BJ Not BK

9.5 Millionaires world wide.  That's what the following article reports [link]. 

 I remember when I made my first million.  I had just turned 17 and was surveying the lower region of Africa.  I had successfully bartered a deal where I traded a Def Leopard Mirror (won at the country fair) for a small diamond mine, a sugar plantation, and an orange grove.  MMMM, nothing like diamonds, lots of sugar and fresh squeezed O.J. in the morning. 

They say your first million is always the sweetest but I have to dissagree.  For me it was when I finally surpassed J.K. Rowling on the Forbes monety list....you know the author of all those goofy kids books?  Who wants to read about a wizard anyway right?

But I am not one to rest on my laurels and I have always set goals for myself.  My next target is Oprah Winfrey only 1.6 billion to go.

Here are some favorite snipits taken from conversations over the course of the week...thought I would share them with you.

1.  "If I can do it it's not art."  Joe Napalm

2.  "Those jerks camping out for the iphone are so self absorbed.  Get over yourselves."  Said as he was reading email on his blackberry.

3.  "I make milk, what's your superpower?"  As written across my wife's t-shirt (gift from Mr. and Mrs. Napalm)

4.  "We will be back." Senator Kennedy in response to the stinging defeat of the illegal alien amnesty bill.

5.  "aaaaackkkkk" Schaeffer as he spit up on me this morning. 

 I am a true tech guy.  I love gadgets, phones, PDAs, laptops, GPS devices, and of course my ipods.  That is why it is killing me that Apple signed an exclusive agreement with AT&T for service with their iphone.  To my wife's relief it is probably a blessing in disguise.  You see, I have utilized AT&T's network twice before and only one word can describe this experience

"it stunk, I dropped calls while looking at the towers, I hated it, I will never ever, ever use their network again, my life was in complete dissaray due to this change, I couldn't connect with loved ones, business associates, or telemarketers, I couldn't make calls, receive calls, when I did receive or make calls the quality was so shoddy I hung up"

That is why I won't be in the lines tonight at midnight with the masses ready to purchase the iphone.  Why did Apple limit itself to only one mobile phone carrier?  Great question.  My guess is two fold:

1.  AT&T is paying a boatload of cash to Apple for the exclusive rights
2.  Apples realized that the iphone is not yet perfected and needs the cash and the relationship of AT&T to launch this product.

Why else limit your market?  What about Verizon?  What about Sprint?

The iphone touts the web surfing capabilities of the iphone but how useful will that be on a slow, outdated AT&T network?

Anyone out there planning on picking up the iphone?  I would love to hear about your experience not only using the device but how it works on the network, how your purchased it, and what you like and dislike about it.

 Joe has a great discussion going on over at Son of Liberty [link] as it relates to the Civil War.  I wanted to jump in but was moved instead to write this as a side note.

Let me first state that I have a large gap in my learning as it relates to the Civil War.  I have read the Red Bad of Courage, I have watched Gone With the Wind, I passed 7th grade, I have read the Gettysburg Address, I have heard Hand Williams Jr. sing "If the South would have won we'd have it made," and I once saw a Time Life commercial for a set of Civil War encyclopedias.  That is pretty much the extent of my Civil War history.  I can't provide dates of battles, recite long and moving passages from Generals and I have never been to nor participated in a battle reenactment.

 With that being said I believe I have all the authority I need to bring the heat.

The Civil War did nothing to end slavery.  While the debate rages on as to why the war was fought, what started the war, the results of the war and on an on and on I must say that the war did nothing to end slavery.  The physical abolition of enslaving one another was ended but man's heart was not freed by North vs. South.

Secular Humanism states that man is good.  Man is the end.  Reason is king and if we can just learn enough, if we can just educate enough, if we can just convince people enough then the world will be right, all will be well, peace will reign.  We live in a world where authority is looked upon as something negative and where the highest goal and the greatest right of mankind is total freedom which is a complete contradiction in terms.  There is no such thing as complete freedom just as there is no such thing as a free lunch or free love.  There is always an attachment, a tie, a cost.

Isn't it funny how Jesus never once preached about changing the government?  Abolishing slavery?  Removing the law?  Reforming the tax code?  Instead He preached to obey the government as it is ordained by God, if you are a slave then work as hard as you can for your master that you might win him over to Christ, if you are a master to lord over your people with love and compassion and when you are asked to pay taxes do so!

We have the notion that freedom from authority will bring happiness, peace, fulfillment.  

Ravi Zacharias once stated that we have freedoms in

technology - that man can fly across the globe in hours
industry - we can change jobs and skill sets
education - has freed our minds
electronics - have opened us up to new experiences
medicine-has freed us from sickness
chemistry-has freed us from our emotions
psychiatry- has freed us from our guilt
and Art - has freed us from our creativity

Yet today education has become a treadmill, drugs have enslaved us, anarchy reigns, laws have become repressive.

Doesn't sound much like freedom to me.

Social programs only cater to specific symptoms. The truth is that the origin of man's heart if black and no amount of social programs, political speeches, laws, classes, wars will ever free the enslaved mind and heart.  There is only one who can do that and that is Jesus Christ.

The Civil War did nothing to end slavery, in fact we are still enslaved to it today.  Just look at the hearts of those whose ancestors who were in bondage and those who put them in chains. 

No, only Christ can make heal, only Christ can change a man's heart, only Christ can make us new creations born from above. 

Only Christ can free us  "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  John 8:31-32
 

 How's that for an opening?  Did that grab your attention?  I hope so.  Recently I have taken a sabbatical from teaching Sunday School and have had the pleasure of learning under a good friend and a really good Bible teacher.  Several weeks ago we started looking at the book of Genesis and I must say, I have fallen in love with this book all over again. 

To be honest I have probably read Genesis at least 20 times or more but it was more of a glossing over if you will.  My mind continued to race forward to Kings, to the Psalms, to the Gospels, and to the book of Revelation. 

Before I continue I want to make myself very clear, I believe the Bible is God's word, without errors, without contradiction, and I believe it is a love letter to man that God has given us to reveal Himself to us, to make Himself known, and to instruct us in His ways, and to show us salvation through His son Jesus, but for some reason I could never get excited about Genesis.  Why?

Maybe my 12 years of Government education and 4 years of college had seeped into my mind and my heart telling me that this book was of no consequence, not worth my time, dare I even say not real?  Could it be that my 4 years of biology, 2 years of anthropology and 2 semesters of Chemistry conflicted with God's word?  It is said that one drop of fecal matter can pollute many gallons of pure, crystal clear drinking water.  I think my waters had been muddied if not polluted to this book.

I am now under the opinion that if you can't believe the book of Genesis as literal then you might as well not read the rest of the Bible.  Why such a bold statement?  Here are my reasons:

• Genesis points to creation and the creator
• It shows that Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit were working together from the beginning...."Let us make man in our image..."
  
• It shows that God is in control, He put things in place, set everything in motion, and is intimately involved
  
• It shows God's creativity, His power, His Might
• It shows God's order for life, time, day, night, seasons
• It shows God's love as he creates man and woman in His own image
  
• It shows God's provisions for us as he creates woman to be a helper for man, to be by his side, not under his feet
  
• It shows that God ordained work
  
• It shows that God always intended to be close to man
• It shows us sin, how sin entered the world, why none of us are without sin because we inherited it from Adam
• It shows us the far reaching effects of sin, the consequences of sin
• It shows how one man, Adam, brought sin into the world and points to the one man, Jesus, who will set everything right
  
• It humbles us in our own intelligence
  
• It shows us our need for a savior

In short the book of Genesis is the literal beginning and foundation of our faith.  If you can't believe God created the Universe or couldn't have possibly created it in 6 days what can you believe?  If Genesis is figurative what parts of the Bible are literal and how do you choose?  If you don't believe in original sin, then what is the need of Christ?  How can you believe in Christ crucified on the Cross and raised from the dead?  Better yet why would you need to believe if their is no Sin?  If we are all born good? 

Jesus believed in the literal book of Genesis (see Matthew 19:4-6).

This isn't about evolution vs. creationism, this is about one world view against another, good vs. evil.  Does it take faith to believe in the book of Genesis, the Bible, the Cross, the Resurrection?  You betcha.  About the same amount of faith it takes to worship at the altar of Darwin.

The difference is Genesis gives direction, instructs, shows the order of life, gives meaning and purpose, gives life but also gives life abundantly while the world's faith only destroys (see social Darwinism, Hitler, the survival of the fittest), takes away meaning and purpose (if we are all the byproduct of random processes via evolution what does it matter?) and leaves the world hopeless and helpless.

If you are a believer, a true born again Christian who has struggled with this book then I challenge you to re-read it, to dust off your Bibles, to jot down the tough questions and then put them to your pastor.  You just might be surprised how much you learn and how much your mind and heart have been polluted toward God's word. 

I love good books.  I love good books cheap even better.  Steve McKoy had this on his blog, I checked it out and thought I would pass it on to you.

All books $5.00 June 27 and June 28 here [link].

Enjoy!
 

     Saturday I decided to hit the treadmill and get a run in.  I turned on the Television and began looking for something to watch, to keep me preoccupied while I finished my workout.  That's when I came across an old episode of Saturday Night Live.  Man I use to love those shows!  I remember how me and a bunch of my buddies in highscool would stay up late on Saturday's just to see Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Norm McDonald, Chris Rock, and everybody's favorite big guy, Chris Farley work their way through one ridiculous skit after another.  It was always a given that if you watched Saturday Night Live that for the rest of the week you would be doing your best imitation of the motivational speaker (everybody all together...."in a van down by the river!").

As I ran and watched the episode I noticed several things:

1.  Most episodes do not age very well.  Some of the skits are definitely classics, "I need more cowbell baby!", yet most
     don't stand the test of time.

2.  The talent pool doesn't seem as deep as it use to be.

I haven't watched a live episode of Saturday Night Live now in almost 4 years.  The last one I saw had an all new cast, no Jimmy Falon, no Will, really none I could recognize.  The show relied heavily on body functions for humor and was more uncomfortable than funny.

Perhaps I am getting older and just can't understand the show anymore?  Perhaps I am too tired to stay up so late or too fatigued to get the jokes?  Perhaps the show isn't funny anymore?

Maybe Saturday Night Live was never really that funny in the first place? 

 Cookies for breakfast, cake for lunch, ice cream after supper, somebody please stop this madness.   During my wife's pregnancy she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and was unable to eat any deserts.  In fact, she had to severely limit the amount of carbs she took in.  As the days began to draw near for our little man to be born M kept designating who would bring what desert and when to the hospital,

"You will bring me cookies at 12:45 on Monday, and you will brink me cake!"

I know it was hard for her to go through with such a restrictive diet as we both have sweet tooths and I can understand a little bit of binging but the time has come for the madness to stop.

Our house has become a virtual cornucopia of sweets.  If it has sugar in it we've got it and in mass quantities.  The funny thing is that we haven't purchased any of it, everything has come in from outside sources, family members and so called "friends."  Don't get me wrong, I love sweets probably more than most people but I broke down this morning weeping.  I can't handle the pressure anymore.  As I headed out the door my eyes caught a rather large plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies. 

"Why me!"  I screamed falling to my knees.

I am a weak man.  I couldn't help but to grab a handful of homemade chocolate chip cookies.  As I finish writing this in a semi-diabetic insulin induced trance I can't help but to pray for the madness to stop....but not until next week, or at least until I finish these cookies. 

     I recently spent the entire day with Joe Napalm down at the San Diego / Tijuana (US/Mexico border) where we witnessed the mass exodus that is illegal immigration.  Most of our time was spent behind the wheel of Napalm’s 1995 H1-hummer as we drove nearly 12 hours across the hot, California terrain.  By day’s end though we found ourselves at a small cantina where we sat down for supper and I had the chance to talk with Napalm one on one and ask him some questions.
 

So Joe, thanks for taking time out to speak with me this evening.

Long awkward pause with lots of silence….

What I meant to say was Mr. Napalm, Mr. Joe Napalm, Colonel…what do you want to be called by the way?

My friends call me “Joe”. You can call me “Mr. Napalm”.

Tell me, what inspires you each day, what drives you, what makes you get out bed in the morning?

First, I really love bacon cooked to perfection. It can’t be too crispy or too soggy. I like it crispy in the middle and a little soft on the ends. And, for heaven’s sake, fry it in a skillet.

Second, I jump out of bed every morning for the opportunity to pounce on and pummel bullies. My recent punch fest has been wildly successful. There are plenty of fools with fat lips and bloody noses, but they’re the smarter for it.

What angers you the most these days as you look across the country?

People, in general, are stupid and blissfully ignorant. I hate apathy. And America has embraced apathy.

What is your take on the war on terror?  I mean, are we doing a good job?

We’re doing a good job in that our military leaders have defined success and are working through a tough situation to bring freedom and hope to a people that have been under oppressive regimes for millennia.

Where we are doing a poor job is in our failure to acknowledge that our success in America is because of God and our Judeo-Christian belief system, not democracy. Our leaders speak of spreading democracy and capitalism, but those things are only side effects of recognizing that our Creator bestows unalienable rights. The sole responsibility of governments is to defend those rights. Thinking that an Islamic belief system can succeed is futile and doomed to failure from the start.

I know the Pentagon has recently contacted you as an outside consultant, how would you run this war differently?”

I would put the nuclear option back on the table.

The other day, I watched an news story [link] where American soldiers found two dozen emaciated and neglected orphans in Baghdad. The captain in charge said that he had to restrain every fiber of his body from exploding in rage. And many of the other soldiers wept afterwards. They were witnesses to evil and felt helpless.

Here’s the thing, we’re dealing with Evil with a capital “E”. It has a stranglehold on the entire Middle Eastern region. At some point, we’re going to have to deal with it. Let’s do it now. Pull out of Baghdad, drop leaflets and then level the entire city with a multi-headed nuclear rocket launched from the Persian Gulf. That will solve the evil issue by crushing its head. And Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah will get the point. We refuse to coexist with the devil’s herd.

You are well known for your toughness, your brashness, your machismo…is there a softer side to Joe?  If so, what does that look like?

I now have a daughter. There are moments of tenderness when I kiss her soft, chubby cheeks. But, be warned, I’m lifting weights again. I pity the fool that harms her or her mother.

Many around the web are saying that your removal of all pistol winks was the sign of weakness and out of character for Joe.  Did you ban this trademark due to political pressure?

I was making a point by being absurd. Of course, I still use the pistol wink.

You often speak of the Liberty Forward Army in your posts.  What is it exactly?

Roughly ten percent of churchgoers are active in their assembly and community. The Liberty Forward Army is that ten percent. We vote, teach, love and act. We are the tip of the spear, so to speak.

Is this strictly a volunteer force or have you instituted a draft?

It is strictly a volunteer service. I don’t want anyone who doesn’t want to be here.

What if, someone, not me, but a friend of mine, wanted to join the Liberty Forward Army….what is involved?

Join a community of believers and actively participate. Any time their doors are open, be there. And don’t be content being stupid about important matters.

We all know bjnotbk is handsome, intelligent, has a great sense of humor, really a renaissance man when you come to think of it but what is it like writing alongside of one of your generation's most talented writers?

Long awkward pause with lots of silence…. 

Ahem, Finally, the question everyone wants to know and I hate to bring this up but I have to ask…..semi-automatic or automatic?

Semi-automatic. Automatic fire is purely a function of the defense. It is an attempt to throw up as much lead as possible to keep the force in front of you from advancing.

The Liberty Forward Army is never, never, never on defense. We move forward. We fire well-aimed shots. Shoot center mass and don’t look back.

Joe, thanks again for your time.  It has been a pleasure spending the day with you and thanks for the insight into the mind one of the Nation’s greatest patriots.

 I am not big on visiting the dentist.  While I love modern dentistry and how it has helped me maintain my pristine smile, straight teeth, cool minty breath, I loathe the sound of the drill, the whirling of the teeth polisher (or for those of you in less fortunate parts of the country tooth polisher), the repeated spitting, drool, and that bib they make your wear that ends up caked with your mouth funk, teeth gunk, and blood chunks all related to the 6 month checkup. 

That is why when I have a tooth problem, pain, discomfort, swelling of the gums, sensitivity to heat or cold I ignore it.  I mean I put up with it.  Why bother having it checked out anyway right?  I still have healthy, shiny, normal teeth.  I can still eat most foods and if I chew carefully enough I can avoid the tooth as much as possible.  Now I realize that the problem tooth will only grow worse, will only turn color, will rot if gone unchecked and unattended but why bother when the solution means going to the dentist?

Now take this same analogy and apply it to the majority of the country, the good, honest, hardworking, middle of the road man on the street.  The families with good educations, who pay taxes, who have the best of intentions yet who continue to allow the bad "teeth" of society run amok.  Why is it that we are content in our own prosperity, our homes, our jobs, our segmented lives to the extent that we will allow what is wrong roll right over us?  It's as if we are sitting in our own bathwater.  We have the appearance of being clean, you can smell the soap, but when you peak in the tub all you see is gray water, a virtual man soup of funk.

We go to church yet our Saturday nights don't match up with our Sunday mornings.  We say we believe the Bible yet since Roe V Wade was passed over 30 million babies have been aborted.  Many of our states have legalized gambling under the guise of providing for education.  Our homes are invaded each night by soft core pornographers, murderers, cheats, thieves, people who curse at us and our children....all in the name of entertainment, each one invited in by us.

The truth is that we try to chew around these problems because we dare not face them.  True, they are painful but if taken care of sooner than later we can still salvage the tooth and save the smile. 

 I received a devastating call from my agent this morning.  Apparently Nike will not be releasing my basketball shoe this fall, the bjnbk 07, because I lack street cred?

Today I am taking leave to purchase spinners for the Bentley, updating my wardrobe, and picking up my custom made 40 inch necklace complete with solid titanium and diamond encrusted grenade because I am da bomb.

I read this quote the other day in a Christian magazine.
 

"Jesus is my bohisattva who fulfilled His dharma to pay for my karma to negate samsara and achieve nirvana".

Can any of your sleuths out there decipher the theology behind this?  

See if you can define bohisattva, dharma, karma, samsara and nirvana then put it all together and let me know what you uncover.  I will reveal the meaning later this week. 

 I can see it now, Salman Rushdie can't do anything without those peaceful loving extremists shouting, chanting, calling for his head on a stick [link].  Rumor has it that the Queen knighted Rushdie because she didn't care for his last book, "Why the bloody monarchy is a bunch of poppy *** and kidney stew!"

Hillary pledges that if elected President she will make stem cell research legal - read the article here [link] which is completely false and misleading.  Stem Cell research is already legal (not ethical, but legal). 

What Clinton really means is that she wants your tax dollars to fund Stem Cell research.  She wants you and I to pay for the destruction of human embryos that may or may not lead to cures for diseases such as bad breath, hair loss, and toenail fungus.  Who wouldn't want to destroy a human embryo to get rid of some nasty toenail fungus (see John Edwards)?

What is wrong with allowing capitalism to take over in the arena of science and research?  Won't the dollar chasers find a way to build a better mousetrap, or in this case a way to cure blindness, make the lame walk, recreate hair?  No, the M.O. for Hillary and company is to provide better living through government funding.

Democrats can't win unless they have the appearance of helping the "little man" the downtrodden, the poor, the oppressed, the afflicted (see welfare, social security, John Edwards).  Stem Cell research, global warming, social security, welfare, are all political ploys utilized by the left to divide the country between the haves and the have notes, to make the appearance of providing while being in the process of taking.  For real!  When was the last time you saw someone in the U.S. downtrodden, oppressed, skinny?  We are the only country on the planet where our poorest are fat and have cable Television.

Taking our livelihood and redistributing to special interest groups, buying votes, and pandering for power....not for me. 

I say.....give me liberty or give me hair!
 

 Another week gone, and another series of posts handed over in triplicate to the folks at iron mountain to be hauled via armored car to the hillside bunker for safe keeping.   I am told that the caravan will have a blackhawk escort this week.

Here are some updates for those of you who are keeping score.

1.  Jamestown 400 - I spoke with Wesley during our weekly conference call and he gave me the complete update on the week's activities.  Man am I envious!  I am so proud of each of you who participated and made it to the hunt.  Be sure to give us updates of how your week went.  I am still waiting to speak with Napalm.  Word has it he was on a transatlantic flight to Southern France with the family and the new baby for some much needed rest.

2.  One week is now officially under our belt with the little man.  He has been great.  A couple of times he has kept us up till 4 or 5 in the morning but that is to be expected.  My wife has been incredible through all of this, truly a blessing.

3.  One day - that is what I have left of my paternity vacation.  Two weeks really flew by.  Part of me is looking forward to getting back and part of me is wanting two more weeks to spend with the family.

4.  Summer Reading Contest - The summer reading contest has begun.  Don't be intimidated by this contest.  I chose some fun, light hearted stuff along with some meaty, substantial stuff.  You can do it!  Just don't be too smug when asking me to call you doctor o.k.?

5.   What are you listening to?  All this week me and L have been listening to:

      Jack Johnson, Amos Lee, and the O Brother Where Art Thou Sound Track
      I can't get the song, Big Rock Candy Mtns out of my head see and hear it here [link]

6.  What are you reading?  I am making my way through:

    Waking the Dead - John Eldridge - This is a man's man book.
    Bowerman and the Men of Oregon
    Sheperding a Child's Heart - Tedd Tripp - This is essential for every parent if you want to raise your child according to
    scripture and I would highly recommend it.

7.  bjnotbk.com update - I have been working around the clock with the staff here at bjnotbk.com and most of the polling,  
     surveys, and focus group work has been completed.  Be on the lookout for a third quarter design change.  The posts
     will still contain the highest level of sarcasm and quality writting that you have come to expect...just looking to freshen   
     the place up a bit.

8.  Steeple Media Update - Several of us behind the scenes are trying to get together in the next couple of weeks to discuss creating a mission statement for Steeple, go over the design and navigation of the site, as well as discuss what we think is missing and should be added.  Of course we are always looking to recruit more talented writers so if you see a blog out there on the web that is really good and would fit into our family friendly community please ask them to visit our site and to contact the webmaster.  Also, I am going to put up a seperate suggestion box post just for you.

9.  Friday is for Photos:

    If you love great, cool photography be sure to visit my friends Steve McCoy and Joe Thorn.

    Steve's photos are here [link]
    Joe's photos are here [link]

Hope you have a great weekend.  Thanks for reading, commenting, and just being apart of the community.  God Bless!