<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953</id><updated>2012-02-16T15:15:46.148-06:00</updated><title type='text'>N8's Random World</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>21</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-176247341309717135</id><published>2009-11-14T13:20:00.005-06:00</published><updated>2009-11-14T23:28:35.265-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 21: B90x</title><content type='html'>A little over three months ago &lt;a href="http://www.brandonnicewonger.com"&gt;Pastor Brandon&lt;/a&gt; challenged the staff of NewLife to read the entire Bible in 90 days. When he first issued this challenge I had mixed emotions, I was excited yes, but also skeptical that I could see it through.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was not an easy task in the least, there were times when I thought I wouldn't make it, but somehow I did. This was one of the most powerful things I have ever participated in and I know I'm better for it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here are just a few of the things I learned on this 90-day journey through the greatest Book ever penned:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God is faithful even when I am not.&lt;br /&gt;Being a Pastor(Priest) in the Old Testament was one of the suckiest jobs EVER!&lt;br /&gt;God forgives repeated mistakes.&lt;br /&gt;God disciplines justly and lovingly according to the sin committed.&lt;br /&gt;Running from God is useless.&lt;br /&gt;Jesus ain't playin'!&lt;br /&gt;I've been given way more than I deserve.&lt;br /&gt;Jesus doesn't need my opinion, He is doing just fine without it.&lt;br /&gt;People need Jesus and He wants me to tell them He loves them.&lt;br /&gt;Religion is worthless noise.&lt;br /&gt;Jesus is, was, and will be the best thing I could ever commit my life to.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know this doesn't even begin to cover all that I have learned in the last 90 days, but this one thing I know for sure. I will never be the same again, not even close.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-176247341309717135?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/176247341309717135/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=176247341309717135' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/176247341309717135'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/176247341309717135'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2009/11/episode-21-b90x.html' title='Episode 21: B90x'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-3477701270367091578</id><published>2009-06-03T15:13:00.004-05:00</published><updated>2009-06-03T15:34:38.877-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 20: Cussing Pastors?</title><content type='html'>I saw this earlier in the week and it made me reevaluate some of the things that come out of my mouth. Thanks to &lt;a href="http://www.edyoungblog.com"&gt;Ed Young&lt;/a&gt; for challenging us to be better than we are. What do you think?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="344"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/44BuQf1Vs1A&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;hl=en&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/44BuQf1Vs1A&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;hl=en&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-3477701270367091578?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/3477701270367091578/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=3477701270367091578' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/3477701270367091578'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/3477701270367091578'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2009/06/episode-20-cussing-pastors.html' title='Episode 20: Cussing Pastors?'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-2363060060850983299</id><published>2009-05-29T12:29:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-29T12:31:40.400-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 19: 10 years and counting.</title><content type='html'>Ten years ago today I married my beautiful wife. I suppose to the casual outsider our lives would look like any ordinary American middle class family, we have two kids, two cats, a dog and a hamster(they live WAY longer than the pet store tells you...FYI). We live in an ordinary neighborhood, in an ordinary house and drive ordinary cars. I suppose we are to most people, ordinary. But I say that the woman I married those years ago is anything but ordinary. So this is for you my love, may we have many more years to enjoy our ordinary lives.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You Are&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;by Nathan Martin&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I saw you the first time - You are hot!&lt;br /&gt;When we started dating - You are hotter!&lt;br /&gt;When you agreed to marry me - You are nuts!&lt;br /&gt;When you walked down the aisle - You are beautiful.&lt;br /&gt;When our sons were born - You are an awesome mommy!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You are my sanity&lt;br /&gt;You are my voice of reason&lt;br /&gt;You are beauty defined&lt;br /&gt;You are my everything&lt;br /&gt;You are my love&lt;br /&gt;You are mine &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You are Joy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know these are only words and they are hardly adequate, but I mean them with everything I have. I love you beautiful.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-2363060060850983299?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/2363060060850983299/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=2363060060850983299' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/2363060060850983299'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/2363060060850983299'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2009/05/episode-19-10-years-and-counting.html' title='Episode 19: 10 years and counting.'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-8487187471591965600</id><published>2009-05-01T09:19:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-01T11:41:14.649-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 18: Swine flu rant by proxy...</title><content type='html'>My good friend Kazia Ferguson posted this on her &lt;a href="http://brooksandkazia.blogspot.com"&gt;blog&lt;/a&gt; yesterday. I think she is dead on with this, and I coudn't agree more!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;With each passing day I find myself becoming increasingly annoyed with the news media. From the ever revolving reports of the economic recession to the current health crisis of the swine flu it has become a never ending source of over the top drama. Media dramatics are nothing new. Anyone remember Y2K??? But in the current age of the internet and 24 hour news channels it is just more readily available.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As I watched the news last night I paid extra careful attention to the how they reported the news and I found that instead of starting off their broadcast with good news, they had to report all the bad news first. It was at least 10 minutes of doom and gloom before they got to anything uplifting. I was certain the world was coming to an end and I had the swine flu. News reporters seem to thrive on the current crisis and are waiting on the edge of their seats for the next crisis. Think back to the last "snow storm" we had. They had news coverage of the "Storm Of the Year" on all day &amp; to make sure we really understood just how cold and dangerous it was outside, they had reporters standing on every street corner shivering to death and telling us not to leave the house because it was just too trecherous. I admit I did watch about 2 hrs of the coverage that day and then realized they just kept saying they same things over and over. It's really easy to get caught up in all the drama and if I am not careful fear and anxiety will overcome my mind. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One of the many things I took away from Town Hall for Hope last week was something very simple that Dave said. "Fear is not a fruit of the spirit." Let me check, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Nope, fear is not listed anywhere there. But sometimes it seems to be easier to live in fear than in love, joy, peace...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I love the acrostic F.E.A.R. False Evidence Appearing Real. I think sometimes it's easier to believe all the hype and get caught up in the fear because it is real life stuff they are reporting. They just take it and over dramatize it to make people continue to watch. It's like a car wreck you can't stop watching. You don't want to watch, but you just can't turn your head.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We as Christians can use this fear as a megaphone to reach people that feel hopeless. We can use tools like, FPU, Town Hall for Hope, the &lt;a href="http://www.newlifewired.com/default.asp?page=13029&amp;action=getpage"&gt;Single Mom's Car Care Day&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.newlifewired.com/default.asp?page=12940&amp;action=getpage"&gt;LifeTeams&lt;/a&gt; to reach those who have lost all hope. It's time for us as a church to use these opportunities to stand up and say I will not live in FEAR, but I will live in the Fruits of the Spirit.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What can I say to that except....oink!?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-8487187471591965600?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/8487187471591965600/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=8487187471591965600' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/8487187471591965600'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/8487187471591965600'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2009/05/episode-18-swine-flu-rant-by-proxy.html' title='Episode 18: Swine flu rant by proxy...'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-4746945167121605694</id><published>2009-04-13T11:38:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-29T12:29:15.129-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 17: Four celebs I would love to meet.</title><content type='html'>Have you ever looked at someone famous and thought; "Dang, that guy/gal is a flippin cool! I would love to sit down and spend some time with them someday."? I have, and here they are in no particular order.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.barackobama.com"&gt;Barack Obama&lt;/a&gt; - President of the United States of America&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't agree with all of his stances on the issues, but I would love to hang out with our current president. Away from all the media and all the hype that you know is a constant in his life, I would love to just spend some time with him. I love that he is very openly in love with his wife, and a great father and family man. He's a leader, and whether or not you voted for him or even like him, you had better be praying for him! I know he will appreciate it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/#/seconds/Josh_Hamilton/"&gt;Josh Hamilton&lt;/a&gt; - Center Fielder for the Texas Rangers&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Besides the fact that this guy is an incredibly talented baseball player, he is unahamedly open about his relationship with Christ on and off the field. His life story is one of the coolest examples of how Christ can take someone who is hell bent on destroying themselves and make them into something great. I am also counting on him to help lead the Rangers to their first World Series win. (No pressure Josh!)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.katyperry.com"&gt;Katy Perry&lt;/a&gt; - Singer/Songwriter&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Say what you want but I like Katy's music. Her lyrical content is morally defunct at best, but I love her sound and unlike a lot of popular musical artists, she actually has talent. Her story is another I would love to hear more of - striaght from her, not the media's twisted version. (She's a PK if you didn't know) I would love to hear what drives her and what brought her to the place she is today. Besides all that, I need someone to show me how to play an Em7add11 chord, maybe she knows it?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.perrynoble.com"&gt;Perry Noble&lt;/a&gt; - Pastor of Newspring Church&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Perry is my kind of guy. He's a red meat eating, southern fried redneck. I love his no-nonsense approach to the greatest message of all time. He tells it like it is, and doesnt mind hurting the "Christians" feelings. We need more like him. Perry and Newspring are doing an awesome job in South Carolina and I know that they're just getting started.The only thing I have against Perry is the fact that he's a Clemson fan. At least they're orange, it's not burnt orange, but at least it's close.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's my list, weird and random though it may be, of celebs I'd like to meet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Who would you like to meet?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-4746945167121605694?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/4746945167121605694/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=4746945167121605694' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/4746945167121605694'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/4746945167121605694'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2009/04/epidsde-17-four-celebs-i-would-love-to.html' title='Episode 17: Four celebs I would love to meet.'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-2486783988964454489</id><published>2009-03-30T12:38:00.009-05:00</published><updated>2009-03-30T13:34:59.705-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 16: I will not participate!</title><content type='html'>Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "Fear always springs from ignorance." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In this time of "economic recession" a lot of ignorance based fear is being fed to us. I believe we have a choice. We can listen to what the "news" has to say, or we can listen to the voice of common sense. I am choosing common sense, and that's why I am happy to be part of something that I believe will promote common sense and kick fear in the crotch.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am a fan of Dave Ramsey. I co-teach his &lt;a href="http://www.daveramsey.com"&gt;Financial Peace University&lt;/a&gt; at NewLife Fellowship, I listen to his talk show on a regular basis, and I have followed his plan to become debt free. Dave is a no bull, "use the brain your mamma gave you" kind of guy. He, along with &lt;a href="http://www.lifechurch.tv"&gt;Lifechurch.tv&lt;/a&gt;, have created an event that I am proud to be a part of. We will be hosting this event at Newlife Fellowship and I hope you will join us and thousands of others as we listen to the truth and refuse to be fearful.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Check out this video...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="264"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AVWNmW00id8&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x006699&amp;color2=0x54abd6"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AVWNmW00id8&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x006699&amp;color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="264"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2 Timothy 1:7 says: &lt;i&gt;"For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm Nathan, and I &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;REFUSE&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; to participate in fear or this recession! Will you join me?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-2486783988964454489?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/2486783988964454489/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=2486783988964454489' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/2486783988964454489'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/2486783988964454489'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2009/03/episode-16-i-will-not-participate.html' title='Episode 16: I will not participate!'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-5014116686510974400</id><published>2009-03-26T11:55:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-03-26T11:59:30.692-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 15: Blogging is hard!</title><content type='html'>It’s been awhile since I posted anything here and I know all three of my readers have missed me sorely. I apologize to you all, especially my mom, sorry you guys.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I started blogging I thought “How hard can it be?” I mean all you have to do is write something once or twice a week and have it evaluated by the whole world (all three of you). It can’t be that hard right? Well as you all know, there is this little thing that sometimes gets in the way of our best laid plans. It’s called “life”, and man it just happened right in front of me and my poor blog was punished horribly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While this has indeed been a tragedy, it has served to teach me something (life has a way of doing that). No matter how hard we plan, things don’t always follow those plans. I know… that was deep!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When life has its way with me and plans fail, I am reminded of this from Jeremiah 29:11 &lt;em&gt;“I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the future I will try to be more consistent in my blog-posting. I would hate to disappoint my fan base (Hi mom!)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Until then…&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-5014116686510974400?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/5014116686510974400/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=5014116686510974400' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/5014116686510974400'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/5014116686510974400'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2009/03/episode-15-blogging-is-hard.html' title='Episode 15: Blogging is hard!'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-1276027323700253168</id><published>2008-12-22T09:55:00.013-06:00</published><updated>2008-12-22T10:41:15.005-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 14: Merry Xmas! (I can't stand Christians!)</title><content type='html'>For someone fully immersed in the church, I sometimes just really can’t stand Christians! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It bothers me when "Christians" spend so much time arguing about petty things, like the term "Xmas", that they totally miss the opportunity to share what Christmas is really about. It &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;really&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; peeves me when they take stances on these "issues" without doing the research to find out what’s really behind it. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For years I have heard that the term "Xmas" is just a commercialized way for "the world" to take Christ out of Christmas. In reality this couldn't be farther from the truth. Here is what "Xmas" really means.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas"&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;The word "Christ" and its compounds, including "Christmas", have been abbreviated in English for at least the past 1,000 years, long before the &lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H8ZiLnpEuK0/SU_ApbuyRvI/AAAAAAAAAEA/tX3w6oEgnAE/s1600-h/133px-Simple_Labarum2_svg.png"&gt;&lt;img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 106px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H8ZiLnpEuK0/SU_ApbuyRvI/AAAAAAAAAEA/tX3w6oEgnAE/s200/133px-Simple_Labarum2_svg.png" border="" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282652705980040946" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;modern "Xmas" was commonly used. "Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt"; there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as AD 1021. This X and P arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ and ρ), used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ"), and are still widely seen in many Eastern Orthodox icons depicting Jesus Christ. The labarum, an amalgamation of the two Greek letters rendered as ☧, is a symbol often used to represent Christ in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christian Churches.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So to all the "Christians" out there who are either too lazy or too ignorant to come down off their lofty pedestals, get their hands dirty, and share the real wonder of Christmas, I say: MERRY XMAS!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Xmas for me is about peace, family, hope, and time spent together. Most of all it's about ☧. Without Him none of us would be here to celebrate. And heck, anything that makes me have to type less is cool by me, especially when twitter only gives you 140 characters!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Merry Xmas to you and yours.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-1276027323700253168?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/1276027323700253168/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=1276027323700253168' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/1276027323700253168'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/1276027323700253168'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/episode-14-merry-xmas-i-cant-stand.html' title='Episode 14: Merry Xmas! (I can&apos;t stand Christians!)'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H8ZiLnpEuK0/SU_ApbuyRvI/AAAAAAAAAEA/tX3w6oEgnAE/s72-c/133px-Simple_Labarum2_svg.png' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-5808970707277334487</id><published>2008-11-20T08:04:00.004-06:00</published><updated>2008-11-20T08:49:06.579-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 13: Everthing's Amazing, Nobody's Happy</title><content type='html'>NewLife is currently in a sermon series called Zip It which deals with the power of our words and how we can use them in the right way, or the wrong way. Last weekend I spoke a message called "Containing Complaining". I think this video explains our culture's never satisfied attitude. Check it out:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vbIGbZ6gq_Y&amp;amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vbIGbZ6gq_Y&amp;color1=0x2b405b&amp;color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What do you take for granted? What do you complain about that you should be thankful for instead?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-5808970707277334487?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/5808970707277334487/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=5808970707277334487' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/5808970707277334487'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/5808970707277334487'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/11/episode-13-everthing-amazing-nobody.html' title='Episode 13: Everthing&amp;#39;s Amazing, Nobody&amp;#39;s Happy'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-2171438826645845316</id><published>2008-11-18T07:53:00.003-06:00</published><updated>2008-11-18T10:27:35.385-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 12: Let's get sexual!</title><content type='html'>Our world is driven by sex. It's everywhere and you can't stick your head in the sand and deny it. Sex is used to sell everything from cars to mops, it's on every freeway, in every magazine, and on every channel, or so it seems. Our culture has taken a God given gift and twisted it into what it was never intended to be and it's high time WE as Christians start making the effort to turn this destructive movement on its heels and make a difference in our world.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think there are two places where we HAVE to talk about sex.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The first is in the home. Parents we have the responsibility of making sure our kids understand what God, and his Word, have to say regarding sex. WAKE UP! Don't be deceived! Your kids WILL learn about sex at school. I don't care if you paid extra for them to be in a private Christian school, they will still be surrounded by other kids and they WILL talk about sex. Do you want your kids to learn about sex from them, or you? Take the time to figure out when and how to have this difficult conversation and DO IT. If you need help, read on.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The second place we MUST have the sex talk is in the church. We have to talk about it in the church because the BIBLE talks about it. I have been encouraged as of late because a lot of churches have finally wised up and started talking about sex. For far too long the church has been way too passive on this matter. Somewhere along the course of church history we got the idea that sex is "dirty" and it became taboo to talk about it. The truth is that God created sex and made it so that, in the right context, we can worship Him through it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One of the many churches that has began to be very vocal concerning sex is &lt;a href="http://www.fellowshipchurch.com/"&gt;Fellowship Church&lt;/a&gt; right here in Grapevine, TX. Through the vision and Godly leadership of their pastor &lt;a href="http://www.edyoungblog.com/"&gt;Ed Young&lt;/a&gt;, they are playing a huge role in turning our cultures' thoughts and actions of sex back to what God intended it to be.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ed is currently doing a series called "Leaving Lust Vegas" concerning sexual sin and purity. I highly recommend that you check it out. The most talked about part of this series is Ed's "Seven Days of Sex" challenge. In the hopes of restoring intimacy and strength to marriages, he has challenged all of the married couples at Fellowship to have sex every day for seven days. Check it out &lt;a href="http://fellowshipchurch.com/lustvegas"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The media, who of course knows everything that is righteous and holy, has grabbed hold of this and has literally gone crazy.  Ed has been interviewed on practically every major network, on morning talk shows, and even on ESPN! The fact that God is using the secular media to spread His Word makes me want to shout. I love God's sense of humor!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I also love the creativity that is in play with this idea and I am hoping it is just the beginning of a cultural revolution regarding love, intimacy, and sex. I am so thankful that God is still in the life-changing business and that he is leading his Church to go against the grain and teach the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So how about it couples? Will you take the challenge? I would love to hear your thoughts.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-2171438826645845316?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/2171438826645845316/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=2171438826645845316' title='5 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/2171438826645845316'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/2171438826645845316'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/11/episode-12-lets-get-sexual.html' title='Episode 12: Let&apos;s get sexual!'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>5</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-2365858021034720687</id><published>2008-10-31T12:20:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2008-10-31T12:22:40.224-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 11: Hey parents! Wake up!</title><content type='html'>In the restroom at my office is a radio. Why the powers that be decided to place said radio in the restroom remains a mystery to me. Maybe some people need the inspiration.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As I was using the facility today, I overheard one of those radio ads that is sponsored by an organization dedicated to helping keep kids off of drugs. The ad encouraged parents to talk to their kids, and in doing so, they would be less likely to ever try drugs in the first place. This "ad" set off an alarm in my head, hence the rant you currently read.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What the heck has happened in our society that parents have to be reminded by an anti-drug campaign to talk to their kids? They are YOUR kids! YOU should be talking to them because they ARE your kids. It isn’t up to the government, or the school systems, or radio ads to police their activities, it up to the parents.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the last few years I have seen a disturbing trend taking place. One where it seems that telling your kids no or handing out discipline, will somehow damage them. I have heard statements along this thought process like "I don’t want them to hate me" or "I'm just trying to be their friend".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Earth to parents! Your kid has plenty of friends, and you don’t even know who they are half the time, they need a PARENT not a friend! Your kid NEEDS somebody to train them, to correct them, and someone who isn’t afraid to discipline them. It short, kids need parents who love them enough to stay all up in their business.  If you don’t do that, they WILL hate you, and they will have no respect for any kind of authority EVER!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am so thankful that I was raised by loving parents who stayed in my business. They knew who my friends were; they knew where I was, where I was going, and who I was going with. They told me no, but they also told me yes. They talked to me, and they listened. And by their blood, sweat, tears, and a LOT of prayers, I have become who I am today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joy and I have the same resolve that mine, and her parents, did. We will strive to raise two competent and healthy adults who will become contributing members of society. Adults who will respect authority and live by the law, be polite, have basic manners, say “Yes Sir” and “Yes Ma’am”, and most importantly to love and follow Jesus Christ with heart, soul, and mind. The only way for that to happen is if we are diligent in setting boundaries and letting them face the full weight of the consequences when they step outside those boundaries. It isn’t always easy, but that is our goal. And by the Grace of God we will reach it.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-2365858021034720687?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/2365858021034720687/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=2365858021034720687' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/2365858021034720687'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/2365858021034720687'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/10/episode-11-hey-parents-wake-up.html' title='Episode 11: Hey parents! Wake up!'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-1902494378381443748</id><published>2008-09-30T11:46:00.011-05:00</published><updated>2008-10-01T10:24:50.608-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 10: The sky is falling!...or is it?</title><content type='html'>A wiser man than I once said "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This has been extremely evident to me as I have watched the current economic "crisis" unfold. All I can think as I see and hear the dismay and fear is; This isn't new! The US economy goes up and goes down, and it has done so since the dawn of this wonderful nation. If it's down today it will go up again tomorrow. We have bought into the sensationalism of the media and the over zealousness of politicians, and a Chicken Little "the sky is falling" fear has seemed to envelop our nation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here is the truth. Despite who is in the White House, despite who is in Congress, despite what the news media has to say, GOD is still on His throne. He hasn't forsaken us, left us, or changed since the day He created this world. Nothing happens that He hasn't preconceived.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When the next president is voted in, God isn't going to wake up, look at the morning edition, and proclaim surprise. He knew, He knows, all that is, was, and is to come.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So while this chaos goes on, I hope that you will turn off the TV, put down the Blackberry and the newspaper, and read the only constant Truth there is. Here is a part of that Truth that has resounded with me over the last few days.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."&lt;/i&gt; 2 Tim 1:7&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-1902494378381443748?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/1902494378381443748/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=1902494378381443748' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/1902494378381443748'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/1902494378381443748'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/09/episode-10-sky-is-fallingor-is-it.html' title='Episode 10: The sky is falling!...or is it?'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-5402023009982150477</id><published>2008-09-16T07:22:00.005-05:00</published><updated>2008-09-16T07:49:22.355-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 9: Jesus is a Friend of Mine</title><content type='html'>A lot has been said in my world lately about progress. I think this is prime example of why progressing is so important.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1iUU6jTqB6k&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0&amp;amp;color1=0x2b405b&amp;amp;color2=0x6b8ab6"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1iUU6jTqB6k&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x2b405b&amp;color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think I can safely say that barring an act of God, or alien abduction in which my brain is vacuumed out and replaced with steel wool, you will not hear this song at NewLife any time in the future.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-5402023009982150477?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/5402023009982150477/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=5402023009982150477' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/5402023009982150477'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/5402023009982150477'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/09/episode-9-jesus-is-friend-of-mine.html' title='Episode 9: Jesus is a Friend of Mine'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-3819076727158847280</id><published>2008-09-12T08:45:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2008-09-12T09:33:38.181-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 8: Something good on TV.</title><content type='html'>I don't think it is too much of a stretch to say that it's hard to find wholesome programming on TV these days. While I know that not everything I watch could hold the label of "wholesome", there is one show that I think fits the bill.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H8ZiLnpEuK0/SMaXQNvvQwI/AAAAAAAAABA/OXtMUnVfamw/s1600-h/exm.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244045120943112962" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H8ZiLnpEuK0/SMaXQNvvQwI/AAAAAAAAABA/OXtMUnVfamw/s320/exm.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a show that I find myself watching from time to time, and thinking "that is so cool." The show takes a family that is deserving and builds them, in 7 days with the help of hundreds of volunteers, a brand new dream home. I am blessed to come from a heritage that taught me to be a giver and this show really personifies that ideal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you have never seen the show, I would recommend giving it a try. The ladies will get all emotional(and maybe some of you guys too) when the big "reveal" takes place, and I admit there is something electric that happens when a family sees, for the first time, a new house that has been built by so much love and sacrifice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This brings me to wonder what my reaction will be when someday I see the place that has been "prepared" for me. I may not shout "move that bus", but I guarantee there will be some shouting going on!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Cor. 2:9&lt;/em&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-3819076727158847280?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/3819076727158847280/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=3819076727158847280' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/3819076727158847280'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/3819076727158847280'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/09/episode-8-something-good-on-tv.html' title='Episode 8: Something good on TV.'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H8ZiLnpEuK0/SMaXQNvvQwI/AAAAAAAAABA/OXtMUnVfamw/s72-c/exm.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-8065938404581919178</id><published>2008-09-09T08:11:00.004-05:00</published><updated>2008-09-09T08:37:46.962-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 7: Dear Abby preaches.</title><content type='html'>I have a confession to make... I read Dear Abby. (Man it feels good to get that out in the open.) I have been reading Abby's popular advice column for several years though I'm not really sure when, or even why, I started reading it. Maybe it's just a way for me to be reminded of how blessed my life really is, and that there are so many who have it way worse than me and my "problems."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am sharing an excerpt from one of her recent columns because it really holds a powerful truth. As someone in a leadership role in a growing church, I am always looking for ideas and ways to make things more welcoming for those who attend our weekend services. So when I read this, it really grabbed my attention. I love Abby's answer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;DEAR ABBY: I am writing about a change I have seen in church. I accept the loud guitar music and informal settings, although I do miss the traditional hymns and formal altars.&lt;br /&gt;What I cannot get used to is the forced "friendly" greeting and handshaking. I attend church to meditate and worship with my family. I do not go to shake hands with strangers and give them a greeting dictated by a pastor. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;I like people. I am naturally caring, outgoing and friendly. However, I believe that a greeting or handshake should come from my own heart. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;I have mentioned this to friends and family from all faiths, ages and walks of life. None of them like this scheduled "greeting" either. Many say they head for the restroom at that time, turn their backs or just shake hands with the people they came with, come to church late to avoid it, or don't come at all. Others feel the practice is unsanitary. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;I suggest that church leaders take an anonymous poll and ask how many in their congregations agree with me. What do you think, Abby? -- MINISTER'S DAUGHTER, CAYUCOS, CALIF. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;DEAR DAUGHTER: Thank you for asking my opinion. Here it is: Something is wrong in our fragmented society if, for one moment in a house of God, people cannot find it in their hearts to reach out and make sure that everyone feels included and welcome. And for those who fear it is unsanitary -- bring small bottles of hand sanitizer.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think Abby has a little preacher in her. What a great reminder that it's not about what we like or what makes us comfortable. Let's get outside of ourselves and make people feel welcome, even when it's a bit "unsanitary."&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-8065938404581919178?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/8065938404581919178/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=8065938404581919178' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/8065938404581919178'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/8065938404581919178'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/09/episode-7-dear-abby-preaches.html' title='Episode 7: Dear Abby preaches.'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-9139152889511826550</id><published>2008-07-19T12:53:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2008-07-19T13:27:17.201-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 6: Legalized murder?</title><content type='html'>When I became a parent I had a laundry list of things that I said "I will never..." to. Lately a lot of those immature wisecracks have been coming home to roost. It seems that kids go through "phases" in life, where the preconceived notions we have about the way they should act, and the things they do, make you think about murder.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have two boys. One is three, the other is four. To say the least, it’s crazy around my house at times. From the fighting, to the nights they don’t sleep well and I end up with a foot in my face, there is never a dull moment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sometimes these "phases" are enough that, like any parent, I wonder if I would be justified in murder. Now, before you start sending me rude emails, let me clarify that I would never harm my children. I'm simply saying if murder was legal they might have cause to worry a little.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I was venting some of my thoughts on this subject to my Dad the other day. After another sleepless night, and the 47th fight of the day, I said "It's a good thing, for their sake, that murder isn't legal." My father, full of Godly Wisdom, replied to me in a way that only someone with his maturity and experience could, and his reply is still ringing in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He said "If murder were legal son, you wouldn't be having this conversation with me right now."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If that doesn't deflate your pride, I don't know what will.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-9139152889511826550?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/9139152889511826550/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=9139152889511826550' title='8 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/9139152889511826550'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/9139152889511826550'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/07/episode-6-legalized-murder.html' title='Episode 6: Legalized murder?'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>8</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-7547183480778973188</id><published>2008-06-09T10:10:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2008-06-09T10:12:47.157-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 5: The answer(s) to my prayer.</title><content type='html'>I once heard it said that God answers prayers with one of three answers. Yes, no, and wait.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He often answers with a “yes”. God knows how to give good things to his children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He sometimes answers “no”. God, who is a parent like me, also knows that I don’t need everything I think I do. I may want it, but that doesn’t mean I need it. So my natural response to an answer of “no” usually resembles my kids response when I tell them “no”. I throw a little tantrum, or ask “why” repeatedly thinking I will some how change the mind of a loving parent (God) who knows what is best for me. It never works by the way. I know none of your kids, or any of you, act that way. It’s only me and my kids.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In my life though, I have discovered that “no” is not the hardest answer to take. I think it is “wait”. In a culture that is all about instant gratification (See: drive-through windows and credit card debt), “wait” is not something that is easy to deal with. It seems to me it would just be easier to get a “no”. At least then I could throw my tantrum and be done with it. When I have to wait it causes me to be patient. (something I have never been good at)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am going through a “wait” time in my life right now. There is something that I have prayed, begged, and pleaded with God to give me. He hasn’t said “no”, but “wait”. It isn’t easy waiting, but when the time comes I will see why He has chosen to make me wait, and it will be better than anything I could have come up with.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can’t wait!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-7547183480778973188?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/7547183480778973188/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=7547183480778973188' title='5 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/7547183480778973188'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/7547183480778973188'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/06/episode-5-answers-to-my-prayer.html' title='Episode 5: The answer(s) to my prayer.'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>5</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-188943124833696837</id><published>2008-05-08T09:16:00.013-05:00</published><updated>2008-05-08T09:36:36.373-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 4: My first, and definitely not my last, random rant.</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H8ZiLnpEuK0/SCMPpUdpMzI/AAAAAAAAAA4/S9IOxqHbiCk/s1600-h/gp482845-00p01v01.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198015597457781554" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H8ZiLnpEuK0/SCMPpUdpMzI/AAAAAAAAAA4/S9IOxqHbiCk/s320/gp482845-00p01v01.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Lets talk about Capri pants.&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H8ZiLnpEuK0/SCMOOkdpMyI/AAAAAAAAAAw/db2cI3bo5Ao/s1600-h/gp482845-00p01v01.jpg"&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;You've seen them. All the ladies are wearing them these days. They go by a lot of different names, Clam-diggers, Pedal Pushers, Knickerbockers, Capri's. Whatever you want to call them, I don’t think I like ‘em. I mean what are they really? Are they long shorts? Are they short pants? What in the name of fashion are they?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The thing I dislike the most is, after talking to my wife and some of my female friends, I find out they cost the same, or more, than full-length pants. What!? They have less material! How can they cost the same? OR MORE?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a direct attack on the wallets of men all across America. This cannot continue. Won’t you join with me and lets stamp out this threat. I need ideas on how to make it happen guys. This is dangerous stuff gentlemen. We need to be on our A-game.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maybe we could hire the A-Team?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-188943124833696837?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/188943124833696837/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=188943124833696837' title='6 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/188943124833696837'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/188943124833696837'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/05/episode-4-my-first-and-definitely-not.html' title='Episode 4: My first, and definitely not my last, random rant.'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H8ZiLnpEuK0/SCMPpUdpMzI/AAAAAAAAAA4/S9IOxqHbiCk/s72-c/gp482845-00p01v01.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>6</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-7074290990407876593</id><published>2008-04-30T09:12:00.005-05:00</published><updated>2008-04-30T09:25:50.938-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 3: Credit where credit is due.</title><content type='html'>The picture at the top of this blog &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;isn't&lt;/span&gt; mine. It was taken by someone that is so talented with a camera that even I look good. Thanks &lt;a href="http://www.jakemckeephotography.com/"&gt;j8k&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The house I live in &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;isn't&lt;/span&gt; mine. It actually still belongs to Washington Mutual. Gotta love the mortgage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My car &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;isn't&lt;/span&gt; mine. It is paid for, but still not mine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My family, money, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;possessions&lt;/span&gt;, talents &amp;amp; abilities, even my next breath &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;isn't&lt;/span&gt; mine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My life does not belong to me!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When will I learn that I am just a manager, not an owner?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-7074290990407876593?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/7074290990407876593/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=7074290990407876593' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/7074290990407876593'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/7074290990407876593'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/04/episode-3-credit-where-credit-is-due.html' title='Episode 3: Credit where credit is due.'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-7347325784749761346</id><published>2008-04-18T11:48:00.004-05:00</published><updated>2008-05-08T09:39:35.865-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 2: Random invite opportunities.</title><content type='html'>I love invite opportunities. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about here it is: I love when I get to invite people to church. It seems like the last few months I really hadn't gotten an opportunity to invite anyone to church. Probably because I wasn't paying attention(I do that sometimes) This week though things have changed big time. I have invited several co-workers to come check out the awesomeness that is New Life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here is the best part. It has happened because of Kabbalah. That’s right, because of the religion that Madonna, Demi, Paris, and all those other crazy Kabbalah cult celebrities( hereafter mentioned in this blog as CKCC) follow. Now before you think Ive gone and lost my marbles(a highly debatable topic) ,let me explain.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pastor B has been doing a series of talks called “thread”. He has been talking about “putting on Christ” and “being clothed in Christ”. At the beginning of the series he gave out red threads to wear on our wrists to remind us to “put on Christ”. Apparently something people who practice Kabbalah do.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It seems as though wearing this red string has suddenly made me ultra-visible to my co-workers, before they just liked me for my hair style. I have had no less than six of them ask me “So, are you practicing Kabbalah now?”. At first I was thinking “Oh great my co-workers are going to think I’m a wacko”(another highly debatable topic). But then I thought, what an opportunity to invite people to church. So that's what I did. I pray all of them come this weekend.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How many invite opportunities have you passed up lately? If you need some help grab a thread this weekend and see what happens.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I love invite opportunities.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-7347325784749761346?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/7347325784749761346/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=7347325784749761346' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/7347325784749761346'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/7347325784749761346'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/04/episode-2-random-invite-opportunities.html' title='Episode 2: Random invite opportunities.'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801944951447164953.post-2096303547149383325</id><published>2008-04-15T14:12:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2008-04-15T14:36:55.269-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Episode 1: An explanation of things random and useless</title><content type='html'>I have been told, on many occasions, that I am "chock full of completely random and useless information". While I do not disagree per-say. It obviously isn't completely useless, as I am now using said information to write a blog. It also comes in extremely handy when a spontaneous game of Trival Pursuit breaks out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am going to use the power of the Web(thanks Al Gore) to share with you some of the random-uselessness that is me. Feel free to comment, make fun of, or share as you see fit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What you read here I hope will make you laugh, cry, think, and self-examine. Not all at the same time though, that could cause some serious cramping.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3801944951447164953-2096303547149383325?l=n8srandomworld.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/feeds/2096303547149383325/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3801944951447164953&amp;postID=2096303547149383325' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/2096303547149383325'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3801944951447164953/posts/default/2096303547149383325'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://n8srandomworld.blogspot.com/2008/04/episode-1-explanation-of-things-random.html' title='Episode 1: An explanation of things random and useless'/><author><name>n8</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04141083606478282535</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry></feed>
