Your Favorite Blockhead!

One of my favorite writers, bloggers, fathers and a true man of example in my life has inspired me to establish my own list of truths that the Father and Son have revealed to me over the 28 years of my life. I usually do not mention people in my blogs by name just in consideration of keeping their thoughts privatized in my mind...just in the name of confidentiality. However, Paul O'Rear has a blog that is a MUST-READ for any of my viewers. I am honored to be an active member of his Broken Heart Street Team, a working apparatus in his e-book becoming a reality, and everyone should immediately go to his web page and read his Principles: http://www.paulorear.com/the-principles/ So, just as Paul writes in the prelude of this blog, mine is very much a work-in-progress, but enjoy none the less! When the storms and wind toss you about at sea in life, use the following procedures: When your personal season of tears interferes with your well-navigated, planned out avenu...

In 1987, Suicidal Tendencies released an album with a song called “Join the Army”. This ‘whimsical title’ is very relational to my thoughts today. USA Today released this article last Thursday: http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2012-08-09/army-suicides/57096238/1 I sincerely hope that you will take the time to read this article before proceeding further, but I must be rational. I know that not everyone will. So, I am going to only share this one particular quote with you from above: “Suicides have increased across the military, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Congress last month. He said service members of all branches are killing themselves at the rate of about one per day. ‘That is an epidemic,’ he testified. ‘Something's wrong.’”             Something is VERY wrong, sir. According to another study conducted by the Defense Department staff of USA Today, suicides are only second to being killed in comb...

So, our good friend Snoop Dogg has now changed his name to Snoop Lion, and is redirecting his sights on a new reggae album. Odd. Every time someone in the city had been interviewed on what they would like to say to Snoop Lion, the cynical laughter and scoffing begins. Hey, perhaps his “reinvention” is sincere. His visit to Jamaica certainly seems to have revolutionized his way of thinking. One evening, I started laughing about it with my wife, and was struck by an idea I had to get down as soon as possible. I started thinking about the significance of the King of Beasts, the lions in our own lives. We are all familiar with that great scene from The Lion King , as Mufasa speaks to Simba from the heavens. “Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king.” This is an improbable spectacle of virtue, pride, and rule. It is almost a display of sovereignty, don’t you think? However, the lion that I actually wanted to talk with you is even greater. Aslan, the Lion of Narnia. ...

After visiting Dave Ramsey and Dan Miller's websites for a couple of years: www.daveramsey.com www.48days.com ...if you happen to look in either the Resources or Library section of these two pages, you will see a visual array of books that these men have enjoyed, recommended or even required for their team to read. Since leaving the Navy, I am overwhelmed by how many books I have read, thanks to their influencing me to expand my library. So, for fun, I have finally put together MY personal library for you to browse through. If you wish to do the same on your blog, I will truly enjoy seeing what books you guys recommend, as well. Oh, one more thing. I am challenging you to be COMPLETELY HONEST. Put up books that you have completed, not purchased. Have fun browsing and I look forward to seeing YOUR recommendations, fellow bloggers! Btw, I have broken them down into categories as best I can, and have also included a small list at the bottom that I feel are MUST-reads. Enjoy!...

            I thought I had seen it all until a week ago. I was driving behind this woman that would not speed up in the fast lane. I turned my blinker on, and went around her. As I took a glance out of the passenger side window (expecting to see her texting), what I saw made me scream at the top of my lungs. She was steering the car with her knees…AS SHE SCRATCHED OFF THE NUMBERS ON HER LOTTERY TICKET!!! I have watched countless people in front of me at the local convenience stores buy these things like its lunch-time! Not just the poor communities, but people who are dressed to kill, jacket/tie and all!! It is absolutely driving me berserk. I remember a friend of mine who, just for fun, would get one Lottery ticket a year: on his birthday. This being said, enjoy these great snips from the Dave Ramsey Show about your chances of winning at this scam called the Lottery. Perhaps, a new way of thinking will emerge in America if eno...

In his book, The Strangest Secret , Earl Nightingale writes about a remarkable discovery.   “We become what we think about.” Now, that being said, I want to address music in our generation. Yes, OUR technology-driven “golden age” and an unlimited selection of music. In his play, Madea Goes to Jail , Tyler Perry says at one point to the audience, “See? Them children don’t know nothing about music. That’s why I feel sorry for these babies… All they sing about is sex. Music back in the day had mystery in it, you know?” I observe from afar a lot of these ‘young cats’ at Texas Tech University and throughout my hometown of Lubbock blasting their bass in their cars at full volume, jamming to their IPods and I just feel distressed. A.W. Tozer once said, “An idol of the mind is as offensive to God as an idol of the hand.” Since we got married, my wife has been not just a positive influence for me (pertaining to my faith walk), but she has helped shed light on an unremitting hindrance...

As I was driving home today, I saw several people shouting and raving in front of the McDonald’s sign about everything from: “God is my Savior,” to “…the wrath of God.” As I turned the corner, I was reminded of a Nooma video I saw a while back called Bullhorn. Rob Bell says at one point in the video, “…You just don’t find Jesus waving Heaven in front of people like some carrot on a stick.” Now, plenty of people have attacked Rob for his films and have labeled him as a Universalist, yet until you actually see this up-close and personal, you just don’t feel the lack of humility until the guy with the bullhorn is shouting at you in your vehicle or as you walk past, and might I add, in the middle of “the Bible Belt”. A thought came to my mind that their proclamations sounded similar to the Marine “prayer”. If you have ever seen the movie, Full Metal Jacket , you will remember these words. “This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.” If we take just a moment, this ...

For the first time, I recently believed that I was ready to read, and thoroughly embrace, a book called Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge. After reading this book, a pastor from Atlanta, Georgia exclaimed in praise of this book, “I have fallen in love with Jesus all over again.” A pastor…Hmmm, if the impact of this book is THAT strong… “Am I ready to tackle this?” was the question I repeatedly asked myself until now. I have reached a chapter entitled, Disruptive Honesty, and would like to share some discoveries I have made and what has been weighing on my heart for a minute, now. It begins with a story from the Bible, as follows: “When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised. Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” (Luke 11: 37...

To give a synopsis on my morning today, I take a look at Facebook, and I stumble across a source posted by one of my more politically-driven friends. For confidentiality, we will call her Nancy (yes, as in Nancy Reagan). After posting an article for her viewers to read, one of her followers begins to personally attack her politically and personally. We shall call this person Doyle. Doyle gets a response from Yours Truly, telling him that he is a bully and how my wife and I feel sorry for him. His response was that I needed to “grow some thicker skin.” Now, to digress for a second, you may realize that my last post was about being conflicted about seeking justice or finding refuge, and a little bit of bullying thrown into the pot. “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just,” Thomas Jefferson stated in his 1781 Notes on the State of Virginia. Time Magazine put it this way: “Jefferson was aware of the dichotomy between his idealistic words and the brutalities of slaver...

I do not remember the last time I was so conflicted inside. For the first time since I started blogging, I am not writing because I am full of ideas that correspond, whether they may be in an outlandish or useful way. This time, I am torn in multiple directions, intellectually and spiritually. But one thought comes to mind clearly: It is so easy for us to contextualize what Scripture says, is it not? That being said, I guess that means I will need a Scripture for the basis of this blog, right? Well, I have one. The 21 st Century King James Version of Matthew 26:52 reads, “Then said Jesus unto him, ‘Put up again thy sword into his place, for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.’” One of the main topics in the headlines of the news today is bullying. This morning, I happened to catch a portion of the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda conducting an interview with Kelly Wallace, Chief Correspondent of IVillage and psychologist Jennifer Hartstein. At first, I wa...

Yes, this will be the continuation of a blog I wrote last year on my Facebook page. No, it does not make any reference to the historic and HORRIFIC Cherokee Trail of Tears in the 19 th century. Just to clear the air… As my wife and I were driving home the other day, we were listening to the popular listener-supported Air1 radio station. This was our anniversary of Mission Bay, San Diego. I had asked her to marry me on May 6, 2010, while we were sailing out on Mission Bay. As we were pulling into the driveway of our home, we were hearing a testimonial on the air that went something like this: a man had rented a U-Haul from a company where the manager had tuned every single radio station in every U-Haul truck in the lot to Air1. This gentleman started to leave the lot when a certain song came on. It caused him to return the keys 20 minutes later to confess that he was going to use the U-Haul to get his stuff from his house and leave his wife, but this song made him stop dead in his...

For the longest time, I have not been able to explain why I feel so strongly about voting. Well, I happened to stumble upon this old blog that Kidd Kraddick wrote on his MySpace. And the best part was, this was written during my tour in the Navy. This concept, this influence of voting in our American culture is not new, friends! So, this is what Kidd says about it... October 23, 2006 We all say we support the troops. Many of us have had the yellow ribbons on our cars. Some of us have even been involved in sending care packages to our troops. On November 7th, we're going to see who really does and who really doesn't support the troops. I think the single most disrespectful thing I could do to our 140 thousand soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan is to not vote on November 7th. We have sent them to another country, far from their families, to sacrifice their lives so that a democracy can be formed in a place that has never had one. So the people will be free to govern thems...