The Lucy Principle

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Lucy-Scarlett-JohanssonThe new movie Lucy starring Scarlett Johansson hit number 1 in the country this weekend.

The sci-fi thriller asks the question, “What would happen if someone were able to use 100% of their brain’s power?”

The premise is that most people only ever use 10% of their brain. It’s an interesting concept – if not a completely scientifically accurate one. And clearly by it’s box office haul it’s a question that’s intrigued a large audience.

Which makes me wonder – what if they made a movie about someone who was able to use 100% of their spiritual power? Continue reading →

7 Things I Learned From 7 Months At Kohls

/ Alex Doriot / 10 Comments

photo 2-7Seasonal. I was just supposed to be a seasonal employee.

In November of 2013, a few months after leaving my full-time position as a youth pastor, I began working at Kohls part time to help me earn some extra spending money for Christmas.

I thought I would work here for a few weeks.

Today, over seven months later, I’m clocking in at Kohls for the very last time.

Life has not panned out as I planned it in 2014. I didn’t find a full time job as soon as I thought I would.

But now, as I prepare for a new working opportunity, I’ve been wondering how to sum up my experience with Kohls.

Diving back into the world of retail after a 7 year absence has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life.

I’ve complained. I’ve cried. I’ve whined. I’ve moaned and groaned to my closest friends. I’ve screamed at God, wondering why He would let me flounder in a dead-end job without any hopeful prospects on the horizon.

I’ve struggled to figure out exactly what I’ve learned from this detour in life.

Maybe it is still too soon to tell what all my time at Kohls has taught. But I have come up with a few things that have surprised me along the way about myself as an employee, about consumer behavior, and about the retail world. Continue reading →

Let’s Get Weird

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Would you believe me if I told you “Weird Al” Yankovic could teach all of us a thing or two about how to love others?

Yeah. “Weird Al”. The legendary Jewish song parodist. The guy who brought us “Fat”, “Amish Paradise” and “White and Nerdy”.

The guy whose latest album Mandatory Fun boasts parodies like the fantastic “Word Crimes”, a play on Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”:

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

If you think Robin Thicke is upset about being made fun of by “Weird Al”, you’d be wrong.  Continue reading →

The One Sobering Question You Must Answer Every Day

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Do you think you could pass a 5th grade history test? Do you think you could still do it if you were drunk?

That’s the question “Drunk History” asks. The Comedy Central series (based on a series of Youtube videos) shows what happens when drunk adults try to retell the history lessons they learned in elementary school. The results are jumbled, bungled, and hilarious. (And often full of explicit language, although this clip is clean).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-mU4pf3ywU Continue reading →

How To Live In 3D

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How Stuff Works

How Stuff Works

I always take my glasses off during 3D movies. Just for a second, you know?

I’m not sure why or when I started doing this. For a few seconds though I like to see the unfocused version of the movie. Am I the only one who does this?

Maybe it helps me appreciate how incredible the actual technology and picture is.

The whole 3D process is kind of amazing. The images projected on the screen combined with the special glasses trick your eyes into seeing something that isn’t quite there. (Here’s a scientific look at the process from How Stuff Works)

What fascinates me is that the content of a 3D movie doesn’t change whether you wear glasses or not – just your outlook on it. Continue reading →

Life Is A Maze

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Today, the 4th of July, we celebrate the true American heroes – The American Gladiators:

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

Not to take anything away from the men and women who fight everyday to protect the United States.

I just don’t think the men and women who fought every Sunday morning on syndicated television defending the gladiator arena get enough love.

After all, American Gladiators taught me an important lesson during my youth: Life is a maze.  Continue reading →

What Friday Night Lights Gets Right

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FNL_S2_DVDFriday Night Lights was a well-respected, Emmy Award Winning drama series that ran for 5 years on NBC. But you might have completely missed it.

During it’s original run it was bumped around the schedule and nearly cancelled multiple times. The show was always a critical darling, but mainstream audiences were slow to catch on.

It’s become one of those shows everyone tells you that you should go binge watch ASAP, like Breaking Bad or The Wire. And rightfully so.

Friday Night Lights is far more than a football show. It’s a realistic drama about a Texas High School coach and the down-to-earth problems his family and team face over the course of a career. It’s gritty, it’s funny, it’s relatable. It’s a pretty great show.

Except for the 2nd Season. The 2nd Season of Friday Night Lights is downright awful. Continue reading →

Are You Called To Be Controversial?

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Did you hear the one about the actors who ignited an international incident with their movie trailer?

No kidding – the teaser for the new Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy “The Interview” sparked a firestorm of controversy after it premiered last week. The movie is about a pair of talk show hosts hired by the CIA to go undercover and kill North Korean leader kill Kim Jong-un.

Needless to see, the Korean leader didn’t see the movie as a laughing matter, labeling it an “act of terror and an act of war”.

It’s hard to say how serious Kim Jong-un’s threats are. But there’s no question “The Interview” trailer got people talking.

I wonder why Rogen and Franco decided to make such a controversial movie. Certainly a comedy doesn’t need to invoke terroristic actions to be funny. Why bother? Continue reading →

Feed My Sheep

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I wish The Bible wasn’t so specific. 

A lot of people may not agree with me on that one. They’d rather The Bible go ahead and spell out everything about God and life and the afterlife.

You see, I’m ok with a little mystery. And I’d be ok if there was a little wiggle room as well on some of these commandments we’re supposed to live out.

But sometimes Jesus spells things out for us so there can’t be any misinterpretation.

Take this verse for example: Continue reading →