A Super-Sized Look Back At 2010

I think it's important to reflect. We shouldn't live in the past, but it's healthy to visit. It helps us learn and grow.  When analyzing the past for some reason it's a lot easier to remember the bad times over the good. I recommend trying look back and remember the good things.  Today I'm looking back over the year that was 2010. It's a Super-Sized list of my favorite things in 2010.

Favorite Movies

• Toy Story 3 - this might be the best film of 2010.
• Inception - I loved that it was creative and not a retread of something old. In other words it wasn't a sequel or based off of something from the 80's. 
• Date Night - this movie still makes me laugh.
• The Social Network - Who knew that the story of Facebook was so fascinating?
• True Grit - making westerns cool again.
• Predators - Despite a rumor that has spread about me I do see R rated films. I try to check out why they are rated R and if it has nudity in it then I don't see it in theaters. Predators is rated R for violence and way too many F bombs. I grew up with the original and thought this was the best attempt at a decent sequel since Arnold yelled "Get to the Chopper!"
• The Expendables - again it's rated R for action violence and a few swears. This is not a great movie, but a great attempt of bringing back all the glory of the 80's action movie. For that it makes my list.
• Harry Potter 7 - I'm not a Potter fanatic, but this might be the best film of the series.
• Iron Man 2 - compared to the first one this is a disappointment, but there is still enough super hero action to make me include it in my top ten list.
• A-Team - I'm not sure why this movie didn't do better then it did. For an action movie it's great! It's funny and has some of the coolest action scenes in recent memory. Plus it's based off of one of my all time favorite shows from my childhood.

Favorite Songs

• Nothin On You by B.O.B - I love that iTunes has clean versions of songs.
• Airplanes - "Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars" became a staple post for people's status on Facebook. It was so overplayed that some people grew sick of this song. But come on this is still a catchy track.
• Tonight by TobyMac - this song is amazing!
• Hello Hurricane - ok technically this came out in November of 2009, but I didn't really start listening to it until 2010. For some reason my summer of 2010 was dominated by this album and specifically this song.
• Hey Soul Sister by Train - catchy.
• Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars - I like songs that are actually about love. Too many songs today are about break ups, hook ups, or screw ups.
• Heartbreak Warfare by John Mayer - not his best song of all time but this one is a worthy effort.
• Forever Reign by Hillsong Live - I first heard this song while taking the WEC Students to camp. It has since become a staple at Waters Edge.
• Dynamite by Taio Cruz - this song made one of my road trip mixes and it became a staple of 2010.

Favorite Blog Posts

• 50 Reasons Why I Don't Own a Pet - this was the highest trafficked post in the history of my blog.
• You Can't Shake Me - this was during a very tough week for me.
• I'm Scared To Be A Dad - this was a humorous post that many people told me they enjoyed.
• Introducing Hayden and Reese Shepherd - this is where I told the names of our twins who are coming in 2011.
• I Love You Warts and All - This was inspired by a picture the guys in my Student Group told me about. It's gross.
• Back Off That Ledge - This post led my pastor to tweet that this was the best blog post of the day.
• Step by Step by the Waters Edge Boyz - this was one of the most well received videos that WEC staff has ever done.
• ABC's - this was one of the most fun posts to write.
• Why I HATE Jogging Outside - I went jogging and it inspired a blog post.
• Making Time - this was a little post that didn't generate a lot of attention, but I like it.

Favorite Memories of 2010

• When we found out that we were pregnant. After six years of trying this was a great day.
• When we found out that we were having twins!
• Going to Philly with Monica. This was a fun quick trip. We saw the Lakers play the 76ers and we won. We then decided to drive back the same day because a snow storm was coming. We were supposed to stay with Monica's aunt and uncle, but we drove back to the 757. It was a long but memorable day.
• Catalyst Conference. I love this conference, but this year was extra good. I was blessed to host luncheons with Seth Godin and Perry Noble. I love Catalyst because it offers top shelf speakers but I also get to see a lot of great friends. I loved seeing Chad Johnson (no not the football player), Brian Smith, Mobbs, Chad Childress, and I got to meet Josh Fowler for the first time. Josh is now on staff with Waters Edge. Oh and I also got to meet Tyler Stanton. Even though I'm older than him when I grow up I want to be as funny as Tyler Stanton.
• Snow Days. We had multiple snow days this year. In Feb. and in Dec. I loved the one in Feb. because our good friends Dan and Danielle brought their dogs to our house and stayed the night. It was the only time dogs have been allowed in our house.
• The Lakers winning the championship. This was celebrated with good friends who all wore Lakers jerseys in honor of the championship. One friend even took his fandom to a whole nutha level. This was a fun night with Jamey, Carlyn, Courtney, and Lindsey. The fact that the Lakers beat the Celtics made this that much more amazing.
• Speaking of amazing...my wife is amazing. This year was filled with her being amazing. She made all my favorite foods for each game of the Lakers finals. She took me to my first playoff game - Lakers vs. Celtics in the Finals! She even wore a Lakers jersey in the Boston Garden. I love being married to Monica and I love that she is pregnant!
• Christmas Eve with Waters Edge. If you weren't there it's hard to describe how amazing this day was. Hundreds of people raised their hands to become Christ Followers. It was amazing!

Favorite Purchases

• In 2010 we scaled back. This was the first Christmas that we didn't exchange gifts. We also decided to do a staycation instead of a vacation. In return we purchased two babies for the price of one from the Jones Institute. We did IVF and I'd say it was a most excellent purchase.
• I also bought a PS3. This was before IVF and I used the money I had received from speaking to Youth Ministry classes at Liberty University.

Funniest Commercials - Commercials are having a tough year. With DVR taking over the world no one pays attention to commercials. With that being said here were a few that I didn't fast forward through.

• Old Spice The Man You Could Smell Like - very funny.
• Snickers with Betty White - This commercial helped make Betty White a cultural superstar in 2010.
• Geico Woodchucks - This commercial still makes me laugh.

Favorite Books

• Primal by Mark Batterson
• Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick
• Radical by David Platt - I'm not done with this one yet, but I really like it.
• It by Craig Groeschel

Firsts

• 2010 was the first time I saw a Christian Counselor. They didn't offer a lot of answers but it was nice to talk to someone and not feel bad for dumping my worries on them.
• We're pregnant!
• First time I went to a NBA playoff game and the first time I saw the Lakers play in Philly and Boston. I have a goal to see the Lakers play in every NBA arena. There are 30 NBA teams.
• First time I played Call of Duty. This happened just a couple of weeks ago and I got killed by a bunch of children.
• I got a smart phone. I didn't know my phone was dumb until companies came out with smart phones. Now I have a smart phone.
• I ran in my first 5K. I still don't like jogging but I think I'm going to try a 10K in 2011.

Favorite Apps - this year I got an iPod and a smart phone. With those comes apps.

• Angry Birds - love it!
• Words With Friends - I play this every day.
• Tower Madness - Monica often heard me yell "they got my sheep."
• Redbox - see what DVD's are at Redbox before you drive out to get one...priceless. You can even reserve a copy of what you want.
• ESPN - I love checking on the scores of games whenever I want.
• Facebook - who doesn't love Facebook. Now it's easier then ever to get on and check people's status.

Cool or Uncool?

Cool or Uncool - a game at robshep.com where you decide what's cool. There is not right or wrong answer, but the outcome is decided by the majority.  Here's how you play. Read the item at hand and then leave a comment saying whether you think it's cool or uncool.

Cool or Uncool - wearing pajamas out in public.

I see this a lot now of days. I've seen it at the mall, Wal-Mart, and even one of my students did it for Community Group.  Cool or Uncool?

Movie Review: True Grit

My dad loves westerns. They are his super heroes.  Did you know that there is a cable TV network dedicated to all things western? There is, and my dad watches it.  Growing up I was often exposed to westerns that my dad loved.  Some how I missed the original True Grit. I've seen images of John Wayne's Oscar winning performance, but I've never seen the film.  I say that because I had nothing to compare when I went to see the Cowen brothers (Directors, writers, and brothers) version of this classic. 

I loved True Grit. I thought the acting was fabulous. I thought the story was engaging. For me a test of a movie is how much I care about the characters. Many times I watch a film and think "all these characters could die and I wouldn't think twice." I want more than some good special affects and a few explosions. Movies I love are movies where I connect with the characters. True Grit is one of those movies.

It's the story of a 14 year old girl who hires a marshall to kill her father's killer.  Hailee Steinfeld plays the young girl and if she doesn't get an Oscar nomination it's a shame. This isn't a movie that I would want to watch over and over again, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film.  It's rated PG-13 for violence, and a few swears. I give it two thumbs up.

Rob's Rating System =

Two Thumbs Up - A great movie worth paying full price.

One Thumb Up - A decent attempt and worth seeing at a matinee price.

Thumb to the side - An ok film, but wait for video.

Thumb down - A stinker of a film. Don't waste you life seeing it. 

TMI = ME Part 2

A friend recently told me about an article he read in Newsweek.  People were randomly surveyed and asked how often they went to church.  On average people answered that they went twice a month.  The problem is that according to church attendance those numbers don't add up.  They then changed the survey to ask what people did over the last month.  Without feeling the pressure of being judged about not going to church people answered honestly.  The new survey showed that their church attendance was much lower then on the survey they answered before. 

I don't know where it comes from but there is something in most of us that desires to please people. Most of the time it's not even the people we know. It's an imaginary group of people that we may never meet, but we sure do work hard to impress. It's why people feel the pressure to say they go to church more than they really do. It's why people feel the need to lie when the phone wakes them up.  You were sleeping, but for some reason when the person on the other side of the line asks if you were sleeping you lie.  It's why we try to keep up with the Jones, lie about our age, and pretend to be better then we really are.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't care about what others think about us. I'm not saying that we should be rude and say everything that's on our mind.  What I am saying is that people are going to judge you no matter what image you portray.  You might as well let people know the real you.

I'll give you an example of a potential TMI blog. This year I blogged about going to see a Christian counselor.  It wasn't easy blogging about it. My first thought was that people would judge me and think less of me. It wasn't easy, but for me it was the right thing to do. Through that blog multiple others ended up seeking help through a Christian counselor. 

I'm not perfect. I am going bald and I did go to Hair Club for Men. I am overweight. I do collect action figures and cardboard cutouts. I still like watching cartoons and playing video games. I hate jogging and I do sometimes get joggers nipples. I don't like pets. I don't know how to fix things and I hate mowing my lawn. This is who I am. Some people aren't going to like me. Some people are going to judge me, but when they do they will be judging the real me and not an image of who I want them to see. I hope that through my TMI people have been able to laugh, but more importantly I hope that people have been able to relate. Maybe just maybe through all my TMI someone might be able to become a better person.

TMI = ME

If you read robshep.com then you know I often don't have a filter. Words come pouring out of my mind and onto this blog on a regular basis. It could be said that I often fall into the TMI category. That's Too Much Information in case you aren't down with abbreviations.  I've talked about jogger's nipples, going bald, weight gain, and my lack of love for pets which all included information that may have been too much for people. 

I wasn't always this way. In fact I used to be very private and guarded. In high school and college people often would say that I was mysterious.  Back then you'd never hear my talking about jogger's nipples. In fact I used to be so private I wouldn't even jog during the day. I would run at night time so people wouldn't see me.  In my mind I wanted people to see me a certain way. Even admitting that I was over weight and needed to jog was embarrassing for me. 

I've never seen the entire movie, but there is a scene in "8 Mile" that I really enjoy. If the edited "8 Mile" is on TV and it's anywhere near the end I watch it just for this scene.  At the end of the movie the main character (played by Eminem) is in a rap off. He gets to go first against his competition and his tactic is to bust on himself. He talks about the fact that he lives in a trailer, his best friend shot himself in the leg, and even that he's white trash.  One of his lines is "here tell these people something they don't know about me." He is so open about his life that he takes away all the ammunition from his opponent. 

Here's the deal, we are going to have critics. Even the best image manager is going to have critics. Someone is going to find something about you that they don't like.  People will talk behind your back. If people are going to judge you no matter what why not let them see the real you. It's too much work controlling our images.

To be continued...

The Night Before Christmas

Empty manger, perfect stranger, about to be born
Into darkness, sadness, desperate madness, creation so torn
We were so lost on earth, no peace, no worth, no way to escape
In fear, no faith, no hope, no grace, and no light
But that was the night before Christmas

Warm hay, cold sweat, a mother, not yet, praying Godspeed the dawn
She looks to her man, holding her hand, they wonder how long
And the shepherds, wise men come to find them, and bow to a king
One star above shining on love, so bright it lit up the night before Christmas

And the world didn’t know mercy was meek and so mild
And the world didn’t know that truth was as pure as a child
The night before Christmas
The night before Christmas

And the world didn’t know, redemption was sweet and so strong
And the world didn’t know salvation was writing a song
The night before Christmas
The night before Christmas

The night before Christmas

Empty manger, perfect stranger, about to be born

- The Night Before Christmas by Brandon Heath

I Am The Main Idea

My name is Rob and I am the main idea. It feels wrong to write, but it's how I live. I far too often live like I'm the center of every one's attention. When I get angry it's not a righteous anger because there are wrongs in this world. It's because I didn't get my way.  I spend most of my time thinking about things that affect me. I make decisions based off what is best for me. The crazy thing is that I'm not alone. Most people I know live like they are the main idea.

It's Christmas Eve. As a Christ Follower it should be a reminder about who really is the main idea. God sent His one and only son to be born. He was born in a stinking manger. The hotel had no vacancy. There was no fan fair or parade. He didn't throw a press conference letting the world know that Jesus was taking his talents to Bethlehem.  He simply sent His son to be born...born to die.

In the Old Testament people always wanted to know God's name. It was a way to feel control over the god that you served. All the other countries had names for their gods.  It makes sense that when God appears to Moses, Moses asks what His name is.  God responds with I Am.

He won't fight to be the center of attention. He allows us to pretend to be the center of the world. I may act like I am the main idea, but when I do it's showing that I've lost sight of I Am.  I Am is the main idea.

This Christmas the food may not turn out right. You may not get what you asked for. Your relatives will drive you crazy.  Traffic will be like a swift kick in the face.  We can get upset and put our focus on ourselves, or we can remember what it's really all about. I Am is the main idea. Let's give our attention where it's due.

Mind Dump

My brain is constipated with random thoughts. It's time to free up some space with another mind dump...

• Christmas is just two days away. Can you dig it?!!!
• I post Can you dig it a lot on Facebook/Twitter. It was inspired by something that I saw Shaq do when he played with the Lakers. Whenever they would win a championship he would yell, "CAN YOU DIG IT?!!!" It was inspired by the movie "The Warriors." For some reason that stuck with me and when I want to celebrate something I feel the need to add "Can you dig it?!!"
• Christmas Eve with Waters Edge is tomorrow. Can you dig it?!!!
• This Christmas Eve with Waters Edge is going to be "The Biggest Christmas Eve Ever." If you live within 9 hours of the 757 you should come.
• Speaking Waters Edge...the new live worship CD with Phil Poteat and the Waters Edge band is now available to purchase.  Waters Edge is extremely blessed to have Phil Poteat. Not only is he creative and the editor of all our videos, he also has an amazing voice. That boy can flat sang. If you have bought the CD which song is your favorite?
• My hands are chapped. In fact my knuckles have little spots of blood. I wish I could say it was from punching something. Not that I'm a violent person, but that just feels more manly then saying I have chapped hands. I guess I need to put lotion on them?
• The last couple of weeks my lead pastor has been killing the shepherds in the Christmas story.  He's reminded us multiple times that they were low class.  Since my last name is Shepherd I thought it was only right that I come to their defense. This past Sunday I mentioned that in my research I found that shepherds were incredibly good looking people.  I also found that many scholars believe that shepherds were the first ninjas. That's not true, but I wish it were.
• I love that Michael Vick is having a great year! Love it! Whenever someone has a story of redemption I love it. He made a mistake. He paid for his mistake. Now he has learned from his mistake and has become a better person.  He is killing it on the football field. Oh and he's from the 757!
• The 757 has the most, best athletes that have served time in jail. Both Michael Vick and Allen Iverson hail from the 757. I'm not proud that they went to jail, but I dare you to find two better athletes who served jail time and then went on to have great careers.
• The Lakers play on Christmas day.  It's a tradition. I've been watching the Lakers play on Christmas Day for years.  This year they play the Miami Heat. Last year they got killed by Cleveland on Christmas Day. The Lakers went on to win the championship, so if they lose it's not the end of the world. But I'd love it if they won!
• I don't understand how purses work. Whenever my wife asks me to get something out of her purse it's like going to a different land. It's a mystical world filled with weird creatures. I don't know my way around it and it takes me forever to find whatever I'm looking for.  I basically have to take every item out of the never ending purse just to find what I'm looking for.  Most of the time what I'm looking for is the last item that I pull out of the purse.  My wife on the other hand can find whatever she is looking for on her first attempt.  I just don't get it.
• I'm very excited about the gifts that we got for my nephews for Christmas.  Since they are 4 and 2 they won't read this post so I'll go ahead and tell you what we got them.  For Christmas we bought my nephews Star Wars  light up Lightsabers. I'm pretty excited about those gifts.
• I've been playing some "Call of Duty" or as the teens say COD.  I prefer COD to Call of Duty because the word duty makes me laugh. I mean when duty calls you have to answer it.  I have very little COD video game experience. What I know is that almost everyone I know plays it. What I also know is that while playing other people online I die a lot. About ever other second I die. I'm glad that my confidence is not found in my ability to play this game. If it was I'd be really depressed. 
• Since I hadn't played much of COD there were a few things that surprised me.  1. The swears in the game caught me by surprise.  I'm used to playing sports games or games for the Wii. I try to limit my exposure to swears and for some reason it didn't dawn on me that there would be some in a video game. 2. People that play that game swear a lot. I'm not saying all that play swear, but the ones that kill me sure do.  3. People who play that game will probably swear at me a lot. I don't have a fat clue what's going on in that game. I shoot people that are on my team and I rarely shoot the enemy. I may have to stick to playing sports video games. I'm good at those.
• Lucky for me some good friends gave me NBA 2K11 for an early Christmas present.
• My youth pastor from when I was in high school recently posted this on Twitter..."#MikeRowe, the #DirtyJobs guy, is the cranberry of TV. He's showing up in everything." That comment made me chuckle.
•  I'm writing this mind dump while watching SportsCenter. Mike Rowe has shown up in a commercial for trucks and before SportsCenter ends I bet I'll see his "nice butt" jeans commercial. It's on every day.  
• Speaking of my former youth pastor he recently celebrated 18 years of marriage! Congrats Chad and Chanda! 
• My cousin from my wife's side of the family has released a Christmas single. She's one talented kid. The group that she is apart of is raising money. If you'd like to listen to part of the song click here. Her song is the second song, "Walking in a Winter Wonderland."
• I'm excited to hang out with my family on my wife's side.  I don't get to see them that often and we are getting together for Christmas. Aunt Nancy is a regular to robshep.com. Hi Aunt Nancy.
• Christmas came early for me. I got to hang out with my friend Chad Johnson (no not the football player). 
• My wife is amazing. She made a bunch of yummy goodness for Christmas with our families. I love Christmas.
• This week WEC members have been blessing the Waters Edge staff. Christmas cards, amazing food, and surprise visits have been at the offices all week. I love Christmas!
• A couple of people even gave gifts to our twins. Love it!
• Speaking of the twins they are due April 25 ish.  A friend recently told me that I better hope they are not born on April 20th.  April 20th is Hitler's birthday. Who knows that? Now I do thanks to my friend.

Whew...I feel much better now.

Christmas Music

I love Christmas. I love the traditions of Christmas. I love the parties. I love the presents. I love that Christmas comes with it's own music. Now I've recently talked to some Grinches who have told me that they don't like Christmas music. In my opinion if you don't like Christmas music it is because you haven't heard the right Christmas songs. I recently made a Christmas mix to listen to in my car during the Christmas season.  I would bet that most people would enjoy listening to this CD. If you don't like Christmas music try some of the following songs...

• Carol of the Bells - August Burns Red
• Deck the Rooftop - Glee Cast Version
• Go Tell It On the Mountain - Needtobreathe
• Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2
• I Celebrate The Day - Relient K
• Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - NSYNC
• Feliz Navidad - David Crowder
• Christmas Song - Dave Mathews
• Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Miley Cyrus
• Happy Christmas - Rebecca St. James
• Christmas Lights - Coldplay
• Christmas This Year - Tobymac featuring Leigh Nash
• Better Days - Goo Goo Dolls
• Last Christmas - Wham!
• Angels We Have Heard On High - Relient K
• Welcome to Our World - Chris Rice
• Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC
• Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty
• The Little Drummer Boy - Jars of Clay
• Wish List - Neon Trees
• The 12 Days of Christmas - Straight No Chaser
• The Night Before Christmas - Brandon Health
• All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

Those are the songs that made my Christmas mix. What are your favorite Christmas songs?

My Christmas Present to My Wife

This year my wife and I made the very difficult decision to not give each other Christmas presents. Now this is really hard for us because we both LOVE presents. Even though it's a hard decision for us we know it's the wise choice. We are attacking our loan for in vitro fertilization.  We both hate debt! So far because of our budget and the cuts that we have made we have paid for one of our babies.  We are having twins and in other words we are half way done with paying off the loan. I keep reminding my wife (and myself) that we did get each other a Christmas present. It's in the form of two babies. We technically don't get to have our gifts until April 25, but it's my goal to have them paid for before they arrive. 

Since we aren't giving each other gifts I've been able to have a run on joke. Whenever we see something that either I really want or is just a ridiculous item I will say to my wife, "isn't this what you wanted for Christmas?" She will quickly respond by telling me that she doesn't want said item. I will then quickly respond by saying, "well I guess I have to take your gift back then because that is what I got you for Christmas." I've said it for video games, DVD's, ugly shoes, Christmas sweaters, and about 13 times while walking through Wal-Mart.  For some reason Monica never laughs at my run on joke.

Even though we are not giving gifts this year I recently saw something that I considered buying for Monica for Christmas.  I saw a commercial for this...

When I saw the infomercial for the Stop Snoring Chin Strap I thought that my wife would actually thank me for breaking our no Christmas present rule. I snore. I snore like a champ. This past week I've had a cold and according to my wife my snoring has gone to a whole notha level. I didn't end up buying the Stop Snoring Chin Strap, but after my wife reads this I wouldn't be surprised if Santa put one in my stocking. Christmas is this week. What's on your Christmas list?

BOO

I was recently watching the Lakers play the Washington Wizards.  During the game the TV camera found Donovan McNabb sitting court side.  As soon as McNabb was shown on the screen the Wizard fans started booing him.  In case you don't follow sports let me explain why this is interesting.  McNabb is a pro athlete but he plays football not basketball.  He plays for the Washington Redskins. I found it interesting that people would boo another human being while they weren't playing a sport. Sure I'm use to people booing the other team, but this seemed a little silly. 

It made me think about why we don't boo outside of the sports arena.  I mean when athletes get boo'd they don't react. They don't even respond. It's a way to let them know how you feel without any consequences.  So your boss tells you that you aren't getting a raise - BOO! Your kids give you lip - BOO! Someone shows up late for a meeting - BOO! Someone is driving below the speed limit - honk your horn that now makes a BOO noise.

Sports fans are very creative with their boos and chants.  I I've heard fans chant "OVER-RATED" to a player who hasn't met their potential. Imagine yelling that at another co-worker.  When I went to the Finals to see the Lakers play the Celtics the Celtics fans would chant "UGLY SISTER" whenever Lamar Odom shot free throws.  Lamar is married to one of the Kardasian sisters...that was a funny but very mean chant.

Whether you are a sports fan or not I hope that you can see some humor in booing non athletes. It would just be silly.  I don't know why people think that different rules apply to them when they are in a sports arena. I tend to lean more towards treat others how you would like to be treated.  Whether it's the way you talk behind some one's back, what you say online, or what you yell at a ball game your words reflect who you are.  I say when we can why not try to cheer people on instead of boo them.

Spirit Week 2010

Three years ago Jamey Menser (Logistics Manager and Ministry Specialist) started a Spirit Week at the Waters Edge Offices.  Now before you think something silly, like church staff sit around and play hacky sack all day, let me mention that the month of December is crazy for the WEC staff.  We work a lot of long hours and we are all very hard at work prepping for "The Biggest Christmas Eve Ever." The thought behind Spirit Week is to break up all the hard work with a little bit of fun. It's a much needed break amidst the craziness. 

Monday = Wear Your Favorite Sports Team Jersey and a dart tournament.
Tuesday = Tacky Christmas Sweater
Wednesday = Potluck Day
Thursday = Wear your favorite WEC shirt

Enjoy some pics of Spirit Week 2010...

Pictured Above: Phil Poteat explaining the point system to darts

Pictured Above: Cara making a face at Melissa's dart throwing, Melissa throwing darts, and Rob smirking.

Pictured Above: Stu in a Duke lacrosse jersey, the side of Cara's head, Rob, Melissa, Phil, Josh wearing one of Rob's jerseys, and Josh.

Pictured Above: The WEC staff rock'n their jerseys.

Pictured Above: The WEC staff looking good in their Christmas sweaters.

Pictured Above (from back to front): Rob, Stu, Carlyn, Jamey, Mr. Anderson, Keren, Phil, Steph, Melissa, Josh, Brenneman, Cara, and The Fowler.

Pictured Above: Day 3 = Potluck Day. This might be my favorite day. I'm not sure what I'm doing but I'm sure I was enjoying whatever I was eating.

Pictured Above: The WEC staff rock'n their favorite WEC shirts.

Pictures provided by Brenneman. 

Snow Day

In true 757 fashion today is a snow day. Last night during my Student Group my senior guys started celebrating like they won the lottery.  One by one they started getting texts and then posting "no school" on Facebook.  The crazy thing is that school was canceled before a single flake hit the ground. That's what I'm talking about! People in the north don't understand...I interrupt this sentence to point out that VA is in the south, we fought with the Confederacy, and we are under the Mason Dixon Line. Most Southern folks think we are northerners and most northern Yankees don't claim us. VA is the step child of America...I now return to the regularly scheduled post. 

Now almost everyone loves a snow day until about 11:00 AM. Then people realize that there is nothing on TV and it's too cold to go anywhere.  With that being said here are some ideas to maximize a snow day...

• For some reason Judge shows play non stop during the day. I don't know who watches them. Have a little bit of fun and turn the sound off to a Judge show. Then make up words as the people are talking.  If you have the right people with you this will be funny and can last you literally all day.
• Invite some friends over for a sleep over. Last year we had a snow day and we had some of our good friends stay the night with us. It was a lot of fun. If you are a parent have some of your kids friends stay over or send your kids to someone elses house.
• Watch last weeks episode of The Office. It was an hour long and very funny. You can watch it on Hulu.com. 
• Watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy. They are so long they will cover your entertainment for an entire day.
• Re-enact the Star Wars original trilogy. If you live by yourself you can play all of the parts. If you live with people divide up all the parts and go to town.
• Play would you rather. I could play this game all day long. For example...Would You Rather eat a bowl full of yellow snow or spend 30 minutes standing in the snow in nothing but your underwear?
• Play How Much. This is another game that I could play all day long. Come up with something crazy and then ask the question how much. For example...How much money to eat an entire jar of mayonnaise?
• Catch up on old posts at robshep.com.  This blog is three years old. There has to be some posts that you missed.
• Indoor basketball with paper balls. Get two trash cans and play one on one basketball with a bunched up piece of paper.
• Write encouraging messages to friends on Facebook. Or hack into your spouses Facebook page and leave funny messages like "Today I'm taking a bath like a cat by licking myself. Yummy."
• Make a home video and then post it on Youtube. 
• If you own an iPod or iPhone play Angry Birds. 
• Make a list. I love making lists. I love the NBA and yet I have a really hard time naming all the teams. Battle someone by coming up with something to list. For example...all 50 states, all time best movies, 10 things you can't live without. 
• Do something you say you never have time to do. Clean out a closet, whiten your teeth, call your mother in law.
• Did you know that mayo freezes just like ice cream? I don't really know what you can do with that fact, but it's funny watching people eat frozen mayo. 
• Watch the video "Look At This Car!!" on Youtube. The guys in my student grouped showed it to me last night after group. It wasn't that funny, but it was funny watching them imitate this video.
• Learn how to Dougie. Once you learn then you can teach me how to Dougie, teach me how to Dougie.
• I know this next one might just be too barbaric, but you could do this crazy thing called talking. It's pretty wild. Unplug all the electronics and converse with someone that you love.
• Pillow box. My brother and I used to do this. You put a pillow over both of your fists and then you box. I do need to warn you my brother got a bad rug burn on his face from where he hit the carpet after I hit him. You've been warned.
• Have a friendly debate. You could debate about whether guys should wear v-necks, why the 80's were or were not the greatest decade ever, or what the greatest food of all time is...go.
• Indian Leg Wrestling - google it.
• Pizza delivery competition. Order pizza from three different locations. Tell them they are competing and then celebrate when the winner arrives.  Most of the time they stay open even when it snows in the 757.
• Write a book. Who knows maybe you could create the next Harry Bella or Edward Potter. 
• Google yourself. Simply type in your full name into Google and see what happens.
• And when all else fails...play in the snow. If it really falls.

All I Want For Christmas From You

I'm not going to lie...I love when people leave comments on my blog.  Now I don't love every comment. There have been a handful that were not positive and I could have done without them. Like the time a Claymate attacked me because I played "Measure of a Man" by Clay Aiken at a Waffle House.  I have no problem with Clay Aiken. I even wanted him to win American Idol. I just think that that song didn't fit the Waffle House crowd. I played the song, told my friends that we had to leave right that second, and then ran out of the building like I stole something.  It was really poking fun at the Waffle House crowd. Funny thing is no Waffle House fans attacked my blog.  I digress...

If you write a blog then you know what I'm talking about. A comment is like receiving a tip.  Not a tip like clothes don't make the man, but being naked will get you arrested.  More like a tip a waiter/waitress receives. Similar to the way the wait staff still gets paid whether you tip or not, I have a greater reward than receiving a comment. Knowing that a handful of people read and enjoy my blog is reward enough. The comment is like a tip...it's something extra.  A comment is that little something extra that let's me know people are not only reading, but enjoying the blog. 

I understand that you may not know what to say. I also understand that some of you are adamantly against leaving a comment.  But what if for one day only we all came together and left a comment. What if it was the only thing that I wanted from you for Christmas (unless you are my mom, dad, wife, or if you've already spent money on me) was a comment from you?

Now most of this post is in jest, but I really do love comments. I love getting to know the people that read my blog. If you'd like to participate then leave your name and if you prefer a real or fake Christmas tree. I'll start.

The Evolution of Jerk

The word jerk has evolved over the years. I first noticed it when I was watching some of my favorite movies from the 80's.  Have you seen "Goonies?" Near the beginning of the film we are introduced to Chunk. When he first comes on the screen Mouth says, "jerk alert." When I heard that I thought, Chunk isn't a jerk.  That thought led me to think about other 80's references to the word jerk. In Back to the Future they call Marty Mcfly a jerk. In the 80's Steve Martin made a movie called "The Jerk." None of those characters fit what I think of when I think of a jerk.

When I think of a jerk I think of someone who does something mean on purpose. The driver who cuts you off without using a blinker...that's a jerk.  The person who makes a mess and then leaves it for someone else to clean up...that's a jerk. The person who picks their nose and flicks a booger on the wall in the public bathroom...that person is a disgusting jerk. 

In September the Waters Edge staff took some underprivileged kids back to school shopping. While hanging out with my shopper I asked him what he was into. He said, and I quote, "I like to Jerk." I thought "Wow, that's interesting. Is this kid about to slap me?" I didn't have a fat clue what he was talking about.  So I put my guard up and then asked him what it means to jerk. He then displayed an onslaught of dance moves that are called "Jerkin'."

No matter how you define a jerk this post is not for them. This post is for everyone else.  Most people don't mean to be jerks. Every once in a while you have someone who is just absent minded...aka "The Jerk." They may be frustrating, but they don't mean to be.

I once heard that you should always give people the benefit of the doubt. When someone does something that hurts you, give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they didn't mean to.  Little kids often don't do this. I've heard sentences like, "he fell on me on purpose." No he didn't. He didn't see you and he fell. He wasn't intentionally trying to hurt you.  It's the same thing with most people. Most people don't try to intentionally hurt you. If you have someone in your life, who isn't a jerk, give them the benefit of the doubt before you get angry at them. 

If someone forgets to call...maybe they are a jerk or maybe their cell phone died.  When someone says something that hurt your feelings...maybe they are a jerk or maybe they didn't know you were sensitive about that subject. If someone forgets to post "Happy Birthday" on your Facebook page...maybe they are a jerk or maybe their computer crashed.  The point is that if the person loves you most likely they are not intentionally trying to be a jerk. Give them the benefit of the doubt and you will save yourself a lot of worry an unneeded frustration.  With all that free time you can learn to dance the Jerk. 

Hurt People Hurt People

Hurt people hurt people.  That sentence is not a mistake. When someone is hurting they often hurt others. About a month ago Monica and I received a doctor's report that said we were a threatened miscarriage.  The doctor said that 95% of the time nothing happens to the baby, but all I could think about was the 5%.  On the outside I was not showing any sides of cracking, but on the inside I was hurting. 

On my blog I often make mistakes. I don't mean to, but it happens far too often.  When I do I appreciate it when friends kindly correct one of my mistakes. I don't enjoy it when someone jokes on a mistake, but I love it when someone cares enough to help me out.  My good friend Dan Peters sent me an email letting me know that I used literally wrong. He explained how it should be used and even wrote that many people make the same mistake I did. I think I wrote that my life would literally suck without Jesus. It was near the end of the day when I received his email. I was hurting. I sent him a quick and somewhat rude response and then I went jogging. 

While I was jogging I started crying.  I've often heard women say that sometimes they just need a good cry. I've never experienced that. I was so overcome with love for my babies that I just broke down. 

After the jog I thought about my email. I realized that because I was hurting I didn't respond like I normally would. It's not right, but it's what happened.  Hurt people hurt people.  When someone is healthy and whole they don't hurt others with their words and actions. When someone is hurting they often react by hurting others.  A hurt self image results in hurting others' self images. A hurting heart results in hurting words. Sometimes people are just jerks, but more often then not you can trace a person's negative actions back to their hurt.  Hurt people hurt people.  Talking about it to a Christian counselor helped me a lot. Sharing my fears with someone made the hurt...well not hurt so bad. Hurt people hurt people, but I don't want to hurt others. When I started dealing with my hurt I stopped hurting others.  If you find yourself hurting the ones you love maybe it's because you are hurting? Oh and everything is going great with the babies. The doctors are no longer concerned!

The Best Party of the Year!

Throwing a good party is not easy. It takes planning, creativity, and a lot of good food.  This past Wednesday I hosted the Waters Edge Student Party. Lucky for me Tab Hodges goes to Waters Edge. She is gifted at throwing parties. Dare I say she's at ninja status when it comes to throwing a party. She should get paid a lot of money for her parties. They are legendary!

When Waters Edge throws a Student Party I'm not just talking about getting some pizzas, playing a CD, and opening the doors for Students. I'm talking a horse drawn carriage ride, fire pits with S'mores, fresh kettle corn from Big Daddies, ugly sweater competition, karaoke, corn hole, a DJ with dancing, homemade cupcakes, cotton candy, and my personal favorite...cake balls.

I want to throw parties to show students that you can have fun and not be stupid. By stupid I mean giving into the normal peer pressures that come with teenage parties.  I want to provide a safe environment where students see what fun really is. But like all of our Student events the primary purpose of the party is to introduce new students to what's most important to us...our Community Groups.  At each Student event I give information to help students connect with a group where they can be known, prayed for, and connected with. 

150 students and leaders packed into the church lobby and had a great time. In fact one high school student said it was the best party of the year.  Mission accomplished! Enjoy some pics of the party...

Pictured Above: Students looking throw the karaoke set list as they listen to Dillon Tulip sing Alejandro.

Pictured Above: Dillon singing Alejandro...still. It was a long song.

Pictured Above: The Christmas Party logo on the plasma (provided by Jamey Menser), cotton candy in glasses, and a tower of cupcakes and cake balls. AHHH-MAZING!

Pictured Above: Waters Edge Students enjoying a horse drawn carriage ride.

Pictured Above: 9th grade girls and their leaders keeping warm around one of the fire pits. I think there might be a dude sneaking in the background of this pic.

Pictured Above: Students doing the Cupid Shuffle.

Pictured Above: Yes we had a Conga-Line.

Pictured Above: The guys in my Student Community Group demanded Corn Hole. So the week of the party we added it. What can I say I love my Student Group.

Pictured Above: More karaoke

Pictured Above: This horse was HUGE!

Pictured Above: I'm not sure what dance prompted Students to pump their fist like the Jersey Shore.

Pictured Above: More fist pumping action

Mind Dump

My brain is constipated with random thoughts. It's time to free up some space with another mind dump...

• I hate it when the pigs smile. And yes I'm talking about Angry Birds.  If you haven't played it's the wildly addictive app for the iPhone, iPad, or iPod. Have you played?
• I used to get really mad at those pigs, but now I'm starting to get frustrated with the birds. If they have birds that explode why don't they lead with that on every level. It would so help their attack against the evil pigs.
• The Christmas party season has begun and it hit this week. On Wednesday I helped host The Waters Edge Student Christmas Party. Tab Hodges is the creative force behind the Student parties that I throw.  I'm pretty sure she throws the greatest parties in the history of the world. She could do it for a living...or at least for a reality TV show. She's amazing at throwing parties.
• Yesterday a bunch of volunteers helped deliver 781 dozen doughnuts to public schools in Newport News, Hampton, and York County.  It was the annual WEC Doughnut Drop and it was amazing! We drop off a bunch of doughnuts, give them a thank you card, and some tickets for our Christmas Eve services.  My pastor, Stu Hodges, says that teachers don't get enough appreciation and we want to show them some.  Being married to a teacher I couldn't agree more. The teachers were very thankful!
• I doughnut dropped with Realtor extraordinaire, Dan Peters, and AutoZone expert, Dave Johnson.  Dave's first words when we got into the car with 34 dozen doughnuts was, "at least if we get pulled over we've got nothing to worry about." That made me laugh. I mean what cop could pass up 34 dozen doughnuts. Lucky for us we didn't get pulled over.
• On Friday the WEC staff are getting together for our annual Christmas party. It's always a good time.
• Spirit Week is coming the WEC offices. Stay tuned for pictures.
• I try not to talk junk when it comes to sports. I like to wait until my team wins the title. Celtic fans don't share my feelings. Every Celtic fan I know talks a lot of junk. They get really excited about a few wins for their team and a few loses for the Lakers. I like to remind them who won the last two titles. Just sayin.
• This past Sunday we started "2 Ways To Give" at Waters Edge. Part of this is a canned food drive.  While talking about it during the welcome I mentioned that canned beats are gag nasty.  I held up a can of beats when I said it. The person who brought the beats that I held up talked to me after the service. They let me know that they eat, and like beats. My bad.
• When shopping for a canned drive for homeless people it's important to remember that they are homeless, not tasteless. When I provide cans I go for the good stuff. I'm talking beans with bacon. Mmmm.
• My hair has issues. I have no problem growing hair.  Uni-brow - check. Back - check. Nose - check. It's like I snort Rogain. I've even noticed it in my ears.  With all that hair it baffles me that I'm losing it on top of my head. I recently bought Nioxin hair products.  It's three products - shampoo, conditioner, and some foamy stuff. We'll see if it helps. If not I'm going to match my babies and be bald.
• Speaking of babies...we found out that we are having twin boys. We are in awe of all the love and support people have shown us. If you are praying...THANK YOU!!!! The doc report was great and both babies were really healthy. This is a miracle!
• A lot of people don't want to know the gender of their babies. We figured it would be a surprise if we know now or if we know later.  Knowing now helps us prepare for two babies. We want to take full advantage of the showers that we are going to have and knowing what our babies are will help. 
• You can help decide what the greatest Christmas movie of all time is by voting on the newest poll at robshep.com.  As of now "A Christmas Story" has a slight lead over Elf and Home Alone.
• Have you heard the new Coldplay Christmas song? It's good.  
• Have you seen the Snuggie commercial where they sing to the tune of the "Macarena?" It's quit possibly the cheesiest commercial known to man.  Now, have you heard the song "Teach Me How To Dougie?" Snuggie's next commercial should be to the tune of "Teach Me How To Dougie." Your welcome Snuggie.
• My wife gets an assist on that last dump. She told me she was going to teach me how to snuggie and it made me laugh.
• I like winter time. I love the winter holidays. I love winter clothes. I just don't love winter weather. It's cold as a mother out there. 
• For some reason weird noises sometimes come out of my mouth in the form of a yell when it's really cold. Something like "BRRRACKOBAMA!" Or "ROBSHEPDOTCOM IT'S COLD!" I know that yelling and heating myself aren't linked, but for some reason it helps. You should try it.
• My mom recently bought me a memory foam pillow. It's 2 legit to quit. I have wrestled with bad pillows for a couple of years now. I just couldn't find something that I like. I love my new pillow.

Whew...I feel better now.

I've Reached My Limit

There's a good chance that you've reached your limit. I don't know where these limits come from. I never hear anyone talk about them, and some of them are unknown to us. This limit that I write of is different then the annoyance level. You know when you get really peeved at someone and right before you explode like a puss filled zit you say, "I've reached my limit!" That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about a limit that you set for maintenance. I'm sure someone smarter than me has done some research on this, but there are lots of areas where we maintain instead of pressing ahead. It's this feeling that you are good enough.

Maybe it's hit you at your job. When you first got to your job you went above and beyond, but now that you've been there for a while you've gone to maintenance mode. Your not as bad as some co-workers, but you are not pursuing excellence. Maybe it's with your spouse. When you first met you went above and beyond to woo them. Now you have retired the romance jersey and are happy to maintain your relationship.

I see maintenance mode most often in people and their relationship with God. People tend to get to a level and then coast. It might have started with going to church. That was a HUGE step and now you are just maintaining. Maybe you go to church and you even volunteer, but there is something that is keeping you from pursing a passionate relationship with Jesus. There is something inside us that hits our limit and says that's it. The problem with this is that it makes a relationship with God more like a checklist and less like a relationship. Relationships can't maintain. They either get better or eventually they get worse. There is no holding pattern.

I'm challenged to my core by the following... "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins." - 2 Peter 1:5-9. 

Did you catch that? When we continue to add to our faith it helps us from being ineffective and unproductive. We are blind when we think that we have arrived and can now maintain a relationship with God.  With a relationship with God there is no maintenance mode.

Introducing Hayden and Reese Shepherd

On Thanksgiving week Monica (my wife) was able to sneak in to have an ultrasound done. We saw that baby A was a boy, but the other one wouldn't flip over.  The doc said that she might have to use the baby taser. All I could think of was the viral video where the guy says, "Don't tase me bro." I'm not sure if she was joking, but I wasn't going to allow her to tase my wife, which would tase my baby, to get it to flip over.  Needless to say we didn't get to see the gender of baby B.

Yesterday we went to our official ultrasound. Because of all the issues that Monica has had with this pregnancy and with getting pregnant we are nervous before each appointment.  We both take a huge deep breath before the doc speaks.  Every time the doc pauses we are hoping that negative words don't come out their mouth.  I think they can tell we are nervous.  This doc immediately told us that she was taking pauses because she didn't want to mix the babies up. She quickly told us that both babies looked great.  We are so thankful that both babies are healthy!

I feel like it's mildly inappropriate to show the pictures due to the fact that these pictures show all their glory. So many people have asked to be updated and to see pictures that we wanted to share. Don't expect more naked pictures once they are born. Although I have said that for their first two years putting them in clothes is a waste. Babies are nothing but P3 - poop, pee, and puke.  If it was up to me I'd cover my house with plastic, let them roam in all their glory, and then just spray everything down on a regular basis. I digress. We are having two boys and their names are Reese and Hayden.  Here are some pics...

Pictured Above: This is our stat sheet. Apparently everything looked great!

Pictured Above: This almost looks like an alien.

Pictured Above: This pic actually looks like a baby.

Pictured Above: More alien pics.

Pictured Above: Another face shot...I think.

Pictured Above: Proof that Baby A is a boy. Notice the caption written in the top left corner.

Pictured Above: Proof that baby B is a boy. Not to be left out this one has the same caption up in the left.

I Think You Forgot My Invitation

Have you ever not been invited to something that you thought you should be invited to? In a world of Facebook and Twitter it's easier then ever to see something and feel left out.  When someone leaves you off the guest list there are a handful of ways in which you can respond...

• The Direct Route - This is where you call or message them and ask for an invite. This is awkward and not recommended. If they didn't invite you it was probably for a reason. Don't make them feel bad. If you do they probably won't invite you the next time either. 
• The Indirect Route - This involves calling them and asking them what they are doing. You already know, but they may not know you know and they might invite you. This may get you a pity invite, but it's a little high maintenance.
• The Guilt Route - This involves making them feel guilty for not inviting you. It may get you an invite the next time, but understand it's just because they feel bad and not because they want to hang out with you.
• The Assumption Route - This involves assuming that the reason you weren't invited is because they are mad at you. Most likely they are not, but you can check with them anyway. It's sad for me to write, but this is where I fall. It's pretty self centered to think that you weren't invited because someone is mad at you.  It's kind of assuming that the world revolves around you and the only reason someone wouldn't invite you is because there is drama. Every once in a while you just didn't get invited. If you don't get invited multiple times then it's ok to ask if everything is ok, but wait to see if there are other signs of them being upset.
• The One Upper Route - This is the person who will immediately plan a different get together and post it for the world to see. The thinking is that you'll show them not to invite you.
• The Pacifist Route - This person doesn't do anything because they don't like confrontation. This is a pretty safe route unless you let your hurt feelings build and you never communicate them.
• The I Don't Care Route - This is the person who says, "I don't care that they didn't invite me." For the rest of us that don't fit in this category it's hard to imagine that this person really exists.
• The Be the Friend Route - In my opinion this is the best option out there. This route is about being the type of friend that you would want to be. It's understanding that sometimes you don't get invited and that's ok. Instead of being high maintenance you focus on being a good friend. You make the call and invite your friends out. The idea here is to be the type of friend that you would like to have. 

Movie Review: Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1

I'm not one of those Harry Potter fanatics. I've never read the books. I couldn't tell you the difference between Gryffindor and Muggles. I wouldn't dare knock them. In fact I understand where they are coming from. I've been a HUGE Star Wars fan for years. I have also been known to get pretty passionate about Super Hero movies.  With that being said if you are a Harry Potter fanatic please understand where I'm coming from in this review. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is part one of two for the final Potter films.  If you haven't seen the six previous films I'd recommend watching them before you take on this film.  Like all the Potter films this movie is well done and entertaining. There is action, more humor then I remember in any other Harry movie, and great characters.  It's a good movie. 

Since I'm not a passionate Potter fan I felt like this film was way too long.  The problem with books based off movies is that the passionate fans of the books want every detail covered in the movie. I'm assuming the film makers were doing their best to make the book fans happy...for me though, I could have done without about 45 minutes of the film.  I'm sure the Potter fans appreciated every detail, but it was a little long for the casual fan. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is rated PG-13 for intense wizardly action, a covered but naked Hermione, and some English swears.  I give it one thumb up.  

Rob's Rating System: Two Thumbs up = I loved it, worth paying full price.
One Thumb up = A good movie, worth a matinee showing.
Thumb to the side = Wait and rent it.
Thumbs down = I hated it, wish I wouldn't have wasted money on it.

Fat People At Buffets

I like buffets. Let me clarify...I don't really like the food at buffets. It's often a lower quality and I feel the pressure to eat a lot. Because I paid for all I can eat I feel the pressure to fill my plate multiple times. I waddle out feeling guilty and overstuffed.  What I like about buffets is that there is always someone fatter then me there. Compared to some people at a buffet I look skinny. 

Now hopefully the last two sentences don't sit well with you.

In life there is always someone worse off then you. There is always someone uglier. There is always someone meaner. There is always someone who sins more than you.

There is a HUGE temptation to compare ourselves to other people. As long as we can find someone who is worse off then us we don't have to really look in the mirror and change.

The problem with comparing is that when we find someone worse off it leads to pride. On the other side of the spectrum when we find someone better then us it leads jealousy, resentment, or we just find a way to tear them down.

I think the way that God wants us to live is to only compare ourselves to Jesus. When we are better than others, but compare ourselves to Jesus we are still not perfect. It's kind of hard to be prideful when your standard is perfection...not the obeser (I think I just made that word up) person at the buffet.

A Life With No Regrets

I often struggle to follow God. There is a part of me that wants to but there is always a selfish side of me that would rather...well...live for me. It'd be easier to not give 10% of our income to the local church. It'd be easier to talk poo about people behind their backs. Most days it'd be easier to not read my Bible. It'd definitely be easier to give into the temptation to lust. 

Whenever I give into the desire to stray from God I'm quickly reminded that even though it's easier it's not worth it.  It's easier to live for selfish desires, but selfishness always leads to regrets. Even though some days it's a struggle to follow God I never regret it. I never regret giving 10% to the church. I never regret encouraging someone instead of talking poo about them. I never regret when God speaks to me through the time I spent reading the Bible. I never regret resisting the temptation to lust.

I'm not perfect and more times then I'd like to admit I give into selfishness, but I always regret it. I don't know about you, but I hate living with regrets. Living for selfish desires always leads to regret. I've found that in this life living for God never leads to regrets. It's not easy, but obeying God equals a life with no regrets.

Naked Women Snakes Scared

It's that time again. Time to look at some of the key words that led people to robshep.com and time for me to comment on those searches. Every once in a while I like to look at the keyword analysis that is attached to my blog. It lets me know what words people have searched for in various search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo.  Searches like...

• Superhero Snuggie - I got this for Christmas last year.
• What cell phone does Chuck Swindoll have - I don't know what cell phone Chuck has but I did post about having Andy Stanley's cell phone number.
• Steven Furtick the Lebron James of preaching - I've posted about Lebron and Pastor Steven Furtick, but I don't think I've ever put them together.
• Tabitha Montgomery Hodges - this is my pastor's wife's full name. To my knowledge I've never posted her full name on my blog. The post that this searcher found got one of the highest number of comments in the history of my blog.
• Tab and Stu Hodges - I'm guessing this is the same web searcher?
• Funny Christmas yard hangin lights ladder - This is a funny picture.
• Type of car on page 226 in March 2010 Glamour Magazine - I don't know about this one.
• I hate jogging - I do and I've posted about it often.
• Dad scared having baby - I posted about this here. I guess I'm not alone.
• "Hug it Out" origin - This is from the Office. It was funny there.
• Thanksgiving porn - I posted about this last week. Hopefully someone was looking for my post and not for naked people on Thanksgiving Day.
• Naked women snakes scared - I've posted about naked snakes, but I've never posted about naked women snakes scared. Who searches for this?  

What If God Wired You To Be Negative: Extended Edition

I wanted to follow up on my blog post from this morning. I felt I needed to flesh out what I was talking about. 

Some people see things with a negative slant. I know multiple people who after a church service, movie, eating at a restaurant etc. will find something negative.  The problem with the negative person is not that they observe what they observe, it's that they dump their negativity on others. Negativity breads negativity. But the truth is sometimes the glass is half empty, has smudges, and the drink is gag nasty.  The truth is that what they feel is sometimes or even often right. What if the negative person (or the next time you feel negative about something) took a deep breath, found a solution to the problem, and then presented it to someone who could do something about it. If there isn't a solution then keep your thought to yourself.

When someone complains they are often looking for someone to agree with their negative view point. Most people don't want to solve a problem...they just want to complain about it. What if instead of being negative you became a part of a solution. If there is a problem and you see it find a solution and then only talk to someone who can do something about it.

My point is that some people tend to be naturally more negative then others. They should use their perspective for the good by bringing a solution to the thing they see a problem with. If they did that they'd be using their negativity for good.

What If God Wired You To Be Negative?

Some people are naturally bent towards negativity. It's not that the glass is half full or empty...it's more that the glass has smudges, and the beverage in the glass is gag nasty.  Now a negative person may spend more time devoting to all things negative, but even the most optimistic person visits negative land from time to time.

What if negativity was a God given reaction? What if a negative bent is actually the way that God wired you? What if optimistic people actually need negative people?

It's my experience that negative people often see a side of life that positive people miss. Call it a critical eye or just a gift of being critical. What they see if often right.  The problem with being negative is that it often doesn't come with any solutions. Whether you live in negativeville or just visit it from time to time try harnessing your negativity for something good. Be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

You can either be part of the solution or you can add to the problem. It's hard to control our emotions...especially when they turn negative, but if you committed to fix the problem you'd actually be using your negativity for good.  The next time negative thoughts take over your mind find a solution to the problem.  Complaining doesn't change anything. It just spreads negativity and makes things worse.  Before you complain think of a solution and then present it to someone who can do something about it. That's they way you become part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

Back Off That Ledge

This post is not about basketball.

Last off season Lebron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwayne Wade in Miami.  A huge over reaction occurred immediately. The media went crazy, fans formed opinions, and most people crowned them the next NBA champions.  One analyst went so far as to say that they would beat Michael Jordan's Bulls record of 72 wins in a season.  Currently their record is 8 and 7 and they have lost 3 straight.  Now the analysts are on a ledge and declaring panic. The problem is that they play 82 games and we are a long ways from the playoffs. How quickly the analysts forget last year's Boston Celtics. The Celtics were not good last year during the regular season and yet they were one game (and an injury) away from winning the title.  But this post isn't really about basketball...

Most of us live out on the ledge. We panic too quickly. We rush to conclusions. We climb out the window, stand on the ledge, and threaten to jump because it's just too bad.  I've been there.

The problem is that most of the things we freak out about aren't really that big of a deal. In fact most of the things we worry about never happen. Think about it...what was the last thing you worried about? Most of the time it's hypothetical worries that consume us. What if she leaves? What if they don't like me? What if I lose my job? What if I fail? We create scenarios and then freak out about them. We create drama because we forget that the outcome hasn't been written.

Whenever I'm on the ledge it is a clear picture that my perception is out of whack. It shows that I'm overestimating my problem and underestimating my God.  I overestimate how bad things really are or will be and I underestimate an all powerful being. The God who parted the Red Sea, helped a Shepherd boy slay a Giant, and even raised the dead is the same God who can handle our situation.  What are you freaking out about? Take a deep breath and back off that ledge.

I'm hoping that the Miami Heat don't win a title. I'm a Lakers fan! At the same time I think it's too early to hit the panic button. We don't know how it's going to end. Like I said though...this is not about basketball.