tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57927082011-09-17T10:10:07.027-04:00journal entries of one who has many questions and not many answersjchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.comBlogger5881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-37816130826131117892008-09-02T20:33:00.001-04:002008-09-02T20:33:37.151-04:00

irastandingatyankstadOriginally uploaded by joechaysDoesn't Ira just look right in Yankee blue? And he looks so natural there in Yankee Stadium. Like he just belongs there. Ira probably won't remember this game but he'll be able to say, I visited The House That Ruth Built. Not many can make that claim.

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-489731948044109062007-08-30T09:41:00.000-04:002007-08-30T10:29:36.808-04:00

You are now being redirected to the new blog! See you there!

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-58103562474680428462007-08-28T15:12:00.000-04:002007-08-28T16:23:03.539-04:00

Yep, you're in the right place. Don't go anywhere!Four years ago I started blogging about my experience as a church planter in New York City. I didn't get much traffic back then and didn't expect any. And then December of 2004 happened. We found out about Ira at Laura's 20 week sonogram and my blogging took a turn. And this site started getting some visits. For a long while, this blog became a

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-82747701955156644552007-08-24T14:00:00.000-04:002007-08-24T17:44:38.112-04:00

No, no, no. Not about Ira or Sophia or anything like that. I'm worried for my cousin. While on our roadtrip Laura and I got to see several cousins but it was a conversation with one particular cousin that worried me.My cousin, in almost every respect, is cool. She dresses well. She's up on all the latest trends. She laughs easily. She knows her pop culture. She's also smart as she's close to

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-15103034496769550072007-08-22T11:24:00.000-04:002007-08-22T11:37:24.374-04:00

I'm guessing that most of us at some point or another have been to a party or a bar or some kind of gathering in which the main form of entertainment was karaoke. Not long ago, I was attending a wedding and the at the reception the question was posed, What is your one karaoke song? In other words, If you could choose one, and only one, song in which to perform karaoke style what would it be?I

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-66956437804874160642007-08-21T10:09:00.000-04:002007-08-21T10:12:56.094-04:00

I'm a regular reader of Real Live Preacher. He's a part time Baptist minister in San Antonio, Texas. I gel with him and what he has to say. I really like his most recent post on the New Testament. It's definitely worth a read. Check it out here.-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-33970488673356301832007-08-20T14:35:00.000-04:002007-08-20T15:01:19.641-04:00

If you were to ask me a month ago what has kept Laura and me going over the past two years I would have said that a major contributor to keeping our heads above water is that we both dedicate three days a week to working out. Hard work outs, too. We alternate mornings and when we come through the door, we're drenched in sweat. We've been consistent and I truly believe it's been a major factor in

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-50361700249114233822007-08-19T09:44:00.000-04:002007-08-19T09:46:13.335-04:00

The best practical advice I've ever been given is this: Floss only the teeth you want to keep. While not a habitual flosser by any means, I remember this refrain passed on to me by a dentist. I'm curious, what's the best practical advice you've ever been given?-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-64966431968761916692007-08-17T09:40:00.000-04:002007-08-17T09:50:14.912-04:00

Sophia and I went on another date a few weeks ago. This time we did one of our favorite things in the world: went to a Yankees game. Sophia knows all the yells and loves the atmosphere. And oh yeah, she LOVES the Yankees. That's my girl.-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-22186844730495307252007-08-15T13:19:00.001-04:002007-08-15T13:23:34.679-04:00

We met Barbara and her family online. Their son, John, is so very similar to Ira. Both had a CDH. Both had long stays in the hospital. Both have trachs. Heck, the boys even look alike! Barbara wrote a very moving and very real post over at her blog. It's worth your time to go over and give it a read. Check it out here.-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-14972738494861352632007-08-13T08:54:00.000-04:002007-08-13T09:35:08.667-04:00

I officiated a wedding in PA this past weekend. The couple that got married are both artists (musician and dancer) and their ceremony was indicative of their creative natures. I'm continually amazed at the creative ways in which couples choose to express their love for one another via the wedding ceremony and that's why I am overjoyed when someone asks me to be a part of that special occasion.---

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-73583793323144224262007-08-08T08:00:00.001-04:002007-08-08T08:33:51.717-04:00

Laura and I have always been protective of our bed. In other words, our kids don't get to sleep with us. Sophia's tried and while we've let her in on a couple of occasions for morning snuggles we most often send her back to her bed. She gets it and rarely asks. But this morning we had a furious storm blow through Brooklyn. Furious. Loud, loud rain. Thunder. Lightening. All that was missing was

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-33989908400515205962007-08-07T17:33:00.001-04:002007-08-07T18:01:12.892-04:00

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the comments regarding my post on Luke 12 and finances but alas, I'm naive and so I was a bit surprised.I wasn't necessarily (I love that word) saying that saving is a sin (after all, parables are multivalent, right?) but the prophets of old and John the Baptist and Jesus speak enough about money that we should clue in that when dealing with that stuff, we are

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-5050170524579188552007-08-07T08:59:00.000-04:002007-08-07T09:04:36.139-04:00

Did you read the article in the New York Times Magazine titled Getting Iraq Wrong? The article is written by a guy who was, until 2005, a Harvard political science professor and is now in politics in Canada. He was one of many who believed going to Iraq was a good idea. He now admits that it was an error in judgment. The article is about what the war taught him about political judgment. My

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-30716345203371449762007-08-05T22:10:00.000-04:002007-08-05T22:25:44.193-04:00

The gospel reading today was Luke 12:13f. It's where Jesus tells the parable about the farmer who desires to build bigger barns in order to hold his access. God says to the farmer, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" Jesus goes on to make the point of the parable: "So it is with those who store up treasures for

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-37280227604342564902007-08-01T08:37:00.000-04:002007-08-01T09:51:33.958-04:00

Forgot to mention that we got the official go-ahead from the docs to take Ira off the vent. The doc wrote out a plan and currently we are up to two hours off at a time. Ira then goes back on for two hours, then two hours off... Ira's doing great. He can't stand the heat/humidity while off the vent so we're keeping him indoors during those two hours when he's off. He loves, LOVES, being off the

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-36050944156791824432007-07-30T21:27:00.001-04:002007-07-30T21:33:55.300-04:00

Click to Play Please, people, please know this is a joke. Inside those stirrups were my city Sketchers and yes, that's a Yankees hat I'm wearing.-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-19817478779715795252007-07-27T10:02:00.000-04:002007-07-27T10:08:01.310-04:00

Every Tuesday night during the month of July our little neighborhood garden is teeming with moms, dads and kids. That's because every Tuesday night stories are read and lemonade and cookies are offered. It's a fun time and a great way to socialize with the neighborhood folk. This Tuesday, I'm one of the readers.While we have a vast collection of books at our house I'm at a loss as to what I

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-78744665435959536702007-07-26T10:19:00.000-04:002007-07-26T10:53:16.671-04:00

We were fortunate to see a lot of people we love and adore while on our trip. (We were also sad to miss out on seeing others we love and adore.) Laura and I, having been away from our respective homes for quite some time, were feeling especially nostalgic for our extended families. So it was quite special when we got to see our grandmothers.Grandmother Hays now lives in Brownfield, Texas so we

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-60179140334461622622007-07-25T13:49:00.000-04:002007-07-25T14:03:24.244-04:00

According to someone I love dearly I should post some pictures of our trip. If you click the photo below, it will take you to my flickr account and you can check out all the fun we had in Tahoka. Click the picture below that and you can check out all the fun we had in St. Louis. Originally uploaded by joechays Originally uploaded by joechays -

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-8660222447084777462007-07-25T09:36:00.001-04:002007-07-25T09:39:35.136-04:00

I'm reading Barbara Brown Taylor's Leaving Church. In it she says,"...on the subject of divine guidance I side with Susan B. Anthony. 'I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do,' she once said, 'because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.' Having been somewhat of an expert on the sanctification of my own desires I try not to pin them on God anymore."AMEN!-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-23357455785718476852007-07-24T09:08:00.000-04:002007-07-24T09:14:12.039-04:00

from the pen of LauraIn April 2005, a son was born and began the fight of his life. That same month a young husband and father of four found out he had stage four colon cancer. He also began the fight of his life. For two years Mike Hope graciously endured all the medical field had to offer his increasingly frail body. Side by side so many prayers offered for the sick baby and the sick man. Even

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-18523457520517669082007-07-23T18:56:00.000-04:002007-07-23T19:02:43.374-04:00

We were on the last leg of our journey. We were all kind of irritable and by this point, kinda sick of each other. The kids were pretty tired. Laura and I were snapping at them pretty easily and Sophia was catching the brunt of it. Finally, Sophia spoke her mind.With narrowed eyes, a slight shake of the head and with arms crossed defiantly Sophia frustratingly said, "I am exalted! Everyone is

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-45947806027908904352007-07-23T09:19:00.000-04:002007-07-23T12:31:38.099-04:00

god talk: communicating what God is doing here and now; it usually involves phrases like "I'm blessed" or "God found favor with me"-------------------People a lot smarter and more capable than I have pontificated on the role of God in our world. There are folks out there who are more eloquent than I at communicating their understanding of the way God moves today. So you'll have to forgive me if

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-52569984668072181602007-07-22T10:19:00.000-04:002007-07-22T11:44:16.356-04:00

A friend of mine sent me a link to the quarterly Children's Hospital of New York newsletter in which they highlight CDH in one of their articles. Check out the pdf here and read pages two-three. The thing I learned was that while the national statistic for survival of CDH babies is around 50%, it is a whopping 90% at Children's in Manhattan.I'm so very thankful we've had access to Children's in

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-43668375792791580032007-07-20T09:38:00.000-04:002007-07-20T09:56:15.423-04:00

We're back. And, boy, does it feel good! The trip was a rousing success. On a scale from 1-10 I rate the trip a 10! Everything about the trip was perfect. I might post some pics of the trip if I get around to it but for now, here are the numbers:Days traveled: 17Miles traveled: 3,944.5States driven through: 13 not including NY (NJ, PA, WV, OH, IN, IL, MS, OK, TX, AR, TN, VA, MD)Hotels stayed in:

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-56368029929369891042007-07-10T06:57:00.001-04:002007-07-10T07:25:07.131-04:00

Our time in St. Louis was awesome. We took in a Cards game in which they actually won. The new Busch Stadium is an incredible venue. If you are there you should take in a game. On a side note, I've got an idea I think I'm going to pitch to the MLB: Fans who sit in the upper decks should have to pay less for consessions. Don't you think?We also visited Grant's Farm. It's kinda like a zoo but not

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-12503107992898372342007-07-04T10:44:00.000-04:002007-07-04T11:00:59.996-04:00

Our first day of travel was by far our most labor intensive. We pushed hard and drove for ten hours. With stops, it was a twelve hour day. The kids handled it beautifully. That's not to say that we didn't have our moments but all things considered, they - and therefore, we - did well.Some observations made:1) When I told Sophia that we were headed for St. Louis her response was, "Everyone has

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-90819673447292278242007-06-28T20:10:00.001-04:002007-06-28T20:35:18.274-04:00

Okay, sorry I left you hanging with my last post about the incredible thing Ira did the other day. It's just that I haven't quite gotten over the whole NICU jinx thing. I thought about describing what went down and what amazing achievement Ira accomplished but instead I'll show you. Check it out: Click to Play I'll give you more details on this later but for now know that

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-52020116867692386452007-06-25T21:48:00.001-04:002007-06-26T08:02:54.444-04:00

I'm going to sit down and make the playlists the latter part of this week. Your many responses are appreciated and thanks to my super cool brother-in-law I now have a little iTunes money to spend. Yippee! I'll let you know how those playlists turn out.------------------On another note, Hilary led our church in communion this past Sunday. Her meditation was moving. With her permission, I'm linking

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-50797207404143161662007-06-25T08:30:00.000-04:002007-06-25T08:33:37.364-04:00

It was Sunday night. It wasn't quite time for the kids to go to bed. They were driving Laura and me nuts. Nuts I'm telling you. Nuts.Laura: We need another Jamaica vacation from these kids!Joe: I've got a better idea. A week from now, why don't we pack them up in the car and spend countless amount of hours with them!Laura's nonverbals spoke volumes at that moment. My joke was not appreciated.-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-20331264652094565532007-06-21T08:58:00.001-04:002007-06-21T10:14:27.079-04:00

Okay friends, Laura and I have looked over the suggested ideas for roadtrip playlists and we're pretty excited. We're kinda limited because we're gonna have to work with our music library (hey, those 99 cents songs start to add up) but I'm thinking we can make it happen.The three I started with are:1) Gettin' Out of the City playlist - songs that are rebellious, fun, fast, and with a "see ya

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-59723292221652451092007-06-20T09:41:00.001-04:002007-06-20T10:02:39.249-04:00

I love your ideas for roadtrip playlists. I'll post tomorrow what Laura and I think fits us and then you guys can help me work out what songs need to be included on those playlists. Cool, daddy?----------------------Every morning Laura and I go through the same routine with Ira. We disinfect the sink area and kitchen table. We wash him in the sink being careful to make sure water doesn't go down

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-68791616763569556632007-06-18T10:14:00.001-04:002007-06-18T10:31:25.477-04:00

Have you heard that my fam is going on a roadtrip? Kidding. To say the least, we're pretty excited about getting away for a couple of weeks. Don't let New Yorkers fool you. In spite of their avid pride for their city, all city dwellers long to escape every now and then. We're at fourteen days and counting before we head out!Our prep for this trip started long ago. We've been in contact with

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-48401209168705248072007-06-13T21:53:00.000-04:002007-06-13T22:10:33.578-04:00

My sister gave me a subscription to a magazine called The Sun. The mag is an "ad-free, monthly magazine that publishes an eclectic mix of personal essays, fiction, interviews, poetry and photographs." When I get an issue in the mail, I can't put it down.The current issue has an interview with a Benedictine nun (or Sister) named Joan Chittister. Sister Chittister's been a nun for fifty-five years

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-57596891978804944852007-06-13T08:38:00.000-04:002007-06-13T08:49:21.611-04:00

Our family attended a race car themed birthday party this past weekend in Central Park. It was the birthday of a friend of ours, Levi. His dad, Jason, put together a video of the event. I'm pointing you in that direction for selfish reasons: About two minutes into the video, you'll witness Ira's first race. It takes a while for him to run (walk) it but the cameraman was determined to stay with

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-38058452144533916222007-06-10T20:31:00.000-04:002007-06-10T20:43:05.393-04:00

from Laura's penWhat is it about this island that allows me to feel closer to you? Is it the quiet? The fact that I can't hear traffic all around? That the sounds of birds calling and crickets chirping have replaced the honking and cursing of Brooklyn? Maybe. Or maybe it's the fact that our villa is on somewhat of a mountain and I feel as though I could reach up and almost touch the clouds. The

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-85846213444809650172007-06-08T18:31:00.000-04:002007-06-08T18:35:26.798-04:00

So what do we do at the end of a long day? We hang out on the stoop. Spring in New York City is absolutely the best.-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-41725368069108837852007-06-05T16:23:00.000-04:002007-06-05T16:40:08.637-04:00

Remember my post on roadtrips? To kick off the summer, This American Life did a show called Roadtrip! It's definitely worth your listen.------------------------I've been gone a couple of Sundays over the past few weeks. In my absence, more than qualified folks have stepped in for me on Sundays to teach and preach. This past week, JTB preached on Trinity Sunday. Check her sermon out here. And, go

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-57904164473988665122007-06-04T11:40:00.000-04:002007-06-04T11:54:59.403-04:00

Laura and I are contemplating a new gig - wedding officiants in Jamaica. Laura's version of this song was a raging success and everyone was impressed that I could swing a 20 minute wedding. We were told, "Hey, you guys could make a killing here!" The Jamaican minister who was on hand to make the marriage official said he does multiple weddings every weekend of the year. So, I'm thinking Christ's

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-3141996245440812722007-06-03T19:51:00.000-04:002007-06-03T19:59:34.458-04:00

I'm sitting in the Montego Bay airport. We've been delayed. We'll land at JKF by 2 a.m. Monday morning. Ugh. But we've decided that this situation will not overshadow the good times had in Jamaica. The resort was incredible, the people friendly and the wedding wonderful. I would write about what we did but we did absolutely nothing. So there's nothing to write. We rested and it was glorious.Now

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-87745455539756096872007-05-30T09:46:00.001-04:002007-05-30T10:06:32.851-04:00

If it's not Ira, it's Sophia. Laura went to pick Sophia up from daycare yesterday. I was at home getting some work done for a wedding I'm officiating this weekend. Ira was chilling with his nurse. My phone rings."Joe. They won't let me get to Sophia. There's been a shooting in her building. I can't get to her. The SWAT team is all over the place.""I'll be right there."I run as fast as I can...

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-34533759772281112552007-05-28T20:43:00.000-04:002007-05-28T20:53:09.299-04:00

A while ago Sophia and I had a date night. We got all dressed up and went into Manhattan. We ate good food, saw Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, had ice cream and chewed gum. Sophia can't stop talking about it. She was the perfect date: the conversation was riveting ("Dad, do I have to eat my broccoli at school tomorrow?"), Sophia looked wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed the show. (Um, okay,

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-29606875806956339692007-05-23T22:45:00.000-04:002007-05-23T22:50:00.263-04:00

Hot drinks on hot days. Okay, I'll admit that I don't even get hot drinks on cold days but it makes a bit more sense to me than hot drinks on hot days. When I see someone walking around in shorts and a t-shirt while holding a cup of coffee I wince. I just don't get it.While we're talking drinks, I don't get drinks with no ice. Sorry my European friends, I just don't get why you like warm or

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-60785519287938239432007-05-22T09:16:00.000-04:002007-05-22T09:30:06.961-04:00

from the pen of LauraI know there are many of you out there that love Ira and have followed his story for a couple of years now. Some of you have actually met him and others of you only know him through this blog. Recently you have seen pictures and vlogs of him eating and walking.Well, I think it is time for you to meet the real Ira.One of the very best words to describe Ira is stubborn. I have

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-73592926246243192832007-05-21T11:02:00.000-04:002007-05-21T11:48:53.344-04:00

You're either a road tripper or not. There's not an in-between designation on the road trip scale. You either love loading up the car, stopping at endless gas stations and fast food joints and driving mile after mile on interstates or you don't. Me? I love a good road trip. Being from Texas, I didn't think twice about driving eight hours from home to college. And when I met Laura, we made many

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-945498290676859222007-05-18T09:32:00.000-04:002007-05-18T09:36:30.024-04:00

My friend, Casey, laments that women characters on TV are "not allowed to be bright and indepedent, and capable of having other people in [their lives]." It's a very well written post examining the season finales of Gilmore Girls and Grey's Anatomy. Check it out here.-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-44646243235897343282007-05-16T12:35:00.000-04:002007-05-16T12:58:02.059-04:00

We were living in Ft. Worth. I was a minister at a small congregation. A new couple started attending the services. She was a native of D/FW and he was originally from Long Island. Laura will never forget the day when he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. He immediately pulled away. His face turned bright red. He said, "Sorry!" and walked away quickly.The memory is vivid in Laura's head but

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-37743518053828904712007-05-16T09:22:00.000-04:002007-05-16T12:58:36.032-04:00

Any SA Spurs fans out there? Are you absolutely embarrassed to be associated with them at the moment? Don't you want Bowen and Horry to just go away and quit ruining the reputation that Duncan and Robinson worked so hard to establish? Speak up. Are you out there?-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-74638103989978788262007-05-13T21:24:00.000-04:002007-05-13T21:27:43.147-04:00

I discussed this question with some friends on Sunday evening over dinner:How will our culture change in the next 100 years?Some answers were optimistic some not so much. What do you think?-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-84707897996449979712007-05-09T14:02:00.000-04:002007-05-09T14:19:15.252-04:00

New York City is a city of millions of people. There is hardly ever a moment when one is not surrounded by hundreds or thousands of other people. Even in the inner most sanctuary of apartments one can feel the presence of others through conversations taking place on the sidewalks or the clanging feet of neighbors upstairs or the baby crying in the apartment next door. One is hardly ever

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-20246519488269854082007-05-08T08:34:00.000-04:002007-05-08T08:36:05.219-04:00

Jeremy does a great job of sharing the details of our 42 mile ride through New York City. Go over to his blog and check out his post titled, 42 miles of sheer pleasure...and some pain.-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-83336950906604598782007-05-06T18:38:00.000-04:002007-05-06T19:49:27.337-04:00

Jeremy, a friend from Golden, Colorado; Ryan, my brother-in-law from College Station, Texas; and I rode in the Five Boro Bike Tour today. It was awesome. We shared the road with 32,000 other riders. The ride was supposed to start at 8 a.m. but there were so many of us that we didn't start peddling until 8:45 PM. It took us about four hours to complete the ride and that was with a bathroom/banana

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-9687380667612842762007-05-01T20:58:00.000-04:002007-05-01T21:06:25.999-04:00

I don't always catch American Idol but I did tonight. And I gotta say, it was a fun episode to watch. The contestants singing Bon Jovi? How fun is that? With the exception of Jordin and Chris, everyone was spectacular. Holy Cow! Based upon tonight's episode (I know the results will also take into consideration last week's performances but I didn't see those) who do you think goes home? I'm

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-36406628161104314502007-05-01T15:07:00.000-04:002007-05-01T15:37:40.857-04:00

How do we measure the effectiveness of a church? It's an age old question that will never go away. And I'm guessing we'll keep coming back to the same 'ol answers: size of the congregation, size of volunteer staff (core members), budget, collection each Sunday/month/year, commitments made to Christ. But even of these, it's usually narrowed down to one: size of church. Numbers. Effectiveness is

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-59534743123220206802007-04-30T08:35:00.000-04:002007-04-30T09:09:39.280-04:00

Laura here.Have you ever experienced a bunch of strangers yelling and screaming your name like they know you but you have never seen them before in your life?Neither have I. But my children experienced this very thing this past Friday and it was beautiful. We had the privilege of meeting the 5th and 6th graders Joe wrote about here and here. The 6th graders kept up with Ira's story last year

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-11741889856652404052007-04-26T19:17:00.001-04:002007-04-26T19:22:52.581-04:00

Click to Play -

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-26618856839023492052007-04-26T10:13:00.000-04:002007-04-26T10:30:38.334-04:00

This past weekend was wonderful...and exhausting. That's why I haven't blogged this week. I do want to say thank you for all the sweet blessings you bestowed upon Ira in the last post. We are blessed to have you thinking of us and praying for us. Forgive me for not saying that until this moment. I'm just now catching my breath from the weekend's activities.Seeing all the docs and hearing all the

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-53103331172549626912007-04-21T21:40:00.000-04:002007-04-21T22:02:06.404-04:00

We woke this morning still riding the high from yesterday. It was a good day to celebrate Ira's 2nd birthday! This afternoon we had people over to commemorate Ira's newest milestone of not just making it to his second birthday but blazing into his next year of life! Our family was honored that so many gave up a beautiful 70 degree Saturday to spend it with Ira.Ministers aren't known for lacking

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-4377415253909433132007-04-20T16:20:00.000-04:002007-04-20T16:45:53.152-04:00

A-Rod is not the only guy in NYC that's hot. So is Ira. Ira saw a whole host of doctors today and every one of them was impressed. The look of disbelief on their faces was due to the picture of a sedated, puny little baby that was embedded in their memories. Even for the doctors who saw him just five months ago, they were overwhelmed by Ira's progress.It was good for Laura and me to hear the

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-10360777362990884002007-04-19T17:28:00.000-04:002007-04-19T17:36:56.944-04:00

A-Rod is freakin' hot! He did it again this afternoon hitting yet another walk-off homer in yet another two out bottom of the ninth inning. I'm loving every minute of it...even if I don't have cable to watch him live on the YES network. sniff, sniff. But it's all good, I'm all about keeping track of the game via the internet. C'mon, folks, let's here it for the Yankees! :)-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-51935704887872282102007-04-18T10:52:00.000-04:002007-04-18T10:56:51.619-04:00

In reading a lecture concerning preaching, the lecturer - Jana L. Childers, a homiletics professor - sites a study conducted in 1985 by Albert Mehrabian of Stanford University. He found when people come to a lecture or hear someone speak, 55 percent of the message they receive comes from the speaker's body and face. They receive 38 percent of the message from the tone of voice, and they receive a

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-54487779067763325012007-04-17T13:42:00.000-04:002007-04-17T13:48:31.410-04:00

Several weeks ago Sophia spent the weekend with dear friends in Philadelphia. Our friends don't live in center city Philadelphia so it feels very different than Brooklyn. They took Sophia to a nearby park that has great hiking paths. Sophia's first question was, "Are we in Africa?" A little later she asked, "Do you think there is a diner nearby so that we can stop and get some ice cream?"This

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-47056063858422467342007-04-16T10:23:00.000-04:002007-04-16T10:26:30.440-04:00

Click To Play Ira's made a lot of progress, no? However, there is one part of his life where he's made almost no progress - eating. Ira eats through a g-tuge which means that food (in his case, Pediasure) goes directly from a pump to a tube inserted into his stomach. The video you are about to see

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-74577616457032286592007-04-13T13:43:00.000-04:002007-04-13T14:01:16.466-04:00

I'm pretty pumped about this weekend and next. This weekend I, along with other Christ's Church for Brooklyn friends, will participate in the Step It Up 2007 rally. The rally is an effort to raise awareness of our current climate crisis. The hope is that the rallies all across America will raise the awareness of our politicians. That's all well and good but I'm hoping that my awareness will

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-73045947276969950902007-04-11T22:18:00.000-04:002007-04-11T22:41:42.943-04:00

I'm already hearing chatter as to how the Yankees will not make the playoffs this year. That's just silly. A-Rod is hitting homeruns at a break-neck pace, two of our starting aces have yet to pitch and we still have one of the hottest offenses in the league and we aren't going to make the playoffs? People, please. Don't you know that our man will do anything, buy anything in order to get there?

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-26790331104571203522007-04-09T22:28:00.000-04:002007-04-09T22:46:04.156-04:00

I attended a meeting of church leaders - specifically, people who are starting new churches - this evening. At some point during the evening we were asked to briefly share our church planting story. Where was I to begin?We wanted to launch our church plant in January of '05. We found out about Ira's CDH in December of '04. Let's do the math together, shall we?Crisis + Launching New Church = Not

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-33012804334873464982007-04-08T21:19:00.000-04:002007-04-08T21:33:41.105-04:00

I'm extremely thankful for all the comments and encouragement you offered me in my confessional post. I really do have much to learn and I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.Easter weekend was packed with church stuff and Laura's birthday. It's Sunday night and I'm pooped. When bloggers get stumped and are tired they often turn to the open thread for help. This is where you

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-12918028484240521212007-04-04T22:40:00.000-04:002007-04-04T22:31:55.319-04:00

I feel the need to get some things off my chest. So do me a favor: pretend like we're in one of those confessional booths that one finds in Catholic churches. There is the appropriate amount of darkness so that I can't see you and you can't see me. The silence in the place is overwhelming. It feels as if everyone and their dog is listening in on what I have to say but I know if I whisper soft

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-21853756784395738632007-04-03T09:40:00.000-04:002007-04-03T12:24:28.440-04:00

I only recently started riding my bike after having been hit by a cop back in October. I've been a little nervous going to and from work but all in all, I'm feeling pretty good about it. But what was I thinking when I signed up for the Five Boro Bike Tour? It's 42 miles and the claim is that its doable for cyclists of all levels. We'll see about that.I'm fairly confident that my butt is is shape

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-1579320892846529112007-04-02T09:32:00.000-04:002007-04-02T09:58:25.055-04:00

Just when I think I've come to know everything there is to know about my wife, she surprises me. There are so many sides to Laura. She is at once calm and collected while also anxious and scattered. She is reserved while also loquacious. She is graceful while also clumsy. She walks the straight and narrow while veering off onto the wild side. It's not that my wife is totally unpredictable or

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-64179677536226330752007-04-01T18:42:00.000-04:002007-04-01T18:57:25.108-04:00

Are you bummed that March Madness is coming to an end? Fear not, my friends, the bracket madness does not have to end.My sister, in light of the current season, sent me a book called The Enlightened Bracketologist: The Final Four of Everything. As it reads on the back cover: What's the greatest American beer? The best Elmore Leonard novel? The most reliable economic indicator? Five Darwinian

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-40561446719148861782007-03-29T09:50:00.000-04:002007-03-29T10:17:18.365-04:00

So you must have been pretty bored to have wanted to comment on whether or not I should do away with the beard. Here's the official tally: Eight (8) of you said keep the beard or some form of it, five (5) of you said shave it, four (4) of you said it could go either way and the rest of you out there could careless whether or not I keep it.In the end, I kinda like mad4books's comment about letting

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-30117025713542309872007-03-28T10:29:00.000-04:002007-03-28T10:48:45.457-04:00

Yesterday was the first day in a long while that the temp got up to 70 degrees. It was beautiful. Everyone was out and about! We loaded Ira up and took the fam to a local playground.Everyone, and I do mean everyone, stared at Ira. People weren't even trying to hide their stares. But I get it. I stare too when I come across someone who isn't "like me" so I understand. It's just that I'm on the

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-87175309799545844322007-03-27T21:17:00.000-04:002007-03-27T21:41:28.798-04:00

Laura here.My husband has a beard. He's had it since November. At first, I didn't like it. But as it grew, so did my appreciation for it. It still feels funny when I kiss him but I've grown accustomed to that as well. I think Joe looks a little older and more mature with it and I'm sure he thinks that helps establish him a bit more in his profession.Joe asked me today if he should continue to

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-4257334749069994722007-03-26T07:15:00.000-04:002007-03-26T07:46:36.364-04:00

My family was shocked last year when a bunch of fifth graders we didn't know rallied around Ira. I was even more shocked when it happened again this year. Mr. Brian O'Connor's fifth graders once again went above and beyond the call of service in order to reach out and help our family. Mr. O'Connor has weaved into his teaching Ira's story. He once told me that teaching the kids history, math and

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-30010946844620805502007-03-22T13:01:00.000-04:002007-03-22T13:05:01.561-04:00

So who makes it through the weekend? What four teams will converge on Atlanta on March 31? Any guesses? Here are my final four picks based on the sixteen that are still in:Texas A&M v North CarolinaKansas v Florida-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-67750322515625486982007-03-21T09:30:00.000-04:002007-03-21T10:15:52.748-04:00

To be clear, Laura and I really aren't falling out about the thumb sucking thing and Sophia, I'm fairly certain, knows we love and adore her. So fear not, my friends, for this thumb sucking will not lead to divorce or estrangement within the family! I was simply employing the literary device of exaggeration to coax you into commenting for we really did want your advice.I do appreciate the many

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-49395440226820128642007-03-20T13:19:00.000-04:002007-03-20T13:37:13.329-04:00

Do you want to help save our marriage? Do you want to help salvage our relationship with our daughter? Do you want our family to stay in tact? Then help us. Please. I'm begging you. Help.You see, our daughter, Sophia, sucks her thumb. Not just when she sleeps but at other times of the day as well. It truly does pacify and calm her. For so very long, her thumb has been quite convenient for us all.

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-1622829718252606662007-03-19T16:55:00.000-04:002007-03-19T17:26:19.762-04:00

We celebrated Sophia's fourth birthday on Saturday. (Yep, she's a St. Patrick's Day baby.) We invited three of her friends from school over, sent the parents off to brunch and had a party! Sophia had a blast.Even though Sophia has never seen a Mickey Mouse cartoon while here at the house and even though we don't have any Mickey Mouse books, Sophia wanted a Mickey Mouse cake. (Why do you think

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-42693214216419396012007-03-19T09:38:00.000-04:002007-03-19T10:13:49.376-04:00

You might remember e-meeting some of Ira's NICU friends in this post. It's been an honor to keep up with these children and their parents. On Friday I got an e-mail from Lily's mom. The subject of the e-mail was, Here we go again... My heart sank. I didn't want to open the e-mail. Before I go on to say what the e-mail entailed, it might be helpful to remind you of Ira's (and Lily's and Ava's and

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-64449555671994394762007-03-16T21:26:00.000-04:002007-03-16T21:28:32.351-04:00

Guess who Ira is rooting for in The Dance?-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-36642879087595173222007-03-16T12:00:00.000-04:002007-03-16T11:04:37.705-04:00

I can sense the angst, the confusion, the worry as the person contemplates how they should answer the question that I've asked them. It is a rather simple question, one that's asked of us several times a day but it seems that when I ask it, the recipient immediately finds themselves in a dilemma much worse than that of JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis!How are you?, I ask. After several seconds

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-82289058983770249072007-03-13T17:51:00.001-04:002007-03-13T17:53:28.002-04:00

Click to Play -

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-82666319591958023442007-03-13T10:02:00.000-04:002007-03-13T10:04:36.531-04:00

The mere mention of "abortion" gets folks stirred up in both directions. My last post was about Giuliani but it quickly turned into a discussion on abortion. Meanwhile the NY Times posted this article on their site. It's a hard article to read but it is worth your time.In sum, there are programs around the country that help parents who are told their unborn babies will die upon birth. These

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-54684207556342918832007-03-12T20:32:00.000-04:002007-03-12T21:28:20.028-04:00

I try hard not to label myself politically. In my ideal world I would take a little from both parties and some from lesser known parties to create my perfect candidate. Alas, this is not an option. Because I lean left I've voted in that direction in the last several elections.I'm incredibly interested in the 2008 presidential election. I'm interested to see if the Democrats will say anything of

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-91670845555933085592007-03-11T23:14:00.000-04:002007-03-11T21:05:28.096-04:00

I love living in New York City. Let me be more specific. I love living in Brooklyn. For those of you unfamiliar with the city, each borough making up NYC has its own feel, its own personality. I've never lived in Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island so I won't speak for those. But I have lived in Manhattan and, for the last three years, Brooklyn. And I love Brooklyn. When I go into Manhattan now

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-60559385512696552402007-03-08T21:21:00.000-05:002007-03-08T22:03:29.587-05:00

1) Your ideas for Laura were brilliant. I can tell the suggestions have sparked something in Laura. Her wheels are turning and I've noticed her spending time on her laptop writing. She tells me there will be something for me to post come Monday. I promise you will hear from her next week.2) This week's episode of LOST did it for me. I'll hang around a bit longer. It was a pretty darn good episode

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-23086487121352692492007-03-07T13:41:00.000-05:002007-03-07T13:55:33.339-05:00

Thank you for taking the time to make suggestions for Laura's next writing piece. I noticed her taking notes last night on all the topics you suggested so I'm guessing you got her wheels spinning. Maybe we'll hear from her in the next couple of days. Stay tuned...Several of you asked Laura to write about music. Today, I had the pleasure of attending her music class called Musical Mayhem. She was

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-47530480235433159192007-03-05T19:31:00.000-05:002007-03-05T19:56:50.387-05:00

It's been a while since Laura wrote for this blog. If you're like me, you miss her honest take on life. I've asked her on several occasions if she's interested in putting her pen to work but she's just not feeling it. She tells me she's in a writing funk. She loves to write but the well of creativity is dry. That's where you come in. If you're so inclined, suggest a topic you would like Laura to

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-52795085553105644252007-03-04T07:23:00.000-05:002007-03-04T11:53:10.148-05:00

Not long ago, Barak Obama made his first big public mistake in his presidential run. In a visit to Iowa Obama said, "We ended up launching a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged, and to which we now have spent $400 billion and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted."It didn't take long for his opponents to take hold of that

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-82229565130142708422007-03-01T15:32:00.000-05:002007-03-01T15:37:47.558-05:00

I know, I know. The Aggies lost to t.u. in double overtime last night but Acie Law IV is totally sick. Did you see that three he nailed over Durant at the end of regulation? Sick. Nasty.Durant is definitely the Player of the Year. No one can hold the dude. He should be the number one pick come the NBA draft but, BUT, Law is definitely the Big 12 Player of the Year and if there were such a thing,

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-22736776578748372102007-02-28T09:29:00.000-05:002007-02-28T09:52:00.599-05:00

I'm giving Lost two more episodes. Two more before I make the decision to remain lost with them or get off the island altogether. This season is lacking in so many ways and I believe the storyline is stretching too thin. Can I get an amen? Anyway, they've got two more episodes to convince me to stay on. Why two? Don't know.-------------------------------Last week's episode of The Office was

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-31890494533206899002007-02-26T19:40:00.000-05:002007-02-26T20:10:57.333-05:00

We had an appointment with Ira's pulmonologist (lung doc) last week. She was pleased with how well he's done this winter. The plan is that we'll see her again in April and when we do, we'll develop a plan for weaning Ira off of the ventilator. If all goes well, if there are no hiccups, if the stars align, if, if, if...then by early summer Ira could be having trial times (starting with 10 minutes

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-44165876710693858992007-02-24T13:30:00.000-05:002007-02-24T13:48:34.141-05:00

Do you remember that little game and song on Sesame Street:One of these things is not like the other,one of these things just doesn't belong.Can you tell which thing is not like the othersby the time I finish my song?There are times when I'm in a social situation in which I'm fairly certain I'm the object of that game; that I'm the thing that doesn't belong. I imagine someone bursting out from

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-38495783801731116472007-02-22T19:44:00.001-05:002007-02-22T19:46:02.163-05:00

Click to Play -

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-37352358880480937672007-02-22T09:33:00.000-05:002007-02-22T11:04:28.616-05:00

What film should win best picture and why?1) Babel2) The Departed3) Letters from Iwo Jima4) Little Miss Sunshine5) Queen----------------------------------On another note, a friend of mine found this survey on the web. Take the challenge and see how big your ecological footprint is on this world. Me? I'm a size 13 which means we would need 2.9 planets if everyone lived as I did. Ugh!-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-6863706297274094932007-02-20T18:29:00.000-05:002007-02-20T18:45:12.797-05:00

A majority of Americans are in support of capital punishment. It's been said by a professor who is a retributivist advocate of the death penalty that we should make executions public. He says specifically, "My view is that executions should be public, that we should take responsibility for what we do. If we can't face it, we should abolish it."-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-13739392956016057122007-02-19T19:51:00.000-05:002007-02-19T20:49:03.265-05:00

Do you know that feeling you have when something big like a deadline or a test or an event is just around the corner but you aren't quite prepared? Those days leading up to that something big are heavy days where the weight of the thing can't be seen but can definitely be felt. Those days leading up to the something big seem to drag on so as to make you completely aware of your unpreparedness. As

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792708.post-26192667876404548702007-02-18T20:31:00.000-05:002007-02-18T21:02:22.923-05:00

Why, WHY, are people watching Grey's Anatomy? WHY?and,Why, WHY, do I cry every time I catch an episode of Extreme Home Makeover? WHY?-

jchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13728447439539826189noreply@blogger.com12