If you want to attract an honorable lady, be an honorable man.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Photo Contest


Ok, another friend is having a photo contest, but this one is with sunsets. Again, not exactly spectacular, but it has good composition and it has special meaning to me because it is from my favorite fishing hole. 
Check out my friends blog and join in! 




Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Photography Contest

Ok, a friend through life and the cyber world is having a Photo contest with silhouettes. Check out her blog and the contest at  http://sadiesphotographyblog.blogspot.com/

Here is my entry. It isn't exactly spectacular in-and-of itself, but the significance is that this is the silhouette of the statue of General Jackson at the actual battlefield of Manassas, that I took in July, when I was there for the 150th anniversary re-enactment I was able to participate in.

"There stands Jackson like a stone wall....."
  So hop on over to her site and participate!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

When Faith Is Needed Most

This is a rather disturbing topic to even talk about. It strikes deep at the name of Christ, and brings reproach on His Word and His Name.

I do a lot of research on things that I don't understand. If a passage of scripture strikes me as confusing, I google around finding out what other people have said about that text, hoping to find extra insights to help me understand.

Doing this research, I stumbled upon a serious concern for Christians in general.
For every tough question out there about the Bible, there is two answers. A Christian one, and a atheistic one.

Seriously.

Wow, you say, big whoop. The atheists are ripping up the Bible as usual. Big deal.

It's not the fact they they are shredding the doctrine of the Bible (as they think) that is a cause for concern. It's the fact that the Christians are handing them the bullets to do it with.





How?

Over and over again, a persistent theme ran through the atheistic threads online.

"Christians don't believe the very Bible they defend so staunchly."

Atheist after Atheist told stories of how they pulled up supposedly "hard" texts from the Bible, and instead of defending them, the Christians sorta explained it away, gave reasons, may have even shown other texts, to show how they didn't need to believe or apply that passage.

Folks, re-read that.

The CHRISTIANS said they didn't need to believe all of the Bible.

Ouch.

Folks, Christians are supposed to be the light of the world, bringing the Word of God to a lost and dying people.

How can we bring them God's Words if we make it very clear that we really don't believe it ourselves?

Here is a quote from Yahoo questions. The question was "Why do people who don't believe everything in the Bible still practice Christianity?"

This was the "best answer" chosen by the asker.


"I believe in Jesus, not some magical book. I mean, I do think that the Bible has shining moments of inspiration sprinkled liberally throughout, but I also believe that the Bible was written by men, and I've studied Higher Criticism extensively and a lot of the Bible just plain is not true. A lot of it is theologically messy, scientifically unsupported, historically inaccurate, things are included and excluded for political reasons, etc. 


I don't feel that having faith in Jesus Christ means that I have to have faith that the entire Bible is inspired by God, and is a perfect and final revelation of God, because I don't believe that."

So, an avowed Christian, states that she really doesn't even believe all that the Bible says.

What kind of witness is that?

If a doctor was selling a medicine, that he says he wouldn't use himself, would you jump up, repent from your medicineless ways, and go buy it?

Well, I wouldn't, I hope you wouldn't either.

Tough texts about stoning witches, or chopping off hands, or sacrificial laws, over and over again are "explained away" by "Christians", and over and over again the Atheists use as ammo against the Christians about not believing the very book they claim is infallible.

The problem is, they're right.

The vast majority of "Christians", really don't believe the whole Bible, and say that it is incorrect, flawed, fallible, and written by man, so therefore, can't be trusted.

Pardon me, but if they claim that, can we even call them "Christians" anymore?

Half our problem is those out there who wear the Christian logo and really have had no change of heart from their sinful God-hating state, are just trying to justify their actions and beliefs.

The other half are the real Christians, who do believe the Bible, but when they are faced with tough questions and don't know the answer, tuck their tails and try to explain away the problem and hem and haw about till the person they are talking to is thoroughly convinced of two things. One, Christianity is a bunch of baloney, and two, the Christian really doesn't believe his own doctrinal book.

In this case boys, it's two strikes and you're out.

The Christian has lost his chance to witness for Christ, and an Atheist is out of the picture, smug in his victory over showing the neanderthal Christian how lame and stupid his faith was, and how smart and sophisticated his own belief is.

Folks, I'll say it here. I know the Bible has some sticky points, where honestly, I don't know what to make of them. The meaning is uncertain, and I don't know how to say what it means.

The real question is, when faced with such a text, do you still believe it and stand by it, or do you weasel out and try to cover your rear?

This is where faith is bred folks. The things that we don't understand but are forced to believe, because God said it, are put there for that purpose.

If life was so hunky dory, and everything made sense, why would we need to have faith if we understood it all perfectly anyway?

Who needs a fireproof suit in Antarctica?

In that case, it would be believing on and acting upon our wisdom, not God's.

Well folks, this is a good day. God has given us some finite minds which don't understand His text, so that way we are forced to believe things we don't quite understand.

If faith was easy, it wouldn't be such a virtue to have it. If everything in the Bible was perfectly understandable all the time, God wouldn't need to open our eyes to His truth, and help us make that leap of faith, even when we don't know exactly how it will all pan out, or what it means exactly.

Don't understand why we had to stone witches? Believe that God knew what he was talking about.
Don't know why God had hands chopped off occasionally? Believe that God knew what he was talking about.
Think God's punishments are a little cruel? Renew your mind, and embrace God's word.

We won't always understand everything. It's when we are faced with something we don't understand, and we have the choice to trust our own wisdom and disregard God's Word, or to believe what God said, embrace it, and defend it, despite our not knowing everything, that our faith can really grow when we choose rightly.

When an atheist throws God's Word in your face, eat it.
Why?
Hey, if God's Word is our spiritual food, I guess that counts as "Fast Food."
: D

When you show him you believe despite your own doubts and uncertainties, you show him you really do believe all that you claim. You do believe you are depraved, you do believe that God is infinite, and you do believe His Word really is true, because He says so.
That is one of the biggest testimonies of faith I can think of.

God is God, I aint, cause he said so.

'Nuff said.

Know of some hard spots in your life you are having a hard time believing due to your own "wisdom"?

I'll share mine.

Fasting.

Never understood it. Ever.

God got a hold of me however, and changed my view a bit. It doesn't matter if I understand it. If he commanded it, I need to do it. My only problem is I keep forgetting to take that first step and obey it. : )

Share some of yours! (if you feel comfortable with it), and resolve with me to believe and obey, despite yourself.

Only then can we make a difference in the world.

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

 

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Pictures of Me

I haven't done a post like this in like FOREVER. Seriously. The last time I did this was right after I had started my blog. So yeah, its been a while.
But I thought I would throw in some random pictures of me, doing rather random things.

Johnny-Reb to the core. This shot is from November 2011 during our last re-enactment.

This is an old shot, back from '10, taking a comfortable seat before moving hay

Enjoying ice-cream with more plastic and chemicals in it than I care to tell after a b-day celebration for a friend.

Oh yeah, shooting day with the church. First AK I had ever shot. Fun stuff. 

Evidently I got a little annoying on the hike......

What can I say? 

I had to fix the tux look somehow. I figured a cowboy hat would do the job. 
Firing my new 12 gauge this past February at the Father-son camp-out. Whew, that thing hurt.
Ah, the creme of the crop. A posed shot a friend did of me doing a mini photo-shoot for pics I could draw.  It turned out far better than I could have hoped.
Totally me - all the way.  
Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Act of Valor: Review





Wow. I must say, this movie impressed me to say the least. It made it to my favorites list certainly, but it didn't go there without some reservations mentally. There are some things I love about it, and there are some other things I wasn't so crazy about. Not by any means a perfect movie, but a far cry above most war movies, or over most movies period.

Let's get down to it.

Act of Valor is about Seal Team 7. Literally. The "Seal Team" in the movie, is in actuality Seal Team 7. The main actors are real Seals, doing real Seal things, adding a dimension of reality that no other move has ever had. These guys know what they are doing, and it is made very obvious through the movie that they aren't your average actors swinging around machine guns Rambo-style. These guys are the real deal.

The story line is very simple, but intense to say the least. After an undercover CIA agent was captured and disappears, its up to the Seals to find her. (Yes, her. Don't get me started now.)
Upon recovery of the agent, the leaders of the Seal team realize they have stumbled upon something bigger than they thought. The reason the agent was abducted was because she was working on discovering a possible connection between a undercover drug dealer housed in Costa Rica and a Muslim terrorist in the Middle East - Abu Shabal. Things only get worse when they find out that the dealer, "Christo" isn't really a dealer - he's a smuggler. He knows how to get things past checkpoints without anybody knowing what's going through - until its too late.

Act of Valor: The Real SEALs

The Seals follow the steps of these two men and discover a plot like no other. Christo has invented a vest that contains 500 ceramic ball-bearings, filled with explosive gel. Upon detonation of the vest, the bearings fly in all directions, wreaking havoc and mayhem, then explode, creating a terrorist weapon like no other. Its able to sneak past metal detectors, and is thin enough to wear under a coat without observation. Shabal the Muslim wants to kill Americans, and Christo knows how. Together, they are plotting to send suicide bombers to every big city in America to destroy the country from the inside out.

The seals travel to Africa, Costa Rica, and eventually the climactic showdown comes in an old milk factory in Mexico used as a hub for drug dealers and smugglers to access underground tunnels to sneak into the U.S. Eight vest-wearers and Shabal himself are headed to the tunnels and must be stopped at all costs. Drug cartels verses Navy Seals.

Wow.

Pros.
First off, one thing stands clear and bold out of this movie. These guys are real. They know what they are doing, and are good at it too. They adapt to any situation, and get the mission accomplished. Period. These aren't cheesy actors playing Rambo.

Next thing, is not near as obvious unless you happen to have seen some behind the scenes trailers.

The Seals aren't firing blanks.

Yessir, they are throwing live ammo downrange, and sometimes right over the heads of the cameramen.
There is a scene where a boat comes sweeping in on the scene of a fight, riddling the bad-guys, and the cameras perspective is downrange, looking from the bad-guys perspective.


 Yes, they were mowing real cars to bits with a Gatling gun right over the head of the camera guys. The Seals were firing real rounds around the camera guys, the camera guys doing their best just to merely stay out of the way. In one "behind the scenes" clip, the director of filming was talking about when he first heard they were using live rounds. He was blown away, and not a small amount rather scared.  Thinking about the safety of the filming team, he asked the Seals, "What about ricochets and such?"
They unconcernedly and mildly told him they would provide him with a flack jacket and helmet.

So these guys knew what they were doing.

Another thing, is that the explosions aren't CG. All of the explosions and such in the movie are real as well. They really blew up cars and set off bombs in old building making for a movie like no other. I was simply "blown away" by the "effects" that weren't really effects. Jaw dropping.

 

These guys are playing for reals. 

The next thing that stuck out to me is that, unlike a LOT of films, there is no blurring of the lines between good-guys and bad-guys. The Good guys are guys trying to serve their country and protect it, the bad guys are trying to kill people, and its up to the good guys to stop it. No "Bad-guys-are-bad,-but-have-a-slight favorable-quality-over-the-good-guys". Nope, they are bad as all get-out.
The bad guys are Muslims, and the political-uncorrectness of the movie impressed me. The bad guys really do the things Muslims do in warfare. I'm going to make a rather strong statement here, but its true. 
The Muslims in the movie fight like cowards. The movie portrays them as cowards, and it is a horrifically accurate portrayal.
Muslims, in real life, are cowards.
Yes, its a strong statement, but I'll stick to it. 
They make car bombs with women in the car. They place women holding guns to stop the Seals so they can get away. They have no qualms blowing up children so they can take out one Senator in the bunch. They place women bombs in places to ambush the Seals so they can escape in peace, but assure one lady bomber, "Don't worry, you will see your husband in Heaven."    
It makes me angry just talking about it. Everything manly in me was wanting to strangle these cowards who sacrifice the safety of others, women no less, so they can escape. 
In one scene the Seals had to shoot a crying lady who was shooting at them, ordered to do so by Shabal. In another, they stumble upon a women, crying again, holding a detonator in her hand. They dive behind cover just in time to avoid the ravaging affects of the vest she was wearing. 
The saddest part about the whole thing, is that it is real. Real Muslims out there use real ladies as bombs regularly.
Folks, ladies should be treasured, honored, protected, and valued. Not placed as living land mines so the men who don't have the guts to face the enemy can tuck their tail between their legs and run. We as Christian men need to treat women as the precious things they are, and stand against this blatant evil.   

Sorry, I digress. *sigh*
That sorta thing always gets me worked up. 

Back to the movie. 

Another thing I like, is that the men are portraying real men, with real families. No obnoxious girl-friends who  are the latest chick in town. These men are loyal to their wives and families, and are always trying to back home to them.

    

Right before they head out on their mission, the captain tells his men, "Get everything squared away here at home before we head out. If their is a problem in the family, fix it. If there is a problem in the finances, fix it. When we get out there we want our minds totally on the mission and not regretting what we didn't do or should have done at home."
Paraphrased of course.     

I liked that element a lot. 

Excellent leadership. In one scene the captain jumps on a grenade to safe his squad. The ultimate sacrifice of ones self to save his friends. He dies for it, and never gets to see his unborn baby at home.  

That's what Courage is though. Doing what needs to be done, despite the consequences.

One more very neat element, that you don't appreciate till near the end, is that for tiny bits of the movie, the main character narrates and tells a bit about the people who are in the Seal team, about the Seals a bit, and about honor, living by a code, and doing what's right, with no fear of death or other consequences. The neat part about that, despite the annoying trying-to-live-life-by-morals-that-has-no-real-basis speech, you realize at the end, all the narrating was the main character telling the story in a letter to the son of the man who died and never got to see his son. That part stood out to me. He was passing down the stories of the father to the son, when the father wasn't there to do it himself.
I really liked that - a lot.

Cons:
There is one scene I had to look away from. Christo is on his private boat on the ocean, and his "girls" are around. You see some girls wearing a whole lot less than they should, serving a drink to Christo. Fortunately I can use peripheral vision to follow what is happening while looking at the opposite edge of the screen. Annoying that they would put that aspect of the crooks life on the big screen for you to see.
One glimpse of a soldiers wife in a bikini top on the beach. It is in the background, and you only see it for a moment, but it still is there.

The worldview isn't all that bad - except for the fact that it is just moralisms. It talks about living by a code, and how honor, and respect, and not being afraid of dying are everything. The worldview of the movie is so subtle, its hard to tell that it is even the actual worldview. It might not have even been the whole message. It might have been merely "good always triumphs over evil". Like I said, kinda slippery there, but its kinda unsure, so I rated it here in the cons.   

Cussing, of course. *sigh*. Fortunately, the bad guys actually use more than the Seals, so it is portrayed that the Seals are a little cleaner verbally and morally than the crooks. Of course the Seals do cuss, but it isn't as bad.

One other thing is there is a torture scene where the crooks are trying to get the agent to talk. You never actually see it, but you see her face and hear her screaming as it is going on. Could be quite unsettling and horrifying to some. 

That scene got to me as well, as a guy. The man in me wanted to jump up, shoot the guy, and take her home where she was safe, but I couldn't, and was forced to be content about dreaming of shooting him. Women are to be protected, and seeing that was hard. 

Overall, I rate the movie 4 stars. The action, story, and characters were incredible, the graphics and "effects" that weren't really effects were simply stunning, and the action scenes were minutely accurate to reality. Worldview was a little screwy, but it wasn't in your face. 
The only reason it isn't five stars is because of the scenes of the girls, and the cussing. I could work around the torture scene. I would recommend it only if you can guard your eyes on that one scene, and can stand graphic violence and action. 


Saturday, March 10, 2012

To Cover or not to Cover: The Big Question

I just recently ran into a certain passage of scripture that made me stop and rethink that particular section of verses in a different light than I had ever done before. Sure I had read it, but due to a recent discussion with a pastor friend, it stuck out to me with new meaning. No, this is not a post on some big in-depth theological discovery that
a. you have never heard of before
and
b. is only marginally applicable to you life.

Sometimes certain passages of scripture show you thoughts on certain topics that may be applicable to your spiritual life, but besides the outworking being you look and act more like Christ, there is nothing really "new" and "unique". Just you being a better Christian, dying to self, and living in Christ.

This is not one of those passages folks. This is a passage that has outward and obvious applications, if we take it the way the scripture says.

The topic, is.....

Are you ready?

Head-coverings.



*You look slightly confused and raise one (or both) eyebrows*

Seriously? Head-coverings?

Yup, I had the same reaction - till I started digging into it. It gets interesting to say the least. Here is the text.

   1Co 11:1-10  Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.  (2)  Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.  (3)  But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.  (4)  Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.  (5)  But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.  (6)  For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.  (7)  For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.  (8)  For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.  (9)  Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.  (10)  For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

Ok, so there is the text. It says

 (5)  But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.  (6)  For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.  (7)  For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

Before I even get started it must be stated right here, because I know it is going to run through the mind of somebody. God cares about our appearance as well as the inner being. God wants every aspect of our lives to follow his standards.

Ok, back to topic again. 

If we take the text straight like that, no reading into the text, no really digging into meanings of words, it should be clear and obvious that all women should wear something on their heads while praying or prophesying in the local gathering of the church. 
That's the first reading. Lets get into it a little bit more. I found this article on Monergism.com.

   Paul instructs women to wear head coverings whenever they pray or
prophesy (v. 5). Similarly, men are instructed to keep their heads uncovered
when praying  or prophesying (v. 4). At a minimum, this means women
should have their  heads covered (and men should have their  heads uncovered) when the Body of Christ is gathered corporately for prayer, edification, and/or worship.
However,  women pray throughout the day and in  many locations.
Women often speak God’s Word to children and friends outside of church
settings. Thus 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 does not describe a situation that occurs
only in  public  church meetings.  For  these  reasons, some maintain  that
women should wear head coverings always and not only in church meetings.
This is a reasonable and defensible position. Both Old Testament Hebrew
women and Christian women throughout church history wore head coverings
all the time and not at worship services only. 
Other Christians point to the second half of 1 Corinthians 11 (which
deals with the Lord’s Supper) and argue that the context for both instructions
seems to be formal public gatherings of the Body of Christ. Accordingly,
these Christians conclude that the instructions in 1 Corinthians 1:1-16 are
applicable only in public meetings of the church. This also seems to be a
reasonable and defensible position, although this second position (in my
assessment) is weaker than the first.

This guy wound up by saying his position was that he thought all women should wear head-coverings all the time - period. 

Ok, so there is an argument for wearing head-coverings all the time. Text does not specify exactly whether it is to be only at church, so therefore wear it all the time. 
Then there is the argument to only wear it during church, since that might be the context of the whole passage. 

That's assuming (which might be a good assumption) that we are talking about a honest-to-goodness something-or-other (head scarf, hat, etc.) on your head. 

However there is another position out there. 

After some more digging (and having a pastor who believes it) I found a second view. 

They say, since the subject is brought up slightly (ever so slightly) later on in the passage, that the "covering" is referring merely to hair length. Their argument runs something like this. 

Having short hair in this passage is being compared to not having any hair at all. Praying with your head "uncovered" (having short hair) is virtually the same in shame as being bald. Therefore, women should have long hair when they pray and prophesy.
Then of course, the question comes up of "how long is long?". 

Of course, there is no length requirement in the scriptures. By this line of interpretation (meaning the interpretation that the "covering" is hair, then it is a shame for men to be "covered" i.e. have long hair. 

So men should not have long hair and women should - by this line of reasoning. Again, the question of what is long and short hair defined as, pops up merrily again.

From what I gather, women's hair should be significantly longer than men's hair, and men's hair should be significantly shorter than women's hair. No length specifications, just generalities.

I also recently heard the position that the head-covering thing was merely cultural and the application now-a-days is the long hair.  

So, that is if you take the interpretation that the covering is hair. 

However, upon more digging, some say that the word "covered" has a connotation in the Greek of being something that has the option of being "uncovered", so therefore the option exists to put on or take off the "covering" at will. 

Unless you wear a wig, that option doesn't quite apply to hair.       

So maybe the first pass by reading of the text wasn't so wrong at all. 

Then, there was another punch against the hair-covering folks, on the point of analogies. They say that the analogy comparing short hair to baldness is not as strong as comparing no covering whatsoever to baldness. They say that it is a much stronger analogy, and is therefore referring to an actual hat, or scarf, etc. on ones head. 

I must add that the affect of a lady wearing a head-scarf or nice hat, is rather phenomenal in our modern world. It definitely conveys a vast amount of messages to the observers. It denotes respect, dignity, elegance, and certainly down-home femininity. A girl can have a massive influence merely by her looks, for good or for evil. Hats (nice feminine hats) certainly aren't in the vogue, short to medium length hair uncovered is. One site I came across even stated the temple prostitutes in Paul's day had no head covering, a sign directly opposite to the "chaste" and "honorable" appearance that the Christians were trying to convey.

Granted, it doesn't mean that today, but seriously, when was the last time you saw a porn model or a rebellious teenager wearing a nice feminine hat or head scarf?? It just doesn't fit. It would look too....... sanitized..... and.... dare we say it.... submissive.

*gasp*
(we as Christians don't want to look like that do we??)  

Another thing I heard is that the issue of covered, hats or hair, only is applied to married women. They use the whole part where it talks about submission to husbands as saying that the passage only points to married women. A case could be made in that direction.      

So, that is the run-down on the girl part. On to the guys. 

It says that guys should be uncovered. In fact, it is a shame to not be uncovered. Now, whether this is referring to hats or hair is still up in the air (no scarfs guys - it don't look as manly as a good camo ball-cap or a good cowboy hat). : D 

So, whether or not you call it hat or hair, it is a shame for you to pray or prophesy covered. Take your hats off gents.

Wait. Sound familiar? Taking off your hat when you pray has been a habit of gentlemen for centuries, and so for that matter, (but not in recent times) was ladies wearing their hats to church.   

Wonder where that tradition came from?

Wonder were the tradition of taking off your hat when saying the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem came from?  

My guess is that it was from a direct and literal translation of this passage of scripture.

However, where has the tradition of men having shorter hair than women come from? Is it just mere genetics, or is there something more to it?

There certainly is a lot to chew over on this subject to say the least. 

My personal take is still yet undecided, but from all my research, I am certainly leaning towards the side of the "hat", over the "hair".

My personal application is pretty simple. Take off your hat when praying and when in church. I try to take my hat off indoors as a sign of respect to the host, similar to the reasons for taking it off in church, but obviously not exactly the same. 

Now, another question is, what about all those times during the day you pray silently? For guys, do you take your hat off while you work so you can pray? For girls, do you wear a hat or scarf all the time so you can pray whenever or merely haul it out when you need it?  If we are supposed to "pray without ceasing", do we wear a hat at all?  
Would the whole point of "take your hat off when praying" even be an issue if hats were not allowed?

So you have a lot to work through here. Where do you fall? Hat or hair? How long should hair be? Married or no? 

There are a few things you will have to work out yourself between you and God, but one thing is for sure -  

 - don't go bald ladies, I ain't the only one who doesn't like it. : )  

Friday, March 9, 2012

Chocolate Giveaway

No, of course I'm not, I am too much of a fan for good chocolate for that. However, a friend over across the waters is having a chocolate giveaway. Wanna join in? Swing by their blog at
http://thefamilycochran.blogspot.com/2012/03/are-you-ready-for-giveaway.html
Drop a comment in and hope you get pulled!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Things I know about YOU

That's right folks, you read right. If you read left, that phrase you sound something like this.

UOY tuoba wonk I sgnihT.

And unless you can read Japanese, that might not make any sense. Probably not even then. Some different dialect I guess.
So, those factors included, I am going to assume you read right.

Anyway, this is a post about you. You. My Followers. (if you are reading this and you aren't a follower, sign up and join the club! Love to have ya, if you are somewhat as insane as the rest of us around here.)

Here's what I am going to. I am going to tell the dreaded secrets that I know of you, or whatever I happen to know of you if you are rather new to this whole gig, plus my opinions of you. Brace yourself, sometimes the scariest people you will ever meet are the ones you see in the mirror everyday.
Don't worry, I'll play nice. :)

This will also give you an opportunity to meet some of the rest of the chaps around here! Click around and get to know them!

Here we go, from the top, in order of how they appear on the list on the side of my blog.

My Photo
Daniel Romanowitz:

Just joined the show a little while ago. What I do know about him is what I read on his own blog. Christian chap with a passion for using engineering for Gods glory. Here's his blog.
http://reformationengineering.blogspot.com/
That's about all I know about him!

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ACR:

Been around for a little while, and enjoying his company. Christian chap who plays music every chance he gets. On-the-button on theology, off the button on Cowboys, die-hard Celt at heart, long-winded in comments and posts, and a good voice. Stubborn as a Celt, and proud of it (in a humble sort of way of course) :)  Here's his Blog.
http://crossandresurrectionmusic.blogspot.com/

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Sadie:

Little sister to one of my best friends who used to live just up the street from me (see Tyler below). Goofy, bouncy, but a down-home spirit, learning to be a homemaker and mom. Here's her Blog.
 http://irishragamuffinslilsister.blogspot.com/

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Amy P:

Met her through the blogging world on Gabe's blog (more on him later). Had an opportunity to meet her and her older brother on a trip they made down our way, and took a nice hike in the hills with them and some other friends.
Quiet, simple, not flashy, but theologically sharp, and I enjoyed hanging out with her and her family. Here's her Blog.
http://proverbs31ten.wordpress.com/

Flame of Jah:
Car mechanic, plane enthusiast, and Christian brother, He doesn't write a heap, but what he does is good.
Here's his Blog.
http://flameofjah.blogspot.com/

Brytni:
This is me
She found my blog, somehow, no idea.  She is quite knowledgeable Biblically, and 90% of every post is scripture. Great verses on life and living, and applications of such. Here's her Blog.
http://sojourninghereinfear.blogspot.com/

Corey P:
Ah, a good blogin' friend. Sharp as a razor theologically, with a good sense of humor. He posts movie reviews, soundtrack reviews and book reviews, plus random other edifying or humorous things. Here is his Blog.
http://inkslingerblog.wordpress.com/



Bushmaid:

Aussie blogger from "down unda". Poetic, artistic, theological. Nuthin fancy. Down home. Here is her Blog
http://bushmaid.blogspot.com/

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Jordanna:

Cowgirl at heart, cousin of some awesome friends. Wordy as all get-out. Literally. She is the only person I know who can play my Mom at scrabble and not be left in the dust in the section called "losers", let alone beat her on occasion (guess where I fall in those games....) Theological, simple, with a hint  (TINY hint) of flashy, down home, riotously funny, awesome cook, and great friend. Only girl I know who likes shooting and guns as much as I do (that's hard to do folks). Here is her Blog.
http://quiltedcowgirl.blogspot.com/

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Anna:
Quiet, simple, and a great cook. Sorta adopted "sister". You won't hear much out of her at any given time, but look out when she gets warmed up! Here is her blog.
http://notofthiswold.blogspot.com/

Annastasia:
Um, really no idea. Apparently REALLY quiet......

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Gabriel Huddleson. Nuff said. :)

Stunning musician,  great friend, stunning musician, sharp as razor theologically, stunning musician, stronger than a ox, stunning musician... (did I mention he is a stunning musician?).
Rats, I think I forgot to mention he is a stunning musician. Literally one of my favorite artists out there. Great Christian brother who is the son of the pastor of a sister church.
And a Stunning musician. :)
Here is his blog.
http://allauthority.blogspot.com/


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Aimee:

LONG time friend. I used to play Robin Hood with her and her siblings in a old patch of woods behind their house.... until they moved. Sister-in-law to Tyler (see below). Tends to be quiet, with random bursts of goofiness, back in the backwoods. Here is her and her older sisters blog.
http://thesacramentofliving.blogspot.com/

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Tyler:
One of my best friends for ages. Used to live just up the street. Oh dear, pages and words can't the good times we have had together. Just heard (literally as I typed this) his lovely new bride is pregnant! Here is his Blog.
http://irishragamuffin.blogspot.com/

Jake:
Ah, good ole Jake. Hyper, quiet, musical, computer geek, actor and awesome friend. Good pal for who knows how long. Here is his Blog.
http://www.myupmostforhishighest.blogspot.com/


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Zach:
The man of pranks and camo.
:D
Here is his Blog.
http://iamtheadventureboy.blogspot.com/




Justin:
Good 'ole Justin. Car mechanic, actor, filmographer, and good Christian brother, a long time friend. Here is his Blog.
http://www.followinggodshighway.blogspot.com/

Jude:
What to say? Catholic, goofy, hungry, a.k.a. The Bear. Re-enacting pal and fellow Reb. No Blog. :)

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Lisa:
Adopted "sister", same as Anna. She is cringing while reading this, dreading what I will post. (don't worry, I will play nice. :) Musical, good slab of common sense and a heavy douse of humor, horse fan of all sizes and shapes, with a finger on a camera trigger.
(see Lis', that wasn't bad now was it?)
Check out her Blogs.
http://atruefocus.blogspot.com/
http://musicalcowgirl4christ.blogspot.com/



Jessie:
Oh boy, here we go. *scratching head*
Adopted "sister", same as Anna and Lisa, (real sister to both)  goofy, horse nut, goofy, rather erratic cart driver, random, goofy. Yes folks, she's goofy. In a good way though. Loves to tease mercilessly, and the better you know her the more she will do it. Unless you really don't get ticked off -then she stops. (I haven't really been razzed in a good while) Working on convincing her that "healthy foods" taste good. :) Making progress there.
Here is her Blog.
http://horsesareevidenceforhim.blogspot.com/

The last three are moms and families of friends. Great families and awesome friends. Love 'em all.

Thanks for being awesome friends guys!