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Something Is Brewing…

I have asked one of my good friends to join with me in a new venture that could very well be the one thing we have both been looking for over the last several years. We never thought our minds and hearts would put us in the place we now find ourselves as individuals — and we never thought we would be joining forces in such an ambitious undertaking. The groundwork is being set in place. The mission is being defined. But what we really need are your prayers: prayers for guidance, prayers for vision, prayers for wisdom, prayers for ears to listen, and hearts to feel.

Charity4.org is coming soon. Stay tuned...

Posted at 4:40pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (0)

I Love Photoshop

I haven't whipped-up a tilt-shifted photo in a long time, so I decided to crank one out. So, here's a tilt-shifted photo of a building at Alcatraz (view large to get the full effect):

You can see a really big version over at my Flickr stream.

Posted at 4:53pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Week Wrapped-Up

First off, thanks for all the prayers and thoughts regarding my Dad — our family truly appreciates them!

We had a pretty good Doctor visit yesterday, and found out that the chemo treatments have killed off almost all — if not all — of the cancer in Dad's body. YES! While we would have preferred for there to be no hits on the PET scan, the spot that showed up may not actually be cancer. About the size of two marbles, there's something in upper part of his right lung, right where he has a concentration of asbestosis scar tissue. Since there aren't any lymph glads in that area, the Doc isn't flat-out saying it's cancer. However, there was a mass of lymphoma in that vicinity, so we may be seeing vastly reduced mass that's still dying. OR, this could be inflammation from a virus or infection, which could potentially be the black horse we've been chasing in trying to get Dad's breathing back to baseline.

To find out for sure, they want to biopsy that one spot, and we're on the books for that this coming Tuesday. If it *is* cancer, they'll probably just zap it with a small dose of radiation and that'll be the end of it. If it's scar tissue, then there's nothing to be done. If it's an infection of some sort, they'll have a piece of it to analyze. Personally, we're pulling for the latter in hopes of them finding some cause for Dad's breathing degradation.

Due to his already not-so-good lung condition, a biopsy of his lung tissue poses a risk, so we're still (obviously) fervently praying that everything would go perfectly with no complications. God has blessed us throughout this whole ordeal, and we continue to pray that He will extend Mercy and Compassion and Healing in Dad's body. We continue to pray for a miracle.

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The BrightPoint for Children sponsorship is going great. I now only have 12 children from the Rhema Children's Home that need sponsorship, which means we were able to get half of the kids taken care of! How awesome is that? HOWEVER, there are still 12 kids that need your help. I still have 8 packets on me, personally, so get with me if you see me and want to sponsor a child. You can also sponsor a child online by visiting the Rhema page at BrightPoint.

Another cool thing: I was at the dentist yesterday, telling the hygienist about all of this, and she offered to give me enough toothbrushes for all the kids at Rhema. The toothbrushes are all kinds of crazy colors, and the kids should totally love them.

The Facebook Fundraiser isn't doing anything, though. If every member of the Cause would give just $15 — just fifteen dollars — another child could be sponsored for an entire year. A YEAR. Medicines, clothes, school supplies, supervision, opportunity. ONE FULL YEAR. And like I said in the linked post, I'm matching donations, so if everyone gave $15, TWO children will end up fully sponsored.

What will you do about it?

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I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Time has flown over the last couple of months, and I can't wait to sit on the patio and enjoy a cigar (or two) — and the sound of silence.

Posted at 9:17am CDT | Permalink | Comments (0)

Helping Kenyan Children

As many of you know, I'm working with BrightPoint for Children and doing my best to help get as many Kenyan children sponsored as possible. Sponsorship results in these wonderful children having the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty by providing them with a full education, as well as medication, clothing, shelter, and adult supervision as they live in one of the many Children's Homes in their home area. For details, check out my BrightPoint page to read about what we're working on right now.

With that said, I've started a BrightPoint for Children Fundraiser on Facebook, and my goal is to raise $500 by this December 25. That $500 (which includes $22 in transaction fees) will sponsor one Kenyan child for one full year! All of this child's basic needs will be met for 2009, and he or she will be one step closer to having a better life — all because of your selfless donation! Not only that, I'm going to match, dollar-for-dollar, EVERY donation — so if you all help me raise $500, I'll throw in my own $500 and two children will be fully sponsored for one full year!

If you're already a Facebook user, pop over to my Profile Page and check out the BrightPoint for Children Cause on my page. If you aren't a Facebook user, but you'd like to donate, you can use this link to make a donation. Facebook users can also go straight to the BrightPoint for Children cause page to get more info.

Please follow all the links above and consider helping. I'm here to answer any questions you may have, so don't hesitate to contact me. Know, too, that all donations are tax-deductible, and Network for Good handles all the transactions, so I receive no benefits or "kick-backs" of any kind.

And there you have it! Help me help these wonderful children! Play a part in bettering the life of at least one child. It's an uphill battle, but it's a battle worth fighting! Make me pay, too — don't forget that I'm matching every dollar donated, so the more you give, the more I give — and the more children we can help together!

Posted at 6:01pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Simply Wonderful Song

Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

'Til You opened up my eyes I never knew
That I couldn't ever make it without You

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

As I travel on the road
That You have lead me down
You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me

I have need for nothing more
Oh, now that I have found
That You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me

I confess from time to time I lose my way
But You are always there to bring me back again

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

Sometimes I think of where it is I've come from
And the things I've left behind
But of all I've had, what I possessed
Nothing can quite compare
With what's in front of me
With what's in front of me

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

Posted at 11:43pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tuesday Stuff

Election day — it feels like election decade. I am so sick of all of this — from both parties — that my face is about to explode. I will be SO glad when all of this is over.

That said, I think it's important for everyone to keep things in perspective here — again, on both sides. I think everyone reading this knows I'm not a fan of Obama or Biden because I have several differences with their World Views. Am I a fan of McCain and Palin? Not necessarily — but they both have opinions and beliefs that more closely resemble mine. But will the world end if Obama wins? No. Will it end if McCain takes office? Of course not. Should our political differences make us pit ourselves as enemies? No on that, too.

I strongly oppose abortion — especially partial and live-birth abortion. I believe our Constitution, in it's wonderful simplicity, should remain the foundation against which our laws are tempered. I don't want a Supreme Court creating law. I strongly oppose giving Big Brother more power over us all by allowing him into our pocketbooks via taxation and forced contribution to "social programs." I don't believe the "rich" should be punished, or have their "wealth shared" with anyone but those with whom they choose — by their own volition — to share it with. I am against the Death Tax. I believe America should be the strongest and most intimidating country on Earth from a military standpoint. I believe that immigrants should be processed like our laws already say they should. I believe we should protect and defend our borders, and not turn a blind eye to what's really going on around them. I believe we should look for energy independence within our own territories. I believe the Free Market should supply us with health care. I believe your hard-earned money should go into your bank account, and that you should keep all of it. I do not believe we need a "civilian police force." I do not believe we should violate the First Amendment with a "Fairness Doctrine" — what are, in pre-school? I believe capitalism works and is a driving force for innovation.

And I believe so much more, and so many more ways different than Obama.

But again, the world will not end if he wins. Humanity will move forward, and if things go to Hell, we'll all make it. If things go great, we'll all make it. I will still have my family and friends and church, and everyone else will have all the things they hold dear. But if Obama wins, come 2010, I have a feeling that many of us will be driving around with a "Don't blame me, I voted for McCain" bumper sticker...

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I thrilled and overjoyed that we have been able to find sponsors for ten of the Kenyan children from the Rhema Children's Home! TEN! How dadgum awesome is that? There are still 5 children online that need sponsors, so PLEASE visit my BrightPoint page and read all about Rhema.

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I totally hungry and craving a pizza — but I may eat waffles again!

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(I'm too lazy to spell-check right now)

Posted at 5:36pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (0)

Finally, It’s Friday

This has been a really long week, yet at the same time, I can hardly remember any of it. Odd, no?

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My new worst enemy: human spammers. The world has stooped so low that now spammers are hiring human beings to sit in rooms and manually add spam to web posts. This means the spammer has to fill out a name, email address, website, etc., then post the spam message. By doing it this way, "intelligent" filters don't flag the comment as spam, and it gets passed onto the weblog.

I AM SICK OF CLEANING MY COMMENTS.

So, I'm doing what I never wanted to do: I'm enabling comment moderation. It's really not that big of a deal since most of my post responses are sent via email (people don't like having to enter an email address), but it's still a chore I wish I didn't have to do. If you run a site/blog and you aren't getting human spam, relish in the joys of running a site with low exposure while you can...

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Today is Halloween and I can't stand having my door knocked on while I'm trying to watch TV or play the guitar at night. I think the whole trick or treat thing should happen during daylight hours, then I wouldn't have to worry about door banging at 10:00pm.

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Today is a perfect day to sit behind a drill press and bore holes into aluminum — seriously. I'll be taking lots and lots of pictures this weekend, so here's to hoping the weather holds...

Posted at 10:41am CDT | Permalink | Comments (2)