I saw this video on CNN and I challenge ReckNHavic to come up with a better Christmas light display.
I know Reck goes to great lengths to make his Christmas display 'complete', but I don't know if I've seen a better one than this. It seems even better that the one that one of the beer companies used in a commercial.
hattip to CNN's iReport.
Showing posts with label General Comments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General Comments. Show all posts
04 December 2008
23 July 2008
Why Islam?
I just read this article on CNN.com and it got me to thinking. Why not Christianity? I don't have $48000, but that's not a great deal of money for advertising on 1000 subway cars running in New York City for a whole month. A typical billboard can run around $1000 dollars per month. This program is running at $48 per month per ad. That is a steal in any market, but New York!? We are talking a population of 8,000,000 and a Metro population in the 20,000,000 ballpark. Add in millions of visitors and you are talking about a huge audience for $48 per ad. So if the question IS why Islam? The other question should also be, why not Christianity? A personal note to this post is, our family is expecting to be in New York around the times this ad will be running. I don't know if we'll be able to go, but we are trying to make it happen. If I do go, I'll be sure to take some pictures.
13 May 2008
Faith
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)
It's interesting how Satan attacks us right after we have a 'mountaintop experience'. When Elijah was raining fire (really God, through Elijah) on the prophets of Baal, he was experiencing an amazing amount of God's power. Yet, right after that he was running for his life from Jezebel, hiding in a cave. Yesterday, Carmen and I shared for communion at church. I'm not sure how well it went, even though Carmen and I had lots of compliments, but I'll listen to it in the next few days. But I felt really good about how it went. My prayer was that it would be encouraging, and go well with the rest of the service. It actually fit very well with the service. No one told us what to share, but God gives us the direction. Carmen talked about her life up until studying the Bible and becoming a Christian, and I shared about our baptism, and the peace I felt afterward. It was a good experience, and I felt good afterward and in the days leading up to it as I was preparing my thoughts.
But Satan had other plans. Those 'mountaintop experiences' are when he likes to attack. He sees us doing well, and he can't have that. The bottom line is that I had a terrible day today, one of the worst I've had in a long time. It followed a week where I was feeling so in step with the Spirit, and I could see God's blessings right in front of me. God takes care of those who love Him, and I know this. We have had a challenging last 3 or 4 months. We have been in a tough financial situation which has forced me to put school on hold. I have been waiting for a response from the Army as I am planning on going back onto Active Duty. I believe wholeheartedly that this is God's plan for our family, but it is taking too long for my liking. We have continued to get by (barely), but we have received a lot of help. While I have been struggling, God put the ultimate signature on His assistance this week. I was riding high and thinking even though this is a tough situation, God is right here with me. Well, I had a big helping of Satan slapping me in the face today, and it took most of the day to get over it.
But I have to go back to my faith in God. Satan tried to shake my faith, but I know what God's promises are, and God does not disappoint, no matter how much Satan tries to convince us otherwise. I have to go back to the Bible to straighten my head out, and here are some scriptures that usually encourage me in times of trouble.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. " (Ephesians 6:11-18)
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:11-16)
It's interesting how Satan attacks us right after we have a 'mountaintop experience'. When Elijah was raining fire (really God, through Elijah) on the prophets of Baal, he was experiencing an amazing amount of God's power. Yet, right after that he was running for his life from Jezebel, hiding in a cave. Yesterday, Carmen and I shared for communion at church. I'm not sure how well it went, even though Carmen and I had lots of compliments, but I'll listen to it in the next few days. But I felt really good about how it went. My prayer was that it would be encouraging, and go well with the rest of the service. It actually fit very well with the service. No one told us what to share, but God gives us the direction. Carmen talked about her life up until studying the Bible and becoming a Christian, and I shared about our baptism, and the peace I felt afterward. It was a good experience, and I felt good afterward and in the days leading up to it as I was preparing my thoughts.
But Satan had other plans. Those 'mountaintop experiences' are when he likes to attack. He sees us doing well, and he can't have that. The bottom line is that I had a terrible day today, one of the worst I've had in a long time. It followed a week where I was feeling so in step with the Spirit, and I could see God's blessings right in front of me. God takes care of those who love Him, and I know this. We have had a challenging last 3 or 4 months. We have been in a tough financial situation which has forced me to put school on hold. I have been waiting for a response from the Army as I am planning on going back onto Active Duty. I believe wholeheartedly that this is God's plan for our family, but it is taking too long for my liking. We have continued to get by (barely), but we have received a lot of help. While I have been struggling, God put the ultimate signature on His assistance this week. I was riding high and thinking even though this is a tough situation, God is right here with me. Well, I had a big helping of Satan slapping me in the face today, and it took most of the day to get over it.
But I have to go back to my faith in God. Satan tried to shake my faith, but I know what God's promises are, and God does not disappoint, no matter how much Satan tries to convince us otherwise. I have to go back to the Bible to straighten my head out, and here are some scriptures that usually encourage me in times of trouble.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. " (Ephesians 6:11-18)
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:11-16)
03 May 2008
Bumper Stickers
It's been my observation that when someone has 4 or more bumper stickers on their vehicle, there is usually some contradiction going on. On the way home from the park yesterday we saw this, and I just had to post it. It is a Clif Bar pick up truck that runs on BioDiesel. I know this because it proudly says running on BioDiesel all over the truck. It also has a bumper sticker which says 'No Farms No Food.'
Maybe I'm the only one who finds this funny, but running a vehicle on fuel that essentially gets rid of farms and having a bumper sticker that says 'No Farms No Food' is pretty darn humorous. Maybe they only want to take away the farms that fuel their truck. Or, (conspiracy theory here) maybe Clif wants to destroy our regular food supply so that we will have to subsist on nothing but Clif Bars. ;) The only farms left will be used to make their lovely bars. (I'm partial to the Oatmeal Raisin one) Now I understand that they could possibly be running this vehicle simply on waste oil from McDonalds. (Or any other restaurant) However, widespread use of biodiesel would cause further food shortages such as is being seen due to the increase in ethanol usage. It seems like a good idea, until you start having riots in third world countries and you have food and fuel prices skyrocketing here in America.
18 March 2008
St. Patrick's Day
Well I wouldn't be much of an IRISH Rican if I didn't post something for St. Patrick's Day. I just got back from North Carolina late Sunday night (or early Monday morning if you want to be technical about it) and I worked this evening, so I'm a little behind. Anyway, I didn't drink any beer tonight. I usually like to drink a Guinness on St. Patrick's Day. Maybe I'll have one tomorrow. (which is technically later today) Maybe they'll be on sale!
It's funny. I had heard that the snakes thing (The belief that St. Patrick banished all snakes from Ireland) is untrue. To clarify, I checked with the most reliable source at my disposal at this time of night. ;) According to Wikipedia, (which I strangely trust more than I should) Patrick never drove snakes from Ireland as snakes were never on Ireland post-Ice Age. There is a possibility that this belief refers to Patrick banishing the use of snake symbols in Pagan worship on the island however. Anyway, I can't really think of anything else to post on the subject, and I'm really tired. Good Night.
It's funny. I had heard that the snakes thing (The belief that St. Patrick banished all snakes from Ireland) is untrue. To clarify, I checked with the most reliable source at my disposal at this time of night. ;) According to Wikipedia, (which I strangely trust more than I should) Patrick never drove snakes from Ireland as snakes were never on Ireland post-Ice Age. There is a possibility that this belief refers to Patrick banishing the use of snake symbols in Pagan worship on the island however. Anyway, I can't really think of anything else to post on the subject, and I'm really tired. Good Night.
Road Trip
Well, I have been out of town for awhile. My mother lives in North Carolina and she fractured her hip about two weeks ago. After a hospital experience that would probably have Glenn Beck saying 'I feel your pain', she came home and is healing very well. We went to spend a week there to help with cooking, cleaning and taking mom to the numerous doctors appointments. I hope that we were more of a help than a burden, because sometimes having 4 extra people staying with you is worse than being alone. The kids were good overall, but being stuck without their toys was probably hard. I did really enjoy where they lived though. People let their dogs outside, the kids can play outside without supervision and there is no fear of them being kidnapped. It was almost like being flashed back to my childhood. The weather was mostly nice this past week and we got some great views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I considered for awhile if it was a place I could live. But I would have to spend more time in Asheville to see. The small town my parents live in is not very ethnically diverse, and that is something that is important for us. Its been a long time since I've gotten the 'watch out, it's a Puerto Rican' look from people, and I'd prefer to keep it that way. (actually many people may say Mexican, though I look nothing like a Mexican)
The trip wasn't bad, with the exception of the gas prices. We didn't hit any traffic except a brief bit in Baton Rouge on the way home, but that was only for about 5 minutes. I didn't get pulled over which is impressive. That makes 4 straight long distance trips without being stopped. The two previous trips I got pulled over each time in West Texas. But in my defense, there is NOTHING in West Texas. I had to push it a little. They've even raised the speed limit to 80 out there. (I've heard at least, maybe Reck can verify this) Well, I hope I won't be making any road trips like that soon, but all in all, it wasn't bad.
The trip wasn't bad, with the exception of the gas prices. We didn't hit any traffic except a brief bit in Baton Rouge on the way home, but that was only for about 5 minutes. I didn't get pulled over which is impressive. That makes 4 straight long distance trips without being stopped. The two previous trips I got pulled over each time in West Texas. But in my defense, there is NOTHING in West Texas. I had to push it a little. They've even raised the speed limit to 80 out there. (I've heard at least, maybe Reck can verify this) Well, I hope I won't be making any road trips like that soon, but all in all, it wasn't bad.
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