HARMLESS THOUGHTS

Here is a web album of this Christmas. Christmas 2006

I hope that your Christmas Queen is as wonderful as ours.

"They could train baboons to do this job." Actually, I first heard this quote while working in a large distribution center, loading trailers. One of the guys that worked there used to say that at least once a day. His name was Dave Barney. He usually said it in a way that let you know he was mocking the whole lot of us, but there was always a hint of anger around the edges, just to make sure that you knew that he meant it. A few years later I hear this same quote again at a moving company. One of the drivers that I used to work with sporadically would say this every once in awhile. (He had several other statements that would flow out of his mouth, but I won't get into that right now.) The quote would normally show itself shortly after a discussion on the right way to pick up a sleeper-sofa. If you didn't pick it up right away, sure enough you would hear it. Even though he wanted you to know that his years of experience had taught him the right way to move thin...

My soul has kept Your testimonies, And I greatly love them. Psalm 119:167 (Jay Adams Translation) I finally finished the book, Counsel from Psalm 119 by Jay Adams. I set about reading this book quite awhile ago. Each time that I set about reading it, I made sure that I only read a verse each day. I had several interludes where I set the book aside, but I kept coming back to it, and now I have completed it. Regardless of Jay Adams, Psalm 119 is now one of my favorite passages. I have decided to go back to the beginning and re-read through the Psalm, covering one section each day, giving me a different perspective of this passage. I think that the verse that I have posted here explains much of why I love this passage. It is not about pride and it is most assuredly not about perfection, but without hesitation, I (along with so many others) can echo the words of this verse. This is the path of true Christianity. It may be the road less traveled, but it is God's road, and the dis...

Today Charity let the boys pass some of the rainy day in the house by giving them our digital camera (that's when you know you've really had something a LONG time...You let two boys have it!) and letting them go to town taking pictures of themselves. Maybe this was so she could get a little peace?... (Mom in her favorite chair!) Here are a few favorites! (A picture of Sam as a baby-such a cutie! Remember him like that?)

Today we found out that our former cat, Willow, has died. We had Willow for a few years and she even made the move South but we sent her back up North because she was such a good cat to breed and we could find no one in driving distance that could become a "daddy" with her. She was a great cat and while she was very vocal, few people met her that didn't find something to like about her. We aren't sure what she died of but they are speculating that it could have been from a broken heart. Cats in general and hairless cats in particular are very prone to stress and depression when they are relocated and everything else about Willow seemed healthy. This was Sam and Jo's first pet and through teary eyes they tried to finish their hotdogs today for lunch. Willow was always very good with the boys and very loving with them. She saw them through every fever(which some may say was because of how warm they were!..But I like to think it was her compassion.) Josiah was very...

I fell down today. Normally that wouldn't be such a big deal, but I landed on a wardrobe bar. (Pictured to the right.) When I stood up, I didn't think that I had hurt myself that bad, but then I started seeing drops of blood all over everything in my truck. After I bled down the hallway in the office where I work, I soon realized that the office staff had come to the consensus that I needed to have it looked at. I fought against it for awhile, but when I couldn't get it to stop bleeding, I knew that I had to go. So, my 8-year-old son may have gotten stitches at a younger age, but now we are both part of the stitches club. I even got stitched up in the same room that he did. Unfortunately I also had to get a tetanus shot. (Yes, that is how you spell tetanus! Look it up if you don't believe me!) The shot was rather painful, especially for a guy who doesn't like shots, and they say that my arm is going to be really sore for the next few days. Mostly I am post...

Thanks to the Mast General Store , I have rediscovered the Bit-O-Honey. I haven't had any since I was a kid. My dad used to get them all of the time. At least the way I remember it, it was all of the time. In reality, he probably only picked that candy a few times. Regardless of how often my dad purchased these little delights, they always seemed like an "adult" candy to me. I can't actually remember any exact event that led me to believe this. Maybe it was because the adults wouldn't share their Bit-O-Honey's with me. Or maybe they had a fear that I would choke on it or something (...it is a very chewy candy). Possibly it was a little bit of both; they convinced themselves that I wouldn't be able to handle it's awesome chewiness, so they hoarded them all for themselves! Eventually I was able to get my hands on one. I felt like I was intruding into the land of adulthood with my stolen bit-o-sweetness. All of that put aside, I am lovin' ...

Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;        We will grieve not, rather find        Strength in what remains behind;        In the primal sympathy        Which having been must ever be;        In the soothing thoughts that spring        Out of human suffering;        In the faith that looks through death, In years that bring the philosophic mind. —from " Ode on Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood " by William Wordsworth

I have been asked to teach the counseling class again. I was really hoping that this would happen, because I really enjoyed the last time that I was able to do that. (And, I have to say that it is a good sign, when you are asked to do something again ... It means that they must not have hated me the first time I did it.) This time the topic is Progressive Sanctification in Counseling . First I have to say that every time I am given a topic, I seem to be hit with all kinds of things in my life to help remind me of why God has really allowed me to teach this class. I can assure you that God has not allowed me to teach because of my great knowledge on a particular subject, or because of my amazing ability to present a lesson. No, no, that is most definitely not the case. The reality is that God allows me to teach because of my great need to learn and grow myself. Quite humbling, if you ask me. When I was given the Idols of the Heart topic, God began to reveal in me all of these id...

(It is a "moving" story...) I was in Jacksonville, MS. I was almost done unloading a 10,000 lb. shipment (which is a story in itself), when my boss calls me. He tells me that there is another driver that has an overflow. (For you non-truck drivers, an overflow is when everything that is supposed to fit on the truck, doesn't fit.) The other driver had relayed to my boss that there were just a few items left over, nothing that one person couldn't get by himself. He also said that everything was moved to the garage. Sounded easy. And it would have been easy if this other driver had actually been telling the truth . I didn't arrive at the residence, which was way down near the coast, not too far from New Orleans, until about ten at night. Now remember, I had already unloaded an entire shipment of stuff, then I had spent nearly five hours driving to this location. To be completely honest, I was pretty tired before I had even arrived, but I kept telling myself t...

How to Overcome Evil by Jay E. Adams Summary: The subtitle of this book is a practical exposition of Romans 12:14-21 , and that is exactly what it is. Jay Adams breaks down each word and each phrase of this section of scripture, and he does it in a very practical way. We are commanded to be overcomers, and that is what we will be, if we are followers of Christ. The key is that we are to overcome the evils of this world, not by returning evil for evil, but returning evil for good. God's good is the only weapon that will legitimately defeat evil. My Thoughts: This book was an eye-opener for me. I have two other posts that I have done about this book that will help illustrate some of the specific points of learning that I experienced through reading these explanations of scripture. (Here is post one and post two .) This book can serve as a great tool for anyone who is struggling with problems from other human beings. (I think that includes all of us, doesn't it?) Being a C...

With my job right now I have lots of time at home. I didn't think that it would be that way, but it does seem to be working out for the good. Now, I need to tell you, when I work... I WORK. Being a mover isn't easy business. Carrying hide-a-beds, taking refridgerators upstairs, and dragging pianos around to the back of a house is all part of a days work. There have been many, many times that I have found myself on the heavy end of a long, large dresser -- full of clothes, mind you -- wondering how I was going to make it up this long flight of stairs without crushing myself. Then, when I am between moves, I am driving...     ...and driving         ...and driving               ...and ... I have gotten really good at spending time on the road. I listen to books on tape, sermons, etc. When I am off of work, though, I am really off. That is one thing that yo...

"Fix my footsteps in Your Word And don't allow any evil to rule over me." Psalm 119:133 (Jay E. Adams translation) I think that it is amazing that God brings the right passages of scripture into our lives at just the right time. The verses that have been the most applicable to my current situations have been the exact same verses that I have found in my daily Bible readings. The verse quoted above is one of those verses. I decided back in January that I wasn't going to sign on for another year of teaching. This might be news for some of you who only keep up to date through this blog. I did not make this decision lightly. I had surrounded it with prayer and wise and varied counsel. Of course this decision left me facing in the direction of the unknown, (not my favorite direction to face) but I was sure that God was going to open some unforeseen door. Until that happened, I did know that I had a way to provide for my family, which was my primary concern and one of...

Here is the final week of the teaching. powered by ODEO To listen to all four weeks of the teaching visit my odeo podcast .

I have added the third week of the Idols of the Heart lesson. Here is a link to my podcast , where you can find the other two lessons and download the mp3's for listening to on your ipod. Or, you could listen to it here: powered by ODEO

The sins of some men are obvious,     reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.     I Timothy 5:24 In my life I have fallen into both of these categories. There have been times when my sins were worn on a badge on my chest. They were right there out in the open for anyone to see, anyone who was looking. Sometimes I was the only one who could not see these sins. I was under the impression that I was doing pretty well, when those who were closest to me were being hurt. Other times I have kept my sins hidden. I was the only person who could see these sins. I held onto them the way a man might hold onto the last bottle of water during a drought. These hidden sins were the last remnants of a former self, a self that I clung to, even though it was detrimental to me. A better illustration would probably be more like a man holding onto a bottle of sea water during a drought. Secretly taking drinks of it, ...

As many of you know, especially if you are one of my former students, I have this thing with the number 27 . I don't really want to get into the origins of the 27 right now, I will have to save that for another day. I would like to share this e-mail that I received the other day concerning the 27. I think that you might find it to be entertaining. Your site describes almost the exact same set of events that my friends and I have been experiencing for about a year now. We are thoroughly amazed that another person has experienced this, let alone with the same number as us. We have a wealth of photographic and written evidence, and one of us is also planning to do a short comedy film (The Curse Of 27) based around the number (and possibly a comic, called the Chronicle of 27) The first incident occurred whilst purchasing sweets. When asked what the price of a Drumstick lolly, one of those present replied off-hand "27 p" for no reason. Upon inspecting the Drumsticks, to our...

"Your Word has been tested and found to be very pure; Therefore, Your servant loves it." Psalm 119:140 (Jay Adams Translation) I do not doubt the truth of the Bible. When I pick it up and read through it's pages, I know that the words I am reading are true. There are whole books that have been written about the truth of the Bible. They have evidenced the many attacks on these words, and have proclaimed the glory the Bible's amazing reliability... its amazing durability. No matter what challenge has come against its authenticity, the Bible has been proven right over and over again. It also continues to be a beacon of wisdom and hope, regardless of the moral dilemmas we get ourselves into. All of these things I know and believe about every verse in the Bible, but there are some verses that I know and believe in a deeper way. In a way that has gone beyond accurate historical facts, and has cut deep into my soul, leading me and guiding me by its light. This verse spe...

So I have this giant tree in my back yard. It wasn't looking too healthy, so I had this guy come over and cut it down. I thought to myself, "Great. This works out good for me, I have a fireplace in my new house, I ought to be able to use all of this wood. No need to have it hauled off. I will just split it, stack it, and this winter, life will be golden." So, today I went off and with a little bit of my birthday money and my handy-dandy Lowe's card, I purchased some of the tools that I thought I would need to start splitting this wood. One of the tools that I purchased was a small one-handed hatchet. (I didn't know if I would actually need this tool or not, but it seemed like a smart choice at the time, so I added it to the cart.) Once I got home, I immediately set to work on the wood. I was feeling pretty manly and all, I was splitting wood with my axe, I had a fire going in the fire pit, I was profusely sweating, and drinking a (non-diet) coke. Oh yeah... ...

When the mommy is away, the boys will play... (and eat!) Thursday night, when the children were supposed to be silently sleeping away in bed, we stayed up and had a movie night . And no movie night is complete without cinnamon rolls. (at least when it is one of my movie nights...) Of course, I also had to introduce Sam to the wonderful world of the BIG Cinnamon Rolls! (He was impressed!)

I haven't had any time to do any typing lately, but I just uploaded another podcast for your listening pleasure. It is the second in the series on Idols of the Heart . Check it out here . Wondering what this is all about? Find out here .

I haven't posted since the 18th of June, so I thought that it was about time. I have to admit that in the past, when I would see a blog that wasn't being updated, I would think to myself, "man... must not be anything happening with them..." But now I know that the opposite is probably true. When life happens, the blog tends to get bumped down on the priority list. I have been so busy since I last blogged. I have not had one moment of rest. I have purchased a house, moved myself into that house, assisted in remodeling that house, and visited Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland for my job. I won't bore you with any stories right now, but trust me, if I ever have a moments rest, I will be sharing a few with you. Interesting things always happen when you are moving people.

Why do I love my daddy ? Sam says..."I love my daddy because he always plays with me and he has fun with me a lot of times. I know he loves me." Jo says..."I love my daddy because I love him." What is your favorite thing to do with daddy ? Sam says..."Play Star Craft with him." Jo says..."I like him to swing me around." What is your favorite memory with daddy ? Sam says..."Playing at the beach with daddy and going with him in the waves!" Jo says..."Playing memory match with him in the closet!" What makes daddy mad ? Sam says..."When I don't obey and arguing with Jo" Jo says..."When I hit bubba!" What makes daddy laugh ? Sam says..."When the big waves hit my face!" Jo says..."When I scare him!" What's daddy's favorite thing to eat ? Sam says..."Meat and bread" Jo says..."Salad" What is daddy's job ? Sam says..."The Moving Company" Jo says......

                                                      

I have always been a big fan of Calvin and Hobbes. Bill Watterson developed an instant classic with the creation of this comic strip. This is the only comic that I ever went to any measure of effort to follow. I think that I own all of the books, so I am pretty sure that I have the entire collection. I have kept the books in my classroom every year, and most of the time I have been willing to share them with my students. A couple of weeks ago my son found one of these books. I read a couple of them to him that I thought that he might find funny. He really enjoyed them and asked if he could borrow the book. I told him that was absolutely fine, partly because I thought that it was neat that my son was enjoying the same comics that I had enjoyed. I could remember this one time, when I was a kid, that I found this really old Charlie Brown comic book. The book was pretty ancient, with old worn pages that were starting to look brittle and brown. I didn't care though, I read throug...

I have ventured into the podcasting realm. I found a free podcasting service called Odeo a while back, but I didn't give it a try until last week. I titled my podcast The Goatee Speaks and did my first recording just to see if everything was working the way it is supposed to work. Then I figured out that you can actually upload pre-recorded audio as well, so to see if that worked, I uploaded the first lesson in my Idols of the Heart series that I am teaching at my Church . Everything seems to be working really well. If you get a chance to listen to the teaching, let me know what you think. I even have the notes available if you are really interested. Anyway, thanks for dropping by.

I failed to mention in my last post that the skin grows back hat that I am wearing in the picture was purchased from my cafepress store . My dad beat me to it. He was the first person to buy something from my store. He bought one of the hats a couple of weeks ago. Anyway. Feel free to visit my store. Everything in it has some meaning to something in my life. Swing on by and pick up a hat. Later.

Yes, that is really what that hat says. It is a mover's quote . I picked it up after hearing it on several different occasions from several different movers. The quote is referring to how a mover will keep his hands between the wall and the piece of furniture that he is holding to protect both the furniture and the wall. If you bump up against something, the furniture will be protected and the wall will be protected, even if your hand isn't. That is OK though, because... you guessed it... skin grows back . I have to be honest, I really love this quote. I like passing it along to other movers. I like to tell them how to keep their hand in the right spot. After they crack their knuckles on the edge of a door or something, I like to say, "Hey, don't worry. Skin grows back ." I really enjoy saying it around non-movers as well. I like to watch the expression on their face when I explain to a non-mover the meaning of the saying. Most people give a little cri...

Have you heard of Skype ? I downloaded Skype almost a year ago, I think. I haven't used it much, because the only people that I know that are Skype users live on the other side of the planet, so when I might want to talk, they are sound asleep because it is the middle of the night for them. For the most part Skype isn't much different that any of the other Instant Messengers. They have video and voice chat options. They also have the availability to purchase credits to make and receive phone calls to regular telephones and mobile phones. Well, yesterday they announced that until the end of the year you can call any phone number in the U.S. or Canada for free ! That's amazing! Whe I received the announcement, I immediately had to try it out, and sure enough... it worked. I called my house from my computer at school. Then when I got home I had to call my own phone from my computer at home, just to talk to myself. Then I called my mom. She said that she couldn't ...

Here is a good quote that I saw on Douglas Wilson's blog. "As the ongoing problem with illiteracy in the schools continues to plague us, politicians will continue to call for more programs to fight it. Of course, some of us are a bit slow about these things. We thought that schools were supposed to be the program to fight illiteracy." (The Case for Classical Christian Education, p. 21)

This Sunday I am teaching one of the adult Sunday School classes. The class is a Biblical Counseling Class, and the regular teacher is on vacation. He asked me a few weeks ago to be the substitute teacher for him, and I gladly obliged. The topic that I was given was, The Idols of the Heart. Since he asked me to do this, I have been doing some major studying on this whole concept. I have heard this topic taught more than once, but anytime you have to teach something yourself, you want to be as fully prepared as possible. Today, I am finishing up the notes for the first lesson, and I decided to make my "office" the deck outside my house. Here is a video of my view while I work. (Don't worry, I haven't decided to add a video to every post that I do from now on...)

I am trying out the You Tube thing. I have seen it on a couple of blogs already, and it seems to work really well. I like you you can put the video right on the blog, and people don't have to go to a different site just to watch the video. Here is the first video that I uploaded. It is a video of my youngest son, who for some reason has decided that he wants to be a tiger. He has been wearing this costume around for over a week now, and has even instisted on sleeping in it on more than one occasion. When I decided to record him in it, with my new phone, my other son did the classic, "get in the shot" walk-bys. I thought it was hilarious, and wanted to share it with you. Enjoy.

I found this really cool little tool on the internet called, pocketmod . Pocket Mod advertises itself as a disposable pda. Basically it is a way to print out a piece of paper so that when you fold it in the proper way, you get a six page organizer. I have tried it a couple of times and it works really well. It has several different options for different pages. Everthing from calendars to lists to tip tables. It would work great for the person who likes to make those lists on the little pieces of paper anyway. Check out the Pocket Mod .

Thomas Watson (a Puritan) once wrote: "God is the chief good. In the chief good there must be delectability; it must have something that is delicious and sweet: and where can we suck those pure essential comforts, which ravish us with delight, but in God? In God's character there is a certain sweetness which fascinates or rather enraptures the soul." I usually think of the Puritans in a different light. When I think of them, the words like: delectability , delight , comforts , and enraptures ; aren't the first words that usually come to mind. I would probably think of words like, stuffy and sad . So this quote goes against my perception of the Puritan. The Puritans weren't against joy and happiness. That is a false perception based on these pictures we have in our heads. Regardless of perceptions, the Puritans had honed in on some deep truths. They had understood that true happiness and true joy come, not from the pleasures of this world, but from a true ...

When [Moses] relates that Rachel stole her father's idols, he is speaking of a vice that was common. From this we may gather that man's nature... is a perpetual factory of idols. -John Calvin (as quoted by Elyse Fitzpatrick in her book Idols of the Heart ) I can remember as a child thinking about the whole idol concept. (I know... weird kid, right?) I mean, who was the guy who originally thought up the idol. There had to be a first guy that did this. There had to be some guy who thought to himself, "hmm... I think that I am going to make a god." If you make your own god, how do you actually bow down to it. You know that it is just a piece of stone or some carved wood. I can understand how people generations later can live in a deceived state. Their whole lives they have been worshipping this idol, but what about the first guy. Maybe, though, his original idea wasn't to make a god. Maybe it was to bring God to himself. Maybe, he was trying to understand t...

Only three full weeks of school with one week of exams left. Amazing how fast time flies, isn't it?

An absolutely amazing verse: For this is what the high and lofty One says— He who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, (pause) ...but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." Isaiah 57:15 (NIV) That THE GOD, the High and Holy One, would dwell in a high and holy place... well, that just makes sense. Where else would He dwell? Surely He wouldn't dwell with... ah yes, but He does. He also dwells with the contrite and the lowly. What an amazing God we serve.

I have been reading several different books that I have started, but haven't quite had the time to finish. So, before I start any new books, I have purposed in my mind to finish these. One of the books that I am almost done with is How to Overcome Evil by Jay Adams. I have already written one post on this book titled, the other cheek , which was an eye-opening moment for me, regarding Jesus' statement about turning the other cheek when you have been struck on the first one. The book itself is a practical exposition of Romans 12:4-21 . So far it has been about our responsibilities in overcoming evil. (Hence the title.) As Christians, we have a Biblical command to make war against evil. War against evil doesn't involve evil though, it involves good. This goes contrary to the world's view of conflict. In the world we pay back evil for evil, but according to God's way of doing things we pay back evil with good. This is the only way that evil can truly be defe...

This post is a little late, but I had to post it eventually. On Easter Sunday, both of the kid's choirs performed on stage. They were both extremely well done, and they even had live accompaniment, complete with a piano, a couple of guitars, and even a harmonica! I thoroughly enjoyed the group that my older son Samuel was in, and I was even able to hold up my new cell phone and record the last little bit of their song. They were so excited and sounded awesome. I know that God was pleased with these small children. Here is that audio clip . I am sure that you won't enjoy it as much as I did (being the dad and all), but I hope that it will bless you. By the way, I have made this my new ringtone and I love it every time the phone rings.

Need help getting those weird/odd characters to show up on your blog post? Here is the perfect solution, the blogger keyboard . Just click the link and give it a whirl. I can't take credit for it. I don't remember exactly how I found it, but it belongs to this guy , and he gave me permission to host it and add a link to it on my blog. Anyway, I found it to be very useful so I thought that I would share it with my fellow bloggers.

Here is part of a paragraph that I recently read in the book, The Chase , by Jerry Bridges: If you were to say that a Christian can continue to live in sin over and over, you'd be crazy! It goes against God's plan for us as Christians. A writer three centuries ago put it like this: "What a strange kind of salvation do they desire that care not for holiness... They would be saved by Christ and yet be out of Christ in a fleshly state... They would have their sins forgiven, not that they may walk with God in love, in time to come, both that they may practice their enmity against Him without any fear of punishment." The Chase is a book that I bought for my sister for Christmas. When she finished it, she graciously allowed me to borrow it. It has been a great book so far, and has been a really easy read. It is based on another book by Jerry Bridges called The Pursuit of Holiness . This quote came from chapter 3, which is titled, Holiness Isn't an Option . This ...

Here is a news piece called, "Blooks" Are In Bloom . It has to do with blog writers that are being published, and like anything it seems any more, we had to give it a nice little name: blooks . Even though I am sure that nearly every true blogger dreams of some big publishing company finding their blog, being amazed, and asking them to write a book, I think that we can all agree that not every blog should actually be a book.

I took my eldest to the new Greenville Stadium tonight. A friend of mine had two extra tickets that he wasn't going to be able to use, so he offered them to me. They were corporate seats, so we were up on the top level. They were great seats, and we were up where all of the "rich people" sit. We had our own little room next to our seats. There was a flatscreen TV, fridge, and a waitress. (Ridiculous, if you ask me.) Almost in spite of the "rich people" seats, I decided to have a great time anyway. We did the typical popcorn and drink. Of course Samuel had to have the ice cream in the little hat. Sam caught on right away to what was going on, and we had a good time rooting for the home team, The Greenville Drive. We chanted, "We want a pitcher, not a belly itcher" and "...hey batter, batter, batter... swing, batter!" Overall a good time, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

The English Standard Version of the Bible is an excellent translation, from what I have heard. The ESV Bible RSS Feeds have several different daily Bible readings that are available. From daily verses to memory plans to reading through the Bible in a year. If you are looking for some daily reading, you should check it out. Especially if you are already using Bloglines , or another feed reader. I have already added the Verse a Day , the Weekly Memory Plan , and the Through the Bible Plan to my Bloglines . If you want an extremely exceptional blog, that features a verse a day, then you should check out Let Me Not Wander .

I was referred to this comic by Pearls and Dreams , and I just had to share it here as well. If you are any kind of blogger at all, then this comic has to really hit home.

I have noticed in my own life that when things are going well, when everything in my life is functioning the way it is supposed to... Those are the times that my study of God's Word tends to fall to the bottom of my to-do list. I don't intend for this to happen, but reading my Bible and praying are at the back of my mind. Now, this doesn't make any sense at all. You would think that when things are going well, I would have more time and more energy to spend in prayer and Bible study, but the exact opposite thing usually happens. Oh, I get comfortable and all, and then I forget to make these things a priority. I forget their importance to my daily life. Once, when Jesus would have been hungry, his disciples offered him bread, but instead of taking the bread, he replies, "...man cannot live on bread alone, but on every word of God." Yet here I am, living on the bread and forgetting the Word. Then along comes some trial. You know what I am talking about don...

11:30pm Thursday, April 14, 30 AD to 1:00am Friday, April 15, 30 AD Garden of Gethsemane - Jesus waits for his arrest 1:00am-1:30am Friday, April 15, 30 AD Confrontation in Garden and Jesus' Arrest 1:30am-3:00am Friday, April 15, 30 AD Trial 1: Annas, former Jewish High Priest for 16 years - Jesus receives initial physical abuse. Trial 2: Current Jewish High Priest, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin Court - Jesus bloodied by abuse. 3:00am-5:00am Friday, April 15, 30 AD Imprisonment at Caiaphas' palace. 5:00am-6:00am Friday, April 15, 30 AD Trial 3: All the Jewish elders, including the High Priest, scribes and whole Sanhedrin. They decide to ask the Roman government to kill Jesus. 6:00am-7:00am Friday, April 15, 30 AD Trial 4: Hearing before Roman governor Pilate, who declares, "I find no guilt in this man." 7:00-7:30am Friday, April 15, 30 AD Trial 5: Hearing before Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, who had jurisdiction over Galilee. Jesus refused to answer any que...

I haven't tried it yet, but I just signed up to receive the complimentary coffee reviewer's kit from Boca Java. They have a program for Bloggers called Blogger's Fuel . I was directed to Blogger's Fuel by a blog called Coffee Swirls . I was inspired to click on the link because of my love for coffee. Anyway, whether you are a blogger or not, please feel free to click on the link and check out the coffee. Once I get a taste of the coffee myself, I will be posting my review of it. Thanks.

I finally got a new phone! It is a Sony Ericsson Z520a . It has been a long time since I got a new cell phone, and it was getting a little embarassing. Most of my students had nicer phones than mine, and mine was starting to look more and more like one of those oversized phones from the 80's. (Which, when I was in the 80's, those phones didn't seem all that huge at the time.)

A friend of mine sent this picture to me in an e-mail. It was one of those that had been forwarded on from person to person, so I can't give credit to the originator of this photo, but it looks authentic enough that I wanted to pass it on to all of you. I probably wouldn't have invested, but I sure would have liked to interview for a position.

Get it, mars rock?!? (double meaning...) nevermind. Anyway. Here is my current favorite picture of the surface of mars. It kind of looks like a face. The two dark blue spots are where the abrasion tool on the rover took some samples for study.

It finally clicked today for Sam...the joy of reading books! So far, reading has been on a demand basis only, required of him by his teacher (mommy) and accomplished through a few minutes at our kitchen table so we can move on to the beloved subject-Math. I will never understand that, but...oh well! I was straightening the house and I happened upon little boy Harmless engrossed in the comic book of his choice without prompting ! Good for you, Sambo! No, it's not the classic literature I would hope for him to read but for now, Dad's old comic books will do! (Final note- Lest you fear that this indoor hobby will turn him away from his outdoor adventures...double click on the picture and look at his feet! DISGUSTING! Boys really are gross!)

Last week I was discussing with some of my students the topic of cheating. A couple of them had been accused of cheating on a quiz and they were not happy about this kind of accusation. I wasn't exactly sure if they weren't happy about being accused falsely of the cheating or if it was just that they had been accused. Their responses didn't exactly clear this up. But the accusation did lead into an interesting conversation about cheating. I started off as a passive listener, but then I overheard one of the students in the room state plainly, "...oh, it's just the quizzes, it isn't that bad. I mean, I would never cheat on a test. But cheating on a daily quiz, that isn't wrong ." When I heard those words, everything else in the room kind of zoned out, except for this one student. Then the phrase, "...isn't wrong..." which was still bouncing around in my mind, finally came to rest right on top of my sense of reason . I snapped out of passiv...