Top 5 Break Ups of 2009

Here are, in no particular order, the Top 5 Break-ups of 2009

Tony Romo and Clutch Performance
-After years of flirtation, Romo and Clutch decided to see if they could make a real deep connection. After many months of rocky relations, the two officially called it quits. Spokespeople for Romo say it was an amicable split, which means he was dumped.

Kanye West and Shame
-West's life has been marked by change recently. His earlier relationship with Genius fizzled and he fired his manager Sanity, so it was no surprise when West finally left behind his estranged companion Shame, erasing any memory of her from his life.

Miley Cyrus and Modesty
-While no one was surprised by this split, many believed that Miley's dad Billy Ray would have convinced his daughter to keep the relationship together a little longer. Turns out that daddy had less to do with the two of the match up than parent corporation Disney. Sources say that Miley has her eye on a new boy, Burnout, last seen on the town with Britney Spears.

Mel Gibson and the Christian Right
-One of Hollywood's greatest modern-day love affairs, the Catholic Gibson wooed an unlikely love-interest in the Evangelical Christian Right with his movie "The Passion of the Christ." But after a lapse into alcohol abuse, accusations of anti-Simetic slurs, and leaving his family, the Christian Right has announced that the two are separated.


Robert Pattinson and Personal Hygeine
-One of Hollywoods most desirable hotties, Pattinson may have been lured away by the bright lights of stardome. While he denies that the two have separated, those close to him say that he has recently been ignoring his child, Shampoo.

The Implications of Dating an Unbeliever

I've seen a great number of young Christians and church-goers show a great interest in dating a young girl or boy who is not a follower of Jesus Christ. When I encounter this situation, I will invariably offer my opinion on the wisdom of such a situation, and usually, I am ignored and treated like a big jerk. So with this post, I do not seek to lay out the wisdom in not dating unbelievers (although there is much wisdom there). Instead, I seek to ask a question that gets to the root of the issue.

How important is Jesus to you? Is He the central focus of your life? Do you make a habit of reading the Word so you can learn about Him? Does the Bible inform all of your decisions and opinions? Or is Jesus just an add-on in your life. Is Jesus like the stereo in your car? It is always on and blaring. You turn it down to talk on the phone or if other people are in the car. But if the radio stops working, the car continues to function just fine. The ride just isn't as much fun and you have to find other ways to distract yourself. (Ok, maybe that analogy limps a little.)

So if you want to date an unbeliever, ask yourself what is your motivation. What is making you want to date someone who doesn't have the same core convictions and probably has a lot of values that are antithetical to your own? Why date someone who is unable to encourage you in Christ and point you toward Him? You're answer should reveal to you how important Christ really is to you, and hopefully will tell you if dating an unbeliever is really the right choice.

Passing Along Biblical Values to the Next Generation

Bob Kauflin had some great thoughts about how we can worship in a way that passes our Biblical values along to the next generation regardless of musical tastes.

Asaph and his descendents were purposeful and intentional in passing on the practice and understanding of musical worship to future generations. And their focus was unmistakeable: “God is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.” They took seriously the command to proclaim that truth to coming generations.

How seriously do we take the command to tell the coming generations what we know of God and worshiping God?

How many of our thoughts about music and worship revolve around what we like, what we prefer, what interests us, and what we find appealing? And how often is that attitude passed on to the next generation, who then focus on what appeals to them?

I suspect this may be one of the reasons churches develop separate meetings for different musical tastes. In the short run it may bring more people to your church. But in the long run it keeps us stuck in the mindset that musical styles have more power to divide us than the gospel has to unite us.

How do we pass on biblical values of worship to coming generations when we can’t even sing in the same room with them?

Read the whole thing here.

My Type of Driving Range

This is how golf should be.

Anger Management Fail

How not to deal with your anger:

Leaving a Legacy

I've been reading through Genesis again, and I am reminded that, while the patriarchs were men of great faith, they were also men of great failing. One instance stands out in my mind. Abraham moved to a new place and he was afraid that men would want his wife for themselves. So he said she was his sister so no one would try to get him out of the picture. But God exposed his lie.

Years later, Abraham's son moved into the same city, and he did the exact same thing. He too was exposed and was forced out of town.

It seems more than a coincidence that both father and son showed the same character flaws. That leads to the point for you and me. Are there areas in your life that God wants to refine, but you are holding on to? Abraham's cowardice and lying were passed on to his son. What character flaws do you not want to pass on to your children? Whether you are single or a married father, now is the time to address the sins in your life that you don't want to see passed on to the next generation.

10 Things You Don't Want to Run in to Out in the Wild

1. Sasquatch - Imagine hiking through the woods, and up on the ridge you see Sasquatch himself. You'd better run when he begins chucking live deer down the hill at you.

2. A Clown - So you are cresting a hill, and over the horizon appears a lone clown. Is there anything more frightening than a clown? Yes. A clown in the woods and nothing to protect you.

3. Ned Beatty - If you come across Ned Beatty (or Burt Reynolds) in the woods, run. Inbred yokels are sure to follow.

4. Magneto - Never mind. There's not enough metal in the wild for him to hurt you with. Just don't let him know you have a knife on you. You do have a knife in the wilderness, right?

5. T-Rex - Even if you are driving an electric Ford Explorer, you can't out run T-Rex, and he will easily flip your truck when he catches up. It's only a matter of time before he eats you.

6. Magua - Even though the Huron are generally a kind and peaceful people, this guy will try to scalp you or steal your girlfriend. You'd better hope Chingachgook shows up with his war club, or you are toast.

7. Ents - They'll probably think you are an orc and smash you. Or, they'll tell you long stories that go nowhere until you die of boredom.

8. Smokey the Bear - If you see him, it means you just started a fire and he's out for revenge. He's nice to kids, but he's an arsonist's worst nightmare.

9. A Lone Dilapidated Cabin - What movie has ever had a good thing come out of a shack in the middle of the woods. There are axe murderers, bears, zombies, and necronomicons. If you see a lone cabin, leave it alone.

10. El Chupacabra - Sure he prefers goats, but he may drink you dry of all your blood if he doesn't have the option. Plus, even if he doesn't kill you, he won't be a very good companion unless you know Spanish.

10 Signs you should limit your hours on World of Warcraft.

1. Your Woman Warrior character has more muscle definition than you do.
2. Your 10 year old sister has more muscle definition than you do.
3. Your Irish Albino friend is darker than you.
4. You unwittingly built a fortress around yourself made from pizza boxes.
5. You missed your graduation because you got really wrapped up in a game... right before midterms... junior year.
6. You don't recognize your friends because they look nothing like their avatars.
7. You even enjoy the parts of the game where you run for 15 minutes straight.
8. You space out during the Sunday sermon because the pastor isn't a level 70 Mage.
9. You don't want to ask out any of the girls at youth group because they aren't as pretty as the girls of WoW.
10. You know what I'm talking about when I say "Leroy Jenkins."

Are You a Real Man

I love this clip. The first time I heard this sermon, I was left shaking, and I was only convicted on a few points. How are you treating the women in your life?

The World's Most Dangerous Bachelor Party

So the Sunday before my wedding, my wife (to be) sent me down to Northfield to pick up my best man so we could hang out for a few hours. After that, I would meet up with my wife (to be) so we could spend the evening reflecting on the year we had been together; her idea, not mine.

But when I pulled up to my best man's house, I found myself surrounded by all my friends, my father, my brother in law, and my (future) father in law. I was promptly given a shot gun and told to shoot the many clay pigeons that were being flung out into the field.



Just to be clear, I do not take lightly the fact that my father in law brought his own gun to the party, nor that he was the best shot there. Tony, point taken.

This is exactly what I wanted for my bachelor party, a bunch of good friends, a bunch of guns, ammo, and clay pigeons. To be fair, when I called my wife, she confirmed that our night of reflection and introspection was all a clever distraction.

10 Ways to Be a Good Date

1. Meet her Dad. This one is for the high school and college crowd. Don't you dare honk the horn in the driveway. If she lives at home and dad lives there too, you go through him. You engage in small talk, you carry yourself like a man, and you show him that you will respect his little girl. If he is a good father, he won't beat you down and he may not feel the need to offer threats. If he is not a good father, your date will respect the fact that you will look out for your kids some day in a way her father didn't.
2. Open doors. I don't care if its the car door, house door, restaurant door, or the door to the cellar (dates that end with tornadoes are cool). Make sure that you open doors. Very few ladies take issue with old-fashioned manners.
Side bar: Don't pull her seat out. It's just awkward. No one teaches classes on doing it, and no one teaches girls how to have it done for them. She will probably wind up on the floor, and you will look stupid. I may adjust it to say offer once, and she will usually tell you if it is cool or not. Chances are slim that she'll be comfortable with it.
3. Don't take her to a movie (at least early on). If you do, make sure to get some quality time in before or after. Maximize your face time with her. Nothing minimizes your chemistry like sitting side by side in a dark room where talking is forbidden (and impossible).
4. Don't take her to Burger Shack or TGI McScratchy's. Take her a place that has some character and ambiance. If she likes burgers, find a nice grease joint that doesn't have franchises. I'm not saying you need to blow $100 at hibachi steak house. Just spend the extra $10 to make it memorable and show some effort. Try something new and adventurous (and make sure she's ok with that).
5. Don't be afraid to ditch dinner. Coffee gets the same thing done for way less. Take a walk. They're great for conversation. Find out about free stuff online before hand, like open air concerts. If it's not cool, you lose no money and have something to talk about.
6. Ask her about herself. Yes, you have an arsenal of amusing tales and witty one-liners. Use them only when you can't help yourself. You are there to find out about her. That doesn't mean that you don't let her know about yourself. You just need to let her know that you are more interested in her than in yourself.
Side bar: Never talk about past relationships. If you have nothing good to say about other girls in the past, she will want to avoid becoming part of that list. If you have too many good things to say, she will wonder why you aren't still with them. Plus, it's just tacky.
7. PAY FOR HER! If you go dutch, you are basically saying "this is our last date, if this even was a date." Don't woo a woman on her own dime.
8. Walk her to the door. A man who drops her off in the drive way and pulls away is called a cabbie. A good date makes sure she feels safe from any potential ninja attacks on the front porch.
9. Be careful with the goodnight kiss. If all signs point to "she digs your chili," then be the one to initiate. If you aren't sure, better safe than slapped. The safest bet is a kiss on the cheek. If the evening was full of awkward silence, she kept checking her watch, or you kept spilling on her and tripping her while you walked, cut your losses before you cut her lips on your braces.
10. A kiss is enough. A real man stays as far away from sexual sin as possible, and would never involve a lady in it. A selfish loser pressures a girl into sexual sin. Usually, he goes where there's no dad to offer beat downs. If you are a Christian, you will date a Christian girl. That means she is a daughter of the King, and he sees everything you do with her. Treat her like your sister, because she's your sister in Christ.

Welcome men and aspiring men

Here's the straight poop. This is not a blog about how to kill grizzly bears with your bare hands and climb 90 degree cliff faces without a rope. You won't find any quotes from Mild at Heart or guns n ammo, though you will probably find the occasional picture of me with a shotgun or tale of daring-do.
And I am no shining example of what a real man looks like. I'm just learning, and I invite anyone wanting to learn to come along with me.
My aim is to look at what God really wants you and me as men to be like. What is the character of a Godly man? How do I do my job, how do I find and love a woman, and how do I stand against all the lies the culture tells me about manhood?
Oh, and there will be fart jokes and automatic weapons.