Tuesday, October 31, 2006

DDR super star or biggest dork in video game history?

I came across this video and could not help but post it. If you don't know what DDR is it stands for "Dance Dance Revolution" which is a hugely popular video game with the youth of today. So the question stands is this guy a super star or a big dork?

Enjoy the video and have a good chuckle like I did.




John

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

All New Geico Caveman Commercial!

Here is a brand new installment of the Geico Caveman Commercials.
The Geico Caveman on a news talk show to debate the offensiveness of the Geico commercials. Absolutely Awesome!



John

New Geico Caveman commercial

Totally Hilarious!

Stoned Kids, Clueless parents

Here is an interesting article I read in the magazine "The Week" in the October 20th issue. I was unable to pull up the link on their website so here it is from my magical typing hands.

"Most parents say they would certainly know if their son or daughter used alcohol or drugs. In reality, most parents have no idea. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis recently surveyed the drug habits of 591 children between the ages of 12 and 17, and then interviewed their parents. Fifty-four precent of the teens said they had consumed alcohol, and 24 percent said they had gotten drunk. But only 31 percent of the parents said they believed their kids had ever tried alcohol, and only 8 percent imagined they had gotten drunk. Similarily, 23 percent of the kids admitted to using marijuana, but only 13 percent of the parents suspected as much. Nine percent of the children said they had tried harder drugs, and just 3 percent of their parents knew that to be the case. "Kids have access to drugs, they use them, and most parents are clueless," study head Dr. Laura Bierut tells The New York Times. This is especially troubling with younger kids, Bierut says, because the younger the user, the more likely that addiction will set in. "Children are not telling you about drug use," she said. "You have to ask."

My encouragement to all parents is to talk with your kids about drugs and alcohol whether or not you think they are doing it. They live in a world where they can not hide from it, but they can be informed and know how to make wise decisions. Parents don't fall into the trap of not talking to your kids about tough subjects, be open, be honest, be loving, and be in prayer!

John

YouTube: The Next Big Thing

Here is a great article about the website www.youtube.com. Here is a part of the article:

"The news last week that Google is spending $1.5 billion on a “fledgling Web site” may have shocked some people, said Andrew Sullivan in the London Sunday Times. But not me. About a year ago, I stumbled across YouTube, which allows users to easily post video clips to the Internet, and quickly became an addict. About 65,000 new videos are added to the site every day—everything from the best clips from current and past TV shows and classic movies to dramatic re-enactments of waterboard torture, hilarious amateur music videos, and stupid-human tricks." As Google is for information, YouTube may soon become “the repository for most of the world’s moving images.”

To read more click on the title of this blog title. Great stuff

John

The Pope: Is he right about Islam?

Here is an interesting article on a religious note. The Pope made some comments about the Islam religion which provoked many violent reactions,and then apologized for his comments. Here is a part of the article. Read the rest by clicking on the Title of this post.
"It’s the first major crisis of Pope Benedict XVI’s 17-month papacy, said Margaret Ramirez in the Chicago Tribune. In a speech last week in Germany, the pontiff inflamed Muslim anger around the globe by repeating an attack on Islam from a 14th-century Byzantine emperor. “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new,” Benedict said, quoting Manuel II Paleologus, “and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” It was just one sentence from a speech in which Benedict called on Islam to respect reason and to tolerate other religions. But the reaction was explosive,"After five days of uproar, Benedict issued a rare papal apology, saying he was “deeply sorry” for offending “the sensibility of Muslims.”


http://theweekmagazine.com/article.aspx?id=1654

The "Traffic Jam" Report

Hey everyone, here is my weekly review of our Sunday program from 10-22-06 for your curiousity. It was a good Sunday. Not my best, but still a good one. My team did a great job in small groups, and in connecting with kids. We are still working on "time management" and a few other things but it is coming together. I am looking forward to starting a new series and changing up the pace of things.

Attendance: Good
Lesson Topic: wk-4 of series "411" Creation
'Fun Factor': Below average (not a lot of energy this week)
Team Participation: Excellent (great small groups)
Music: Excellent
Lesson Quality: Below Average ( on my end, not on small groups)
Small Group Quality: Excellent
Length of Lesson: 10 minutes
Student Response: Good/Excellent

Have a great week everyone!

John

Best Show on TV?

As I was watching TV on Sunday night after a long day of church I finally made a decision about what I think is the best show on TV. I think it is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC. Here is why I think it is the best.

1. The heart of the show is about helping people that need to be lifted up from some bad times.
2. The community the people live in are always involved and that is awesome to see because we don't often think about our communities as being loving or having loving people in that way.
3. The design team as they are often referred to I believe has true hearts and are equally blessed personally by using their time to help people.
4. The show inspires people to think about people other than themselves and to reach out to them to make their lives a little better.

I can't watch this show without crying happy tears, and that makes a pretty good show
(the best on TV) in my opinion.

Click on the title of this blog "Best Show on TV?" to go to the website.

John

Friday, October 20, 2006

Sweet Precious Daughter-Abbie Rose

My most wonderous creation! =)





Her laughs are soo cool!

John

Skateboarding Video

a short skateboarding video with some great Relient K tunes! Enjoy




John

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Digital Technology 101

As a youth worker I am always amazed at how savvy my kids are with technology. I constantly have to ask myself, "Do I understand all of the technology they have available?" Parents have a huge task of working, raising their kids, having time with their spouse and themselves. Time is limited right? Well if you feel like you are behind in understanding technology and don't know what your child may or may not be getting into on a regular basis here is something that may help. I found a crash course tutorial called "Digital Technology 101." This will walk you through the basics of things like; Myspace, AOL, popular online websites, cell phones, instant messaging, and more.

Check it out and get up to speed with your kids and technology. I hope this helps. Enjoy

Click on the title of this blog to go to the link.

John


Kids & Digital Technology

Here is a cool article on kids and their use of digital technology. In our world today the vast majority of kids are now considered to be "techno junkies". This means they are constantly surrounded by technology in all areas of their life. As youth leaders, parents, and friends we need to be aware of the dangers that come with technology and how it is our responsibility to take an active role in the lives of our youth.


http://theantidrug.com/E-Monitoring/parent-tips.asp?id=cellphone1


John

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Halloween & its history

As you all know Halloween is a few weeks away. Here is an interesting article I came across concerning the holiday and its history. The article is written by a Christian who looks into the many false teachings, ideas, and misunderstandings surrounding the candy filled extravaganza.

Hopefully, this article will provide you some facts, and thought provoking information so that you look into further and make your own decisions about the holiday. This will also be a great way to open up a biblical discussion with your kids about the holiday.

Just click on the title of the posting to go to the website with the article. Make sure you check out part 2 of the article by scrolling to the bottom of the first page. Or you can follow the links below. Let me know you think of the article.

http://www.new-life.net/halowen1.htm

http://www.new-life.net/halowen2.htm

John


"The Office" Recap

Well here is a post for all of you people who watch "The Office".

I thought the show was one of the better episodes so far because there were elements that I can take from it relating to my job. Mainly the point of the show was about loyalty, trust, and leadership. Dwight goes over the head of his boss Michael and tries to take his job. This totally hurts Michael and the trust he had with Dwight. Also Dwight says he does not care about his co-workers during a conversation which is a big red flag concerning loyalty.

Being a youth worker that has a team made up of volunteers loyalty and trust and super important. I hope that I lead in a way that my team knows they can trust me, and my loyalty to the ministry, families, students, and my team is a priority to me.

The best part of the episode is when Michael gives the illustration of the lion and the monkey. If you watch the show you know what I am talking about, and even though the illustration makes no sense at first when you think about it you can apply it to ministry. Just something for you to chew on.

John

The Traffic Report

Hey everyone, I hope the day is going well for all. Our Sunday morning program for Route56 at RockPoint Church is called "Traffic Jam". I will begin doing a report about how our Sunday service went for all of you to see. This is a way for me to recap our program and for other people to chime in and hopefully provide some feedback. Also if you are a parent of a student in the ministry you can get a better idea of what is going on. Here it is my first report.

Attendance: Below Average (Fall Break)
Lesson Topic: Week 2 of series "411" Topic: Purity & Self Control
'Fun Factor': Good -
Team Participation: Average (Missing quite a few, but the others made up for it)
Music: Average +
Lesson Quality: Average ( I could have done better)
Small Group Quality: Awesome
Length of Lesson: 10 minutes
Student Response: Very Good

John

Old School Cartoons

So I was planning a game for this Sunday and decided to do a game about cartoons. The game is called "Name that Cartoon". I tried to break up the cartoons between old and new since my students are in 5th & 6th grade and I am assuming they will have a hard time guessing the old cartoons.

During the planning of this game I have decided that the old school cartoons are way superior to the new ones. They are better for several reasons.
1. Better stories
2. Better characters
3. Way more funny!

Some of my favorite old school cartoons include; Thundercats, GI Joe, Animaniacs(Pinky & The Brain), Looney Tunes, & Transformers.

I would love to hear what some of your favorite cartoons are so chime in.

John

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Panasonic to sell $80,000 TV set. NO WAY!

I wonder if I could get this approved in our youth budget? I mean how cool would it be to have this TV. Anyway, Maybe Santa will put it in my stocking for X-mas.


MSNBC.com Article:

Panasonic to sell $80,000 TV set
Panasonic said on Thursday it would start selling the world's largest television set, featuring a 103-inch screen, for $80,000.

Here is the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14602796/from/ET/




John

Dancing With the Stars. Why, Why, Why...

So I was curious so I decided to watch "Dancing With the Stars" tonight. I just don't get this show. I mean what is the appeal? Why do these stars find it intriguing to go on national TV and do ballroom dancing?

A few observations about the show:

1. Jerry Springer Dancing, just weird.
2. The men dancers wear a one piece under their pants to keep their shirts tucked in.
3. Too much spandex
4. The announcer that poorly trys to be like Simon Cowell (mean & honest)
5. And finally some people just should not dance in public.

Just some thoughts, I am also going to try and watch some of "Friday Night Lights" on NBC to see what it is like.

John