" - a sure sign that you are a hardworking employee in high demand.

5. Looking Impatient and Annoyed
One should also always try to look impatient and annoyed to give your bosses the impression that you are always busy.

6. Appear to Work Late
Always leave the office late, especially when the boss is still around. You could read magazines and storybooks that you always wanted to read, but have no time until late before leaving.

7. Creative Sighing for Effect
Sigh loudly when there are many people around, giving the impression that you are very hard pressed.

8. Stacking Strategy
It is not enough to pile lots of documents on the table. Put lots of books on the floor etc... You can always borrow from library. Thick computer manuals are the best.

9. Build Vocabulary
Read up on some computer magazines and pick out all the jargon and new products.

Use it freely when in conversation with bosses. Remember: They don't have to understand what you say, but you sure sound impressive.

10. Use The Phone
If someone is heading your way with what looks like a job for you or you just want to sound busy as the boss is walking around your department, have a conversation with the phone. Sound very serious but distant. "I'm very busy, I can't do this right now. No, not at all. Just e-mail it to me. Yes, I will check it later."

11. Stategic Writing
Write big words on file folders, to emphasize how URGENT a task is and how soon something is DUE. If companies send you documents or products to examine, make sure you leave their huge stacks of corporate propaganda on your desk.

12. In/Out Boxes
Your "TO DO" box should be filled, but your "DONE" box should be overflowing with files (never mind that they're empty).

13. Look Preoccupied
Always look preoccupied and busy with a task. Walk really quickly through the office and if someone starts talking to you "Not now, I'm swamped. E-mail me, I'll get back to you as soon as it is humanly possible!" All those deadlines, I tell ya.

14. Stage The Morning
Get to work slightly before everyone else. Make yourself look a bit stressed (undue your tie or mess up your hair a bit). Each time someone from your department arrives (especially your boss), look at them, look at your watch and then back at them with a look of disbelief and disgust. Increase exponentially for each minute late they arrive.

Colossians 3:23-24 - Don't worry, Mondays don't last too long!

Mr. Fix It

The countdown to the Draft Party has begun, and with it comes the preparation.

I've been in the house for over a year and many things have taken the backburner in lieu of Tanner, ESPN, etc. But now that I'm going to have many guests over, and an actual sleep-over guest (or two), I need to get the place in tip top shape. This weekend we went a long way towards making that happen. We fixed the sidewalk, which took 9 stinkin' bags of Quickrete, we finished off the sides of the porch, we did some painting, some puttying, some hanging of TOILET PAPER HOLDERS!! We have been living like animals I tell you!

This list is that much smaller now, but it still remains very long. I have 10 days to get this stuff finished. I'm glad it's a slow sports month or I would be in serious trouble.

If We Are The Body

Casting Crowns - Casting Crowns

It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in trying to fade into the faces
The girls teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances
Tells him that his chances are better out on the road

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

Jesus is the way

Robusto

Friends. Family. Macanudo's. Wings. Fellowship. Michigan clear sky's. Awesome cedar porch. Gotta love it!

Friday the 13th

Don't walk under a ladder.

Avoid all black cats.

Don't spill any salt.

Don't break any mirrors.

Don't open an umbrella indoors.

Don't step on a crack.

Don't beleive any of these cooky superstitions. They're fun though. I might even watch a scary movie tonight just for kicks. It doesn't matter if today is the 13th. All that matters is that it's FRIDAY, I just got paid and I'm having buddies over tonight for wings and Macanudos. AWESOME!! As Doug E. Pudge would say, Be Blessed Today!

Ode To A Buffalo Wing

After throwing down some serious wings with EK last night at Hometown Pizza, I thought it would be appropriate to feature them on the blog. We went with Spicy and Inferno. Although I could handle the Inferno, I much prefered the flavor of the Spicy. Hometown has some of the best wings around. If you're ever in Clinton, make sure you check them out! Here are a few facts on the origination of the buffalo wing.

The Sauce
Buffalo style sauce is hot pepper based and usually has some other spices added to enhance the basic flavor. The variations on spice combinations are what distinguish one Buffalo Wing sauce from another. Once the Buffalo hot pepper sauce is added to chicken wings, you have the dish they call Buffalo Wings.

The Name
Why Buffalo? Historically, this style of wing preparation originated in Buffalo. A small bar on Main Street in Buffalo, New York lays claim to inventing the Buffalo Wing.

The First Buffalo Wing
The first Buffalo Wing was supposedly born in 1964. As the Buffalo Wing history story goes, at that time, chicken producers could hardly give their chicken wings away. To solve their predicament, they cooked them up, decided to douse them in sauce and then put them on the bar for their guests. Here is the link to the home of the Original Buffalo Wing. Anchor Bar

The Popularity
The Buffalo Wing history continues when the trend caught on and tips for making hot wings swiftly spread. You can now find them from the seediest bars to some of the finest restaurants nationally. They are among one of America's favorite foods.

Musical Preference

My apologies to C.R.I.B.B. for borrowing their story, but this one is a must share.

If you have ever wanted to expand your musical horizons, but have been in the dark as to who you might like, look no more! Musicplasma has designed a website/search engine that will weave a web of similar artists. All you have to do is enter a name and push enter! It is very fun and very informative. Not only does it make the web of similar artists, it displays a discography of the main artist with hotlinks to Amazon.com. Give it a whirl.

Tuesday Spotlight: The Bachelor

Doug E. Pudge He's half the man he used to be,

...and yes ladies, he is single.



While you won't find him on any reality tv show, you can find him at most sporting events. An avid baseball aficionado, he co-founded The Pilgrimage, an exclusive, invite-only group that travels to different ballparks each year. I've been invited twice, but have yet to make the journey myself.

You can find him every summer behind the plate, working as our catcher. He knows every aspect of the game and will let you know if you are out of position, or if you should have made the play. He himself is a rock behind the plate. After 12 years of playing softball, I finally have confidence throwing home.

You can find him at a lot of bowling alleys.

You can find him watching Stargate SG1.

You can find him with his family.

You can find him practicing with his worship team.

You can find him daily on this blog.

You can find him ministering to others.

You can find him at my parents house tending to the war-wagon.

You can find him at a Gaithers concert.

You can find him every Sunday leading worship service.

You can find him everyday worshiping his Lord and Savior, seeking the lost, and encouraging others.

Thanks Doug E. Pudge! You're an inspiration to us all.

Third Ain't So Bad

Especially considering our team is broken into two half’s. One half seems to have a median age of 42, the other half has a median age of 17. We are either too old or too young. You can tell the difference the next day by who has their hands on their backs and are walking gingerly and those who are playing basketball at the park. Bronson told me he even starts two-a-days today. He's definitely in the younger half.

We came out shooting, winning our first two games.

The first game we jumped on Britton Bethel with 5 runs in the first inning. We never looked back. We tried to make it interesting in the last inning, but we had scored enough to make it stick.

The second game was a little nerve racking at the beginning. We had nothing going. We were down 5-0 to Ridgeway in the third inning when the MVP of the day, Derek Lewandowski, hit a grand slam, no-doubt-about-it, jack! That really got the guys pumped and we rallied from that to win convincingly in what turned out to be the most enjoyable game of the day. We even got to see Mike play in the outfield (and make a nice grab I might add) and hit to center field!!

We got a nice break after that. The Dougie awards were handed out and we dispersed for an hour.

Our third game was the beginning of the end. For some reason, our bats simply disappeared. No real changes in the lineup. I think we just spent all our clips on the previous game. The Ridgeway game must have been so emotionally draining that we couldn't get it done in the third game. Our lack of depth was also a contributor. We had two guys available on the bench the entire day. We should have had at least six. We need to start recruiting.

Speaking of recruiting. The story of the day was when Ridgeway played the Clinton Methodist after they lost to us, they got soundly beat, but decided to protest since none of the other team had ever been seen before. They had brought in some serious ringers for the tournament. Legitimate complaint, but probably should have been brought up at the beginning of the day. Regardless, they were disqualified from the tournament and Ridgeway won by default.

So we are on to our fourth game. Guess who. Ridgeway again. Poor guys, this is their sixth game straight with only a 20 minute break all day. They didn't play like it. And we played like we were old, and young. We added to our lack of sticks. Now we can't even play defense. Not just a couple of us, we all stunk it up! To make matters even worse, the ump threw out our bat because it was too flat. It had seen better days. Luckily our character was such that we didn't get down, but rather hammed it up, knowing this was it. It must have been fun for the fans to see big EK dropping on that guy at third WWF style, or Derek running into EK and the other runner in a big pile of dust. Or maybe when Rebel (Ridgeway’s second basewomen) hit a deep ball 20 yards over Dan's head. Or when I fell chasing down a fly ball. Or when Bronson wiped out rounding first trying to kick it into second gear. It was a blast. We'd had enough. It was time to relax. And in EK's case, time to grab some carbs and tend to those cramps!! :)

Congratulations Tecumseh Methodist. Next year, we want it back and we're coming to get it!!!

This Is My Offering

Third Day - Offerings II

Magnificent Holy Father
I stand in awe of all I see
Of all the things You have created
But still You choose to think of me

Who am I that You should suffer
Your very life to set me free
The only thing that I can give You
Is the life You gave to me

This is my offering, dear Lord
This is my offering to You, God
And I will give You my life
For it's all I have to give
Because You gave Your life for me

I stand before You at this alter
So many have given You more
I may not have much I can offer
Yet what I have is truly Yours

This is my offering, dear Lord
This is my offering to You, God
And I will give You my life
For it's all I have to give
Because You gave Your life for me

Just Do It

Here are some inspirational words that are written on a Nike ad I clipped out 12 years ago, and is hanging on the wall in my office right now. It has a picture of Barry Sanders and a pair of Nike Air Cross Trainers®. The ad is very clean and mostly black with these words that call you to action. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Too often we are scared.
Scared of what we might not be able to do.
Scared of what people might think if we tried.
We let our fears stand in the way of our hopes.
We say no when we want to say yes.
We sit quietly when we want to scream.
And we shout with the others,
when we should keep our mouths shut.
Why?
After all,
we do only go around once.
There's really no time to be afraid.
So stop.
Try something you've never tried.
Risk it.
Enter a triathlon.
Write a letter to the editor.
Demand a raise.
Call winners at the toughest court.
Throw away your television.
Bicycle across the United States.
Try bobsledding.
Try anything.
Speak out against the designated hitter.
Travel to a country where you don't speak the language.
Patent something.
Call her.
You have nothing to lose
and everything
everything
everything to gain.
JUST DO IT

Bush Fights For Free Speech

WASHINGTON, DC—In the interest of national security, President Bush has been asked to stop posting entries on his three-month-old personal web log, acting CIA director John E. McLaughlin said Monday.

U.S. Secret Service director W. Ralph Basham objected to the blog, as well. On Saturday, Basham asked to pre-screen all blog activity before Bush posts it online. Bush rejected Basham's request and later that day wrote in his blog that "Some people who shall remain nameless apparently do not know there is such a thing as free speech in this country."

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(Note: This is a satirical website for your amusement only. Please do not take anything you read here seriously! Did you notice the sweet iMac?)

blogs4god

The Original Mud Puppy has made the cut.

I am now officially listed on the blogs4god website. Please pay them a visit and, if you're so inclined, drop me a nice rating. There are a lot of nice blogs available there. Browse around, there may be one you become as attached to as mine. Well, not quite that attached, but close.

100 Things

Here are a 100 things you may or may not have known about The Original Mud Puppy. I'd love to see your 100 things list. Leave me a link in the comments, or just write them out. Doesn't matter to me. Enjoy! << Click Here >>

Tuesday Spotlight: The Brother

After spending 4 years in the desert, Thomas Peter Hawkins III and family are just two weeks from driving out of the desert, across the country to the crisp, clean air of Michigan.



Tommy, Tom, Thomas, Mr. T, whatever you feel like calling him, is my only brother. He joined the Air Force on September 11, 2000. He spent his boot camp in Texas, his training in Maryland and all 4 years of his active duty in Las Vegas. He and his wife, Heather, just recently had a baby girl, Madeline (see my first post).

He likes to hunt and fish. He likes reading history. He loves Abraham Lincoln. He is deeply passionate about politics. Here is his blog: http://usafmrt.blogspot.com/. He drinks ketchup straight from the bottle. But not Heinz ketchup. Not anymore. :) He has three more tattoos than I do. One on his shoulder and one on each wrist.

Would you believe that we never had a single argument or fight.....

between the hours of 2am & 4am.....

ok, that's not true either. We've both shot each other with BB guns. I got him on bare skin at close range, but who's keeping track. We've pulled some fun pranks together. Sorry Amy. Mom. Dad. Neighbors. He took his current wife out on their first date with my good ol' Geo Prism. He liked that so much, he bought his own. I do believe he is still demon possessed. Inside joke, sorry. We're cheap, so we go see martini's. We worked at the UM laundry together for awhile. We met some nice and some weird people. I'm not sure goat was human. We spun off the road one morning on the way to work during the winter. That was pretty hairy. It was like we were in slow motion. Dave, our boss, came and pulled us out with his big Dodge Ram truck. Man, I'm glad I don't work there anymore.

I can't wait until he gets back. We haven't lived in the same state together in about 9 years. There's nobody I'd rather have to get my back. I've got a Macanudo® with your name on it brother! Love ya!

Alexandra Scott

...for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP)
-- A young cancer patient who started a lemonade stand to raise money for cancer research, sparking a nationwide fund-raising campaign that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, has died at her home. She was 8.          Read More>>

Engineer's Unite

Harding University has added a two new majors: Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. I've known a few people that would have attended had they had these degrees 6-7 years ago. I'm glad to see that they are broadening their horizons.

Dr. Burks has been quite skilled at bringing in the money for new buildings and new programs. They broke ground on a new $5 million education center last week. I don't have the hard figures, but I would bet your paycheck that since Dr. Burks has taken over as president, they have more than tripled the size of the campus as well as renewed most of the old buildings.

While this is great, it does have it's downsides as well. To bring in all these philanthropist, he has to agree to do, and not to do, certain things. This is my biggest pet peave with Harding University. Until they can break free from their dependance on donations from the wealthy traditionalists and bring in performers like Third Day or Ten Shekel Shirt, I will not be sending them any money of my own. It drives me crazy that Harding will bring in secular performers like They Might Be Giants or whoever is the latest country star, yet continue to ignore the fact that there are wonderful Christian performers out there that would generate more interest to our school as well as give us something more beneficial to listen to.

I Surrender

Aaron Spiro - Sing

Enough of the fighting
Day after day
I’ve hit the wall
Trying to live my way
I’ve been running
I’m wearing thin
This is where I stop
And where you begin

I surrender, I lie down, I give up
I surrender, I lie down, I give up
I surrender, I lie down, I give up
I surrender, I lie down, I give up

Enough of the bleeding
My chest hurts
From all this digging
Under my dirt
I’m in a struggle
Tearing me apart
Is this just madness?
Or the changing of my heart?

I surrender, I lie down, I give up
I surrender, I lie down, I give up
I surrender, I lie down, I give up
I surrender, I lie down, I give up

Into your arms I crumble
Into your arms I crawl
Into your arms I stumble
Letting go you catch my fall

I surrender, I lie down, I give up
I surrender, I lie down, I give up
I surrender, I lie down, I give up
I surrender, I lie down, I give up