This is the coolest thing ever! ? :)
January 24, 2012
January 4, 2012
“ …in the end, my sin will never outweigh God’s love. The prodigal can never outrun the Father. I am not measured by the good I do but by the grace I accept. Being lost is a prerequisite to being found. Living a life of faith is not lived in the light, it is discovered in the dark. - Robert Benson
January 2, 2012
Decided to make some changes this New Year, starting with this new light fixture!
December 22, 2011
Christmas in Lansing
December 21, 2011
Ohio State penalty breakdown…
Total benefits received in scandal: $13,990. Total penalty from NCAA: 2) Lost one of the best quarterbacks in college football 3) Accepted the suspension of one of their top players for 6 games 4) Accepted the suspension of one of their top players for 10 games 5) Accepted the suspension of three other players for 5 games 6) Vacated all wins during the 2010 football season including the BCS Sugar Bowl Win 7) Lost a total of 9 scholarships over the next 3 seasons (today’s NCAA ruling adding another 4 scholarships to the self-imposed five) 8 ) Forfeited a total $338,811 that was earned from the Sugar Bowl appearance — an amount nearly 25 times the money accounted for in the violations 9) Been banned from post season play in 2012 including the Big Ten Championship game (per today’s NCAA ruling) 10) Received another 1.5 year probation in addition to the self imposed probation offered by Ohio State This is in comparison to the following violations: Cam Newton – Father received approximately $180,000 in a pay to play recruiting scheme From The Buckeye Blog
Penalty – Newton left year early for NFL. Father gets early retirement bonus.
December 19, 2011
TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2011
Here they are for you to ponder and criticize to your heart’s content, my favorite albums of 2011!
10 - Radiohead “The King Of Limbs”
9 - Wye Oak “Civillian”
8- The Wilderness of Manitoba “When You Left The Fire”
7- Chuck Ragan “Covering Ground”
6- Touche Amore “Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me”
5- Seryn “This Is Where We Are”
4- Russian Circles “Empros”
3- Sigur Ros “Inni”
2- Thrice “Major/Minor”
1- Bon Iver “Bon Iver” I know it’s a predictable / trendy choice… but I love this album
December 3, 2011
His letter is on its way to the North Pole!
November 28, 2011
A Teenager’s Plea: Don’t Suck
Thought this was a great blog, enjoy!
A Teenager’s Plea: Don’t Suck
by Ty Buckingham
There are some things that just get to me.
When I leave the Taco Bell drive through knowing, without even looking into the bag, that they have messed up my order.
I certainly don’t like it when I end up shaking hands and it was supposed to be a fist bump. That’s just awkward.
Those are little.
What seriously gets to me is when there is a lack in how the church talks to us. Especially as a teenager in high school, I couldn’t feel more neglected by the church at times.
I would walk into a service, and I would feel like I didn’t belong. The flag people weren’t even the biggest problem, it was the fact that the clip art used for announcement slides, the sermons had no branding, just some nice title like, “Giving the Givers’ Gift” in Arial (Helvetica’s ugly cousin). Really creative. Nothing was talking to me.
We (teens) are a group who want to belong. When we step into a church, the first thing that should happen is feeling targeted and having a genuine experience:
Targeted
It’s one thing to tell us we’re important, it’s another thing to show us. We can tell when you spend two minutes or two hours on an event flyer. Or if the design was by your secretary or by a real communicator/designer.
Side note: Everything matters: the colors you use, the layers you put on each other, the graphics you use or don’t use, and the way you give it to us. We can quickly tell how much you want us, by how hard you try.
If we don’t feel targeted, you lose us.
Experienced
I want to be able to go into a church and have a serious experience with God. Once you’ve targeted me into coming, I have to experience something in order to both be impacted and to have that compelling reason to return.
Everyone has an experience, it’s the churches’ goal to see that experience is a great one.
There have been some things that work:
When church logos have deeper meaning than just a picture.
The times when churches go all out on events, they hand out illustrations, give you an experience; for example I saw a picture of a youth group that not only did a “Game Day” theme but they put fake turf on the ground put up stage lights. It looked like the real deal.
When I’m not handed a bulletin but an illustration such as a movie ticket, 3D glasses, or anything someone can hold, and hold on to as a remembrance of what happened. I can tell you took it seriously so I take it seriously.
When I walk in church, there’s no seats, and you just worship the whole time.
Straight up, when you do church differently.
Side notes: Events are good, relationships are better. Anyone can have a concert, a blow up bounce house and free pizza. To be able to within that hour and a half service feel like I made friends, then you’ve got me. I’ve taken the bait.
“Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.” -James 5:20
November 26, 2011
Enjoy It While You Can
Enjoy It While You Can
by Annapolisbuckeye
That’s it Michigan. You get one year.
One year to savor your close win over a struggling Ohio State team. One year to take advantage of a new coach who threw himself into the flames without question. One year for your Ohio born and bred coach to travel the Buckeye state begging and pleading in hopes that the ongoing questions about the future of the Buckeyes might turn the occasional high school kid northward. One year to run it through an injured defensive player who refused to quit.
This is it Wolverine fans. Enjoy it while you can.
As for the Buckeyes, reset the clocks and wait for the news on Urban Meyer. Think the rumors of a seven year contract are mere coincidence? Think again.
Here’s to resetting the rivalry. Here’s to building false hopes among fans of the school up north and here’s to another great seven year run.
November 8, 2011
Love coming home and finding Jonah helping Jenny with the dishes
