Balooken's Blog-O-Matic

Gone Fishing...

2009-04-08T23:50:00Z

I decided to occasionally add some blog entries referring to some sermons I've been hearing during worship at church. The church that I go to has some very Spirit-filled services and a great Pastor who has a lot of VERY wise things to say each Sunday morning. I really thing these sermons should be included somehow in search engine results.

Anywho, this past week's sermon was titled "Discipleship... Fishing For Men". (Scripture Reference: Mark 1:17)

A FISHING STORY

Our pastor, wearing a tan life vest, had all sorts of fishing poles, nets lures, etc. at the front of the church. (He's a "prop" sort of public speaker - I love that!) He began talking about a lake he knew about. He gave the following statistics about the lake:

1) The size of the lake is 922 square miles.
2) The number of known "keepers" in the lake are 93,807.
3) The number of docks on the lake is 37.
4) The number of people that fished in 2008 was 8,389.
5) The amount of money spent on fishing in 2008 was $5,272,099.00. (That's a lot of money for fishing!)
6) The number of fish caught in 2008 were 127.
7) The number of fishermen to catch each fish (and some caught multiples!) was 66.
8) Each fish caught in 2008 cost $41,512.59 per fish.

Now the lake he was telling us about could very well be a real lake (depending on how awful the fisherman were), but it wasn't a real lake. No, this lake was an analogy of the county that we live in and the fish represent the number of new christians won to Christ in 2008. I'll show the comparisons below:

1) The size of the lake is 922 square miles. (This is the square mileage of the county I live in.)
2) The number of known "keepers" in the lake are 93,807. (This is the population of the county I live in.)
3) The number of docks on the lake is 37. (This is the number of Southern Baptist churches in our county)
4) The number of people that fished in 2008 was 8,389. (The number of members of the Southern Baptist churches in our county)
5) The amount of money spent on fishing in 2008 was $5,272,099.00. (That's a lot of money for fishing!) (The money collected by Southern Baptist churches within our county)
6) The number of fish caught in 2008 were 127. (The number of persons who were saved by giving their hearts and lives to Christ in our county in 2008)
7) The number of fishermen to catch each fish (and some caught multiples!) was 66. (The number of church members in the county I live in who directly contributed to helping win those new Christians to Christ.)
8) Each fish caught in 2008 cost $41,512.59 per fish. (Based on the amount of money collected by Southern Baptist churches in the county where I live divided by the number of new christians who gave their heart to Jesus in 2008)

Now while that may seem like a lot of money to win one person (fish) to Christ, Jesus thought that even if you spent the full $5,272,099 (or MORE!) to win just one soul... it's worth every penny. (Read Mark 8:36 and Luke 15:7)

UNUSUAL FISHING METHODS

Our pastor then began to talk about the different fishing methods that churches today use to try and catch fish (new christians).

1) Some fisherman just hold a net into the water along the bank and cry out, "Heeeerrreeeee fishy, fishy! Here fishy, fishy!!!" They expect the fish to just swim up into their nets. Unfortuantely some christians or churches have the same technique... they may open their doors on a Sunday morning expecting people to come in, but very few do. They expect the fish to come to them, rather than going to where the fish are. You may accidently catch a fish this way, but the odds are definately long in favor of it.

2) Some fisherman study the "Ultimate manual for fishing and being a fisherman". This manual has everything you would ever need to know about being a fish... all the possible lakes, all the possible fish, the best techniques to catch them, the best bait and lures... everything you need to know. The problem is, they never apply the knowledge they've learned from the "Ultimate manual for fishing..." at the lake! Some chrisitans and churches study the Holy Word of God (the Bible) for a long time and know all the ends and outs of what God expects from us. They only problem is... they never apply it! In order to be a great fisherman and pleasing to Christ, you have to CATCH A FISH from time to time. If you know how to do it, but don't do it... do you really understand?

3) Some fisherman have been passed down several rods & reels, and a whole tackle box full of lures and equipment from their fathers. This equipment was passed down from their father's father... and from his father. This younger generation fisherman has been told how successful these lures were 30-40 years ago and how many fish were brought to the shore. Surely he will catch a lot of fish, right? Wrong! When he tries to use the lures like the family members who passed them down through the years, he doesn't catch anything. Why? Because when he tries to cast the lures out into the lake, they fall apart before hitting the water... they are so old. Most are falling apart or have faded colors. The reels are running out of line or getting tangled, and that's only if the rods don't break. See, some christians or churches try to catch new christians using techiniques from 30-40 years ago, but the methods and equipment for catching new fish has changed. The fish of today need the latest and greatest rods and reels, or new colorful lures that are more attractive in the lake they swim in. Using old traditions passed down from generation to generations to try and catch the fish of the today won't be as successful as they used to be. (My addition here: read John 21:1-11. Jesus gave them a new technique... they used it (in faith)... and they caught so many fish that they couldn't draw the net in.)

4) Then there is a final type of fisherman... One who has a grand tackle box, which many different sizes, shapes, and colors of lures. One who invests in the latest and greatest equipment. One who studies techniques, and yet still goes to the lake to practice their new found knowledge. One who knows where the fish are in the lake and gets in a boat to go to where they are. One who doesn't favor one type of fish over another. One who is happy to just be on the lake... given the opportunity to fish.

Which type of fisherman do you want to be?

FISHING FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Often times, some of the easiest "fish" to catch are our friends and family members. The Bible gives several examples of fishing among people we know:

John 1:40
Mark 2:14-17
Mark 5:18

Wimpy Kid!

2008-09-20T15:06:00Z

My oldest daughter (who has read more books this week than I did my entire school career) recently introduced me to a series of books she's finished...

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

So far there are two books released in a series of five, and they are hilarious! They totally brought me back to the times growing up in middle school. I recommend them to kids and adults alike.

Official website: http://www.wimpykid.com/

Amazon.com link: http://www.amazon.com/Diary-Wimpy-Kid-Jeff-Kinney/dp/0810993139

My favorite character is of course... Manny! Any little kid with an overbite that can't talk correctly is automatically my favorite! BUBBY!

Also... beware of the CHEESE TOUCH!!!!

Trying to Not Cut Off My Arm!

2008-05-25T03:39:00Z

For Father's Day, my girls purchased a really cool gift for their nerdy Dad...

A Force FX Lightsaber Construction Kit from Master Replicas!

This thing is awesome! It comes with a metal hilt and a glowing blade that allows you to change the color (red, green, and blue). It also has a bunch of interchangable parts so you can make it look like a lot of different lightsabers from the movies. It has all of the sound effects of a lightsaber!

I've seen these things all over the place, but usually they're only one particular character's lightsaber and they cost around $120. The girls only paid $35 at RadioShack for this one, on clearance! I've wanted one for a long time, but I've always kept from buying one because of the price. Now I have about any lightsaber I want for an incredible price! You see... patience pays off my friends.

Well, I'm going to go save the galaxy somewhere, now that I'm properly equipped!

Black Friday 2007 - The Complete Breakdown of Civilization

2007-12-09T20:11:00Z

I should have written this down right after it happened, but it's taken me this long to shake it off. That's right folks... I fell once again into the abyss of Black Friday this year, and this time, I took my wife with me. (Poor girl!)

We'd been searching online for weeks trying to figure out what all of the stores were going to have for sale that day. From all of the major store chains, Best Buy seemed to be our best bet. Best Buy had a digital video camera for $150 and the Half-Life Orange Box game set for $25 (half it's normal price). We didn't really have a lot of money for laptops and stuff like that, but these bargains were satisfactory with our budget. There were a few items at other stores that if we got them it would be cool, and we thought we would try with them later, but Best Buy would be our best bet. My boss had learned of my plans and poked fun at me and said my time was worth more than what I would be saving. (We'll get back to that...)

I actually went online to see if we could avoid going that afternoon by purchasing the great deals online. I managed to purchase the video camera there. Technically, we didn't need to go. Why we did is still a mystery to me. I sure this happens with you sometimes too... wondering why you do stupid things. Repeatedly.

We found a last minute baby sitter (thank you Ruth Ann!) so off we went to the Chesterfield Bottoms, near St. Louis. That shopping area has many of the chain stores in one area including our target. As we pulled up to Best Buy around 9:30 PM on Thanksgiving evening, there were about 50 people aleady in line. Some had tents... heck, even one group had a gas generator running for heaters next to their tent. Folks take this stuff seriously! We pulled out our chairs and took our place at the end of the line.

IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FREEZING!!!!! In that river valley, the winds seem to make it twice as cold as it really was. I knew my wife wouldn't last the night sitting in front of the store, so as I sit in my lawn chain covered in layers of clothes and blankets, I made her drive around to see what was going on at the other stores. After about an hour of staying in the cold, I had her run back to Eureka, MO (about 15-20 minutes away) to buy a small tent from Wal-Mart. It was the closest one nearby that would be open that late at night. I got to sit there for another hour or two before she returned. She brought me hot chocolate and we set up the tent probably the fastest we've ever set up a tent in our lives. That was a whole lot better, because it broke up the wind so all we had to contend with was the cold. My bosses earlier words kept floating through my head. I thought to myself, "You know, what you're doing now is probably one of the greatest shows of materialism possible." Darn the guilt!

Our tent was so big, we kind of started infringing on the space of the woman who was in line behind us, so we asked her to join us inside the tent. My wife's a social person anyway, so she made a new friend. Heck, they even left me there and went on another hot chocolate run together. "There God..." I thought. "That should even out the stupidity and selfishness of our materialism with a good deed." I still didn't feel any better.

We stayed in the tent until 3:00 AM. The whole time in there, we got to hear a group of kids behind us tease a couple of their frinds for going into a tent by themselves. One girl really was loud and had a VERY annoying laugh. The group of young people (mostly guys) in front of us spoke most of the night, loudly, about what girls in their high school had gotten boob jobs (filled in with a lot of disrespectful cursing and sexual remarks), and who they sleep with on a regualr basis. Hearing these boys talk about girls the way they did made me shutter. I have daughters and I dread the pool of boys this generation will have to select from. (I'm telling you this as I'm polishing my 12 gauge shotgun!)

Okay, so it's bad enough all of the greedy people (including myself and my wife) are camping out in front of the store, nearly freezing to death. But then, at 3:00 AM, Best Buy begins to pass out line tickets for the items they had available at the store when the doors opened at 5:00 AM. The human being as a species failed me right then and there. All of the folks from the back of the line began to pour up to the front of the line. All of the people in line began to revolt. A lot of curse words were flying, names are being called. I even saw two ladies (the term ladies was used loosely) first get into a shouting match and then a hair-pulling fight. Police were called in. They didn't make the situation with the line any better. My wife ended up in the new line with her new friend, while I stayed with our stuff in the real-but-not-so-real old line. I broke down our tent, folded up the chairs and blankets, put it all into the jeep, and drove to the nearest gas station for a much-needed bathroom break.

I joined my wife a little later in line for a couple of hours. There were young men trying to hustle their line tickets for laptops to people in line behind them for $30-$50 bucks. People complained about nearly everything the rest of the time in line. And then the doors opened. My wife nearly gets trampled by a yound Asian boy trying to get in and I guess she had had enough by then because she stopped and yelled at him to cool it. I think she scared him! Heh!

So she and I split up and got the items we were there for and got out of the store quickly. We got into the jeep and drove by the other stores on our way out of the shopping complex. There, more stood in line at each store. All I could do was shake my head. We still weren't done.

We ended up going to Target and Wal-Mart before heading home. (I stood in line at Target for a half an hour just to pay for the two items I bought there.) Tired and weary, we headed for breakfast at a local restaurant. Pancakes, eggs and sausage gave us a little more energy to pick up the girls and get home. We slept probably the rest of the day.

I often think about how much we as American citizens teeter between a civilized society and complete chaos. Huricane Katrina concerned me. To see society break down that quickly was intimidating to my usual security in what I live from day-to-day. Seeing my fellow humans freeze themselves, getting into fist fights and staying up all night to save a little money on gifts that their loved ones probably don't need in the first place is also intimidating. I don't think we'll ever learn.

Merry Christmas!

I Found An R2-D2 Mailbox!

2007-04-13T21:51:00Z

Yes, that's right...

I've once again solidified the fact I'm a huge Star Wars dork! When I found out the R2-D2 mailboxes came out to promote the new Star Wars stamps coming in May, I went on a mailbox safari/hunt of epic proportions. (Okay, so what if I found one two blocks away from where I work! Humor me.)

Here I am with the prize:

I know you're jealous, but control yourself.

The Ultimate Star Wars Drawing Contest

2007-03-20T17:52:00Z

This was another blog entry from my old StarWars.com blog so I don't lose them...

Originally posted on : Jul 21, 2005 6:49 PM

A few weeks ago, a mother of 3 young Star Wars fans contacted me about the extra Burger King toys I mentioned in a previous blog entry. She inquired how much I wanted for them. I'm fed up with everyone trying to make a buck off of SW stuff on eBay, marking it up way past the $1-$3 they paid for it. So I told her that I couldn't charge her sons for my extras and would be glad to send them to her. But a problem did exist with this whole situation...

I only had one available DARTH VADER to send to the three of them!

Through about 10 minutes of thoughtful deliberation, my wife and I came up with a drawing contest for the three boys, and the winner would be given the coveted, single Vader I had. I was an Art Education student in college, and I've always loved the art that children produce. It is usually pretty true to how they see the world, and they notice things that adults usually can't see. So we had them draw their favorite Star Wars characters.

They labored over their art for two days before dropping it into the mail for our contest. I knew we would be getting some quality work. We received the art a few days later. Below are links to the submitted pieces:

Alden, (Age 6) -General Grievous
Alden's Darth Vader
Alden's R2-D2
Alex (Age 8) - General Grievous
Alex's Jawa & Yoda

And the GRAND PRIZE winning entry went to their younger brother...

Amir (Age 5) - Jabba The Hutt

Congratulations to all 3 of them because they're excellent artists! Here is a quote from their Mom:

We got everything. Thank you so much. My kids went into hysterics when they opened the box to find the toys. Amir was so proud that he had won. Again thank you so much for your help.

Glad to help you with missing pieces, and thanks for the artwork.

Topic: ROTS at Midnight...What to Expect...

2007-03-14T17:40:00Z

This was an entry I made on the The Force.net Jedi Council forum before I went to see Revenge of the Sith. The topic was what to expect at the midnight showing of the movie.

Originally posted on: 5/17/05 12:18pm

You can take or leave this advice, and it really all depends on how much you want a good seat...

I am a veteran of the midnight shows for the last two episodes. You'll usually find crazy nuts like me within the first twenty people of any line for the midnight show. For Episode I, I got in line about 8:00 AM in the morning at the West Olive 16. Apparently there is a city ordinance against waiting in line outside an establishment before 12:00 noon, so the theatre folks and the cops moved us into an upper parking lot about a block away from the building. There were around 50 people there until noon. As soon as it turned noon and the theatre folks waved it was okay, we all ran down the hill toward the theatre like a wild pack of idiots! (Heh!) I would say I was in the first 20-30 people in line. I can also remember around 3-4 in the afternoon, a humongous rain storm came at us like a wall, so most people were soaked for a great deal of the afternoon. Lots of characters there in line... One fella, who kinda looked like a 7 foot Spock, was walking around with a boom box on his shoulder playing the Star Wars soundtrack for most of the day. You of course had the occasional plastic lightsaber match (which is always hilarious), and several news crews and newspaper reporters taking pictures and video.

For Episode II, I couldn't get off work quite so early, so I made it to the line by like 3PM in the afternoon... same theatre. I was about 11th in line this time. I heard from the folks in front of me that the first people in line had started standing at 1AM. Now that's dedication! (Or unemployment. Heh!) This time more costumes, plastic lightsaber bruise-making competitions, people actually watching Episode I on computers, tvs and small DVD players, small bar-b-qs and cook-outs, and even more weirdos than before. It was awesome!

Now I tell you all this because having the perfect seat for movies that only come around every three years, and the experience of just being there on the first night is important to me. I love being a nut this way. I love shrugging my shoulders when people ask why. I love making fun of people in line KNOWING that I'm just as big of a dork as they are. This is Star Wars folks! Maybe your last chance to wallow around in this type of atmosphere!

I for one will be at the Galaxy Theatre around 7-8AM at Boone's Crossing to hopefully start the line. I suppose my advice is this...

Get there early if you want your "perfect" seat. Mine is 3/4 up, directly in the middle. Don't take that one or I'll spill my soda on you! (Heh!)

The Death Star Was Nothing Compared To My Brother!

2007-03-14T17:13:00Z

I decided to port over my blog entries from my old StarWars.com blog so I don't lose them...

Originally posted on :Jun 28, 2005 10:49 AM

My Star Wars collection as a boy of seven or eight, was quite safe... it was played with, but safe. I had a ton of figures, several spaceships and vehicles (including an AT-AT), and I even had the Death Star playset. (Awesome toy by the way!!!) I would still have most if not all of them if it weren't for the destructive force of my little brother coming into the world. He was seven years younger and always wanted to play with me and the Star Wars "guys". The memories from that particular time-frame about my SW toys tend to get cloudy from there. Things come up missing, parts broken, until one day in my pre-teens I decided to box up what figures I still had to ensure I would still have them later on in life. I also believe that my Mom was throwing some sort of "dark-side-of-the-force" cloud in my brain because I'm sure she had a part to play in my toys disappearing too. I've recently seen my wife "go through" my daughter's toys. I know what happens to toys when a mother is "going through" them.

I finally got some physical evidence against my brother a year ago though. My parents had to fix a hole in the wall of my brother's old room behind the door. He had told them before he got married and moved out that he could remember putting things in the hole as a child. Sure enough, my parents cut out that small section of the wall and found SEVERAL items that belonged to me... including the long laser gun off of my snowspeeder! Oh sure, my family had a good laugh about it. But when mom gave me the laser, I thought of at least 25 different ways I could kill my brother with it.

Lucky for him, in my adult life, I've more than made up for losing all of my original toys. My attic is half-full of Star Wars toys and stuff I've been collecting since 1995. Now I just have to keep an eye on my wife so she doesn't "go through" the attic! She keeps waving her hands at me saying, "You don't need anymore toys... You may go about your business."

Favorite Directors

2007-02-11T21:26:00Z

Since I'm a budding screenwriter (I enjoy doing it, have three under my belt, but haven't sold anything yet), I wanted to blog about who influences me and who I think makes a great movie. Since this is a public sort of forum, I just want to say in case they ever read this... I really wouldn't mind sitting down with you over a soda or a greasy cheeseburger and talk about making movies and/or telling stories.

Anyway, here is the Balooken official list in order:

1) M. Night Shymalan - This film maker in my opinion is the bomb! I started with The Sixth Sense, and have looked for/watched every major feature film he's made. I think his stories are very thought provoking and intense, the way he frames shots is exceptional, and his use of color and light looks great! My wife and I just finished watch The Lady In The Water not too long ago, and enjoyed it alot. I would love to spend an afternoon talking with him about movie making.

2) George Lucas - What can I say about Mr. Lucas... how about his little space epic has changed the way movies are made. I love every Star Wars film that has been released. I can't wait to see the things he's going to make in his "after-Star-Wars" years. People often accuse him of writing "wooden" dialog and casting sub-standard actors, but I didn't notice at all. I didn't watch any of the Star Wars movies to pick apart a film, I watched them for the sheer entertainment value. I wasn't disappointed. I could spend a week with George Lucas and never get tired of talking about movies with him. Plus he hangs out with other directors on this list! Thanks Mr. Lucas.

3) Kevin Smith - I watched Kevin's film Dogma first. I would consider myself a relatively conservative christian, and normally I would probably be offended by a lot of things Mr. Smith included in that picture, but I wasn't. I was intrigued. Although I don't think God will turn out to be Alanis Morisette, he did make me think about God's interaction with us and our outlook on Him. Dogma is my favorite. I also appreciate that Kevin recognizes God in the credits.

Seeing Dogma made me do a little research on Kevin. I read things about his early career and some of the chances he took and I gotta say, he's an inspiration. Kevin knows how to tell a great story as well, and I think he's really funny. I've since watched Chasing Amy, Mall Rats, Clerks, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks 2. His characters include traits like quite a few people I grew up with in the 80's, so it kinda takes me back. Probably my biggest problem with any of Kevin's movies is the over abundance of cursing. Normally I can overlook a few in a movie, but Kevin uses them a lot. That's just a personal pet peeve of mine. (I'm sure if he ever reads this, one of the first things out of his mouth would be a few choice words!) I still totally respect him though and will most likely watch anything the guy ever makes. Plus he's written plenty of comics and digs George Lucas too, so I'm sure we would have plenty to talk about.

4) Steven Spielberg - This guy is gold! Anything he directs, produces, or more-or-less has his hands in turns into gold. He's like King Midas. He tells the stories that everyone wants to watch. His visual effects are the best, but he's good without them. Even the films like Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List stand on their own as a good stories.

No one else but Mr. Spielberg can bring us films like Jaws, E.T. and Jurassic Park. No one! I only have one other thing to say... Indiana Jones. Enough said.

5) Alfred Hitchcock - I've only seen a handful of his movies but I was very impressed with his style of directing when I first saw Psycho. For a black-and-white film that's not gory, that movie scared the CRAP out of me. He was the master of suspense. I also enjoyed The Birds, Vertigo, and Rear Window. He was a master of the medium.

Other directors I enjoy:

- Ron Howard
- Mel Gibson
- Tim Burton - most of the time
- Wes Craven
- Quentin Tarantino - The Kill Bill films are awesome! Make more like that Quentin!
- Robert Rodriguez
- Oliver Stone
- Sam Raimi
- Andy & Larry Wachowski
- Bryan Singer

These are the folks who make me want to tell stories on film.

My first blog entry...

2007-02-07T00:44:00Z

I'm kind of new at blogging, so don't expect a whole lot. I've had a couple of other blogs before, but I hardly wrote in them. Probably the most blogging I've done was on my StarWars.com blog before I let my membership slide. I'll probably move those entries here because I liked the stories.

Anyway, hopefully you'll find some interest in the things I write.