» 2006 » September

For years now, Target has been my favorite store for an all-around shopping experience. They have far surpassed Wal-Mart in my book and I almost always consider them even for specialty items. However, the biggest reason that I continuously find myself choosing to shop at Target is that probably 75% of the time I discover upon checking out that my item has been discounted even further than the price tag indicates. Psychologically, that really gets me excited… I am the special, lucky person that discovered a special, hidden bargain!!! Even the clearance items that sometimes have been marked down drastically are often marked down even further upon checkout… “Yes sir, that shirt IS only $1.98.”

Just a couple examples… I recently bought an IPod Video 30gb with an advertised price of $249.99, but it rang up at $229.99. I also once got a $50 electronic music “DJ-mixin-turntable type thing” for $5.00 because of a clearance price and a further markdown at the register. This keeps me coming back for more and more… what kinds of treasures will I discover next time?

Do I think that Target realizes this and have been purposely feeding this psychological desire for discovery? Yeah, probably… but that’s a very good reason to continue shopping there. As my wife just pointed out… this is also done very well (and continues to bring me in the doors) at Kohl’s. Thanks Target and Kohl’s for the psychological coddling! Keep up the great work!

[tags]Target, bargains, markdown, clearance, Kohl’s, shopping, IPod, 30gb[/tags]

25 Million Reasons To Live

Terrell Owens’ publicist, Kim Etheredge, ended the “I/He didn’t try to kill himself” press conference yesterday by stating that T.O. has 25 million reasons to live. She was, of course, referring to Owens’ huge contract to play football. Isn’t your publicist supposed to “make things better?” She spent the entire press conference trying to convince us that Terrell did not try to kill himself and that the whole thing was just a misunderstanding… then basically said that his life was worth 25 million dollars and that THAT was a reason to live. Come on! WOW! I don’t think this needs any further explanation as to how far off that kind of thinking is… [tags]Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys, Kim Etheredge, publicist, suicide attempt, 25 million, pills[/tags]

Neverending Story leaves everlasting images

I was thinking about The Neverending Story recently and about how much I loved the film when I was a kid (still do, actually) and decided to write a song based on Atreyu… just a bit of a fun thing to do. The more I’ve been thinking about it, however, the more I have recalled the effect that one particular scene in the film had on me. Here is an excerpt from the script during this particular scene:

We hear Bastian’s voice reading.
“Atreyu and Artax had searched the Silver Mountains, the Desert of Shattered Hopes, and the Crystal Towers without success. And so, there was only one chance left. To find Morla, the ancient one, the wisest being in Fantasia whose home was the Shell Mountain somewhere in the deadly Swamps of Sadness.”

Atreyu jumps off Artax and pulls him along through the swamp.

“Everyone knew that whoever let the sadness overtake him would sink into the swamp,” we hear Bastian continue.

Atreyu pulls his horse along saying reassuring things the whole time. “That’s it. You’re doing fine Artax.”
Suddenly Artax stops and Atreyu pulls on the reigns. Artax doesn’t budge.
“Come on Artax.” he says and pulls harder. “What’s the matter? What’s wrong? Come on boy!”
He smiles, “I understand, it’s too difficult for you.” He tries pulling him in a different direction and steps into a puddle up to his waist. Suddenly he notices that Artax is sinking.
He panics and starts screaming at him. “Artax you’re sinking! Come on turn around, you have to! Now! Come on! Artax!”
He goes closer to him and hugs him. “Fight against the sadness Artax. Artax, please. You’re letting the sadness of the swamps get to you. You have to try, you have to care. For me, I’m your friend, I love you.” Artax doesn’t move and Atreyu slaps the puddle sending water flying toward the horse. He yells at him again.
“Artax, you’re sinking! Come on, turn around, you have to, now! Come on! Artax! Fight against the sadness, Artax. Artax, please, you’re letting the sadness of the swamps get to you. You have to try. You have to care, for me, you’re my friend, I love you. Artax! Stupid horse! You’ve gotta move or you’ll die! Move, please! I won’t give up! Don’t quit! ARTAX! PLEASE!” Then he pleads with him.
“Move please. I won’t give up! Jump quick! Artax please!”

Atreyu and Artax in the Swamps of Sadness

Artax does not make it out of the swamp. Now the actual lines from this scene are pretty stupid when you read them, but the emotions of it are so vivid in my mind that I still feel a little sad for Artax whenever I think about it. The thing is, though, I know an awful lot of people who are wallowing in the “Swamp of Sadness” and I often find myself, much like Atreyu, pleading with them to “fight against the sadness.” “You HAVE to TRY… You HAVE to CARE!” And then they, too, disappear from my life because I cannot continue to stay in the swamp. I spent years in the swamp… not trying… not caring… some people took the time to play the part of Atreyu and encourage me and love me. I wouldn’t even bother with these “sinking people” except that I was one… and I know that some of us do decide to TRY and CARE. Isn’t it funny how much certain things affect who we become… Thanks to all of my Atreyu folks!

[tags]neverending story, Atreyu, Artax, Bastian, swamp, sadness, Morla, depression, sinking[/tags]

PETA or PETI? Whom should we be protecting?

GURNEE, Ill. - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants Six Flags Great America to scrap its Halloween-themed cockroach-eating promotion.
A spokeswoman for the animal rights organization says the contest at the amusement park’s FrightFest is “gratuitously cruel.”
The park in Gurnee, Ill., is joining other Six Flags parks in offering unlimited line-jumping privileges to anyone who eats a live Madagascar hissing cockroach. The bugs are up to three inches long.
The contest begins next month. Amusement park officials are defending their menu choice. Great America spokesman Jim Taylor says the bugs are nutritious, high in protein and fat free. - Associated Press

My question is… Where is the organization of People for the Ethical Treatment of Idiots?! Seriously… who in the world needs to move up in line at Six Flags so badly that they would eat a three-inch long hissing cockroach?!! PETA, I think that you are worried about protecting the wrong group here!

[tags]PETA, cockroach, roach, hissing, Six Flags, Madagascar, Gurnee, FrightFest, nutritious[/tags]

When Everything is Breaking Around You…

Associated Press - HOUSTON - Shuttle astronauts spotted three more pieces of debris floating in space outside Atlantis early Wednesday, but officials said it didn’t seem their appearance would prevent a landing attempt on Thursday.The objects were sighted during stepped-up inspections a day after the discovery of two other mysterious objects forced a postponement of the planned Wednesday landing.
NASA downplayed the discovery of Wednesday’s objects, saying the important question was whether an in-depth inspection of the shuttle showed no damage to Atlantis’ heat shield. “It’s not uncommon to see little bits of pieces of things floating by,” said flight director Paul Dye…. more of this story

Do you ever worry when you find that things are breaking down around you? That job that you held for 20 years suddenly doesn’t seem secure as the “new boss” is coming in to bring “new life” to your company. Maybe your marriage is teetering dangerously on the edge of divorce. Perhaps the word “cancer” immediately conjures up images of numerous loved ones. How do you cope? Where can you turn? What if you really have no control over whether or not your space shuttle will protect you as you reenter the earth’s atmosphere? What then? Psalm 23 reminds us:

1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

[tags]Atlantis, space, space shuttle, astronaut, NASA, coping, marriage, breaking down, cancer, Psalm 23, Lord, God[/tags]

Happy National Talk Like a Pirate Day!!

ARRRRGGGHH!! Avast ye mateys! Shiver me timbers! ARRRRGGGHH!! Happy National Talk Like a Pirate Day, me hearties!

[tags]pirate, avast, shiver me timbers, hearties, Talk Like a Pirate Day, long john silver, Arrr[/tags]

Have a Coke and a Smile, Afghanistan!!

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan President Hamid Karzai presided over the official opening of a new Coca-Cola plant in Kabul on Sunday, more than 10 years after the previous Coke facility in the capital was destroyed during a deadly civil war. Karzai praised the plant’s developer, Habibullah Gulzar, for investing $25 million to build the facility, which has provided 350 jobs and can annually produce 15 million, 24-bottle cases of the soft drink. “This is another step forward for economic growth, self-sufficiency and better living standards for Afghanistan,” Karzai said during an inauguration speech at the plant in Kabul’s eastern suburbs. The Afghan president said he hoped the new Coke plant would serve as a catalyst for further private investment to boost his country’s ailing economy, which is heavily reliant on foreign aid. A smaller Coca-Cola production facility in Kabul’s western suburbs was destroyed during the 1992-96 civil war, which killed more than 50,000 people in the capital. - Associated Press

It’s about time that we wised up and realized that the true way to win the hearts of the Afghan people was through the delicious taste of Coca-Cola!! HAVE A COKE AND A SMILE, AFGHANISTAN!! Maybe the Coca-Cola museum will have a huge influx of Afghani tourism… if only they could actually travel on a plane.

[tags]Coke, Coca-Cola, Afghan, Afghanistan, Karzai, Kabul, smile, museum[/tags]

Which One Best Represents Your Church at the Moment?

This may be a loaded question, but which one of these two pictures best represents your church or your ministry at the moment? Why?

[tags]church, ministry, surfing, surf, wave, waves, huge wave, represent[/tags]

He Hideth My Soul

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord, a wonderful Savior to me; He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, where rivers of pleasure I see… Stop for just a moment. Have you ever prayed for God to reveal Himself to you in a situation only to feel as though He has abandoned you? Exodus 33:21-23 says, “The Lord continued, ‘Stand here on this rock beside me. As my glorious presence passes by, I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed. Then I will remove my hand, and you will see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.’” We cannot comprehend God’s reasons for the plans that He has laid before each of us. Most of us could tell incredible stories of God’s faithfulness from the time that God pulled us out of the “cleft of the rock” so that we could then see His works from behind. We then see that God was there all along… never abandoning us… only hiding us in the “cleft” until He passed. The next time you sing the song, “He Hideth My Soul,” stop for just a moment and thank God for covering you with His hand until the time when you could see His incredible faithfulness. …He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths of His love, and covers me there with His hand.

[tags]He Hideth My Soul, cleft, rock, mountain, shadows, covers, Exodus, Exodus 33, God, God’s faithfulness, faithfulness[/tags]

Where Were You?

Driving to another day of school at Baylor University, I found myself listening to music for the first time in nearly a month while in the car… normally I listened to NPR on the way to and from the school as I was often times “music weary” from spending all day and night around it (silence was very much appreciated during that time). I just happened to be listening to Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem on that morning. As I was getting out of the car, I switched back to the NPR station and heard something about a plane crash… didn’t give that much thought, though. Perhaps I had become calloused. The first sign of something different didn’t occur until I walked into the music building and saw about twenty people standing in the halls with looks of fear and panic etched in their faces. We rigged up a very small television with rabbit ears and tuned in to view the latest images and news… which are now the etchings of fear and panic in many of our brains. We eventually had fifty or sixty students, faculty, and passersby crowded into a tiny hallway… eyes fixed to the tiny box… in complete silence but for the occasionally audible gasp or prayer. This became the longest day that I have ever experienced… and sometimes it seems like it hasn’t even ended yet. WHERE WERE YOU?

[tags]September, September 11, 2001, 9/11, 911, 9-11-01, 9/11/01, Baylor University, where were you, NPR, Benjamin Britten, War Requiem, plane crash[/tags]

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