The Rant Room

I've moved... again.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

2006-07-07T14:21:00.000-05:00

Update NOW!

2005-09-18T01:56:00.000-05:00

Here's the link to my new blog: http://josh.xnamedia.com Don't forget to update your links and bookmarks!... because I probably won't be updating this too much. I was going to design my own template before releasing the new site to the public; but I'm not going to have time for that anytime in the near future. So, I'll just go with what I have.

Jumping on the WordPress train.

2005-09-15T12:32:00.000-05:00

Soon my Blogger days will come an end. MattRat has switched over, and I will soon follow suit. I already have my site setup. (You can probably figure out what it is.) But, I want to take a little while to learn it a little better. Blogger has been good to me; but all good things must come to an end... to make room for better things. I will still keep this site; just so nobody takes it over. So be prepared to update your links and bookmarks in the next couple of weeks.

Tools for nOObs.

2005-09-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

Maybe you don't possess the knowledge or finesse to make your blog look good. That's okay. Actually, I don't even know a whole lot about web-design... just enough to get by. Anyway, here are a few links to sites that have some decent blog templates and can help you out. Blogger-Templates Template Generator Firdamatic Beccary Now take what you've learned and CHANGE YOUR BLOG!

A new Henagan.

2005-09-14T13:12:00.000-05:00

Casey and Stacy had their new baby boy yesterday. His name is Harrison Lee Henagan. We haven't seen him yet. But I hear he weighs around 7-pounds.

Home Sweet Home.

2005-09-13T12:54:00.000-05:00

My iMac is finally home. After a week of working on my 12" iBook, I'm finally back to the 20-inches of iMac bliss! All I can say is... WooHoo!

The Boneyard.

2005-09-13T01:15:00.000-05:00

For some reason, I've always wanted to go Tuscon, AZ and vist "The Boneyard". The place where aircraft meet their doom. I don't know why. I suppose it's because of all the history that resides there. I've always loved aviation history. I've grown up around aircraft, and guess it would just be neat to see where they end their lives. They probably give tours and whatever, but I'd just like to go and wander around. Get inside some of the older aircraft, and think about the people that flew them, flew in them, and maintained them.

A couple of cajuns.

2005-09-11T18:41:00.000-05:00

Today at church, we kicked off our fall semester with a brand new series entitled "Get Into The Game". It works out really well, because college football season just started. And, if you live around here those Hogs are the happening thing. Even though they lost yesterday to a cupcake team at home. It was a good time. We had two new families join us today. Actually, there were probably a lot more new faces than that; but these two new families that I'm talking about just recently moved to Northwest Arkansas. They are from New Orleans, LA. They've been told that they won't be able to move back to they're home for a year. So, they relocated to NWA and we're blessed that they will call Keypoint Church their home church for the next year. When Casey intoduced them to our church, they received a round of applause and we were happy to give the wives a $100 gift certificate each to the local mall. Last week, our tiny little church of around 200 took up nearly $5000 by passing the bucket. Above and beyond our regular tithe (we don't pass the bucket for our normal tithe). I am truly grateful that these two families have chosen to come to Keypoint; so we can have an opportunity to represent Christ in a real and practical way to them. In other news... but kinda on the same note. The State of Arkansas has made homes for over 100,000 people from the Gulf Coast. That's nearly 3% of the population of Arkansas. Texas has accepted nearly 250,000 refugees. I don't know what percentage of their population that is.

Sound advice...

2005-09-11T00:08:00.000-05:00

I had posted a reletively lengthly post about creativity in the church. If you subscribe to my blog and receive my posts via RSS, you got it. But, then I went to Joshua's blog and got some sound advice: "A word of advice. Do not feed the trolls. If you feed the trolls, they will begin to think that their bitterness is deserving of attention. You have better things to do with your time. Carry on, and please, use the internets wisely." So, I deleted it.

Something suspicious in the air...

2005-09-10T20:49:00.000-05:00

There's something wierd with James' blog. All of his posts during his entire time in Iraq have been mysteriously deleted. Now, I don't know if James did the deleting or what. But it is bizzare. The latest post on his blog now is from March, just before he left for Iraq. I hope he's not in trouble. Anyone have any insight to this? (Not an anacoenosis, for those who are paying attention.)

It's just me.

2005-09-10T16:19:00.000-05:00

I'm tired of Jaws already. So, look for another new look by the end of the day. Hey, I gave Jaws his fair shake... he didn't get it done... so he gets whacked. Don't give me any lip.

"JAWS" Edition.

2005-09-10T00:40:00.000-05:00

Yet another new look for my blog. This time I'm just having fun with my "JAWS" Edition of the The Rant Room. Notice my not-so-seamless hand-in-wather background. And my bloody flesh colored hyperlinks. Here's to JAWS... the world's most famous flesh-eating great-white shark.

iMac Update

2005-09-09T12:16:00.000-05:00

My iMac G5 is still at MegaByte Computer Center (should be called "MegaSuck"). Turns out, that the problem is the power supply. It has been ordered and we're just waiting for it come in, so they can install it. I can't stand that place. Their service department needs to have someone that knows how to handle customers; and not let those arrogant jerks do that job. Because they really suck at it. I wish that I could order parts from Apple myself, I'd just do it all myself. Oh well. I just miss my iMac. I am happy to say that I've found another place that services Apple products, and it's closer and the people are friendly. I would've taken it to them in the first place, had I known that they repaired them. Meanwhile, I've been drudging along on my 12" iBook G4. Editing videos on Final Cut Express 2. Now I know why I like FCP better. We did buy Adobe CS2 Premium for the low cost of $399. That was helpful. I installed it yesterday. J'yeah.

Video Headstones?

2005-09-09T01:37:00.000-05:00

Video screens have shown up all over in recent years — cell phones, bathrooms, car head rests, subway cars, even elevators. Next up: a solar-powered video panel embedded in a tombstone that plays a clip reminiscent of "This Is Your Life." Here is the entire story. It's kinda weird but innovative. I think it's a good idea; until I thought about someone hacking into it and replacing it with porn or something.

Mr. Incredible

2005-09-08T00:02:00.000-05:00

The real Mr. Incredible. Good stuff.

TV finish.

2005-09-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Next time you're in your local Electronics retailer, go to the TV section and see if there are any black ones. You'll be hard-pressed to find a simple black television. They are all silver now. Why? Maybe I don't want a silver television. Not that I'm looking to buy a television; but this was just something that I noticed. Remember the days of the wood-veneer finish on TVs? What if we had all of these options in the TV section? It would certainly bring more character to the display section... and I would be curious as to which models would sell better.

Wanted: Movies

2005-09-06T20:51:00.000-05:00

I've never been much a movie "buyer". That is to say that I rent movies and once I've seen them, I more than likely won't ever watch it again. Now then, I do own a few movies... Saving Private Ryan, The Indiana Jones Collection, Bruce Almighty, Brewster's Millions, and Short Circuit. So I was thinking that there are several movies that I would like to own... These are some of the ones that I'd like to own. I know, I know... these aren't very "Christian" movies. But, dog-gone-it, they're good ones! If you're got a problem with it, you're more than welcome to let me know. Will I care? Maybe... maybe not. ***Images from Amazon.com***

Labor Dabor.

2005-09-05T23:21:00.000-05:00

A boring Labor Dabor. For familiar with Homestar Runner, you know what Labor Dabor means. For the rest of you... your loss. I didn't do much of anything today. Played video games, folded underwear, watched television. I really felt like doing something though; but I never got around to it. I got out my Moleskin to write something deep and intellectual in it... but I never got around to it. I think I became involved in "Dirty Jobs" on Discovery Channel. For some reason, I feel the need to write something compelling. I don't know why; and I don't think I'm capable of it right at the moment. I was expecting more people to comment on my crashing Apple story. I was expecting the all the Windows users to say, "See, you use a crappy computer too!". Speaking of that particular crappy computer, I have to take it in tomorrow to get repaired. Hopefully, we'll get it back quick... like in a day. Because I have much work to do. I also hope that they can repair it without messing with my hard drive. I'd hate to lose all my fonts and applications. That's the stuff I DIDN'T backup. I also watched a news special on Wal*Mart today. That was a little wierd. Watching a story on a major network about things that are everyday life to me now. Scenes from the Wal*Mart home office; and how they do things. Interviews with all the "big-whigs"... they all live around here. It was just bizarre... knowing that what they were talking about, the world's largest retailer, was literally right down the street from me. I know that a lot of people don't have a positive image about Wal*Mart, because I was one of them. But living in Northwest Arkansas, and knowing people that work there, has shed a new light on the corporate giant. I've come to understand more about their practices and why they do things that they do. A lot of people complain about them, but they must be doing something right.

"We make companies more efficient. I don't see what's so wrong about that." --- Current Wal*Mart CEO

It doesn't mean anything.

2005-09-05T01:06:00.000-05:00

I've found that even though I have a mouse hooked up to my notebook computer, I still find myself instinctivly using the trackpad.

A first time for everything...

2005-09-04T14:19:00.000-05:00

Mark this day history. An Apple has crashed. That's right folks... my iMac G5 crashed today. Of all days for it to crash... it has to crash today, at church. I don't know what the problem is with it. It was working fine last night and this morning before church. But when I got it all setup and ready to boot-up... I hit the power button... and nothing. This little light flashed... but that's it. No patented "duhhhhh" sound. No little Apple logo on my display. Nothing. Nada. Nyet. Nein. A few days ago, I was playing MOH and it just shutoff... I mean completely shutoff. No errors or anything. Just gone. So, I think that might have had something to do with it. Possibly an overheating problem that could've fried something over the course of 2 or 3 days. After that incident, I was smart enough to back up all my stuff to my external hard drive. Today's service was stressful to say the least. Right off the bat, the guy that generally helps me run our video presentation drops off all the Powerpoint files, and tells me that he can't stay. Great! This sucks because I really needed him to be there today... because I had to shoot some footage during Casey's message. Then, at 8:30AM, we figured out that my iMac has crashed. Outstanding! If only a truss would fall on my head... then this morning would be complete. So anyway, I had to run home and grab my external hard drive; and bring it back to load all the videos for the day. At the end of the day, everything went smoothly. I'm pretty sure nobody knew that I was feeling the need to vomit, because of my stress level. This is what we do though... we adjust... we flow. We make it happen. Today, God was in control.

I must decrease, so that He can increase.

Civil Air Patrol - Part II

2005-09-03T01:36:00.000-05:00

A little more about Civil Air Patrol. It has three missions: 1) Aerospace Education 2) Emergency Services 3) Cadet Programs. My gig for my 11 year stint was Emergency Services. I was a cadet. I joined when I was 12 years old, took my oath, and put on my uniform as a Cadet Basic. The lowest form of a cadet. At this level, you can liken yourself to that of a person in basic training. You have to learn everything... how to march, how to dress, how to speak, how to act, the list goes on and on. And people are yelling at you contantly. I had the privledge of my Flight Commander being a burly girl named Denise Jones. Sgt. Jones was not a fun person to be around. She was, in fact, mean. She was also very large... not in a fat way... but more muscular. I have seen her lift a 220 lbs man. And, my 1st Sgt. was Chris Vournazos. The loudest, most arrogant teenager, you'd ever heard. After several years as a cadet, I would eventually become very good friends with Denise and Chris; and would still trust them to save my life today. In CAP, as a cadet, you are able to get promoted by taking Leadership tests, Aerospace tests, and Physical Fitness tests. Each rank has specific requirements. I made it Airman 1st Class (2 stripes) without too much problem. Then, I stopped for about 2 years. I don't know why... I just did. During this time I became very proficient in Emergency Services (ES). I mean, I was good. Especially with the L-Per... a device used for locating ELTs (Emergency Locating Transmitter), which are activated when an aircraft crashes. My finesse with the L-Per earned me respect among higher ranking cadets. At some point, I decided to become a Sergeant (3-stripes), and that's where the fun begins. Once I got the rank of Sgt., I became Flight Commander. I believe at the time, Chris was our Cadet Commander. Being Flight Commander, I was essentially a Drill Instructor. I had my first taste of power. Which is probably why I joined CAP to begin with... because that's what I thought the military was; and I wanted to join the military someday. So I ate this stuff up! After being Flight Commander for a period of time and being promoted to TSgt. (5-stripes)... I was given the position of First Sergeant. For those that don't know what the First Sergeant is... he/she is the link between the lower ranking cadets and the officers. I was the Cadet Commander's right-hand guy. To the lower ranking cadets... I was the most feared and respected cadet that they knew. The 1st Sgt traditionally has a "diamond" in his rank insignia... and believe me, everyone knows what that diamond means. The 1st Sgt is responsible for maintaining order, discipline, training, customs & courtesies, leadership, drill & ceremonies, all within the cadet section of the squadron. He's a pretty important guy. This position was made for me. I remained the First Sergeant of Squadron 702 for 3 changes of Cadet Commander. I even had more time in CAP than two of my Cadet Commanders. I always wanted to remain an NCO. I never wanted to be an officer. In fact, I never even went to Encampment (a required school to be an officer in CAP) because of that reason. I truly enjoyed being the First Sergeant, and most people that were in with me remember me as the First Sergeant. I remained First Sergeant with the rank of Master Sergeant (6-stripes, the highest ranking NCO at the time) until I had to give it up to become Cadet Commander. I don't remember who took the position of First Sergeant under me... but I remember, very vividly, handing over my diamond. I don't know where my life would be if Civil Air Patrol wasn't a part of it. I wouldn't have met the people I did. I wouldn't have the memories that I have. I probably wouldn't even be on the path that I am right now. I owe allot to CAP... I hope to repay it someday.

Civil Air Patrol - Part I

2005-09-02T02:13:00.000-05:00

This is something that some of my readers may not know. When I was twelve years old. I joined an organization called Civil Air Patrol. It is the official Auxiliary of the United States Air Force. You might say, "Isn't that like the boy scouts?"... NO! It's nothing like the Boy Scouts. The best way I can describe C.A.P. is like this... Take a volunteer fire department, the Boy Scouts, and the Air Force; wrap them all into one... and you've got C.A.P. This was a big part of my life for my years... 11 years to be exact. I was extremely involved in it. I believe that is was very fundamental in molding me into what I am today. In fact, I met two of my best friends in CAP. Joel and Chris. CAP taught me discipline, leadership, teamwork, dedication, responsibility, and management. As well as gave me some hands-on experience at flying. Not many people know about CAP; I wish that were different... because it's one of the best organizations in the world. I will continue this series of posts on Civil Air Patrol; and hope to educate you on a big piece of my personal history. I'll try to dig up some old pictures and post them. Maybe, if Joel has some he can email them to me. One of CAPs functions is disaster relief. You can check out how CAP is helping out in the wake of Hurricane Katrina... HERE.

Hurricane Katrina

2005-08-31T23:04:00.000-05:00

We've all seen the news reports, video footage, and photography. So I will spare you that. Hurrican Katrina has devastated the gulf coast. I cannot begin to know what those people are feeling at this point in time. I cannot imagine the feeling of knowing that one of the most powerful hurricanes in our nation's history is heading for my front door. It's hard for me to think about what those people are dealing with. The flood waters completely devastating their homes and possessions. This is definitely a bad one. Possibly the worst that I've seen. It was definitely the biggest hurricane I've ever seen. I mean, that thing covered the entire Gulf. The physical damage is bad... but not near as bad as the emotional damage. Citizens of the most powerful nation in the world have become refugees. When we think of refugees, we normally think of Haiti or Cuba... people from poor countries... definitely not the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. It's a terrible tragedy. One that has even effected us in Northwest Arkansas. Citizens from New Orleans have even traveled all the way up here to seek shelter. If I were one of them; I probably wouldn't go back. I mean, there's really nothing to go back to. But I don't know for sure... I'm not in their shoes... I don't feel what they are feeling. This one has effected even our church... with Casey and Stacy's family living in Baton Rouge, LA (just 45 minutes away from New Orleans); they still don't have power. Also many members of our church have family that live near New Orleans and the Gulf coast. I've already read some reports and people are already turning this into a "political thing". Come on people... a hurricane has destroyed parts of three states! It's nobody's fault... there's no need to point fingers. We did the best we could... now we have to deal with it. So quit trying to stir up "stuff"; and put your work gloves on and help out. All we can do is pray that lives will be saved, workers will be protected, and that somehow God will get the glory out of this situation.

A good thing gone bad.

2005-08-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

As some of (or all of you) may know, we had started up our own company called XNA Media. We had planned on specializing in graphic design and vinyl banners. Mainly providing services to churches and church plants. We were able to provide vinyl banners because we had a great connection with a billboard-size banner printer; that was using us as their experimental company to test whether they should step into smaller banner printing as well. Unfortunately, they've decided that it wasn't working out. Our "small" banners were slowing down their production. So, they won't be printing anything for us that is less than 50 square-feet. Which doesn't really fit the market we were trying to reach. We were able to help a couple new church plants with their vinyl banner needs; but we just can't do it anymore. I don't harness any hard feelings toward the printing company at all... I completely understand their point of view. So, that side of the business is pretty much done... unless there is a need for a banner of great girth... which we will be happy to have printed for you at $5.00 per sq.ft. That's pretty cheap... check around. We will still continue to provide graphic and web design services. But, there are a lot of designers out there; and a lot of competition. And, as of yet, we haven't had any clients in that area. Our "bread and butter" is gone. It's a sad day. What does all this mean for me? Well, I'll probably need to find a job. Or at least some extra freelance stuff to bring in some cash. Sabrina wants me to get a job... so, I'll probably get one. She seems to think that I'm "supposed" to work at Saatchi-X. We'll see about that. I haven't heard from the guy that attended our church... and I didn't see him this past Sunday. I have a meeting on Wednesday with a lady in our church that designs clothing; she has a project that she wants me to work on. That will be something different. I also might check in with another guy in our church that has inquired if I was looking for some work. Indeed, I will.

S-Video cables are an expensive demon...

2005-08-29T00:31:00.000-05:00

Another Sunday come and gone. Before service started, a whole line of problems were running around. First, MattRat dropped the trusses off Casey's truck and bent the crap out of one of the legs. I think he might have done some minor damage to the truck as well. I didn't think that this was too big of a deal... but when I looked at the truss a little later, I saw that the leg had somehow been cut. Secondly, one of the 100' S-Video cables. This was bad, because we didn't have any extras. Luckily, I pulled out one of the "bad" cables and it was just displaying in B/W... and that generally means that it just a bad pin. I checked all the pins... none were bent. So, I pulled back the sheath, and one of the solderings on one of the pins had broke. That's a quick and easy fix. MattRat did the soldering, and we were good to go. Sooooooooo...... with all the S-Video cable breakage. That affords us the opportunity to buy these new S-Vid-to-Cat5 converters. You can download the specs here. Also, we're trying out Basecamp. Trying to get organized... a little project management never hurt anyone. I like it so far. We'll see how it works out though.

A good day.

2005-08-28T00:38:00.000-05:00

Relax. That was the word of the day. Sabrina and I were able to sleep in together for this first time in over a month... and it was good. We didn't have anything pressing to do today. Just chill. I was originally supposed to get up and go to Fayetteville this morning for the final townsquare prayer walk that our church has been doing. But, Casey gave me the day off. Maybe he felt bad for making me drive most of the day on Friday. Either way... I took it. Sabrina planned out our meals for the rest of the week, then went to the grocery store. I played some video games. When she returned, we watched television, did a little bit of laundry, and ate some dinner. I went to the movie store and got a movie... we had a free rental. We watched "Flight of the Phoenix". Not a great movie. We were trying to figure out what other movies "Elliot" played in. Well, we have church tomorrow. I gotta get SOME sleep.

Exit... Stage left.

2005-08-26T02:23:00.000-05:00

Back to the less-controversial blog entries. So, I have found the magical splendor of Backpack. I'm running my beta-testing of it now to see if we should maybe implement it for our staff at Keypoint. I like the idea of having all the files of the project right there... but I'm not so sure that it's worth a monthly fee. Does anyone else use this? What are your thoughts and experiences with it? Off to Conway. Tomorrow, well today, I'm off to Conway, AR to pick up some mailers we had printed. So we can take them on Monday to the distribution center in Fayetteville. Why didn't we just have them shipped, you ask? Well, because there is 32,000 of them. I have to say, I'm not real happy about being chosen to do this task. I have plenty of things to do... such as videos and stuff. Besides, it tends to upset me when I'm only given 1 days notice that I'll be wasting away the better part of a day. I don't like being expected to just drop my plans to come to the rescue! But... I'm coming under the authority of my pastor; and sometimes we have to do things that we don't like to do, simply to take the load off our pastor's back. Tears of the Sun. I was able to watch "Tears of the Sun" today. That's a nice part of being at home all day... I occasionally get to watch TV. Anyway, I had never seen it. And I remembered that when it first came out, I wanted to see; but never got around to it. I eventually forgot that I wanted to see it; which probably happens to a lot of movies that I want to see. At any rate, it was a pretty good movie. Bruce Willis plays a Special-Ops commander who leads his team into the jungle of Nigeria to rescue a doctor played by Monica Belluci who will only go with them if they agree to rescue 70 refugees too. Oh yeah... I'm envious of Josh; because he was able to go see a Cirque de Solei production. They are quite interesting... but very cool! I highly recommend that you check it out if you have the opportunity!

Dear Mr. Robertson...

2005-08-25T01:49:00.000-05:00

I checked on Fox News after Pat Robertson made his "comments". Now then, let me first say that Mr. Robertson has since apologized for his comments. I was amazed at how many people (primarily women) that posted on Fox News' site that promoted Mr. Robertson's comments. All I have to say is...

Philippians 2 Imitating Christ's Humility 1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Problem solved.

2005-08-24T16:50:00.000-05:00

I took care of the problem with my comments page. Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

God vs. Science? - Part 2

2005-08-24T15:41:00.000-05:00

I'm not very good at putting my feeling into words; so that thing about letting the teachers teach whatever they want came across a little wrong. I was trying to convey that no matter what the teachers are teaching at school; I'm going to teach my children (when they come) what I believe to be the truth. Of course, we each have to make decisions on our own and form our own opinion of what we determine "truth" to be. This, I think, is the fundamental arguement that keeps this whole evolution vs. creationism this going. The scientists say that "Intelligent Design" is just a Creationism in disguise. And, Creationism is nothing more than religion. It is faith-based. It's my opinion that everything is "faith-based". It takes just as much faith to believe that we came from monkeys as it does to believe that there is a power bigger than ourselves that created us. I've always said that all it takes to become a "scientific fact" is have somebody else agree with your theory. I'm not saying that all science is like this. I believe that God gifted us with the intelligence to make scientific breakthroughs in medicine and so on. But, I think that some forms of science simply exist to prove the human race is "the higher power"... that we are God. Also, I don't understand why Christians feel that we must argue with evolutionsist over this matter. Do we think that if we can somehow "win" this arguement that we have furthered the cause of Heaven? Maybe if I argue with someone until I'm blue in the face, they'll see that God loves them unconditionally? No. Not quite.

God vs. Science?

2005-08-24T02:31:00.000-05:00

It's 2:30AM and I was getting ready to go to bed; when I happened to flip on Larry King Live. They were "discussing" God vs. Science. More specifically, they were discussing Intelligent Design, and whether or not it should be taught in schools. Subjects like this will most definitely keep me awake. I suppose that I will first say that I am, in no way, an expert on this subject. Nor would I even consider myself educated on the matter. But, I certainly have my opinions... as crude as they may be. I think that politics should take a hike. Stay out of it. I think that the conservatives and liberals should find something useful to do. It seems to me that all we've done for the last several years, involving this issue, is argue agendas. There's been nothing solved; and I don't think it will ever get any different. I truthfully don't believe that Jesus would've sat around and argued with the government or whomever. He would've said His piece, moved on and loved them anyway. I think that Christians are wrong for sitting around and arguing with these people. I think that we could so easily use that time to show God's love, rather than making complete fools of ourselves and our God. Should evolution and intelligent design be taught in schools? I think that the teachers should be able to teach whatever they feel like teaching. Because... more than likely, the children are going to be "taught", for lack of a better term, by their parents. What I'm saying is, that we get our "base" for religion and what we believe from our parents. Sadly, today's parents are sending some confusing messsages to their children. Well... I digress for now. I just heard some crazy news that Pat Robertson said that we (the United States) should assassinate the President of Venezeula. C'mon!!! What kind of God does that portray? What is wrong with people.

Good show.

2005-08-23T00:07:00.000-05:00

foceat copy
Originally uploaded by Drummerchick.

I like to give credit when it's due. This is a great picture! Good job!

I feel special.

2005-08-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

Today's service was pretty good. No problems, which makes a good service. After service, something very special happened. I was getting read to start tearing-down, when Casey called me over to meet someone. The person that he introduced me to, whose name is Shawn, just happened to be the Creative Director for Saatchi & Saatchi X in Springdale. If you don't know what that is... let me just say that it's part of the Publicis Group (the 4th largest marketing firm in the world). So, I was a bit taken back that this guy was at our church. Then, to hear him tell me that he really like MY work was an unbelievable feeling. He told me 3 or 4 times that he liked my stuff. You can get a brief rundown of Saatchi & Saatchi X here. I'm not sure if today was his first time at Keypoint or not; but he did bring his family... so that's cool. He asked me if I was looking for work; and told me that he'd like me to come down to their ultra-cool offices and meet some people. I mean, you can't possibly understand what this would mean! These are the big playas! They do ads for Toyota, Coca-Cola, and many others. An opportunity like this is awesome. It's times like this that are confusing. No matter how great of an opportunity this might be... my first priority is the church. Honestly, I'd like just go and sit in their offices and learn stuff. Soak it all in. Anyway, that was just some real exciting news for me, and I thought I would share it. We'll see what comes of it. More than anything, I'm glad they came to Keypoint and I hope that I can get to know Shawn better and learn from him.

Poll: Is it my blog or is it Joel's computer?

2005-08-20T10:50:00.000-05:00

Joel seems to think that my blog is messed up. He says that the header is aligned left, and that some of the border doesn't line up correctly. He is viewing it in Internet Explorer. Now then, every computer I've ever viewed my blog on shows it correctly, without flaw. I've viewed it in Internet Explorer (Windows and Mac), Firefox, and Safari. If you would... please comment and tell me: 1) If my blog has any alignment issues. 2) What browser and operating system you are using. 3) Whether or not you think it's Joel's problem, not my blog. **Update** It has been discovered that the problem Joel was talking about was in the comments section of my blog. I already knew that problem existed; but haven't been able to locate the source of this problem in order to fix it.

Yet another redesign.

2005-08-20T01:47:00.000-05:00

Okay okay... so I get bored with my blog design. Yes. I've redesigned my blog again. Well, it's not so much a "redesign"... but moreso a changing of colors, backgrounds, and headers. If I had million dollars for everytime I changed my blog around... I'd be a multi-millionaire. Also, here's a wallpaper that I did last night. Let me know what you think... feedback is good.

In memory...

2005-08-19T19:58:00.000-05:00

In memory of the fallen soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, Lima Company. I feel that we too easily forget what war means. I get so sick of the anti-war people. You know what, throw your agenda aside for one second and remember the soldiers that are risking life and limb for something bigger than themselves.

"...I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Yours very sincerely and respectfully, - Abraham Lincoln."

Lima Company has had a rough way to go; yet they remain vigilant. Semper Fi.

The feeling of "blah".

2005-08-19T16:03:00.000-05:00

Do you ever get that feeling? The feeling of "blah". Like, you don't feel like doing anything. I have it now. I have plenty of work to do, that I should be doing. But, I just don't feel like doing it. I've been looking around the internet today at different websites... clicking from link to link. Just looking. After awhile, I realized that there is a lot of talented people out there. There's even some very talented Christian people out there. People, whose work, puts mine to shame. I suppose that I should get to work on this weeks videos. It won't take me too long to do them; but still, I need to get them done.

Early morning.

2005-08-17T08:25:00.000-05:00

I had to get up with Sabrina this morning and come to work with her; because Casey and I are doing a video shoot down in Fayetteville this morning. With the exception of Sunday mornings, I'm never up this early. You know how some people are "morning people" and some people aren't? Well, I'm definitely not... unless your talking about 1:00AM... I'm good to go then. Anyway, back to my point... some people are grumpy in the morning. I'm kinda right in between. I'm not in a "bad" mood, and I'm not in a "good" mood. I am, however, very quiet. I say very few words in the morning. I generally respond to questions by grunting or nodding my head. It's almost like a I "evolve" throughout the day... going from the primal grunts of the morning, to muttering words around noon, then conversations as the day progresses. Anyway, I like quotes. I can quote very few of them, except from movies. None the less, I do love quotations... in fact, I have an entire Encyclopedia of them. Here's today's quote.

"A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on." - John F. Kennedy

That helpless feeling.

2005-08-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

I was just reading James' blog when a feeling of utter helplessness came over me. I want to be there, fighting side-by-side with him. Why? Simply because he's my friend; and I want to do what I can to make sure that he comes home safe. When I read about LCpl. Lyons only being able to see his child via webcam, and I thought about the family that he left behind. Not only did tears come to my eyes, but I became sick to my stomach. Never before have I felt such a feeling of respect and honor for the men and women serving in the military. Wartime brings a new meaning to the word "soldier". On kinda the same note... I'm really liking "Over There" on FX. Although it's still Hollywood, it's done really well. And although I can't know for sure, I think it's probably a pretty good representation of how things are... over there.

Too hot to drive...

2005-08-10T23:39:00.000-05:00

Today, I got pulled over for the second time since I've lived in Arkansas. Once again, by the Rogers PD (nazis). No, I wasn't speeding or anything. He pulled me over because the car that I have while Sabrina's at work is a piece of crap. He told me that the brake lights weren't working properly... like they were flickering on and off. He was a nice enough guy... he let me off with a warning. Even though I didn't have the vehicle registration in the car. Now then, allow me to explain my car to you... for those who haven't experienced the "Grand Am". This car sits out in front of my house 95% of the time. Since I do most of my work from home... I very rarely have to leave. But, when I do have to go somewhere... I get the wonderful experience of driving the Grand Am. Here's the situation: The temperature is a steamy 93-degrees outside; and there's not a cloud in the sky. The sun is beating down on you. The power windows on your car are broken... so you can't roll the windows down. The air conditioner is also broken, so the only air circulation you can get is hot air. Combined with the sun, it makes it around 115-degrees in the car. I've decided that I'm not going to drive that car for the rest of the summer. Simply because it's just too hot. I really don't mind driving the car, aside from that. So, I guess if you want me to go somewhere... you're gonna have pick me up.

iTunes

2005-08-09T23:14:00.000-05:00

Have you ever set your iTunes to play random from your library? It seems that when I do that it cycles through about 4 different bands. Even though I have around 220 bands to choose from. And sometimes I even hear the same song twice. My iTunes seems to like Lifehouse, Delirious, Thrive, and Plumb. I think it has a mind of its own.

Desktop personality.

2005-08-08T16:02:00.000-05:00

screencap
Originally uploaded by Josh R..

It's just a theory... but I think your desktop tells a lot about your personality. I change my wallpaper and icons at least once a week, if not more. I like my desktop to be clean. My wife would appreciate if I was like that with the rest of my life. I like all my folder icons to looks the same. I like my dock on the left side. I only use three widgets... Weather, Calendar, and To Do List. I keep my iTunes down in the bottom right hand corner.

But anyway, from looking at someone's desktop... you can tell if they keep their files organized or not. You can generally tell what they like and what their interests are. You can often tell if they are a female or male... young or old.

I'd like to see your desktops... and don't go "spring cleaning" just do a screen capture and post it on your blog or for those that are member of my Flickr Group; you can post it there.

Farewell to 'Los...

2005-08-08T01:37:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry to say that Keypoint Church has suffered its first loss of a staff member. Carlos, who moved here from Baton Rouge, LA; decided to call it quits this week. He moved back to Baton Rouge on Saturday. There wasn't any ill-feelings or anything like that. He just simply felt he needed to head back "home". Of course I have my opinions on this matter; but I will refrain from speaking them on here, at least for now. I liked (still do) Carlos. He's a good person and has a good heart. I wish that he hadn't left yet. But, whatever. To each his own. I think that he just wasn't connecting real well. Which goes to show how important relationships are.

Creativity in heat.

2005-08-05T15:47:00.000-05:00

Okay... that title doesn't sound so good. Oh well. It's been in the upper-90s all week down here in Arkansas; but I'm happy to report a cold front is moving in, and we're supposed to get down to mid/upper-80s this weekend. Along with thunderstorms... yippee! We're about to release the new Keypoint website. MattRat and I have been working furiously to get it done. Mostly MattRat, I just do the graphics. Anywho... I knocked out three (yes... THREE) videos yesterday afternoon. Which allows me the opportunity to blog today. Here's a fun story. My dog. She loves to drink water. Normally, when we give her water; she drinks and continues to drink until every drop of water is gone. Today was no different. Around lunch time, I gave her some water. While I continued to make my ham sandwich, I didn't notice that she had finsihed her water. I also didn't notice that she had belched (well, vomited) all the water that she had just drank onto the kitchen floor. As most of you know... water is transparent. Therefore, it's hard to see when it's on the kitchen floor. Keep in mind, that I'm barefoot. I gathered up my ham sandwich and Coke and started walking to the living room to enjoy an epidode of "StarTrek: The Next Generation" while I ate. Three-steps into my trip, I found my foot immersed in the warm, soupy, transparent liquid that had just made its way from my dog's stomach onto my kitchen floor. Mmmmmmmm... can't wait to eat my ham sandwich now! In conclusion, I cleaned it up... ate my lunch, and caught parts of the StarTrek episode.

The life of a designer...

2005-08-02T23:58:00.000-05:00

MattRat sent me this a few days ago... and it is so true.

Back from Branson.

2005-08-01T23:17:00.000-05:00

We are indeed back from Branson. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. It's pretty spread out; everything isn't in one section like Gatlinburg. (I can't stand Gatlinburg, TN.) We had a pretty decent time while we were there. The weather was outstanding... couldn't have asked for a better day. We got to "Ride The Ducks", that was pretty cool. There's some pretty neat history behind these old military vehicles. We also went to the "Dixie Stampede". Now, I'm not much a "show person"... I generally don't get enjoyment out of these type of things. It's not that I dislike the entertainment... it's just that my attention span is very short. And the seating arrangements are not made for people of my size. However, I'll say that the "Stampede" wasn't that bad. In the boring parts, I could at least eat or sip on some coffee. They raced some pigs and ostriches (No. Not at the same time.)... you can't find entertainment like that everywhere. And, we all got souvenir "boot" cups.

Headin' to Branson...

2005-07-30T00:58:00.000-05:00

Sabrina and I are heading to Branson a little later this morning. I suppose that we should get some sleep. Sabrina is still up. We went to dinner with Carlos this evening after we helped a single mom in our church move. (That's a whole blog entry on its own.) Carlos is still at our house... we're watching some movie on TNT. I'm not sure what to expect from Branson. I've heard that there isn't much there unless your into shopping. It's about a 2 hour drive up there. I think we're planning on leaving around 9:00AM. We'll hang out with Dad & Rita most of the day and go to the Dixie Stampede around 7:00PM... afterward, we'll head back home. I'll blog about my Branson experience later.

Wi-Fi

2005-07-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

So, Sabrina decided that she wanted to finally allow us to get a wireless router for the house. It's nice to be able to be able to capture video on my iMac and blog using my iBook. Like I'm doing now. We went to Bentonville's town square and shot some footage for a promo video for this weekend. I have to get all my stuff done tonight and tomorrow; because Sabrina and I are headed to Branson on Saturday to meet Dad and Rita for the day. We have plans to go the Dixie Stampede... should be interesting.

Happy Birthday to Me...

2005-07-27T23:00:00.000-05:00

So, tomorrow is my birthday. I'll be 27. I honestly forgot how old I was going to be. After you hit 25, there's really no point in keeping track. My lovely wife was cool and got me a gift certificate to "Game Crazy". I love my wife. Casey, MattRat, and I are going to eat lunch after we shoot some footage for a promo video. Happy Birthday to me!

For the pleasure of your desktop...

2005-07-26T12:57:00.000-05:00

So, I'm trying to branch out a little in my design style. I think these came out pretty well. They are also shameless advertising for our business.

Who wouldn't fall for such a clever trick?

2005-07-25T15:46:00.000-05:00

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian couple stole 50,000 euros from a woman in the Sicilian city of Palermo after convincing her they were vampires who would impregnate her with the son of the Anti-Christ if she did not pay them.

My disease.

2005-07-24T00:11:00.000-05:00

Here I am. Another session of my Saturday night insomnia. I don't know what it is about Saturday nights. Maybe it's the fact that I slept in today until 11:00am, or maybe I'm just always nervous about Sunday morning services. All I know is that everytime that I know I have to get up early in the morning... I can't sleep the night before. Oh well, I suppose that's what coffee is for... and the occasional energy drink. (Red Bull is now my favorite, but you can't beat the 16oz. cans of Rockstar.) Today. I bought Full Spectrum Warrior for PS2 at the low cost of $19.99 and I also reserved my copy of SOCOM III. The release date for SOCOM is September 13th. It's gonna be sweet. Yes, I'm a video game nerd. But my eye-hand coordination is ruthless. Just ask those who know me by "Papageorgio". It also rained like a "mutha" here today. When I returned home from my game-purchasing expedition... I was soaked. I had to change my clothes. MattRatt returned home from Florida today. Good to have him back. Alright, I think that's enough ranting for today.

Not quite the OK Corral...

2005-07-23T12:33:00.000-05:00

In an early-morning shootout on June 4 in the Homewood housing complex in Pittsburgh, two undercover officers and suspect Keith Carter, 19, exchanged a total of at least 103 gunshots and missed every single time. (On the other hand, in March, Regina Jones-Peoples, 30, of Warren, Ohio, survived 18 gunshots, from her neck to her legs, allegedly by her estranged husband, Marcus Jones, 29, on whom police issued an arrest warrant.) [Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 6-5-05] [Tribune Chronicle (Warren, Ohio), 3-26-05]

They raise'em to be tough up there in Warren, OH.

ANC video.

2005-07-22T15:49:00.000-05:00

So, I got an email yesterday (Thursday) that I needed to have four video announcements done for this coming Sunday. Well, since I was in a pinch... THIS is what I came with. It's not exactly Speilberg material... but tell me what you think.

Digital Creatives.

2005-07-21T18:31:00.000-05:00

I created a group on Flickr called Digital Creatives.. I don't know if it will take off or not. But I wanted to make a place that us church nerds could come together and share ideas and artwork. I suppose that our blogs serve this purpose for a few... but hopefully, we'll get a larger group using flickr.

"Peace out." - Kip

Mystery of the Missing Gnomes.

2005-07-21T12:52:00.000-05:00

(Greeley, Colo. -WABC, July 19, 2005) — The mystery of the missing garden gnomes could be harder to solve than police thought. They found about 80 of the pint-sized figurines in plastic bags on Saturday, surrounded by youngsters. But investigators don't think the children stole them. In fact the children most likely found them, said so it's back to square one, said Sgt. Dave Adams. Police are going to call people who reported their gnomes stolen to come identify the decorative yard items. Elsie Schnorr had 30 gnomes stolen from her front lawn more than a month ago, and she'll be among the first to retrieve her property. "I could identify every one of them. My name isn't on them, but I know which ones are mine. Most of mine are one-of-kind," she said.

Why the crap would anyone have 30 gnomes in their front yard?! Maybe she's the supplier for those stupid **edit** Travelocity commercials. Without incriminating myself, I could definitely see the fun in stealing garden gnomes. But I'd probably take them all and put them in a neighbor's yard or something.

WWJD?

2005-07-19T23:25:00.000-05:00

The Jordan River, considered by believers to have been the gateway to the Garden of Eden (and by Christians to have been where Jesus was baptized), is now more than 50 percent raw sewage and agricultural runoff, according to a Middle East conservation group spokesman interviewed by Reuters in June. Together, Israel, Jordan and Syria have diverted away from the river (and then treated) about 90 percent of the water flow over the years for their own uses, though part of Jordan's diversion was to create a clean-water baptismal site for pilgrims (some of whom, nonetheless, still bathe in the greenish, polluted part). [Reuters, 6-24-05]

New look.

2005-07-19T22:56:00.000-05:00

It's taken me a little while... but I've finally been able to work a little of my own design into my blog. The basic blog framework is from a template, but I have replaced all of the images and colors with my own. I'm pretty happy with this design... for now. Look for another change at the end of summer.

For your desktop...

2005-07-19T11:57:00.000-05:00

As requested --- Lakeside 1600x1200

"L A K E S I D E" - 2

2005-07-18T11:44:00.000-05:00

lakeside2
Originally uploaded by Josh R..

Here's a desktop wallpaper using a series of pictures that Sabrina took at camp. I used Photoshop "photomerge" to make the panoramic picture. Add a little gradient and some texture... and "voila"!

Back from vacation.

2005-07-14T23:46:00.000-05:00

Just because my buddy Ken Wilson asked where I've been. I thought I'd give him and everyone else an update. We went home to Ohio and to Michigan for summer camp for about a week and a half. I couldn't post during that time because we didn't have internet access at camp; and my parents are still using dial-up; which is next to useless for someone like me. I think they are looking into switching to high-speed though... good for them. I made a new header for my blog. I'd really like to redesign my blog; but I do not possess the knowledge of how to make my designs work with Blogger. If only I were smarter... or had a friend **nudge** that might help me out. Aside from that, I've been working hard here in Arkansas. Keypoint is doing well, considering its the summer slump. Our attendance has actually increased the last couple of weeks. Which, I guess, means we're growing. Our Young Married Couples Life Group is going camping tomorrow night. That should be a good time. Some acoustic worship with Tim playing guitar and me on the Djembe drum. The guys are going to officially kick off our "Poker Night" this weekend. I can't wait to play some Texas Hold'em. I'm trying to learn Flash. We'll see how that works out.

Get Into The Game

2005-07-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

gitgmailer
Originally uploaded by Josh R..

We're launching a new series at the end of the summer called "Get Into The Game". We're sending mailers out to all of Bentonville... and here's one of the designs for them.

Ask 1

2005-07-13T14:12:00.000-05:00

ask1logo
Originally uploaded by Josh R..

This is the logo for a campaign that our church is about to launch. Quite simply, it's just about inviting one family to attend Keypoint on a specific Sunday.

I wanted to post the logo, just because it's out of my normal confines for design.

"Maria?"...

2005-07-12T09:57:00.000-05:00

After 30 hours in the drivers seat and 2100 miles, we're finally back home in Arkansas. It all feels like a blur. Impact was a great time. The services were incredible. I had entirely way too much fun with our media team this year. The Jesus clips from Vintage 21 were a good time... although, without knowing the background of the clips, one might take offense. It was nice to see my family again and everyone at WFFC. My wife enjoyed going to Los Mariachis; since there aren't any good Mexican places down here. Being back at WFFC was a bit different. The services are so different from what I'm used to at Keypoint. My most memorable Impact moment: The Media team getting in the ring at 2:30am.

Fear the raptor.

On the road again...

2005-06-30T19:40:00.000-05:00

We're leaving for Impact tomorrow at around 3:00PM. We're driving straight through to Ohio, so that we drop our dog off at my parents' house. We should arrive in Ohio at around 3:30AM on Saturday. Once there, we will get some sleep. We'll probably see some of our family Saturday evening too. On Sunday, we will leave for Michigan at around 8:00AM. That will put us at Impact around 12:00N. Man, it's been a crazy week trying to get everything prepared for the two services that I'll be missing. It's gonna be worth it though... I'm real excited about getting to see everyone again! In other news... Last night, I watched The Resurrection of Motley Crue. Very interesting. It was how they got the members of "the Crue" back together to try to put on a tour. The fascinating part was that they were 2 months from the start of the tour and NONE of Motley Crue had commited to anything. Another interesting part of the story was that of Mick Mars. Mick has some kind of disease that messes with his infuses the bones together on his spine. Anyway, he had gotten down to 93 lbs. and had to have his hip replaced just to even get started. The poor guy looked like a frail piece of glass. Sad really. Anyway, they are touring again... and rockin' it out. *** Although I'm on staff at Keypoint Church, this blog doesn't necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Keypoint Church. ***

Staying a servant.

2005-06-27T14:26:00.000-05:00

For quite some time now I've been in charge of my area of ministry. Most of the time I like to do things my way; and I can get easily offended when my work gets criticized, or someone suggests a change from the way I do things. This attitude isn't good. So, I must take a step back from myself and realize my place in the big picture. Before I can be a good leader, I must be a follower. The attitude of servanthood is the dividing line between a good Christian and the normal Christian. It's really a lost art. Because I'm in charge... I have to continually check my attitude to keep the attitude of servanthood. I'm here to serve my pastor, no matter what. It's not about me, and mkaing me happy. The other day I was watching a show on the History Channel about Sergeants in the military. They interviewed the "Sergeant of the Army"... this guy is the highest ranking sergeant in the entire US Army, he has over 30 years in the Army. He said that he continues to salute and show respect to every fresh Lieutenant out of West Point. In order to show good leadership... you must show good followership.

Impact Media Texas Hold'Em

2005-06-22T03:58:00.000-05:00

So I had this idea today. Last year at Impact, our media team gave birth to our "down-time recreation". Last year it was Medal of Honor: Spearhead. This year, I was thinking about getting some Texas Hold'Em Poker started up. We could get the multi-colored Goldfish and use them for our chips... or we could just use regular poker chips, since all the Goldfish will probably be eaten.

Why didn't I learn to play the kazoo?

2005-06-19T20:10:00.000-05:00

Although I'm honored that Pastor Casey wants to keep me on the drums; I really wish that I'd never even mentioned that I can play. I offered to help out for a few weeks or so, just until he found a new drummer... it's June now, and I'm still on the drums. I'm really beginning to get a bad attitude about the whole thing. I really wouldn't mind playing, if that's all I had to on Sunday morning. But, by far, it's not. It's just extremely frustrating. I am exhausted on Sunday mornings. I'm up at 5:30AM, and I don't stop until 1:00PM. Throughout that span of time I've loaded and unloaded my car packed full of video equipment TWICE, including a 150lbs tub full of cable... Unloaded/Loaded two trailers... Setup up the drums... Setup the video equipment... Made the powerpoint for the new songs that we're doing that morning... Practiced with the worship team... Setup the timeline for the videos... and played the drums during service. If you've never played the drums... it can be extremely tiring on its own. So, once you throw in all the other stuff that I have to do... it doesn't result in a very good attitude. I wasn't supposed to play today... but the guy that was supposed to replace decided not to show up this morning. Then people wonder why I'm not a "people person". Okay, I'm done.

The Great Outdoors.

2005-06-13T13:44:00.000-05:00

I feel like it's been forever since I've posted on my blog. It's been a good week, since I've got my internet back. I must say, I'm really enjoying having cable television; and I don't watch it as much as I thought I would. I caught a late-night showing of Navy Seals with Charlie Sheen on Saturday night / Sunday morning. It was interesting watching a movie from 1990. Instead of the focus being on Iraq or Afghanistan... they were going to Beirut, Lebanon. Yesteday, we (Shawn, Whitney, Sabrina, and myself) went out to "the rock". "The rock" is a secluded place that we found off of the Shaddox Hollow Trail. It sits right on Beaver Lake; it's very pretty, perfect for sunbathing and swimming. The only downfall to going to "the rock" is the 20 minute hike it takes to get there. This is the third time make this hike, and I've found that I'm generally in better shape than most people. I love to hike. It's relaxing being in nature, and it's a pretty good workout. I've found that Arkansas has nice weather 90% of the time. There are definitely a whole lot more "nice" days than there are "bad" days. This allow for a whole lot more outdoor activity in Arkansas. And there is plenty to do outdoors down here. In other news... Sabrina and I will be home (in Ohio) July 8-11. Here's out tentative itenerary:

July 8 - Arrive in Spfld at 1:00pm; relax with whoever wants to come over to Mom's house July 9 - Spend good part of the day with Ratcliffe's July 10 - Church at WFFC, lunch, leave for Cincy in afternoon July 11 - Leave for Arkansas

SBC sucks eggs!

2005-06-03T14:22:00.000-05:00

We've been without internet service at our house for close to two weeks now. Which, in my profession, makes life extrememly difficult. Considering that I do 90% of my communication with the world via email and instant messaging... I NEED internet access. But, after two weeks of fighting with SBC... we've cancelled all services with them; and are anxiously awaiting our Cox Internet and Cable to be installed next Monday. For just a little more money, we get a faster internet connection plus some cable tv to watch. The History Channel... finally!!!! So, our cell phones are all we have now. Right now, I'm sitting at Sabrina's office just to use the internet. That's pretty sad. I don't mind though... it's better than sitting at my house with nothing to do. I'm getting real exciting about coming to summer camp. First of all, to smack Josh Scott and Joanna for us being like the last people to know about them expecting their first child. Secondly, to see all of our friends that we've missed so much. Thirdly, because MattRatt (one of our staff members) may be coming to camp... I think he'll blend in real well with our Media Team and he'll have a blast. Catch ya'll later.

The Contender

2005-05-25T09:57:00.000-05:00

This has been a pretty cool trip. I've met a lot of people, and got to hand out with Pastor Bennett as well. MattRat and I have hung out a lot on this trip. Our rental car is a Chevy Malibu, and we've tweaked the sound system to compete with the local "gangstas". Last night, we all went over to chill with Casey's family. His mom (Miss Connie) made some Crawfish Et'toufe. So, for the first time in my life, I had crawfish. It really wasn't that bad. They prepared it well, so it wasn't fishy tasting at all. After dinner, we headed over to Scott Hornsby's house... which is where The Contender comes into the picture. You see, Bro. Hornsby is a former boxer... so he was quite into the show. Since I don't have cable, I haven't been able to keep up with the show too well. But I do like it. Back to Bro. Hornsby... he just built a brand new church building that costed 2.3 million dollars, and didn't even have a church. He built the building in faith, and now they're running about 600 members. The building is fine too. They have a Starbucks INSIDE their church... how cool is that?! I want a Starbucks in the church building that we don't have yet.

Sittin' at CCs...

2005-05-23T22:36:00.000-05:00

Yo! I'm chillin' at a coffee shoppe in Baton Rouge, LA called CCs. Our staff is down here for a few days for an ARC conference. It's been pretty cool... I've seen Pastor Rick Bezet and Pastor Bennett Smith (that was a surprise!). It was around 95 degrees today and the humidity was cuh-razy! The conference is at Healing Place Church. Definitely a cool church. They've only been around for about 12 years; and are doing real well. They have one of the best graphic teams that I've seen a church have. Evidently, there was a HUGE storm that rolled through Northwest Arkansas last night. Sabrina was really freaked out. She told me that there was like 80mph wind gusts.

Star Wars: Episode III

2005-05-19T11:51:00.000-05:00

I'm going to the 1:30pm showing of Star Wars: Episode III today. I think this is the first time I've ever been to an "opening day" showing. We're getting to the theater at 12:45pm to hopefully get a good seat. I think that this will probably be the best one (aside from the originals). Let's hope. From the footage that i saw on the video game... it looks like it should be good. For your viewing pleasure... Anakin Dynamite

Still awake.

2005-05-17T06:35:00.000-05:00

In order to cure my "sleeping until 11:00AM"... I thought I would try staying up all night and all the following day. I figure if I stayed up (which I've done), and continued on as normal on Tuesday (today)... I would be so tired, that I would go to bed earlier, and maybe wake up and a decent time on Wednesday. Thus, my experiment continues. It's 6:38AM now, and I'm a little sleepy... but doing pretty good. I have to say, it's been a long time since I've seen this hour of the morning (not including Sundays). I was planning on going for a hike after our staff meeting today... but I don't think I'll be doing that now. I have to take Kafka to the "groomers" at 9AM; then I have a staff meeting at 10AM; then have to pick Kafka up at 1PM. I should probably eat something in there somewhere. I'm working on re-designing Faded Me's website. It's not going to change too much, since they really like the layout of it. Just a change in colors more or less. It will have a bit of a different feel to it.

I support...

2005-05-13T15:26:00.000-05:00

Although I cannot grow one... I support it.

Summertime Blog.

2005-05-12T13:36:00.000-05:00

It's getting warm now. 80s & 90s down here in Arkansas. So I decided to dedicate my blog to "summertime". Thanks to Ken at AV Club for the background image of my new header. You're doing some great work. I think I may have found a group of people to play some paintball with. Yay! We might play this weekend.

Bob Ross can't touch me.

2005-05-10T01:52:00.000-05:00

This Saturday, Sabrina and I painted our kitchen and our hallway. Sabrina says that I'm a sloppy painter... maybe so, but it got done. I will say that it looks better. The walls were very dirty. I had a meeting yesterday with another church in Rogers that had gotten the Keypoint mailer and was interested in getting our input in starting a church. This church is a very traditional church that is launching a "less traditional" service on Sunday nights. It going to be held in a different section of the church building, so they are viewing it basically as a church plant. So anyway, Casey talked to them about me doing all the design work for Keypoint... so they wanted to talk to me. Well, this pastor is really into something called "Emerging Worship"... evidently it's some kind of hybrid of traditionalism and contemporary styles of doing church. If you want to research it... go for it. I may be doing their logo and they want to do a mailer... so that could be some cashflow for me. Although I want to help them plant the best church I can... at the same time I just want to keep this business oriented. I'm just the designer. I can't handle brainstorming ANOTHER church plant. I rented Star Wars III: Return of the Sith for PS2. I would have to say it's impossible to beat without cheating. Oh yes, I cheated.

The "Big Disk".

2005-05-05T02:40:00.000-05:00

I finally talked Casey into letting me buy an external hard drive. Why do I need an external hard drive, you ask? Backing up. If my computer goes down, Keypoint Church is screwed for that week.... at least as far as video goes. So yeah... now I have a 400GB external, three-interface, hard drive. It has USB, Firewire 400, and Firewire 800. For most, you might think 400GB is overkill... well, not for me. My iMac G5 has 250GB, and I was down to around 80GB --- and we're only 12 weeks into building this church! So 400GB is good for me. I would have bought a terrabyte... but they're still a little expensive. I went with the LaCie brand, because they seem to work really well with Macs and last a long time. So now, my total hard drive space is: 650GB

"Awesome." - Josh (after opening his new 400GB External Hard Drive)

Another Monday.

2005-05-02T12:43:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was an interesting one. Friday night, our staff (Casey, MattRat, Carlos, Kenny, and myself) had a hangout night together. It really wasn't all that exciting. We went down to UofA (University of Arkansas) to this event where one of Casey's friends from HPC was speaking. After seeing that dude, we headed to the local Embassy Suites Hotel... a really nice 4-star hotel. Having experienced this hotel... I would've rather just stayed home. No wireless internet service in the room. Pathetic coffee. No History Channel or Discovery Channel. I mean, seriously... what the crap are we paying for?! I thought about going down to the sauna... but after Carlos told us that he used to pee on the rocks when he was a kid; I decided against it. So anyway, MattRat and I, being the late-night (early morning) people that we are... we stayed up until 3AM watching some freaky movie. He went to sleep. I decided that I wanted to talk to Sabrina... so I called her three or four times in a row, waking her up of course. I finally got her on the phone... and we talked for about an hour and a half. It seems that we have the best conversations when we are on the phone at ridiculous hours of the night. That morning, our staff had some "talk time" over breakfast... and that was good. In other news... I bought a Moleskine. And I've been reading a book. It's called "God's Armour Bearer" by Terry Nance. What's happening to me?!

New Business Cards.

2005-04-27T12:46:00.000-05:00

bcards_proof
Originally uploaded by Josh R..

Here's the design for the business cards that our staff is getting. There's five of us and we're each getting 500 cards for like $300. That's not bad.

I'm happy because I've never had my own business card. Something new... no matter how insignificant it really is.

Making Idaho a better place.

2005-04-24T22:05:00.000-05:00

If you like the movie "Napoleon Dynamite"; THIS is some interesting reading. You also might find THIS to be of some interest... if nothing else, it took a lot of someone's time. And of course, you must take the ND Quiz.

Playing Halo 2.

2005-04-23T12:15:00.000-05:00

Playing Halo 2.
Originally uploaded by Josh R..

This is a picture taken from our Life Group this past Wednesday. (Front to back: Brian, Aaron, Shawn, and me.)

The chairs that we are sitting in are sweet! All leather, electric recliners, cup holders. And we're also playing using a projector. We were having our Life Group at a couple's house named Vernon and Carla. Vernon works for Wal-Mart in their server security department. He's an ex-hacker, who now makes good $$$ working for Wal-Mart. Carla is some type of head of accounting for J.B. Hunt. Needless to say, their house is super-bad.

Games.

2005-04-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

I rented a couple of games the other night and have been playing them. Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Since I was really into Need for Speed: Underground; I figured that I would probably like this game. And I do. I love being able to fully customize my rides. And in this game, you're not limited to just cars. There's trucks, SUVs, and motocycles too. Right now, my garage is sporting a '99 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Cadillac Escalade XLT, '68 Pontiac GTO, '57 Chevy Bel Air, and some custom motorcycle. In this game, you don't just have to race... you can just cruise around the streets of San Diego, Atlanta, or Detroit. Great game. I might even buy it eventually. Time Splitters: Future Perfect Yet another great game. One of the best FPS that I've ever played. The storyline is a little weak... but the gameplay and multiplayer definitely makes up for it. Another good one for the collection. Lots of things to unlock.

Following suit...

2005-04-21T15:50:00.000-05:00

Since everyone else is on the "fresh blog" kick... I thought that I would redo mine as well. Aaron helped me out a lot. Thanks dude. It still has some quirky things going on with it... like the comments section is a little messed up. But it does work. I found this template on the internet, and just did my own header.

"Peace out." - Kip Dynamite

I'm a Hamburger. Go figure.

2005-04-18T23:13:00.000-05:00

You are practical, straightforward and unpretentious. While you may not be the best communicator, people appreciate your simplicity and modesty!

My adventures...

2005-04-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

The other day I decided to take Kafka (my dog) for a ride. So we hopped in the car and started driving... we headed West, and I drove for about 30 minutes on roads that I had never been on before... very twisty and curvy... very fun to drive on. Anyway... I saw this sign for "Shaddox Hollow Trail"; so I pulled off and into the empty parking lot. I had the GL2 (video camera) with me and decided to tape this excursion. It was quite amusing once I got home and watched it. There are things that we tend to say over and over again subconsciously. Like, I said the word "gorgeous" like 30 times... describing the outdoors and land in Arkansas. It was quite fun though and relaxing. It took me about 45 mintues to walk this trail. I figured that it was about 3 miles long. Kafka enjoyed it too.. she loves to get out and wander. I think I'm going to head back out there sometime soon... I heard that there was an eight-mile long trail out there somewhere. I'm definitely going to take some water with me this time though. On Saturday we watched "Ocean's 12". Good movie. The cinematography was very 70s'ish. The music in those two movies is SWEET! In fact, as soon as it was over... I jumped on iTunes and downloaded a bunch of it. An interesting opportunity. I may be doing some artwork for some clothing lines. I met with a woman today (she happens to be in our church), who designs clothing for Wal-Mart brands mostly --- Faded Glory and a couple others. It's something new for me... and pretty intriguing to me. So, she's gonna get me involved and we'll see where it goes. So, don't be surprised if you start seeing some of my designs on the clothing racks. :-) God is really stretching me down here... a lot of new opportunities.

Interview

2005-04-13T16:06:00.000-05:00

I had an interview today at an advertising agency called Taylor Mack. You can check out their site here. The interview went okay I guess. We talked a lot about Impact Summer Camp. I showed him a small sample of my portfolio. It's interesting. Most of my design experience has been church related... so I don't have much outside of that realm to show for. I kinda felt stupid when I was talking to this guy. I just tried to be as straight-forward as I could with him. He asked me what "my rates" are... I didn't have an answer for that. If I've learned anything through this experience... it's that I do not seek to make a name for myself. I'm not out to promote "Josh Ratcliffe". Corporate design is not a challenge to me. I have a higher calling on my life. A calling to make church cool. I'm not going to "shmooze" a design manager just to get a job. If they hire me, it's because God gets me the job. I am a designer; but without God, I'm nothing.

Cpl. McCauley

2005-04-11T16:56:00.000-05:00

Cpl McCauley
Originally uploaded by nukeit1.

Looking at this picture of James, it's kinda surreal. My thoughts are... "This is my friend standing by the Euphrates River in Iraq... carrying a weapon... protecting freedom."

It's hard to comprehend that the same teenager that I watched go through high school is now a combat veteran.

Coming home.

2005-04-07T11:12:00.000-05:00

Good news! We'll be coming home for a few days after summer camp in July. The dates that we'll be in Springfield are July 8-11. We haven't yet decided how we're traveling. If we drive, we'll have to leave early on the 11th in order to be back home on Tuesday.

Running the race...

2005-04-05T14:46:00.000-05:00

It's been a rough couple of weeks... but things are looking up. Joel helped me out by giving me this scripture. I think that it's good for all people in ministry to have this.

"I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself." --- 1 Corinthians 9:27

This one just really hit home for me. So many times I push myself and push myself and never take anything in. Which hardens my heart; and even allows bitterness to push itself into my life. This verse tells me... "Josh, I don't want you to push Me out of your life while you're doing My work." Good to hear that.

Ramen and Kool-Aid...

2005-04-01T13:25:00.000-06:00

I am satisfied. I like things simple. Yes, I could have something a little more extravagant for lunch if I wanted... but I don't. I like Ramen. Paricularly, the beef flavor. Probably the only thing that would make me happier... would be a grilled-cheese sandwich and a Coke. That's nearing Heaven.

A Salute to...

2005-03-29T14:08:00.000-06:00

Today we salute you, Mr. Constant Collar Putter Upper. You, bedecked in popped collar, teach us that we no longer have to live with a cold, back of the neck. Sure, your pink alligator polo may look feminine to some, but not the 17 other frat guys wearing the same thing at the bar. Where others may see thoughtless fashion conformity, you preach a higher gospel. You preach of a world where it is okay for a man to go tanning. You ask "why can't we wear makeup, and use shampoo with lavender essence?" So crack open a fresh bottle of candy cologne, Mr. Abercrombie (or is it Fitch?), because we all know, when we really need a piece of gum, you might have one...in your man purse.

Friendly Iraq

2005-03-28T11:55:00.000-06:00

Friendly Iraqi
Originally uploaded by nukeit1.

This is the side of the story that you will never hear from the mainstream media. This is the side of the story from a Marine.

My friend, James is a Marine, currently serving in Iraq. He is able to upload pictures that he's taken to his Flickr account. It's different, because I know what he's telling us about Iraq is completely true and real, unlike what I hear on the news.

This particular picture really struck me. "I have found out that Iraqis are very hospitapal people. Even after we conduct a very intrusive house search, this man gave us some food. Not too bad tasting; dates, pita bread, and some kind of tomatoes." - LCpl. James McCauley Things are all bad in Iraq. The Iraqi people do understand why we are there, and they appreciate it.

Be honest...

2005-03-23T02:26:00.000-06:00

I've designed a couple of websites in the last couple weeks. Be honest and tell me what you think. Granted, there's no cool Flash stuff... but for a novice... what do you think? My own design company. OneShot. OneKill. --- a SOCOM clan. Covert Óps --- another SOCOM clan.

(Place catchy title here...)

2005-03-19T12:00:00.000-06:00

Here's some of the latest 'hap': House: Still for sale. Yes... that's right folks! I have a really old house that I still need to get rid of... because it's costing me an un-godly amount of money every month. Yet, it sits completely empty. With the exception of a family of cats that I hear have moved in underneath the front porch. So, if you get a chance... some my "posse" back home... you could run over there and throw some paint on those cats (at high velocity). Job: Still looking. I'm still looking for a job. Although things have really been picking up at church. Anyway, I was told that I should send my resume to Saatchi & Saatchi-X. They are an international design / branding company with clients like Toyota, Nissan, Guinness, Coca-Cola... the big dogs. They do some amazing stuff. Well, one of the guys in our church used to OWN this company --- so he told me to get him my resume. I think that I'm under-qualified to work there... but everyone else seems to think different. I'd be happy with a paid internship with these guys. They are that big. I thought I killed my dog. The other day, I was outside playing with Kafka (my dog)... I was throwing the tennis ball, and she goes and gets it. Well, I went to throw it one time... and she jumped right in front of it. And well, I really threw it hard... I mean, I chucked it. Well, when she jumped in front of my throw... the ball hit her right in the eye. She yelped. Play time was over for her. We took her inside... and her inner-eyelid was all swollen up and her eye was rolled back in her head. I was pretty freaked out. She wouldn't open her eye. We let her rest overnight... and it was fine. Thank God. So there's the story of how I almost killed my dog.

Do you all hate me?!

2005-03-15T15:13:00.000-06:00

Why... oh why don't people tell me these things?! Nobody told me that Neil changed his blog address. So, like a moron, I've been checking his old one wondering why he hasn't updated. I must be notified of these things! Don't you know that Neil is the source of the knowledge of good and evil in the realms of technology and overall geek stuff?! I mean, I could've gone on for years not knowing about his new HD camera or his new iBook... Come on people!!!

Last Chance.

2005-03-11T20:11:00.000-06:00

APRIL29_FLYER_test1
Originally uploaded by Josh R..

April 29th is the last chance for everyone to see Faded Me with JP, Mark, and Jason. Here's what the flyer will look like for that show. I was going for a "simple" look.

Creative Slump.

2005-03-11T13:04:00.000-06:00

The bad thing about being a creative person is that you go through slumps. Times, that no matter how hard you try, there's just nothing happening. Throughout this week, I've just been drained. Dealing with financial hardships and all of the stress that comes with it... leads me into one of these slumps. Which doesn't make like easier --- because the work still has to be done. So, I end up just 'outputting' something that I'm not happy with. It's hard to focus... or even sleep or eat, for that matter. Is there something going right? Indeed there is. This past Wednesday, we had our first "Small Group" meeting at Casey's house. It's a young-married couples group. There were only three couples there... but there's at least 3 more couples that weren't there. Thankfully, all the guys in our group are gamers! Yes! One of the guys works at Wal-Mart in their Internet Security Department. Essentially, he's a hacker... but now works for Wal-Mart protecting them from people like himself. Sabrina found some women to hang out with too... so that's cool. Our groups are different from those back home. There's no lesson... well, I suppose there could be on some occasions... but, the point of ours is to just build relationships outside of church. We're supposed to play "Cranium" at our next meeting.... all the girls were pumped about that... and the guys were all like, "We wanna play Halo 2.". Pastor Whit plays Halo 2 Online. I found out that Whit George (one of my major influences to go into full-time ministry doing media; although he doesn't know that, because I don't know him personally) from Oneighty plays Halo 2 on XBOX Live almost every night. He has a blog on the Oneighty site. You can get his screenname on his blog. I would post it... but it might be weird.

All alone at night.

2005-03-10T00:05:00.000-06:00

Here it is midnight at night and I'm bored out of my mind. I'm not tired. Nobody is online. I don't feel like playing video games (that's a first). Hmmm... so I blog. I'm still working on a website for a guy... well, me and this other guy. He's doing the "HTML part" (with Dreamweaver) and I'm doing the graphics. It's been a royal pain in the butt. Because we've been dealing with it for like 3 weeks now. I'm sick of it. Finally, yesterday I talked to "the guy" and told him what we needed to do to make progress. He hadn't really determined what he wanted... so we were just trying different ideas with no success. Well, we now have a direction and look that we're going for... so hopefully, by next week, this project will be done. I have some other stuff for Faded Me that I need to get done. Not to mention a couple of videos for the church that I need to do. And, to be perfectly honest, with all of this financial stress... I don't feel like doing any of it. Later ya'll... keep praying!

Mental overload...

2005-03-08T14:47:00.000-06:00

Man, what a week it has been so far. I've been overloaded with financial burdens! I hate money! It can be a source of tremendous happiness or it can bring you into the pits of hell! Gosh. Without going into details, one of my credit cards has been turned over to collections. And I have no way to pay them. So, this has just really been stressing out Sabrina and I. I know that God is bigger than any of my financial problems; but I feel so alone right now. Anyway, please continue to pray that our house will sell... we really need it to sell. That joker is eating up close to $1000 per month of our income.... which we could really use right now! I really want to get out of debt. Once our house sells and I get a job... we could be pretty much debt-free within 2 years. But, I need a job and my house needs to sell. C'mon God... hook me up. WANTED: BUYER OF HOUSES! I'm currently looking for a job too. So that's another area of prayer. I have my resume into Wal-Mart / Sam's Club for a couple of positions; and also at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette for a position. I'm praying that God will expedite this process; so I can start bringing in some cash... quick. Also, I'm available to do some freelance design work... so if you hear of anyone needing that sort of stuff... bands, businesses, etc... Please, send that business my way!