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...