Nissan GT-R at Future Nissan

This car, stickered at more than $80,000, is supposedly one of the
most teched out cars around. It is able to out drive the 'vette due to
its computer systems and ride/handling control systems.

Nissan does make great family sedans that are fun to drive, but for
$80,000 for this car seems steep. I'd rather buy 4 Altimas with that
kind of money; one for me, one for my parents, and 2 more because I
could.

iPhone Email Picture Saving Issues

I wrote about this already but I thought it was my phone only. Over Christmas I learned my sister-in-law's phone is doing it too. Then I came across this blog about the issue and thought I'd try to post about it again, hoping to get Apple's attention. It worked with my home builder (I'll tell you about that later). With the latest Apple iPhone software update, when saving a picture from an email to the phones camera roll, the quality or resolution of the picture is lost. This is absolutely the worst bug yet with this phone. My wife will take a picture of my son and email it to me so I can save it to my phone to view later or show others. Then, when I do, the quality is so poor that it useless. The blog I found has a great comparison setup to demonstrate the problem. Check it out. Dear Apple, Inc., LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE, YOU ARROGANT JERKS! FIX THE PHONE! ADD THE FEATURES WE WANT. IT'S A SIMPLE SOFTWARE UPDATE AWAY. DO IT! I just went to my lovely iPhone to transfer my list of fixes needed but..........OH YEAH, I LOST IN WHEN I SPENT MY WEEKEND RESTORING MY PHONE OVER AND OVER. SEE HERE AND HERE. Sure it's one of the greatest cell phones ever, BUT THE BUGS MAKE ME GO INSANE. Please add: * cut and paste * an even better algorithm for the predictive text * turn sideways keyboard for all the programs * a better way to organize your icons on the various screens * editing documents, (a mini version of Pages, Spreadsheets, Etc. would work) * better camera software, and video * and the other stuff I wanted that I lost in the restore fiasco. Look at what is available from these "Jailbroken" iPhone people and make it work for the rest of us who try to stay true to the makers design. Incorporate the features people want. Apple, Inc is doing so well because they started building products people want and can use on a daily basis. KEEP LISTENING TO THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE. Or........or.......or go back to that crappy little company you were just a few years ago. Remember? Most people thought you guys sucked? Remember that time? Do ya? Do ya, Apple? Fix the problems. Reduce the size of your egos and fix the problems. From Frustrated Jimmy the Gun Let's go Apple. Make it the best phone that doesn't have all the problems people constantly write/talk about. It sad when I try to show non-users the "awesomeness" of the phone and it doesn't work for whatever reason. Sure it can be "just a cell phone" or it could be the best piece of technology available.

It's a Very Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas indeed. Star Wars sheets for my son.

Here's My Christmas Present to You

I found this VW commercial on Autoblog. This is a great one. And Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas 2008 - Tradition Requires This Post

I originally posted this in 2006. Then again last year. Well, you know I think it's funny. Here it is again. And this year's extra special. I found this one from the same guys. Merry Christmas.

No, You May NOT Sin to Glorify God

Romans 3:1-8 is the Biblical answer to those who want to blame God for their sins or those who want to say they didn't have the opportunity that someone else may have had to know God. Our unrighteousness serves to show God's righteousness. If our sin leads to the glory of God and His righteousness, it doesn't mean that sin is okay or that the sin itself glorified God. It's the fact that sin can point to other attributes of God's righteousness and holiness. We will still pay the consequences for our sins and without Christ we would die for eternity in Hell.

I think this section of scripture is for people who are more philosophical than I am. I can't really get my mind to think that God is responsible for sin. I can agree that He allows it. I can agree that He orchestrates events that lead men to sin and that he uses man's sins to bring glory to Himself and work out His will and plan. But God is holy, perfect, pure. He does not sin and does not allow sin in His presence. Sin points to how complete and perfect His holiness and righteousness are. Sin also allows us to understand His mercy, grace, and love.

Praise God for His Righteousness.

Live As God Desires, Not As You Do

Romans 2:14 -29 needs to be read. It's hard to break down into my own words, so I'm going to broadly explain it. This section of scripture talks about Jews and Gentiles. I'm going to talk about it as though it is all men because the gospel is for all men. Gentiles did not have the law and Jews did. But salvation doesn't come from knowing the law. Men who live as the law requires become a law unto themselves. On judgment day, God will judge the secrets of men. Men who do have the law often preach it and talk about it but don't live it themselves. Verse 23, "You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law."

Don't be a hypocrite! Don't claim to know God's law and then live the opposite way. YIKES!!!! I need God's hand in this. I am nothing but a hypocrite. I am realizing more and more that my life is being wasted. I'm not a light in this dark world. I make things even darker with my life and methods of living. I desperately need God to rule my life, my thoughts, my actions. Only giving myself over to God fully can effect the changes I need to make. Only God can effect that change.

"God, You are Holy. You are Righteous. You are Perfect. You are Pure. You are The Judge. God, I need forgiveness of sins. I need You in my life. I need Your hand on my heart, and I need one over my mouth. I need You to fill all my thoughts and control all my actions. I am desperate for You to rule in my life every minute, every day. Fill me with Your Spirit. Mold me into the man You desire me to be. Use me to draw people to Your amazing grace. Grant me patience, grace, humility, and LOVE. Give me a love for people and a longing to lead them to Your grace."

Pardon the Interruption

Man, I'm having a hard time writing these days. It's not from lack of trying. But I can't seem to make sense with what I'm trying to write.

I have to find a different time to try and write. Sorry, this blog is struggling lately. Bare with me as I try to figure out what to do.

The New Look of Pepsi and Dew

The iPhone Is Not Great

Here is a blurry picture from my phone. The picture itself isn't this
blurry but my iPhone won't finish rendering the photo. It does this
all the time. I finally decided to post about it. I just did 2
restores on my phone. The second one I did so completely, I lost all
my media, text message history, photos, and notes. But I wanted to do
the most complete restore possible. And still the phone has issues.

Let's go Apple. Get it right.

God's Judgement and the Law

I've written two updates to my last prayer request and not posted them. But I can't seem to move on with my devotions without saying something. So, ask me in a private email and I'll tell you all about it.

Romans 2:12-13 talks about judgment and the law. The Jews had the law (plus another set of traditions they had to follow), and the Gentiles didn't have the law, as they were not God's chosen people. But Christ saved both Jews and Gentiles according to their faith in Him. At judgment, we are going to be judged not on whether we heard the law and knew it, but rather if we lived the law and did what the law requires. Now, the law in this case is God's moral law or the ten commandments. Those people who had access to it, both Jews and some Gentiles, will be judged based on there knowledge of the law. Those who did not have access to the law will be judged on the actions of their heart, as God has revealed His truths to all in nature. We, here in America, know the 10 commandments pretty well, as this our country was founded on similar principals and by spiritual people. This was, and still is, a Christian country.

Exodus 20
The Ten Commandments
1And God spoke all these words, saying,
2"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3"You shall have no other gods before me.
4"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
13"You shall not murder.
14"You shall not commit adultery.
15"You shall not steal.
16"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17"You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s."

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Remember these commandments apply today too. After reading them, I feel convicted.

Praise God for the Law.
Praise God for His Righteous Judgment.
Praise God for His Grace.

iPhone Restore Takes Too Long - Part 2

Ahhhhh?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? What the BLEEEEEP Apple? I restored my iPhone yesterday, and after 3 hours of restore I then spent another hour or so adding my media. Today........this happened. All my media was not there except it was. I couldn't use it but it took up the space on the phone. What's up Apple fans? Somehow it became "other" stuff not music or photos. ARGH!!!!!!!!

SSS - My Stats Suck Always

Over at Brody Harper's site he does a "Stats Suck Sunday" post. Mine stats always suck because I don't have the necessary time to devote to making the posts great. It's part of his job. Anyway, he posts randomness on Sundays, making it more interesting, and probably boosting his stats. Mine will remain the same, but I found this skate video on a Crunch Gear post about why Hulu is more valuable to advertisers than YouTube. This video is one of the millions of reasons.

The Evolution of the Microwave Burrito

I've been eating microwave burritos for almost 2 decades now. They are truly a staple in my diet. Although I've always favored the beef and bean variety, I've recently had to make some changes to the burrito preparation. Today I reached a new level. I'm not sure if that new level is a "new low" or a "new high." For probably the last 10 years or so, I've added Taco Bell hot sauces to the burritos to give them a little more kick. As recent as the last 3 years, I've also added Parmesan cheese on top of the Taco Bell hot sauces, on top of the burritos. Today I opened the drawer in the fridge to retrieve the TB sauces and saw Kraft cheese singles. "Hmmm," I thought to myself, "that might be good melted on top." Well, it was. And that's how I ate my microwave burritos today. Take a look. Oh yes, and a little Mountain Dew, of course.

iPhone Restore Takes Too Long

First off, my iPhone has all sorts of issues. I don't want to go into all of them now. But I heard if you restore factory settings, it usually fixes the problems. Well, I wish I knew it was going to take this long. I have people coming to look at my house any minute and I can't take my phone with me when I leave if it's not done restoring. I could have driven to the AT&T store, purchased a new iPhone, brought it home to activate it (if that was allowed), and been up and running with my contacts, calander, music, and programs faster. Here is a picture of the slow progress of restore. Look at the three the red arrows. "Sync" time is the "Start Time." The desktop time was the time I screen printed the progress. And well, the progress bar is not even halfway across. I'm already at an hour and twenty minutes. As I hit publish, I'm still not halfway done. I'm thinking another hour. ARGH!!!!! Click on the image to enlarge. Thanks Apple for the great advice. UPDATE!!!!!! It took over 3 hours. And then I had to load all my apps and media. Stupid Apple. Stupid time. Stupid stupid. Here's a picture at three hours.

Jay Leno's 2009 Corvette ZR1

Jay Leno owns the first 2009 Corvette ZR1 built. At least that's what his VIN number indicates. I've talked about this car and how great it is, but Jay does a great job of discussing the iconic nature of this "best Corvette yet." Check out Jay Leno's Garage.

12 Days of Star Wars...Honorable Mention

I was told about this video by Kyle, a teller that works with me. It needed an honorable mention.

On The 12th Day of Star Wars

We've reached the end of our 12 Days of Star Wars. Today I take us back to the first Light Saber fights done well by amateurs. This is the first set of videos I ever saw that made me wish I was still a goofy kid with dorky friends who liked to make videos. This is the original great Star Wars tribute videos I saw. Ryan vs Dorkman Ryan vs. Dorkman 2

On The 11th Day of Star Wars

Wow, this is the second to last day of the 12 Days of Star Wars. We are coming down to the end. Anyone starting their own 12 day celebration on the 13th? THX is the audio standard George Lucas and companies have set up for great quality sound rating. It is only appropriate a THX intro be based on Star Wars. Star Wars – THX
star wars from oinoin on Vimeo.

On the 10th Day of Star Wars

This is a great attempt at a trailer for a movie. I sort of wish I had the time and nerdy friends to make videos like this. It's artistic and well done. Star Wars: Duel
Star Wars: Duel from Darth Anonymous on Vimeo.

On the 9th Day of Star Wars

This is just awful. But I'd like to see you put together a better "12 Days of Star Wars." In fact, that's a challenge. Someone should begin their 12 Days on the 13th. That will take us right to Christmas. Still, enjoy the Japanese Police taking on Darth Vader. Japanese Police vs. Darth Vader – Round 1 & 2

Gmail Alert

For some reason gmail let 1 junk mail come to each of my 3 accounts. Just one in each inbox; all were different senders, but what's wrong with the spam filter today?

On The 8th Day of Star Wars

The 8th Day of Star Wars brings us an 8 part series about Darth Vader's brother, Chad. Attention: Due to foul language, viewer discretion is advised. Chad Vader Series

On The 7th Day of Star Wars

This is a mesh of two things I enjoy, Cops and Star Wars. Together they make "Troopers." Yes, this is an old video, but it deserves to be part of the 12 Days. Star Wars Cops

On The 6th Day of Star Wars

This is the 6th day, the half way point if our "12 Days of Star Wars." This is a quick video sent to me via e-mail from Stuart. It's pretty funny. Attack of the Lightsaber Clone : BFX

On The 5th Day of Star Wars (Long)

On The 5th Day of Star Wars we see how Darth would customize his Speeder. A customized speeder is, of course, an Imperial Chopper. Imperial Chopper
Imperial Chopper - the Director's Cut from kuatengineer on Vimeo.

On The 4th Day of Star Wars

Today is the 4th Day of Star Wars, and we see how Episode 4 should have ended. This is pretty funny. How Star Wars Episode IV Should Have Ended

A Prayer Request - 2

Today I have a meeting with the Captain of the jail. It's not necessarily about "getting my job back" but it has more to do with figuring out what happened and trying to learn from that. He was kind enough to set a meeting with me to discuss what happened and what I need to do for the future. Obviously I still miss that line of work and would like to be there again, but this is just the beginning of trying to figure out what went so wrong.

I ask that you pray that God reveals His will for my life in the meeting today. I'd love to know what direction to head in. If it's with the bank, I need help in enjoying my job. If there's something I can do with law enforcement, I would like to feel confident in that. And, if God has another plan for my life, pray that He reveals it to me. I want to do God's will. I want to live a life that is pleasing to Him. However I can do that best with my career, I need God's help in knowing where that is.

For now, enjoy this Psalm sent to me by a friend. It fits with the Romans study and is an old testament look at God's character with similar wickedness. God never changes.

Psalm 73
BOOK THREE
God Is My Strength and Portion Forever
A Psalm of Asaph.
1Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
7Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.
11And they say, "How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
12Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
15If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
16But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
18Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.
23Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.

On The 3rd Day of Star Wars

The 3rd Day of Star Wars brings us our first video series. It's a 3 part series, starting at 3 in the afternoon. This is full of great Light Saber effects and a funny story line. ATTENTION: There is some foul language in this series. Viewer discretion is advised. Three in the Afternoon Six in the Morning – Part 1 Six in the Morning – Part 2

God's Righteous Judgment - Part 2

Today's passage is a little toned down from yesterday. Romans 2:6-11 begins by telling us God will "render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury." I first thought "seek for glory and honor and immortality" sounded a little like searching for self gratifying things. But after reading further and seeing that self-seeking people are going to receive wrath and fury, I looked harder at what it meant to seek glory and honor and immortality. It is so important to put the whole thing into perspective with the rest of God's Word and the context of the passage. First, we know that salvation is not by works but by faith and the grace of God's calling. So, those who are believers by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality. The only true glory and honor is Heaven in the presence of God for eternity as immortals. We must seek that out. Otherwise, we would live as unbelievers, self-seeking and not obeying the truth. And from that comes wrath and fury...Hell.

Verse 9 "There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil..." Verse 10 "but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good."

God is great and judges without partiality. He is our great God and Creator. Honor Him with your life.

Praise God for His Word.

On The 2nd Day of Star Wars

The combination of things I love in this video is great. I don't want to ruin this video but I've called this the "nectar of life" for a long time. And now I find out it's the Essence of the Force. Nice. Essence of the Force

God's Righteous Judgment - Part 1

So far Romans has been a wake-up call. Today it get plain scary. Chapter 2 starts by telling us that we have no excuse for our sin. We pass judgment on others when we are involved in the same sins. If we think back to the list from my last entry on God's Wrath, we all fall into sins listed in Romans 1:28-31. And we all pass judgment on someone else and that/those persons' sin. If it seemed as though I was passing judgment on homosexuals in the past few blog entries, although homosexuality is a sin and is wrong, it is no worse than the sin I commit. In the same passages about dishonest passions and homosexuality, comes the list of things Paul said are decreed by God to lead to death. "They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless." Envy, deceit, gossip, slander, haughty, boastful, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. There's a list of sins proving I'm deserving of death, yet I pass judgment on others and their sin.

That's why I said chapter 2 is "plain scary." Verses 3-4 says, "Do you suppose, O man - you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself - that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" I think far too many "Christians" presume on the riches of God's kindness, forbearance, and patience. I think too often we use the, "my sins are forgiven" card and allow ourselves to continue in sin. WE WHO LIVE WITH HARD, IMPENITENT HEARTS STORE UP WRATH FOR OURSELVES ON THE DAY OF WRATH, WHEN GOD'S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT WILL BE REVEALED. That's a paraphrase of verse 5, but it's a wake up call to think that I sin, but pass judgment on others and their sin, to make myself look as though I'm better. If we are not broken over our own sin, we are probably not saved. If we remain in a life of sin, we are probably not saved. And without brokenness, without turning from sin, we are storing up wrath and on that day of judgment where We will hear, "depart from me, I never knew you." STOP living a lie. Turn from all your sin and lean on God. Realize God's patience and kindness is given for a time, to lead you to repentance. God's judgment will fall on those who do not turn from their own sin, but instead, sit back in judgment of others.

Praise God for His Patience and Kindness.

On The 1st Day of Star Wars

We start with the original trailer, which aired in 1977 for the first Star Wars movie, released that year. Star Wars – The Original Trailer (1977)

The 12 Days of Star Wars

Monday begins the 12 Days of Star Wars. Stay tuned as Jimmy the Gun and Tech-Guy-Ted brings you different Star Wars posts each day for the first 12 days of December. To get us ready, enjoy these few clips from Family Guy - Blue Harvest. Here's one more from the show.

Dinner Train Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from the Sacramento Dinner Train.

Before you book your trip, talk to me in private.

Happy Thanksgiving

I should try to write something very spiritual about how we have so much to be thankful for in Christ. But I'm leaving to go on a train ride and spend Thanksgiving with my little family on a Choo-choo (as Caleb would say).

So Happy Thanksgiving.

Dew Christmas Right

Today is Thanksgiving! (actually I wrote this on 11/10/08 but I post dated it for Thanksgiving Day.) This is the official start to the Christmas season. I love Christmas for all the good reasons: Jesus birth is celebrated, family get together with good food, people seem more cheerful, Christmas songs are playing everywhere, and Starbucks has Christmas cups. (I saw the Christmas cups out as early as 11/8/08 too. Maybe I should have posted this then). The Christmas season can also bring out the creativity in people. A mass email sent to me by Melanie Fraser showed one "rednecks" idea for a Christmas Tree. And, while it's too much work for me, and my wife would never allow it anyway, I find this tree to be beautiful and festive. It embodies true creativity and my love for both Christmas and Mountain Dew. So as the Christmas season begins, Dew Christmas right. Celebrate the birth of our Savior and don't sweat the need for gifts. A few Dew's, some wire, and a piece PVC pipe can brighten your home too. To the guy who built this tree, AWESOME. Merry Christmas!

I Keep Saying This

I know I've said this before, but once in a while I read my own blogs to see if I made any sense and I see huge errors. There are a lot of errors in my blog entries. I'm not super smart. It's early. I don't proof read. I just type my thoughts, hit the "post" button, and go.

Please excuse the errors and try to understand the points I'm trying to make. Don't judge my entries based on the grammar, typos, and spelling issues. Be encouraged to study hard, know God, and glorify Him with your life.

Here's a video my dad likes. It's pretty cool. The Names of God.

God's Wrath - Part 5, Conclusion

"And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done." Romans 1:28

And now Romans 1:29-31 gives a list of some of the things a debased mind is involved in. "They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless." I can't really do anything to make this more clear. If you are involved in anything on this list, it's time to really look at your life. And, I'm sure we all are struggling with at least one thing. I remember hearing this passage when I was in high school. It was funny to me that a list with "haters of God," also had "disobedient to parents."

I look at where our society is right now, and it is a scary thing. This list almost defines our society. People live exactly this list. Envy, covetousness, gossip, slander, haters of God, boastful, faithless, heartless, these are all things I see and hear everyday. The whole list is lived by people I come in contact with. Or I'm struggling with it. The last verse of this wrath section says, v32 "Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." All we do is justify each other with approving statements. IF someone wrongs you, you look to others for approval to wrong them back. Instead of forgiveness and love, attributes God requires, we try to get even. We always want what's "fair".

What's fair? Do we really want what's fair? I don't think so. We want what benefits us. Look at Matt 20 and the vineyard grower parable to see how we don't want what's fair but are selfish and want what benefits us. Because "fair" for us would be Hell. We all deserve Hell. Only by God's grace do we receive salvation and Heaven. God gave some over to their debased minds to satisfy His wrath. He can not allow sin into Heaven. He can not even look on sin or allow it in His presence. God is Holy. God is Righteous. God is Perfect. God is the Judge. Guess what's coming in the next verses. God's Righteous Judgment. YIKES!!!!

We will get into the judgment that is coming from God in the next verses but to conclude my "God's Wrath" series, I want to recap in just a few words. God's wrath is real. It is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness of men. All mankind can see the invisible attributes of God in nature. But man rejects that knowledge and creates his own images to worship. God gives some over to that lust and the dishonorable passions. This leads to more sin, shameless acts, unnatural acts, a debased mind. And man continues these sins and gives approval for it to each other. Without God, sin continues and grows. Mankind IS hopeless without God.

Something I've been thinking about through this wrath study, God giving people over to sin sounds like He doesn't love those people and it seems to go against the grace of God. On the contrary, God's grace is realized by understanding the level of depravity that is in all mankind. Without God, when men are given over to sin, we see that they do not make better choices without God. Mankind sinks further into disgusting horrible sin without God. Look at that list. So much filth and evilness is a result of man's desire to do things without God. Our society slips further and further away from God and true righteousness. The battle going here in California over Prop 8 (the right for gays to marry) is just a small example of that. San Francisco tried to pass a bill to legalize prostitution. Marijuana is practically legal these days. Our society is slipping further away from God's demand for righteousness.

Without God's grace we can not avoid sin. We so often think we can do things on our own, but look at what our society is becoming. And this country started with a strong Christian belief. How quickly man's sin has turned this country so horribly wrong. We Christians need to be working so much harder in our lives to stand out as lights in this dark world. All to often we blend right in. Do your co-workers know you are saved? Do they want the joy you have that only God's grace provides? Can they see you are complete because you are living your life to glorify the true and living God? I'm afraid it's a big NO for me. We must make that our life's goal. We are the method God uses to spread the gospel. Only God can save, but we are His messengers of hope.

Praise God for He is Holy, Righteous, Perfect, Grace.
Praise God for the Perfect Hope we have in Him.

God's Wrath - Part 4

Sin would literally destroy the world without common grace from God. But God's wrath must be satisfied too. And God does give people over to the desires of their hearts and the sins that really do consume them. As we suppress the truth of God and worship things created instead of the Creator, God wrath is released on the unrighteousness of man, as He gives some over to their "dishonorable passions." Romans 1:26-27 begins to tell us of where sin takes people who turn from God's grace. "...Women exchange natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for on another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."

Sex is the next best thing to God. And when sex doesn't fill the emptiness in a persons life that only God can, they continue to seek it out. Some are given over to the lust and passions, and seek for that satisfaction in homosexual relationships. God is NOT okay with this. HE is what should be sought out to fill any void in our lives. John Piper talks to this in this video; not to the homosexual part, but He tells us that God is greater than sex.

This was a video I saw on Reckless Raging Fury. Thanks Jarrett.

I can only speculate that when it says, "and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error," Paul was referring to STDs and other illnesses. God's wrath must be satisfied when we sin. So, those that do not repent are given over to that sin. Ultimately, they will pay an eternal price for denying God.

But God is love too. And God provided a way of escape from sins eternal penalty. Jesus' death on the cross provided that way. We can all turn from our sin and live in the grace God gives. Even those who are given over to their dishonorable passions can know the grace of God by repenting and turning from their sin.

Praise God for His Grace.

A Prayer Request

I don't really like putting this kind of request up on the WWW, but I feel like it's an important thing that I desperately need God's guidance in. I've been told to re-apply to my old job as a deputy for the county. I would have to go through the field training portion, a 4 month patrol training period. I would have 18 months of probation, putting me at risk of easily being terminated under the flag of "probationary employee." And more importantly I'd be burning the bridge with the bank, at least the bridge with the current bosses. The job also has elements that I am very unsure of. If I was truly a Godly man, leading my family, witnessing to my co-workers and customers, and trusting God with everything, I could probably handle the job and the elements that I didn't enjoy before. But in my weak faith, I'm not sure I would be able to handle the duties of a deputy the way God would have me do them.

Writing this blog might even come up in background again, and it may show weakness rather than the desire to do what God would have me do. That's not my point. I do believe God gave me the skills, intelligence, and common sense to be a cop. But I need the spiritual maturity to do it the way He would have me do it. I want to glorify Him in whatever job I'm in. Whether it's at the bank still, or I pursue the deputy job again, I want to start glorifying God with my life. I want those around me to be positively affected by the light I shine on the truth.

So the request is: I want God's direction in my life and how I can best glorify Him with it. Do I pursue the job with the sheriff's office do I stay at the bank and continue to work through the positions and duties there? And, pray that in everything I glorify God with my life. Pray that sin is absolutely removed from my life, so that I can be used by God every day.

God's Wrath - Part 3

I'm sure this whole section I'm calling "God's Wrath" is something that could be more easily gone through as one quick read through, but that's not how I'm doing it because I want to focus on each of the verses in this section more closely.

Verse 24 of chapter 1 begins with "therefore." It ties the previous verses to the next few. 24-25 tell us because man turned from trust and glorifying God to that of the images resembling man and birds and animals and reptiles, "God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!"

This is the scary part of it for me too. I so often turn from the truth of God and believe I can handle this life and it's problems and situations on my own. Yesterday at church, our pastor talked about this. He said if you think you've got this life handled, you better have the next one figured out too. If God is not the one you have placed on the throne of your life, your not going to be with Him in heaven in the next. If we don't trust Him now, why would be enjoy Him in eternity?

It is time to realize that God is the only one who can answer every question and solve every problem in our lives. God is the only one to be praised. He is the immortal God of glory, the Creator. We should always work to glorify Him. He is our salvation from the sins that disqualify us from heaven. Romans tells us in 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Be through faith we receive the gift of God's Son Jesus, as the sacrifice for sin, so that we may know God and enter into His kingdom. Do not ignore God. Do not worship the created rather than the Creator. Do not long for things of this world, but those of the next. Glorify God with this life so that you may enjoy Him forever in Heaven in the next.

Praise God the Creator.

Star Trek - Trailer #2

Back in January I told you about the Star Trek movie being worked on for May 2009. Now there is a new trailer out for the movie. Looks good.

God's Warth - Part 2

Warth is one of those things that we as humans really have a hard time doing without sinning or without being selfish is some capacity. God, on the other hand has full perfection in His wrath; wrath without sin. God is without sin.

Romans 1:21-23 starts to explain why God's wrath needs to be satisfied and what mankind does or doesn't do that leads to God's just wrath. Again, I'm just going to insert the verse here because I can't say it any better or clearer than it's said in this text. "For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."

When we do not do what we were created to, which is to honor God and praise and glorify Him, we call down His wrath. When we worship man made things, TV, cars, money, beauty, sports, music, possessions, positions, accomplishments, we exchange the glory of the immortal God for things with no value at all. We reject the true and living God and turn to things we consider tangible. What foolish people we are. And it gets worse. God gives us over to the futility of our minds.

Praise God for His Immortal Glory.

God's Wrath - Part 1

We all know the truth. I believe every man knows the truth. Even the ones living in the jungle, far away from our westernized world, they know the truth about God. God's wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and the unrighteousness of men, "who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." The truth is suppress. It doesn't say they don't know the truth. This is Romans 1:18 and verse 19-20 go on to explain this even more.

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. They are without excuse."

God shows Himself in His creation. His eternal power and divine nature are perceived in the things he made. And the scariest part of this is, "They are without excuse." We are without excuse. It is the unrighteousness and the ungodliness that reveals the wrath of the known God. And the more unrighteous, ungodly, sinful our life and life style, the more suppressed that knowledge of God is. I know when I'm not reading the Bible and studying God's word, I become lazy and apathetic in my relationship with God. And as time goes on and I get further and further into my own things, I begin to suppress the knowledge I have. I begin to suppress the knowledge of what God demands from my life as a believer.

God's wrath is not a joke. The end result of it is death eternally in Hell, where pain and suffering are going to be so far beyond what we can even imagine here. And, total separation from God is going to be void of even common grace that everyone experiences here on earth. That alone is going to be a horrible loss. We must work so hard to grow in our knowledge and relationship with God. We must work hard to help others know Him.

Praise God for the Revealing Power of His Creation.

God's Wrath - Intro

I don't really know what keeps happening in the mornings but I can't seem to make time for my devotions. I'm actually really frustrated with myself. And today's passage is too deep and impacting for me to just blow through in 10 minutes of writing.

God's wrath is a scary thing. It's something that most churches aren't talking about. I'd love to have a pastor teach on the next several verses in Romans. Paul opens up a fairly detailed account of some real world sins and struggles we a face or see in our society today. The Romans and the church at Rome were involved in things that we are seeing people fall into today.

Romans 1:18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." God's wrath is real, and it is going to continue to be revealed in the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

Just a question, have you thought about the "rights" of gays in our society? Prop 8 in California is still in the news right now. That was a prop where a "yes" vote would stop gay marriage in CA. Without getting political, because that's not my point in this, from a spiritual stand point, have you thought about what rights gays should have? Should they have rights? Spiritually speaking, they are sinners living in sin. Verse 26 is going to show us that God "gave them up to dishonorable passions." And there are penalties for these acts.

We can not justify sin or begin to accept it. I do believe that God is love as well, (read all about his grace in my Ephesians entries) but God's wrath must be satisfied too. Sin is wrong and the wages for it is death. There is the gift of God, salvation. But without a turning from the sinful life, there is not hope but death eternally in Hell.

Praise God for His Grace and the Gift of Salvation that comes from hearing and believing.

This Guy has Skills

I read about this video a couple of times but never got interested enough to watch it. I finally did and..........WOW! This is amazing vehicle control and maneuvering. This driver can make the car do anything he wants. Enjoy this video.

a Capella Done Right - Star Wars, John Williams Tribute

Okay, here is an a Capella video done right. This is an amazingly good tribute to some of the work of John Williams. And, as the video says at the end, John Williams is the man. So is this kid. The lyrics can be read here, but the video at that link is not nearly as good. Thanks for the link Jarrett.

iPhone App - Handshake

My old phone had the ability to send my contacts' "business cards" to any phone as a text message. Apple missed that feature. Jerks. Now an app on the App Store allows iPhone users to send contacts and pictures directly to other iPhone users, with a program called Handshake. BTW, if you don't have an iPhone, be cool with it. Apple decided to show their political view with $100,000 donation to the "Vote No on Prop 8" campaign in CA. No matter what your feelings are on this issue,why do businesses get into the political opinion game? This is not an issue that promotes their business. Instead, an issue like this could turn some people off to the company. Stay neutral as a company. Do your business. It's better to stay out of things than to voice an opinion that may turn customers off to your products. For the record, I did vote yes. This isn't a business. It's my blog. The ads? They earn me jack. In fact, $3.78 is my earnings since I signed up on September 2, 2007. And I can't cash out until I reach $100. WEAK! I can't even get my favorite cup of Starbucks Coffee for that. I bet Starbucks is a liberal company. Anyone know? I didn't hear of anything they supported that I wouldn't. I thought it was cool they gave free coffee to those how voted. I also think they have a great business plan, and they take good care of their employees. I did apply for a second job there but nothing happened. Not even a call. Jerks. I really am too lazy to have two jobs anyway. I might as well foreclose on my house. I'm $2,000 in the hole every month anyway. Crap. Oh but ahh, Handshake looks good. Seriously. Check it out fellow iPhone users. We can exchange numbers.

Thriller, More Frightening, Still Great

Thiller. Michael Jackson's most frightening song, not to be confused with his most frightening acts or decisions for surgery or life choices. Anyway, it's a classic MJ song. Performed with amazing choreography, dance, costume, and music. And now, one man, a bad singing voice, 64 a capella tracks, and the song is more frightening than ever. And yet, it is still quite amazing and entertaining. I can only imagine if this was done by someone with a good voice. Enjoy. Found on CrunchGear.

Sacramento Auto Show 2008 Recap

My dad and I had a good time at the Sacramento Auto Show. It was a great experience driving the vehicles we drove on the test tracks. My dad drove the Toyota Tundra on the 4X4 off-road course, and the Chevy Silverado and Traverse on the coned course. He said he liked the Silverado over the Tundra, and the Traverse was his favorite. I drove the Toyota Tacoma on the off-road course, and the Chevy Impala SS and the Corvette on the coned track. All three were fun. The SS roasted better than the Vette but the Vette handled really well on the course. The Vettes issue was some sort of governor or speed limiter. I even turned off the traction control and gassed with the brake on, hoping to spin the tires more. I took more pictures as the day went on but the upload time took away from the experience so I only sent a third of the pictures. Here is a slide show of the rest. One sad thing about Sacramento's show is the lack of concepts or future vehicles. The LA Show I went to in 2001 was so much better in terms of content; however, the drives more than made up for it. Something else my dad noted; Toyota was the only company with a gift. We received free beanies for our drive on the off-road course.

Sac Auto Show

Nissan GT-R. Sweet car in person.

Sac Auto Show

New F-150

Sac Auto Show

Sac County SO has this. Watch your speed.

Sac Auto Show

Here's the first concept vehicle. The chevy sequel, a fuel cell vehicle.

Sac Auto Show

Behind the wheel of the vette, I felt comfortable and powerful. Then
the speed limiter took that feeling away. Stupid show jerks. I still
loved driving it.

Sac Auto Show

I drove these two. The Vette is awesome.

Sac Auto Show

Next we drove Chevy vehicles. I drove the Impala SS. Actually freaking
sweet.

Sac Auto Show

Here is my dad in a Tundra. I took the course in a Tacoma.

Sac Auto Show

First thing we (my dad and i) did was get behind the wheel of a toyota
and drive a 4x4 course.

Sac Auto Show

Today I will try to live blog the sac auto show with my iPhone.

Righteous Shall Live by Faith

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16 is a familiar verse to many Christians. But it really is a powerful verse that sums up salvation. The gospel, which is Christ's life, death, and resurrection, is the power of God for salvation to those you believe. Believing something that you did not witness with your own eyes takes faith. And verse 17 goes on to tell us "the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith..." which took me a minute to understand. From faith God's righteousness is revealed, giving more faith. From faith comes more faith as we see God's righteousness revealed (I know that's the same sentence worded in different order but it helps me). The verse ends with a reference to Habakkuk 2:4 "The righteous shall live by faith." If we are to be righteous or called righteous, we must place our faith in God.

I think I might have skipped over the first part of this passage too quickly. I just re-read the verse I started this blog with, and I can't help think that sometimes I act and live as though I am ashamed of the gospel. I live to much like the world and not anything like Jesus Christ, my Savior and the ultimate example we have to follow. Too often I suppress my knowledge of God's word and follow the desires of my sinful heart. This is so scary. Being ashamed of the gospel means my faith in the power of God is so weak that I think my human strengths are enough to get me through any situation I face. How foolish. And God, in all His wisdom, continues to prove to me I desperately need Him. He draws me back to Him as his child. I really need to get my faith together. I wanted to say "act together" but it better not be an act. Faith in so important. Knowing God has the power to save and the power to help and the revealing power to make me righteous through faith, is the answer to living a life worth of His calling. By faith I am saved. By God's power I am made righteous.

Praise God for His Power.

Where is Your Ministry?

Romans is an interesting book. I've read through the first few chapters before, and I know what's ahead. Paul drops the hammer on the church and Rome and sin surrounding them. But Paul is really good at first reminding the churches he writes that he loves them and misses them and wants to come see them. Romans 1:8-15 is exactly that. Paul longs to go to Rome but he can't make it because of other ministry things...that or another prison sentence.

He does point out some fundamental things. Paul is ALWAYS praying for the church at Rome, and praying that he can go to Rome to strength them through spiritual gifts and to be encouraged by them. This is one of the reasons God designed churches for believers. We need that encouragement and strengthening through the Word. The life of a Christian is not an easy one. Prayer and accountability, encouragement and continued study of God's Word are important parts of a healthy Christian life. Paul's love for his fellow believers was something we all should have for our Christian brothers and sisters. We should be in prayer for them, longing to impart wisdom and knowledge of God's truth to each other, and helping one another in times of struggle.

God's Word is powerful; Paul's ministry, it was an example of true sacrifice to God. For the first time, that word sacrifice made sense in a different way just now. I think about men who go to war. They purposely place themselves into dangerous situations where life is not comfortable, safe, or easy. They do it for no glory of their own but for their country. How much more discomfort, harm, and difficulty should we as Christians face in this short life for the glory of God. There is a GREAT reward for us; an eternal one. Heaven with the Creator is going to be a reward beyond understanding. John couldn't even describe it in Revelations in a way we could understand. This short life is nothing. We should be sacrificing everything here for God's glory, and gain that great reward later for eternity.

I'm 32. That's the age of Jesus when his ministry was strongest. Where is my ministry? Where are the people I've affected for God? Where is the church I'm longing to go and service as well as be encouraged by? Now is the time, today is the day, to live life to glorify God. I want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I've earned, "Depart from me, I never knew you." That is so scary.

Praise God that His grace is sufficient for me.

Trick or Treating at Obama's House

Thanks Stuart.

Romans, Paul's Long Intro

December of 2005, Lisa and I went on a cruise with some friends. While on the cruise I started a study of the book of Romans. When I got back from the trip I intended to start posting my notes from that study. Here we are almost 2 years later and I haven't done that. I'm not even sure where those notes went. So, I will start fresh today. But first, a few reminders about this blog: It's a journal of my thoughts on something I'm reading, it's a random spilling out of those thoughts that my not always make sense or flow nicely, there are probably spelling and grammar errors because I don't re-proof my work, it's my attempts at understanding what I read better so add your comments.

Romans 1:1-7 starts in a similar why to all of Paul's letters. Paul starts by acknowledging his understanding that he is a servant or bondservant meaning slave to Christ Jesus, as he was called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God. He realized that he was nothing without that calling to salvation through Jesus, which God promised us through His prophets in the Old Testament. And he believed the accuracy of the OT and that Jesus was in fact God because He did come through the line of David as was prophesized, and He did rise from the dead by the power of God. Paul goes on to explain that through Jesus comes the grace and apostleship or membership in His family to go out and spread the news of His grace. All this was done for God's glory. He called us to Himself to belong to Him.

How awesome to be so confident in God's grace. Paul closes the greeting to the church at Rome with his standard, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

So far, Ephesians and now Romans seem to talk about grace in a huge way. I fear that I don't realize the extent of God's grace for me and allow myself to get discouraged in my faith. Instead of feeling unsatisfied with my life due to sin, I need to work harder to realize God's grace is there because I can't earn salvation. I can't earn His favor, but he gives it to me because He loves me.

Praise God for His Grace.

In Case You Missed It - McCain is Funny

Saw this thanks to Tech-Guy-Ted's website, but I figured I might have some different readers. Make sure you watch the whole thing, both parts. This shows a humorous side to John McCain, making it that much easier to do the right think. John first makes fun of himself with such topics as "Joe the Plumber." Then he goes into ripping on Obama, Biden, Oprah, and the Clintons. He continues with making fun of the liberal media, Acorn, and voter fraud. And as the classy person he is, McCain closes with kind words for Obama, both as a great candidate for the democrats and as the first black man in a presidential election in our countries history. Go vote and protect our great country from the not so funny Obama Socialist future we'll face under B.O. Part 1 - McCain Part 2 - McCain Obama's speeches...not funny enough to post. Okay, I'll post them in the hopes that you may see a little bit into his personality. In case you are a democrat, and therefore to emotional and naïve to navigate yourself to his You-Tube clips, here they are. I did like that he mentioned AIG and the $400,000 spent on a Spa trip to St. Regis Resort, even though AIG is taking part in the bailout money. He also makes fun of his name; I guess that's funny too. Anyway, in the pursuit of fairness, here he is. Part 1 - Obama Part 2 - Obama There you go Dan Ray, more politics. Listen to Sean Hannity. I love his show. You'll worry a little about the future of this country under the likes of Obama, but Sean is a Great American and is doing great things with his show. I only wish more people were able to listen to him. That reminds me, Fox News is not available on the low end packages offered by Dish Network. Stinking liberal company. I want my Fox News.

This Is Not Allowed - Training Would Help

Are you kidding me? Here in California, when you go through the police academy, a huge part of EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operations Course) is intersection clearing. If you don't do a good job of it, you can fail EVOC. And if you fail EVOC, like some people did in my class, you fail the academy. (EVOC was my strongest course in the academy. My instructed dropped a "#$%@ yeah!" when I chased the "rabbit car" with speed, control, and safety). And now, our featured presentation from St. Louis. Someone needs to look into better training. And that would be the fire department.

The Lemon Law - For Houses

I want to start by saying, my house was built by Centex. Great layout. Horribly built. Don't buy Centex. Buy property and have my dad build you a house. That's my next plan. The "Lemon Law", from what I know (and that's not much) applies to poorly made or maintained automobiles that are sold to an unsuspecting consumer. I know of a deputy I used to work with who was going to use this law to get rid of his Chrysler 300. And of course that could lead us into a conversation about how poorly build Chryslers are, but that's not where I'm going with this. I've also heard stories of private parties selling cars with major issues and not disclosing them to the buyer. The buyers were able to successfully sue the seller. My house is making me want to look into a "Housing Lemon Law." I bought my house in November of 2004, almost 4 years ago now. I've had so many little issues from pipes breaking to electrical to my water heater going out several times, that I'm ready to blow this place up. The windows are cheap and thin, letting in weather and noise as though they were open. The insulation doesn't stop the upstairs from heating up to temperatures where the A/C runs almost constantly to keep it between 80 and 85 degrees (I personally like 72 to 74). My refrigerator stopped working. I thought there was a problem with the fridge since the ice maker's had issues since we bought it. No. The plug stopped working. So did the plug my computer was plugged into in the dining room. So did the Christmas lights plug on the outside of the house. The downstairs shower only had cold water. The toilets don't flush well, and two of the four have needed new hardware in the tanks to stop leaks. Two bathroom sinks have running faucet issues. You have to know the right angle to turn them off so they don't run with a steady stream of water. Originally, the HVAC unit didn't work. When the technician came out to fix it, he found it was not hooked up correctly and a the circuit board was fried. I saw the blackened board myself. The oven continues stop working. Usually a breaker switch off and on will fix that. The paint on the walls is bad. In the right light, which is hard with the poor lighting the house has, you can see where a lighter coat was applied and where the sheet rock is still almost visible. I'll stop there. I'm sure you get the point. What doesn't help is the $210,000 I'd be short if I sold my house right now. The same model in my neighborhood, one with a pool, just sold for that much less. This is a bad time in the housing market. The bailout and all the housing programs don't really help someone who tried to do things the right way. I fixed my loan rate. I didn't get crazy with the upgrades. And, at the time, we were both making great money. We also planned to sell it in 2006. POP! The bubble burst and we didn't get any interested buyers for the 2 years we had it on the market. So, Centex is a poor quality builder. My house is worth almost half of what I paid. And I'm stuck. Lemon Law? Probably not. Oh well, this venting does help. Oh yeah, the reason I wrote this was my desktop. I moved it from upstairs to down stairs. The network Cat5 in the new room doesn't work. BLAST!!!!!! I had to spend $50 to get a new wireless PCI card so I could connect wirelessly to my home network and the Internet.

New MacBook

10 seconds after touching the new MacBook I already have a problem. My
hand rests on the touch pad, clicking the mouse as I try to type. Lame!