Saturday, July 27, 2013

Church Signs, Part 3: One Letter Can Make a Difference

It's been a while since I've had enough church signs to put up another post, especially a themed one. But I've been driving to work the last two weeks-
-and I am going to say: I am not picking on these two churches. I'm really not. But I drive by these two churches four to five times a week. I see these things all the time! It sits in my head and I say to myself, "I have to get a picture of that before they change it." Of course, the one church takes four months to change their signs. But I'm not picking on them...
But a valuable lesson can be learned from these. One letter, when improperly placed, can completely ruin a church sign's meaning.
"Women who fears the Lord is to be praised." If you think that is proper grammar, I cannot help you.
Ready? Here's another example:
 That "E" is back. It has reared its head and changed the meaning of this verse completely. Let everything that hath: breathe, and then praise the Lord. Thanks, but try again.
This last one...
...I can only wonder. Does no one else notice it? Has no one else driven by and thought: This isn't right? Has the person that does this church's sign ministry not been told?
Oy.
Well, until the next time these churches change their sign...



Wednesday, June 26, 2013

I'm back. And I'm Tired.

What happened to me?
I haven't composed a blog since February. Blogs aren't going away- I still know lots of people that have them. I know for me I lost a lot of inspiration, and really don't get the time to think these deep enriching thoughts that warrant a blog post.
The truth is, I'm tired. Mentally, the job I work takes a lot from me, my schedule doesn't really allow me to stay up late but a couple of nights a week, and I have time to just look at the computer. A lot of that time is sorting through people's sharing of Facebook posts telling me to like and share something I could care less about, or something I do like but I don't want to click "Like" because I don't want to be a sheep, or a picture telling me that if I don't share it I'm ashamed of Jesus.  Then I sort through a couple of hundred baby pictures (no offense), recipes and what not, and then I realize that there isn't really a lot going on.
When I check other sites (Twitter, news sites), I'm bombarded with things and thoughts from people that are really complete idiots that now have an avenue to voice their opinion.
I'm tired. Mentally, I'm tired and really don't have time to do this much. Physically, I'm tired. With my new work schedule I work one less day a week. But the time spent at home recovering from the four days doesn't lend itself to actual rest.
Ideologically, I'm tired. I'm tired of people being crucified for something they might have said thirty years ago that has no bearing on the person they are today. If you've seen news in the last week, you know what I'm talking about. I'm tired of the politically correct society that demands that certain groups must be bowed to and if you are not sensitive to them, you are not to be a viable part of the culture.
Spiritually, I'm tired. I'm tired of sin being glorified. I'm tired of people celebrating the fact that our country no longer stands for what the Bible says and that the fabric that held our country together gets ripped at every single day.
My in-laws like to watch the news, but I can't stand to look at it for more than four seconds. I'm burnt out hearing everyone's opinions. Facts are not reported anymore. Everything is based on what someone thinks, which is usually wrong, and I'm sick of it.
Ultimately I haven't blogged because I was afraid my next post would come out sounding angry and like I'm a cranky old man. I think since I just put out a post, I've proven myself accurate. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned I'm starting to finally understand the meaning behind the Gaither song "Build An Ark." More and more that statement is proving true. Maybe God wants me for a mouthpiece for Him and against all the drivel in the world.
Take a listen. Who knows, maybe in the future I might blog again.

"Even so"

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The Weather Channel has lost its mind

I have made comments several times over the past about TV networks that have lost their original focus. I understand why the networks do this- money. Stations need revenue, and to get that, you have to have advertising revenue. To have that, the ratings have to prove that you are being watched. To be watched, you have to present things that get the viewers' attention and keep it.
I have ranted in the past about MTV, TV Land, History Channel, A&E, CMT, Cartoon Network, etc. All of these networks are not what they were, and I really don't watch them very much.
But have you seen the Weather Channel? Remember when they used to show weather? Now I'm not really concerned about Ice Pilots, Lifeguards, It Can Happen Tomorrow, or any of their other shows. What gets me is their newest thing: naming winter storms.
(For the Weather Channel's explanation on why they are doing this, click here.
It's not a bad idea on the surface. But the names they chose are a little weird. The first time I realized they were doing this was when I saw something about Winter Storm Iago. Then I saw the list. The next one I saw that gave us 11 inches this year was named...
 
So then they had Luna, which didn't amount to much,but did make me think of a female wrestler from the 1990s that shaved part of her head and had it tattooed. Then there was the storm from last weekend. The frightening and intimidating...
Nemo.
A storm that didn't blanket the northeast, it buried it. And the Weather Channel named it for a little clownfish that got away from his dad.
The next one that was going to Minnesota was named Orko. Never heard of Orko? You have if you watched He-Man in the 80s:
Orko was created to be comic relief for the cartoon. In an equal fashion, naming winter storms is proving to make the Weather Channel a laughing stock. The Weather Channel is owned by NBC, which has a history of hiring notable people of intelligence and intellect on its sister news channels, people like Chris Matthews, Al Sharpton, and Keith Olbermann. (FEEL MY SARCASM, PEOPLE!)
NBC is dangerously taking the Weather Channel down the path to irrelevance. They go wall to wall when the weather dictates, but otherwise have little interest in showing weather. The bad thing is they are the only game in town. If you want weather on TV, you have to go to them.
In other words, are you listening, Fox? We need competition so we can watch the weather! Come quickly before winter storm Q zaps us or Rocky comes and knocks us out!








Friday, February 1, 2013

I Watch TOO Much TV With My Kids

That is a very true observation. We do like to watch many things together.
Because of that, however, I have garnered many observations about children's TV, and I would like to share them, since I haven't posted anything on here in, well, forever.
  • Have you ever watched Baby First TV with a young child? It is extremely addictive. My wife calls it "Baby Crack."
  • Doc McStuffins might be the best show on for kids right now. I said that, and I'm a man.
  • Max & Ruby trouble me. I don't know how many years this show has been on, but I have never seen their parents. Their grandmother checks on them periodically, but where are they? (Thanks to Amber Benge for reminding me of this.)
  • Also, Max typically says one thing throughout the whole episode that is the key to the show. Ruby is oblivious all the time, and doesn't learn her lesson until the end of the episode. You would think that for as long as this show has been on she would get her head out of her rear end and start listening to her little brother.
  • I miss Handy Manny. I liked that show. But I always wondered what was really going on with Manny and Kelly who owned the hardware store.
  • Dora the Explorer helps teach to Spanish as part of the show. But have you ever seen the show on a Spanish network? She's not teaching English to those kids. What's the deal? Why the double standard, Dora? Que Pasa?
  • Speaking of Dora, do her parents know that she is out on all these trips? If so, are they really okay with it? Also, when is she going to get a GPS?
  • I cannot in good conscience allow my children to watch Sesame Street anymore. Thankfully, they have no desire to. And no way will they ever meet Elmo.
  • Why are my children so drawn to Peppa Pig? It is crudely drawn and British. But they think it is hilarious. It could be because they snort so much. 

That's all I have for now, but as I watch more kid's shows with my little ones, I am sure that more will arise.