My Thoughts and Interesting Finds

A couple bloggs to check out

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 03:18:00 +0000

thelifeofateacher.blogspot.com and adamlisalong.blogspot.com

It's A Boy

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 03:14:00 +0000

We just wanted to let everyone know that we are having a boy! We just found out yesterday. We have been really busy and are going to stay busy for quite a while. School and Lisa's job are both going well. I will start coaching track in another month or two. Thats pretty much the update for now. I will try to get on here more to keep everyone updated a little better on out lives. Check out the Long Family blogg to see pictures of the ultrasound and updated that Lisa posts.

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 20:52:00 +0000

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted on here. I guess I have been really busy. Teaching is going well, it is hard to believe that there are only two and a half weeks of school until Christma Vacation. I also coached Jr. High Cross-Country this year. We had a losing season, but I am looking forward to next year. Hopefully many of my seventh graders will be back next year. Lisa and I have some news for anyone who may not have heard yet. We are expecting our first child at the beginning of June next year. Lisa is already in her second trimester and is doing well. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat at the last doctors appointment. She will go back to the doctor before Christmas. We will learn if it is a boy or a girl in January. If it is a boy we are planning on decorating in Curious George, if it is a girl I think we are going to do Whinnie the Pooh. My sister also found out that she is pregnant and she will be due at the end of June. Lisa's cousin Christy is also going to be having a baby in July. Lots of babies comming soon. We went out and saw Lisa's family back in September. We drove out to Minnesota for her cousin's wedding. We also saw her brother Todd and his girlfriend Kristi in Holland, MI last weekend. That was a lot of fun. We will be driving out to South Dakota over the Christmas holiday. Lisa is getting really excited. We havn't seen her niece since this summer. She was not at the wedding in September. My college classes have been going well also. I will be finished with my first course this Thursday. I have not even started my portfolio though. Opps! I guess I will have to work extra hard this next semester to get it done. I am excited about the next course, I think it will be very interesting. It is the study of court decisions in Special Education. I will try to keep this updated more often. I just have to take the time to do it.

A Change of Pace

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 00:33:00 +0000

I realize that it has been quite a while since I last posted on here. My life has been very busy too. SinceI last wrote I completed my time at Taylor School Corp. and spent the summer working for a Heating and Cooling company. I applied for many social studies positions this summer without a single phone call. I also got my interview with the Electrical Union, but I did not pass the interview process. Right before school started my sister recommended that I look into getting an Emergency License in Special Education. I looked into it and enrolled for classes at Indiana Wesleyan Univeristy Online. Then I began applying for special education positions. I had an interview in Elwood, but they hired someone that had experience teaching SE. Then the week after school started I got another interview with Madison Grant by Marion. I got a job there teaching Life Skills to Moderate to Severe Special Needs students. I just finished my first week of teaching and it has gone well so far. I will try to keep everyone posted about how things are going.

VW Beetle Camper!

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Wed, 24 May 2006 17:04:00 +0000

Who'd of thought you could turn a VW Beetle into a camper! Well, I have proof. here is is folks!

Funny Walmart Story

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:19:00 +0000

This sounds like something my brother would have tried in college. Enjoy!

Dear Mrs. Fenton, Our store is considering banning your family from ever shopping with us again unless your husband stops his antics while you are shopping. Below is a list of offenses over the past few months, all verified by our surveillance cameras.

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the ladies' restroom.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, "Code 3 in housewares".....and watched what happened.

5. August 4: Went to the service desk and asked to put a bag of M&M's on lay away.

6. September 14: Moved a "CAUTION - WET FLOOR" sign to a carpeted area.

7. September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they'd bring pillows from the bedding department.

8. September 23: When our clerks ask whether they can help him, he begins to cry and asks, "Why can't you people just leave me alone?"

9. October 4: Looked right into the security camera, used it as a mirror, and picked his nose.

10. November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, asked the clerk if he knew where the antidepressants were.

11. December 3: Darted around the store suspiciously, loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.

12. December 6: In the auto department practiced his "Madonna look" using different sized funnels.

13. December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled, "PICK ME! PICK ME!"

14. December 21: When an announcement comes over the loud speaker, he assumes the fetal position and screams, "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"

And last but not least:

15. December 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, and waited a while; then yelled very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

My Responses to Existence/Nonexistence e-mails

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Fri, 12 May 2006 02:36:00 +0000

4/12/06

Goten: To rebuttle your last statement, God is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. (Revelation22:10) There was nothing before Him and there will never be anything after Him. Also, as I stated in the comment, God is not confined to time or space therefore even though we have to live within the boundaries of the present He does not. " To God 1 day is like 1000 years and 1000 years is like a day." (IIPeter 3:8) That shows that His time frame is completely seperate.

4/13/06

I will try to get back with you later, i have a meeting this morning at the school I teach at and don't have time right this moment. I enjoy the discussion.

4/13/06

Hello again! I began looking for a way that I could better illustrate to you the point that I was trying to make. If you would like to look at this question furtherthen I would suggest that you find and read the bookMere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. He does a muchbetter job of explaining it. There is a whole chapterthat focuses on time and space and how God fits intothe whole situation. If you want me to I can send yousome quotes from it, but I figured it would be easierto just check it out at your public library.

4/14/06

Ok,I will do my best to explain things as I see them froma Christian standpoint. 1. God is all powerful. There is nothing that God can not do, but at the sametime there are things that God has chosen not to do asit applies to man and Satan. Some of this will alsotie into the question concerning God being all good. God has created angels and humans and has given themthe free will to choose to love him or hate him. IfGod wanted to or had wanted to He could have made manwithout the ability to sin. I believe that He didthis so that everyone who chose to believe in Him andbelieved in him would do so under thier own decisionrather than by force or by programming such as a robotmight have. Christ many times refered to himself as the bridegroomin scripture and refered to the church or Christiansas His bride. Just as you yourself would want someoneto love you because of who you are I believe Godwanted to do the same thing with himself. He wantedpeople to choose him based on what He had done forthem not so much because He forced them to. OtherwiseHe would have people serving him out of force ratherthan a personal desire to. Now Satan comes into this picture where God allowedhim to roam the Earth and decieve people into notbelieving in God and the same thing was accomplishedwith 1/3 of the angels who fell from heaven along withSatan when he decided he was more equal with God. 2. God is all good. God is all good and we have notseen the end of the story yet. At the end of theBible, sin is punished. Also, God made a way for allsin that had ever been committed by humans to be paidfor once and for al when he sent his Son to earth as ahuman. Jesus lived 33 years without ever sinning andwas killed as a sacrifice to pay for all sins. ThenHe rose from the dead three days later conqueringdeath. Because he died after as a sinless man, hetook all of the worlds sins upon his shoulders and Godforgave all men of their sins under the condition thatall humans would accept Jesus Christ as their Lord andSavior. He decided that anyone who accepted Christ asthier Savior and confessed that they were sinners, theblood of Christ would cover any sins they had evercommitted and they would then be sinless before God. John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 8:23, I John 1:9,Romans 5 (whole chapter)Then, Jeusus returned to Heaven to be with God HisFather. One day Christ is going to return to Earth. After the return of Christ to the Earth and therecieving of all of Christ's followers then those whorefused to follow Christ including Satan and all ofhis angels will be placed into Hades or Hell foreternity. Hell is made up of everything that is eviland nothing good becase everything good comes fromGod. That is the completion of God showing hisHoliness because He can then rule and reign withoutsin.I pray this was helpful. I hope I answered yourquestions for you.

4/18/06

Yes God does know the consequences of sin and that iswhy He showed us the way to go in the Bible so that wecould and would avoid the devistation that we oftentimes bring upon ourselves. God treats us much like a parent treats theirchildren. You teach a son or daughter what is right,such as telling them not to touch a hot stove becausethey will get burned, but that doesn't mean that thechild won't go and do it anyway. Or a better example,an older child whom you have taught not to drive underthe influence. That adult child knows that drinkingand driving are putting themselves at risk, but stillthousands go ahead and do it anyway. Does that meantheir parents shouldn't have had their children andthey did not love their children because they allowedthem to grow up and make their own choices? It is thesame with God, He has shown his children how theyshould live so that life goes well for them, but welive in a world where everyone has not chosen tofollow what He has said and so therefore we have theproblems we have today. Ever since the first day thatAdam and Eve sinned, life has no longer been perfectfor man. God created a perfect world to begin withwith the garden and Adam and Eve, but they chose tochange that ,by sinning, ruining it for all the restof the world, because from then on everyone else wasborn with sin. I am sorry if I am not answering all of your questionsperfectly. I am trying to tell you as well as I caninterpret what I know. I am still human and I stillhave much to learn. I do know one thing though. There are some things I know we will not understandcompletely until we get to heaven, that is why theBible says "For by grace are ye saved through faith;and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God notof works, lest any man should boast."Ephesians 2:8-9 Part of being a Christian is faith inthe unseen.

5/7/06

Well, I look at it like this. If for some reason,there isn't a God and I have no doubt in my mind thatthere is, what have I lost by believing in Him andtrusting Him with my life? Whether you think it is aloss to have faith in Christ Jesus or not. I know Iam a better person for believing. On the other hand,if there is a God and I spent my whole life believingin Him than I have a reward in Heaven and have missedout on the worst punishment ever given to man (Hell). One other thing, you continually say the threereligions and I imagine you are referring to Judism,Islam, and Christianity. Christianity is the only true way to Heaven, becauseChrist said "I am the way, the truth, and the life, noman comes to the Father except through Me." and "ForGod so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon that whosoever believeth in Him should not perishbut have everlasting life. For God sent not His Soninto the world to condemn the world but that the worldthrough Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)

5/7/06

Actually, I have the opposite of fear, I have peace. Peace inknowing that my sins are forgiven, peace in knowingthat I serve a God who cares about me, and will dowhat is best for me, and peace knowing that I willspend eternity with the God who loved me so much thateven while I was still in sin, He chose to send HisSon to die a death that no man would ever want to gothrough just so that I would be able to live foreverwith Him. Please, don't feel sorry for me, I am as happy as aperson could ever be, but I will pray for you that Godwill show himself real to you. God is real! JesusChrist did come to this earth and die for you, andHell is very real and I pray you find Christ Jesusbefore you breath your last breath. Once again, I encourage you, read the Bible all theway through from cover to cover before you decide whatyou think about Christianity, and ask God (even if youdon't believe there is one), to reveal Himself to you. The Bible is God's word written to man. If you stillfeel the same way after you read it, then I won't sayanymore. But, please don't give up on God before yougive him a chance.

5/8/06

Ok, be more specific. In what ways have you givenJesus Christ a chance in your own life? For one thing, you brought up Colombine and 9/11 asresons for the non-existence of God. What about thethousands of people who just happened to not be in theWorld Trade Center at the time of the attack becausethey happened to wake up late or had something happenthat delayed them. There are countless stories likethat, God was watching out for them. Also, I think you, along with many other people, havebeen fed the idea that once a person gets savednothing else bad will ever happen to them and lifewill be a bed of roses. God never promised that tous. In fact, the whole salvation concept should havebeen described not as a life of comfort but rather inthis manner... Let me give you a scenario...Two people were getting on a plane, the first personwas handed a parachute and told to put it on becauseit would make him feel more comfortable. So, theperson puts it on and goes back to their seat. Asthey are sitting in their seat they begin to feel thatthe parachute truly is not that comfortable and thatother people are not wearing theirs and decides thatmaybe it really is not that important. The secondperson is handed thiers and told that the plane isgoing to go down and they are going to have to beready to jump at any moment. This person, puts thierparachute on and doesn't even take comfort intoconsideration because he knows that it is the verything that is going to save his life. In fact, he isworried about the other passengers who are not wearingtheirs or have even misplaced them because they didn'tlike the way they looked or felt. This person evengoes around the plane trying to convince other peopleto put theirs back on but many of them don't becausethey are still stuck around the fact that it wassuppose to make them feel comfortable. From a spiritual standpoint, I know Jesus Christ doesnot always make my life a bed of roses. There havebeen many times in my life where I have felt that Hewas far away and that things have not gone the way Ithought they should. But, that did not mean I turnedmy back on God. If anything, it was in those times, Iclung tighter to Him, knowing that He would see methrough. How do I know there is a God? There aremany ways.1) He has given the Bible to me telling me abouthimself. (This is the oldest book in history and haslasted for thousands of years without change)2) I can also look outside at His creation and knowthat there is no way in a trillion years that thingswould have evolved into what they are today. Themathamatical equatioin of something as small as thehuman eye evolving is impossible. 3) He has taken care of me in times of need, such aswhen I was a baby and stopped breathing from SIDS,Sudden Infant Death Syndrom. I spent a week at achildren's hospital where they told my parents at thebest I would be a vegetable, blind, deaf, and mentallyretarded. Because of prayer and faith in God withinthe week I pulled the tubes and machines off my ownbody and without any explanation apart from a miraclethe doctors said I was well, minus my hearing whichcame back before I was one. Just to prove that I wasbetter, I was in the top 99% in my standardizedtesting in 1st grade, I had 20/20 vision until I wasin high school, I ran a mile in less than 5 minutes inhigh school, and I can hear as well as anyone. I also had a second life threatening event happen whenI was in second grade. My sister and I were struck bya car when we were crossing a busy intersection. Whenthe ambulence arrived they were sure that my sisterand I were dead. As the people in the cars all aroundgathered to pray for us, we began to move. I wasreleased later that day with only bruises and mysister was released the next day with a broken leg anda minor concussion. You can say both of these were coincodences, but Iknow that it was by the healing of Christ Jesus that Iam here typing to you today. My faith is not justsomething that I read in a book, it is alive andliving. I have many more stories of the way God hasdone miraculous things in my life. I can not denysomething that is real. To me, that would be likedenying that I am here talking to you right now. Thatis why I tell you, seek the Lord and you WILL findHim. Just try it. What do you have to lose? Youdon't have to do anything special, just pray "ChristJesus, I want to know if you are real. Reveal Youself to me I pray."

5/11/06

Well, guess what. I think you have already made upyour mind what you believe and nothing I say or Goddoes is going to change that. Instead, it seems asthough you are trying to make me change my mind aboutthe way I believe. My beliefs are something I HAVEput a lot of thought and question into (20 plus yearsin fact) and concluded that Christ is someone that Iwant to believe in and one person on the internet isnot going to change my mind through a few e-mails. If there is no God and I am just here, I have no reasonto live and I might as well go shoot myself. But IKNOW there is and He has a purpose for me being here. I am sorry that I have wasted your time and I am sorrythat you feel that God let you down, even though Iknow He is still there with you even this moment.

Existence / Non-existence of God Part III

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Fri, 12 May 2006 02:22:00 +0000

Here is the latest e-mail from this person, I am pretty convinced that they do not want anything to do with God and are no longer searching but rather working to pull others away from Him.

5/11/06

This is a very holy letter. By holy I mean has a lot of spots where you contradict yourself and make no sense whatsoever.First of all, I mean I gave him a chance in that I was brought up christian and I have seen through all the lies. "Christ Jesus, I want to know if you are real. Reveal Youself to me I pray." Been there done that and what i said before happened (9/11...)On that subject, there were thousands of people were working at the Twin Towers before the attack. Not all of them will be on time every time. Mabey you should find how many didnt come to work the day before I'm sure the numbers would be similar, mabey even more. And also if this "god" saved all those other people what did he do for the others in the building? He let them die! Were they not worthy of his divine intervention? Or is god just picky on who lives and who dies. This doesnt make him look any more allgood. Here is another one of your contradictions, "He has given the Bible to me telling me about himself. (This is the oldest book in history and has lasted for thousands of years without change)" First of all, the bible wasnt made by god it was made by man. Man lies man stretches the truth, and man can make mistakes. AND most importantly the bible just got changed a month ago, the book of Judas. Another thing, how can the church just remove pergitory? If it exsisted they cant wipe it away by just denying it, and if it didnt exsist they got something wrong, what other lies could you just be blindly following. Is it all just one big lie? Another hole, " I can also look outside at His creation and know that there is no way in a trillion years that things would have evolved into what they are today. The mathamatical equatioin of something as small as the human eye evolving is impossible." Evolution is scientific and more importantly reality not math. Example, If this a packaging machine packs 10 boxes of soda a minuet in ten minuets according to math, it should pack 100 boxes in 10 minuets. Reality says that the machine breaks and make none in 10 minuets. Thus math cannot be used for evolution because an organism can get into perfect conditions to develop faster. Others might not. Proving your mathematical prediction wrong. And science is also different from math, in math 1+1=2 in science 1Na+1Cl=1NaCl (or 1+1=1). So you cant prove or disprove evolution with math only science, or is studing science being a heathen? Also, you are putting words in my mouth I never said being saved is a bed of roses because I feel the exact opposite. Being saved is like putting a blind fold on and letting someone who you think they know where they are going lead you by the hand but really they too have a blindfold on. I believe that you should pull your hand away and take your blindfold off because you are the only one that can find where your going and nobody else. Religion is merely control set because people with power dont want to lose it (pope, cardinals, presidents, dictators). Because they fear what the population would do if they were allowed to think outside the box. People would no longer need these leaders, and that is why it is enforced with the fear of damnation and fire and brimstone.

Existence / Non-existence of God Continued

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Tue, 09 May 2006 02:06:00 +0000

Refer to the last post to bring yourself up to speed as to what is going on.

5/8/06I have given this supposed "god" a chance all my life and nothing has happened. O wait things have happened. They were called Columbine, 9/11, the War in Iraq, ... the list goes on. i gave religion a chance and it screwed up, i figured out that it is my duty to find the answers not to blindly follow a religion forced on me since the day i was born. You seem satisfied with the fact that you are going to heaven, i am satisfied with the fact that there is no heaven or hell only false hope and fear. There is only nothing after death. i am also satisfied with the thought that if i become a rapist murder, or a saint my fate stays the same just as yours will be. Nobody knows or will ever know how we, how exsistence came to be. Wehter it was an allpowerful god that took seven days to create exsistence wen, if he is allpowerful, could have surely done it in a matter of a second, or a huge bang with no origin created everything. They both have holes. I could come to grips with the fact that something could have made us, but not a god because if he was all knowing and all good wouldnt he wouldnt have but us through all this pain and suffering to test us because he would know all the concequences. I could go on with that forever but anyway my point is that it doesnt matter how we came to be, because if it was this "god" then he obviously isnt here anymore or just doesnt give a dam, all that matters is that we are here and our fate is in our hands. Our lives, the onty thing that exsists to us and will ever exsist to us (meaning no afterlife) is in our hands. The only gods that exsist is every one of us. You are your own god i am my own. There are no other gods. In relevance to "heaven" and "hell" you still make my point of control. The people with power, the smart ones anyway, dont blindly rule masses of people. A long time ago when people had to endure extremly hard times of work and suffering many would have given up and stop working. That is when the rulers realized to save their empires and cities, that they could create false hope in these people tell them that their labor would be repaid in the "afterlife" where everything will bee ok. Sure I can admit that all these creations of the human imagination and forms of control could have gotten is right, but thre is always a chance for everything. You know what they say, "If you put a bunch of monkies in a room full of type writers there is a chance they will write shakespear," Meaning that there is a very VERY small chance you are right but dont count on it. The more likely scenario is that you are wrong and you have wasted a perfectly good human mind in worshipping a false god who preaches that he knows all the answers when actually you need to find the answers out for yourself.You still havent told me what proof you have.

Existence / Non-existence of God

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Mon, 08 May 2006 01:48:00 +0000

These are some e-mails I have been getting from a guy that has been e-mailing me questioning the existence of God. I will try to post more as they come.

4/12/2006
i was just browsin around and saw ur comment against the whole freewill vs omniscient god thing. Nobody ever said he was holding anyone's hand through life and choices. Also think of him knowing wat choices you will make thing as you walking blind in the snow. you think that you are making your own choices but are merely walking down a path carved in the snow and dont know it. I believe in no god and also think that i make my own path through the snow.

I could also present the argument that god cant know the future because there is nothing but the present. this contradicts your point that god knows the future. he cant know the future because it doesnt exsist for him to know. but then god is not all knowing if he doesnt know the future, there fore we prove that he cant be god because he is not all knowing.

4/12/06
"God is not confined to time or space therefore even though we have to live within the boundaries of the present" the boundaries of the present do not exsist he cant go outside of the present if there is nothing but the present. The future does not exsist he cannot go into something that does not exsist. Here is another thing to ponder. All major religions believe in three fundemental things: 1.God is all powerful 2 God is all good and 3. Evil Exists. If Evil exists then god is either not all powerful, not all good, or not there at all.You cant argue that evil doesnt exsist so 3 is proven. That leaves 1 and 2. If god is all good he would wipe out all the evil. This shows that god is not all good and doesnt give a shit. So two is disproved. Finally lets say god is all good, and evil exsists then he is not powerful enough to wipe out evil or he would. Either way if he does exsist were screwed.

4/13/06
Also how is god the beginning and the end when he has no beginning and end. Im not trying to be smart I'm just confused.ok mabey I will look into it, but you havent said anything about the three things the major religions believe in. i really wanted to hear your response to it.

4/15/06
So what you are saying is that, to do a quote of my own, "God is a kid with a magnifing glass," (Jim Carey) and were a bunch of ants on an ant hill. You still establish that he is not by any means all good, it seems to me that this supposed "god" is just having fun with us. He ,if he exsisted, looks at us like the kid with the magnifing glass looks at the ants, he is playing with us.By no means am I saying that god exsists i am just establishing that religions' ideas of exsistence are false, and you should not follow them but find your own path through life.

4/18/06
Another thing, according to you, god knows EVERYTHING. If he truely knew everything then why would he give us the ability to sin. He knows all so he would know all the pain the suffering, the death, the devistation, and the tragedy caused by this ability to sin. So God is not all good because he went along with it and helped create the chaos that resides in our world. You could say that it is not god's fault, man choose to sin and kill. Then i would say that if I shot someone, im not guilty, it was the bullet that killed him, i merely pulled the trigger.

4/20/06
w/ your example about the older kids and drunk driving the example doesn’t seem to fit. Choosing to not have kids is different then not creating sin. Kids can do things better than sin so they arent the problem. If a parent was in this situation( god) and he/she could to wipe drugs (sin) out completly to save their child from hurting themselves by driving under the influence then they would. god didnt do this though he created sin still aware of wat we would do with. I know this goes against wat you said about programing us like robots, But parents want was is best for their children and will do anything in Their power to create a perfect life for them. If it is within gods power to not make sin and make the lives of his children perfect why has he not done it? Because he doesnt see us as children and he is not all good. i still have to clarify because it sounds like I believe in god. I dont, I am merely trying to show how someone who believes in god can start to stray from lack of proof or things that make no sense.

5/5/06
I know ur r probably very busy n that is why you haven't responded to my message but i havent expressed my best argument yet so here it is. Humans cannot and will not come to grips wih the fact that they have no purpose and never will. they always have to feel like they are the creations of a "god" and arent here by accident. How many people do you think would go on with the hardships of their daily lives if they truely knew that it would amount to nothing in the end. No heaven No grace of God No hell either. Nobody would do anything. What was your exsistence like before you were born? It was nothing, exactly what it will be when you die, nothing. Another reason why religion is still around is because governments know it is the perfect form of control. If you thought that you would be sent to an eternity of fire and brimstone then you would not try and "sin". Don’t you think it is a very funny coincidence that America's laws are largely based on the 10 commandments? Not because the writers were religious, but because they, like Osama Bin Laden and Pope Urban II, relized how blindly masses of people will do what they command because god demands it. Religion is the worst idea ever created every person should have their own unique ideas for the hows and whys of the world. How much do you think people will argue and even KILL for their religion if there was over 7 billion other unique ideas that can contradict theirs. People like Osama can be rendered powerless! My ideas might not be perfect but im just trying to free your mind from the oppression of religion, and instead of elieveing the supposed "answers" you have been spoon fed all your life you can make your own live the way you want to live not the way the church tells you to live!

5/7/06
Want me to tell you what i see when i read your response. I see fear. That is the way people like you are controlled. You fear hell and eternal damnation. Your fear has caused you to grip onto something that could not give an iota of actual proof but promises you eternal happiness. On that topic, what proof do you have? Where do you think you have the proof to justify your outrageous claim. You have lost everything in not believeing in god. The conformity of all religions dont help you to eternal happiness, it doesnt save you from eternal damnation. No such religions ,including the holy "we never do anthing wrong" Christian church, can do this. The answers to all the eternal question the the Alphas and Omegas of every one of our lives, lie within the recesses of our own minds. Religion makes you think you know all the answers and what to really do with your life so you dont open up, you dont think because you think you know."True wisdom is admitting that you know nothing" (Socrates)

The Ford F100 Explorer

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Thu, 04 May 2006 16:18:00 +0000

My dad and I went and picked up his new, or should I say old pickup the other day. He bought a 1978 Ford F100 Explorer pickup for $500 off of a guy that was doing some electric work at the school. It is white with a Ford 302 V8 5.0 litre 2x4. It is prety cool, it neads a little TLC though. I think dad is going to have my cousin Brandon paint it. It needs a seat cover too, because there is a hole in it on the drivers side. There is some rust on it, but it is only on the surface and can probably be sanded out. I think it will be fun to do a little work on it here and there. Dad also bought a new set of BF Goodrich tires for the front. I will try to post some pictures of it as soon as I get a chance.

The End Is Near

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Thu, 04 May 2006 16:11:00 +0000

I am comming down to the last four weeks of my career here at Taylor Schools. Part of me is excited about leaping out into a new career and working environment, but at the same time I am still very concerned about where I am going to work since I do not have any clear direction. As far as the end of the school year being over I think I am as anxious and excited as my students who have gone into coast or zombie mode since Spring break ended four weeks ago. I am so dissapointed in them right now and I have been on them hard and heavy to get their work done. Nothing seems to help. I have stood kids in the hall for sleeping and sat them in the hall and in the corner for not doing anything, but nothing seems to be working. Heck, when I was a kid an F meant something. I have 31 F's in my class and it doesn't even seem to phase them. I hate the fact that these kids know they are going to pass on to the next grade whether I say they shouldn't or not. Most of these students could care less if they are held back too because they still have friends in the grade below them, or they are so stoned off their butts that they don't care. Yeah, I have a bunch of 7th grade pot heads. I tell them all the time too what they are doing to thier lives, but that seems too far down the road to matter now.

Update on Last Post

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 14:48:00 +0000

The note sounded so much like a song that I decided to research it and discovered that it is actually the lyrics to a song called jesus of suburbia by a band named Green Day. I still believe this student probably feels some kind of tie to the lyrics of that songs based on other drawings and writings I found lying around.

A Startling, Sad Note

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:13:00 +0000

One of my students found this story / song on the floor. It makes me wish I could do more spiritually at school. Please pray for this person. I will not mention names. So you can call her Jane Doe. Just to warn you there are some bad words in the note, but I wanted to keep it in its true form.

Jesus of Suburbia

I’m the son of rage of love; the jesus of suburbia. The bible of none of the above, on a steady diet of soda pop and Ritalin – no one ever died for my sins in hell – as far as I can tell, at least the ones I got away with. And there’s nothing wrong with me, this is how I am suppose to be. In a land of make believe, I don’t believe in me. In the center of the Earth, in the parking lot – at the 7-11 where I was taught – the motto is a lie. It said “home is where the heart is”, but what a shame, cause everyones heart doesn’t beat the same, it’s beating out of time. City of the dead – at the end of another lost highway, signs misleading to nowhere. City of the damned, lost children with dirty faces today, no one really seems to care. I read the graffiti in the bathroom stall, like the lonely scriptures of a shopping mall – so it seemed to confess.. It didn’t say much but it only confirmed that the center of the Earth is the end of the world, and I could really care less. City of the Dead – at the end of another lost highway, signs misleading to nowhere. City of the damned, lost children with dirty faces today, no one really seems to care. I don’t care if you don’t. I don’t care if you don’t. I don’t care if you don’t care. I don’t care if you don’t. I don’t care if you don’t. I don’t care if you don’t care. Well, I don’t care. EVERYONES SO FULL OF SHIT. BORN AND RAISED BY HYPOCRITES. HEARTS RECYCLED BUT NEVER SAVED, FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE. WE ARE THE KIDS OF WAR AND PEACE, FROM ANAHEIM TO THE MIDDLE EAST. WE ARE THE _______ AND DISCIPLES OF THE JESUS OF SUBURBIA. Land of makebelieve – and I don’t believe in me. Land of make believe – it don’t believe. Well I don’t care. Dearly beloved, are you listening? I can’t remember a word that you said to me. Are we demented or distorted? The space that’s in between; insane and insecure. Oh therapy, can you please fill the void? Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed? Nobody’s perfect and I stand accused. For lack of a better word, and that’s my best excuse. To live and not to ________, is to die in tradegy. To run, to run away, is to _________. And I _______________________. And I walk this line, a million and one fuckin times, but not this time. I don’t feel any shame, I won’t apologize, where there ain’t nowhere you can go. Runnin away from pain when you’ve been victimized. Tales from another broken home.

Some People Love Walmart A Little Too Much

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 01:01:00 +0000

DES MOINES, Iowa While some students head for the beach on spring break, sophomore Skyler Bartels at Iowa's Drake University went to Wal-Mart.

The 20-year-old writing student from Nebraska thought he'd spend a week at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in suburban Des Moines as a test of endurance and to maybe generate a magazine article.

For 41 hours, Bartels watched shoppers, read magazines, watched DVD movies and played video games. He ate at the in-store Subway sandwich shop, but didn't sleep much, occasionally dozing in a lawn chair. Bartels says he got so tired, he began hallucinating and went home, thinking the project had failed. But a Des Moines Register story that made the Internet changed that, spawning network T-V interviews and discussion of a book deal.

Wal-Mart says it's not overjoyed at the long-term visitor, noting, "We're a retailer, not a hotel." But a spokesman notes that Bartels didn't break any rules.

This Just Isn't Our Year

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 14:35:00 +0000

I had a meeting this morning with my principal and she informed me that Taylor is not going to renew my contract for the 2006-2007 school year. So, I am back in the same boat I was in last year, looking for a new job. It feels like dejavu. Hopefully Lisa's job turns into a full time position otherwise we will both be looking for jobs this summer. We would sure appreciate any and all prayers as I begin the long journey of job searching once again.

Honoring the Fallen Soldier

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 14:34:00 +0000

This was an e-mail sent to one of the teachers, by a student, where I work. This past week a young local soldier was put in the ground and this is a recount of what this particular student experienced while he was present. I found it to be very touching.

Monday I stood in freezing cold weather to honor Seargent Rickey Jones, a man who died for my freedoms and the freedoms of millions of Iraqies. He died in a country that I believe he should have never been in this long. He died too young. Something dawned on me though as I was complaining about my fingers and my ears hurting, that this young man is dead. He didnt deserve it, He deserved to grow up get married and have some kids. He chose to take a chance to die for what he believed in, therefore I took a chance to stand for what I believed in. I stood for a bout an hour and a half and when I seen that casket pass with the American flag draped over it, I realized what kind of sacrifices it takes to have so many blessings in this country. Believe me folks this is far from perfect, but we have better than so many other people. I think Mr. Jones knew that and that why he went back. He wanted others to have what we have. I admire him for that and I'll never forget the day I seen his casket in that hearse with the governor in the front seat. Another thing happened that day that I'll never forget. An older veteran, probably a WWII veteran was in the procession. And with his hands shaking, he raised one up and waved at us and said thank you. I was there to say thank you to Mr. Jones and to the other veterans of the previous wars. And here this man, this man who fought for our country who made the ultimate sacrifice, said thank you to me because I chose to stad on 31 with a flag. I made a very small sacrifice if even that and he said thank you to me. It was then that I really cried. I really realized what the meaning of being an American is. This man treated me as an equal in sense even though I coul d never match up to the type of man he is. I felt proud then, very proud of my country, Seargent Jones, that old veteran, and especially proud of my peers who stood out there with me in that freezing cold weather. You better believe I will always say the pledge from now on. I know now that Im lucky to be able to say it, and when I say it Ill always remember March 6, 2006. The day Kokomo stood still to honor Rickey Jones and the veterans who have died before him.
God Bless ,

Here is a slide show of the procession. (cut and paste it)

http://static.cnhi.zope.net/flashpromo/
kokomotribune/flashpromo/slideshow/J
onesFuneral030606/index.html

My Top Ten Car List

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 17:48:00 +0000

1. BMW M Roadster
2. Honda S2000
3. Corvette Z06
4. New Mustang GT 500
5. Camaro SS
6. Firebird WS6
7. Subaru WRX STi
8. Pontiac GTO LS6
9. Mazda RX-8
10. Mini Cooper S

The Amway of Healthfood

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 03:49:00 +0000

I had a friend call me tonight and talk to me about this new company that is comming out with a gel style nutritional supplement. I guess it is the new rave. The company is growing by leaps and bounds and has spread to more than 16 countries across the globe. The product works like Amway though. You have to purchase the product off of people who are members of the comapny and they try to get others to join. I guess if you are an entreprenuer it might be the thing for you. From what I hear they taste pretty good. Let me know if your interested, maybe I should join and you can be my clientel. Well, enough said, here is the web site http://www.agel.com/ .

Was God Really A Part of Our Nations History?

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:09:00 +0000

This was an interesting article about Washingtn D.C. Maybe the founders of our nation really didn't want a seperation of church (Christianity) and state (government).

LAUS DEO: A little history lesson you may enjoy. One detail that is not mentioned, in DC, is that there can never be a building of greater height than the Washington Monument. With all the uproar about removing the ten commandments, etc... This is worth a moment or two of your time. I was not aware of this historical information . On the aluminum cap, atop the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, are displayed two words: Laus Deo. No one can see these words. In fact, most visitors to the monument are totally unaware they are even there and for that matter, probably couldn't care less. Once you know Laus Deo's history, you will want to share this with everyone you know. But these words have been there for many years; they are 555 feet, 5.125 inches high, perched top the monument, facing skyward to the Father of our nation, overlooking the 69 square miles which comprise the District of Columbia, capital of the United States of America. Laus Deo! Two seemingly insignificant, unnoticed words. Out of sight and, one might think, out of mind, but very meaningfully placed at the highest point over what is the most powerful city in the most successful nation in the world . So, what do those two words, in Latin, composed of just four syllables and only seven letters, possibly mean? Very simply, they say "Praise be to God!" Though construction of this giant obelisk began in 1848, when James Polk was President of the United States, it was not until 1888 that the monument was inaugurated and opened to the public. It took twenty five years to finally cap the memorial with a tribute to the Father of our nation, Laus Deo .Praise be to God!" From atop this magnificent granite and marble structure, visitors may take in the beautiful panoramic view of the city with its division into four major segments. From that vantage point, one can also easily see the original plan of the designer, Pierre Charles l'Enfant ... a perfect cross imposed upon the landscape, with the White House to the north. The Jefferson Memorial is to the south, the Capitol to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west. A cross you ask? Why a cross? What about separation of church and state? Yes, a cross; separation of church and state was not, is not, in the Constitution. So, read on. How interesting and, no doubt, intended to carry a profound meaning for those who bother to notice. Praise be to God! Within the monument itself are 898 steps and 50 landings. As one climbs the steps and pauses at the landings the memorial stones share a message. On the 12th Landing is a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore; on the 20th is a memorial presented by some Chinese Christians; on the 24th a presentation made by Sunday School children from New York and Philadelphia quoting Proverbs 10:7, Luke 18:16 and Proverbs 22:6. Praise be to God! When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, 1848 deposited within it were many items including the Holy Bible presented by the Bible Society. Praise be to God! Such was the discipline, the moral direction, and the spiritual mood given by the founder and first President of our unique democracy "One Nation, Under God." I am awed by Washington's prayer for America. Have you never read it? Well, now is your unique opportunity, so read on! "Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." Laus Deo! When one stops to observe the inscriptions found in public places all over our nation's capitol, he or she will easily find the signature of God, as it is unmistakably inscribed everywhere you look. You may forget the width and height of "Laus Deo", its location, or the architects but no one who reads this will be able to forget its meaning, or these words: "Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." (Psalm 127: 1)

Tony Dungy's Speech to Athletes in Action

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 15:26:00 +0000

Tony Dungy's talk to Athletes In Action

This was a speech given by Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy at the Athletes in Action breakfast on the morning before Super Bowl XL, February 4, 2006 in Detroit, Mich. Dungy was welcomed with a lengthy standing ovation. He thanked the crowd, shared an anecdote about the honored guest at the breakfast, then told the crowd, "It's great to be here," adding with a laugh, "I just wish I wasn't here in this capacity so many times of being just that close to being in the game and just being an invited speaker. "My goal is to have our team here one day and have a couple of tables with all of our guys here. Because we have a special group of young men, a great group of Christian guys. It'd be wonderful to have them here so you could see their hearts and what they're all about. "It hasn't quite happened yet, but we're still hoping one day it will."
He told them he was going to talk about lessons he had learned from his three sons. The crowd fell silent. Then Dungy spoke- for most of the 15 minutes the room was silent except for Dungy's voice.
He spoke of his middle son, Eric, who he said shares his competitiveness and who is focused on sports "to where it's almost a problem."
He spoke of his youngest son, Jordan, who has a rare congenital condition which causes him not to feel pain. "He feels things, but he doesn't get the sensation of pain," Dungy said. The lessons learned from Jordan, Tony Dungy said, are many. "That sounds like it's good at the beginning, but I promise you it's not," Dungy said. "We've learned a lot about pain in the last five years we've had Jordan. We've learned some hurts are really necessary for kids. Pain is necessary for kids to find out the difference between what's good and what's harmful. "Jordan, Dungy said, loves cookies. "Cookies are good," Dungy said, "but in Jordan's mind, if they're good out on the plate, they're even better in the oven. He will go right in the oven when my wife's not looking, reach in, take the rack out, take the pan out, burn his hands and eat the cookies and burn his tongue and never feel it. He doesn't know that's bad for him. "Jordan, Dungy said, "has no fear of anything, so we constantly have to watch him."
The lesson learned, Dungy said, is simple. "You get the question all the time, 'Why does the Lord allow pain in your life? Why do bad things happen to good people? If God is a God of love, why does he allow these hurtful things to happen?' Dungy said. "We've learned that a lot of times because of that pain, that little temporary pain, you learn what's harmful. You learn to fear the right things ."Pain sometimes lets us know we have a condition that needs to be healed. Pain inside sometimes lets us know that spiritually we're not quite right and we need to be healed and that God will send that healing agent right to the spot."Sometimes, pain is the only way that will turn us as kids back to the Father."
Finally, he spoke of James. James Dungy, Tony Dungy's oldest son, died three days before Christmas. As he did while delivering James' eulogy in December, Dungy on Saturday spoke of him eloquently and steadily, speaking of lessons learned and of the positives taken from experience.
"It was tough, and it was very, very painful, but as painful as it was, there were some good things that came out of it," Dungy said.
Dungy spoke at the funeral of regretting not hugging James the last time he saw him, on Thanksgiving of last year. "I met a guy the next day after the funeral," Dungy said. "He said, 'I was there. I heard you talking. I took off work today. I called my son. I told him I was taking him to the movies. We're going to spend some time and go to dinner.' That was a real, real blessing to me."
Dungy said he has gotten many letters since James' death relaying similar messages. "People heard what I said and said, 'Hey, you brought me a little closer to my son,' or, 'You brought me a little closer to my daughter,''' Dungy said. "That is a tremendous blessing."
Dungy also said some of James' organs were donated through donors programs. "We got a letter back two weeks ago that two people had received his corneas, and now they can see,'' Dungy said. "That's been a tremendous blessing."
Dungy also said he received a letter from a girl from the family's church in Tampa. She had known James for many years, Dungy said. She went to the funeral because she knew James. "When I saw what happened at funeral, and your family and the celebration and how it was handled, that was the first time I realized there had to be a God," Dungy said the girl wrote. "I accepted Christ into my life and my life's been different since that day." Added Dungy, "That was an awesome blessing, so all of those things kind of made me realize what God's love is all about."
Dungy also said he was asked often how he was able to return to the Colts so quickly after James' death. James died on December 22, and Dungy returned to the team one week later. Dungy said the answer was simple. "People asked me, 'How did you recover so quickly?"'' Dungy said. "I'm not totally recovered. I don't know that I ever will be. It's still very, very painful, but I was able to come back because of something one of my good Christian friends said to me after the funeral. "He said, 'You know James accepted Christ into his heart, so you know he's in heaven, right?' I said, 'Right, I know that.' He said, 'So, with all you know about heaven, if you had the power to bring him back now, would you?' When I thought about it, I said, 'No, I wouldn't. I would not want him back with what I know about heaven.'
"That's what helped me through the grieving process. Because of Christ's spirit in me, I had that confidence that James is there, at peace with the Lord, and I have the peace of mind in the midst of something that's very, very painful.

"That's my prayer today, that everyone in this room would know the same thing."

Where's the Badman?

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 17:34:00 +0000

This link went around the e-mails at school today. By clicking on this link you can see where any sex offenders work or live in relation to any address in Indiana. It is interesting and scary at the same time. It was really comforting to know that a registered rapist lives within a mile of my home. http://www.indianasheriffs.org/

Time to Get in Shape!

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 15:51:00 +0000

Over the weekend I decided I needed to get back into shape. Well, actually I have known that for quite a while and so I have been researching bicyle trainers. I found one that I thought looked like the best product for the money and drove down to Bicycle Garage of Indy and bought it this week. It is called a CycleOps. I put it on my bike last night and tried it out. It was a really good workout. After about 23 minutes of riding and five miles later I decided my first workout was over. I hope to get up to where I am riding 25 miles every other day, we'll see. My wife told me since I spent so much money on it I better use it, so maybe I'll have some extra motivation.

Our Photo Album

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:56:00 +0000

Lisa and I have a photo album on yahoo. Check it out if you want to see what all has been going on in our lives. The latest pictures are the ones of our new home. http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/adamd7998/my_photos

North Dakota?

noreply@blogger.com (IWUBOY) — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 17:29:00 +0000

I was on a field trip the other day and the bus driver was talking to me about this tower. It is the tallest structure in the world and it is in North Dakota of all places.
I found this article about it on this site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_tallest_structures

The tallest currently standing structure on land is the KVLY-TV mast near Mayville, North Dakota, at 629 m (2,063 ft). It is a transmission antenna, consisting of a bare metal structure supported by guy-wires. The Warsaw radio mast at Gabin-Konstantynow near Warsaw, Poland at 645 m (2,115 ft) was taller, but it collapsed on August 8, 1991. Masts such as these are generally not considered 'tall buildings', primarilly because they are not self-supporting. They require guy wires to remain upright. For greater detail on communication masts, see either List of the world's tallest structures, List of masts, or Table of masts.