I stumbled upon this article while surfing the net (apparently the only kind of surfing I'll be doing anytime soon). It's a couple of years old, but it was kind of funny. As I was reading it, I was thinking, "Hey, this looks like something Kevin would post on his blog!" And, since Kevin's busy this weekend with Tim's Wedding, I thought I would post it in his honor.
April 2004 Archives
I was thinking the other day about all of the evidence that supports that Jesus was the Messiah. It totally blows me away and I was thinking...okay it makes sense that some people could see that Jesus was the Messiah but just don't want to give their lives over, and it also makes sense that some people are really ignorant of any kind of religious-whatnot. But, the thing that didn't make sense to me was Judiasm. People who had followed the Old Testament very strongly, and have been waiting for their Messiah (as was prophesied about)...how could they not see Jesus for who he was? I'm not trying to put down those in the Jewish faith at all, I just don't understand and am trying to figure it out.
So, I checked out some sites to try to learn some info from the other side. Here's what I found:
- Why Jesus Was Not the Messiah
- Messiah Page
- Jews for Jesus
- And some others...
Anyway, it was a pretty rewarding read and I thought I'd just share my adventure with all of you. I still don't totally "get it," but I was able to see things from perspectives besides my own.
What was a glimmer in my eye in November has now taken some serious steps into fruition. Huge thanks go to |337 h4x0r |0v3 0f my |1f3 j05hu4. He totally helped teach me what I needed to know to make this site, and sometimes even took the keyboard over completely because my understanding of CSS is pretty shabby. Anyway...welcome to the new design. I'm pumped to post stuff on here as it comes up!
Here is what the new site has to offer:
- The Critics Speak: This is a page for me to catalogue & review things I've come in contact with. Mainly, movies, art, & books. If you're interested in reviewing things on this page too, let me know & I'll give you a login & password. I've always wanted to have a little community of people sharing what they've seen & stuff. Eventually, I'd like to learn how to design a web-interfaced system that would make it better than a multiple-user blog, but I've only got so many skillz currently. This would allow us to at least start putting reviews up that we could transfer over to the cool site later.
- Blog: This is where I share thoughts and whatnot. You should know what it is since you're already here. Warning for newbies though -- I generally say what is on my mind. Sometimes it's not completely thought out or perfectly written, sometimes I wear my heart on my sleeve...but I look at this as my journal. A journal that everyone can read. So...don't get too peeved at me if I say something you despise. :-)
- Pictures: The title is pretty self-explanatory...this link contains pictures. Duh.
- Home Movies: I don't have any up yet...but when I do it's actually not just "home" movies. Some will be of me teaching (I should soon have my hands on the coveted video clip of me with purple hair kissing the feet of my students!), some of trips & other stuff. I'm learning Flash Animation currently & may post some of my crappy animations up too.
- Art Portfolio:: I'll be honest & say that this baby's not coming out for awhile. Hopefully when school gets out in June I'll have time to rescan all of my artwork. I did it poorly before and this time I'm going to do it right. I'll let you know when it's up. I'll probably put some stuff up in the meantime to whet your appetite.
- Writing & Poetry: Although I am by no means a "writer," I do feel it is healthy to round yourself out sometimes by seeking expression in words. I have a bunch of stuff in boxes of writing I've done & just need to get it on here! Again...probably a summer project.
Man. My blog has stunk up the house lately. I feel like Neal, where I have all of these great ideas about what I want to blog about, but I don't actually sit down and write them out.
I've been on spring break this week. And now, today was my last day of break. I miss it already. Dangit. I need like a big wad of cash so I can stay home and do stuff. Problem is, I like to buy stuff. And that requires money, which requires a job. Stupid jobs. Well, I guess that's how the work - eat - work cycle works.
But, next week I'll just be excited about my job again because, truth be told, I totally love my job. I get Art + Kids + Art. What more could I ask for!?!
I was hoping to go surfing again, but couldn't get Josh to take off work to come with me. He said something about "being busy" and "having to work" and "lots to do." I don't know, I didn't catch it all. I was too busy sitting on the couch watching my taped reruns of Gilmore Girls drinking my double-shot iced latte breve w/ extra caramel sauce on top. Mmmmm....
I went in to work for two days of my break. This shocked Josh. I tried to convince him that I went in not because I had to, but because I actually wanted to. This seemed like a foreign concept to him.
I got to unload & reload the kiln, which only ended up getting goofed up. A fire alarm went off at the school (which we later learned was from the pressure sprayers trying to clean the campus). So, the firefighters saw that the kiln was "kind of hot" so they shut it off. Actually, they didn't shut off the kiln, they shut off the safety timer, which is supposed to shut the kiln off if it gets too hot or is on too long. So, essentially, while attempting to stop a possible fire hazard, the firefighers actually created a firehazard. I call the whole thing dangerous, Josh calls it job security.
Well, all in all it's been a good week. Can't wait 'til summer. I keep dreaming of the ocean and me catching a wave. I think this addiction's gonna be worse than coffee. Mom, I might not be coming home as soon as you think.
My father-in-law sent me this article about myths people believe about the war in Iraq and about possible repercussions that will inevitably follow either our victory or our premature withdrawl.
Interesting.
Written in our church bulletin:
Next Week: Brian Morgan will be delivering the message from Exodus 4: 18-31.
I love stuff like that.
- Actually kill and eat the bugs she chases around the house
- When I am laying down, I wish she'd stand on my back and do that kitty-paw thing they do to massage my back
- Change her own litter box
- When she sheds, I wish she would paw her hair into a pile then deposit it in the trash can instead of leaving it around the house
- Not freak out when I hold her when she doesn't want to be held
- Let me pet her warm fuzzy tummy
- Daily make me an iced latte breve with extra caramel drizzled on top, heavy on the ice
- Stand up to the dog rather than running in fear. He may be bigger, but there is a reason you have claws!
- Not put her butt in my face when I pet her. I hate that.
- Give herself a regular haircut to minimize shedding
I do. The man has an incredible amount of focus, perception, and drive. He lives his life like I wish I could live my Christian walk. He sticks to his principles, he doesn't let others knock him down (sometimes literally). When people mock him for dipping his toes where they shouldn't be (a wrestler in politics???) he keeps his head up, gathers his troops, and moves forward.
I don't agree with everything Jesse believes in. But I truly admire his spirit and I would venture to say that he is one of the most admirable people of this century. I know some of you think that's crazy.
Remember a time when politics was run by the common man who talked common sense? Now, it's by-the-book political science/law majors who have been groomed for government since they were young. What do they have to offer the common man? Some. But often times they so much lack a connection to the common man that their laws seem totally bizarre. Jesse is totally a man with connections.
Not that I'm supporting his run for president. I'm not sure that I'd vote for him. But, like I said, I just really admire the guy. He's so cool. I know, he sometimes wears a feather boa, but I admire that too. I mean, you're talking to a girl who died her hair purple to get her students to sell magazines. Jesse has some serious spirit.
I liked this quote from the article cited above:
The former Navy SEAL doesn't like President Bush [related, bio] or Democrat John F. Kerry [related, bio], saying he wants an option besides ``Pepsi or Coke.''
What would Jesse be? Budweiser?
I was browsing some baby names for my brother, when I stumbled upon this great site. It's a page of celebrities and their given names. They are hilarious! You can see how some people just "fixed up" their given names to be a cool celebrity name. Others...where the heck did they come up with their screen name? Seriously!
Josh and I went surfing for the first time yesterday. Seriously, it was awesome (btw - the pictures of people surfing are of other people because we didn't actually take any pics of ourselves while we were on the water).
It was my fault, really. I've always wanted to go, and stupid pop culture things like Sheryl Crow's song Soak Up the Sun and movies like Blue Crush made me really want to go. I work with a guy named Mike Nolte (who teaches Shop) and he loves to surf. Well, that and he's just an all around cool guy with an all around cool wife and two all around cool kids. So, he said he'd take Josh and I surfing. So, we went!
First, I need to admit that both Josh and I are currently in the "stink" phase in terms of ability. We went and surfed some baby waves in Santa Cruz. The thing that stinks about surfing is the amount of paddling you need to do to get out to the good waves (and by "good," I mean "ones that I can surf on that won't kill me"). When the waves get bigger, it seems like you paddle 10 feet, then a wave comes and pushes you back 6. So, it's an insane amount of paddling and mind-games to get your body to keep paddling even though your arms feel like jello.
You can tell who surfs a lot because they just effortlessly paddle by everyone else like they have a little motor hidden under their surf board.
Anyway, the first wave I took I started to stand up, but was not centered on my board, so I tanked it. I tanked the next one too. Then, Mike held my board when the next wave came and gave me a good push (reminds me of learning how to ride my bike with my dad letting go and not telling me that he let go and I was really biking by myself for the first time...). IT WAS SO SWEET! I felt like I was flying! And at that singular moment, all of lifes problems seemed to be left behind and nothing else mattered besides just flying.
Then I had to paddle all the way back to the sweet spot. Stupid paddling.
I got up a couple more times, but never completely stood up. I'd just kind of do a 1/2 squat 1/2 stand kind of thing. Anyway, it was sweet. Maybe I'll get a surfboard next. That would be so awesome. I mean, I live in California where there is an ocean...so I may as well make use of it while I'm here, right?
After that we watched some surf videos at the Nolte house and ate Easter candy with the Nolte kids. Then, we biked down to the coffee shop and had some coffee. We drove by a freaky abandoned Buddhist (?) temple on the way home. It had these two freaky Rottweilers leashed on the overgrown lawn. We went and ate at Charlie Hong Kong's afterwards.
Anyway, it was one of those sweet sweet days where time stood still.
I just got nominated for Teacher of the Year for my district again this year. I'm not going to win or anything because there are the "dinosaurs of teaching" who have far more wisdom and professional development under their belts. It's just neat to feel appreciated. The way it's been going I hope I don't get depressed the year I don't get nominated!
Anyway, I like to think that good teachers are "standing on the shoulders of giants," so to speak. It is because of those who have gone before me and have had the patience to try new things and teach me what works...they are the reason I am a good teacher.
Some really important people to my development as a teacher include:
Stephen Whiting (my dad). Seriously, my dad is teaching people stuff all the time and he does so in a really cool way that makes it seem as though you thought up everything yourself. He asks questions, plays devil's advocate, and prepares things to help you to learn. He has so much joy...just his smile has taught me so much about teaching. Not to mention his incredible work ethic.
Jodi Domstrand (teacher at Valentine Hills Elementary). I did my elementary student teaching with her. She was just awesome! She had so much joy for her job and was very thoughtful. She let me try all kinds of new things with her Art program. She also taught me what I think is one of the most valuable lessons I learned before entering the work force: Don't become an island. In other words, I need to work to develp relationships with other people at my work site. That means eating lunch in the teachers' lounge. That means making other people at your school look good by involving them in your programs. That means seeking out others that you could help and helping them. That means greeting people with a smile and asking how their day went. She's way better at it than me. But, the lesson is very important.
Steve Brink, Rick Hutchison, and Kevin Gilbertson: These are the poor souls that had to put up with me during my first year teaching. We worked together at Centennial Middle School and I learned a ton from watching them, asking them questions, joking around...all that. They are an awesome group of guys.
And others...Kate Merkel, Katherine Churchill, Dale Johnson, Peggy Little, MaryAnn Carlson, Mark Quinlan. These are all people that supported me, encouraged me, taught me. Great people.
So, thank you to all of the giants who have allowed me to stand on their shoulders.
My blogging absence (from commenting on other blogs & from my own) may make it seem as though I've been less of a thinker lately. That's not the case. I've probably been thinking more, interspersed with many activities such as work, coffee with a friend, small group, judging an Art contest, hanging out with people....
I used to be scared to share the gospel with people or to support people in Christ (it's easy to just support people, but it's difficult to bring up God's goodness sometimes). I guess I was afraid of looking stupid. I was scared of not knowing all the answers -- what if they asked me something I didn't know the answer to??? I was afraid of giving the wrong answers -- what if I say something that makes them stray from God??? I was afraid of invading someone's "personal space" and making them upset. I still have those fears, but God has given me a kind of peace about ministry. I feel confident that God's word is infallible and that as a minister to others, I am kind of like a bridge between others and God's word. Isn't that kind of what a minister is? And that there is a certain amount of trust needed to trust that God will bring things about in His time. To know that God is so powerful that He could still work through my mistakes. To know that God is faithful enough that He will work through me.
I was getting frustrated by some of the political conversations about what is the "right way" to vote or the "right way" to handle Christianity vs. the government. I was so frustrated that I needed to do something about it...but what?
When I was in China, I met a man from Singapore named Tan Tien Ser, who was part of the start up of Care Corner and Care Corner International U.S.A. The philosophy and vision of this group is, in a nutshell, to select a corner of the world and care for it. That simple. God has been teaching me fervently about what it means to care for a person (not that I know all the answers...because I don't), and especially how to care for them spiritually.
I started talking to people and have been realizing that many people are relieved when they have someone to talk to. Especially middle school kids because not many people talk to them. Actually, let me change that, LISTEN to them. And they want to talk about God and they want to ask questions and the want to seek God. It's so fascinating that they are seeking even in a culture that shouts that there is no God or that God is "whatever you make Him to be," they still seek Truth.
I want to care for my corner of the world to the best of my ability.
Anyway, it's been good. I've been reading the Bible more. One thing that's funny about the Bible is that you know that it's a good book, but when you're actually reading it you are still blown away by the same stories or by something you overlooked before.
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars and more like character
Less like a prison more like my room
Less like a casket more like a womb...
-Sara Groves, Less Like Scars, from her album All Right Here
They were having this thing on the radio this morning where people had to call in and give "their songs" as they pertain to certain categories. Here are "my songs" (plus a few added categories):
Get up and go song: Eye of the Tiger by Journey
Go to bed song: Chasing After by Clear
Chill out song: Tension is a Passing Note by Sixpence None the Richer
Most Nostalgic: Sandalwood by Lisa Loeb
I'm in Love: Water Runs Dry by Boyz II Men
Get work done: Nobody's Listening by Linkin Park
I'm done with work: The Long Day is Over by Norah Jones
Last Day of School: These are Days by 10,000 Maniacs or Give Me One Reason by Tracey Chapman
These are the songs that I pick, not the ones that my iTunes playcount picks for me. So no comments about how many times you've played this and that song. But, for what it's worth:
iTunes top 5 most played songs (it turned into 6 because of a tie):
Clumsy by Chris Rice (40 times)
Tension is a Passing Note by Sixpence None the Richer (40 times)
More Than This by Charlie Hunger Quartet w/ Norah Jones (40)
Over the Rainbow sung by Eva Cassidy (39)
If You Want Me To by Ginny Owens (39)
Child of Steel by Rosanne Cash (39)
I was looking through my Netflix account for movies I'd like to see. I happened upon The Cat in the Hat. Since I missed it at the movie theater, I thought, "Hey, I could schedule this to be next on my Queue and watch it at home. It's Mike Myers, it can't be all that bad."
Then I saw that -- Users who rated this movie high also enjoyed:
So...given the above facts, I have chosen to avoid having a few hours of my life sucked away from a seemingly lifeless movie. Maybe I'll rent Patton instead. I haven't seen that one yet.
So, California thinks that teachers from Minnesota are stupid, so they have to take a lot of extra classes before they can get a teaching credential. Well, I've been notified that I need to take a course called "Technology for Educators." Here is the description of the course:
This is a basic course that gently walks the learner through how to use a computer, how to use the Internet, how to word process, create a spreadsheet, a short multimedia presentation and a web page. You will learn about ethics copyright, great software for the classroom, etc. The focus is on technology use in schools, but it is a great class for anyone who just wants to learn how to use a computer.
I would spend 32 hours in class, plus outside assignments.
I just can't wait to learn how to develop a website.
Is anyone else laughing? Because I think this might be one of the most horribly boring things I ever do!!!
