Together - Team Hoyt

This is an incredible video. I saw it a couple of years ago, but saw it recently on a friend's blog and thought I'd post it as well. It's incredibly powerful.

Pink Floyd - High Hopes

If you like Pink Floyd, then you'll like this video of High Hopes. It's excellent. I'm a huge Floyd fan.

HILLARY CLINTON ROCKS THE MIKE!

There are more reasons that this one... But here's at least one reason why we don't need another 4 years with a Clinton in the White House...

Friday night... Chestnut Mountain

I love skiing!!!

Friday night and Saturday of this week I get to hit the slopes with Oswego Park district. I am totally looking forward to getting to hit a new mountain. We are going to Chestnut Mountain in Galena. I've never been there before. But they've got plenty of snow from their snow report, they are 100% open and their trail map looks pretty awesome.

I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully I don't hit any trees...

Jim

What I'm reading...

I'm reading "Joined in Discipleship" by Mark G. Toulouse. You could pick it by clicking HERE.. but if you do, be prepared for some Church History.

It's the book that I've been assigned for my Restoration Movement Principles class this semester. It's not too bad and a decent read if you like church history.

IPhone Diet Check In

After a tough weekend, IPhone Diet-wise, I got back on track yesterday at weigh in time. I'm still walking... and still drinking water... and still cutting back on the portions... I'm still on my way toward the IPhone.

My hope is to drop below the 290 mark before the end of the month. This morning was 291.5... which gives me a couple of pounds before I make it there. But I've still got a couple of days.

More updates to come!!

Jim

High Voltage Outline - January 28, 2007

Lesson Topic: Surprising Realities- Week 4 - God's Got Acceptance for You!
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Below Average
Music: N/A
Student Involvement in Music: N/A
Lesson Quality: Average
Length of Lesson: 36 minutes (with 2 video clips thrown in)
Student Response: Average
Overall Night Rating (scale of 1(not good) to 10(awesome)): 6

----------------------
Surprising Realities
Week 4 – God’s Got Acceptance for You
High Voltage – January 28, 2007 – Jim Clark
Surprising Reality:
Everyone wants to be accepted for who they are. We are all Unique

Individuals

Extraordinary

We all have something to offer.

We tend to minimalize those things that make us different.
God’s response: Don’t!

God created you as a unique and extraordinary individual.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

Surprising Conclusion:
Those who come to God are accepted as they are.
God accepts those who seek him.
God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. Acts 15:8
Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws. Psalm 119:108

God accepts those who follow his Son.
When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. Leviticus 19:5

God accepts those who try to do what is right.
Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. Acts 10:34-35
To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." Genesis 4:7

God accepts those who worship him.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. Hebrews 12:28
For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD, there in the land the entire house of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices. Ezekiel 20:40

Action Steps:
1. Accept who God created you to be.

2. Appreciate that you don’t have to be perfect to be accepted.

3. Allow others to be themselves.

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7
The Bottom Line:
God wants to accept you where you’re at and help you to become who he wants you to be.

----------------------
Discussion Questions:
1. When is a time when you really wanted to be accepted for you, but didn't feel like you were? What kinds of feelings did you have about that?
2. How do you think it feels to be truly accepted for who you are?
3. What kinds of things can you do in really accepting others?
4. How does it feel to know that God accepts you completely, even though you've messed up?
----------------------

Tonight was the last night of the Surprising Realities series. We'll take a week off and then on the 11th begin a 6/7 week series on Sex!!!

Jim

The Super Bowl Shuffle

I realized yesterday, (Thanks Jeff), that the copy of the Super Bowl Shuffle from YouTube that I had on my blog from Sunday was removed.

So, just in case you were looking for another copy. Here's link to Google's posting of the Shuffle. And if you don't know the words, or would just like to sing along, here's a website with all the lyrics.

Go Bears!!!

the IPhone Diet

Recently, Jackie and I started a little contest. I have something she wants (in fact, too much of it) and there is something that I want.

It not hard to see that there is too much Jim on me... I could definately use to lose a few pounds. And I would really like to get an IPhone. (Here's a link just so you can oohh and aahh at it's beauty and awesomeness...) But the estimated $600 is a little more than I can handle.

So Jackie and I made a deal. If I lose 75 pounds by this summer, she will buy me an IPhone! Sounds like a pretty awesome deal to me. It's a lot of weight... It's also a lot of money... But we decided to go for it. The weight loss itself would put me back at my program weight from high school which would be pretty awesome.

At the beginning of 2007, I weighed in at 299!!! Holy Cow!!!
This morning, since starting the IPhone diet, that's my name for my project, about 2 weeks ago, I weighed in at 291. That puts me 71 pounds short of my goal, but down 8 or 9 pounds from the beginning of the year. But I haven't just be trying... I've got a plan.

Here's my plan:
1. Portion size!!! Portion size!!! Portion size!!! Portion size!!!
I eat like a horse and I need to cut that back. I eat every meal like it's my last. There's no reason for that. So, I've been cutting back on portion sizes. I've also been cutting out the unhealthy snacks... chips, etc... and replacing it with fruit.
2. Drink 8 glasses of water a day.
It keeps you going to the bathroom when you first start. So, I guess that's good because at least I'm getting a little bit of exercise. But I've pretty much cut out the soda and replaced it with water. And I drink 8 glasses (2 full Nalgene bottles) every afternoon.
3. Go for a walk 5 days a week.
Jackie and I have been walking together on Fridays and Saturdays. The other walks come in the morning after she gets up and goes to work. I jump on the treadmill, turn on an episode of 24 and walk for the whole show (about 43 minutes). The episodes of 24 give me something to look forward to, something to make the time go by quicker and a reasonable timeframe to walk through. Just left to myself on the treadmill, most days I can barely make it 30 minutes. But the extra 10-12 minutes pushes me most days over 2 1/4 miles!!

Simple things. Simple things that I'm hoping over the next 5 months will add up to an IPhone!!! I realize that the first 10 to 20 pounds are the easiest. And then it will get harder. But I'm ready for that too... I've got a couple of new goals up my hoodie sleeve!

Hopefully the pounds will be falling off!!! And soon I'll be chatting, listening to music and watching movies on my IPhone! I guess it's called motivation.

Jim

I-65 Superbowl!!!

Last night we had small group at a host home of a family in our church. This family will have a very difficult time on Sunday, Feb 4th. The dad in this family is a Bears' fan. The two sons, daughter and wife in the family are Colts' fans.

I'm kinda excited to see a Mid-West Super Bowl. It will be a great rivalry... as long as the Bears come out on top... which they will. My friend Nate Gilmour (who's blog is linked to the left) will give you a different, although very incorrect perspective you choose to dilute yourself with incorrect facts and fantasies.

But I am looking forward to Super BEAR Sunday on February 4th!!! Go Bears!!

24 and the Simpson collide!!!

My friend Steve will love this.

This May, Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer) and Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe) will be appearing on the Simpsons spoofing '24'. FOX will be airing two episodes of Simpsons that night and, depending on which airs first, one will have the honor of being the 400th aired episode of the Simpsons. This would be a great time for '24' to make their choice known.

But on May 20, the Simpsons and Jack Bauer will collide in an episode of the Simpsons. Here's a link to the story. This episode could be the 400th in the series and should be a memorable night!!!

Last 5 hits on my blog page

Since adding this handly little counter to the left, I've had fun watching how many and where some of my readers come from.

Here are the locations of the last five visitors:
-Normal, Illinois
-Mountain View, California
-Aurora, Illinois
-Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
-Cincinnati, Ohio

It's always interesting to see a few international visitors!!!
Keep them coming!!

School Day...

4 am is a rough time of the day. Especially on Tuesdays. Other days of the week aren't that big of a deal, typically because I'm asleep. But on Tuesdays, I've got to up, out of bed and getting ready to get out the door by 5 am.

I've got to drive 3 hours to Lincoln for Seminary.

Some mornings it's rough... Other mornings not too bad... but it's still 4 am!!!

High Voltage Outline - January 21, 2007

Lesson Topic: Surprising Realities- Week 3 - God's Got Forgiveness for You!
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Above-Average
Music: N/A
Student Involvement in Music: N/A
Lesson Quality: Average
Length of Lesson: 36 minutes (with 3 video clips thrown in)
Student Response: Average
Overall Night Rating (scale of 1(not good) to 10(awesome)): 5
--------------------
Surprising Realities
Week 3 – God’s Got Forgiveness for You
High Voltage – January 21, 2007 – Jim Clark
Surprising Reality:
We’ve all messed up and done wrong.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

God forgives our mess ups
‘But so that you know that the Son of Man (Jesus) has authority on earth to forgive sins…’ then he said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’ And the man got up and went home. Matthew 9:6-7
For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Psalm 25:11
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. Psalm 32:1-2

God forgets our mess ups.
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Declares the Lord. Jeremiah 31:34b
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

We have to forgive the mess ups of others.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:12, 14-15
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’ Matthew 18:21-22
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

Surprising Conclusion:
What happens when we are forgiven or we forgive others?
Peace
That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18

Purification
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7

Pardon
Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:10-11
And are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:24

Action Steps:
I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' Luke 15:18-19
1. Ask for God’s forgiveness.

2. Believe that you are forgiven.

3. Commit to sharing God’s forgiveness with others.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20

The Bottom Line: God’s forgiveness for you far outweighs anything you have done or could do.
--------------------
Questions for Further Discussion with students:
1. How does it feel to know that God has the power and the willingness to forgive and forget mistakes?
2. Who do you need to forgive in your life? Who has wronged you? Hurt you? What steps do you need to go about to insure that that forgiveness takes place?
3. Who do you have in your world who needs to hear about God's forgiveness? What might be standing in the way of your sharing it with them?

-------------------

Overall the night was pretty good. But it was overloaded with video clips. Good topic for clips, but we just had too many.

JC

Super Bowl Shuffle

I saw this on YouTube and I had to throw it on for my Bears going to the Super Bowl!!!!
Go Bears!

Tips from the Trenches: Episode 7

Josh gives a great tip here... one that I need to do a little more often.

Thanks Josh!!

Portland drivers in the snow

Some people just can't drive... this video is amazing. It almost looks fake. "Look out!!"

24 off with a bang...

Last night I watched the first two hours of the new season of 24 and it was awesome. If you aren't a 24 fan, I don't know what's wrong with you because it's incredible. Last night kicked off season 6. It was great. My VCR messed up and I missed hours 3 and 4, but I'm hoping that Apple and ITunes will come to the rescue. But it was great!!!

Ski Trip pics

Thanks Jeff for these great Ski Trip pics from yesterday. (Jeff remembered his camera and I forgot mine...)


After the skiing was done, some (Elisabeth, Marisela, Brooke, Justin) enjoyed some cards in the Lodge before dinner.













Brooke and Marisela pause for a picture. This is a great one because you can see the snowing falling (as it did all day!!!).










Matt and Boone enjoy a little pizza and soda before jumping in the vans to head back to Fox Valley!




Matt agrees... "Devil's Head has some pretty good skiing!!!"


JC

High Voltage Outline - January 14, 2007

Lesson Topic: Surprising Realities- Week 2 - God's Got A Place for You!
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Above-Average
Music: N/A
Student Involvement in Music: N/A
Lesson Quality: Average
Length of Lesson: 40 minutes (with several video clips thrown in)
Student Response: Average
Overall Night Rating (scale of 1(not good) to 10(awesome)): 6

-------------------
Here's the outline. We talked about the topic of Heaven and Hell. And we played an awesome TP Dodgeball game that I'm sure will become a hit. (And it literally did.)

Surprising Realities
Week 2 – God’s Got A Place for You
High Voltage – January 14, 2007 – Jim Clark
Central Life Question: What happens when I die?

Surprising Reality:
Heaven and Hell are the options for your eternal destination.

Hell: What is it? Horrible
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. Luke 16:23
They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:42
Everlasting
They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power. 2 Thessalonians 1:9
Lonely
But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:12
Real
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

Heaven: What is it? Incredible
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. John 14:23
Eternal
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Corinthians 5:1
Satisfying
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 1 Peter 1:3-4
Real
God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. Romans 2:6-7
Surprising Conclusions:
Hell is not for you.

God has made a way for you to be with him forever.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Action Steps:
Acknowledge God’s love and path as the way to heaven.

Accept that you can’t earn your way into heaven.

Aim others in the right direction.

The Bottom Line: Your time on earth is just the beginning… where you go is up to you.

--------------------
Overall, the night was good. I hope to post some questions soon.

JC

No Broken Bones

Yesterday was the student ministry's annual ski trip. This year, we hit Devil's Head Resort in Merrimac, WI.

It was awesome. The slopes were perfect. They had about 2 feet of base and overnight they had gotten an additional 4 or 5 inches which made the skiing perfect. And luckily I didn't fall... I didn't eat it or do a faceplant... and no broken bones... So I would say it was a successful trip.

I'm hoping that Jeff will email me some pictures. If he does, I'll post them!

It was a great trip!

GH2 - Phycho Freakout - Expert (8 years old)

This kid is awesome... I have been playing my fair share of Guitar Hero and Hero 2 since Christmas and this kid is awesome!!! Check out this video!!!

Transformers Movie Trailer

This morning, Jackie left for work about 4:40 am. I flipped on the TV and watched my two favorite shows when she opens... Voltron (that's right, it's on at 4:30 am) and Transformers (on at 5 am). I am stoked for this movie... it's looks pretty sweet!

Jim

Blog turns 100 posts!!!

A major (at least for me and my little blog) milestone is past today as my blog turns 100 posts. This is post 100!!! Congrats to all who made this possible...

Here are the locations of the past 5 visitors to my little blog:
-Geneva, IL
-Hartill, Rotherham (United Kingdom)
-Montreal, Canada
-St. Louis, MI
-Great Neck, NY (I didn't know there was such a place...)

Jim

Indian man sends 182,689 SMS messages in one month

Alert the "Someone needs a life police..."
Check out THIS:

File this under asinine and absurd along with the cellphone throwing contest: Deepak Sharma went on record with the Guinness Book for having sent the most SMS messages in a single month: 182,689. We're not sure if that's total, or unique messages, but if you'd like us to break that down for you, that's about 6,100 messages a day, 253 an hour, 4.2 a minute, or a new one every 14 seconds or so. So basically this guy gave up a month of his life sending texts—way to go, dude. His other reward? A 1,411 page bill (don't worry, he has an unlimited texting plan)—compare that to, say, Joyce's Ulysses (speaking of Guinness books… aw come on!), which is a mere 780 some-odd pages, though every bit as difficult to read through.


Jim

I want this!!!

Follow THIS link to see the new IPhone from Apple in action if you'd like.

I've been wanting a new phone and I've found just the one that I want. Wow!!! It looks awesome!!! You've got to go and see it!!!


Jim

Wow... last night was rough...

After watching the Buckeyes get rolled last night by Florida, I found myself wondering where the real Ohio State Buckeyes were. The guys who played last night weren't the same ones that put down two #2 teams (Texas and Michigan) this year.

The guys who showed up last night showed up with almost no heart or enthusiasm. They also showed up and tried to run an offense that is nothing like what they ran all season long (because all season long they ran on the sturdy legs of Pittman and Wells).

I sat and watched in disbelief because, although Florida is good, I don't think they were that good.

But... there's always next year. Maybe they'll learn something and come back strong this August. I'm sticking by my Buckeyes and would still raise my flag (if I had one).


JC

Go Buckeyes!!!

That reminds me... that and my Troy Smith jersey that I am currently wearing in preparation for the pounding that Ohio State is about to give to Florida tonight in the BCS Championship Game!

Go Buckeyes!!!


Jim

High Voltage Outline - January 7, 2007

Lesson Topic: Surprising Realities- Week 1 - God's Got Time for You!
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Above-Average
Music: N/A
Student Involvement in Music: N/A
Lesson Quality: Average
Length of Lesson: 33 minutes
Student Response: Average
Overall Night Rating (scale of 1(not good) to 10(awesome)): 6

-----------------
Last night was a good return to our regular Sunday night programming. I haven't run the numbers from last night yet, but the crowd seemed to be fairly good.

Here's last night's outline. See below for discussion questions.
Surprising Realities
Week 1 – God’s Got Time for You
High Voltage – January 7, 2007 – Jim Clark
Surprising Story:
Jesus was on a mission to heal Jairus’ daughter.
When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet, and pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.’ So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. Mark 5:21-24
When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Luke 4:40

Someone else needed some time.
And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. Mark 5:25-29
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:35-36

-In a great deal of pain.
When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. Leviticus 25:15

-At the end of her rope.
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:26

-Only needed a second.

Jesus stopped and took the time and helped her.
At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ ‘You see the people crowding against you,’ his disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’ While he was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said, ‘Why bother the teacher anymore?’ Mark 5:30-35

Surprising Conclusion:
God’s got time for you.

Action Steps:
1. Discover that no matter where you’re at in your spiritual walk, God’s got time.

2. Decide to make time in your schedule for God.

3. Don’t allow yourself to get too distracted to see those who are around you.

The Bottom Line: God is never too busy or too distracted to take care of our needs.
-------------------------
Discussion Questions:
1. How does it feel to know that God's got time for you whenever you need it?
2. Are there specific issues in your life that need a "God touch"? What are they?
3. Do you make time regularly for God? If not, what is getting in the way?
4. Who are some specific people in your life that need some encouragement from you and some time from God? How can you help to meet those needs?

-------------------------

JC

a sweet example of fellowship

Last night I saw a sweet example of fellowship.

After church as over last night, Will and Matt invited me to go to their indoor soccer game at 9:15pm. Normally the only activity that I want to do after Sunday night church is an awesome grilled cheese made by my wife and a little time on the couch crashing (previous to this weekend I would have said Sunday Night Football... but since the playoffs started, SNF is finished).

I've been feeling guilty for not making it to as many students' sporting events as I used to, so after some thought, I decided to go. Good thing I did.

Will and Matt's team got beat pretty soundly. But about 5 minutes into the first half, one of Will's friends Amanda (who came to a service project that we did back in November) who is one the team got clubbed in the knee by one of the members of the other team. She was hurting pretty bad. When she tried to get up, she really couldn't put very much pressure on her hurt leg. So Will had her jump on his back and he gave her a piggy-back ride to the sidelines and the bench so she didn't have to walk.

He probably didn't think about it, but for me it reminded me of Ecclesiastes 4:10... "If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

Will was just doing what was natural for a friend who was in need. And that's a true sign of friendship and friendship is a basic building block of fellowship.


JC

40 minutes to "Go-Time"!

I love the little break that I get during the Christmas season. For the holidays, Sunday nights and small groups take a family-friendly break. It's nice for me... gives me a chance to catch my breath.

But I always look forward to getting back to work in January. Right, I'm just waiting for Go-Time! The slides are running... the message and game are ready... as are the video clips... now all I need are some students.

I'm praying that tonight is a good night. But only time (37 to go) will tell. More on tonight following.


JC

Lark News: Homeschooler discovers The Simpsons

This one's for you... Steve!

Here's an article I found on Lark today.
AZUSA — Andrew Griffin's grades have sagged this semester. He blames Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie.
Until he entered college, Griffin barely knew The Simpsons existed. He was homeschooled in rural Idaho and had a VCR but no television stations. Now "I've got a lot of catching up to do," he says.
Griffin was vaguely aware of the yellow cartoon family but thought they were "generalized symbols of cultural decadence." He believed the popular Bart Simpson "Don't have a cow, man" t-shirt was a pro-vegetarian slogan. He thought Homer Simpson was the Home Depot mascot.
But Griffin is now "hooked" after discovering his roommate's collection of Seasons 1 through 12 on DVD.
"We call him Rip Van Griffin" after the storybook character who slept for twenty years, says one dorm-mate. Students enjoy watching the show with Griffin because of the innocent pleasure he receives.
"It's like taking a kid to Disneyland," says his roommate. "The rest of us have moved on to Family Guy, but he gets such pure joy out of The Simpsons that we turn it on just to watch him."
Griffin schedules Simpson watching like a class.
"I can't wait to see the next Halloween Tree House of Terror," he says. "Don't tell my folks."
His roommates say they will spring Seinfeld on him next year. •

Merry Christmas... Surprise...

I ran across this story on Fox's website today.

When Derrick Woods and Chanell Martin decided to surprise their 12-year-old daughter with a Microsoft Zune media player, they had no idea how big of a surprise they were in for. The gadget, they said, came preloaded with more than an hour of raunchy pornography.

"It was a homosexual orgy that they had video taped for an hour and 44 minutes," Martin told FOX News affiliate WFLD reporter Michelle Gielan.

The couple said the Zune package appeared to have been tampered with and the charger was missing. But when they went to complain at the Chicago-area Wal-Mart where they purchased the player, they say the store manager blamed the situation on Microsoft.

Check out the rest of the story HERE.

It's just another reason why you should stick with Apple products... Like the IPOD!!! Good clean media fun!!

JC

The Last 6 Visitors...

I've always wondered who has been reading my blog and where they are from. Often people would say to me, "Hey, I was reading on your blog..." But only then would I know who some of those people were. But I always wondered who else might be reading it or at least visiting it that never posted a comment (which are always welcome) or remarked to me about having read it.

Recently, as you will notice to the left of this message near the top of the page, I added a visitor counter. One of the nice functions of this counter is that not only does it tell me (and you if you click on it) who has visited here recently, but it also tells me where they are from (according to their internet provider). I'm not blessed with any names... except from those of you who comment occassionally. But here are a few of the places from which people have visited my blog.

-Carol Stream, IL
-Athens, GA
-Naperville, IL
-Ripon, CA
-Paris, France
-Aurora, IL

I'm glad you stopped by and I hope you enjoyed what you read!!


JC

Baptism Cannonball!

Steve showed this video to me off of his brother's blog. Thanks Steve's brother...

The next time we baptize a student, we're showing that after we're done so as not to give anyone any ideas...

;)

Happy New Year Beavers

Here's a little New Year's wish from the Clark family to your family...
I know... it's pretty pointless... but it made me chuckle so I thought I'd share.

Happy New Year (a couple of days late)!!

Those promised "Guitar Hero" pics...

Here are those pictures of my mom rocking out on the "Guitar Hero..." I just had to share them... Notice the intensity in that last picture!!!

















She's getting into the groove... and Jackie is getting a good chuckle in the background...












Notice the intensity of the facal expressions and the tension in the toes!!! She was really rockin out!!!








She was a great sport!!! Way to go Mom!!!


JC

Boise State Wins 2007 Fiesta Bowl

This was an incredible comeback and a great game... Until the quarterback started talking smack about wanting a shot at the Buckeyes. Get real kid... your team hasn't played anyone and isn't that good... better luck next year.

Rocky Balboa was awesome...

Previously I had posted about going to see Rocky Balboa (Rocky VI to true fans) over the holidays. Well... I did... Jackie, my sister and brother-in-law and my mom and I went. And it was great.

If you're a Rocky fan... this one is a must!!!

What I'm reading...

A friend of mine (actually the guy who wrote the book) dropped this in the mail for me and I got it right before Christmas. I finished up "What Matters Most"... which was excellent by the way... so I thought I'd give this a read.

My guess is that this will prompt some blog postings. I've only read the initial chapter... so more on this later.


JC

I'm a Christ Follower (Mac vs. PC Parody) Part 04

I'm a Christ Follower (Mac vs. PC Parody) Part 03

I'm a Christ Follower (Mac vs. PC Parody) Part 02

I'm a Christ Follower (Mac vs. PC Parody) Part 01

Great videos...

Guitar Hero!!!

One of the best presents this year for your's truly was Guitar Hero. If you've never heard of this game or played it... you have no idea how deprived your life is.

Basically... you get a Guitar that works with your PS2... plug it in... drop the game in the console and you're all ready to go. As you play, you choose songs (which get harder the longer you play) and the notes come down a "guitar fret" looking thing. When the notes get to the bottom, you press the button that agrees in color and hit a strummer. If you miss, it makes an awful sound. (If you miss a bunch in a row, then you fail the song.) If you hit it, you play along with the song. Pretty cool!! And very addicting!!!

Jackie got me this for Christmas before we left the Tri-cities area and I played it a ton over our travels. One night, while we were in Ohio... I got my mom to play Guitar Hero! (Now realize... my mom has never played a video game in her life (that I'm aware of)). It was halarious...

The best part was that she didn't just play once and then give up... she tried 6 or 7 times before giving up. She was such a great sport... and Jackie, Addy (my sister) and I couldn't stop laughing!!!

For some reason, blogger isn't letting me load the pictures... but I'll get them up soon. They are classic!!!

JC

It was a great Christmas

Well... the holidays have wrapped up. Today is January 2nd and we had a great holiday. We spent some time in PA... and we spent some time in Ohio... both of them were great.

But... work returned today!!! So, hopefully I'll be able to get some more blog posts out there.


JC