Comic / Pillow

Quite possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen. A Spider-Man comic book and pillow all in one. Saw it at Sam's. I really wanted to get it for myse- er, uh, for Max.
But I didn't think it warrented spending $20.

ToyBox Episode III: Eternity

The final video of the trilogy. I thought it ended well.




I think it makes me want to make more videos of Spidey dancing...

ToyBox Video: Episode II (Love)

As promised, Chris! Episode II. And just like any sequel, it's not quite as good as the first. Ha!

CrossPoint VBS ToyBox Video: Episode I (Peace)

Since it premiered today at CrossPoint's VBS, I thought I'd share the first video I made for this year's Vacation Bible School.

ToyBox Episode I: Peace




A little background. Gena Killen asked me to do a few videos for this year's Vacation Bible School. The themes for the 3 days would be Peace, Love, and Eternal Life. She asked me to make them silly, and relate to the themes in a roundabout way. Almost by showing what these things weren't rather than describing what they were - in case you're wondering why the video doesn't really explain peace very well. Also, the general theme for the week was the 70's. Thus the period music and a few other items thrown in. Of course, I left the credits off the VBS version. That would've just been tacky.

CrossPoint VBS / ToyBox Teaser

In a couple of weeks (June 9-11), CrossPoint Church will be having their annual VBS...

I'm helping out. Here's a teaser.

Cultural Death

Tonight was Higher Grounds (that's #4, I believe) at Crosspoint Church. It's nights like this that put my faith back in people of faith that we haven't completely lost all culture. Another night of live music - local talent, Crosspoint talent, even Famous People. Brad Crisler started by singing a song with his wife, Dawn, and followed it up with Hillbilly Deluxe - the new song he wrote on the Brooks & Dunn album of the same name, and everyone's favorite, Sweet Southern Comfort.

But headlining tonight was Amy Stroup. She's simply amazing. Unfortunately, I haven't listened to any of the CDs that Krista has - I guess I'll have to put them on my mp3 player and listen to them in the car. Amy is coming out with a new album in a couple of weeks - Chasing Greenlights; she sang the title song from it and I was blown away. She's very talented. This is also the only decent picture I was able to get tonight.

You can check out her current albums on iTunes (as this cool mint advertises); her new album will be released there, too. Check her out.

But back to what I started on about losing culture. It seems that lately, we don't seem to have our own culture. Everything I see has been commandeered from the "world outside". It's almost like we don't have any creativity. Of course, if we were created in the Creator's image that makes no sense.

I look around everywhere and I see people wresting bits and pieces of the surrounding world in an attempt to be cool or relevant. Here are a couple pictures I took on the way home the last few weeks. The one on the right should be legible: Body Piercing Saved My Life. The other one attests to my photography skills. It's a bumper sticker that says CSI: Christ Saves Individuals.

At least Christian music is finally coming into its own, slowly but surely. But, have we spent so long "trying to be different" that we've included in it our ability to create? I know some amazingly creative people, but much of their creativity is all but forced out of their spiritual lives. Is it the concern that if we combine creativity and spirituality that, all of a sudden, we're trying to entertain instead of follow God? I guess only the 3-point sermon is God's way to get a message across on Sunday morning.

We took Julianna to Mars Hill Bible School's Pumpkin Day the Saturday before Halloween. (People aren't allowed to call it Halloween anymore - I think because it's a Catholic holiday.) I found a card game that was so silly I had to buy it. It's called Betrayal, and it's based on Old Maid. Except in this version the cards are the apostles of Jesus, and it's not the Old Maid you don't want to get stuck with, it's Judas, who betrayed Jesus. The funny thing was, it cost me $5 (on special from the regular $5.99), and 45 minutes later, I found the same cards in the school's bookstore, buried in the back clearance room, going for $4.12.

Another fascinating item I found in the bookstore was the Evangecube. You don't have to actually say anything when you can use this nifty puzzle to Bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Life.

But my favorite were the Holy Folks dolls. They're "Always Faithful! Always Smiling!". Because, as you know, if you're not always happy, you're not really following God.

Just looking at my bookshelves, I even have a copy of C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. But this is the comic book version put out by Marvel Comics and Nelson Publishers. I was just thinking the other day - what's happened to all the amazing writers? Who has made a worldwide impact since C.S. Lewis? Not to say there aren't creative people of faith today, but it just seems to me that people who follow Jesus just aren't the creative force they that have been in the past.

But I think, and I hope, and I pray, that's changing.

All I Want for Christmas...

It's the time of year for giving. And, yes: getting. I've been working hard over the past year on being more generous, but that doesn't make it any less fun to open presents. Today, I got my first Christmas present of 2005; it was from my brother. It was a (drumroll):

Spudtrooper!

I hadn't actually seen one of these, yet (well, except on the internet). I can't wait to place him next to my Darth Tater in my office at work. (Note the laser masher.)

Stop, rebel fries!

Thankful for Babysitters

I love watchdog organizations. Especially the ones that can help me be a good dad. I'm glad the Parents Television Council is there to tell me that The Ghost Whisperer is the #4 family friendly prime time show. It's creepy, sexy Jennifer Love Hewitt talks to dead people, and it contains only "minimal foul language [and] mild violence..." American Idol is just above it at #3. I guess that makes sense. Its message that you too can be successful; though talent alone won't get you anywhere - you've also got to have the right look is one that kids probably won't otherwise pick up in our culture that looks so far beyond the surface.

And now, W.A.T.C.H. (world against toys causing harm, inc) tells me that the Fantastic 4 Electronic Thing Hands is the 9th most dangerous toy for 2005. They are dangerous because the giant fists might be used to hit something. It's this kind of research that makes me appreciate how much less responsible I need to be with these analytical minds doing my job for me.

In a completely unrelated story, the Toy Industry Association had named the Electronic Hulk Hands the "Boy Toy of the Year" for 2003.

Weapons of Medieval Destruction

caltrop ('kal-tr&p), noun. a device with four metal points so arranged that when any three are on the ground the fourth projects upward as a hazard to the hooves of horses or to pneumatic tires

I don't know what sadist engineered my daughter's butterfly hair clips, but these sharp, metal, half-inch-sized caltrops seem like they were designed with pain in mind rather than hair. I think I caught one of my action figures using one as a weapon.

* * *

There has been a little curiosity about my profile (very little, but I thought I'd share anyway). One of my fondest memories in college is of going down to the game room and playing Street Fighter II - I don't know why I tend to be drawn to the token large, hairy, monster in the games that I play. When the cool action figures came out a few years ago, I had to have my own Blanka.

A Scattering of Thoughts

The new Star Wars film...
Yes, I have my ticket. I wouldn't be going to the midnight showing if I didn't have a group of friends already going. I'm not that much of a fan. (But you can bet I'll be there at the first showing of Batman Begins!)



Merchandising everywhere...
I'm a sucker for merchandising. I don't know why - I just love tie-ins. And I could not resist that cool lightsaber spoon (in Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, and Froot Loops, as far as I can tell). (I'm a geek, I know, but I thought the upside-down-R2-D2-head cereal bowl was cool enough to send a way for. It's from Crispix.)



Golf-ball sized hail!
Yes this hail actually fell at our house - 2 weeks ago on my daughter's birthday. We had a yard full of it; so I had to grab at least one and show everyone who comes to our house (yes, that's my wife in the background rolling her eyes).

My Second Childhood

Now I yam the Master!

When I my brother Joe told me about these, I knew I had to get one. Oddly enough, they were $2 less at Disney when we went a few weeks ago than they are at Toys R Us and WalMart.

I collect toys - mostly it's Batman and comic-related toys, as you might expect, but I couldn't pass up the novelty of a Darth Tater.

Julianna turns 3 in a few days, so we were at Toys R Us today doing some birthday shopping with practically the whole family. Of course, we were there for her, so I didn't look for anything for myself...















I don't know how these cool, dark chocolate M&Ms appeared in our cart...




Or this C3 Construction Batmobile that I've been eyeing since Christmas...