Month: August 2007

Overflow problems in the bathroom

“Anytime you have overflow problems in the bathroom you’ve got a problem.”
We put together a fun spoof video to show some of the overcrowding issues our youth group at encounter is dealing with.
Things aren’t quite as bad as they may seem in the video, but they’re averaging between 30-40 kids each week at Brian and Heather’s house and running out of room fast.
Phil and the rest of the youth leadership team are hoping to convert the Treadaway’s garage into an additional room so the Jr Highers can start meeting there while the high schoolers remain in the main house and living room.
If you’re interested in helping out with the project – let us know.

People and playgrounds spontaniosly combust all the time

From the DMN, weird news out of Arlington….

ARLINGTON – The sudden heat wave has brought something more menacing than sunburns and higher electric bills. The latest sign of summer just might be spontaneous combustion.

Give that clothing away

Chances are you’ve got a closet full of clothes that don’t get worn very often. I know I do. I have a top shelf full of t-shirts from college days and back when I was a computer tech and everyone and their mother gave away free promotional t-shirts for their product.
A wise rule of thumb to remember when you’re trying to declutter (so say the experts) is to get rid of anything you haven’t used in six months to a year.
Here’s a handy way to figure that out with your clothing from Merlin and Lifehacker…

First, turn the hangers of all your clothing away from you, and set a calendar reminder to go off in 6 or 12 months. Then when your n months have passed, and your calendar reminds you that it’s time, open your closet and remove every piece of clothing on a backward hanger; the chances are good you can give it away without the slightest pain, because you just clearly demonstrated that you don’t wear it.

When you’re ready to give those clothes away – there are plenty of places to donate them to, or you may be able to find a second-hand store that will actually buy them from you. Of if you have the spare time, you can sell them on E-bay or Craigslist and then give that money to charity ;-).
Folks from our church are always looking for clothes, coats and blankets to take to the Austin Street Shelter and other homeless areas in Downtown Dallas – so if nothing else, let us know and we’ll be sure they get in the hands of those in need.
And speaking of, I think it’s time I give my clothes another look as well.

WSJ: “Huckabee fills that void”


From the Wall Street Journal:

With every day that passes, (Mike) Huckabee fills that void for conservatives, argued South Carolina’s former Republican Gov. David Beasley, a recent Huckabee convert who helped work the crowds for his candidate at Iowa State University. “I really believe now that the conservative voters will begin to coalesce behind Mike Huckabee…and it’s going to be infectious in New Hampshire and South Carolina” — states that, along with Iowa, hold the first presidential-nominating contests next winter.
Mr. Huckabee, ebullient after an outcome that surprised even him, said he offered experience and “a different kind of Republican, not a wholly owned subsidiary of Wall Street.”

Also from the article:

Social conservatives, who have come to dominate the Republican party, could decide the candidate they have been looking for has been in the race the whole time, languishing at the back of the pack with little money to promote himself….
Mr. Romney, a wealthy former venture capitalist, had spent huge sums for the straw poll: His $200,000 for a consultant to organize the effort was alone more than the $150,000 that Mr. Huckabee estimates he spent altogether. Mr. Romney rented buses; Mr. Huckabee’s supporters had to find their own way. Where Mr. Romney hired bands to play Saturday at the huge hospitality space he rented, Mr. Huckabee entertained the older crowds himself with his band, Capitol Offense, jamming at one point to the 1970s hit “Free Bird.”

White immigrants get a pass – brown ones do not

Ouch! Is Rev. Bob Edgar saying what I think he’s saying?

Let’s talk about immigration. But first, here’s a word from our sponsor, the God of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel and Leah.
“When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)
That seems pretty clear. Don’t you think?
There are a half dozen similar verses in the Hebrew scriptures. But Americans who are so riled up over this immigration situation seem to ignore these words.

Hmm… “Love your neighbor as yourself?” Yeah that’s an easy one to overlook. It’s only the second greatest commandment.
Edgar continues:

These are the same folks who trot out the very same Bible to damn gay marriage and justify anti-gay legislation in several of our states. But when it comes to more biblical evidence about how we should treat those non-citizens living among us, they are curiously silent about the several verses that seem fairly direct in how God wants us to act toward these human beings…
Most of the attention has been placed on our southern border and on building a fence. Little attention has been paid to our northern border. Yet a foiled terrorist attack of someone trying to cross into our country happened in December 1999, on the Canadian border. An alert Customs officer arrested a man trying to cross into Washington state on his way to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on New Year’s Day 2000.

How is your church choosing to tackle this issue? Or are we just ignoring the problem?

Thanks to the DMN Religion Blog for the article.