Death By Cheese

Usually, I am a big fan of cheese. I like all varieties of it, american, mozzerella, provolone, pepper jack, colby jack, swiss, bleu, muenster, and etc... However at certain times, I do not like cheese at all. I don't like cheese when it is found in conjunction with the church. Now, I don't mean a church shouldn't have cheese at a fellowship dinner or even that a church should not hold a wine and cheese tasting social affair, though unlikely in the midwest. I don't like cheese in the Church in the form of cheesiness. I try to hold to a strict "No Cheese in Church" policy. Unfortunately, I am in a miniority at times when it comes to this policy. This past weekend, I witnessed a great example of keeping the Cheese out of the Church and a horribly painful example of Cheese all up in the Church. The first example was Christmas in the Chapel at LCC. Every year, they do a tremendous job writing a musical production that is funny but not cheesy. This there were a few moments that smelled vaguely of cheese, but they were handled in such a way to avoid being downright cheesy. The second example was a play that came to Mason City called For the Love of the Lamb. It was done by an acting troupe called For One Ministries. I must say that I applaud these people who are not professional actors for their passion to share the gospel in dramatic form. Unfortunately, they had plenty of cheese. Part of the reason for this has to do with the fact that they are not professionals. The woman who writes the plays is not a professional playwright. I felt like I was being tortured by the Cheese as I watched this play. What was so cheesy? In an early scene, Jesus is a young boy who is helping in his Father's workshop. He holds up two nails and simply stares at them. Joseph grabs them saying, "those are sharp". Then Jesus grabs a large board and starts to carry it across his back, but he drops it. Joseph asks him what he was doing. Jesus response was I don't know. These were meant to be a foreshadowing of the cross, but there place in the story did not fit and they felt forced, which they were. There were other examples of Cheese, but I have been trying to block all thoughts of this play from my mind so I don't remember the specifics.

I hate Cheese in the Church. If we are going to do something, we should do it to the best. We are the guardians of the imago dei. We should be at the forefront of creativity and imagination. Instead, the Church lags behind. Who will join me in a "No Cheese in the Church" policy?

Broken, I Fall...

There are times when something happens in your life that exposes who you really are, you see past the hopeful and into the real. Today, I have begun to see. I am not the man I want to be. I am not the man I hope to be. I am not the man I thought I was.

I thought I was kind. I thought I was loving. I thought I had integrity. I thought I was honest. I thought I could be trusted. I thought I was honorable. I thought I guarded my relationships with diligence. Well, I thought wrong.

I have come face to face with the fact that I am in desperate need of forgiveness. I have seen that I have light years to go in being Christ like. I am so far from being like Jesus. I need your help Lord, make me like you. Change me, mold me, break me, make me into the man I am called to be.

I am terribly sorry. I am broken. I fall...

Holer Titus Football and the Male Ego

I am amazed at the competitive ego of men. We want to win so badly at almost everything. Ladies, I don't know how competitive you are or how you handle competition so I am going to refer strictly to guys in this post. For years, the Hole has lost the Holer Titus Football Game guarranteed. Yet, every year the Hole thinks it has a chance of winning. Then when we do lose, we get mad about it or we complain that if we had played the right guys we would have won. I am not a very competitive guy. I love to play sports and compete, but I don't get wrapped up in competition. However, there are times when I become extremely competitive and frustrated when I lose. This always occurs when I lose to a person or a team that in my mind I am better than. If I go into a competition thinking I am better than my opponent, I get very angry if I lose. Now, I am all for going out and giving 100%, but it seems men are more angered by losing to a "lesser" opponent than being beaten by a better or equal team after giving their all. For this reason, I believe pride is the root of the male competitive spirit. Its primarily when guys lose to somone whom they think they should beat that anger and tension occurs. If we could compete without our pride, we could really compete at 100% and truly have fun. If we could live our lives free from pride, what a free life we would have...

The Richest of Fare

Two posts, one night, crazy...

"Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satifsy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." Isaiah 55:2

This verse conjures up memories of C. S. Lewis classic The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In one part of it, Edmund is found by the White Witch. She convinces him up into her sleigh by offering him a piece of Turkish Delight. She promises him that if he brings his brother and sisters to her, she will let him eat all of the Turkish Delight he wants. After tasting this, he is constantly craving more of it. It does not satisfy him.

This verse makes me think of this story for two reasons. First, the verse has the word delight and so does the story. Second, the basic premise of verse is found in the story. God recognizes that so many times in our lives, we spend our time on things that will not satisfy us. I see this true in my life. Instead of listening to God and spending time with him I look elsewhere for satisfaction and contentment. Unfortunately, the enemy know exactly what we think we want or need for satisfaction. In Edmund's case it was delicious Turkish Delight. In mine, its other things. What is it satan offers you that does not satisfy? God is holding out his hand with exactly what will satisfy us. All we need to do is reach out and take it, and then our souls will delight in the richest of fare. My soul aches to taste, to delight in the richest of fare.

Abba, I come to you broken, lonely, aching, needing you to satisfy, take this heart of stone and make it yours, i delight myself in the richest of fare trading all that i have had for all that is better, a garement of praise for my heaviness, you are the greatest taste, you're the richest of fare...

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder?

I have known for a while that I am a people person. At times, I am shy when meeting new people but overall I am a people person. I love people. I love being around people. I love having people around. Recent events and series of thoughts have brought this fact to the forefront. A couple weeks ago my roomate Ed moved out. He moved back to Chicago to live at home since he got a job up there, which he was unable to do down here. Since Ed left, I have had to become accustomed to going home to an empty house again. No roomate, no pets, no one here. I come home to a house waiting for me to come turn on a light to signify some sort of human presence. Also, I have been thinking about some upcoming changes in my life. These are not drastic gigantic changes but siginificant nonetheless. At the end of this semester, my good friend Squeaky will go on his internship. I have realized that since my return to the area, I have built a strong friendship with Squeaks. When I hang out with people, it is usually with a group of people that includes Squeaky. He is my accountability partner. He is one of my closest friends. Most likely he will not be on his internship anywhere close. My prayer is that God puts him in the right place where ever that is. Our friendship will change. We will not hang out as much or talk as often, this is ok. Moreover, when summer comes more of my friends will either go home or begin a new chapter in their lives. Derek, Nolan, Roomie, Ross, Dan, Rachel, Hammer, Crazy Zack, each will most likely not be close by when summer comes. I know that in the absence of each of these friendships God will provide another. He created each of us for relationships. He said, it is not good for man to be alone. As a result, he created Eve. He will provide someone to fill that void. Not as a replacement but as another bright light in a beautiful sky of friendship. The point of this post is not to be saddened by these changes but to remind us to cherish our friends and the impact they make on our lives. Take time to tell your friends how much they mean to you and how much you love them.

to each of you who has touched my life and given me the honor and privilege to be blessed enough to be called your friend, I say thank you and I love you, may my life have blessed yours as deeply and richly as you have blessed mine...

My Ode to the 5-0

A Brother of the Heart is hard to find.
A Friend for life is beyond riches.
A Warrior fighting with you is needed.

My brother, my friend, my fellow warrior
our paths have parted, our friendship remains
many hours apart, the reunion is instant
the joy of fellowship a constant companion
shared sorrow, shared pain, shared joy
endless hours spent watching movies
countless times the same subject returns
the wiles and allure of the female sex
gorged on food and fun
playing tetris attack all night long
renewal, revival, revolution
partake of the richest of fare as is your destiny

My brother, My friend, My Cymbrogi for life

Keep the Faith, 5-0...

The Age of My Discontent

For the last couple weeks, I have been in a place where I lack contentment. The overall feel of my life is good. Its fun. Its exciting. Its Super. But one area gnaws at my spirit. It slowly seeps the life out of my heart no matter what I do, I continue to battle this lack of contenment. In ages past, I was able to be content no matter the circumstances. This area was the same but I was ok, I was content. As of late, a feeling of despair has set in. I don't know how to overcome it and return to a place of contentment. I know what scripture says. I know that God is good. I know patience is key. I know the best things come to those who trust and wait. Despite knowing all this, I ache. I cast my cares up to the Lord, and yet they remain. Is this my thorn to bear? Will it remain all my days? How long o Lord, how long?

Prairie Harvest Days

I need to preface this post by saying that I worked for four consecutive summers as a carnie. I was a part time carnie since I still have my teeth and don't reek like cabbage. I worked for Wentz foods and made the best funnelcakes to be found at any fair. Most of the fairs I worked where meduim to large in scale.

Knowing this I shall get on with my post. Tonight, I ventured up town to Mason City's big town festival, Prairie Harvest Days. Ever since I arrived in the Big MC I have heard about PHD. Everyone talks about it like it is the biggest thing since sliced bread, and let me tell ya sliced bread is a big deal without it we could not have sammiches, but I digress. I went up to the fest with images from my funnelcakin days floatin in my head. Boy was I wrong. There were a few rides, one fair style concession booth, some stick joints (food tents, sorry that was carnie lingo), and some locals selling various foodstuffs. All in all I was immensely dissapointed in it. But I hear tommorow will be better. There is supposed to be tomahawk throwing, and that could lead to some scalpin, yeah...

Friends! or Friends?

Many things in my life have changed in the last year. I moved out of my parent's house for good. I began my first full time ministry. I finally got past the second date barrier. I graduated from college. I began graduate work in seminary. I bought a motorcycle. Etc...

Even though all these things have changed, my social life and social circle has remained the same in many ways. I live in Mason City which is 20 miles from Lincoln so most of my social cirlce is made up of people who are students at LCC. My question for all of you who read this blog, now that I am in seminary should my time spent hanging out with college students change? I know where I come down on this question but I am curious what you think...

Cemetary Wanderings

It has begun. I have officially started my trek through the graveside manner of cemetary at LCS. I have to say it is not as bad as I first thought it might be. I thought it might have about as much life in it as the Golden Girls (appears alive on the surface, but in reality its just a snooze fest). But there are actually some people in seminary that are alive and kicking. Boy, was I suprised. I am taking two semester long courses as well as an intensive week class. It should be an interesting semester. Although, the female population in seminary appears limited so my curse will most likely continue. My goal for the seminary is to raise the dead, it may not be as tough as anticipated, but I wanna see a dead man walk. We shall see...

Finally!!!

Finally...a new post from Super Dave. I have had a busy and fun filled summer. I have been in states ranging from MO to NH. I don't have time to share all of my crazy adventures but here is a brief synopsis of my antics: Attack of the Coons (sounds like a crappy Star Wars prequel but much better), Canada, EH!, fishlovesuperdave.com, Screw It!, Wear a helmet, Steak N Cheese, Moo N Spew vs The Iron Gut, Super Dave the Super Dean, My First Time, Adventures in Tubing, err Walking. If you would like to hear more about any of these adventures leave a comment and I will share the story.

In other news, I went to the Dr. on Tuesday. I got test results back Wednesday. I have been having pain in my joints for the past few months, so I got it checked out. The results show that I could have syphilis, leprosy, cancer, rheumatiod arthritis, or a viral infection. I'm pulling for leprosy. I think it would make a good conversation starter at dinner engagements. Ooops! Pardon my finger, it just fell into your soup. By the way my name is Super Dave, what's yours?

The Curse of Super Dave

This post is not directed toward any one person or any singular event. Though, it is a result of recent events and conversations in my life.

I am under the suspicion that I am a cursed individual. I don't know if it is some crazy gypsy curse put on me at birth, if a lil leprechaun cursed me due to stealing his gold, or if I simply have a string of bad luck. Here is the basis of my Curse, I consider myself to be a pretty good guy. I love God. I care about people. I laugh a lot. I am honest and real. I could go on, but won't. I mean to make it simple, I'm f'n Super Dave. It's not just a clever nickname. But for some reason, all of the ladies I pursue don't have the "x" factor towards me. By "x" factor, I mean chemistry, attraction, romantic leanings, feelings, the whole "like " aspect. They like me as a person and friend but not as more. I am told I am a great guy, but the feelings just aren't there. I don't fault them, and I don't fault myself. It's not something I can create for them. I have tried before by being romantic and sweet but it didn't help. So, I have decided that I am cursed. Cursed by being an awesome guy who has not possessed the "x" factor. Damn that leprechaun and his f'n curse...

The Crave

Last night, I journeyed to an establishment that claims to feed the Crave. It claims to sate the Crave that all of humanity endures. The Crave has sparked wars, feuds, and even bad gas. The Crave is hunger, the cure is supposedly the infamous White Castle. Last night, I lost my White Castle virginity. I have now eaten a white castle burger and lived to tell about it but just barely. I do not understand the fuss created over a white castle burger, yes they are small, yes they come in a stand up box, yes they are cheap, yes they put your bowels into a major uproar, but no they are not good. Frankly, I thought they sucked. After eating them, I kept burping up the taste and wanting to vomit. It was the worst tasting burger I have ever had. I don't understand the appeal of White Castle. Some may hate me for this, major parts of society will now shun me but I must make this statement, I DO NOT LIKE WHITE CASTLE!!! even their coke tasted bad. For super, the Crave continues unabated...

Social Action

Tuesday night, I watched the movie Hotel Rwanda. It was a very difficult movie to watch. I could not believe we did nothing while we knew what was going on. But, I know there are similar slayings going on around the world, and yet we still do nothing. People are being murdered in lower Sudan over religious ideas. People are sick and dying, yet we do nothing. One line in the movie stood out to me, the Colonel of the UN peacekeepers tells Paul, that the west will do nothing because its Africa, they are dirt. If something happens in America, Western Europe, or Britain we act. But in Africa, Asia, or South America we turn the other way. I am trying to be more socially conscious of how I can help hurting people in my community and around the world. After watching the movie, I went to Amnesty USA to send a letter to Senator Obama about the conflict in Darfur. I stumbled onto a blog called onamercyship.com that chronicles the experiences of a photographer on a mercy ship that provides free medical care to people who can't afford it. Currently, he is docked outside Monrovia, Liberia. This is their first time in Liberia after their 14 year civil war. What can we do as Christian people to be more active in helping the hurting? How should we respond?

It's Offical!!!

It's Offical, I am a sissified pansy boy. Tuesday morning I had to have blood drawn for life insurance reasons. A nice older lady came to my house to take the blood. So, I sits down at my kitchen table, answer some questions, and prepare for the blood to go. She sticks me and digs around for the vein. She finds it and begins to take the blood. I look at the blood and think to myself, hmm thats cool. Then, I thinks to myself I'm feeling lightheaded. Next thing I know, I am sprawled out across the chair I am sitting on almost on the ground with the nurse holding my hand to prevent me from hitting the ground. I say something like huh what happened. She replies you passed out. Oops! I'm sorry. Then I ate some food and rested before going in a couple hours late for work. So, it's offical I am a sissified pansy boy who can't have two vials of blood drawn without passing out. But, passing out was an interesting experience. I believe I dreamed for the few seconds I was out. It was kinda cool. But, I remain a pansy.

The Betterment of Humanity

If I could do one thing for the betterment of humanity, if I could do one thing that would ease people's journey on this blue ball, if I could bring joy to the lives of millions I have decided that I would abolish single ply toilet paper. Single ply toilet paper is an abomination. It chafes, it breaks, it causes undo stress in the lives of many. I reached this decision while attending the small group conference at WestSide Christian Church this Saturday. I used their restroom facilities many times that day. I became very agitated with the fact that all they had was single ply toilet paper. So, my duty for the betterment of mankind would be to abolish this scourge of the bootay from existence. Now, some may say, "Super, why don't you do something that will bring real help to people, like feed the hungry or strive for peace". Those are high and noble goals, but alas not my focus at the moment. Some may say, "Super, don't you care about the environment, won't only double ply toilet paper cause us to cut down more trees". My answer to that is no. Our tp production levels would remain the same, because it is a known fact that whenever you have to use single ply toilet paper you use more than when you use double ply. So by only having double ply, we would use less when doing the business. This would keep our tp production levels at the same output we are currently seeing. There would be more double ply being made but the lack of single ply production would compensate. I have found that double ply toilet paper does wonders for people. They are happier. They are friendlier. They have less pain in the nether regions. Too often in our world, its the smallest of things that can put people on the road of a bad attitude. Many times, the first rock in that avalanche is single ply toilet paper. Were we to take away that first rock, would there be an avalanche at all? I submit that there would not. So, my deed for the betterment of humanity is to abolish single ply toilet paper. Who will join me in this most noble and honorable of causes?

Double Ply users of the world unite!

Some Days It Pours

They say that when it rains, it pours. This past week feels like I have been in the midst of a torrential downpour. It began with little whispers about my ministry. Little whispers that I needed someone to come save the day. Little whispers that the vision I had been given was off. Little whispers that when listened to can start to erode the foundation that is being laid. The week continued with a battle with sin. For the last month, my spiritual life had been soaring on the heights. I had been standing on the mountaintop victorious. This week, I have fallen off the mountain, and I am trudging through the valley. I am standing my ground and fighting valiantly, but sometimes I fall. Yet, I get up and stand my ground again. Amongst all of this, I am trying to discern what God has been trying to say to me. I hurt, I fall, I doubt. To whom can I turn, to whom can I run. My strength and my refuge is and has been God, he is all I need, but some days I wish he would speak openly and sit in the chair next to me like an old friend. Some days it pours, and on those days I cling to the Rock.

The Theme of My Life at Times...

and the survey says....Super Dave (insert your name cuz its probably been true for you) gets the Shaft!!! This seems to be a recurring theme in my life some days...

Broken Bikes and Broken Spirits

It seems everywhere I look lately I see people in pain. Some do a good job of hiding it, others don't. Some caused the pain themselves, some did not. But they all share a common theme of being in pain. Heartache, pain, frustration, dissappointment, depression, ugliness, hurt, suffering, common themes that bind together this ramshackle group of people we call humanity. No matter where you live or where you are from, we share the common bond of pain. Since sin entered the world, humanity's top reality has been pain. Love lost, sick bodies, friendships betrayed, stupid frustration, all pain, all hurt. My heart breaks for my friends who are in pain, who are hurting. Some days the pain seems like it will be endless that the night will last forever. I know that the night will not last forever but some days it seems like it will. I know God is near that his heart breaks more than mine about all the pain in our lives, but some days he seems so far away. Through the pain I see, I pray and cling to this, that joy comes with the morning.

Please, Lord of the Morning shine your joy upon my hurting friends, my hurting students, and my hurting self. May your grace be sufficent for each of us in the midst of our pain, may you reach out and take us into your arms of love, and slowly rock us as we offer our pain and hurt up to you. Heal us and set us free...

Billy the Kid

Growing up, I became a fan of the Billy Dean song, "Billy the Kid". The song is about Billy missing his childhood and the way he would ride his bike around the neighborhood shooting bad guys from between the handlebars. Last night, I was bored at home so I headed over to Lincoln to cause a ruckus of some sort. I visited boys in the Hole, F1, and F2. While on F2, I learned that squeaky, Ross, Nolan, and Amanda were going to "borrow" some bikes and go for a ride. I thought this is not a major ruckus, but a ruckus nonetheless. So, after waiting for Amanda to get back from work, we proceeded to ride around the town of Lincoln at 12. We rode to Nate and Carson's apartment, Bumps Hizzy, Thorntons, and then we began searching for Crazy Zack whom we had lost. It was a great time. I looked like an idiot riding an old man's bike wearing a leather jacket. The bike I was on was Glorious. It had one of those ultra cushy spring seats, and it was a back pedal stop bike where you pedal backwards and it catches to brake you. I laid down some nice rubber on the sidewalk in front of the girls dorm thanks to this wonderful feature. Overall, it was a blast to ride around with a group of friends on bikes. I love being a big kid. Enjoying and remembering my childhood brings joy to my heart. I don't miss Davey the Kid because he has never left, he is still here partying like he did when he was a kid. Here's to bikes, friends, and laying down rubber.

Happy St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patty's! What a glorious day it is. A day when the irish of the world wear green, drink green, and pee green. A day to celebrate irish heritage which mainly means drinking lots of beer if you are irish. I will refrain from that side of the celebration. I will celebrate with a viewing of my favorite irish movie, The Boondock Saints. Happy St. Patty's Day to all ye irish.



"and shepherds we shall be for thee my Lord for thee, power hath descended forth from thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out thy command, and we shall flow a river forth to thee and teeming with souls shall it ever be e nomine patri et fili spiritus sancti"

Minne-Sota

1983 Honda Magna 750=$1500
4 Tanks of Gas=$200
2 Rollercoaster Rides in a Mall=$8.60
4 guys, 1 truck, 3 states, 19 hours=PRICELESS

So, Sunday evening around 10 I decide to drive to Minne-sota to pick up my motorcycle. I ask around Mason City if anyone wants to go, but everyone had to work. Then, I call to Lincoln and ask cute Marc if he wants to go, his response absolutely. I arrive in Lincoln at 11 and continue my recruitment. I go to the Hole and Josh Miller and Pappy are down. We proceed to leave at 12 to go to Minnesota to pick up the motorcycle and go to the largest Mall man has ever seen, the Mall of America. They say that if you went to every store in the mall for ten minutes it would take you 86 hours. This mall is ginormous. Upon arriving in Minnesota, the guy who I bought the bike from was not home. We begin cruisin around St. Paul looking for a McDonalds to eat at. To our dismay, no McDonalds was ever found. Instead, we stumble upon Mickey's Diner in downtown St. Paul. Mickey's has been seen in the Mighty Duck films. At Mickey's, we had our first encounter with the Minnesotaian accent. Couple the accent with little to no sleep and you get a roaring good time when the waitress said, "eggs and toast" with the vowels lengthened to sound like tohst. All in all it was a great trip, great fun, great experience, and now I have a motorcycle.

The Constancy of Love

There has been an ongoing discussion between me and some of my friends about the nature of love. Exactly, what is love? We have each had different responses and ideas. Last night, I watched the Notebook. It is a very good movie. In it, I found some help in my search for what love is. If you have not seen the movie and would not like any spoiler, STOP READING. The movie follows the love story of Noah and Ali. They meet each other at the beginning of the summer and fall deeply in love. The beginning of their love is passionate, romantic, and emotional. The butterflies of love. Their summer of love shows the emotional and romantic side of love. They are head over heels in love with each other. But this side of love is not the point of the movie. The movie is shown in flashbacks as Noah reads their love story to Ali, who has dementia and does not remember who he is. Noah loves her so much that it would hurt him to not be near her even though she does not remember him. He is committed to her. His love is constant it does not fade or go away simply because she has no recollection of who he is. He stays by her side every day reading her their story in hopes that she will remember and return to him, if only for a little while. I was blown away by the depth of commitment this movie portrays. When I think of True Love, I think of the constancy of love. The choice, the commitment to a person.

Phantom Injuries

I have discovered my weakness. Every super hero has a weakness and now I know mine. I suffer from a malady I refer to as "phantom injuries". I retire to bed at night fully healthy with all parts of my body functioning properly, then when I wake up in the morning something hurts. For instance, today I woke up and my left shoulder is in pain. It feels like I tackled someone with it. Did I tackle anyone yesterday? NO! A reoccuring "phantom injury" is my right shoulder. I will wake up and have pain when I try to rotate my arm, or my knee will hurt when I try to stand up and put weight on it. Some mornings it feels like I fought an army of super villians in my sleep, which could be possible. I have yet to discover the root of these problems. Does anyone else suffer from phantom injuries?

Singles Awareness Day

This one day of the year carries many emotions for many different people. For some, it is a day of immense joy and celebration of love. For others, it is a day of loneliness and bitterness. I have celebrated this day as Single's Awareness Day every year that I have been able to celebrate it. For most of those years, I celebrated (if you call what I did celebration when you mope around watching chick flicks crying in your dorm room ok maybe not the crying part) out of bitterness and angst towards all things feminine that had rejected me. Dang you shampoo and conditioner combo that burned my eyes. Dang you She-Ra doll that could fly better than Snake Eyes. Dang you Nair that turns boys legs orange when wrongly applied. But, I have changed my attitude. Even though today is another day that I celebrate this great holiday alone, I will celebrate it with joy and pride. The period of singleness is not a time to piss and moan about not having someone, its a time to live life to the full without anything to tie you down to chase after the wind and grasp it. So this Single's Awareness day, I choose to let it be a day of adventure and excitement.

Cigars, Leg Hair and Root Beer

Friday night I went to a kegger. It was a joyous time had by all. I was able to sit around a fire and talk with friends while swiggin root beer from a keg. Can life get much better? I don't think so. While sitting around the fire having a splendid time, one of my friends took a cup o gasoline and began to drip it onto the fire. As he was doing this, the fire began to travel up the stream of gas towards the cup. Rather than allowing the fire to reach the cup, he dropped the cup onto the fire. This action caused the gas to splash out upon all gathered round the fire. A large portion of gas landed upon my left pant leg. My immediate reaction was to spring out of my chair and for some reason take off my jacket. Then I beat the fire on my leg out. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that my leg was not burnt nor were my jeans, but the majority of the hair upon my leg had been burnt off. It went from hair to bare. This got me thinking. If gas on the leg on fire can remove hair so easily why do girls endure the pain of shaving or waxing, when they could simply light themselves on fire? Food for thought...

Cymrbogi

"I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night, He's gotta be strong, He's gotta be fast, He's gotta be fresh from the fight, I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light, He's gotta be sure, He's gotta be soon, He's gotta be larger than life "

Heroes walk the streets and sidewalks, often they go unnoticed and unheralded, they simply do the right thing continually, they offer a hand to one down trodden, they speak words of encouragement to the downcast, they stay true and loyal to the one betrayed, they are the hands and feet of the Living God whether they know it or not, I know many heroes, men who do what is right, who hurt when their friends hurt, who watch each others backs, these men are Cymbrogi, brothers of the heart

These heroes bring spice and joy to my life and heart, when i need a hero, i know who to call

Everyday heroes serving an everlasting God, Cymbrogi...

The Agony of Disappointment

I find that too often I disappoint myself, God and others. Sometimes I don't do it on purpose while other times its blatant. Some days I feel like I have come so far only to slide even farther the next day. I need consistency. I need accountability. I need grace, which thankfully has been given. Overall, I need to be fall deeper in love with my Savior. I NEED JESUS!!!

Lord help me...Lord Jesus Son of David have mercy on me a sinner desperately in need of your life saving grace...mold me and make into the man you desire...hey unfaithful i will teach you to be stronger...thank you

The Weight of Glory

I am a week into being a full time youth minister in a small town in Illinois. Already in my one week, I have almost given a student a concussion, been late for church, locked my car in a town half an hour away by breaking the key in half when trying to unlock the frozen doors, been told that a lady in the church was going to find me a girl, and stayed awake for two all nighters (though one was before I officially started).

The new position has me thinking about responibilty and trust. I am now responsible for students. I have to look at every situation from every angle to try to protect the students. I am responsible for being a man who will be a spiritual guide for them. My personal devotional time is now of immense importance. If I don't spend time with the Truth how can I relay truth to my students? If I am not connected to God how can I model a life of connection to them? But as I have thought about this I realized that my responsibilty is no different than that of any follower of Christ. I am merely in a paid position that highlights and draws attention to my spiritual life. But every follower of Christ bears the weight of glory. The weight of being responsible for our actions and our deeper life. Each of us is being watched by someone. Watched to see if we are real. Watched to see if this Jesus thing really makes a difference in our lives. Some days the weight of glory seems to heavy, but grace has been given...