With a title like that, I bet you want to read more. I'm in the market for a new grill. Don't get me wrong, I still love my old grill, even with it's hotspots and coldspots, sticky spots and rusty spots. It's just that my cooking desires have outgrown the capabilities of my $99 Home Depot special that my mom and dad bought be 9 years ago when we moved into this house. It's been a great grill for a long time, even after the igniter went out 5 years ago. If I could find a reason to have 2 grills, I would keep it. But, we don't tailgate before football games, and the new grill that I'm looking at will be plenty large for us to use to entertain. So, I plan to give my old grill away to anybody who wants it.
So, last night, I went to Lowe's and Menard's to look at grills. Then I came home and did my bible reading. I'm reading from the Gospel of Luke right now. After finishing my bible reading, I read from "The Christian Atheist", which is a book a friend loaned to me. So, for a good hour, I got a message of how much God loves us. Then I went to sleep, but it was not a good night's sleep. My youngest son had a rough night's sleep, so my wife and I had rough nights of sleep. During one of my awake periods, I was thinking about grills and about God, and I came to the conclusion that we are all like my old grill, that I still love. We have our hotspots, we have our coldspots, we are maybe a little rusty, and possibly we are broken in some way. Yet God loves us despite all of these flaws, just like I love my little grill.
I don't know why, but that context to describe God's love really brought me comfort last night. You may just think it's weird, but I decided to write it on the off chance that someone else would see the world in the same, peculiar way I do, and take comfort. After all, we are all God's grills.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Housekeeping
My wife is starting a book review blog, which I will also be putting my book reviews on. It's called WeaVeR Review, and you can see it on the Blog list. You will still be able to get my book reviews here, but I will post them on that blog as well. My wife reads quite a bit more than me, so hopefully there will be a lot more reviews out there.
Secondly, I've added 2 new features to this blog. I added a search capability, which seems to work well. You'll see that on the top right. Basically, you can type in any search term and it will see if I've blogged about it, linked to it, or if any of the blogs I linked to have blogged about it. I also added a Blog Stats gadget farther down on the right. Over 4,200 hits on this blog...woohoo!!!
Finally, I'm trying out a new editor, which I'm fairly excited about. It seems to be much easier to use, and hopefully pictures will work much better in the future.
Secondly, I've added 2 new features to this blog. I added a search capability, which seems to work well. You'll see that on the top right. Basically, you can type in any search term and it will see if I've blogged about it, linked to it, or if any of the blogs I linked to have blogged about it. I also added a Blog Stats gadget farther down on the right. Over 4,200 hits on this blog...woohoo!!!
Finally, I'm trying out a new editor, which I'm fairly excited about. It seems to be much easier to use, and hopefully pictures will work much better in the future.
Top 5 Family Friendly Movies
To start, you may notice that I added a new blog link to my "blogs I follow" gadget. The Deacon Speakin' is written by Deacon Sean, who occasionally comments on this blog. It appears that his blog actually has important, insightful things to say, rather than just randomly rating movies and books and stuff.
But, I do enjoy the movie rating. One of my favorite things to do is watch movies with my family. Here are the Top 5 Family Friendly Movies that we've watched. You'll notice this is skewed somewhat newer, since my kids are still relatively young. In fact, my 10 year old consulted with me on this list. We tried our best to judge this on what we thought the entire family liked, though with my wife, it's sometimes hard to tell how much she really likes a movie. Part of the mystery that makes her wonderful.
Ok, the list...
5 - "Home Alone" - My son described this as real life Tom & Jerry. My wife and I just really like this movie, and the kids laughed their heads off. We just had a great time watching Macauley Culkin lure Joe Pesci and and Daniel Stern into trap after trap. Well that, and he learns along the way that he really does have a wonderful family...that sadly forgot him when they went to Paris.
4 - "Kung Fu Panda" - One of my all-time favorite animated films. I quote Po (the Panda) all the time..."Legend tells, of a legendary warrior, who's Kung Fu skills were the stuff of Legends!" With the vocal talents of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan, this movie really has everything. Plus, Po learns a very valuable lesson at the end...but you're going to have to watch "Kung Fu Panda" to find out what it is.
3 - "Astro Boy" - I just reviewed this one recently. We all really liked it. I would write more, but I just reviewed it recently...and since I'm really not watching that many movies these days, it won't be very difficult for you to go back and read the review.
2 - "Evan Almighty" - Steve Carell at his best and Morgan Freeman as God...does it get any better? Well, it must since this is #2 on the list, but I digress. Steve Carell is Evan, the newly elected Congressman from Buffalo, NY. Shortly after taking office, God visits Evan and tells him to build an Ark. At first Evan resists, but eventually gives in after some persuasion from God. Along the way, Evan and his family grow closer, and Evan comes to discover what is really important in life. Now...let's do the dance! (if you haven't watched "Evan Almighty" then that means nothing to you)
1 - "The Princess Bride" - The Cliffs of Insanity, The Fire Swamp, The Pit of Despair, Fezzik, Inigo Montoya, the 6 fingered man, Westley and Buttercup...need I say more? Well, I will say more. This is one of the greatest movies of all time, not just a family movie, but a great movie. With plenty of action, sword fights, miracles and true love, "The Princess Bride" never gets old...we watch it a few times a year and just have a great time. "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare...to die." Just go watch it...you know you want to...just go...now!!!
But, I do enjoy the movie rating. One of my favorite things to do is watch movies with my family. Here are the Top 5 Family Friendly Movies that we've watched. You'll notice this is skewed somewhat newer, since my kids are still relatively young. In fact, my 10 year old consulted with me on this list. We tried our best to judge this on what we thought the entire family liked, though with my wife, it's sometimes hard to tell how much she really likes a movie. Part of the mystery that makes her wonderful.
Ok, the list...
5 - "Home Alone" - My son described this as real life Tom & Jerry. My wife and I just really like this movie, and the kids laughed their heads off. We just had a great time watching Macauley Culkin lure Joe Pesci and and Daniel Stern into trap after trap. Well that, and he learns along the way that he really does have a wonderful family...that sadly forgot him when they went to Paris.
4 - "Kung Fu Panda" - One of my all-time favorite animated films. I quote Po (the Panda) all the time..."Legend tells, of a legendary warrior, who's Kung Fu skills were the stuff of Legends!" With the vocal talents of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan, this movie really has everything. Plus, Po learns a very valuable lesson at the end...but you're going to have to watch "Kung Fu Panda" to find out what it is.
3 - "Astro Boy" - I just reviewed this one recently. We all really liked it. I would write more, but I just reviewed it recently...and since I'm really not watching that many movies these days, it won't be very difficult for you to go back and read the review.
2 - "Evan Almighty" - Steve Carell at his best and Morgan Freeman as God...does it get any better? Well, it must since this is #2 on the list, but I digress. Steve Carell is Evan, the newly elected Congressman from Buffalo, NY. Shortly after taking office, God visits Evan and tells him to build an Ark. At first Evan resists, but eventually gives in after some persuasion from God. Along the way, Evan and his family grow closer, and Evan comes to discover what is really important in life. Now...let's do the dance! (if you haven't watched "Evan Almighty" then that means nothing to you)
1 - "The Princess Bride" - The Cliffs of Insanity, The Fire Swamp, The Pit of Despair, Fezzik, Inigo Montoya, the 6 fingered man, Westley and Buttercup...need I say more? Well, I will say more. This is one of the greatest movies of all time, not just a family movie, but a great movie. With plenty of action, sword fights, miracles and true love, "The Princess Bride" never gets old...we watch it a few times a year and just have a great time. "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare...to die." Just go watch it...you know you want to...just go...now!!!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Triple Threat Book Review
I've been trying to read a lot more. Without further adieu, here is a triple book review: 
"The Knight": The third book in the Patrick Bowers Files series by Steven James is my favorite of the four books thus far. I think it's because this book was a bit more focused than the others, but still having enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the end. Patrick Bowers is almost as cool as Jack Bauer. In "The Knight", Bowers is struggling against a serial killer known only as Giovanni. In addition, he has a budding romance and the on-going struggle of learning to be a parent to his teenage step-daughter. Oh, and there's the little matter of the retrial of his first big collar, who also happens to be one of the darkest killers Bowers has ever captured. All this, and Bowers is still struggling to find his faith, which doesn't dominate the book, but is a neat addition by Steven James, who happens to be a Christian Author.
"The Bishop": The 4th book in the Patrick Bowers series, "The Bishop" is actually my least favorite of the 4 books. I still enjoyed it, but it did feel a bit disconnected at points. It was almost as if there was too much going on. The serial killers Agent Bowers is chasing in this one almost take a backseat to Bowers on-again/off-again romance, and to his issues with his step-daughter. I also found this book a little more predictable than the others have been. I'm still looking forward to the release of book #5, which is called "The Queen", later this summer, so this book was still good enough to keep me interested. I think it was just a little bit of a let down after the terrific 3rd book, "The Knight".
"St. Francis of Assisi": I don't have a good picture of this book, and since it was initially published in the 1920's, I don't think the picture would be all that good anyway. "St. Francis of Assisi" by G.K. Chesterton is not a traditional biography of the Saint. Instead, it is a historical commentary/biography. Chesterton, a Catholic, was attempting to recapture St. Francis for the Church, after what he felt was an attempt by the Secularists of the day to claim the great Saint for themselves. The commentary focuses on the importance of God in the life of St. Francis, as well as his role in the Renaissance of the 13th Century.
I have to admit, this wasn't what I was looking for in a book about St. Francis. I was looking for more of a biography, so I'll have to continue to look. I want to understand more about the man many have said have came closer to living the life Christ intended than anybody other than Christ himself. If anybody out there has any good suggestions for books on St. Francis, please let me know.
"The Knight": The third book in the Patrick Bowers Files series by Steven James is my favorite of the four books thus far. I think it's because this book was a bit more focused than the others, but still having enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the end. Patrick Bowers is almost as cool as Jack Bauer. In "The Knight", Bowers is struggling against a serial killer known only as Giovanni. In addition, he has a budding romance and the on-going struggle of learning to be a parent to his teenage step-daughter. Oh, and there's the little matter of the retrial of his first big collar, who also happens to be one of the darkest killers Bowers has ever captured. All this, and Bowers is still struggling to find his faith, which doesn't dominate the book, but is a neat addition by Steven James, who happens to be a Christian Author.
"The Bishop": The 4th book in the Patrick Bowers series, "The Bishop" is actually my least favorite of the 4 books. I still enjoyed it, but it did feel a bit disconnected at points. It was almost as if there was too much going on. The serial killers Agent Bowers is chasing in this one almost take a backseat to Bowers on-again/off-again romance, and to his issues with his step-daughter. I also found this book a little more predictable than the others have been. I'm still looking forward to the release of book #5, which is called "The Queen", later this summer, so this book was still good enough to keep me interested. I think it was just a little bit of a let down after the terrific 3rd book, "The Knight"."St. Francis of Assisi": I don't have a good picture of this book, and since it was initially published in the 1920's, I don't think the picture would be all that good anyway. "St. Francis of Assisi" by G.K. Chesterton is not a traditional biography of the Saint. Instead, it is a historical commentary/biography. Chesterton, a Catholic, was attempting to recapture St. Francis for the Church, after what he felt was an attempt by the Secularists of the day to claim the great Saint for themselves. The commentary focuses on the importance of God in the life of St. Francis, as well as his role in the Renaissance of the 13th Century.
I have to admit, this wasn't what I was looking for in a book about St. Francis. I was looking for more of a biography, so I'll have to continue to look. I want to understand more about the man many have said have came closer to living the life Christ intended than anybody other than Christ himself. If anybody out there has any good suggestions for books on St. Francis, please let me know.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Top 5 Super Hero Movies
Some housekeeping first...at the request of Nuke, I've added a recent comments gadget to the blog on the right side of the screen. It's not great, but at least you can see the latest comments added. If you click on a comment, it takes you to the post and you can see all comments for that post.
Ok...Super Hero movies. In keeping with my rule, you won't see 2 movies from the same "series" of movies. I also work with a bunch of engineers, so it's possible this could be my most highly controversial list yet. Sorry I'm late...my wife and I had date night on Thursday where we saw "True Grit"...very cool, review to come later after I watch the John Wayne original. Then we were out of town for the weekend.
Without further adieu...the Top 5 Super Hero movies:
5 - "Spider-Man": The original that started the latest run of Super Hero movies, "Spider-Man" is the best of the Marvel bunch. With the ever creepy Willam Defoe as the Green Goblin, and Tobey McGuire playing a really good Peter Parker/Spider-Man, this movie is just an action-packed good time.
4 - "Sky High": Not your traditional super hero movie, but it gets better every time I see it. It's a Disney movie, so it has a feel good ending, as all Disney movies do. But, along the way, it's funny as you watch teenage super heroes learn just trying to get through life at Super Hero High School. The school gets broken up into cliques of Heroes and Sidekicks, which leads to some interesting dynamics. Overall, a very cool movie that's very family friendly.
3 - "Superman: The Movie": Yes, "Superman Returns" has better effects, but the Superman crowd has yet to beat the Richard Donner original. The story telling that takes place from Krypton to the early days in Kansas is fantastic. Christopher Reeves is perfect as Clark Kent/Superman, and Margot Kidder will always be Lois Lane in my opinion. Also starring Glenn Ford as Jonathon Kent and Marlon Brando as Jor-El, this is just a great movie, especially given that it was made in 1978. I am looking forward to the reboot of this movie franchise, which is supposed to occur in 2012, with "Superman: Man of Steel".
2 - "Batman": Made in 1989, this is the movie that made me love Batman. Tim Burton's darker version of Batman, versus the campy "Scooby-Doo"/Adam West Batman was a rebirth for the Dark Knight. Michael Keaton was awesome as Batman, bringing some levity, but a definite dark side to the Caped Crusader. At the time though, what made this move, was Jack Nicholson's portrayal of The Joker. He was hilarious, yet somewhat disturbing at the same time. While I would argue that Heath Ledger's Joker in "The Dark Knight" was more true to the Joker character, Nicholson's Joker still lives on as a classic.
1 - "Batman Begins": Before you say I cheated, this is the reboot of the Batman franchise so it's a different series of movies. This reboot, directed by Christopher Nolan takes the "darkness" of the Dark Knight to a new level in a very good way. Christian Bale portrays the brooding Bruce Wayne, turned Batman. What "Batman Begins" shows that has never been revealed before is the travels that Bruce Wayne takes to become Batman. After learning all he can, and making an enemy of Ra's Al Ghul, Bruce returns to Gotham City to save it from itself, and he chooses to do this as Batman, being a symbol to the people, while striking fear into the hearts of the villains. Just a fantastic movie...one of my top 5 movies of all time. In 2012, the final installment in Christopher Nolan's trilogy will be released...2012 is going to be a great year for movies.
Ok...Super Hero movies. In keeping with my rule, you won't see 2 movies from the same "series" of movies. I also work with a bunch of engineers, so it's possible this could be my most highly controversial list yet. Sorry I'm late...my wife and I had date night on Thursday where we saw "True Grit"...very cool, review to come later after I watch the John Wayne original. Then we were out of town for the weekend.
Without further adieu...the Top 5 Super Hero movies:
5 - "Spider-Man": The original that started the latest run of Super Hero movies, "Spider-Man" is the best of the Marvel bunch. With the ever creepy Willam Defoe as the Green Goblin, and Tobey McGuire playing a really good Peter Parker/Spider-Man, this movie is just an action-packed good time.
4 - "Sky High": Not your traditional super hero movie, but it gets better every time I see it. It's a Disney movie, so it has a feel good ending, as all Disney movies do. But, along the way, it's funny as you watch teenage super heroes learn just trying to get through life at Super Hero High School. The school gets broken up into cliques of Heroes and Sidekicks, which leads to some interesting dynamics. Overall, a very cool movie that's very family friendly.
3 - "Superman: The Movie": Yes, "Superman Returns" has better effects, but the Superman crowd has yet to beat the Richard Donner original. The story telling that takes place from Krypton to the early days in Kansas is fantastic. Christopher Reeves is perfect as Clark Kent/Superman, and Margot Kidder will always be Lois Lane in my opinion. Also starring Glenn Ford as Jonathon Kent and Marlon Brando as Jor-El, this is just a great movie, especially given that it was made in 1978. I am looking forward to the reboot of this movie franchise, which is supposed to occur in 2012, with "Superman: Man of Steel".
2 - "Batman": Made in 1989, this is the movie that made me love Batman. Tim Burton's darker version of Batman, versus the campy "Scooby-Doo"/Adam West Batman was a rebirth for the Dark Knight. Michael Keaton was awesome as Batman, bringing some levity, but a definite dark side to the Caped Crusader. At the time though, what made this move, was Jack Nicholson's portrayal of The Joker. He was hilarious, yet somewhat disturbing at the same time. While I would argue that Heath Ledger's Joker in "The Dark Knight" was more true to the Joker character, Nicholson's Joker still lives on as a classic.
1 - "Batman Begins": Before you say I cheated, this is the reboot of the Batman franchise so it's a different series of movies. This reboot, directed by Christopher Nolan takes the "darkness" of the Dark Knight to a new level in a very good way. Christian Bale portrays the brooding Bruce Wayne, turned Batman. What "Batman Begins" shows that has never been revealed before is the travels that Bruce Wayne takes to become Batman. After learning all he can, and making an enemy of Ra's Al Ghul, Bruce returns to Gotham City to save it from itself, and he chooses to do this as Batman, being a symbol to the people, while striking fear into the hearts of the villains. Just a fantastic movie...one of my top 5 movies of all time. In 2012, the final installment in Christopher Nolan's trilogy will be released...2012 is going to be a great year for movies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
