Not Blogging Much Lately

This probably reflects my mood. I'm a bit worn out by the weather, early morning schedules, last weeks retreat, and even from Danelle's schedule change which gives me actually more time.

The conference last weekend was beyond expectations. It was a God thing.

Friday Five

Friday Five

You have just won one million dollars:

1. Who do you call first? Danelle (my wife) followed quickly by my lawyer/accountant.

2. What is the first thing you buy for yourself? Pay off the house, followed by a couple of reliable used vehicles.

3. What is the first thing you buy for someone else? Not sure. Most of my family aren't too big on "things." Those who are already have them. I do have some friends that I'd probably try to do something for.

4. Do you give any away? If yes, to whom? The first 10% goes to the church. Then I'm sure we would be generous with some other charities.

5. Do you invest any? If so, how? I would think at least half would be placed in some stock market accounts, but I would run that by my lawyer/accountant.

Healthy Reproducing Churches

I'm going to a conference this weekend in Champaign.

Friday Five

At this moment, what is your favorite...

1. ...song? New Every Morning by Big Daddy Weave

2. ...food? Pagliai's House Special - Gut Buster - Extra cheese and italian sausage.

3. ...tv show? West Wing

4. ...scent? I'm pretty sensitive to smells. Maybe maple syrup.

5. ...quote? Don't have one handy.

Humbleness

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. -- Romans 12:3

I've thought more highly of myself than I should.

“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” -- Luke 14:8-11

But a note that humbling yourself doesn't result in feeling like a worm, it results in honor.

Another Top Blogger Idol

Lyptonvillage uses graphics, simple, but so effective in grabbing the 80's, instead of just giving us another list of 80's culture. This would probably be my #2.

American Idol Clay Aiken Quote

From interview with Clay Aiken

Why do you want to be an AMERICAN IDOL?
American celebrities have an amazing amount of influence on the way America thinks, feels and acts. I think that such influences should be used in the most positive way possible.

Long Walk

Just took a 45 minute walk. That really clears the head. Why I don't I do that every day? Why do days run over us so easily?

Web Layout

American Idol has a great web layout with great use of Flash. It looks integrated, not "here's our flash" piece. I like the structure of the navigation as well. The video wall intrigued me for a good bit of time.

Psychoanalyze Yourself

Click here for the test

If you don't want to see my answers, do the test first, but I'm going to go ahead and post them with my comments.

1. The person who you are walking with is the most important person in your life.

You were walking with: Danelle

Wow! That was right!

2. The size of the animal is representative of you perception of the size of your problems.

Animal you saw: bird

Cool! I like this quiz!

3. The severity of the interaction you have with the animal is representative of how you deal with your problems (passive/aggressive).

Your interaction: he sings to me

Super, my problems sing!

4. The size of your dream house is representative of the size of your ambition to resolve your problems.

Size of your dream house: modest

Interesting!

5. The absence fence is indicative of an open personality: People are welcome at all times. The presence of a fence indicates a closed personality: You'd prefer people not to drop by unannounced.

You have a fence: no

I have no fence! Come on over!! Some people wish I had a fence to keep me off their property.

6. If your answer did not include food, people, or flowers, then you are generally unhappy.

In the dining area you saw: a large table filled with food

FOOD!!! I'm happy!!

7. The durability of the material with which the cup is made of is representative of the perceived durability of your relationship with the person named in number 1. For example, Styrofoam, plastic, and paper are all disposable, metal and plastic are durable.

The cup was made of: plastic

Uhh. No. Sorry.

8. Your disposition of the cup is representative of your attitude towards the person in number 1.

What you did with the cup: throw it away

Try again. Not correct. The computer has broken down!

9. The size of the body of water is representative of the size of your sexual desire.

Body of water: lake

Hmmm...

10. How wet you get in crossing the water is indicative of the relative importance of your sex life.

To cross the water you: row boat

LOL!!

Technorati Beta Site

Technorati give you links to the people who have linked to you. They have a new beta site they are testing which was much more accurate for me.

Beautiful Graphic

I went to Matt's blog to check out his 80's entry. It didn't make my top 5, but the graphical header at the top of his blog is beautiful. Worth a quick look.

Blogger Idol Top 5

Here's the best one so far - DC in the 80's

Not really in any order except order that I read them in.

1. Passing the Test - He left two entries. They both make my top 5.
2. The Truth About Gloworm
3. Life When I am 80
4. Forget the Whales, Save the Working Woman
5. 80's Lyrics Conversation
6. Cool Collage
7. Shawna's memories
8. Blogger diary from the 80's

You are Romans.


Which book of the Bible are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Wow. That's a little too accurate. Take this quiz if you dare!

The Eighties
As I first thought about the eighties, the words empty and naive came to mind. But maybe those aren't fair. Not so much the eighties, but high school and college (1980-1989) were to bring me the fullness of life. They didn't. The eighties left me a few unexpected connections (Tom and Lance, probably a few others). They left me some distinct direction (to follow God whereever he might lead), though I had no idea of the depth at the time.

When I first thought through the eighties, I thought of all of the relationships that didn't work out like I thought they would. Some were girls. Others just friends who I thought would be life friends and weren't. Makes you wonder when you mistake the depth of relationships. I was left a little leary, wondering if anybody could commit to me.

But this is the wrong way to go. Life is more about clues for a journey, landmarks, rather than arrival. The eighties taught me much more through mistakes than it did through successes.

Maybe the eighties can best be summed in the U2 lyrics "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (1987).

I have climbed highest mountain
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you

I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in her fingertips
It burned like fire
This burning desire

I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I believe in the kingdom come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
Well yes I'm still running

You broke the bonds and you
Loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Of my shame
You know I believed it

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for...

I still haven't found what I'm looking for. But I'm pretty sure I'm headed in the right direction, and I've learned to enjoy traveling instead of wondering if the next town will be home.

Wireless House Network

Cnet.com is usually a great place to find information about computer stuff. I was wondering about wireless networks and found Wireless Way - CNET.com This is awesome.

Friday Five

1. What does it say in the signature line of your emails?Brian Miller, The Crossover, Vision Keeper. Not sure I like it. It was meant to help me keep my focus. It may only communicate to people who don't know me that I'm odd, which I like to think I'm not.

2. Did you have a senior quote in your high school yearbook? What was it? If you haven't graduated yet, what would you like your quote to be? No quote. But here is my last will and testament: I, Brian Miller, leave Wae many sexy ladies, Barry ultimate stereo, Chris a real car, Todd less bench time, Annette dry shoulder, Tina more parties, Jill typing lessons, and Melissa a new chauffer. Brilliant! Witty! Lame.

Also, please note I did not write this, our 10 Year Prophesy: Brian Miller now owns the Bottle House featuring a disco and restaurant. Nope. Didn't come true. But listen to this: Russell Arnold manages the Disco and often books "Fast Freddie's" who features Barry Nash in a special number and also the "Tommy Too Tall Toner" band for evening entertainment. I was also voted Most Intelligent and tied for Class Wit. I suppose it is worth mentioning that there were only 42 kids in my graduating class.

While I'm here, and to make Tom's blog reading worthwhile, here is Tom's last will: I, Tom Toner, hereby will Jim my height (which actually seemed to happen), Myron my mild mannerism (did that happen?), to Scooter a Senior Will (I don't know who Scooter is), and to Mrs C another ace computer operator, to Jeana all the success and happiness she deserves (Tom isn't going to like that last part). But truth be told Jeana went her way, and Tom found an incredible woman not far down the road. He is the luckiest man alive.

I was just looking through the rest of the wills to see who left me anything. There were a few:
-a shoulder
-another cousin like me (no we weren't all related. ok several of us, but not all... at least not legally)
-another hot New Year's Eve (that's funny because I took her to pick up her drunk boyfriend at another party then drove home about 11:30. Another interesting note is that my friend Gil lives in the house where the party was held. Go Gil! He didn't live there then of course.)
-a T (in reference to me totaling my car at a T road near his house). I was listening to Def Leppard way too loud. Stupid.
-a "10" (and I got one!)
-success and a carry out (oh I couldn't figure that last part out. never mind. Tom will probably know.)
-excitement
-a woman (Ok I was needy. But I've changed)

Oh the memories.

3. If you had vanity plates on your car, what would they read? If you already have them, what do they say? Our plates say BEDRCK3 and CRSSOVR2.

4. Have you received any gifts with messages engraved upon them? What did the inscription say? Maybe. A pen I think. It was a nice gesture. Oh and a clock from Findlay Computer when I left there. I would actually have cherished that one, but the clock stopped. Annoying.

5. What would you like your epitaph to be? Who? or Watch Your Step or Go Live Your Life.

What Theologian Are You?

"God will not suffer man to have the knowledge of things to come; for if he had prescience of his prosperity he would be careless; and understanding of his adversity he would be senseless."

You are Augustine! You love to study tough issues and don't mind it if you lose sleep over them. Everyone loves you and wants to talk to you and hear your views, you even get things like "nice debating with you." Yep, you are super smart, even if you are still trying to figure it all out. You're also very honest, something people admire, even when you do stupid things.

What theologian are you?

A creation of Henderson

Email

I just spent the whole morning cleaning up my email. I use an anti-spam program, but I just found about a dozen emails that it saved me from that were from my friends! Not sure what to do. Email is now practically the worst way to communicate with me.

A Blog from Rich Thornton

More Than Today Don't have time to check it out today.

The Big Five

The Big Five Personality Test

Extroverted	||||||||||||||	58%
Introverted	||||||||||||	42%
Friendly	||||||||||||	44%
Aggressive	||||||||||||||	56%
Orderly	||||||||||||||||	64%
Disorderly	||||||||||	36%
Relaxed	||||||||||||||||	66%
Emotional	||||||||||	34%
Openminded	||||||||||||||||	68%
Closeminded	||||||||||	32%

Take Free Big 5 Personality Test

Extroversion results were moderately high which suggests you are talkative, optimistic, sociable and affectionate but possibly not very reflective.

Friendliness results were moderately low which suggests you tend to be rude, uncooperative, and irritable.

Orderliness results were moderately high which suggests you are organized, reliable, neat, and ambitious but possibly not very spontaneous and fun.

Emotional Stability results were moderately high which suggests you are relaxed, calm, secure, unemotional but possibly too unobservant of your feelings.

Openmindedness results were moderately high which suggests you are creative, original, curious, imaginative but possibly not very practical.

Overall (of the Big 5 factors), you scored highest on Openmindedness and lowest on Friendliness.

Failure of a Test

20%

There's a 20% chance that I'll win a Bloggie™.
What's Your Chance to Win a Bloggie™?

I have 0% chance of winning a bloggie.

Movable Type

How to

This blog program looks like the best one to me.

Questions

Over at Living Room, Darren was talking about forming groups of three in their church where they keep each other accountable. They meet weekly. They chose the Renovare questions. Look here for a whole list of possible questions. Worth a look just for the questions to ask yourself.

Here is a sample:

A. John Wesley?s Small Group Questions:

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?

2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?

3. Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?

4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work , or habits?

5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

6. Did the Bible live in me today?

7. Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?

8. Am I enjoying prayer?

9. When did I last speak to someone about my faith?

10. Do I pray about the money I spend?

11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?

12. Do I disobey God in anything?

13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?

14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?

15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?

16. How do I spend my spare time?

17. Am I proud?

18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?

19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?

20. Do I grumble and complain constantly?

21. Is Christ real to me?

Sweatshops Good

All the complaints about third world sweatshops are true and then some: factories sometimes dump effluent into rivers or otherwise ravage the environment. But they have raised the standard of living in Singapore, South Korea and southern China, and they offer a leg up for people in countries like Cambodia.

"I want to work in a factory, but I'm in poor health and always feel dizzy," said Lay Eng, a 23-year-old woman. And no wonder: she has been picking through the filth, seven days a week, for six years. She has never been to a doctor.

Here in Cambodia factory jobs are in such demand that workers usually have to bribe a factory insider with a month's salary just to get hired.
Along the Bassac River, construction workers told me they wanted factory jobs because the work would be so much safer than clambering up scaffolding without safety harnesses. Some also said sweatshop jobs would be preferable because they would mean a lot less sweat. (Westerners call them "sweatshops," but they offer one of the few third world jobs that doesn't involve constant sweat.)

This is from the New York Times via Coop (who else).

Our real problem with sweatshops is that we lose work. No question that they are substandard. But so were our factories as we developed them through the industrial age. Do we really expect an Asian factory worker to get $12.50 an hour? They will some day. Then the jobs will start coming back to the US.

Bush Plans to Take Us to the Moon!

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) beckoned the nation "forward into the universe" on Wednesday, outlining a costly new effort to return Americans to the moon as early as 2015 and use it as a waystation to Mars and beyond.

Actually I think this is great. Yes, we have problems here. But the truth is we will likely never solve all of our problems here. Stopping exploration won't help us solve problems. Problems are often solved with vision and hope for the future more than with solutions. Of course there must be a balance. But we need to be looking forward.

Blogger Idol

Shawna you may want to sign up for Blogger Idol at Living Room. I did. It starts soon.

Bullard Blog

Probably worth looking at George Bullard's new blog. He is a noted church consultant. Thanks Coop for the link.

Catholic Bible

My friend Joe grew up Catholic. He has been reading throught the Bible and journaling with me, but wants to add the books found in the Catholic Bible. There are seven extra old testament books. He had given me a New American Bible, but I have misplaced it. He called me today and gave me this link to the Bible online. USCCB - NAB - Canonical Index

My plan is to go ahead and read these extra books with Joe. It isn't an endorsement by me as a Protestant as to the authority of these books. It is a commitment to my friend and to God to see the significance of these books.

Church Planting and Denominations

Ed Stetzer, who is with the Southern Baptist Convention and a church planter, was interviewed in the Fall 2003 Cutting Edge, a Vineyard publication. The article is fantastic but one question asked of him is one that concerns me greatly.

Is there anything that denominations or church planting movements need to have on their radar if they want to be effective over the next ten years?

I would say that one of the challenges we are all goig to have to face is, if we truly take this missional challenge seriously, and our churches begin to increasingly diverge stylistically, how then will we relate one to another? What will be the basis of our fellowship? In the Southern Baptist context, most of our established churches look very similar -- but most of our new churches do not. What then brings us together? Vineyard may be rewriting that. I think what brings us together is certain shared beliefs. But then we will need to struggle with "OK, if we believe certain things, what then do we do about them to cooperate?" How does a Vineyard megachurch connect with a Vineyard house-church in the same town? What's a commonality? A denominational structure alone won't bind churches together. So I'd say a big challenge is how we will relate as we diversify our styles in this post-denominational age. I think part of the answer is going to be networking around common tasks and common convictions.

This is going to be an issue in our denomination. What makes us a denomination is our recent history (most aren't familiar with the beginning history), our style of doing church, and at least twenty years ago, what we were all against.

What will have to change is that we will have to network around common convictions (core values) and common tasks (missions, conferences). This will require a shift in thinking and procedure.

Andrew Jones Blogs

Andrew's main blog. His Thomas a Kempis devotional blog.

New Year's Eve Photos

These are the friends (most of them) that we spent New Year's eve with. They are like family to us. We had a great time. We played a lot of games, ate a lot of food, and laughed more than we had in a while. These are people who make my life feel good.

Thanks so much to the Ridgley's for having us over.




This is my gorgeous wife. This is me kissing my gorgeous wife at midnight!

Finding Nemo - Shawshank Redemption Connection

I had mentioned to some friends how the music of Finding Nemo sounds like the music to Shawshank Redemption, to which my friends laughed. I was doing some research for God in the Movies in Finding Nemo and remembered what I had said. I looked it up at Internet Movie Database. The same guy wrote the music for both movies. Aha!

It appears Thomas Newman has written the music for a lot of big movies.