Beach Games 2010

Last weekend Monica (my wife) and I got invited to Beach Games 2010. It was a great night of games, hanging with friends, and cooking out.  I'm very glad that I got invited, but I'm not sure why I did. I'm not a big fan of the beach, I'm slow and not real athletic, and I'm not very good with the grill. I do however love hanging out.  I especially love hanging out with the group involved in Beach Games 2010. Now in case you are wondering what Beach Games 2010 was I'll explain like this...7 intense games, 8 1/2 competitors (I can't really count myself because I didn't compete), 9 trophy's, costumes, and a cookout.  Enjoy some pics of Beach Games 2010...

Pictured Above: Katie, Monica, Angela, Leah, Danielle, and Katie

Pictured Above: D-Reeves, Jon, Dan, Travis, Jon, Cameron, robshep.com, and Matt Toller (the host of this event )

Pictured Above: Cameron and Rob

Pictured Above: Stewart and Clair in their wicked awesome robot costumes

Pictured Above: Dan Peters competing hard

Pictured Above: Rob, D-Reeves, and Dan looking tired

Pictured Above: Jon, D-Reeves, and Travis getting their stretch on

Pictured Above: The guys getting ready to compete

Pictured Above: Travis, Jon, Rob, Stew all holding Cameron

Pictured Above: One of the funniest and toughest competitions of the day

Pictured Above: The guys with their trophies

Pictured Above: One of my many costume changes

Pictured Above: Dan Peters competing fiercely

Pictured Above: robshep.com as Batman

Pictured Above: Rob getting ready to compete in his only competition of the night...let's just say it was an epic fail

Pictured Above: Jon Lancoure bobbing for shovels in salt water

I'm really glad I got to go to Beach Games 2010. It was a lot of fun.

I have Andy Stanley's Cell Phone Number

I'm a fan of people I look up to. I like to stalk meet my favorite singers, actors, athletes, and pastors.  I don't know what it is about my personality that enjoys meeting them, but I love it.  Over the years I've had the chance to stalk meet...

• TobyMac and dc Talk - Toby was a part of dc Talk. I had the privilege to stalk meet him and the other two members of dc Talk multiple times. They are my all time favorite band.
• Needtobreathe - my current favorite band. I love their music and I've stalked run into them on multiple occasions.
• Magic Johnson - He's my all time favorite basketball player.  I didn't really get to meet him but I did get close enough to snap a picture.
• I met Super Bowl champ Mark Rypien. 
• I beat Brent Price in a game of knock out while he was a player in the NBA.
• I've stalked met the guys in Third Day, Audio Adrenaline, Michael W. Smith, David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, Grits, and multiple Newsboys.
• I challenged and then lost bad to author and pastor Mark Batterson to a game of corn hole.  He wrote one of my all time favorite books "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day."
• I met former ESPN personality Steven A Smith while at a Lakers game. At the time he was my favorite NBA analyst.
• I have Andy Stanley's cell phone number in my phone.  He's the Michael Jordan of pastors. I will never call that number. I don't think he knows I have it,but that's not the point. 

I get really excited about stalking meeting the guys I look up to. I become almost giddy.  I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to meet people you look up to.  I do however wish that it was that easy for me to get excited about spending time with God.  I mean I get really excited about meeting celebrities that won't remember me.  On the other hand every day I have the opportunity to talk to the God of the universe who not only knows my name but knows everything about me.  I'm praying that I become starstruck over God. I don't want to take Him for granted. It's pretty amazing thinking that the God of the Universe makes time for me.  That's better than having Andy Stanley's cell phone number.

Mind Dump

My brain feels constipated with thoughts. The following is a mind dump of all the random stuff going on in my head...

• I ate some beans over the weekend. I was just looking out for my heart. I've heard they're good for your heart. It made me wonder though; who started the rumor that beans are good for heart? And is it true?
• My friend and co-worker Jamey Menser is about to become a competitive eater. He entered Nathan's Famous Hot Dog competition in Norfolk, VA. It's coming up on June 12. If he wins, and eats more then 20 hot dogs he will get to compete on July 4th in New York.  I plan on going to the Norfolk competition. 
• I'm interested in seeing Shrek Forever After. I didn't love the last one. The only part I remember liking is when the Gingerbread Man said, "I pooped a button." That made me laugh. Has anyone seen the new one?
• We had a great day at Waters Edge yesterday. We concluded our series Capacity Campaign. If you are a part of Waters Edge I hope you were there. After the 6 PM service one member told me that it was a top ten service of all time. 
• In an attempt to not become hoarders Monica (my wife) and I cleaned out some cabinets and closets.  It's really hard to get rid of things, but we are running out of space.  I just kept thinking that two people shouldn't have every closet and cabinet overflowing.
• I found a tick on my belly this weekend. I'm not sure where it came from. I'm also not sure why God created them. What is their purpose? I am surprised they don't sparkle in the sun. They are the vampires of bugs right?
• Lost is over. I'm still processing the series finale. It was really good, but I was expecting a bigger twist. SPOILER ALERT: I wasn't expecting it to end like the sixth sense. At least I think they were all dead. I'm still pondering it.
• 24 ends tonight. It's interesting to me that Lost seems to get a lot more media attention then 24. They both were iconic shows. The ending of 24 just doesn't seem to be getting the media hype that Lost got.
• I'm kind of bored with my music right now. I'm looking for a good new CD to buy. Anyone got any suggestions?
• Monica's car died on Wednesday. It ended up being the battery.  What should have only taken a few minutes ended up being a 4 hour adventure. My brother helped me get the battery out. It's a Volkswagen Jetta. Germans don't make their car batteries come out easy.  They also don't make them easy to buy. I went to two different Auto stores to find a battery.  Neither of them had one and none of their stores that were close had one either. I called the dealership to see if they had one. They did. I asked them to hold one for me. I left my house at 5:00 PM, they close at 5:30, and I live 10 minutes away.  Because of an accident I got stuck on a one lane road.  I arrived at 5:28 to hear the employee say, "I'm sorry we already sold it. You told him to hold it for you?" I was not happy! Right before I walked out the door he told me they had a knock off brand that I could buy. I don't know why he waited to tell me that. I bought it.
• The Lakers lost to the Suns last night. I really wanted them to win to keep pace with the Celtics. The Magic are playing like a WNBA team against the Celtics.
• I had a good time hosting Tony Morgan and James McDonald for Whiteboard.
  I was nervous that I would say something stupid around them. I don't think I did. I did however get turned around multiple times while driving Tony Morgan. I told him that I'm not from VA Beach but it was still a little embarrassing.
• I was hoping to get to spend a little bit of time with Jonathan Falwell at Whiteboard. It's a dream of mine to speak at my Alma mater, Liberty University. I don't think I would ask him if I could speak, but I would have liked to make a connection. 
• What's up with single Christian guys? There just doesn't seem to be a lot of them around. Monica and I have a plethora of friends that love God and are female. If you are a single guy and you love God visit Waters Edge Church and I'll hook you up. I can't guarantee that these girls will like you but I can introduce you to them. You'll need to have some game and take care of the rest.

Whew...I feel better now.

Luckiest or UnLukiest Man In The World

It has been said that Franco Selak is the luckiest man in the world.  The 76 year old retired music professor won the luckiest prize around, the lottery.  What sets this lotto winner apart from others is the fact that he has almost died 8 different times.  He survived...

• Being sucked out the back of an airplane, after it hit a mountain, only to land on a large heap of hay.
• A train flying through the air and landing into a cold river. He rescued a woman before he passed out.
• Being born early while his mother was on a small fishing boat and his father washed him with the cold water they were fishing in.
• A bus crash into a river
• A burning car...not once but twice before he was engulfed in flames.
• And a collision with an armored vehicle driven by a UN peacekeeper. He fell from his car right before it rolled and exploded.

Now granted winning the lotto is pretty lucky, but I'm not sure almost dying 8 different times makes you lucky. He might be the unluckiest person ever. I mean the luckiest would seem to have one good thing happen after another.  This guy seems to have one bad thing happen after another. He just happened to survive them all. What are your thoughts...luckiest or unluckiest man in the world?

Mind Dump

My brain feels constipated with thoughts. The following is a mind dump of all the random stuff going on in my head.

• My wife woke me up last night with one hand on my arm, half way sitting up, yelling WHO'S THERE WHO'S THERE WHO'S THERE! I looked over to see if anyone was really there. I didn't think there was anyone, but she was so panicked I figured I should check just to make sure. I then gently told her that we were all alone.  Funny thing is this type of thing happens to one of us on a somewhat regular basis.
• This Friday is Whiteboard. It's 1 day with 7 influential leaders for 30 minutes each. If you are a church leader you should check it out.
• I'm honored to get to host Tony Morgan and James McDonald at Whiteboard. I am a little nervous though. I tend to say dumb things around people I look up to.
• I'm reading Tony Morgan's book Killing Cockroaches right now.  It's a good book for leaders and pastors.
• This week is a a big week in baby world for me and Monica.  She is on triple the dose of the fertility drug Clomid. Her Dr. said that means we have upped our chances for multiples. We will take one, two, or three babies.  Any more than three and I will either sell some on ebay or get my own reality TV show.  Just joking about that last one.  Seriously though we would appreciate your prayers.
• This is a big week in TV. It's the final three on American Idol and the series finale of LOST.
• Monica and I are fans of Lee Dewyze on Idol.
• I can't wait till Lost on Sunday. I'm so curious to see how the show is going to end.
• The Lakers are looking good against the Suns. If I could look into the future and the Lakers win I'd like to see a Lakers vs. Celtics Finals. If for some reason the Lakers make it to the finals and lose I would rather them lose to almost anyone else than the Celtics.
• My pastor is now on Facebook. He's been on a week and already has close to 500 friends. 
• Speaking of Facebook...if you are on it and you would like to follow this blog you can do so through network blogs. You can become a follower by clicking on "follow this blog" on the network blog tag on my page. I've been told it's nice for people who forget to visit the blog. It updates it to your Facebook page.  
• If money weren't an issue what is one thing you would rather pay for someone to do than do yourself? For me it'd be lawn work. I hate working in the lawn. If money weren't an issue I would def pay someone to make my lawn look nice.  

Whew...I feel better now

5 Favorites: Cereal Edition

I've been told that I'm passionate about the things I love. The following is a list of 5 Favorites of mine.


5 Favorite Cereals

1. Frosted Mini-Wheats
2. Oh's
3. Peanut Butter Crunch
4. Kashi Cinnamon Harvest
5. Frosted Flakes

I've given you 5 of my favorites now give me one of yours.

Everything Doesn't Happen For A Reason Part 2

I wanted to clarify my earlier post a little bit.  I do believe that God is in control. I do believe that God has a plan. I believe that God works for the good of those who love Him.  I just don't believe that everything happens for a specific reason.  This post was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend of mine. He is a contract worker and his job has been put on hold for an unknown amount of time.  He doesn't know if he'll get paid in a week, month, or even a year. It's a tough situation for him.  When we met he was driving himself crazy trying to figure out the reason why this would happen.  This line of thinking led him to one of two conclusions...

1. I've done something wrong and I deserve what has just happened. He didn't know what he did but he was scared that he had somehow upset God and God was punishing him. 
2. God has done this to teach me a lesson. He kept wanting to know why God would allow this to happen to him.  He was focused on finding out the why and my concern was that it would lead to anger at God. 

Saying that everything happens for a reason can lead a person to believe that God caused the tragedy or pain.  Did God allow it...yes. Did God cause it...I don't think so. 

It would be like this...a parent buys their child a brand new puppy.  He does so out of love and because the child had been asking for one for a long time.  After a few weeks the parent decides they would like to teach their kid a lesson.  So the parent lets the dog out into the street and watches the dog get hit by a car. Now the parent wants the child to learn the reason but he never communicates that with them. He just hopes the child will find out the reason and understand.  The child then leaves confused. Why did my parent cause this to happen? Did I do something to make them mad?

I'm not saying I'm right on this matter, and one day I may change my belief.  I just think to tell someone that something bad happened for a reason is insensitive.  To my understanding I would say God works more like the following...

A parent buys their child a brand new puppy.  He does so out of love.  After a few weeks the dog escapes outside.  It wasn't on purpose. No one intentionally caused it to happen, but because of free will the dog ran into the street and died.  At this moment the parent holds their child, comforts them, and when the time is right maybe even teaches them about how fragile life truly is.  When the child asks why this happened the parent doesn't give them an answer. Instead the parent loves them through the difficult situation.  One day down the road the parent shows the child how they can learn from this awful situation. Even though the child is sad they find comfort in knowing that their parent is there for them. 

What's the reason for...

• children to be born with birth defects
• a man's wife and daughter die in the exact same week
• cancer taking some one's life
• a man working hard his whole life to be fired for a young up and comer
• a young teen being sexually abused by a relative
• a child losing both his legs in a mowing accident.  A few years later he and his mom are killed in a car accident

The above are all real life examples that I've been around.  My point is that instead of trying to figure out the reason we should search for God.  When we find God in the midst of suffering He gives us a joy that surpasses all understanding.  When we draw near to God He shows us how He can use the tragedies of our lives to make us stronger.  When we draw near to God He shows us how He was there for us in the midst of the pain.

Everything Doesn't Happen For A Reason

Everything doesn't happen for a reason.  Some things happen for a reason.  If you make a poor choice and you reap the consequences then there is a reason for that.  If you work really hard and see the fruits of your labor then you can know the reason for that.  You see I believe that some things happen for a reason, but I don't think everything happens for a reason. 

Here's why I came to this conclusion.  Three years ago my wife and I went to a Dr.'s appointment to hear our babies heartbeat.  When we showed up we were told that our baby had died.  Over the next few days I started asking why? Why would God allow something like this to happen? What was the reason? I started driving myself crazy trying to figure out why this would happen.  Did I do something wrong to make God angry? Was there some lesson that I needed to learn? 

You see I don't believe that everything happens for a specific reason.  I believe that we live in a fallen broken world where people get sick, bad stuff happens to good people, and Justin Bieber causes rioters...just joking about the Bieb.  My wife's watching him on a talk show and it made me think it'd be funny to include him in that list.

I think our response to difficult situations shouldn't be to ask why.  Instead I think we should try to apply 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." You see when we go through hard times our response should be to pray and give thanks.  That's God's will for us.  If you ask why it will drive you crazy, but if you seek God by praying you'll find joy.  It's not easy, but it leads to a healthier place then the question why.  

I Need Advice

Are you a good neighbor? I don't think I am.  From time to time I try to be.  One time I mowed all of my neighbors front yards.  They were all looking pretty rough.  I live in a town home so it didn't take too long.  Afterward I didn't get a thank you.  Not that I did it for a thank you, but I would have at least liked for it to open up the door for conversation. Another time my wife and I invited our whole block to an open house.  We made a buffet of desserts, passed out invitations, and waited patiently.  Finally one couple showed up. I think they showed up because they felt bad for us. 

I have two neighbors that are friendly.  They at least say hi.  I have others that look the other way when I wave.  I think part of the problem is that we host two Community Groups at our house.  Every Monday and Wednesday cars and people gather at my town home for a couple of hours.  I don't think my neighbors like this. 

If this was the first time I didn't click with my neighbors I would put it on them.  The truth is that Monica and I have lived in 4 different homes and the result has always been the same.  We just don't click with our neighbors.  I hate not being a good neighbor. I hate that I don't know the names of the people that live right down the street from me.  I hate that one of my neighbors died and I didn't know about it until a month later.  He was hit by a car while on a walk. He was one of the few neighbors that would talk with me.  The only reason I knew he died was because I made a point to ask another neighbor about him. I hadn't seen him in a month and I was curious to know where he was.  Come to find out he was dead.

So if you are a good neighbor what advice would you give me? What can I do to get to know my neighbors?

Guest Post: Moriah Elmore

To Brad:
From: Mo

What do ya say we fill the frame for Round Three at prom 2010? -Mo

Movie Review: Robin Hood

Like Batman, James Bond, Zorro, and the Lone Ranger; Robin Hood is one of those classic characters that reemerge for each generation to enjoy.  As a kid I loved the Disney cartoon version of Robin Hood.  As an 8th grader I fell in love with the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. For this generation Ridley Scott once again teamed up with Russell Crowe (he directed Crowe in Gladiator) to give a new spin on a familiar tail. 

Lets start off with the good from this movie.  It's a very original take on a story that is very familiar.  This go around is almost like a prequel to Robin Hood's famous outlaw days.  This movie gives you a back story that you've never seen.  In fact it leads up to Robin becoming an outlaw and eludes to the hero he will become. 

Now for the bad...if you were expecting Gladiator Part 2 you will be sorely let down.  There are parts to this movie that I liked.  I found myself wanting to like it a lot.  The problem is the film is slow, the characters are at times dull, and the fight scenes are not epic enough.  It's not a bad movie, but it doesn't live up to it's potential.  I know that Kevin Costner has one of the worst English accents in movie history when he played Robin Hood, but I'd take Robin Hood Prince of Thieves over Robin Hood every day of the week. 

It's rated PG-13 for action violence. I give it one thumb up.

Rob's Rating System:
Two Thumbs up = I loved it, worth paying full price, and I will own it on DVD.
One Thumb up = An OK movie, worth a matinee showing, and I may buy it on DVD if I see it in the $5 bin.
Thumb to the side = Wait and rent it. I wouldn't be mad if someone gave me this DVD, but I wouldn't buy it.
Thumbs down = I hated it, wish I wouldn't have wasted money on it, wouldn't own it on DVD

Wipe Your Own Butt

When we were babys it was ok to have someone wipe our butt.  I mean we couldn't do it for our self.  But now as adults it would be laughable to ask another adult to wipe your butt.  We all know this is true when it comes to cleaning up our poo, but we forget this principle when we are dealing with the messes of our life. 

I'm all for helping people, but sometimes people want you to do for them what they should be doing for themselves.  Here are some examples of times when I, as gently as possible, give the advice to wipe your own butt...

• When someone is lonely.  Most people don't call, so be the bigger person and make the call.  Be the friend. I know it's hard but you are old enough to take the initiative. 
• When someone asks for accountability.  People have said to me, "if I just had someone to keep me accountable I wouldn't have done x, y, or z."  Really? Yes you would have.  Here's my advice don't hang out in places where you are tempted and call for help way before you get tempted.  People will help if you ask, but very few people will check in on you.  You've got to wipe your own butt and that means check in with other people.
• When people forget deadlines.  We all make mistakes, but for this to happen on a regular basis is irresponsible.  Wipe your own butt and stop expecting people to clean up after you.
• When someone doesn't delegate.  Wiping your own butt doesn't mean you don't need other people.  It just means you have to be responsible for what you can do.  Sometimes that means asking for help.
• When a Christ Follower doesn't read the Bible or pray.  Sure there are times when we all don't feel like it, but you can't expect someone to hold your hand and make you do it.  Not spending time with God is like getting married and living in separate countries.  It just doesn't make sense if you want to be a Christ Follower. 

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 1 Corinthians 13:11"

5 Favorites

I've been told that I'm passionate about the things I love.  The following is a list of 5 Favorites of mine.

5 Favorite Movies

1. The Dark Knight

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark

3. Die Hard

4. Home Alone

5. Batman

I've given you 5 of my favorites now give me one of yours. 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

At Waters Edge Church we are in the middle of a series called Capacity Campaign.  We've had a lot of fun playing off the word capacity.  In fact the Capacity fever has spread to our Community Groups.  Last week for Community Group each group was challenged to come up with their own capacity challenge. That is to see how many people they can cram in an everyday object.  The winner was promised to be featured at robshep.com.  Here are the winners for the adult Community Group and then the Student Capacity Challenge. 

Pictured Above: Brian Jump's Community Group stuffed in a dog cage

Pictured Above: Lindsey and Andrea's Student Community Group stuffed in a pair of local high school sports superstar, Mike Maloney's, sweatpants. 

Mind Dump

My brain is constipated with thoughts. The following is a mind dump of all the random stuff going on in my head...

• Lakers beat the Jazz.  They swept them...that means they won 4 games in a row without the Jazz winning one.  Now it's on to play the Suns in the Conference Finals.  Time to pull out the Lakers jerseys.  I wear them while I watch the conference finals and, if they make it, the Championship.
• I have to pull out the old suit twice this week.  I did a funeral yesterday and I have a wedding this weekend.  All I need is a baby dedication and I will have completed the circle of life.
• As of late my cereal of choice is Frosted Mini-Wheats.  I don't like regular Frosted Wheat, but there is something about those bit sized minis.  
• I picked up two Frappuccinos from Starbucks yesterday.  One for me and one for the wife.  Good thing it's happy hour at Starbucks from 3 to 5 PM.  That means half price Frapps.  Can you dig it?
• The summer movie season has begun.  I'm excited to see Robin Hood this weekend.  Look for the review at some point this weekend. 
• I love the song "Love Left to Lose" by Sons of Sylvia.  I heard them on American Idol a few weeks ago.  You can watch their idol performance here. 
• I had a great time at a Community Group dinner hosted by Waters Edge Lead Pastor, Stu Hodges.  We had Carrabbas for dinner. I love Carrabbas! It was a great time hearing the vision for multi-site at Waters Edge. 
• I borrowed a PS3 game from one of my students. It's called Batman: Arkam Asylum.  It's a really fun game. Batman is my favorite superhero, so that makes it that much more fun. 
• I've been trying to walk more lately.  The WEC staff all have pedometers.  We are competing to see who can get the most steps in a day. Apparently I don't move during the day because my steps are pathetically low.  It's helped motivate me to go for walks at night.  
• I've been hearing a lot of good things about the TV show Parks and Rec.  Do you watch it? If so do you think I'd like it? 
• Speaking of good TV the Office may be ending after next season.  Steve Carell keeps hinting that next season will be his last.  If so the show might be over.  
• Are you on Twitter? If so what is the one celebrity you wish would follow you? I would have to say Steve Carell or Magic Johnson for me.  

Whew...I feel better now.

robshep.com and Andy Stanley

In the church world Andy Stanley is the Michael Jordan of Pastors. He's the Payton Manning, the Will Smith, the Chipotle Burrito if you will.  In other words when it comes to pastors there are a lot of great examples out there, but Andy Stanley is arguably the best. 

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Drive Conference at North Point Community Church (Andy is the Lead Pastor there).  I saw Andy a couple of times in the lobby... TIME OUT:

In case you are new to the blog you may not know that I have a way of putting my foot in my mouth.  When I get around someone that I look up to I end up saying the dumbest things.  Click here to read an example. TIME IN:

but I was too scared to talk to him.  Instead I opted for a photo.  A photo that he didn't know was taken.  I snuck up behind him, pretended to open a soda, and then looked up for my friend Jamey to take a picture.  The results are below...

Pictured Above: Rob opening a can of soda and Andy Stanley

Movie Review: Iron Man 2

The summer movie season has officially begun. Iron Man 2 kicks off the popcorn season with a bang.  If you haven't seen the first Iron Man I recommend renting it.  It's a super hero movie but it feels different than all the other super hero movies.  It's a great movie.  Now on to the sequel...

Iron Man 2 picks up where the first one left off.  Tony Start is a billionaire playboy with issues.  He has a HUGE ego, self destructive behavior, and he's created a weapon in the form of an iron suit. With his suit he's created world peace while at the same time creating arch enemies. 

Iron Man is a good movie. It has great action sequences, humor, and Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark.  Downey has a way of making you love Start despite his flaws.  He is supported by a stellar cast including Gwyneth Paltro, Scharlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Mikey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jon Favreau.  Interesting note: Jon Favreau is the director of Iron Man 1 and 2, and he also directed the movie Elf with Will Ferrell.

In my opinion Iron Man 2 is not as good as the first one but it is still a really good movie.  I love the characters, the action, and the comic book references scattered throughout the film.  If you are not a comic book fan you may not know that Iron Man is setting up an eventual super hero powerhouse movie called the Avengers.  The Avengers include Iron Man, Thor (movie coming in May 2011), Captain America (movie coming in July 2011), and the Incredible Hulk.

Iron Man 2 is rated PG-13 for mild swears, and action/violence.  I give it (for the first time ever) one and 1/2 thumbs up.

Rob's Rating System:
Two Thumbs up = I loved it, worth paying full price, and I will own it on DVD.
*One and 1/2 Thumbs up = It's not earth shattering, but it's a great popcorn flick. If you like this genre of film it's worth paying full price.  A definite DVD buy.
One Thumb up = An OK movie, worth a matinee showing, and I may buy it on DVD if I see it in the $5 bin.
Thumb to the side = Wait and rent it. I wouldn't be mad if someone gave me this DVD, but I wouldn't buy it.
Thumbs down = I hated it, wish I wouldn't have wasted money on it, wouldn't own it on DVD

Things I just don't understand...

• Why some jean companies put the size of the jeans on a back patch right above the pocket. Who wants to have their pant size advertised on the back of their pants?
• Why people stop in the middle of a crowd to talk. It's not that hard to move over to the side to finish your conversation.
• Why my headphones get tangled in my center console. They go in untangled but come out tangled every day.
• How slugs make it into my house. They are the slowest moving creatures and they leave a slimy trail. You'd think I'd see them coming, but I don't. They just magically appear from time to time.
• Why boogers form.
• How fat decides to grow in certain places. Some people only get fat in the belly. Some people only get fat in their butt. Some people get fat all over.
• The cause of high maintenance people. Is it chemical, hereditary, or the cause of bad parenting? Even worse is why high maintenance people don't see that they are high maintenance.
• Headaches.
• When people think they know what caused their headache. Have you ever heard someone say it was caused by loud music, sinuses, stress, or lack of caffeine? How do people really know what caused the headache? They don't. If they did no one would ever die from a brain aneurysm.
• How hair knows where to grow and where not to grow. Why don't I have hair on my forehead? Why don't all men have hair on their backs? Why don't eyebrows keep going around the side of your face to your chin? Why aren't the palms of our hands hairy?
• Why men wear scarves. I'm not judging a guy who rocks a scarf, but I just don't get it. My neck never gets cold, and I don't really like things rubbing up all over my neck.
• How my digestive system knows I'm out of town.  Whenever I go out of town I stop dropping deuces.  Then when I get back home I become regular.
• Why so many people haven't seen Iron Man. That movie was a HUGE hit. Add to that the fact that it's a great movie and it just doesn't make sense why a person hasn't seen it. Over the last two weeks I've talked to multiple people who never saw it.
• Why armpit stank, feet stank, and belly button stank all smell different. They stank because of sweat right? You'd think they would stank the same.
• Why women are more prone to spider veins than men.
• Why schools make you take math past elementary school. I think high school math should consist of learning how to balance your personal budget, and well...that's it.
• Why we call the American language English. It's nothing like English from England. I know...I tried to watch the English version of the Office and I couldn't understand a word of it. We speak American.
• Why some farts stink and others do not.
• Why I feel the need to lie if someone calls me and I'm sleeping. The person on the phone always asks if they woke you and everything in me wants to say, "no I'm wide awake." Why do I want to do that?

The 80's Ruled

I saw the above picture on Chad Swanzy's blog. As soon as I saw it I had one thought...the 80's were AWESOME!

Today there is a massive void of original, creative characters. Think about the things that make up pop culture today. Today is made up of sub par movies based on 80's classics like Transformers, and G.I. Joe. I'm amped about the new A-Team movie, but part of the reason I'm so excited is because I loved the A-Team growing up in the 80's. Music today hasn't produced a legend like the 80's Michael Jackson or Madonna in their prime. I dare you to come up with one pop culture character that is better than what the 80's produced.

I dare you to try to compete with Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, Ghost Busters, Voltron, Knight Rider, Super Mario, Rambo, Goonies, Indiana Jones, Dukes of Hazard, Pac-Man/Mrs. Pac-Man, He-Man, or two out of the three original Star Wars movies. Sure they may not all hold up well today but they were original and creative. The 80's ruled!

5 Random Facts About robshep

1. I can be shy at times. If I'm not in my comfort zone I tend to sit back and watch. I think this throws some people off because they've seen me on stage at church or with my friends. It often doesn't take me long to break out of my shell, but if I don't know many people I tend to get quiet.
2. I take 4 vitamins every day. I take a men's multi-vitamin, two cinnamon pills, and one biotin pill. I take the multi-vitamin for overall health, the cinnamon because it's supposed to speed up my metabolism, and biotin because it's supposed to strengthen hair. I don't know if any of them work, but my back hair now feels like porcupine needles. Just joking about that last one.
3. When I practice a talk for church I pace. When people see me before the service they think I'm nervous. I often get asked if I'm ok on Sunday mornings before a talk. I don't know why but I need to be moving when I'm gathering my thoughts for a talk. When I'm at home practicing I pace in circles.
4. I like Pepsi better than Coke. I like Coke from a fountain better but if it's from a can or bottle I'm going with Pepsi.
5. I still like the band Jars of Clay. I own every CD they've ever made. Most people I know stopped listening to them after their debut CD. You know the one with their hit song, "Flood." They are still a band that I will buy their entire CD and not just a couple of singles. I don't love every disc they put out but I still enjoy a lot of their music.

And there you have it 5 Random Facts about me. Now it's your turn. What is one random fact about you? Leave a comment.

Mixed CD's

I love a good mixed CD. You know, when someone puts a bunch of random songs and mixes it onto one CD. Over the years I've made lots of mixes for my wife. Some of our friends have ended up hearing the mixes and have then asked me to make them one. I typically make them for road trips, or for my wife's birthday. I have some rules that I try to keep when making a mix.

• Put new songs on. This is tough because some songs are new but they are already played out. I try to find new music that is popular, but has not yet been overplayed.
• Old songs. A great mix has old songs that you love. I tend to always put an 80's or 90's song on every mix I make.
• Mix up the styles. A little hip hop, a dash of rock, a sprinkle of country, and then add in lots of pop and you have a good mix.
• I take at least one risk. There are songs out there that I know I like but I know my wife doesn't know yet. I put one of those songs on the CD hoping that she'll like it. Sometimes it's a swing and a miss, but other times it helps create a home run CD.
• Vary the pacing. Because most of my mixes are road trip CD's I put on more upbeat then slow songs. With that being said I believe it's crucial to include a good mid-tempo or slow song. When there is a slow song I try to pick it back up soon after.
• Vary the bands. I try to not have the same artist on a mix more than once. Every once in a while I will put two songs on by the same artist, but I try to avoid this.
• Know the type of music the person you are giving the CD to likes. I know Monica's type of music pretty well. I try to make CD's with her in mind.
• Listen to the CD before you give it. Sometimes I listen to a CD and it just doesn't flow right. I'll go back and remix things up whenever that happens.

And there you have it. I can't promise everyone will love every mix you make, but following these rules has worked pretty well for me.

Reasons Why I Don't Like the Beach

1. There is no air conditioning.
2. I feel dirty walking through the sand and swimming in the pee infested water.
3. Sharks kill people.
4. Riptides kill people too.
5. I have hair on my back.
6. Hot girls in bathing suits. I try hard to guard my thoughts because I love my wife and because Jesus told me to. Going to the beach is asking for temptation. The whole time I'm there I feel like I have to look down just to avoid some girl popping out of her bathing suit.
7. Fat people in bathing suits. I think I can say this because I am one. I try not to be judgemental but the beach just brings it out of me. I see some people in a bathing suit and I think, "they should really cover that up." That thought makes me feel insecure about my lack of a 6-pack because I know people are thinking it about me.
8. During the summer it's hot. I don't like laying out and the water grosses me out. I end up just walking around with my head down sweating to death.
9. Bugs. I don't like em and they are at the beach.
10. Public restrooms. I already feel dirty, but after visiting a beach public restroom I feel gag nasty.
11. It's nothing like the show Baywatch. I'll admit that I've seen an episode or two of Baywatch. That show had action in it. The beach is nothing like the show. No one runs in slow motion and nothing exciting happens.
12. Laying on a towel in the sand is uncomfortable to me.
13. Laying on a pool chair that feels like it's going to collapse under me isn't much better.
14. All my friends pee in the ocean. They try to convince me that this is ok by saying that the fish pee and poop in the ocean. THAT'S NOT OK WITH ME!
15. Being at the beach makes me hungry.
16. I get bored easily there. After about 30 minutes I'm ready to go home.
17. Have you seen Jaws? Nuff said.
18. I like to be comfortable. I'm just not comfortable there. At all.
19. People bring way too much stuff to enjoy it. Chairs, snacks, music, towels, games, and other people. If it was really that great why would you need so much other stuff?
20. I'm basically albino. I hope that doesn't offend any albino's but I'm really white. My skin burns easily so I have to lather up in sunscreen. I have to put on SPF 102 just so I don't burn. I put so much on that when I leave the beach I don't get tan. If I could get tan I'd like the beach more, but since I can't...I say blah.
21. I once got sunburned so bad I developed a heat rash. With a heat rash it blocks your skin from sweating. I sweat. I sweat a lot. This thing was awful! I'd rather have leprosy then have this again.
22. I tend to get hurt at the beach. I cut my foot on something under the water, burn my feet on the sand, pluck out my eye because some girl plopped out her bathing suit, or I just suffer from boredom.
23. Water in the ear, also known as swimmer's ear. This is the same water that fish pee and poop in. Add that to the fact that all my friends pee and poop in it as well and I'm utterly grossed out.
24. My butt crack tends to find it's way out of my bathing suit. I try to cover it but at least once my wife will say "pull up your trunks, I saw your butt." I've bought multiple swimsuits and the same thing happens. At some point I'm going to show some crack, thus causing other people to lust. I can't live with myself knowing I caused someone else to stumble.
25. The beach is supposed to be relaxing, but I leave stressed. I guess I just have too many issues to enjoy it. Whenever we leave I'm relieved of my stress.

Reasons Why I Love the Beach

1. It's one of my wife's favorite places to be. I love it cause she loves it.

Is it just me

Is it just me or are more and more stores putting employees in costumes. The month of April provides the Statue of Liberty waving to get people to do their taxes with Liberty Tax. I was driving home from work the other day and I saw a person dressed as a giant cup of coffee for Dunkin' Donuts. That one was new to me. The kicker is at the next light was a man dressed as a large mattress in front of a mattress store. The mattress guy looked like he wanted to kill me as I drove by. For the record I waited to giggle at him until after I passed.

All of these costumed employees have three things in common. They are working for a living, they wear headphones to listen to music, and they hate their job. I know not every costumed employee hates their job, but the ones on Rt. 17 (where I live) sure act like it. Either that or they just hate me.

So here's my question if you had to dress up in a costume to promote your job would you do it with a good attitude?

I Lack Rhythm

I lack a rhythm. Now before all you grammar Nazis crucify me...I intentionally wrote a rhythm. You see there is a difference between lacking rhythm and lacking a rhythm. I'm not Michael Jackson when it comes to having rhythm, but I can keep a decent beat. My problem comes with having a rhythm to life.

I heard Andy Stanley, author and pastor, talk about his rhythm. He talked about his work week and how he knows his rhythm. After every preaching series Andy takes off two weeks from speaking. He said he does it because he knows he needs a break.

I don't have a rhythm to my life. I don't even know what my rhythm is. I work until I become a tired zombie. I over-commit, I forget to say no to things, and I work on the weekends. I can maintain this pace for a while, but I eventually burn myself out. I then take a vacation and get re-energized only to get back and start the cycle all over again. Here are a few things I need to force myself to do to create a rhythm...

• Say no. If a good opportunity ends up wearing me out then I need to say no. This includes double booking our weekends. Last weekend Monica I drove all around town to three different places because we were invited. We hung out for a few hours at each place but it exhausted us.
• Resting on the weekend. On my days off this week I'm speaking to a leadership conference and then rushing to a wedding rehearsal an hour a way. I have a wedding on Saturday, 5 church services on Sunday, and then I'm going out of town for a conference Monday through Wednesday.
• Take a break from email on the weekend. I check my email a dozen times on my days off. I think I'm addicted.
• Make time to take a nap. I need a weekly nap to function. Last Sunday I had a training and couldn't take my nap. I should have organized my weekend so I could have taken a nap on a different day.
• I need to figure out my rhythm. I need to force myself to rest before I burn out. It takes me too long to recoup when I get burned out.

Does anyone out there have a rhythm to their life. I'd love to hear what you do to avoid burn out.

Mind Dump

My brain feels constipated with thoughts. The following is a brain dump of all the random stuff going on in my head.

• Last night Derrick Phillips sent me a text with a picture of the new Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich. Derrick is a Community Group Facilitator at WEC and a member brought some to his group. The catch is the sandwich doesn't officially become available till June. So the next thing I know Derrick is headed over to my house and he brings me a sandwich. Let me just say it was lip smacking good.
• It's playoff time in the NBA. The only bad thing about being a Lakers fan is that they play on the West Coast. Home games don't start till 10:30 PM my time. It's awful hard to stay up that late. Lucky for me my wife stayed up with me last night to watch the game. She's awesome!
• Karen Smith, Director of Preschoolers and Kids, bought the WEC staff pedometers. She gave us a little challenge to keep track of our steps each day. She even gave us charts to write out our steps for the week. Yesterday = 10,876 for me.
• I'm coming up on a really busy few weeks.
• Friday I'm speaking with Lead Pastor Stu Hodges to the Leadership staff at the YMCA. I'm honored he asked me to join him.
• Saturday I'm doing a wedding near Richmond for Rich Grasso. Rich is one of my Student Leaders and I'm honored to be a part of his special day.
• Monica (my wife) and I have a Dr.'s appointment today. We are meeting with her OBGYN to talk about our next steps to get pregnant. I just talked to a couple that is pregnant with their second child via in-vitro. It was very interesting talking with them. It's expensive. She told me that they took out a loan. They said it's something that they did to buy a car, so why not for a baby? I mean a baby is a way better investment than a car.
• I may or may not have bought a PS3. I received some money for a wedding and for speaking at a couple of Youth Ministry classes at Liberty University. Monica said it should be fun money. She said it's not money that we budgeted or count on. She said I should buy a Blue Ray player. I said that I might as well spend a little bit more and get a PS3. That way I'm getting a Blue Ray player and a game system. I really hate spending money on myself. I feel bad. I made sure I tithed 10% of the money back to God. I hope I wasn't foolish with the 90% I had left. After resisting for a few nano-seconds Monica talked me into buying it. I still have some money left over. I'm going to hold onto that for a little while.
• I haven't bought any games for the PS3. It will be a little while before I do. I am however very excited to borrow Arkam Asylum from one of my students. It's a Batman game and I've heard it's most excellent.
• I filmed the first of two new videos last night for our new series at WEC. It's called Capacity and the first video was ha-larious to film.
• Excited to hang with Josh Bayne this weekend. Josh will be leading worship for us while Phil Poteat is on vacay.
• Monica's last class of the semester for William & Mary is Thursday. I'm so proud of her! She's rocking her masters. 30 credits down and only 9 left. Even though I'm very proud of her I still let her know that my masters is higher than hers. William & Mary is a very prestigious school, but I have a Masters of Divinity. God trumps everything else every time.
• Next week our staff is going to the Drive Conference in the ATL. It's a conference put on by North Point Community Church aka Andy Stanley's church. I'm very excited about it.
• If you live in or near VA you should check out Whiteboard. It's one day, 7 influential leaders, for 30 minutes each.
• I've been watching season 1 of the A-Team. Brings me back to my childhood and it pumps me up for the new movie!
• I've really been digging Full Throttle Energy Drinks. What's your energy drink of choice?
• Countdown 9 days till Iron Man 2 hits theaters. Can you dig it????!!!

Whew...I feel better now.

Community Group Fun

I love Mondays because of my Community Group. On Monday nights at 7 we meet to eat, discuss the Bible, and hang out. It's a lot of fun! Last night after our discussion we played a Minute To Win It game called Face the Cookie. In this game contestants must get a cookie from their forehead to their mouth by only using their facial muscles. It was a lot of fun.

Pictured Above: Brian was one of only two group members to get the cookie to his mouth

Pictured Above: My brother, Jon, was the first contestant to get the cookie to his mouth

Pictured Above: Brian, Lindsey, Nicole, and part of Katherine's nose

A couple of weeks ago our group got together on a Friday night to say goodbye to two members of the group. Matt and Kelly were moving to Belgium. We went to IHOP. At the end of our meal Matt surprised Kelly by asking if she would renew their vows. We left IHOP and went to Yorktown Beach, the place where they go married. Lucky for them I'm a pastor. Even luckier for them I did their wedding ceremony and I still had it. I read portions of their original ceremony and they renewed their vows. It was a great night.

Pictured Above: Yes we had a guys and girls table.

Pictured Above: There was a fly in my wife's toast. The manager's only response was "we won't charge you for the extra protein." Wow I say...wow.

Pictured Above: Matt asking Kelly to renew their vows.

Pictured Above: The ceremony at Yorktown Beach.

Remember Me - A Starstruck Idiot

I normally am not at a loss for words. I speak in front of large crowds, and I have a decently fast quick wit. But for some reason whenever I meet celebrities that I look up to I become a blabbering idiot.

Take for example the band dc talk. The summer of fifth grade I discovered dc talk and they instantly became my favorite band. The day before my senior year of high school a friend and I drove to Maryland to see them in concert. We got to the concert really early and ended up watching their sound check. After the sound check the band came walking towards us. Now you need to understand that I was such a big fan that I had compiled a list of questions just in case I ever got to meet them.

The band was walking towards me. I got nervous. My palms started sweating. When TobyMac, my favorite member of the band, approached I blurted out "REMEMBER ME." It wasn't a question. It wasn't even really a statement. It was more of a pathetic request. He smiled and nodded and then quickly walked away. I felt like a starstruck idiot.

The Devil has ADHD

The Devil has ADHD. Stick with me on this one.

I don't know if you believe in the devil or not. Call me naive but I believe in him because the Bible talks about him. Now I don't believe that the devil can make you do anything you don't want to do. I believe he messes us up by telling us lies. He sets traps and waits for us to fall into them. But we have the free will to resist him.

The Bible says to resist the devil and he will flee. In other words when you are tempted resist and the devil will eventually get bored with you. It's as if the Devil has ADHD. He's focuses on you for a short time, but if you resist he gets bored and leaves. Maybe this is why squirrels often run in front of your car. Maybe the devil has gotten bored with someone resisting and he jumps into a squirrel. Think about it. Those things go crazy for no reason.

So the next time you are tempted to do something that you know you shouldn't do, resist. Eventually the devil will get bored with you and put his attention else where.

Name My Book

So my wife loves to read books. She really likes a series about a sparkling vampire and she also enjoyed a book about a kid wizard named Harry. With Harry Potter and Twilight being huge phenomenons it has given me an idea for a new book. Here's the pitch...

A young orphan girl enrolls in a school for wizards. She's a bit mischievous and one night ventures outside the safety of the school's walls. That night she is attacked by a werewolf. Right before the werewolf eats her she is saved by a mysterious young man. There is instantly a connection and the two start to fall in love. The next day in school she is taught about the evils of vampires. She learns that wizards arch enemies are the blood thirsty vampires. Could it be that her new beau is a blood sucking vampire? The next night she rushes out to discover what she already knows. It doesn't matter though...she's in love.

What do you think? It would be a Romeo and Juliet meets Harry Potter meets Twilight. I don't have a name for it yet. If you have a great idea for a name leave it in the comments. By the way in case you read this as me being serious...I'm not.

Bangarang

Pictured Above: Alex wearing a Bangarang t-shirt while drinking Bangarang Kool-Aid.

I love my Student Community Group. Each Wednesday night 14 to 18 high school guys cram into my town home to talk about God, hang out, eat snacks, and drink Bangarang Kool-Aid. Let me just tell you that having that many high school guys in your house means you are going to have a lot of food and beverage devoured. At one point some of the guys were going through 2 or 3 cans of soda. Thus the invention of Bangarang Kool-Aid.

Kool-Aid is a lot cheaper than cans of soda. One week my wife bought my favorite flavor of Kool-Aid with the thought of trying to see if my boys would drink it. When the boys arrived to group I started trying to get them to drink the Kool-Aid. Now I know how sketchy that sounds. Especially at a church event. So in order to not call it Kool-Aid, and in an attempt to make it an experience I called it Bangarang. You know...from the movie Hook. In the movie whenever they do something great they yell, BANGARANG at the top of their longs.

I told the guys that it was called Bangarang because when they drink it, it will be so good, they will automatically say Bangarang. For some reason it worked. My guys have no idea what flavor Bangarang really is. Some probably think that is its actual name. Now for some of you moms worrying about the sugar intake...please don't worry. I also have H20 for them to drink. I call that Jesus Juice. Just joking...I don't have a name for the water.

Mind Dump

My brain feels constipated with thoughts. The following is a mind dump of all the random stuff going on in my head.

• I spoke at church on Sunday. I'm incredibly honored to get to speak at Waters Edge. My pastor said that he thought it was on of my best talks. I value his opinion! My prayer is that God used what was said to draw people to Himself.
• My friends Matt and Kelly Kuchera are moving to Belgium. They have been in my Community Group for two years now. Interesting fact: their first Sunday at WEC I spoke, and their last Sunday I spoke. I'm going to miss them.
• Since when did you not have to type in www before a web address? The other day one of my students was making fun of people for still putting the www before a web address. I pretended to know what the heck he was talking about, but I didn't have a fat clue you could do that. If they could remove it why did we have to use it in the first place?
• It's playoff time in the NBA. The Lakers won on Sunday. Game two is tonight. I'm nervous about the Lakers this year. They didn't end the season well. I'm also scared of the Mavericks, and the Cavs.
• Last night was the Waters Edge House Party. It's how people get involved in what's most important to us, Community Groups. We had a great turn out!
• I don't think I'll ever be skinny. I just love food too much. I work out 3 to 5 times a week. I work out because if I didn't I'd weigh 300 lbs.
• Over the weekend I watched Back to the Future. I love that movie. The sequels don't do the first movie justice. I did however watch the first 15 minutes of Back to the Future 2. When they go to the future it's the year 2015. That's only five years from now. Someone better hurry up and invent flying cars and hover boards or our future won't look anything like it's supposed to.
• I follow a lot of blogs. I was asked recently what my favorites were. Here are my favorites in the categories they fit in. My two favorite blogs by people I don't know. Mark Batterson (pastor and author). Mark has great insight into the Bible and life. I love his writing style. His blog was actually the first blog I ever read. Tyler Stanton (Catalyst Westcoast MC and one really funny guy). Tyler makes me laugh. My two favorite blogs by former students in my youth group are Jake Holland (former student of mine and one crazy cat), and Austin Lee (she takes great photos and has funny stories about her kids). Favorite bloggers that go to Waters Edge are Jesse Minter and Daniel Carman. There are many more blogs that I like and read on a regular basis, but I don't have space to mention them all.
• This Friday Phil Poteat (Director of Worship and Production at WEC) will be doing a concert for Relay for Life. It's at Tuscany's Coffee House from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Suggested donation is $5. You should go.
• On Saturday I'm doing my first baby dedication. A couple that I married ask me if I'd do it. I've never done one before. I hope I don't jack it up. Good news if I do mess it up the kid won't remember...right?
• I can't wait until May! May kicks off the summer movie season. It begins on May 7 with Iron Man. Then it's one great popcorn flick after another. Vote for your most anticipated summer movie on the new survey at robshep.com.

Whew...I feel better now.

The F-Bomb

The "F" word is considered by many to be one of the worst curse words in the English language. For example you can say the "S" word an unlimited amount of times in a PG-13 movie. You can only use one F-bomb in a PG-13 film. It's edited on TV and radio. According to Wikipedia it's the third worst word in the English language. It's right behind the "C" word and the "F" word with the word mother attached to it.

Here's the thing with the F-bomb, in most uses it just doesn't make sense. If you replace the F-bomb with what it means, sex, it is very clear that it doesn't make sense. For example...

• Sex you
• Don't give a sex or the sister phrase... don't give a flying sex
• Sex off
• Sex the sexing sexers
• Sex yeah
• Don't sex it up
• What the sex
• Don't sex with me

The next time you hear someone throw down an "F" bomb replace what they said with the word sex. It's pretty humorous.

Weekend of Concerts Part 2

Last weekend was an amazing weekend of concerts. I got to see my two favorite artists. The second concert was on Sunday night in Norfolk VA at the Norva. Needtobreathe is my favorite band. I first saw them in concert in VA Beach before they released their first album. Three discs later I'm still loving their music. This was my favorite concert of theirs to date. Here are some pics of weekend of concerts part 2...

Pictured Above: Matt Hires opened the show.

Pictured Above: Will Hoge and his band. Both opening acts were solid.

Pictured Above: Needtobreathe puts on a most excellent concert!

Pictured Above: Needtobreathe! If you haven't heard the song Something Beautiful yet you need to legally download it now. Seriously...right now.

Weekend of Concerts Part 1

Last weekend was an amazing weekend of concerts. I got to see my two favorite artists. The first was TobyMac in Lynchburg VA for the Awake Tonight Tour. We drove to Lynchburg on Saturday to see the show. TobyMac went to Liberty University, where the concert was held. Toby puts on one of the best concerts around. On this tour he was joined by House of Heroes and Skillet. It was an excellent show. Here are some pics of weekend of concerts part 1...

Pictured Above: We paid for VIP tickets which included a Q & A with TobyMac and John Cooper.

Pictured Above: House of Heroes did a great job opening the show

Pictured Above: Skillet melted my face off. They put on a really great show.

Pictured Above: Toby started the concert on a stage in the middle of the crowd.

Pictured Above: John Cooper came out to join Toby for the song Tonight. It's my favorite song off Toby's new album.

Pictured Above: Toby put on a sick show. He puts on one of the best shows around.

Movie Review: Date Night

Date Night is not the funniest movie ever. It's also not the most realistic. With that being said I still really liked it. Date Night stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey as a middle class married couple who feels like their marriage is in a rut. In an attempt to spice things up they head to New York City for a date night, and things quickly go from bad to worse.

Even though Date Night is not the best movie ever there are a couple of things that I loved about it. Number one I love Steve Carell and Tina Fey. I think they take a C grade movie and turn it into an A. The second thing that I love is the fact that Date Night celebrates marriage. It's rare to find a movie these days where a married couple really loves each other. I love that the characters in the film have a weekly date night. I also really liked the cameos by some decent sized stars. The scenes with Mark Wahlberg were very funny.

Date Night is rated PG-13 for some swears. It also has a scene where the main characters go to a gentleman's club. I hated that they went, but there is no nudity. I give it one thumb up.

Rob's Rating System: Two Thumbs up = I loved it, worth paying full price, and I will own it on DVD.
One Thumb up = An OK movie, worth a matinee showing, and I may buy it on DVD if I see it in the $5 bin.
Thumb to the side = Wait and rent it. I wouldn't be mad if someone gave me this DVD, but I wouldn't buy it.
Thumbs down = I hated it, wish I wouldn't have wasted money on it, wouldn't own it on DVD

Critic vs. Director

The following post is not an original idea. I don't have a fat clue where I read about this. If you know who originated this idea let me know.

There is a big difference between a movie critic and a movie director. Both are involved in the movie business but one creates something and the other critiques someone's creation. It's easier to watch a 2 hour movie and form an opinion of it then it is to create a 2 hour movie. It takes months to direct a movie, but it only takes a critic a few moments to destroy the movie in a review. It's easier to be a critic then a director. I think there are a lot of lessons we can learn from this...

• At work the boss is basically the director. It's easier to complain about your boss's decisions then to make decisions.
• It takes a lot of work to create something from scratch. It takes minimal effort to destroy someone else's work with a negative comment.
• Hours of study, prayer, and memorization are poured into a 35 minute sermon. Those hours can be destroyed in seconds by one negative critic.
• It takes a lot of time to create a home cooked meal. It takes seconds to say it's gross.
• A healthy marriage is built on trust, love, and respect. One careless critical statement can cause hours of damage.
• Everyone is a critic at some point. When you find yourself in the critic role remember to find something positive in someone else's creation.
• In life you are going to have critics. Everyone directs something and with that comes critics. Some critics will praise your work, but others will attempt to destroy it. You can put your worth in the critics or you can keep directing because that's what you are called to do. Even Steven Spielberg has critics. When you recieve a negative review take it for what it is...an opinion.

A director creates and leads people. A critic puts down someone else's creation. I don't know about you but I'd rather be a director than a critic.