sync'd and separate

reason number 245 why i hate cops

2009-04-02T05:45:00.000-07:00

people always give me strife about how much i hate cops. here is another reason why:

This is Crazy

2009-04-01T06:00:00.001-07:00

These are a couple of guys who are saying things that they have read word for word from christian fundamentalist websites...its really embarrassing.

Heres to you, Chu

2009-02-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

so i read this CNN article today.

its about this girl:

this is a girl who has decided that she sucked at living her own life and thought that others may be able to live life for her better. so, she has sold her life to the internet. for 3 dollars an hour you can tell her what you want her to do and she will do it.

for all you crazy people out there, "no" she can not do anything dirty, immoral, or violent. its mainly acts of service for people. everything from bringing them a drink to filming their babies being born.

she says that it has changed her life in amazing ways.

i think its cool.
i dont think its that crazy at all.
well done my fellow human for being creative and selling out to something different in this world rather than settling for the same boring BS that most of us do.

Live Lost Blog.

2009-02-04T18:07:00.001-08:00

9:06- oh crap, what is Sun going to do with that gun? oh shizzzle.
9:16- damn it hurley! oh crap, Syaid is the freaking bomb!!!!
9:23- what is going on?
9:26- Sawyer is so in love with Kate.....WTF another commerical?
9:27- what, there is an iphone app that tells me where i parked my car? i am totally getting that!
9:37- i bet she shot somebody inthe future, somebody important, maybe one of them.
9:40- although it looks awesome, i bet Push really sucks
9:51- Jin!!!!! i knew it!
10:00- ahhh... pretty predictable way to end it!

2009-02-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

So, i have been collecting lots of blogging material lately. then the problem comes, i have TOO much to blog about and not the time or the patience to do it.

i thought about blogging about the new addition to our family.

yeah, its not a hamster, its a really really small dog named Oliver.

but i didnt have a lot to say about that.

i thought about talking about the 32 MOVIES i have seen since the last time i blogged. but that requires getting pictures, rating them, writing a review, and i just dont have the time for that.

i also thought about blogging about the biggest waste of time and money in the world. no, not the Creation Museum, the Newport Aquarium.

i know, i was warned....but it is absolutely lame. might as well go to a pet store. its cheaper.

there was also all the snow...and this little insect found on my friends McDonald lid.

but again no.

there was the start up of LOST again. it was great.

there was a Superbowl...i suppose i could talk about that.

i could talk about new beard formations.

There was also The Road, which is the best book i have ever ever ever read.

but the thing i chose to blog about this week was

for the first time in a long long time this week...i missed the fact that i wasnt at church.
as many of you know we started Legend Community Church back in October.
it has been one of the biggest breaths of fresh air i have had in awhile. this past weekend i couldnt make it to church, i had to do something else. and i literally ached because i love being there so much. i have never been in a place where there is just such an overwhelming sense of joy and love. we dont do everything right...and thats okay, but what we do right, is amazing.

the other night, during the snow, and after Veggie dinner. we had a bunch of people from the church come over and we had a blast. we played one of the craziest games of charades i have ever been apart of. if i can muster the courage, i will put a video up sometime....but i dont know how safe my blog is....ha ha....

here are a few more pics of people i love and am proud to consider church family.

the last thing i want to do, is say how much i love this woman. she is my queen!

its been awhile...

2009-01-14T05:48:00.000-08:00

i was reminded today that i have not posted in awhile.
life has really caught up to me.
between trying really hard to be a good husband and father...
working a full time job....
and planting a church....
my ambition to add new things or ability to complete routine tasks is diminishing more and more everyday.

so, i am going to try to get back to my once a week blogging.

here was my inspiration to do so, please note, there is a word in here that i NEVER EVER EVER say or write...but i dont want to be the man who censors another mans creativity. here it is:

"Alas, my poor friend Justin, he used to be verbose,
his blog, sync'd and separate, was the one I read the most.
Nov 19 of last year was his post of last,
And now almost two months later, me thinks it was his last.

His interest must have waxed and waned to video games of war,
or playing with his two young sons in snow outside their door.
But a widening gap is present on the blogspot site,
and every nite I take a look but no posts did he write.

So, I am forced to sit here and wonder what he's doing,
perhaps he's sipping ice cold beer or on the toilet poo-ing.
I think perhaps, he's just moved on, and focused his attention
On things of wonder--things and more too numerous too mention."

- anonymous author

Picture Time

2008-11-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

okay, its been awhile. i just havent had the words lately. between planting a church, going to school, working a full-time job, and trying to be the best husband and father i can...the blogging words just arent there lately. BUT...life has been happening and it has been fun. here are some pictures:

The Best Sunday Ever?

2008-10-20T12:29:00.001-07:00

well, this was a great Sunday. for many reasons.

first, CHURCH, was great.
it certainly wasn't about the SERMON (yours truly) and it wasn't necessarily about the people leading music (though they did a good job), it was just that the spirit of God was certainly there, walking through people.

for the first time, it felt as if it wasn't a program.
it felt genuine, real, and heavy.

it just reminded me that church on Sunday is not about getting new converts to come, its not about the edification of believers, its not about fostering great community, its just about us being apart of God moving. it was good.

but that wasn't the only reason it was great.

we also went home and we had a long good nap.
those of you who have small kids may feel me on this, we NEVER get to nap. there is always something to do or something going on. but this particular afternoon, we all took a good long nap.

then we went to the zoo. it was fun.

but the best part was, we came home and, this may sound cheesy, but my family and i really worshiped.

that sounds weird, i know.
but we were all four hanging around the table. Foster was eating. Grayden was painting his pumpkin. Cristin was cooking. and i was being the DJ putting on different toons to listen to.

we danced.
we sang.

then, we put on some christian worship music. if you know me, you know that i don't do christian worship music. but this particular night we did.

we sang loud.
our hearts reached out to God.
even foster raised his hands.

it was fun. it was good.

then Cristin went out with a friend.
I played a GREAT GAME.
then went to Habits and hung for a bit with Jason.
then went home to fall asleep with my wife.

Thanks God, for a great day.

Some New Things To Check Out:

The Force Unleashed.

Great game on the wii. although apparently, the wii version is the reatard version because the xbox version is much tougher.
but great game and adds a lot to the Star Wars story if you like such things.

Maude

Sorry, but once more. we are watching the second Disc. and it ROCKS.

SNL
watch this:
PALIN RAP
could it be back? its super funny lately and this Palin Rap is da bomb. the funny thing is, i dont know if she knows how much they are making fun of her.

Heroes

its amazing that i havent blogged about this yet. but the first 3 episodes were just so-so. but this last weeks, was great. the show is back and in full effect. cant wait to check it out tonight.

"And Then There's Maude"

2008-10-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of things going on lately.
One of those things is that we planted a church.
actually i dont really like saying that. there are words like:
we planted a church
we started a church
our church

any of that stuff. i dont like, and its not just some semantic game, its just that none of those things are true. we didnt start any new movement. we didnt start any new thing, or anything different. we are just, to the best of our ability, doing God's biding. i know that sounds cheesy, but its all God's work.

the second i start leaning on my own understanding is the second this all goes south.

thats one of my biggest beefs with this so called 'leadership' movement in the church. there are so many pastors trying to be this A Grade leader, or make leaders in their churches. its just not us.

so far its been going good. we have had good attendance and it is building.

if you pray.

do that please for us.

i also have been, more than ever enjoying my family. not that i ever didn't enjoy them, but its just been extra this past week. i cant explain the feeling i have, the joy, the comfort, and the peace when the four of us are together. this past week we did Cincinnati Walks where the four of us and some friends did a benefit walk for children's hospital. it was really fun and a great time!

the funniest things in the world right now:
Tina Fey being Sarah Palin. There is nothing funnier than these recent skits.

and this video:

And then theres Maude.

wow, i can not express how great this show is with words. it is an old show from the early 70's that ran 6 seasons. it won an Emmy and a Golden Globe. it was a spin off of All in the Family and Maude was created to be the Anti-Thesis of Archie Bunker. Maude is a liberal Democrat woman in the early 70's and she is great. This show deals with amazing issues and may be one of the raciest shows i have seen given the context of when it was produced. it has great characters and good acting. if you ever get a chance to check this out, you should do it.

Movie Update

2008-10-08T05:42:00.000-07:00

so i have watched a lot of movies lately.
Netflix is the best thing to happen to us since Nintendo Wii, or the Iphone, or Laptops, or minivans, or electric drills.
BUT, every now and then my beautiful wife will put something on our Que that gives me a big disappointment whenever i see the big red envelope on the counter.
this week, it was Georgia Rule.

i thought this movie would suck as much as a movie ever could. i mean, Lindsay Lohan?
i was terribly wrong.
Georgia Rule 4.5 stars.
It was a beautiful movie about people who have really been abused, beat down, and tore apart by this world. sexual molestation, alcohol abuse, death, and religion. you should see this movie, but dont expect a feel good comedy, that it is not.

Okay, sorry, i know its been awhile!

2008-10-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

it has been a busy few weeks. i have not had too much time to blog. there has been a lot going on...anniversary's, i now have a 1 year old and almost a 4 year old, i have seen lots of movies...but to trump it all, we planted a church!!!! wow.

so this past week, we started Legend Community Church.
we did no advertising, we didnt really ask a ton of people to come, the word that we use is "organic" but i really dont know what that means entirely.

in the end, we felt God stirring, we trusted him, and he did the rest.

we were really hoping for 40 people.
we had 85 show up. wow!
but, the real test is who shows up next week.
i also feel like the first week was easy, and NOW all the hard work begins!
here are a few pics:

we also did a barbecue afterwards that was really great!
thanks City-Q!

politics and pastoring

2008-09-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

i got to go hear Obama speak during the primaries. i have to admit, i was surely taken by him and still feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand when he speaks of hope and change.

however....

i have had a new revelation in my life about politics and being a pastor. i have people around me who are really passionate about Obama and about McCain. i think that's great, i love hearing them talk and voice their heart about their candidate. but as a pastor i feel its very dangerous to tow ANY line. i heard someone say the other day that they like Obama, then someone else at the institution in which i work yelled out, "i hate that guy, if he's elected, that's the worst thing that could happen." hate.

hate.

really? i hear pastors do the same thing, they get so passionate about who they are backing and they at some times, go overboard.

so what happens when their candidate loses?
do you have to swallow your words?
do you have to make excuses?
do you look foolish?

do you have to start supporting that which you adamantly spoke out against?

maybe its just our jobs as pastors to support and love and be there for people. if they have to pay higher taxes, if their sons and daughters go to war, if they get poor medical aid...whatever...its my job to be there in the midst of whatever else is going on and love people and show them Jesus.

so for this guy...for this pastor...i bow out. i know who i like and will talk about it to my wife and close friends....but other than that....i don't have a pick.

wow...reason number 163

2008-09-02T05:41:00.001-07:00

so, i used to have this blog about all the things out there that make me embarrassed to be associated with the word "Christian." i stopped because people misunderstood it as being angry or malicious. but.....oh....my.....Lord......what have we done now? Before you go any further check THIS out.

it only took 4 years, clap clap for the Christan world for once again, making a lame ass fabrication of something good and as usual, super late.

this does nothing good for the progression of the Gospel in our culture. i hate being "that guy" who rants and raves about this stuff...because in the end, its not worth it....but c'mon brothers and sisters, i will always fight beside you in the battle against evil in this world, but sometime i think we are in two different fights.

forgive us father, sometimes we really do not know what we are doing...

bubbles bubbles everywhere but not a drop to spare...

2008-08-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

okay, well, there has been a ton of life happening lately.
church plant things
home improvement things
work things
spiritual things....
its been nuts. here are few to brew on:

first i just got 1 piece of the 2 piece tattoo set i am getting. here is some pics of the first one, when i get the money i will get the second:

\

movie updates, here are some of the movies i have watched since last blogged:

License to Wed

2stars **
this movie is pretty much lame. it did give me a tear or two, but only because lately i have been a bit emotional. i hated hated it the first hour, but it has a predictably good ending.

The Other Boleyn Girl

3stars ***
pretty crazy, pretty psycho. but really good. i am not always a fan of Period Films, but this was good. nothing notable though.

Gone Baby Gone

3&1/2stars ***1/2
well, given the recent events around the university i work at, this had ill timing. it was very hard to swallow, yet a very well done movie. its worth watching, but an emotional roller coaster.

Smart People

3stars ***
This was a great movie. a little slow, but a great commentary on people who are hard to get along with but find change and love in their life.

P.S. I Love You

4stars ****
i did not want to like this movie at all, but i ended up loving it. i like Gerard Butler anyway, but this was a fantastic movie on really loving someone. watch it!

thats all for today.

finally, surfing is replaced.

2008-08-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

yeah, so wakeboarding. is totally the bomb. moving to Ohio, i thought nothing could ever replace the empty spot in my heart that only surfing could fill. i was wrong: (ps, check out the one where you can see the city in the background. crazy)

good movie scenes. know any?

2008-08-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

i believe that movies are our modern day parables.
every now and then there are scenes in movies that add momentum to our thoughts, power to our words, inspiration to our hearts, or that just want to make us kick someones face in.

what are your favorite movie scenes?
what are the scenes that steal your thoughts and heart?

perhaps when William Wallace gave his speech at Sterling?
Maybe Aragorn's words at the Black Gates of Mordor?
when Harry met Sally?
when Will Hunting mouths off in the Harvard bar?
when Rhett said, "frankly my dear, i dont give a damn"?
when Simba finally comes back and knocks out Scar?
when Neo realizes that he is The One?
when Lloyd Dobler holds his radio up outside of his girlfriends window?
the speech at the end of the Breakfast Club?
when Doc Holiday mumbles, "i'm your Huckleberry"?

there are countless of them.
here are two i have had recently:

Dan In Real Life

and Stranger Than Fiction

This is Only a Test

2008-07-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile.

2008-07-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

sorry world. life has been super busy.

here are a few life updates. and then we will get into some movie reviews.

i just turned 29. it was a great birthday. i had a freakin rad party on friday night.

yes, those are some sweet ol Makers Mark Cigars. amazing.

i love good friends and high spirits!

not only was friday good, but Sunday, my actual birthday was great too.

my wife and two sons took a rowboat out on a lake and went fishing, then me and my oldest son Grayden went and saw WALL-E.
it was a good birthday.

i also am in the process of building this awesome tree house, minus the tree. but it will be amazing.

MOVIE UPDATES
here is everything i have seen lately:

The Dark Knight

****1/2
well. first off. i have been collecting comic books since 1989. i am a big comic book movie fan. i pretty much love them all. so, i really like Dark Knight. However, i think people are making a bigger deal out of this movie than it really is. Heath Ledger for an Oscar? i hope not. the "deepest" movie this year? very unlikely.
i wish i hated it, because i hate that everyone loves it. but i didnt, it was a really good movie.

Jumper

*1/2
it got the half because this had potential to be a BA movie. instead it was a horribly put together story, with a awful love aspect that was not believable. it was bad, really bad. but it should have been so good good good.

The Bucket List

***
This was really good. certainly pulls on the heart strings and has a great truth intertwined throughout the movie. besides, you cant go wrong with Jack and Freeman.

Atonement

****
It just goes to show that if you have no idea what a movie is about before going into it, it always surpasses your expectation. This movie was great and i recommend it to anyone.

The Golden Compass

*
I am currently in the middle of the third book of His Dark Materials. These books are really really good. I knew this movie wouldnt be as good as the book, but i had no idea that it would suck so bad. they messed up all the characters, they spliced the story all up AND they forgot the cliffhanger ending. Ahhhhhh. this sucked.

WALL-E

***
This was a really good movie. my son and i both loved it. it was visually stimulating and the story was beautiful. it sort of reminded me of Frog Belly Ratbone, if anyone has ever read that childrens book.

2008-07-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

so recent revelation.

lets define a term first.

the word is leadership. if you didnt know, this is the one of the new "hot" terms used in the church world. the way i understand it, is that you build these into your church, for growth, for being effective, etc. lots of books have been written on it and its pretty much stated that if you dont do this, then you may be doing it wrong.

yikes.

theory:
Leadership = the new 'sinners prayer.'

quick definition: sinners prayer. will always, from this point on be known as a huge mistake. apologies to all those who found Jesus through this mode of prayer...my bad. but really, this is were the preacher stands up, asks everyone to close their eyes and then if you would like to receive Jesus in your heart, then raise your hand. apparently in the few seconds you have your hand raised, Jesus zooms into your heart. good stuff. for me, this has always been viewed as a very very cheap way to make disciples. its just too easy, if you subscribe to this method, sorry, i just feel that its cheap.

leadership is the new sinners prayer. its a cheap easy way to get people "locked" into your church and in some ways, without really introducing them to the Jesus that will flip their world upside down.

one, who the heck cares about building a leader? unless a leader is defined as someone who reads their bible, prays, and has a relationship with Jesus. that i can buy into. thats what i want to be a part of building.

when our focus becomes so much about being this 21 irrefutable leader or building leaders in our church. i feel like we miss out. its a cheap and easy thing to focus on that has little to do with Jesus.

Ipod Truth

2008-06-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

so, i had a really interesting and weird night last night. i had a conversation that left me in utter dismay. i got in the car to drive to get some late night drive through and asked God to speak to me through my Ipod. So i put my Ipod on shuffle and whatever songs came on, would give me the answers i needed from him. Here were His answers to my dilemma:

Desperado (Johnny Cash)
You're Wrong (NOFX)
Ordinary (Face 2 Face)
Stay (Lisa Loeb)
Its Not You, Its Me (Little Willies)
The One Rose Thats Left In My Heart (Johnny Cash)
Medio-Core (NOFX)

i think its weird that there were two NOFX songs, given that there are only about 30 NOFX songs on my Ipod. i have about 150 Johnny Cash songs, so that one wasnt surprising.

so, i think this answered my questions.
Desperado is obviously addressing me.
You're Wrong is telling me that what i was feeling or thinking is wrong.
the rest, i dont want to get into on this blog.
but nonetheless. it worked. you should try it.

"to him who rides the ancient skies above"

2008-06-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

so this has certainly been a strange week for me.

for some of you who read this blog often, you may remember a earlier post this week. there was a post about a dragon formation i saw in the clouds. you may also remember that i mentioned the fear i felt in that dragon and that something bad was going to happen this week.

well damn you dragon. you have struck and struck hard.

as if the incodent with the fireball was not bad enough, something else happened today.

i was sitting here at my computer at work, as you do, as you do. i was lost in the endless sea of data entry when all of a sudden a little hungry hit me. i remember the secret stash of chocolate chip granola bars i had hidden under my desk and decided to indulge in some granola goodness. because i am so good at my job i am able to multi task. for instance, i can open a granola bar package and commence to eat it without taking my eyes off my computer screen. its a talent.

so i do this.

i take a bite.
mmmmmm.....
i take another bite.
yummmmmmmmmmm......
i take another bite.
super!!!
by this time most of the granola bar was working its way through my digestive system. when out of nowhere a sudden movement caught my eye. i look down on my desk and realize there are about 3 ants that had fallen onto my desk. i then look at my granola bar and realize that it is covered with ants. then i realize that i have eaten three bites of ant covered granola.

needless to say, i did not finish my treat.

here is a quick rendering of what i saw:

yeah. let this be a lesson, do not look to the skies for good fortune. it only ends in pain.

check one OFF the list

2008-06-19T07:48:00.001-07:00

last night i didnt have the greatest moment in my life journey. there is this big pile of leaves, sticks, and plant life in my back yard. i thought it would be good to burn it up, since its too much to fit in a trashcan for the garbage men. i doused the pile in gasoline and then got the little grill lighter to light it. little did i know, a giant fireball would erupt and catch me on fire. i jumped out of the fireball into the standard stop, drop, and roll fashion. my ankle and my right hand and arm where not so great. first i lost all the hair on both. second i received real good first degree burns on both. third i received some sweet blisters and peeled skin. and last it felt like i was on fire all night. i was constantly applying aloe and keeping my foot in water. i am cool now, just a bit swollen and blistery. so it leaves me to this conclusion:

i can not be the Human Torch. we can cross another one off the list. if a superhero i am to be (which i pray i will be one day) the Human Torch is not one of them. due to broken bones and cut skin, i am not Superman. due to lack of riches and skill, i am not batman. two big ones still hanging on the tree are Aquaman, which i am still testing, and The Green Arrow.

dragons in the sky.

2008-06-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

so i saw this two days ago in the sky. i tried to recreate it in photoshop. i like to look to the universe and nature sometimes for reflection. its usually the sky. i think its amazing. Grayden, my son, sometimes see what we can see in the sky and in the clouds. two nights ago i saw a dragon. he was mean and looking right at me. i feel like it meant something bad was about to happen. i waited all night for the ball to drop. it didnt. but beware...the month of the dragon is upon us.

quick movie update.

bee movie.
*** 3 stars
this was suprisingly okay. i thought it would suck, but it is actually pretty original and different than most animated films.

Alvin and the Chipmunks
*1/2 1 and a half stars
this movie was pretty bad. i love Jason Lee and it was suprising to see David Cross int he film too. but the story was pretty blah and uninteresting.

Live Free or Die Hard
*** 3 Stars
i am being generous. i love love the Die Hard trilogy preceding this installment and i love John McClain, but this installment was not very Die Hard worthy.

Son of Rambow

2008-06-06T06:00:00.001-07:00

so last night i went and saw this movie. it was pretty amazing. i am still pondering what i think about it. not that it was an incredibly "deep" movie or something that is so thought provoking that you dont really get it. its more about the characters, and seeing pieces of your self either in or not in these boys. my friend Rodney sees himself in both characters...i wonder what that means? he also so me as one of the boys. i wonder which one?

one other big theme that is in this movie is actually what the title of my blogspot is all about. being sync'd to the world and being separate from it. the amazing tension that we as Xtians really live in. the boy in the movie, who is a Plymouth Brethren has never watched TV or partaken in anything this world has to offer. he finds his identity in his art and imagination. until he is introduced to John Rambo. the movie isnt really about rambo as much as it is about this kid figuring out who he really is and what life is all about. in the end, the movie is about relationships. how we are all really deeply rooted in them and need them. whether we are the social outcast, the punk kid, the popular one, the ones following the trends....everyone in the movie was broken to a degree and they only found meaning in coming together to shoot a silly movie.

anyway, you should check it out.

****4 stars.

Barack and Roll!

2008-06-04T10:24:00.001-07:00

last night was a big night. if you didnt listen to the speech, you can find it HERE.

i dont really care what you have to say. but Barack is just amazing to me. he truly inspires me and the fact of the matter is, when he talks i believe him. and i dont just believe him, but for the first time, there could be a president i believe in! Barack all the way for this faithful voter.

"if you dont do anything else, inspire me." Bill Hybels said this.

Barack Obama, you inspire me. Thank you.