Mr. Elliot Turns One

Elliot Turns One

chatter

For the "holiday" team outing at work yesterday we did lunch and a movie. The movie was Kong and it did not disappoint. No really, it was a very good movie. I don't want to ruin it or anything but the monkey dies at the end.

This was the first movie I have seen in a theater in about three years. I was not ready for the amount of commercials and trailers that were shown before the movie started. There must have been a half hours worth of them. Is it not enough that you pay to get into the movie? I mean come on why do people take this from the man! We need to start a popular uprising.

living an eternally insignificant life:

I guess this picture was taken back in late October. I realized this morning that I had not given this friendly fellow his 15 minutes of fame. You know, the life of a turtle can be sad, lonely, and bathed in the realization that his life is one of no real eternal significance. With all that in mind I thought I would oblige him.

Feel free to say anything you want to him. I will try and relay the messages if and when he reappears next summer.

Let me be honest

My dad every year tends to give us self-help books for Christmas. I think it tends to conjure up a bit of angst on the part of all of us kids for one reason or the other. I would bet just about all the money in the world that I am the only one of my siblings that actually reads the books he gives. The main reason I read the books is not because I want to "get better", but because I want to honor my dad and respect him in the position God has placed him in. Yes, I realize that I am 30+ years old, but I still feel God has placed him in my life and that part of honoring the position Christ has placed him in is to accept his leadership.

All of that said my parents were passing through on Saturday and dad gave me one of my Christmas presents early. He gave me Joel Osteen's book Daily Readings from Your Best Life. I have to admit that I am not excited about it at all, but as usual I am going to read it. The problem is that I am so cynical about the whole Christian 7 step books. I have really begun to dislike popular Christian fad books. You know, the let me chop it up and feed it to you on a rubber baby spoon kind of Christian books.

Well, since this is a devotional book Leslie and I are going to read it together. Last night was our first night. It was pretty good. The first devotion had to do with Hebrews 11 and faith. He used the Hebrews faith passage to talk about following God by faith to wherever He has called us. His point was God either puts a drive in our heart like Abrahams father to go to Canaan (promise land) or a direct call in our lives like he did with Abraham. The problem is that like Abrahams father, we get comfortable at some point in our journey and settle in a land that is nice but not everything God has intended for us. Olsteen's call was for us to continue the journey we started. That we should take the land He has given us, and that we should not grow complacent with what God has already blessed us with.

All in all it was a good read. Leslie and I had some interesting discussions afterwards. But truthfully, there is something about books like this that rub me the wrong way. Dad says it is my inner negative self talk that has conditioned me to fight positive influence in my life. There is probably some truth to his point. I think part of my legalistic sensibilities just stops me from drinking in God's grace and blessings in my life. Am I the only one or am I just over thinking it?

What seemingly useless thoughts are floating around in your head?

Though I have not heard anyone say it yet, it seems that during this time of year people start saying "See you next year" when they know they will not see you until after the first of the year.

I started thinking about the "See you next year" comment a few weeks ago and it just seems a little silly, so this year I am going to try my hardest not to utter those words to anyone. The thing is that since I've made a conscious effort to not tell anyone "See you next year" I have almost let is slip a few times. It is kind of like when someone says white elephant and then tells you not to think about one.

Yea folks this is as deep as I get. :-) If you are looking to read something that will make you think then head over to the Dawn Treader's latest pigfest post. Or if you didn't think that John Calvin was a Theologian and Lactivist then head over to TulipGirl's John Calvin: Theologian and Lactivist post.