Great Weekend

Please excuse me if this post seems scattered.  I have lots of things on my mind.  Friday I seemed to experience a variety of emotion.  I found myself thinking of all the veterans who have selflessly served our country and defended our freedoms - friends and family in their twenties and thirties, as well as the ninety-three year old deacon in our church who can remember vivid details of his World War II service in the Pacific.  I am so thankful for each and every one of them.  Happy Veterans Day.

Bro. Charles G. Kitchens and me

I also found myself overwhelmed by the Total Depravity of man.  Friends and I at work discussed the scandal at Penn State, and it is utterly despicable and disheartening.  We should all be in prayer for the victims and their families during this tough time.  I can only look to the Righteous God we serve during times as these.

Then, Friday night, my mom and I went to see October Baby at the movie theater.  I highly recommend this movie to everyone.  It is an amazing story of the gift of life and the power of forgiveness.  At 18, the protagonist, Hannah, discovers that she was adopted as a baby after a failed abortion attempt.  You will be moved as she makes her journey.  The showing in Birmingham was a limited release.  Hopefully, it will hit theaters everywhere in the spring.  Pray that funds are raised to distribute this film throughout the USA.  Many of the scenes were filmed in Birmingham and other locations in Alabama.  In fact, several friends are sitting in the scene at the theater.

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful fall day in Alabama.  I assisted my mother and brother-in-law to rid our yard of leaves.  The end result was a Great Wall of Leaves that resembled a fortress for the outer boundaries.  Where is a Four-Year Old to jump in the pile when you need him/her?

And today, I heard the beginning to an amazing series of sermons by my pastor.  It is titled "The Importance of Godly Parenting".  I was convicted, encouraged, and inspired.  I can't wait for the rest.  Check them out at www.zionrestpbc.org.  

Yes, it has been a wonderful weekend.

ALA | Banned Books Week

ALA | Banned Books Week

Hello friends. It has been a long time. I have no excuse, other than I really have not been on my computer much over the last several months. My iphone has proven quite helpful in that area. But, enough of that. I came across this article today, and I wanted to share it.

Did you know that it is Banned Books Week? Yes, yes it is.

I was curious to see - what books have made the list? Have I read any of them? Would I consider them controversial? Unfortunately, it was difficult to find an all-inclusive list of all books that have been challenged or banned. But I did come across a list of "classic" banned books. Books that many of us have read and/or were required to read in school. You may notice that some of the numbers skip. Originally this was a list of Radcliffe's Rival 100 Best Novels. If a number/book is missing, it hasn't been challenged or banned. So, to fill you with random knowledge, below is the list:

1. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger 3. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck - read in 12th grade
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee - read in 9th grade
5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses, by James Joyce
7. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding - read in 9th(?) grade
9. 1984, by George Orwell
11. Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
15. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm, by George Orwell - read in 9th grade
18. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
23. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
24. Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
25. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
26. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
27. Native Son, by Richard Wright
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey
29. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
30. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
33. The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
36. Go Tell it on the Mountain, by James Baldwin
38. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren 40. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien - read last year
45. The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair - read as a sophomore in college
48. Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D.H. Lawrence
49. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
50. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
53. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
55. The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie
57. Sophie's Choice, by William Styron
64. Sons and Lovers, by D.H. Lawrence
66. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
67. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
73. Naked Lunch, by William S. Burroughs
74. Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
75. Women in Love, by D.H. Lawrence
80. The Naked and the Dead, by Norman Mailer
84. Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller
88. An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser
97. Rabbit, Run, by John Updike

Shuttle Discovery Launches!

Latest Space Shuttle News

Space Shuttle Discovery Launches on Final Voyage

It was a bittersweet moment when I saw this article today.  The Shuttle Discovery has launched successfully for its 39th and last time.

I have always loved reading and learning about the space program.  I suppose I come by it naturally.  My dad loves looking up at the stars at night, as do I.  And since I was a young child, I have always dreamed of traveling to space.  How amazing must it be to look on our tiny earth and see the immensity of space.  I cannot imagine orbiting the earth and not thinking of our amazing Creator nonstop.  But, alas, science was not my best subject.

For my entire life I have only know the shuttle program.  I have seen its joys as we have built the International Space Station (ISS), and its sorrows when we lost the Challenger and the Columbia.  I know the technology it has brought the U.S., and the advances it has made in science.  Some of the most basic tech tools we have today are a result of the space program.

So, reading this article was bittersweet.  The Discovery will be retired when it returns, eventually making its way to the Smithsonian Museum, where it can long be treasured and admired.  And, after Atlantis and Endeavor make their journeys this year, they, too, will be retired.  And the shuttle program will end.  And since President Obama has cut back on funding for NASA and instead encouraged the private sector to take over, it may be a long time before we return to space.

It is my prayer and desire that this mindset be changed, and we return to the heavens soon.  Thank you, Discovery, for all you have done.  You and your crews have served your country well.  May God bless the current crew, and return you safely home.

**Thanks to nasa.gov for the use of the picture.  This is a picture of the lift-off this morning.  Below picture also from nasa.gov.

Mark of the Beast?

Look out, your medicine is watching you | Reuters

Well, probably not exactly.  But, it is disturbing that these "chips" are becoming closer and closer to a reality.  Stomach today, wrist tomorrow.

I think if I eat Chic-Fil-A every other day, that's my own business.  And they can get my vitals the old fashioned way.   No, thank you, big brother.

I'm happy! Are you happy?

Happiest States Revealed by New Research



Is it any surprise that 6 of the top 10 happiest states are in the South?? Have you ever met anyone living in the South that said, "Gee, I really wish I lived somewhere else. " I don't think so.

We have the best of the best. Four seasons. Grits. Fried food, and just good home cookin' in general. Trees of all shapes and sizes. Hospitality. And thousands of other things.

I'm so thankful to live in my happy state.

Recent News Headline

Religion May Help Extend Your Life

Yes, yes. This one had me talking for a couple of days. See the excerpt below:

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Attending a weekly religious service, regardless of your faith, may lower your risk of death by 20 percent compared to people who don't attend services, researchers are reporting.

WOAH! This is serious business. This article proclaims that by attending church, you have a decreased chance of dying. This should get people really excited. Immortality??? People have been searching for that since the beginning of time. Ponce de Leon and the Fountain of Youth. Aren't you glad to know that you don't have to spend your entire fortune and health looking for eternal life? According to this article, all you have to do is go to church.

Joking aside, it got me to thinking. Here are the real percentages. I'm certain I have a 100% chance of dying. For the wages of sin is death. But, I also have a 100% chance of living eternally. Not because I go to church, but because Christ paid my debt in full by dying on the cross. I have been adopted into his family, and will live in heaven one day with him as a joint-heir. Now THAT is exciting.


But, if funny news articles aren't your thing, here is a funny picture from my work Christmas party.

Another no-brainer...

Study Links Television, Teen Pregnancy

Just a couple of news bits...

It seems that day after day I can't think of something to blog about, and then all of a sudden, several things hit me at once!

First, a news article I saw on MSNBC today. "FDA Says Food From Cloned Animals Safe". Already? A decision made already? Are you kidding me? And a 100+ page report to back it up. Not only have they approved meat and other products from cloned animals (although it will be several years before it is on grocery store shelves in large quantities), but they have also said it doesn't have to be labeled. WHAT? Thankfully, the FDA did say they would allow non-cloned meat and products to be labeled as such. (Pay careful attention to how they worded it...soon, non-cloned meat will be more expensive, just as "organic" food is now more expensive. Think about the similarity...This is "organic". This is "non-cloned".) Not only will this affect our grocery store purchases, but think about the food that is consumed daily at fast-food restaurants and other restaurants. I'm sure the FDA did lots of research to prove that the meat and other products, such as milk, are just as healthy as other animals, but personally, I would rather NOT eat or drink anything that has been cloned. It just gives me the heebie jeebies. So, if you hear I've become a vegetarian...now you know. That, or I've started my own farm and am slaughtering my own meat.

Second, I'm in love with my new deodorant. I have been trying for a while now to find a deodorant without aluminum chlorohydrate and that is paraben free. I have tried JASON natural tea-oil deodorant and an Adidas brand deodorant, but I didn't like either one. My sister and I went shopping at the only 100% organic store here in B'ham a couple of Saturdays ago, and I found The Crystal, which I had read about earlier. It is recommended by Cancer Treatment Centers nationwide, and bears the pink breast cancer ribbon. It is AMAZING, and works! Please check it out on the website. (On a side note, I'm also still checking out a face wash I bought, too. BWC, or Beauty Without Cruelty. It contains no parabens, and is made from oils and herbal extracts. So far, I like it.)

And, lastly, Hollywood lost another actor today. Brad Renfro died at the age of 25. He won acclaim starring opposite Susan Sarandan and Tommy Lee Jones in The Client, but I remember watching him play the tough Huck Finn in Tom and Huck. I didn't watch the movie for J.T.T. (if you're close to my age, you know who I'm talking about :-) ),but I did enjoy watching Brad Renfro. Farewell, and R.I.P.

Why wasn't this a headline in the news????

iPods can glitch out pacemakers, teen warns

Perhaps it was and I missed it. I would hate to think that the media wouldn't publize this to a large extent due to the fact that the iPod is probably Apple's most popular and best-selling product.

It should at least be noted.

Maybe have an accompanying warning label. Caution: Could interfere with Pacemakers. You know, just like McDonald's coffee cups now have, Caution: Hot contents inside.

Check out these HEADLINES in the NEWS

Article Numero Uno:

The price of a mom: $138,095

Yep, that's correct. Based on mom's jobs, such as housekeeper, laundry machine operator, van driver, CEO, and psychologist - just to name a few, mind you - Salary.Com has derived that mom's time and effort is worth about $138,095. They also duly noted that mom works a LOT of overtime, working about 92 hours per week.

How they can put a price on MOMMA beats me. I would say it's priceless, but, I suppose purely mathematically speaking, they did the best they could.

Opinions??

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Article Numero Dos:

Okay...so I can't find it. But, I read last week on MSN.com a really neato article about a bionic hand that the Rehabilitation Institute in Chicago has developed. It can actually sense and feel, using nerves in the torso (I think). Tests have proved that a man can pick up a styrofoam cup without crushing it, due to having the ability to sense the cup and detect the precise amount of grip needed. Right now the technology is being developed for veterans of the war who come home with amputated limbs. But, I predict that in the future we will be hearing a lot more about bionic limbs. For more information, look at the RIC's website.

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And finally, should Paris Hilton go to jail or not? Do you even care? Do you even know what she was arrested for? (To be perfectly honest, I haven't a clue.)

Are you kidding me?

While taking lunch at work, I'll occasionally look at the news headlines for the day at msn.com. This one definitely caught my eye:

IT'S SNOW JOKE: SAN DIEGAN TRAINS IN FREEZER FOR ANTARCTIC ULTRA MARATHON

These days, I can maybe, maybe run a mile. Much less a half marathon. But, I do have a lot of respect for people that are blessed to run. And for this guy, Mike Pierce, well, maybe intrigued is the best word. Because he's going to Antarctica to run more than a marathon. To be precise, he's running 62.1 miles. In Antarctica.

Now to prepare, and this also caught my eye, he's running in a 60 x 40 freezer, with most of his gear on. (Kinda sounds like an advertisement for L.L. Bean or Land's End as you read about his different layers of clothing.) The freezer stays at about -5 degrees. I always enjoyed running in cooler weather. Something about the way the wind hits you right in the lungs, and you can feel the crisp air. But, I am in no hurry to try out -5 conditions.

Pierce said that last year there was a total of 9 runners. And that simply to finish was like winning a medal because you had not only finished the run, but you had survived. Now that sounds like a competition.