“I’ll be back.”
“I could’ve been a contender!”
“Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
“May the force be with you.”
“Houston, we have a problem.”
In 2005 the American Film Institute named the top 100 movie quotes of all time. You probably remember every one of those quotes and maybe 100 more depending on how big of a film buff you are.
What is it that makes these catchphrases so memorable? Continue reading
http://www.hulu.com/watch/33378
Homer Simpson. Always a model for fatherhood. Why, just in this clip above, he shows us 3 of the most important characteristics of a great father.
A father always makes time to give advice to his child. A father is always ready to teach his child. A father is willing to endure extreme pain for his child.
Ok, so he’s not always perfect. But he does what he can with what he has.
As long as you’re doing your best with your kids and not giving up, you should be commended. If you’re at least as good a dad as Homer Simpson then you have reason to celebrate this Father’s Day.
Relax and rejoice. The children of the world appreciate you. No one knows exactly how to do what you’re doing. But we’re glad you’re trying.
Happy Father’s Day.
This year parents across the country will have to make one of the most important decisions of their lives for their children:
Xbox One or Playstation 4?
When the two next-gen systems are released in the fall gamers will be divided on which is the superior system. Eager fans will camp outside electronic stores to be the first on the block to have their preferred console.
It happened with the Xbox 360 and the PS3. And the original Xbox and PS2. And so on and so on.
It will happen again for whatever the next great advancement in gaming technology will be when these systems get discarded. Yes, even the Xbox One and PS4, which seem revolutionary and impossible to top at this point, will eventually become paperweights at the feet of the next great system.
Perhaps, though, for one child this year one game on one system will have as profound an impact on their lives as the video game I wanted more than any other when I was young. Continue reading
I’ve been drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee the past few weeks.
My commitments to work, family, and friends keep piling up. Blog posts don’t just magically appear. There are Arrested Development episodes to be watched. Sleep takes a backseat. Coffee becomes a fine friend.
If you had told me coffee would be my life preserver through this time a few years ago, I would have done a spit take of whatever non-coffee beverage I would have been drinking at the time.
For the first 20 or so years of my life I despised coffee. Hated the taste of it. Hated the idea of it. My parents were never java drinkers so it was never prevalent in my house.
One morning when I was in elementary school I asked if my mom could would make me a cup of coffee. I’d heard so much about these magical beans and the powerful drink they produced.
She made me a cup of strong black coffee. One sip was all I needed to know I never wanted to so much as smell coffee again. Continue reading
Why is “Storage Wars” one of the most popular shows on television? A&E’s megahit has turned the relatively obscure practice of bidding on expired storage units into the most popular game show on television.
Each episode builds up the anticipation of not only finding out the contents of each unit, but then learning just how much each unit is worth (though my biggest problem with the show is the values are often dubious in their interpretation).
Secretly everyone watching considers becoming a storage unit bidder. You think to yourself, “Is it really that easy? Spend a hundred bucks on a storage unit and turn a couple thousand dollars profit?
I thought about “Storage Wars” quite a bit as I prepared for our church’s yard sale this past weekend. At one point I even met a church member at her storage unit to pick up some items.
She had not been to the unit in years. When she unlocked the door the mountainous contents were overwhelming. Continue reading
It’s Friday. The weight of work is overwhelming. You haven’t had a real weekend in months. You have a better relationship with the stapler on your desk than you do your best friend.
It’s time to rethink your priorities. Maybe you should prioritize like Leslie Knope.
Leslie Knope seems like she works 25 hours a day, 8 days a week to keep Pawnee running. But even a hyperactive workhorse like Leslie keeps her priorities straight.
Your work should not define you. Your job should not own your spirit. Take a minute to recognize what’s important today. Put work last for a day. Call a friend. Have a waffle.
When was the last time you made a 2 AM Waffle House run? Or the last time you skipped work to go see a movie? Do something today to make you smile. Your soul needs it. Recharge your happy meter. Ignore the calorie count. Enjoy this day as the unique individual gift it is.
Happy Friday.
I have never been more sore in my entire life. Every part of my body feels like a different car smashed into it in the past 24 hours. And I’m paying someone money to make me feel like this.
You see a few weeks ago I took my first Crossfit class. Crossfit is a hybrid workout regimen that mixes weight training and extreme cardio exercises together. You might have seen the Crossfit Games on ESPN recently – our generation’s answer to the World’s Strongest Man competitions of the 80s and 90s. Continue reading
At the end of every episode of “Inside The Actor’s Studio”, host James Lipton gives guests the famous set of questions inspired by French talk show host Bernard Pivot where we learn about the favorite things of each actor. We learn their favorite word, noise, and curse word (always a source of delight for the audience).
I’d love to hear God talk about His favorite things. What are the sounds and words He most loves to hear? What are the places He cherishes most? What if God’s been telling us all along and the answers are right there in the scriptures?
In his new book God’s Favorite Place On Earth, Frank Viola offers his take on God’s favorite place, the place Jesus seemed to take a shining to the most in His time on earth – the village of Bethany. Continue reading
Last week I unplugged for a few days with my extended family. We rented out a rustic log cabin – on Fernandina Beach in Florida.
While spending time with relatives in our untraditional abode I really tried to unplug myself from my iPhone. It was a struggle.
The first couple of days at the beach I found it impossible to not worry about email, Facebook, Twitter and the many balls in the air I had going at the church.
It really wasn’t until the day before I headed I home when I really began to swim away from my phone, only to dive right back in as soon as I shook the sand from my flip-flops.
Do you ever struggle with unplugging? Our phones, jobs, and social media profiles make it nearly impossible to truly break free from the connections which clutter our minds.
I wonder though if unplugging is all it’s cracked up to be. I think we are actually created to be plugged in. Sometimes we just get our cords attached to the wrong outlets. Continue reading
Do you remember your first summer job?
Cashing that paycheck from a first job is a rite of passage for most teenagers. Whether it’s out of necessity to help support the family or just to earn a little extra spending money, securing a summer job is a gateway to the first taste of independence.
My first summer job came when I was 16 years old. I worked at a movie rental store (remember those?) called Video Warehouse. I wore a red polo shirt and khaki shorts to work four days a week that summer as I checked out the latest DVDs and videotapes (remember those?) to Augusta families.
I made minimum wage, and I didn’t mind. Adding any amount to my bank account was an exhilarating feeling.
My parents were always generous with granting me spending money when I didn’t have a job. But there was something different about being able to provide for myself.
I might have been taking home only a couple of hundred dollars each month, but to me the possibilities of earning my own paycheck were endless. With a little bit of money came a greater sense of independence.
The longing of every teenage heart is to be independent. After you’ve tasted a little freedom from your parents, it’s hard to forget how sweet it is.
The older you get, the more embarrassing it becomes to have to depend on someone else to provide the things you need. There’s a stigma of shame attached to not being able to provide for yourself.
Why, then, does God want us to depend on him so much? Continue reading
POP GOD 