Jamie A Steele

An Interesting Song

2009-09-10T13:13:00.002-04:00

I came across this song today. It is actually from an artist that i used to listen to all of the time when i was in high school, and i had actually never heard this song. The artist is actually in the Hip Hop Rap Genre, and actually part of the Gangster Rap category. But i heard this song and it is actually a pretty good song with good content. It is from Scarface. Thought i would pass on the lyrics to it. Its not often you hear a song such as this from a artist in a genre such as this. But here it is:

What Can I Do
Scarface featuring Kelly Price

I thank the lord for every morning he allows me to rise
And though the sun is shining there's a cloud in the sky
Letting me know that at any moment there could be rain
And as beautiful as life is there still could be pain
Down the block I hear the Sirens just-a screaming away
And then the inevitable happens the ending of days
Sad as it sounds, that's a price we've all got to pay
And the whole world knows the lord give it and take it away
I live and I learn, I sit and watch my cigarette burn
Down to the ash, reminds me of the now and the past
I save me a prayer 'case eventually I'll stand in the path
Of the souls on the dark roads that leads to the man

Do you hear them crying?
Waiting for someone to come and dry these tears
Take away their fears

Another child is born bloody naked, clinging to life
Unaware of his surroundings or if breathing is right
In the arms of his mother as he looks in her eyes
He takes his first breath and he screams (The baby’s alive)
And at the same time another mother murders her kids
And the unbearable thought of this here just brings me to tears
It’s hard enough we got to raise ours kids to live in this world
So full of hate with no fate, and you’re killing your pearls
And sometimes I got to sit it down and wonder myself
But then again I ain’t Jesus, and I couldn’t help
But all I can do is hope I never live with the fact
That I hurt one of my seeds, cause dealing with that
Would be the hardest thing I’d ever have to do in my time
I’d have to take my own life too and I couldn’t climb
That stairway that you hear me sing about in my rhyme
And a parent hurting his kid ain’t a sign of the time
I know there’s truth in that statement we just living to die
But I believe if you live it right, you’ll live in the sky
Looking down on the good and the bad, the world as a whole,
Now hopefully you did what you did ‘fore you had to go

Do you hear them crying?
Waiting for someone to come and dry these tears
Take away their fears
Can I make it better?
Can I ease the pain that they are going through?
What can I do?
What can I do?

I say goodbye to you cruel world, I see peace in the red sky
I see the beast when the dead die, relief when my head’s high
Hear the streets up ahead cry, when the heat from the lead fly
Felt the grief when I said bye, before the sheets on my bed dried
The turn of the table, the tale of this tape
The destruction of human flesh of the not so great
The long list of the John doe’s that accompany the spirit
As the yells of the souls lost with hopes that god hears it
The resurrections of empty hearts crowd in the room
Muffled sounds of the outside echo the tomb, but I’m cool

Do you hear me?The crying…
Do you hear them crying?
Waiting for someone to come and dry these tears
Take away their fears
Can I make it better?
Can I ease the pain that they are going through?
What can I do? What can I do?
See what I can doWhat can I do?
I want to make it better y’all, But I got to know how I can make it better
So what can I do? What can I do?

Calling on the Artists!

2009-07-09T20:11:00.002-04:00

With September fastly approaching, comes my new tradition, a new tattoo on my birthday. Last year, for most of the you is of Chinese Kanji text of Patriot on my inner right wrist, and Warrior on my inner left wrist. It is really a part of who i am from a political stand point.

So this year, as i have yet to decide what i want the tattoo to be, I decided to open it up to any artists out there. So if you have any ideas, sketch them out and send them via email to me. It has to be something politically based, if you need help on what my political view is, just go to Spartanburg Libertarian Blog.

I look forward to any ideas anyone has.

We'll see what comes about.

2009-05-08T15:38:00.001-04:00

Administration wants to resume building a virtual fence. This is hilarious. Lets not spend money on an actual fence to stop illegal immigration. Lets just build one where we can see them when they do. Thats the ticket. Thats like me being a virtual millionaire.

2009-05-08T06:36:00.001-04:00

why is it ok for law enforcement to disregard the laws and hit someone, but if anyone else does, people want to make an example of them.

2009-05-08T06:34:00.003-04:00

but a trooper hits a walker last night, are you going to be as quick to put out his record.

2009-05-08T06:34:00.001-04:00

here's one for the media. Ludwig runs off the road and hits a house killing a man and you are quick to put out his past driving record.

2009-05-07T20:29:00.001-04:00

I'm about ready to tell Charter where they can stick there over priced service. After my call, according to them, a legal binding document doesn't have to be accurate. Oh did i mention that their Customer Service SUCKS!

2009-05-07T10:13:00.001-04:00

Why is it that politicians swear never to raise taxes on the poor. But they are hellbent on raising taxes on Cigarettes, when the poor are the largest percentage of smokers. Yet another political lie.

2009-05-06T18:05:00.001-04:00

Testing my update feature on ping.fm via my G1(Google Jihad) phone. so far so good.

2009-05-06T17:59:00.001-04:00

Testing

Current Happenings

2009-04-26T17:39:00.003-04:00

Well, lets see, its been around 4 months since my last post. It has been a very weird time for me. And in weird times, that throws me off balance, i lose my inspiration to write about what is going on. This is not only on this blog, but on my Political Blog. So here is what is going on.

I have been overwhelmed lately after seeing the political landscape in the country. I know i normally don't talk politics here, but this is a rare time. I am overwhelmed by the lack of respect by the politicians for the people of this country. Overwhelmed by the overwhelming feeling in Washington that we, as citizens, are stupid and we MUST have them to make it. Overwhelmed by an Economy in the dumps, mainly because it was created by actions, and laws, created by the same politicians that try to brainwash us into thinking that they are the Saviors to save the day. Overwhelmed by the masses of citizens that have lost all since of responsibility, common sense, and critical think ability. And lastly, overwhelmed by the changing of the Political Parties, from two polar opposites morphing into a mesh of one. Conservative Politicians and Liberal Politicians voting the same way on the same topics, wheres the difference?

Secondly, i have been in limbo dealing with church. Back a little over a month ago, the church that my family was attending closed it doors. It was one that i saw the writing on the wall back around November of last year. Reluctantly i kept my mouth shut on what i saw. There were definitely some problems there, but it was a tough time to see something we put alot of time into, just close up shop. I look back and wonder, if i would have said something about the troubled waters i saw, would it changed the outcome? At this point, i could "what if" it to death, but the situation is what it is. I can say that i was saddened to see so many just put out. Honestly, i felt like i was kicked out of my home. But, these things happen, and all i can do is keep the good memories of the experience. And things happen for a reason, and that's the way it is. I do want to say that even though it is all over, there are many who i still call good friends. Candy, Shane, Anthony, Katie, Mitch, Candice, and these are but a few.

So after our former church closed its door, we came in contact with our former church. And some things started to look up, with a potential to be involved in a start up. This is still up in the air, only time will tell.

So on Easter, i was glad to be part of a tremendous experience. Our oldest son, Chris, was baptized. It was an experience that i was glad to be able to take part in, especially since i was able to be the one baptizing. But it was a two man job. I knew i wouldn't be able to do the speaking, not because of nervousness, but because of holding it together. So Mike Decker, at 3 Strands, did the speaking for me.

And finally, a big one for me is Work, as it is for most. Within the last 9 months, i have went from my main job title, Raw Material & Packaging Coordinator (Purchasing/Material Planning), to expanding to being the Plant QA Leader, a plant representative on the Corporate QA Team, and Lastly after taking a course, The Plant Food Defense Coordinator. So my roles and responsibilities have expanded exponentially. So with these new responsibilities come new stress. There are many days i come home with the only hope of sitting around doing nothing. So if you ever want to drain the pool of your own inspiration, stress works remarkably well as a super absorbent sponge for the pool.

So welcome to my world in recent history. Hopefully i will have more inspiration coming soon.

A Challenge

2008-12-28T15:44:00.002-05:00

So i hope this finds all of you well. I am glad that Christmas is over with. I truly do not like this time of year. It is a time of year that has truly lost its true meaning. And is nothing but a commercial fiasco. Not to mention having to go half a dozen place in a relatively short period time. Pile into small houses with alot of other people. I have issues with being in tight quarters with alot of others. It gets my anxiety up and i can't stand it. But oh well.

Anywho, i have a challenge for each of my readers. It seems this time of year we start to think of things that we want to change going into the new year. And each year we all seem to find a way to fail at them. So this year i thought i would put mine out there and see if all of my readers that are going to make this a goal for next year wanted to step up and compete in a challenge.

AS for those that know me, i am what you call Chubby. Ok, I'm just down right FAT! At least in my own eyes. I am sitting right at 250 lb's right now. Now this is for a person that didn't weigh over 130 lbs soaking wet in high school.

So i am wanting to shed some pounds this new year. And i know that it is a big thing for alot of people. So i thought why not start a Challenge for everyone that wants to get involved and see how we all do in a competition of sorts of weightloss. I am thinking that those who want to be part will weigh in and send me the starting weight along with your goal weight. I will put a spreadsheet together to track every ones progress in the challenge. And give updates every couple weeks for us all. Also we can also share tips on how we are doing it and it will give tips to others to help them out.

This will run from January 1st through April 1st.

So if you want to be part of this. Just send me a email and we will all get to the starting line and get ready to get going. Lets see how we can do it.

Cool Song!

2008-12-12T21:02:00.005-05:00

Ok, it has been a while since my last post. This one was inspired by an Episode of LA Ink from this week. A show that i am slowly getting hooked on. I can see myself eventually all tattooed up one of these days like the artists on this show. But only time will tell. But i digress. On this weeks show there was a musician on there getting a tattoo of his first solo album. This artist is very well known in the Heavy Metal arena.

His name is Brian "Head" Welch. He is a former Guitarist for the group Korn. A group that i have listened to for quite a while. Well i knew that a few years back that one of their members had quit the band, but never really paid attention as to why. Well last year i found about him on Myspace and what he was doing. He left Korn, due to finding Religion and kicking his drug addiction. He came out with a book, which i recommend anyone to put on their Must Read List. Called Save Me From Myself.

He also started working on a solo album with the same title. I started listening to it tonight. I think it is awesome. If your into Metal Music. It is an album i recommend as well as the book.

But the main reason for this post is the lyrics to the cover track from the album. I will try to see if i can get into the playlist on this blog. But here are the lyrics to the song.

Save Me From Myself :

Another day in life
Which way will I go?
Will I pick suicide
How do I say no?
The demons are calling me
"Just one more line"
Voices echoing in my head
These thoughts aren't mine

Chop it
Snort it
The kid?
ignore it
Life sucks
I'm over it
Save me from myself

Can't quit
I tried it
Your love?
denied it
Can't fake it
I hate it
please help me

God!!
Save me from myself
I'm beggin you
God
Save me from my hell

Chillin in my own gutter
I've sunk so low
I want to be a good father
but Here the voices go

Chop it
Snort it
The kid?
ignore it
Life sucks
I'm over it
Save me from myself

Can't quit
I tried it
Your love?
denied it
Can't fake it
I hate it
please help me

God
Save me from myself
I'm beggin you
God
Save me from my hell
Save me
from my
myself
Save me
from my
my hell

Wake up Wasted
Get up Wasted
Go out Wasted
Come home So Wasted
Play shows Wasted
Pimp hoes Wasted
Life blows I'm Wasted
No more living Wasted!

Drug use I kicked it
Abuse I kicked it
I'm through I kicked it
I won't kill myself
Depression I kicked it
Suicide I kicked it
Telling lies I kicked it
I won't kill myself

Father! Thank you
Father! I live for you now!

Oh my God I live For you now
God Save me from myself
I'm beggin you
God Save me from my hell

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T06:21:00.002-05:00

Well it has been a while since my last post. Or so it seems.

On this day, it is common to think back on the last year and remember all of the things that i am thankful for. Not one of us can say that they don't have anything to be Thankful for. There are many things for each of us to reflect back on and be thankful for. So here are a few of mine.

- My Wife. She is the one that keeps me grounded. She is the one that gives me the ability to keep a rational head, when left in my own mind, i would say or do things that would have dire effects later on down the road. I am very Thankful to have her in my life. I am thankful for the children that she has given me. Kristy, I am thankful to G-d for bringing you into my life.

- My Kids. I am thankful to have each of you. You each are the reason why i do what i do. The reason i work hard everyday regardless if i want to or not. The reason i look forward to coming home everyday after work. I am thankful for who you are, and for who you will become.

- This country. I am thankful to live in a free country. I would argue that we are not as free as we once were. But we are free nonetheless. I am thankful to live in a country where i have the freedom to say what i feel, or live as i see fit, or have the ability to stand up for things that others do not agree with.

- My Friends. There are many of you. I am thankful for each of you. you each have helped mold me in one way or another to who i am today. To my Root Friends (and you know who you are) I am thankful for the friendship we have. I am thankful for you being there during the tough times. Helping us through the tough times. If i have never said it before, I am thankful for you. As for my good friends. I am thankful for the good times. I am thankful for the ability to laugh with you. You make my life more enjoyable. As for my long lost friends that i have found this year. I am thankful for each of you. I am thankful for your friendship in the past. I am thankful for the ability to catch back up with you after years. I am thankful that you are doing good and happy in life.

- My church family. I am thankful for a place where i can be me. I am thankful for people that will allow me to be me. I am thankful for a church family that will not judge a person by their outward appearance, but try to see a person on the inside.

- My family. I am thankful that on this day, both sides of the family can come together and spend time together. I am thankful for each and everyone of them in more ways than i put words to.

Well these are just a few of the things i am thankful for. I know i didn't even scratch the surface. But they are but a few. I pray each of the readers have a blessed and enjoyable day. Take time to reflect on the things you are thankful for.

Wow Twice in the same Post

2008-11-22T21:29:00.002-05:00

Well last week i said congrats to some ladies that i go to church with. All 3 had their blogs mentioned on a post on Spartanburg Spark.

Well i went on to their site today and low and behold both of my sites are on one posts on the site. I would like to say my Thanks for Spartanburg Spark for giving local blogs the ability to expand to an audience that they might not otherwise get.

So for all of my readers. Lets all show Spartanburg Spark some support by putting links back to them.

Thanks Again!

My Thanks From The Battlefront

2008-11-19T11:25:00.002-05:00

Well as all of you know, our church Ridge Pointe was in the paper last week. It was a great article, for those who haven't read it. I have a link on one of my previous posts to the article.

Well the article definitely got under some peoples skin. Just read the comment section of the story and you'll see what i mean.

The battle has come to us. The fight over church. Our adversary in this battle it seems to be the ones who should be our brothers in arms. But those "brothers" took this opportunity to try to slam us for how we do things, why we do things, all in the effort to discredit us and cast doubt on our role in this war. Our legalistic Christian brothers are too busy complaining and trying to start to arguments with us over the saving of those around us. They want to try to stifle the speech of those unlike them. Just to make themselves feel better.

But i take solace in this one thing. The people from our church have stood up against these comments in force. I have seem so many come and bear these arms in support of the church. Even those who do not attend the church anymore.

So i want to personally give each and everyone of you my Thanks for your willingness to stand up for what our church is doing. You also took the high road. You all were very professional in your approach in the matter. More than i can say for the troublemakers. oyur comments will have a more lasting effect on the unsaved readers of those comments than the adversaries words will ever have.

So Thank You once again. Thanks again for letting others know how Ridge Point has touched you, done for you, changed your life.

A Response To A Comment

2008-11-17T11:25:00.003-05:00

Well as most of the readership here knows by now. The church my family attends was in the local paper on Saturday. If you haven't seen it yet. Go down to my post on it, i have a link to it. But there is a person there commenting. This person sounds to be the poster child for the Traditionalist Christian movement that i have ranted about many times here on this blog. Check out the comments on the papers website to see what i mean. Anywho, i decided to chime in with a couple points of my own. As did a few others from the church. But below is my response to the guy.

"Felix, Felix, Felix.I think that this ultra uber conservative mentality of people such as yourself is what is hurting our religion. Christians for years have thought that the only way to be a Christian is to move away from all things "evil" and live in seclusion such as the Amish. But if all Christians were to do that, who is supposed to reach the lost. We are commanded to go out and reach the lost.

Our savior did not sit at the local synagogue and command people to come to him on HIS terms. He went to them. He went to the prostitutes, he went to the tax collecters, he went to people. He went out in the world to talk to the world on thier terms, not his. Did he make up rules for people coming to him. Did he make people come to him at the local synagogue, on Sunday, at 11am, wearing his sunday best, singing hymns, while not "partaking" in alcohol. NO, he went and ate and drank with prostitutes. He met people where they were. To our saviour, which was more important, where a person was, or who the person would become.

As for your music comments, do some research. All of the traditional hymns that are sung in church, guess where they came from? They are, for the most part, from old tavern melodies.

It is because of this type of mindset that is keeping people away from church. Non Christians today are tired of the Do As I Say Not As I Do "Christian" mentality. So we are trying the alternative. The Come As You Are approach. Come as you are to our church. Bring your imperfections and let G-d fix them, without any man made pre-concieved notions of what you are, or how you should act.Its our job to get them into church (by any means that works) and let G-d do the rest. However the traditional thinking this to be the opposite. They feel it is G-d's job to get them to the church, then the churches job to straighten them out.

When did "Christians" lose sight of the forest for the trees?"

Congrats!

2008-11-16T06:15:00.002-05:00

Well for those of you who don't know, there is a site called Spartanburg Spark on the web. They find local blogs and talk about them. They found my Spartanburg Libertarian blog a while back and i have noticed a pretty decent jump in traffic from it. Its a pretty cool website an concept.

Well i would like to say Congrats to some ladies that I know. It looks as though 3 of the ladies that i go to church with have made it onto the Sparks latest blog entry. So to Candice Brevard of Candice Day To Day, Candy Stone of The Family Stone, and Teresa of Teresa's Thoughts.

So congrats to you ladies. Here is the website for those of you interested. It is here.

I just have to figure out a way to get my wife's on their site.

Ridge Pointe

2008-11-15T08:16:00.002-05:00

Well after seeing something on Twitter. It seems that Ridge Pointe is in the local Paper. It is a pretty good article. It will be interesting to see how it effects us. Hopefully we can get more exposure like this. I can only help us grow. Sorry if i steal anyone's thunder on this.

So here is the link:
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20081115/ARTICLES/811151002

Here We Go Again!

2008-11-06T19:22:00.006-05:00

I am back at it with another installment of my thoughts on traditional Christians. This one happened tonight. It is dealing with the typical "Christian" talking point of how the Bible says you should not drink.

A group of us were talking and drinking was brought up. One of the people in the group had talked about how they had an addictive personality. So this person said that they did not drink because of how drinking could get out of hand because of their personality.

To me this a wise way to be. If you know that doing something, with certain types of personalities, will make you go overboard. Then you should not do it, because you will sin.

Then i brought up how it irritates me that Traditional Christians believe that they Bible says that you shouldn't drink. I told the group that NO WHERE in the Bible does it say that Drinking is wrong.

Well it seems that one of the group was one of the traditionalist, because he told me that the Bible does say that Thou Shall Be Sober.

So i came back with how it says that you should not do anything to excess. And how some preachers will spew this from the pulpit but not mention gluttony. And how many Fat Preachers are there?

So the only response was that "The Bible Does Say Thou Shall Be Sober". So it was time for me to walk away. And as i walked away this person said once more "Thou Shall Be Sober".

At this point i had to just continue to keep walking and to bite my tongue. Because it was of no use to try to prove my point anymore, because some people are closed minded and will not let anything into their heads that goes beyond what the Christian Spin that the churches of old said.

So i sat back once i got to my destination i started to think. And i have come to the conclusion that i would use somethings that the Bible say to prove my point. I know, some of those close to me are going to pass out due to the fact that i never put actual scripture on this blog, or never really speak scripture to others. I am more into giving synopsis of what the Bible says on topics. So i will pause for a moment to allow those passed out people to regain conscientiousness and regain their composure.

So now that everyone is back with me i will continue.

According to the NIV there is only 2 instances where the word Sober is mentioned. I Samuel 25:37 and Romans 12:3. Now i will skip The first one because it doesn't really apply. But here is the other verse.

2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,

So to me this doesn't prove the point that the you should not think of yourself greater than you actually are, like a drunk man. Drunk off of Drink, or Drunk off of yourself, or Drunk off of anything. Nowhere does it say that you can not drink of Alcohol. It only says that you are not to be Drunk. Because if your thoughts and actions are centered around alcohol, there your loyalty will be also. Your thinking, love, loyalty should all be to G-d. If you drink to excess then your loyalty is no longer to G-d.

I'm sure to do more study from other versions of the Bible to get a broader picture. But rest assured i will not use the King James Version. Because i get nothing from that version.

So i take solace in knowing that G-d has no problem with a person taking the occasional drink. Now when it comes to the person in the group that has the addictive personality. I will never take a drink around them, because the Bible does say not to act in a way around others that will cause them to stumble. One more verse and i am through.

19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

Something About Me

2008-11-01T11:34:00.005-04:00

I know everyone is still waiting for the next installment of my story. The inspiration tank has been fairly low here lately with everything going on. But it is coming. Hopefully after this election is over, and work slows down i can refocus on this. But i thought i would post on something else. I thought i would blog on some very important things to me. These are things that probably most people do not know about me. Only the few in my inner circle know.

1)Trust

Trust is one of the most important traits to me. I have very hard times trusting people. Trust is something to me that takes a long time to form. There are very few people in my life that i truly trust. Once the trust forms for someone, i would trust that person with my life. But to go with that, there are a few things that will break that trust. If that trust is ever broken it is very very hard to gain that trust back. Actually there are only 3 people in my life that have ever broken my trust and regained it back. It also took quite a while for me to trust them again. There a re also quite a few that have done something to me that made me lose my trust in them, and they were never a part of my life.

2)Friends

I have quite a few friends, but very few true friends. Root friends as i call them. These are the friends that are rooted in my friendship. Root friends will stand firm no matter what wind may blow. Where as branch friends are the ones that might blow off when a strong wind comes. I can count on two hands how many root friends that i have had in my life. They are known to me as my Inner circle. My inner circle are ones that have passed the trust test to me.

3)Loyalty

This is another big one for me. Loyalty ranks right up there with Trust. It is another one that takes a lot for me to gain in people. But once loyalty is there, i will never turn my back on it, unless the trust is broken.

4)Warrior

I will staunchly standup for my family. If i feel that one of my family is under attack i will attack if necessary. I feel i am blindly loyal at times. This has been a burden at times. I have lost my cool and said things that i wouldn't have if i would have waited. But sometimes that is the way it is. This is part of the meaning of one of my tattoos mean's "Warrior"

5)Patriot

I will staunchly stand up for my fellow citizen. It all goes into the meaning of my other tattoo "Patriot". I might not like how you act, or what you say, or believe in your choices or lifestyle but i will fight to the death for your G-d given right to the freedom to choose how you live.

6) Childishness

This is one that drives me nuts. It is something you expect out of a child, because...They are Children. But when an adult acts like a child when they don't get their way, it is utterly ridiculous. These people should act their age. People have a child hood for a reason, that is because you need time to gain maturity. Once you are of the age of gaining that maturity, it comes a time to start acting with maturity. I have been around many a people that will have temper tantrums when things don't go their way (which is a pathetic sight to behold). I have seen "adults" give others the silent treatment when things are said or done that they don't like. This is something my son would do, not an adult. It is something that i haven't seen in a while but it is ridiculous nonetheless.

Back at It

2008-10-28T17:59:00.002-04:00

Well i am back to post a blog, something that i haven't done enough of. I should have known that it would get like this. This time of year is a very hectic time for me. Not to mention stressful. This time of year at work my work load automatically doubles. Now add into the mix that my normal workload has doubled over this past year, you can see how the normal doubling of workload this time of year has fared for me. It is more stressful than in years past. But so is life.

So i don't get the needed inspiration to do a lot of posting. As i have said before, i am not the type of person that can just sit down and post. I have to have some type of inspiration to build on.

As many of you know, i have been very vocal about certain things that traditional Christians tend to do. Such as their attitude toward what people should wear when they come to church, what bible people should read, what music should be sung at church. Traditional Christians tend to be very legalistic of things dealing with church and about non-christians.

But i just wanted to take the time to expand my vocalization. However this deals with Traditional as well as Non-Traditional Christians.

This one being our tongues. We, as Christians, will talk all day long about how one shouldn't use curse words, or shouldn't be mean spirited in our speech towards others. We should use our voice as a way to uplift each other and our creator. That is what we are commanded to do. But there is a sinister thing that goes on daily between us. It is something that we all struggle with. And that is the struggle of watching what we say.

But if we are to show ourselves to be different to a non-Christian, we have to be different. If a Non-Christian hears us talking about other people, then haven't we just lost our ability to minister to them. We all have to remember that our ministry is more than how we are at church. Our ministry is our lives and how other see us. We must hold our tongues and hold our selves to a higher standard. If a Non-Christian see or hears us talking bad about someone than that could drive the Non-Christian from ever wanting to become a Christian. Like i was told a long time ago, Never argue with an Idiot because to an outsider, they will not be able to tell who the idiot is. So i think that we need to ask ourselves when we have the urge to talk about someone. If this is not something i would say to the person i am talking about, then i shouldn't say it.

It is something that will not create a stumbling block for others.

What my weekend has brought...So Far

2008-10-25T18:57:00.004-04:00

Well the Steele house has been quiet. The kids went to my parents on Thursday night and didn't come home until this afternoon. Yesterday afternoon, Kristy and myself went out last night for dinner and movie. We went to the movies and then out to eat.

We went out to see Fireproof. It was a thoroughly awesome movie. I really don't have alot to say about it right now. I am still processing it all right now. It was a truly good movie. The humor was a little off (you can tell it was written and produced by a traditional group of christians. But the message was spectacular. If you haven't went to see it yet, GO NOW, seriously drop what you are doing and go see it. Why are you still reading this, go see it NOW! Just kidding. But go see it as soon as you can.

Then we went out to eat. It wasn't a typical dimmer you would think a couple to have without the kids. We did eat at a sit down restaurant.... Chik-fil-A.

Now today the kids came home, but left with Kristys parents to go to some trick r treating thing. Chris dressed up like a Guitar Hero, Jay like Sting from TNA, and Lindsey like a witch.

Well while they were gone my favorite movie came on. V for Vendetta. If you haven't seen this you need to. As most of you know i am big into politics and this movie shows alot of how our government is going to turn out. But i won't get into all of that here, i will save it for my political blog.

But that is the weekend so far.

We'll see what Sunday hold for us.

An explanation

2008-10-20T16:44:00.002-04:00

I thought i would just share with all the readers about something that i have been questioned from time to time. Some of you may even have asked the question to me or yourself. And that would be about the way i spell a certain, or don't spell a certain word.

That word being G-d. I spell it this for a very simple but very deep reason. If you go and study about Biblical Jews you will see that they felt that name of G-d is so holy that it was never to be written otherwise it would bring punishment on them. Kind of like how the Ark of the Convenant was so holy that you couldn't touch it or else you would die. This is how they felt. So they would not write it. However today we have this very simple word for him G-d. So the Rabbi's of today still refuse to spell his name they will spell it they way that i do.

So you see that to me his name is holy. His name is so important and holy that i do not want to spell his name with out truly thinking of who he is and what he has done. So it i write it this out of humbleness to him.

Another reason is because it is way too easy and thoughtless to spell it out. It takes no thought process to type it. However when i spell it out, i have to pause my typing, even for a split second, to press a different key other than what i am accustomed to. So i can not spell his name without remembering in my mind how he is holy.

It might not be an important thing to you, but to me it is very important thing to help me remember.

But now you know why.

Dual Meanings

2008-10-19T16:39:00.002-04:00

Is it me or am i a posting freak today. This is the 3rd one today.

I have finally decided my next 2 tattoos. They say once the ink gets into your blood you get hooked. I guess that is true.

But after thinking long and hard about it, i have the idea in my head for my next set. I am going to try to get them around Christmas, hopefully everything will work out.

These next 2 i plan to get will continue one with the Chinese text. And they will carry on with the dual meanings that i started with my last two. My last 2 mean Patriot and Warrior. They mean alot to me since i am big into politics. But i got them for not just that reason. To me they mean that i am a Patriot and a Warrior for the rights of others in this country. But they also mean that i am a Patriot and a Warrior for G-d. So you see the dual meaning. The reason i got them on my forearms is so that i am constantly reminded what i am here for, and what i need to do.

But my next 2 i plan to get on my forearms, closer to my elbows. They will be Faith & Hope, and Freedom. Once again they will have dual meanings from a Political and Religious aspect.

So keep an eye out, i will have them soon enough.

Don't Be Hindered from Giving

2008-10-19T16:18:00.002-04:00

As a second post to be previous post. I think it is important to take something to heart when giving to others.

There are people all around us that will ask someone for some help. Some people will look at this as begging. And others will question the motive behind this ask for help.

Example:

A few years ago, Kristy and Myself were over in Spartanburg shopping. Once we had completed shopping and we headed out to the car. As we were putting our recently purchased items into the car, a car pulled up behind us. The lady in the car explained that they were up from somewhere else (i don't remember where now) and that she didn't have enough money or gas to get home. Now some people would begin to ask the question, Why are you going somewhere far away from your house without enough money or gas to get back home? I had thought this myself at this time myself. But i pulled out some money and gave it to the lady, she thanked us and we went on our way.

Now after the woman left, we got into the car to leave. I remember Kristy asking me if i thought the woman actually needed the money or not. I remember telling Kristy that to me, it didn't matter. The reason it didn't matter was because we are commanded to be kind, to be giving, and to help others. So that was what i was doing. If this lady was lying and just trying to swindle money from people. to me that was fine. That is something she will have to answer for, not me.

G-d commands us to help others, not put these peoples needs through a lithmus test to see if it is a legitimate need or not. We just have to do our part. If we are told that this is a need, but the person "needing" it are frauding us to get money or anything else. Don't worry about it. Let G-d handle it. He will bless those who do right and punish those who do wrong. But if a person lies to you about a need, and you give to that person. You are not going to be held responsible for that, the person lying to you will be.

But if you do not help people in need, like in this situation with this lady, you will be held responsible for not answering the needs of others.

Something to think about.

Giving to Otters

2008-10-19T12:05:00.003-04:00

Ok so now that i have your attention from my heading. I actually meant to write Giving To Others, but you can see what it is now. I noticed it and thought that my mistake was a little humorous and decided to keep it, just to get peoples attention.

So during the service today i got a few topics to write on. This is not out of the ordinary for me. However i will normally jot down a few thoughts during service, to process and write about later. Most of the time, when i look at my thought later, i will think on them more, and normally i will cut a few of the topics. There are various reasons, but most of the time i just do get enough to continue the thought.

Well one of them today dealt with something that i did this weekend. Now let me begin by saying that i am not bringing this up to in any way say look at what i did. This is in no way an ego type of thing. I want to use this as an example of what we as Christ Followers should be doing.

This weekend we all went to Walmart to do the grocery shopping. Something that Kristy tends to forbid. She usually goes by herself, since we tend to spend too much when we all go. We generally spend too much everytime we go. But when we take the kids, it gets out of hand. Not to mention i do not like to be around crowds, especially one that do not have manners (this will explain to most of you why i refuse to go the mall, the fair, to Spring Fling, along other places). But this time was different it was not too bad of an experience. But on to the story. We did our shopping, and went to get into the check out line. Which at Walmart can be a task in itself.

So we are waiting in line and we are gettting ready to start unloading the buggy ( or cart depending on which you may call it). And just before starting to unload, i noticed a man behind us. He was standing there patiently with a bandaged hand, and one item to purchase. So i told him to come on up and go in front of us. And this man came up to get in line in front of us. When he got up to checkout, i started to put our groceries on to the belt. I didn't really think anything else about it. But after the man finished checking out he stepped back to me, tapped me on my arm to get my attention, and thanked me for what i did. I personally didn't know really how to respond. I was just maing a kind gesture to another person, one who was injured.

But the more i think about it, the more comes to me. This was not really about the gesture. It was about giving to others. I did what i did out of kindness, but it was also a giving gesture. Through actions such as this we are giving our kindness to others. I believe that G-d will bless each of these acts of giving , no matter how small we think that they are.

We as Christ followers need to exhibit more of these acts of giving all of the time, no matter how small or insignificant. We are very good at giving to others when it comes to certain situations. We will give when we see commercials from the aspca about animals in trouble, or about kids in other countries. But that doesn't get us off of the hook when it comes to people in our own communities. We have to give to people right here, right now. Helping other people and other causes in other countries is fine and dandy, but helping those in our communities is what G-d requires us to do. We are not furthering G-d's kingdom if we are not answering G-ds call to reach those around us. That is why we are living in cities and neighborhoods instead of homesteads with no neighbors for miles.

No matter how small or how big, giving to others our time, our attention, our kind acts, or our wealth. This is part of our calling. No matter how rich or how poor. Giving is something we all can and are all required to do.

Are you doing your part?

Conversations With A Rabbi - Jacob

2008-10-11T21:15:00.002-04:00

Now for most that read this blog, they know of the story of Jacob. Jacob was a very interesting character in the Bible, or the Torah to the Israelites. If you are not aware of the story of the life of Jacob, flip out your Bible to Genesis and read away.

But this one conversation that i had with the Rabbi was a very interesting one. I do not remember what got us onto this subject. But here we go. Let me lay the groundwork of the story before i get into the conversation. Jacob was person that would do just about whatever he could to be on top and get what he wanted. He schemed against many a people. So Jacob schemed to get his brothers birth right from his brother. He dressed up like his brother and acted like him to get his father to give him the inheritance. Well after he succeeded his scheme, he had to get away to keep his brother from killing him. So his mother sends Jacob to the land of her family to hide out.

So he went to relative named Laban. He stayed with Laban for a little while. Now Laban had 2 daughters Leah and Rachel, Leah being the older. Now Jacob fell in love with Rachel. So he went to Laban to see about marrying her. However Laban being a schemer the same as Jacob (sounds like it runs in the family). So Laban told Jacob that was fine, but that Jacob would have to work for him for 7 years before he could marry. Jacob agreed. So at the end of the 7 years it came time for Jacob to marry Rachel.

Now in the Jewish faith they believe that Jacob thought that Laman might try to pull a fast one on him, seeing as during that time the younger sister was never to marry before the older sister. So he gave Rachel a code word to prove to him at the wedding (and subsequent consummation), so that he would not be marrying the wrong person. So the wedding happened, and the next day he found out that Laman had switched his daughters out and that he had married Leah instead of Rachel. In Judaism they believe that Rachel felt bad for the fact that she was marrying before her older sister, so she gave Leah the code word to keep her from enduring humiliation from not being the first to marry. Now Jacob then had to work another 7 years for Laban to marry Rachel.

But to the Jews they use this story as a lesson on the treatment of others. They use this story to weigh heavily on them as a sign that every situation needs to be thoroughly looked at to make sure that ones actions will not bring humiliation or emotional suffering on others.

This was just an interesting take on a familiar story.

How many know one!

2008-10-10T20:46:00.004-04:00

My job is one that puts me in contact with many different people. For those that do not know, i work for a food manufacturer. I work for a company that specializes in gourmet crackers, cookies, and candies. I have to say that i feel that they make some of the greatest products known to man. Ok i am over exaggerating a little. But their products are good. But my main role at the plant is Material Planning, it is my job to order and maintain all packaging and raw ingredients used on the production line. I say it is my main role because i actually have about 3 different roles that have their own job title.

One of the added responsibilities that i have is to maintain all of the files and procedures for our plant's Kosher Program. For those of you that are wondering what the heck a Kosher Program is, i will give a brief synopsis. Kosher is a lifestyle mainly adhered by active Jews. It is a food program instituted by G-d during the Old Testament days. These were part of the laws handed down to the Israelites. There is alot of food laws that the Jews adhere to. If you want to get a good idea of the food laws, flip back to the old testament and start reading. There are many. But it is mainly that you can not boil a lamb in its mother milk, so if they eat meat, they can not have Diary for 2 hours. If they have dairy, then they can not eat meat for 8 hours. Their laws prohibit some types of meats, and prohibit the eating of any type of animal fats.

We as Christ Followers (which i believe is a better term than Christian, thanks to Shane) do not adhere to these laws, since Jesus repealed these laws during his time here on earth.

But i bring this up for a reason. As part of the Kosher Program, i get a visit from a Rabbi. He comes in to inspect to make sure that everything in our plant meets the Biblical Kosher Laws. Our company pays money each year to be part of the Kosher Program. The Rabbi is part of the Orthodox Union. It is a Union of Orthodox Rabbi's. They oversee the program. And in return for being in the program, we have a symbol on our product so that other Jews will know how it can fit into their Kosher Dietary Regiment.

But my most favorite part of the Rabbi's visit is getting his takes on things. He gives a perspective that most Christ Followers will never get. Even though are faith was begun back in the old testament, with the Jews, most churches fail miserably with instilling where the start of our faith has originated from. You have to be able to understand where you begin, to fully see where you need to be. But that is beside the point.

So i plan to start something new on my blog. Besides the series of life stories i write on from time to time (this would be named "My Story"), and my posts on my feelings on the state of the church of today. I will start posting about some of the discussions that the Rabbi and myself have had and some of the stories he has told me, along with the traditional Jewish perspective of some the more known stories from the Bible.

So be on the look out for a new series called "Conversations with a Rabbi".

So to further my title. How many know one - A Rabbi.

Pass The Plate

2008-09-30T13:32:00.002-04:00

So i know that my title might have some of you wondering, but hopefully by the end it will make sense.

Let me start off by saying first and foremost that this is a joke. It is a humorous response to something.

Ok so here it goes.

Yesterday, my wife went to meet a friend of hers. Let me start off by saying that this person and her family happen to be one of my families best and closest friend. So while my wife is visiting her, her friend give my wife a basket. Now this woman knows that The Steele family (myself mainly) loves to cook. The only thing we like more than cooking is having people over to help us eat the food that we love to cook. So our friend gave Kristy the basket for us to use when we have people over.

So when my wife showed it to me yesterday, Kristy mentioned about what her friend said we could use it as, a Bread Basket. But me being of somewhat quick whit (sometimes), told Kristy we could put it at the front door and use it as a collection plate, so that when people come in they can leave some money for us.

Well to explain the next part, i have to tell you a little bit about her friend. And i know that she is going to kill me the next time she sees me because she is an avid reader of my blog. But Mrs C (as i will call her, since her is not a very personable term, almost sounds derogatory sometimes) is a very spiritual person, one the most spiritual people i have known (actually the most spiritual people in my life are her and my Aunt, now i'm not saying that there are no other spiritual people in my life, just these two are the most spiritual, but i think wife is getting pretty close - no that was not a sucking up moment). Mrs C has the amazing ability to see G-d in everything, every situation, every conversation, I mean Everything. Which i think is amazing, because i am one of those people who do not see G-d in everything. Some times i see him, but most of the time i have to really look to see him (He's there, i know he is, but i just have trouble seeing him sometimes. Something i believe that most Christians have trouble with).

Well my wife told Mrs C today about what i said. Now from what i am told Mrs C immediately started going to the Bible and told my wife that I have to preach of teach for it to Biblical to put out a collection plate. Well i told my wife that i do teach. I don't preach, because i would never try to preach to some one seeing as how much i have screwed my own life up over the years (Read My Story on this blog and the upcoming chapters will fill you in perfectly). But i feel like i am sort of a teacher in a way with both of my blogs. On this blog I could be considered an informal teacher of sorts since i do talk on issues that i feel plague some people and some people in the church. So since i am a teacher i can put the plate to collect donations from those that come to the house.

So Mrs C the next time you come over you can feel free to donate to the collection plate that you donated to us.

Ok, i am in no way serious with this post. I would never put out a collection plate, that would condemn me to hell quicker than any of the other bad stuff i have done wrong in my life. So rest assured Mrs C that you don't have to will the wrath of G-d on me for this one.

My Story - The Teen Years - Part III

2008-09-23T19:39:00.002-04:00

Well here we go with the next chapter.

I forgot to mention in my last posting about the Christmas time during my tenth grade year. It was during this time that we had went to Ohio to visit my Grandma's. On our way back we stopped in Forest City to visit my sister and brother in law. So i stayed with them for a couple of days. It was New Years Eve. They had some friends over and made some Whiskey Sours. And they offered me one. Which being a kid that would do just about anything due to it being deemed "bad", i tried one. I finished my first one before anyone else. So i had another, and another, and another. After the 4th one, they were out of mix. I thought it was a great drink, still do to this day. But i drank too much too quick, due to the drink tasting more like Lemonade than an alcoholic beverage. Well after a just a little while it hit me. The feeling i got had to be one of the craziest, but it was one that i liked. I liked the buzz feeling. Well after a little while they decided to go get something to eat. Now this is the first time that i had ever been on a buzz, and they want to go out in public. So we go. We go to this little hole in the wall restaurant, a little Waffle House-ish. And who do they have sitting at the door, a cop. It about freaked me out. Here i am buzzing and now worrying about getting busted by a cop. To top it off after we ordered our food, a couple of men got into a fight at the next table. You would think these experiences would have thwarted any idea of drinking in the future. But they didn't.

Well now lets get back to where this chapter begins. It is my 11th grade year. I can honestly say that not much happened. My and Dennis had homeroom with each other not to mention a couple of classes also. It was during this time that i met his girlfriend, Mandy. Mandy was a very nice girl, one that didn't fit with a person such as Dennis. But by the time it was all over with, Mandy was one the best friends that i had. I still keep in touch with her to this day.

Well during this is felt a little bit of freedom. I got my drivers license. And i couldn't drive enough. I didn't get to drive to school, i was stuck riding on the bus. So i had a friend that drove so i would catch a ride to school with him whenever possible. But after school i would make up excuses to get out of the house. I would tell my parents i had a project to do, and that i needed to go to the library or some other BS and take the car and go to friends or anywhere other than home.

I experienced my first prom during this year. I took a friend from church. A girl named Jamie. Ya go figure Jamie and Jamie going to the problem. Well i took her out to eat, to some fancy smancy place. A place that didn't have the normal food. They had Duck and Lamb, and tons of other food that i couldn't pronounce. It was not something i was used. However now i would look forward to try those types of foods. But my tastes have been refined now. Then i was your typical fast food loving (but rarely getting) type of person. We got to the prom and stayed for probably 30 minutes. Just long enough to get our picture made. The main reason for this was, i didn't have alot of people to converse with. I was a person that only had a limited number of friends and i kept it at that. I didn't want to have large groups of friends, too much drama and problems. So we left the prom, went cruising for a little bit, then i took her home. Ya some prom. I was very no frills at that time.

Well also during this time i honed in on my love of Drafting. I started taking it in 10th grade. But in 11th grade we went to 2 hour blocks and started drawing houses, which is something i loved. During the 11 th grade this was the only class that i liked. All of my other classes i barely raised a finger in and still passed. So drafting was my favorite. I still love to pull out the drafting tools (which i still have from high school) and sketch out a house or anything else for that matter. Now i also like my US History class. i am a big history fan, always have been. But Mr Moore was a very brash man, but one that you respected. He would tell you the truth on a matter, not what the book said. I learned alot in his class.

Well this pretty much sums up this year of my life. From here on it takes a nose dive. So tune in next time for the next chapter.

Lets Ruffle some feathers!

2008-09-20T08:20:00.002-04:00

I was thinking this morning about my tattoo's. And the first thought into my head was I wonder what some of the more Conservative Traditional Christians I know will say. I don't why i thought that, because really, it doesn't matter. But occasionally i get those thoughts. I did this for me, not for them, so their opinions do not really matter to me. In this matter at least. It was a decision i made for me, and its a decision i stand by, like i was to have any other choice after getting ink put on my arm.

But as i was thinking this phrase popped into my head. A phrase that i have heard people say my whole life. I even heard it from my parents right after the found out that i got my first tattoo some 13 years ago, and right before my mom said that she hoped my arm fell off for getting it (but that's beside the point). The phrase is "your body is a temple to G-d and you should not defile it". Now i agree whole heartedly. I believe that you should treat your body as a temple to G-d. Once you give your life to him, it is a place of worship, it is a place dedicated to him.

So i know there is the thought now of, Then why are you defiling it by getting symbols, and pictures, etc imbedded in it for others to see. Isn't that defiling it you might ask.

I believe it is and it isn't. It is, if it was done outside of G-d. Such as getting pictures of the Devil, Naked Women, etc. Things that would distract you from him or show that your allegiance is not with him. If the symbols are of evil things that our G-d condemns then it is defiling. But a tattoo in itself, i believe, is not defiling it.

Ask yourself this. Is the church building you go to a temple to G-d. Why yes it is. Do you paint the walls of that temple. Why yes you do. Do not some churches paint on thier walls symbols of Crosses, Crown of Thorns, Jesus, among other symbols of our faith. Why yes they do. If it is a dedicated temple to the Lord, then should these emblems be painted up on the wall. Because using this same Traditional thinking would tell me that it is defiling his temple by painting these things on the walls.

So i ask those Traditional Christians to think outside thier Churchy box for a moment. Ask your self if this point is valid or not.

I think it is dangerous for us to box G-d into what our Traditional thinking of this faith is. It is a path that makes us hinder G-ds purpose in our own life.

Now i wonder how many feathers got ruffled on this one?

Got Ink?

2008-09-19T16:00:00.006-04:00

Well, today was the day. I went this morning to get my birthday tattoo's.

They went fine. The first one hurt like you wouldn't believe at the beginning. Just because it is so close to the pulse. Then i started feeling flush. And had to stop for a few due to feeling like i was going to pass out. The tattoo artist said that it is natural for this part of the body. The inside of the wrist is one of the most sensitive spots to get a tattoo on, right behind the side (rib area). Then he started on the left wrist which hurt worse then the right wrist. But it is natural also for this to happen when you do opposite body parts.

But it is done, and i am pleased with the way it looks. The pain is only temporary.

So here they are:
This one means Warrior

This one means Patriot

My Story - The Teen Years - Part II

2008-09-17T20:40:00.003-04:00

Well ok, this has been a long time coming. But here is the next installment, or chapter if you will.

Well we moved to Lancaster about 3/4 of the way through my 9th grade year. So moving to a new town in the middle of the school year was difficult to me. Making new friends in a new town is not my ideal situation. But it was something i had to do. It was a much nicer atmosphere then i had in Forest City.

Lancaster was a very friendly place. It reminded me of Weaver, Alabama. But without the Military base on the out skirts of town. There were a couple of kids my age on the road i lived on. One was a guy name Ken. Ken and myself become fairly good friends. Along with his friends Eric and Michael. We became the 4 muskateers of sorts. We would hang out alot after school. It was during this time that we would take one Friday night a month and stay at Ken's house. It was also during this time that Ken and friends introduced me to the world of Dungeons and Dragons. This was during the time when D&D was a big news item. Alot of kids would play it and kill themselves when their character would die...... Losers. I never got to that point, but it was a fun game. We would spend allnighters on those friday nights playing the game. And then play jokes on the one who went to sleep first. Which i can honestly say that i was not the one the jokes were played on.

The summer after my ninth grade we got together for 4th of July. We decided to play fireworks wars. A very fun game, dangerous but fun. Its like paintball but with bottle rockets. We would take PVC pipe and bottle rockets. One person would hold the pipe on their shoulders like a rocket launcher, the other person would "Load" the bottle rocket into pipe and light it. You can probably picture this act. Well Eric and myself were on a team together again Ken and Mike. We launched off quite a few at the other team, but no direct hits. Well we were ducking behind a bush while the other team launched at us. But the last time we raised up right as the other team launched at us. The bottle rocket came whistling towards us, we tried to move, but not quick enough. The bottle rocket hit me square in the chin, bounced off of my chin spun around and landed on Erics leg and blew up. We were stinging but laughing. This was the sadistic type of fun that i liked, and still get the urge to do from time to time now.

It was also during this i became a HUGE pro wrestling fan. Growing up i was a fan. Then i bacame a big fan, but around this time i became a huge fan. My favorite, as with most kids during that era, was Hulk Hogan. By far one of the greats. But i had alot of one that i liked. Just to name a few Road Warriors, Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man. I would watch it whenever it came on. No matter what time or channel, i was glued to the TV.

Well i went to the 10th grade, and with that came another school. Lancaster High School. So i had been to one elementary, two middle schools, and three high schools. Well 10th grade was one of my calmer years. During this year, there was rift that started between myself and the other muskateers. They had started hanging out with a guy that i didn't care for. I can't remember his name, but thats not a bad thing. He was one of those people that gives a vibe of bad things. So i abruptly ended the friendship. Well during this time, in my homeroom, i met a guy named Dennis. He was a pretty cool friend, but one of those friends that i hung out with at school and that was it.

So this was my tenth grade year, overall a boring year. Not much happened. Which is what i needed after the previous few years.

However, i think the boredness of this time just created bigger monsters later on. But it was what it was.

After this point, the downward spiral begins. Wait and see. Next chapter coming soon!

Thanks

2008-09-16T21:45:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to some very special people in my family's life.

Tonight we were taken out to eat for a special occasion, my birthday. My birthday is actually tomorrow. But tonight The Stones took our family out to eat. It was an excellent meal. We went out to The Olive Tree in Duncan. If you haven't been to this restaurant, i implore to go and try it. It is excellent Greek and Italian food.

But thank you to The Stones for taking us out to eat for my birthday. It was a fun time, one that i thoroughly enjoyed.

Thanks Again!

Curious Minds Want To Know

2008-09-15T15:14:00.003-04:00

Well, it has been too long since my last post. Things have been crazy, hectic, nerve-wracking, stressfull, among other things. I know i have been telling everyone that the next chapter of my story is coming. And it is. However i am not one of those people that can just sit down and write. Something has to get my attention or inspire me. Usually it is just a mere thought, or something someone says. Normally when i get a thought in my head, i will think about it, and my mind will take that thought and it will grow rapidly into what you see on this blog. But it all starts with a single thought. Once it starts i have no trouble in finishing the thought into a pretty decent idea to write on.

However, i need that moment of inspirational thinking to get the idea. But the last couple of weeks have not been that good. No inspiration what so ever. So when the river is dry, you can't drink any water. So it is with this blog. It has actually been so bad that i have only posted about 5 times this month on my political blog. Which is breaking a rule of mine that i set forth when i started that blog. Which is to post at least once a day on political matters.

This time of year is always stressfull for me. This is our busy time at work, so there is added pressure to make sure that everything needed to run is at the plant. Then add in our onslaught of copack items for clubs brands (Mainly Costco) and keeping our copacker supplied with the items needed to supply this product. It gets very hectic, not to mention stressfull. Then add in a situation last week that started with a simple call for help, which ended in more work load for me. You can see where this is going.

So i had all these grandeous ideas of everything i was going to write on, but when you mentally worn out when you get home, inspiration begins to lag. I had in mind a big posting on 9/11, one that i believe would have been a pretty intense posting, one for my political blog and this blog. But when Thursday rolled around, the "think-tank" was empty.

So i promise that as soon as the inspiration starts to flow again, which i feel is starting back, i will have alot more to say on my story. And i get the feeling the last half of the story will be much better than the first half.

So be patient, the saga will continue.

My Birthday Present

2008-09-02T21:58:00.002-04:00

So i have an upcoming birthday. I won't tell you when, but it will be here before i know it. So i am going to play it up a little bit this year. Normally, i am the type of person that just wants my birthday to go by in utter quietness.

But this year i have a plan to step outside the box a little bit. As most of you know i have a tattoo. I have had it for about 13 years now. But i have been bouncing around the idea of getting another one. But it has not went anything past a thought.

Well now i am going to get not one but two. I thought what the heck, might as well go all out. The tattoos in question you will find fit me rather well.

Well my wife stole one of them from me, and already posted it. But oh well. So here are the two that i am wanting. I'll make you have to ask me they mean.

So here they are:

Another Amazing Day

2008-08-31T17:28:00.003-04:00

Well today was week 2 of running 2 services. I have to say, i thought it was another great day. With it being a holiday weekend, you know that there will be a decrease of attendance. This is common in every church, no church is immune to it.

Well today we had about 170-180 people which just blows my mind. G-d has his hand in this, this is not something that man can do on his own. There was also a lot of new faces this week. i hope that G-d will bring more of them back along with more next week.

I believe that the sound was good. The band did an awesome job. It was a good last hoorah for Jason who is leaving. I can't wait to see what Jon and Bridgette add to our service when they come next week.

So all in all, my own personal opinion, it was another great week.

I promise, for those of you waiting, i will post soon on the next installment of My Story. Its been a while, and if i don't post it soon, i could risk a lynching.

One Amazing Day

2008-08-24T21:09:00.002-04:00

Well today was the Grand Opening of Ridge Pointe Church today. We started 2 services today. I am going to keep my thoughts brief on here because i do not want to steal the thunder from those who deserve it more.

But it was AMAZING! We started off with Living On A Prayer in service ( I know it's a Bon Jovi song, but it fit perfectly, plus the idea behind it was perfect. One it fits with our lives as Christians, we live on a prayer, one prayer at a time. Two, from now on when the people at service today, their thoughts will immediately go back to the service the heard it in), then we played with the lights some during the other songs, changing lighting scenes with beats, to add a little ambiance to the service. These little things, such as lighting, can add to the mood and experience of the service. I see it from this perspective since that is what i am into at church. I am sure the Parking Lot volunteers can explain how what they did added to the whole experience a person has at church. We saw a huge turn out today.

I pray that next week we will see those we saw today and more new faces that couldn't make it today. I also pray that we can find more "secular" songs like Living On A Prayer that we can do every week.

All in All it was a great experience, one that had us very nervous, very excited, very stressed out, but one we are all very gratefull to G-d for allowing us to see his mighty hand at work. It was a success because of him. If we would have done it for us, we would have failed faster than a man trying to walk on water.

One More Chance

2008-08-24T06:36:00.002-04:00

Well the teens at The Pointe, while giving a valiant attempt, failed to meet the goal of 40 teens at Thursday night. They only got to 15, but this was by far more than the average attendance when i challenged them to hit 40.

So since a valiant attempt was made, i have decided to extend the challenge for another week.

So to the teens at The Pointe. If you can have 30 in attendance on this Thursday, my wager remains. I will let you shave my head bald.

So i look forward to see the outcome.

Teens At The Pointe

2008-08-19T15:20:00.003-04:00

Ok to the Teens at The Pointe. I wait rathe anxiously to see if you can step up to the plate and reach the goal set before you. The goal being 40 teens by Thursday's edition of The Pointe. If this goal is hit, i will uphold my end of the bargain, and let the group shave me BALD.

I will have all of the necessities with me on Thursday night when i come to Band Practice to complete my transition to being bald.

As much as i DO NOT want to be bald, i feel that this is a goal that you teens can achieve.

I look forward to Thursday to see if the goal is met.

A New Winner Is Crowned

2008-08-17T22:54:00.003-04:00

Well Summerslam is over. It was a fun night filled with food, food, and more food. Followed by some Guitar Hero. Then the night was capped off by the wrestling event.

As usual the men were all glued to the TV, while the ladies sat at the table talking.

It was a fun time to get together and for everyone to get to know each other a little bit more.

Well a new Champion has been crowned. Everyone predicted their winners. And for the first time we had a tie. A 4 way tie. It came down to Beth, Jason, Chris, and Candy. So they had to pick numbers. And the winner was:

Jason.

So i just wanted to thank everyone who came. It was a fun filled event. I look forward to the next one.

T Minus 1 Hr and Counting

2008-08-17T16:59:00.002-04:00

The day has arrived. The day that has been anticipated in the Steele house for about 1 month now. A day where our family and our friends get their WWE pay per view fix. Otherwise known as Summerslam. We normally do this twice a year, Wrestlemania, and then one other. Last year it was The Great American Bash. This year we did Wrestlemania, which by the way was a big disappointment over last years.

Well this year we are excited because we are adding more to the event. We normally have 3 families at these events, along with occasional other family from time to time. However this year we have expanded to around 5 -6 families, taking our number from 13 up to 25 this time.

Its going to be a fun time. We are going get our fill of Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Brauts, Guitar Hero, and wrestling.

We'll also be crowning a new Champion tonight. Each PPV we each predict who we think the winners of each match will be. Then the person who predicts the most matches correctly wins a wrestling belt until the next PPV. However the last two winners were women who did not even watch wrestling (says alot for those of us that are avid fans). We'll see who gets crowned tonight.

More to come!

I am a Friend.........

2008-08-16T09:46:00.002-04:00

There is a song that has been out for a while, that just really drives me nuts. It is a song, to me that shows how the attitude towards G-d has changed over the years. The attitude that G-d is this big cosmic hippie sitting indian style in the sky with his tye-dyed shirt, colored sun glasses, and a bandana around his forehead.

But before i tell what the song is, i first want to lay some groundwork by way of definitions. These are from dictionary.com

Parent:

1.	a father or a mother.

2.	an ancestor, precursor, or progenitor.

3.	a source, origin, or cause.

4.	a protector or guardian.

5.	Biology. any organism that produces or generates another.

6.	Physics. the first nuclide in a radioactive series.

–adjective

7.	being the original source: a parent organization.

8.	Biology. pertaining to an organism, cell, or complex molecular structure that generates or produces another: parent cell; parent DNA.

–verb (used with object)

9.	to be or act as parent of: to parent children with both love and discipline.

Friend:

1.	a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

2.	a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter: friends of the Boston Symphony.

3.	a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile: Who goes there? Friend or foe?

4.	a member of the same nation, party, etc.

5.	(initial capital letter) a member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker.

So the song is called "I am a friend of G-d"

As you can see from the definitions, we can be a friend of sorts since we have feelings of affection toward him, we are a supporter, and are on good terms with him.

But more importantly he is a parent since, as the definitions prove, he is our originator, he is our protector, he is our disciplinarian, he is our source.

This song drives me nuts, as i have already mentioned, because i feel it misrepresents who we are in respect to G-d. Are we, as parents, supposed to be friends with our children? No, we are parents, so we have to raise our children to obey the rules of G-d and then the rules of the land. G-d is the same way. He has rules for us to live by, and will punish us if we don't abide by those rules (whether it be here on earth or when we leave here).

Another thing to remember is that friends do set rules, don't punish each other when one has done something wrong, and friends need each other.

Now this will tick some people off but lets be brutally honest here. In all reality, G-d doesn't Need us. He doesn't need us to be part of his grand plan. He doesn't need us to part of his plan for it to succeed. Now he WANTS us to be part of it, he welcomes our involvement and will reward us for helping further his cause. But we can be so egotistical to think that his great plan would fail without us.

Thats my 2 cents.

The Slam Is On Us

2008-08-15T20:11:00.003-04:00

Well Sorry it has been nearly a week since my last post. Its been a busy week. Work is picking up, which is normal this time of year in the food industry, especially the gourmet cracker business. Well lets see, work has been busy, then Kristy got sick so i had to stay home to help with the kids. She has a kidney infection, so she was not in the best of health. So then i went back to work even more work. Then on top of that i was trying to make up the time i missed. Its no fun to go in around 6:30 in the morning and work until 4pm. I was almost ready to go into work late then leave early to make up for it. J/k.

Well on top of work and Kristy being sick we had to register the kids in school yesterday evening. But we found a good restaurant last night after leaving Chris's school. It is The Olive Tree in Duncan, down near the 1st Baptist Church on 290. It is a Greek/Italian Restaurant. They have awesome subs, pork chops, Greek Salad, and Greek Potatoes. If you need a place to eat that has good food. This is your place.

Then on top of the already mentioned items, we are getting ready for a HUGE event on Sunday. As most of you know, our family is into wrestling (especially Jay) and 2 times a year we have a pay per view wrestling party. This year we did Wrestlemania in April and this one is Summerslam. Normally we only have a few families over for it (Our family, The Streackers, and The Breazeales). But we have taken it up a notch this time. We are having about 26 people over for it. We are looking forward to it. It will be a good time to get to know others and expand our wrestling group.

So i promise that i will not keep you waiting for the next installment of my story. I know alot of people are enjoying the reading.

The Godfather Synopsis

2008-08-10T15:50:00.003-04:00

As you may not already know, at one point in my life i was a huge fan of the movie, The Godfather. All 3 actually, you find out just how much the movie played a part in my life, when that chapter of my story comes out. But there is a small snippet of that movie that applies, as i believe, to the current situation in today's church.

In the current standing of today's church, people come as a status symbol of sorts. Depending on which church you attend, it can be a prestigious thing. If you go to a church with 4000 members, you will hear with a nose turned up "I go to such and such church", but you will find that outside of the church building these people will act completely different. Now this applies to people from all walks of faith, from all different sized churches, from all social standings. They will be SUPER-CHRISTIAN on Sunday, but say and do things the rest of the time that would make a sailor blush.

There is a common misconception that going to church will change your life, however just stepping foot in a church building will not change your life anymore than stepping into a new house. It takes a lot more than just being in a building to truly say that you are actually G-d's property. You may be on G-d's property but not G-d's property!

Well in the movie The Godfather Part 3, for those of you who haven't seen it, the mob boss gets swindled by a high up member of the Catholic church. So the boss goes to see an Arch Bishop in Rome about the situation. During the talk of the swindling of the mob bosses money he talks of how a man of the church was responsible (I'm paraphrasing it to get the point across). The Arch bishop walks over to a bird bath where there is water and a few rocks in the water. The Arch Bishop picks up a rock out of the water. He tells the mob boss that there are some people in the church that are like that rock. He tells the boss that this rock has been in this water for centuries, yet the water has not penetrated the rock.

It is the same way in the church. Even though there are people that are immersed in the church, the church doesn't penetrate the person.

Who do you think wants it that way? The one that Christians are actually in a life and death battle with at all times. Think about it, he wins if he fills the churches today with these type of people, because it dilutes the churches down to an ineffective level. The more ineffective that churches get, the less people will come, and viola the church as we know die.

It is up to ones like us to actually pierce the stone exterior of these people to get to the core of who the person is. I'm sorry but in most instances tradition will accomplish this goal. Actually i believe a staunch determination to be strictly traditional when it comes to church will lead further to more of what we currently have.

I say that for todays church to survive, we need more G-d, more being real, less tradition, and being Christian jackhammers that will break the stone that our adversary builds around peoples hearts.

My Story - The Teen Years Part 1

2008-08-07T21:00:00.002-04:00

Well i know some of you are going to pass out, since i am posting 2 times in one week on My Story. I hope everyone is enjoying it so far. I hate to say that the story starts to go downhill from here.

Like i said in the last installment i really got into music. Really got into music. The music i got into was the Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Hairbands. These included Twisted Sister, Ozzy Osbourne, Guns N Roses, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Kiss (to a certain point), White Snake, Cinderella, Motley Crue. So you can see i fell off the deep end of music and i was only in the 6Th grade.

It was around this time i start "experimenting" with cigarettes. A friend of mine and i would go out into the woods behind his house and light them up and cough our heads off, but this was where my later cigarette addiction all started. I to this day still have trouble understanding how i got away with my parents not knowing. Those of you that know my parents (my mom especially, she has a nose that is better than a hound dog) can see what i mean. One of the times we were out smoking, i remember part of the fire from the cigarette fell off and landed on my leg, burning it. A scar of which i still sport.

Well i went from 6Th grade at the elementary school and went to 7Th which was attended at Weaver High School. It was during this time, that i don't know why i got this, or any of the scenarios that led to this, but i had a perm. A 7Th grade little smoking punk that loved heavy music with fluffy hair. But this hair style didn't last long.

It was during this time that i gave my life to G-d. An act that was done at summer camp, and i was baptised by my dad. But it was an act really. I essentially gave him my life in word only. Nothing in my life changed. Partly because i didn't want it to, for some sinister reason. It was basically one of those things that happen to make yourself look better around people.

It was during the 7Th grade that i got worse. I stopped doing good in school, mainly because i didn't want to stand out in my circle as being "smart". I got into all of the things i heard in the music. Almost to the point of being entranced by the devil and thoughts that are not good for anyone to think. Nothing was ever acted upon but being an impressionable teenager, the music had a hold on me. I thoroughly am certain that if i would stayed in that town i would not have made it to adulthood.

My days in Weaver were numbered though. I believe that G-d made sure to get me out of there in the nick of time. It was during my 7the grade year that my dad lost his job after 20 years with the company he worked for. They basically phased out his job, but hired in someone younger than him to do the same job under a different title. So my dad had to search for a new job, which he found in Forest City North Carolina. So after 9 years in Alabama we moved again, the second time in my life.

It was different the summer after my 7th grade that we moved, or at least my family did. I stayed in the summer with my grandma. A great lady that was a grandma to all the kids in the neighborhood. During this summer there were some good friendships formed that last to this day. So Lindsey and Keith if your reading, heres my shout out. there was also my first real serious girlfriend (don't get me wrong, i had plenty of girlfriends up to this point, but this girl for some reason was more serious than others, her name was Roberta. She was actually named after my dad. Her dad and my dad were good friends all through high school up through the time we moved from Ohio), my parent frowned heavily on that relationship ( the sameas they did a few years earlier when my sister was going out with Roberta's older brother). Roberta's family were a tad bit on the wild side, which with the way my life was at the time, i fit in perfectly. So when i got back from spending the time in Ohio the rest of the family was moving into our rented double wide in Forest City.

Now moving to Forest City should have been a good thing for me. I mean i did meet some very cool friends, that i have lost touch with but i still think about from time to time. But overall i went from a bad situation that was brewing in Weaver to another bad situation that started brewing in Forest City. I still had my love for music, that didn't change. But anger became my friend through the time i was here.

Now let me tell you the background of this town that led to my anger. In Forest City, you have two types of people, ones that were born there, and those that were not. As you can guess i was one that was not. So i didn't fit in. There were people there in the neighborhood that loved nothing better that harass, pick on, and alienate the outsiders. So i handled it the best way i could, by getting angry. Sometimes i took the anger too far. One time one of my friends had ticked my off about something and i swung a golf club at him and narrowly missed him. The bad part was he was probably the only true friend that i had there.

It was during this time that my sister met her 1st husband. He was just a punk as far as i could see. I didn't like the guy as far a i could throw him. And as a kid about as big as a 2x4 you can just imagine my people throwing ability.

It was also during this time that my love for professional wrestling came about. It went from a like, which it had been through most of my life, to absolute love. I actually dreamed of being a pro wrestler during this time.

One of the worst thing that happened during this time that i was introduced to was Porn. The great scurge of humanity. It was something that plagued my life up until my adult years. It is one of those things that once it gets into your life, takes an act of Congress to get it out. But at that time it was just a curiosity.

Now i forgot to mention that when we moved here i went into the 8th grade, which in Forest City was located at Cool Springs Middle School. And 9th grade i went to East Rutherford High School. So by this point, i have went to 1 elementary school, 1 middle school, and 2 high schools.

But in the middle of my 9th grade year my dad had got demoted. So he started looking for a new job which he found in Lancaster South Carolina (a town that i still call my hometown to this day). So in the middle of the school year we moved.

But this was my life up up to this point. This is where my life was a story of what not to do, and what decisions not make. But it was what it was.

Hopefully it has been good so far. Because my story is just getting going. So just wait for my next installment.

My Story - The Elementary Years

2008-08-05T19:41:00.003-04:00

So just wanted to start off by apologizing about it being so long since the last installment of my story. Its just been a crazy week, busy at work, sick last week, yard work, extended family drama to deal with ( i hate this stuff). But i won't keep you waiting any longer.

So heres my next installment.

I started school at Weaver Elementary School. It was a nice school, a very transient type of school due to the nearby military base close by. I started school in 1st Grade, Kindergarten was offered, but there was an issue. I was put into a spot in the Kindergarten class, but there was another child that the school had forgot about, and with my birthday being in September, it put him ahead of me in line. So it was up to my parents to decide, put me into 1st grade or hold me back until the next year. So it was decided to put me into the 1st grade. So i started out in school a year younger that my classmates.

I was a very shy child. To the point of being very scared around new people or new situations. There was this one time that my parents went to meet my teacher for open house, and when they introduced themselves to the teacher, the teacher had look at her seating arrangement to remember who i was.

During this time i had quite a few friends that i played with at school, but i must admit, i was more in tune with chasing the girls. I never really went through the "girls have cooties" phase that most boys go through.

But this was how my elementary years were spent. I was a good student. Mainly straight A's and B's throughout these years.

At the church we went to during this time there was an elderly couple in the church that i, at least had become very close, i would spend time with them, they were like my surrogate grandparents since my grandparents leaved in Ohio. Well i am not for sure what the circumstances were since i was young, the lady had passed away. This was a hard one for me, since it was like losing a grandparent. But this is probably the first incident of something i came very good at later in life, hiding how i felt. I also remember going to the funeral , missing school to attend. It was your normal funeral, except for after it was over and got in the car to leave, we heard on the radio about the space shuttle blowing up. This was the one that had the teacher on board. It was one of those days that get seered into your mind.

It was during these years that i got into music. Not only just a normal kids love for music, mine was more like an escape. But in the beginning it was all pop Top 40 Crap (at least thats what i think about it now). But around my 5th-6th grade year, i started to get into something that more sinister. I started to get into the Hairbands. My musical interest morphed from the typical Billy Joel type stuff into Twisted Sister and Kiss music. I actually remember a time spending a couple of days with our preacher and his wife, well i went swimming with their neighbors and i remember singing "Heavens On Fire" by Kiss. Ya this was the beginning of my downward spiral, it only got worse once the 7th grade began.

Well thats about it. As you can tell, not much happened, but the groundwork was laid for the next phase.

Bring On The Fasting

2008-08-03T20:17:00.002-04:00

We have started a 21 days of fasting program at church leading up to our official launch to 2 services on 8/24. So it is up to each of us at church to come up with our own items to fast. I believe this is a great idea. Most churches push the fasting of food, when they do talk about fasting (which is very seldom). But there are many different ways to fast. You can fast all food for a day, all food for a week, fast meals, fast caffeine, fast snacks, fast computers, fast driving, fast just about anything. So Shane has talked about fasting in our own way for the 21 days leading up to this momentous launch.

So everyone has been deciding how and what they were going to fast.

The Steele house is no different. And both Kristy and myself have chosen different items to fast. I won't talk on what Kristy is going to fast. That is for her to talk about, if she chooses to, but i will stand behind her choice.

But my fast for the next week, starting tomorrow, is to cut out one meal a day. I will use this time normally stuffing my face to speak with my Almighty and see what visions and direction of what i can do to help make this a success, not to mention keep my mind in tune with the momentous event forthcoming. Now most people would think, One Meal being skipped, well that can't be hard. But i am not like most people, since i only eat 2 meals a day, so this will take me down to one meal a day, so it will be a struggle of sorts for me. But i know that G-d will use this time during the next week for great things.

Now as for what next weeks fast will hold, who knows, i will come to that when the time comes. But i will have to kick it up a notch over this weeks.

So what are the others at Ridge Pointe going to fast?

The Bald Proposal

2008-08-02T21:46:00.003-04:00

With the 2 services coming up quick at church, i had an idea this week. My thought was about trying to see if the limits could be pushed on the number of kids that show up on Thursday nights at The Pointe. A while back our Youth Pastor Anthony had told the teens that when they reached 20 kids he would allow them to give him a mohawk and let them color it the color of their choice. Which 2 weeks ago they hit that goal and holding his end of the bargain, he was given a mohawk and they colored it. I think it ended up around a purplish color.

Well this week i had the idea to up the ante a little. And since the expansion to 2 services coming up, i figured it would be a great idea to tie the idea in with that.

So if the teens can get their numbers up to 40 teens, by Thursday 8/21 (the last time The Pointe will be meeting before we go to two services) i will step up and let the teens shave my head completely bald. Something i am a little fearful of, but what the hey.

So if you know any of the teens at church, pass this on to them, i would love to see them meet that number (no matter how anxious i might be about the possibility of losing my lovely locks - j/k).

If they meet this goal, maybe we can up it the ante again, i don't know what it would be, but i'm sure something can be thought of.

So that is my Bald Proposal for the Teens at The Pointe.

Ah Summer Cookout

2008-07-27T20:39:00.002-04:00

Well last night we had a very fun night. We had Shane and Candy and Family over for supper last night. It was a very fun time. It is nice to get to know people outside of the normal setting. We talk to them alot at church, but its nice to get to know people outside of that setting.

I do have to say that i have a lot of practicing to do to be at the caliber of Shane at Guitar Hero. He was awesome.

So we cooked out hamburgers, hot dogs and Brats. Unfortunately there was alot of left over gunk in the bottom of the grill, so it did nothing but flame up, so the food didn't turn out as good as normally. But they got to partake in my soon to be famous burgers. For those of you who haven't had the chance, i will paint you a mental picture. It is about 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" rectangle and about an 1" thick. It is about 3/4 lb raw. Then i spice it up with my special blends. Normally they are very good, but last night the were a little scorched. Yes i am being critical of my cooking. But i take pride in my cooking, so i critique it more than the normal person.

But it was a very good time.

Also want to give a "shout out" to Shawn and Crystal. They joined us this morning for church. I look forward to here what they thought. Oh and if you are reading this. Don't sweat the questions you are bound to get, and i would bet that you will, especially the one about us trying to steal you away from another church. When we all know there is no truth in that thought, but some people can't see that.

Oh well, what can you do. People will be people.

I am alos looking forward to August 24th. Its going to be a big defining moment in the life of Ridge Pointe. For those of you not in the know, that is when we will be going to 2 services. I pray that it will be a HUGE success, and that we can go to 3 services by the end of the year. Ok. i'm not trying to surpass Shanes vision, but we each have ideas of what we would like to see at Ridge Pointe. This is mine, just on of undoubtedly many.

Well, thats me two cents and thoughts for the moment. There will be more coming soon.

Also don't worry, i will try to not make everyone wait a week for the next installment of my story. Also let me know what you think so far of the story. I like to hear others thoughts.

My Story - The Early Years

2008-07-25T20:55:00.000-04:00

Ok, i know that some of you have been salivating for the latest edition of My Story. Well i guess i can't keep the masses waiting for long before the mutiny begins against this blog. Just Kidding.

Well my story begins on Wednesday September 17, 1975. Well actually, to be truthful, my story actually start roughly nine months before this date. But i wasn't there, and really never want to know the particulars of how it took place, gross. But i digress.

I remember this day like it was yesterday. I was in a dark pool, just relaxing, minding my own business when something happened and all of the water just suddenly left the pool. So here i am in a pool with no water, with no towel, freezing. I stayed like this for a little while, then all of a sudden, i started to get pulled down through the drain. Let me tell you, if you have never experienced this trauma, it is painful (not too mention, you will swear you are tripping on acid or mushrooms or something. Well finally i came out on the other side of the drain into a bright white room. And this blurry biped organism was holding me. This organism was weird, it had stringy brown hair, with a blurry white face, and blurry blueish colored skin with flowery tatoos all over its upper torso.

To make a long story short, i was born.

Well i was born to two parents and a sister ( 5 years older than me). I will change the names to protect the innocent. So i will just call my parents Bob and Joyce and my sister Robin. Oh dang i just told you their real names. Oh Well, I'll just blur out their faces on this blog (like they do on TV ) so that you can't see their identity. Well that won't work either, since you can't see them, i'm a retard.

Well I was one of those people that went from the Womb to the church. The sunday after getting out of the hospital i was in church. My parents were (and still are) very big in church. My sister and myself were raised to be also. We were raised in the same church that my dad was raised in and that my grand parents (on my dads side) went to.

We lived in a small town called Eaton. This town is halfway between Dayton, Ohio and Richmond, Indiana. We lived a few blocks from one set of grandparents (my dad's parents) and lived about 20 minutes from my other grandparents. My other grandparents lived in a SMALL farm town. Now when i same small i mean small. This town had one funeral home, two churches, one bank, one small grocery story/butcher shop (about the size of a modern convience store), a barber, one gas station (that later became a pizza parlor), one small fire department, and a set of railroad tracks. Not much went on in this town as you can tell.

Well my early years i had some health issues, a heart murmur, and later developed an allergy to sugar, that plagued me until my teens.

Well when i was 4, my dad transferred to a different plant within the company that he worked for. So we packed up like the Beverly Hillbilly's and moved to Alabama (we even had granny on a rocking chair on the top of the truck holding a rifle).

So we moved to a small town called Weaver Alabama. This is a small town on the outskirts of Anniston, where Fort McClellan is located. The first house we lived in was a rental. So since it was a rental, we couldn't have pets, so there was some loose dogs in the neighborhood, so i would lock them into the back yard and play with the dogs until i was done, then i would let them loose. So basically i was kidnapping them (or would it be dognapping?), now that i think about it, i need to see what the statute of limitations are for that crime, to make sure i can't get arrested for it.

We stayed in this house for a while, until my parents bought a house. This house was completely fenced in with a huge backyard. There was also a huge hill that ran in front of our house (that was cool to sled down when it snowed. There was also a creek that ran beside the house. To me this creek was one of the coolest things. This is because every spring when we would clean up the side yard we would find baby snakes that i had to keep as pets. So my mom would put them in a mason jar. I was never good at keeping them alive, so i thought (i came to find out years later, that my parents would douse them with rat poison or bug spray to kill them after a few days).

Well when i was 5 i remember one of the greatest Christmas's ever. I got up and came into the living room excited, like most 5 year olds, and out from a box pops out a puppy for me. This puppy was a Lab/ Irish Setter Mix. A beautiful dog with a beautiful temperment. Her name was Smokey. She was the best of friends that a child could ever have. We used to spend hours in the back yard playing. One of my most favorite things to do during this time was to take my wagon up to the top of the hill, sit down on it, hold the handle in my hands, and push off, riding the wagon all the way down the hill, steering between the trees on the way down, all whle smokey ran beside me. Now i forgot to mention that our back yard was on a hill and had about 30 pine trees on it. So this more like a Wagon Slalom. Dang it i could have fought to make this an Olympic sport if i would have thought about it.

So this about sums up the years before school started. As you can imagine, this just barely scratches the surface, but it gives a glimpse of the early years.

Sorry for the hiatus

2008-07-19T20:25:00.002-04:00

I know its been over a week sine my last post. And i know you are salivating over the chance to read about what has made me. Right? Well, i kid, but i know some people are waiting for this. So sorry its been a week since my last post.

Don't think i would dangle the "carrot" of my story in front of you and then not follow through. I still plan on putting this out. It has just been a crazy week. It seems like i have been gone all week. Its been one of those weeks where you spend all day at work and then no sooner than you get home your off to do something else. Not to mention i got a new computer, new grill, took the kids to buy some stuff, Kristy got to spend some money on herself, etc. Basically it was a week to help stimulate the economy with our stimulus check. But we used it for things we needed, i guess for the most part. There's really no way to get this kind of money and not buy some wants. I guess as long as you buy more needs than wants your doing ok.

But have no fear, here in the near future i will be posting the 2nd installment of My Story. So i hope to have this out soon.

My Story - The Intro

2008-07-12T22:23:00.002-04:00

As you know everyone has a story to tell, whether it be a story of hope, one of courage, one of pain, one of trials, one of happiness, one of fun, etc. Many times a persons story is one mixed with all of them. But we each have a story to tell. I am no different. I feel it is important for everyone to tell their story, whether it be by telling small portions over a long period of time, or all at once. I feel that by telling our story many things can happen. Your story may encourage one person in a part of their life, it may uplift another in a struggle that they are in, it may be used as an example of what not to do.

It is with this that i am led to tell mine. As some of you may know, i am a very guarded person. I am one of those people that don't let many see the whole story. I am one that will let different people into different parts of my psyche. I do this as a defensive mechanism of sorts. The more a person knows about you the more vulnerable you are to certain things. It would take every person in my life to get together to get the whole picture, and the whole story.

Well i am trying to shed that guardedness a little. So i have decided to tell my story. As the Heading states, this is just the intro. There are many chapters in my life, some good, some humorous, some sadistic, some sad, some painful, and many others. So i am planning on, from time to time, to "publish" a chapter of my life. I will tell you that i will tell my story to the point that some have never heard before. I will even try to tell things in my life that have never been told before. I can not guarantee when the posts will be. But i will write them in the chronological order in which they happened.

So I pray that my story will be an enjoyable one, but it definitely will be an interesting story.

What I Think? This Could Be A Loaded Question.

2008-07-11T15:11:00.002-04:00

This one has been on my mind off and on over the years. And i have been in many of discussions on this topic, and it is surprising how many different views you find among Christians.

These days all you here about is if you this you can live longer, or if you don't do that you can extend your life. If you exercise you can extend your life, if you stop smoking you can live longer, if you don't drink you will live longer, if you wear your seat belt when in a car, if you take this medicine, if you drink tea, if you drink coffee, if you don't eat meat, if you don't eat carbs, if you cut your sugar in take, if you eat less, all of this can and will extend your life. They even tell you that for every cigarette you smoke you are taking 7 minutes off of your life.

However i have trouble believing this logic. The reason i have trouble is this. As a Christian, like all Christians and some other religions, i believe that G-d is master over all. And as being Lord of all, he ultimately controls all of his creations . He controls when you are born and when you die. He knows even how many hairs are on your head. Am I correct?

Well if he has control over when it is time for you to die, Is there really anything you can do to live longer than you are supposed to? If you are the healthiest person in the world ad G-d says it is your time to leave this earth and you are only 30, Is there anything you can do about it? If you are the biggest chain-smoking, alcoholic, drug abusing, over-eating human on earth and G-d says it is your time to go and you are 90 years old, Is there anything you can do to change it?

The answer is NO! All of this stuff you hear from Friends, Family, Tv, Reporters, "Experts" or anyone else about doing such and such will give you longer life is a bunch of hog wash. It doesn't matter what you do on this earth, it will have no effect on when you die. That is all under G-ds control, nothing else matters.

However, don't get me wrong, I'm not telling people to not try to be the healthiest you can be. Because, even though, I believe what i said above, being the healthiest you can will make your life more enjoyable. I mean that is a no brainer. Which would be a better way to live, one where you are always sick and feeling horrible, or one where you are as well as possible

But this is my take, what is yours?

Is This Really What We Need To Do?

2008-07-03T17:14:00.002-04:00

I have just read a report about a group of Christians that makes me question their approach. As we all know, and feel, there is a crisis brewing involving the price of gas right now. I feel like most, that something needs to be done quickly to take away this imposing crisis.

Well in this report, there is a group of Christians (7th Day Adventist, I'm guessing the consider themselves Christians, or do other Christians consider them Christians)that are planning to meet at gas stations in this country and pray for the price of gas to come down.

Now on the surface this seems to be a noble cause. But for those of you that know me well, know that i can not just take things the way they look on the surface, you have to dig a little on topics. So on this topic, i have to do just that. I think that this group is just taking the easy way out.

It is easy to sit back and pray for everything, but what is harder is adding to that by action. If you are starving to death. Which do you think that G-d wants you to do, sit back and pray and do nothing and possibly starve to death or get up and work to get some food and let G-d answer your prayers by blessing you with the food you worked hard for. Now i am not saying that G-d will not answer prayer, i am saying nothing of the sort. I am saying that G-d wants some action on your part. Doesn't G-d tell Adam that he will have to toil to get his food. Why is that, because he wants man to work for what he gets. Do you think that G-d wants you to sit at home not working, not taking care of your family, not trying to feed your family, all while praying for food, praying for money to pay the bills.

I think it is important to pray to G-d for your needs, but also action needs to be taken. These same group needs to be putting pressure on our politicians to require action to reduce the price of gas.

Now, if you read my political blog, you already know what i think is the right thing to do. For the others that haven't, your going to hear it now. We needs to get the oil off of the futures market (there is alot of reasons why i believe this, i won't go into that here, but if you want to know, email me and i will be glad to open your eyes to the truth), we need to pump more of our oil usage (to the tune of 75-80% bare minimum (we have plenty of supply on our soil to accomplish this), we need to build new refineries (the last one was built in 1988, and they all are running at 97% capacity), we need to tell the environmentalists to get a grip, and we need to start investing in future other forms of energy.

Well i guess i am done on my soapbox, for now atleast.

To Those Inside The Box

2008-06-29T13:14:00.004-04:00

I have had a thought pop into my head today, and i would like to hear other views.

I have heard it said many times before, that you can't box in G-d. Basically you can't hold G-d to man's standard, because G-d is G-d and man is not.

But i have to call some people out, because that is what is happening in many of today's churches, and has been going on for quite some time. As i have said on a previous post, the majority of Christians today have become so legalistic it is pathetic.

But there is one statement that i have heard (and seen on bumper stickers) that scares me. The statement is this: If it is not the King James Version, it isn't the Bible.

What these people are trying to say is this. The King James Version of the Bible is the only true version and all other versions are lies that will not do anything but send you to the gates of Hell if you read them. This is a dangerous thought process. What these people are saying is that G-d can only speak to you if you read the King James Version. The mentality of these people is that the original text was translated from Hebrew to English, under stringent and strict oversight, and any other translation from Hebrew to English(or King James to another translation) is not a valid translation. The King James Version is in English, does that mean (to these people) that all other languages of people have to learn English in order to read it and understand it, and thus allow G-d to speak to them through the Bible.

But that seems to me like they are trying to box G-d in. Its also very egotistical on these peoples perspective, to even think that their version is so great.

This is the same G-d that created everything that we see, touch, feel, and believe. This is the same G-d that spoke to Moses in a burning bush. The same G-d that whisked Elijah up to heaven without having to die. But this same great G-d can not speak to you unless you read a certain worded text, and in no other form of words.

Well I am sorry, this is the most ridiculous idea i have heard come from Christians mouths. There have been so many occasions where G-d has spoken to people in Whore Houses, Drug Houses, Prisons, etc and bring them to him. Frankly, it is dangerous to box G-d in. If G-d wants to talk to you while you are reading the Satanic Verses, guess what, he will, and no boxing him in will stop him.

For these Christians, i pray that the veil of legalism from their eyes and that they will get back to what G-d is calling them to do. Unite all people with G-d, not divide Christians from each other because of some stupid man made ideals that don't matter any in the grand scheme of things.

Enough!

A Question To Ponder

2008-06-29T07:22:00.003-04:00

I have a question for everyone to ponder.

Should Christians get concerned or be concerned with Global Warming?

Today, it seems that all we hear is about Global Warming. We are bombarded daily with being told that we have to do this or act like that to combat a set of issues that we as man have made, and if we do not act this planet will self destruct because of us. If you do not agree and goose step along, then you are a kook and looked down upon.

But why should we as man be so egotistical than to think that we can have any control over the life of this planet. We, as humans, think that everything revolves around us and we have ultimate control over this planet and everything on it.

In Revelation, it talks of all kinds of catastrophes, environmental calamities, and destruction by G-d at the end of times. These are actions that will be brought about by G-d, not us. So i pose this question, Are the "global warming" items talked about today part of G-d's plan for the end? For me i think it could be, this earth has always acted in phases, and each phase is generally worse then the previous one, but each phase is a natural phase (therefore created by G-d at the creation). So if these "phases" are part of G-d's creation, is there really anything that man can do to change this? Has ever a man been able to change G-d's mind, or alter G-d's plan. No!

So i will pose the question again:

Should we, as Christians, get concerned or be concerned with Global Warming? Should we waste our time on something that we have no control, or should we invest our time in doing our part in building up G-d's kingdom?

It's just a question for you to ponder!

The Answer Everyone Is Waiting For

2008-06-27T20:20:00.002-04:00

I know I said that this blog would be about personal matters and my political blog would strictly deal with my political feelings and stands. However i have been fielding some questions for quite a few months, that i have decided on this one occasion on this blog to answer a political question. Mainly because of this blogs readership is friends and family, that is why i will give a more personal answer to this question.

The question is this: Why Did I Become a Libertarian?

So I will answer this question.

So lets go back a few years, just get the whole picture. I have been raised by Republicans, and been a Republican since birth. My Christian upbringing, among other things, helped mold my Conservative thinking. I remember taking part of a "mock election" at elementary school and voting for, I believe, being one of the greatest presidents of our time, Ronald Reagan. So as you can see i have been a Conservative to the core since birth. As i got older i started to talk politics in conversation, especially during the Clinton Era.

So in '99, it is not surprising that i was a supporter of G.W. Bush. I thought that as a fellow believer, he was the best choice. Then 9/11 happened, which further cemented my approval of the president. But after 2004 this started to change. The War In Afghanistan, The War In Iraq, the security laws i believed in them all.

After watching all of the laws i started to question, internally, alot of things. How could a man that professed to be a fiscal conservative, allow a Republican Congress to allow this government to go into a deficit, and not just get into a deficit, but to spend like there was no tomorrow? How can a man (and men in Congress) sworn to uphold the Constitution, allow more and more rights be taken from us, that we are guaranteed by the Constitution? As a Republican, there is an unspoken mantra that you should stand behind your fellow Republican at all cost, and it is Sacrilegious if you do not. So during this time, I felt the veil of Unquestioning Conservatism, was lifted from my eyes. At that time i was appalled to find that everything i thought this party stood for was blurred, and in actuality the two political parties in this country are actually one in the same.

So i started to investigate other options to the two parties we have in this country. One that matched more to my conservative beliefs. My beliefs being The Constitution is the most important political document in this nation, Taxes are taken from some and wasted on others, Government run programs waste massive amounts of money while actually very rarely accomplishing the goal set forth for the agency, among others.

This is what brought me to the Libertarian Party. A Party that i believe matches more to my ideals than any other political party. The main ideology being these:
-We need to revert to size of our government back to revolutionary days
-Our government needs to deal strictly with the security of it population nothing more
-The tax system is a broken bloated one, taxes need to be virtually nothing
- Government should be out of private business matters, let capitalism take care of itself
-Government programs should be done away with, citizens will take care of each other better than the government could ever do
-Public Education should privatized, parents should have the ultimate right and responsibility in their childs education. If a parent doesn't like a school or its teaching, they should have a right to change to any other school.
-The main mantra and ideal is this : You have the right to do anything you see fit with your life and your property as long as it does not harm or take away the rights of another citizen.

Now, as you can imagine, there is substantially more than just these, however these are the more important ones. Also there are many, many more debatable topics, which i have debated on many different occasions.

So hopefully this explains my party change to some of you that have asked the question.

My Problem

2008-06-25T12:31:00.003-04:00

I have a problem with something that is going on today. It is a problem that plagued, and i believed, misguided some of today's churches. It is an issue that creates beasts out of some churches and church members, while driving others from the church. It is something that popped into my mind alot over the years, and recently came up with in a conversation with a friend, so what better place to get my thought out, then on my Soapbox, otherwise known as my blog.

The issue is this, the thought that Alcohol is bad and evil.

Today, if you were to walk into most churches in America (or more notably the buckle of the bible belt that we live in) and on a regular basis from the pulpit you will hear preachers talk about the sinfullness of drinking alcohol. Then if you look at the parishioners of said preachers, their reaction is much worse. A majority of those Christians will look down on someone who partakes in the alcohol as a hell bound second class citizen.

Also in America there has been a growing legalistic trend among Christians that pulls them from the same bible they swear to love and obey (it is, to me, reminiscent of the religious elite of the new testament era). I mean there are churches that believe that if you 1)Do not come to church everytime the door is open 2)Have Musical Instruments other than a piano and organ for worship 3)Preach from anything other than the King James Version of the bible 4)Preach about anything dealing with the dreaded sex word - that you are doomed to the depths of hell if you do.

But i pose one question to these people. Where in the bible does it say that you can not and should not drink alcohol? It doesn't. It says you should not do something to excess. Which brings me to my next observation. Now if you are a drunk, then you have an issue that needs to be worked on. But the normal person is not a drunk and only occasionally drinks. But these churches that speak so much on the evil of alcohol (which is what Jesus turned the water into at the wedding), but they turn a blind eye to a bigger problem that is probably a bigger sin to the church than alcohol, it is gluttony. Why are there so many fat people in church, but nothing is ever said about the sin of being an excessive eater. And in fact some churches actually enable the sin of a gluttonous person, by having numerous church meals through out the year. I know i will get the customary response that it builds fellowship between the members, this is true. But why is ok to help one person sin, at church, while looking down on something another person does that the bible doesn't look at as a sin.

I know i might have stepped on the toes of some people with this but, oh well. I had to get it off of my chest. I look forward to the comments on this one.

I also think it is time for Christians to get back to the basics of our faith. Christians tend to get caught up on the legal issues and not deal with the more important issues.
Example - If you were to send a Christian ( like the ones i talk about above) to the local bar to witness to the patrons inside that bar. What would they talk to the patrons about? Drinking, but would they talk to the men (and women) that sleep around on their spouses and have multiple children outside of marriage. I mean, which is the more important item to talk on here. To me, it is the children being born outside of the normal biblical family, and the destruction of our society in the process. But they are silent on this. They are also silent on the members of their church, that have members or children that are getting pregnant outside of marriage (which is condemned in the bible), yet the church turns its head like there is nothing wrong, all the while condemning things like alcohol (which is not condemned in the bible).

Anyway's this is my thought.

Once There Was A Date Night

2008-06-22T16:11:00.004-04:00

This past Friday, my wife and i, had a double date night with another couple that are very good friends of ours. Well I guess that is not totally true, they are more like family. They have been there with Kristy and myself on some of the toughest of times. Actually if it were not for their help, i don't how we would have gotten through the issues.

But i have digressed a little, which is normal for me on a blog.

We went out for supper, and i had a Jack Daniels Flat Iron Steak (Steak - which is quite possibly the best food G-d ever created). It was a good time. Then we went and saw Get Smart. Which is one of the best movies i have seen in quite a while. We laughed just about the whole movie. I have been a fan of Steve Carrel for a few years now, and this ranks up there with his roles on The Office and Evan Almighty. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

So go see it if you get the chance.

A Philosophical Thought

2008-06-22T14:13:00.000-04:00

I normally don't get very philosophical with my thinking. However i had a "Philosophical Moment" a few years back, and i came up with this.

There are people who claim to be a non-conformist. If they are a non-conformist, then they are conforming to the non-conformist lifestyle. Thus making them a conformist.

My first post

2008-06-22T14:07:00.000-04:00

Well i will take my first post to say thank you for reading my minuscule thoughts. I will also put up some things that will allow you to peer into my mind, and allow you to see just how warped it can be sometimes. I started this just to put up my personal thoughts. So enjoy. I will post as often as i can, hopefully every couple of days.

Thanks Again!