Movies I've watched recently:
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2008-08-16 13:56
I'm a fan of these kind of real-life-problems in the real world kind of movies. Good acting, a couple funny parts.
0.3 -
2008-08-03 20:06
Interesting movie that brought up some good topics for discussion with my kids. It almost felt like the producers rode the fence between 'romantic comedy' and 'fairytale' genre. Consequently it slightly lacked as both.
0.3 -
Journey to the Center of the Earth
2008-07-31 18:01
If I were rating it for me? 2. If I were rating it for Chloe? 4.5. So we'll just go with 3 and call it good. Your kid will enjoy it and that's what counts, right?
0.3
Oct
31
Celebrate My Birthday
Post Category: Compassion, Social Justice
Today is my 31st birthday. Yes, I’m a Halloween baby. And for the record, I can be a trick but if you ask Lisa she’ll tell you I’m her treat.
I hope you’ll celebrate my birthday with me by giving me a present. You heard me right.
I would love a present from YOU!
Nothing would make me happier than to celebrate today by making a difference in the lives of needy children around the world. Would you consider donating today to the Compassion Global Food Crisis Fund?
Global Food Crisis
The current global food crisis is being called by many a “silent tsunami” that could plunge an additional 100 million people on every continent into hunger. Food prices have risen as much as 100 percent in some countries since 2006. Many of the countries Compassion serves are among those that have been hit hard by rising food prices.
The best birthday present I could get is to know that my readers helped feed children like Sabato who are struggling because of the Global Food Crisis.
How You Can Make A Difference
Simply enter the amount you want to donate in the box below and you’ll be taken to a secure site where you can check out with your credit card. Many of us will spend at least $5 or $10 on candy alone for tonight so we can all give that much. Some of you may even be able to donate $31 in honor of me turning 31. Every little bit counts.
When you’re done come back here and leave a comment so I know how much has been given. Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me today by helping to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name.
Oct
30
Christmas Presents for Compassion Children
Post Category: Compassion, Social Justice
This is our little boy, Sabato from Tanzania. We sponsor him through Compassion. It’s been such a joy to receive letters from him hearing about all that he’s learning as he grows up. One of these days I’m going to travel to Africa and meet him.
Compassion Christmas Deadline - Oct. 31
Remember, if you sponsor a child and want to bless them with a Christmas gift, TOMORROW is the LAST DAY to donate. By sending your donation, you will ensure that a child in poverty will have a gift to open on Christmas day.
If you aren’t currently sponsoring a child through Compassion, first of all, I would encourage you to sponsor one today. But even if you don’t you can still participate by donating towards a Christmas gift. The money you give will be combined the financial gifts of child sponsors and distributed so all of the children in our child development centers can receive something, including those who do not yet have a sponsor.
Christmas in October?
It may seem too soon to be thinking about Christmas but now is the time to start reminding ourselves what Christmas is really all about. It’s not about buying and getting things we really don’t need. It’s about giving, especially to those in need like our Compassion children. Make a decision that this year you’re going to rebel against the our consumeristic culture.
Here’s a reminder of what Christmas could be for you and your family this year.
(click here if you can’t see the video)
Oct
30
Today is “Crazy Hair Day” and “Pajama Day” at the girl’s school. Chloe thinks it’s the coolest thing to not get dressed and go to school in her pajamas, especially since she gets to have crazy hair at the same time!
Yesterday was “Slipper Day.” I tried convincing Emily that her slippers looked better on me than they did on her but she didn’t share my opinion.
I remember all the fun days we did when I was in grade school - backwards day, pajama day, ride-your-ostrich-to-school-day. Good times.
What were your favorite school fun days as a kid?
Oct
29
Are You Playing To Your Strengths?
Post Category: Blog Posts, Leadership, Makes You Think
Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? Chances are you don’t. From the time we’re young we’re told to focus on fixing our weaknesses.
The Path of Most Resistance
As kids, when we came home with a report card that was all A’s and B’s with one D which did we spend the most time on? Right, we tried to fix that D so that we could be a good, “well-rounded” student.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that we just ignore our areas of weakness or tell our children that it’s ok to fail classes they’re not good at. The problem arises when we spend so much time working on fixing our shortcomings that we neglect to invest time into improving our strengths.
Overcoming deficits is an essential part of the fabric of our culture. Our books, movies and folklore are filled with stories of the underdog who beats one-in-a-million odds. And this leads us to celebrate those who triumph over their lack of natural ability even more than we recognize those who capitalize on their innate talents.
Climb Every Mountain
Have you ever been told by a well-meaning parent or teacher, You can be anything you want to be as long as you try hard enough! This flawed maxim of personal development may sound good but is usually a recipe for frustration and discouragement.
No matter how hard I try or how much I practice I’ll probably never be much of a singer because I just wasn’t blessed with a singing voice. I can set my mind to becoming the best CPA but let me tell you, you definitely wouldn’t want me preparing your tax return (I suck at numbers).
Here’s a simple formula from Strengths Finder 2.0 to illustrate:
So in my case, let’s say on a scale of 1 to 5 that I am a 2 when it comes to my singing ability (I’m sure if you heard me you may choose a negative number but that’s beside the point). Even if I score a perfect 5 for investment (the time spent practicing and building my knowledge and skills) the most I’ll I can ever hope to attain in this area is a 10 (5 x 2).
The inverse is also true. When I place the maximum investment into the areas in which I have the most natural talent and ability, the results are far greater.
Be A Better Version of Who You Already Are
The idea that we can create perfectly well-rounded individuals in our schools and universities is a myth. There is no such thing as a perfectly balanced individual. We’re all going to have areas where we excel and areas where we fall short.
The truth of the matter is this: you cannot be anything you want to be - but you can be a lot more of who you already are.
So let’s turn this into a practical discussion.
What Are Your Strengths?
List your top 3 strengths. There’s a time and place for modesty but this isn’t it. I want you to list your natural talents and abilities, the things that make you come alive.
What are your top 3 strengths?
Oct
28
She Knows What She Wants
Post Category: Family
This is the picture that Emily drew for me. She draws a lot of pictures for me so I looked at it, told her it was beautiful and put it on my desk.
No, she said, this is what I want you to do. I was confused so I asked her what she meant.
She proceeded to explain what the various parts of the picture meant. She drew a stick of butter, a bottle of syrup (I think that is supposed to be Mrs. Buttersworth), a pancake, and a picture of her and I.
See Dad, she said, this means that I want you to make me some pancakes with butter and syrup and eat them with me.
At least she doesn’t have a problem telling me what she wants.
Oct
27
Do Something
Post Category: Creativity, Social Justice
My friends over at The Plow decided that simply talking about poverty wasn’t enough unless it was also accompanied by action. For Blog Action Day last week they released a series of printable posters centered around this simple message:
DO SOMETHING.
Sell what you can, give what you have.
What a great message that sums up exactly what I was talking about in my Poverty post last week. Below is an example of one of the posters. The simple graphics and bold message help to draw attention to the issue.
If you’re part of a church or want to organize social action in your community I’d encourage you to print up of these posters and read the post that goes with it. There’s even a place at the bottom where you can put the name and contact information for your church, event or organization.
Oct
27
This Makes Me Happy
Post Category: Creativity, Technology
This came in the mail today. It’s the upgrade for the newly released Adobe Creative Suite 4. I’m a true geek when it comes to new software or application upgrades. I pretty much spend most of the day digging through it and assimilating all the new tools, options and features into my design-geek-consciousness.
I am Brad. You will be assimilated. Your graphical and technological distinctiveness will be added to my own. Resistance is futile.
I’ll even sometimes pull Lisa in the room to show her a new tool or feature but for some reason she just doesn’t get as excited about it as I do. I wonder why?
So what kind of stuff makes you rip open packages you got in the mail like a little kid opening presents on Christmas morning?
Oct
26
Geek-O’-Lantern Gallery
Post Category: Completely Crazy, Creativity
Yesterday I posted some pictures of the jack-’o-lanterns we carved. We had fun carving them but these guys took it to a whole new level.
Here’s a few Star Wars-themed pumpkins that will be gracing the porches of some geek homes this year.
This one is my personal favorite - the death star jack-’o-lantern! I think I may have to try carving up one of these next year.
Oct
25
Last weekend we got into the spirit of Fall and headed over to Stuckey’s Farm to pick some pumpkins. We’ve been carving pumpkins for several years with the girls always look forward to it.
The first step is to select just the right pumpkin…
…check! Pumpkins selected. Now we’re ready to carve them…
We drew out the patterns first on a piece of paper with lots of time spent discussing the various options for eyes, noses and mouths. They were very particular about carving traditional jack-o’lantern eyes but liked the goofier looking mouths (Emily’s pumpkin is on the left and Chloe’s is the one on the right).
So now most nights we have these two goofy faces staring into our house from the patio door. Sometimes we light the jack-o’lanterns and they look in too.
What are some of your favorite Fall family traditions?
Oct
24
Twittering Is Biblical
Post Category: Blogging
If you’ve been around here long enough, you know that I think Twitter is the cat’s pajamas. For those of you who still aren’t convinced, here is proof that not only is it cool, it’s Biblical.
So go Twitter yourself and follow me here.
[ht: Bryan McGee, human3rror]
