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Love At A Chick-fil-A

I love Chick-fil-A. I love their great service. I love their clean restaurants. I love how they ask you if you want a refill and then they bring you an after dinner mint. Love em! If you've ever been to a Chick-fil-A then there is no doubt that you have heard them say, "my pleasure." They say in replace of you're welcome. I went to a Chick-fil-A once in the sticks of North Carolina. The person working the drive thru was "my pleasure" happy. I knew they were on auto-pilot and just saying the phrase so I decided to mess with them a little bit. I decided to say something to them that didn't fit having a "my pleasure" response. As I'm leaving the drive through I said, "have a nice day." He responded with "my pleasure." I laughed.

One morning on the way to a video shoot I told some of the guys that I work with about that story. We were headed to Chick-fil-A for breakfast. The guys in the car said that I should try it again. This time I through out something and I had no idea how they would respond. After they repeated my order I said and I quote, "I love you." Without even flinching the voice in the drive thru box said, "I love you too." They didn't pause. They didn't stumble. They didn't even say "my pleasure." They boldly said "I love you too." Amazing! We laughed about that for minutes.

This past week in my Adult Community Group we talked about some very convicting verses from the Bible. 1 John 3:10 "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother."

I love you is such a personal thing to say. I didn't tell my wife that I loved her until I proposed to her. I feel awkward saying I love you to friends. Saying I love you is not something that you just throw around. But according to this verse it is something that should be evident of Christ Followers. You can't follow Jesus and hate someone.

When you think about what Chick-fil-A is known for you think about a lot of really good things. When you think about what Christians are known for you think about a lot of really negative things. What if Christians were known more for what they were for then what they were against? What if Christians were known for how they love others even when they disagree with them? What if Christians were known for their love? It would change the world.

John 13:35 "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Is it awkward for you to say I love you? Do you love Chick-fil-A?

First Annual Blogging All Star Challenge: Update

So a few weeks ago I pitched an idea to Ricky Anderson. Sports teams have All-Star games so why can't bloggers? We picked 5 bloggers each and let you vote on which team was better. It was the First Annual Blogging All Star Challenge.

Team Ricky:
Matt Cannon
Knox McCoy
Tyler Tarver
Leanne Shirtliffe
Scott Moore

vs.

Team Rob:
Jon Acuff
Tyler Stanton
Bryan Allain
Scott Williams
Steven Furtick

Team Ricky came out blazing. Multiple people on his team tweeted and then blogged about the competition. It was close at first but then Team Rob started getting monkey stomped. Something happened that I did not expect. My own friends voted against my team. They said things like "your team is the New York Yankees of blogging teams." I also heard "your team is a powerhouse so I voted for the underdog...twice." Granted Ricky's write up was a wee bit better than Team Rob's I didn't see my own friends voting against me. And then...

Jon Acuff tweeted the following, "Whoa, someone made me into a comic book superhero. Apparently my secret power is "Deep V necks." Check it." Game over. One tweet from Jon = more hits on my blog than I get in a single week. The All-Star challenge post received 123 comments. The final vote was Team Ricky - 193 votes to Team Rob - 316. Jon Accuff for the win.

I can't wait to do this challenge again. I'm not sure what Ricky Anderson has up his sleeve but he tweeted that he's ready and that I could even have Jon Acuff again. Game on.

Now what really spurred this little recap is the fact that I got to meet a lot of new blogging friends. One of those is Tor Constantino. Tor emailed me a ha-larious video that he put together in honor of the All-Star Challenge. It made me laugh out loud multiple times. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Un-Official Blogging All-Star Challenge Video
by: torcon

Tor Constantino is a former journalist who has worked for CBS Radio Network and Clear Channel Communications. He posts regularly at his blog http://www.thedailyretort.com/ and to you can follow him on Twitter @torcon.

Wake On Up From Your Slumber Baby Open Up Your...Eyes

I was laying on the runway with no where to go. My heart was beating. My head was sweating. My adrenaline was pumping. I'm laying on the runway and headed straight toward me is a giant jumbo jet. Paralyzed in fear I started rolling like my life depended on it. My life did depend on it. If I didn't roll fast enough I was going to get squashed. I rolled hard and then I heard..."Rob. Rob! ROB!!!" I open my eyes and my wife is calling out my name. I was dreaming an incredibly vivid dream. It was so real I had rolled out of bed and onto the floor. When my wife woke to find me I was rolling back and forth on the floor. The hotel floor. We were staying in a airport hotel in Dallas because our flight was delayed. My wife still laughs when she thinks about that night.

Doing things in your sleep is a serious thing. I've read about people who slept walked off their balcony and woke up on the ground below. I've heard friends tell stories of waking up putting on their bathing suit with the shower running. I even read about a man who was proven innocent for killing his wife because he proved that he was a chronic sleep walker. He stabbed his wife in his sleep and woke up to find out what he did. That's awful. Just in case you have never experienced a sleep walker first hand here is a clip from a recent documentary.


The Bible says, "'Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:13-15.

I love how this verse says, "Wake up, O sleeper." It's talking to people who are not asleep. As if to say that you can actually sleep walk through life. You can function but you are not getting the most out of this life.

Have you ever had a day or week that was just a blur? What about a year? The grind of life can cause us to simply function and miss out on the life the Jesus wants for us. The verse goes on to challenge us to make the most of every opportunity. I don't know about you but I don't want to sleep walk through life and miss opportunities. I want God to put such a fire for life inside of me that my passion for Him not only wakes me up but wakes others up as well. This life is too short to miss out.

"Wake on up from your slumber, baby open up your eyes." Those are lines from a new song by my favorite band, Needtobreathe. Love the song. Love the lyrics. Love the idea of living life to the fullest because Jesus has changed our lives. Enjoy the song and video if you haven't heard it yet..

Mind Dump

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

• "That's hot" was made famous by Paris Hilton. My brother is the first person that I heard say "hot like fire" when talking about something he liked. I often say "that's the hotness." After the heat that we have had this past week I am seriously considering banning all talk of something being hot. That's not a good thing. Hot is bad! Saying things that we like are "cool" has been around for a long time. There is a reason for that. Cool is good. Hot is not.
• It was so hot that the news was looking at the hospital for people that had died. When it's so hot that you can't breathe and die it's too hot.
• Whenever I think about something I don't like I often start to think about how people in the west, medieval, or Biblical days had it. I mean if it's awful hot for us with AC then I can't imagine being a cowboy. They wore chaps. Those things look hot. I don't know how the human race is still alive. I don't know how everybody didn't die from the heat.
• On Monday my twins had surgery to repair hernias. Praise God everything went great. While at the hospital I started wondering what people in western, medieval, and Biblical days did with babies with hernias. I mean we are so blessed to live in the year 2011. My kids had surgery and were released in the same day. They were back to their normal selves that evening.
• In western days they didn't have AC. They didn't have Woombies...

• Those things are amazing! They didn't have music makers and sound machines. They didn't have anything that makes our life easier. I still say it's hard raising kids but we have every tool imaginable. I don't know how parents survived back then.
• I watched an interview with 6 year old Lucy who was bit by a shark last week. She said in the interview that she wasn't mad at the shark anymore because she forgave him. Wow! If a 6 year old can forgive a shark for almost biting off her leg then why can't humans forgive each other?
• I don't like vegetables. I would like them more if they grew fried.
• I like blessing people. Most people save a bless you or a God bless you for when someone sneezes. I like to say God bless you after someone coughs, farts, or burps. Whenever I do the person will say, "I didn't sneeze." As if the only reason I can bless someone is when they sneeze. The nerve.
• My wife likes the show the Bachelorette. I don't. I have however found a way to enjoy it. This week she watched it the day after on DVR and read out loud Knox McCoy's recap post. Knox is brilliantly funny.
• The other night I was at a stop light and someone jumped out of their car, ran up to my car, and WEC'd me. WEC'd means that someone takes a Waters Edge Magnet and flips it upside down. That was crazy. Funny but crazy.
• Our country is jacked up when it comes to debt. I watched a hot second of the Presidents speech this week about the national debt. Our government needs to elect Dave Ramsey to get all gazelle intense on the national debt. He'd find a way to get us into financial shape.
• Do you remember when the President would come on TV and take over the only 3 channels that we had? It was awful as a kid. You had no computer. You had no portable game system. You had nothing to entertain you while the President hijacked the only 3 channels that your TV produced. Thank God for cable.
• My wife was sent an email with the following subject, "How Twins Are Made." The email had this picture...

• Someone at church came up to me and said that in the case of my twins it would have to be copy, reduce, and then paste. Reese was born 5 lbs less then Hayden. Four months later and they are still 5 lbs apart. Reese is up to 10 lbs and Hayden is at 15. Reese has come a long way since being born at 3 lbs.
• Next week my blog will be getting a face lift. There is a chance that on Monday night it might get jacked up. I'm sorry in advance.

Whew...I feel better now.

We Need A New Space Program

I wasn't alive when America first sent men to the moon. I was alive for Transformers 3. In the movie they show a little bit of the history of the space program. Russia sent Sputnik into space and America reacted. That led to what we now call the Space Race.

Now the thing that caught my attention is the way that people reacted to getting to the moon. People cried. Parades were held. Everyone was glued to their TVs.  It was a HUGE deal! Now I have a few friends who work at NASA and they are not going to like what I'm about to say. There is a great chance that my computer will get nuked and that I will go missing. If you are one of the few who gets to read this post don't tell anyone about it or they will morph you into a space chimp. I kid, I kid. Looking back what did going to the moon really do for us? It united our country! Other than that I don't know of anything significant that came from landing on the moon. I asked a NASA rocket scientist about this and he said that we got TANG from our experience from going to the moon. TANG is great! So we got tang and it united the country.

It made me think about how powerful vision really is. People will rally around a vision. People will sacrifice for a vision. People will become passionate about a vision. Even if it's a pointless vision people will respond. I think this has potential to impact our lives.

I heard Donald Miller talk about a dad who cast a vision for his family to build a home for underprivileged kids in a foreign country. His family was falling apart. His daughter was rebelling. He cast a vision and at first his family resisted. But after a while his whole family was dedicated towards the vision. His daughter stopped rebelling. They sacrificed. They gave. They built the home. They were changed by a vision.

The point is that even if a vision is pointless like landing on the moon it will be powerful. Maybe it's worth it to spend some time thinking about a vision for your family, life, job etc. At the very least you might invent something amazing like TANG.

What's another example of a vision that united people? On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being lack a vision and 10 being visionary, how would you rate your vision for your life?

Does Everything Happen For A Reason?

The following post is meant to start a discussion. I am not saying that I'm right. I'd love to know your opinion.

I often hear people say that everything happens for a reason. I think that some things happen for a reason but not everything. Somethings we can trace back to the reason. For example...

• If you have bad gas then the reason is because of something you ate.
• If you gain weight then the reason is because you ate too much.
• If you are lazy at your and you get fired then the reason is because you were lazy at your job.
• If your house smells gag nasty then the reason is because you have animals who stink up the joint or because you don't clean.
• If you make a bad choice and suffer the consequences then the reason is because you made a bad choice.

I'm on board with saying that there is a reason for some things, but I'm not on board with saying that everything happens for a reason. For example...

• The other day I fell down the stairs. What's the reason for that?
• The other day I knocked over a glass while making breakfast and it spilled water all over my floor. What's the reason for that?
• A friend of mine is pregnant after years of trying. I just got word that she had a miscarriage. What's the reason for that?
• I blogged about Emily. Emily is an eight year old girl who has had cancer for most of her life. What's the reason for that?
• After three years of trying to get pregnant God blessed us with a pregnancy. It was a miracle. The doctors said that we could not get pregnant without help and we did. At our eight week appointment the doctor told us that we had a miscarriage. What's the reason for that?
• Our twins had surgery yesterday to for hernias. What's the reason for that?

The Bible never says that everything happens for a reason. Many people will be able to look at the events that I mentioned and find a potential reason. I've had people say to me that the reason we had a miscarriage was to be a blessing to other couples. That's not a great reason for something to happen. The Bible compares God to a perfect father. Imagine a dad torturing his son so that he could relate to someone else who has been tortured. That doesn't make sense. For God to bring pain so that a person could be a blessing is not a reassuring reason. On the other hand...

The Bible says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (NIV). The word that I want to focus on is works. God works for the good.  I don't think that everything happens for a reason. We live in a fallen world where unexplainable tragedies occur. I drove myself crazy trying to find a reason as to why we went through our miscarriage. On the other hand God worked in that situation to draw us to Him. God worked in that situation to allow us to be a blessing to others. We have been able to comfort many people because of our story. God worked in spite of our mess. God works for the good.

Sometimes there is a reason and sometimes there is no reason that will suffice. Instead of a reason we have a relationship. God works to draw us to Him and to make good out of the bad things that happen. I don't think he causes the bad things so that we can be a blessing to others.

So what are your thoughts?

Today Reese and Hayden Have Surgery

Our twins, Reese and Hayden, have surgery today. They both have hernias that have to be repaired. Hayden has a double hernia that has to be fixed. Here are some questions that I had and then I've been asked about this...

• Is it common? Yes. It's common in premature babies. Our twins were born four weeks early.
• What is it? It's a lower hernia where the intestines are involved. The nontechnical explanation is that there is a tearing that has allowed their intestines to fall down into the lower parts of their body.
• Does it hurt them? Yes! Sometimes it doesn't but there are times when they cry and it's obvious they were in pain.
• Is it out-patient surgery? Yes. We have to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM. Hayden goes in first at 7:15 AM and Reese will be after. The surgery will take about an hour each. We hope to be able to take them home by 1:00 PM or so.
• Where is the surgery taking place? Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. We are blessed by God to live close to CHKD. It's amazing!
• Are we nervous? Yes! The doctor said that theirs were bad enough he would have done surgery immediately. That was over a month ago. We had to wait because of the risk of the anesthesia. They don't like to give it to babies until they are six months old. Our twins are four months old this coming Wednesday. We trust God completely, but that doesn't mean we aren't nervous. They called on Friday to give us the details and one of the questions they asked Monica was what our religious preference was. They needed to know in case something goes wrong with the surgery. Monica told them that her husband was a pastor. The woman on the phone said that it didn't matter because I would not want to minister to myself. When my wife was asked that it sunk in how serious this really is.

We'd appreciate the prayers today and tomorrow as they heal. If you haven't met them yet here are their latest pictures. Thanks for praying.
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Update: Reese and Hayden were super troopers! They did great and are now at home recovering. Thanks for the prayers.

Double Feature Movie Review: Captain America The First Avenger

This is part 2 of 2  for a double feature movie review.

I'm a big superhero movie fan. Even the ones that aren't that great I often end up owning on video. I talked to a few people before seeing Captain America and they didn't love it. That made me nervous because I was really looking forward to this movie.

I loved Captain America! I thought it was well done, well cast, and the story was well told. Being a fan of the comic I noticed some decent liberties they took with the origin story but I liked what they did. Captain America is the second best of the Marvel Avenger series, behind Iron Man. I thought it was better than the Hulk and Thor the other Avengers that have had films.

Now if you haven't been keeping track Captain America is apart of the Avengers. It includes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Nick Fury who have all been featured on the big screen. They are all coming together for next summers Avengers. Speaking of the Avengers make sure you stay through the credits to see the hidden scene in this film. It's worth the wait.

Captain America is rated PG-13 for some mild swears and lots of superhero action violence. I give a thumb and a half up. I gave it a thumb and a half up because I might need to see it again to see how much I truly liked it. It's not a perfect film but I enjoyed the mess out of it.

Rob's Rating System =

Two Thumbs Up - A great movie worth paying full price.
One and a Half Thumbs Up - A really good film. It's not ground breaking but it's a fun ride.
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.

Did you see Captain America? What did you think?

Double Feature Movie Review: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2

This is part 1 of 2  for a double feature movie review.

I'm not a phanatic Harry Potter fan. I have never read the books. I have seen all of the movies and I like some of them and I think some are mediocre. I'm nervous about this movie review because I know how passionate Harry fans are. So I give this movie review an asterics. If you are a HUGE Potter fan then you will no doubt love this movie. If you are an average fan or have never seen them then you might not leave satisified with this film.

Here is my biggest problem with the film they fail to capture the emotion of an audience who hasn't read the books. For example SPOILER ALERT: Multiple characters die and they don't even show their deaths. They show them dead but they fail to get you to care because they don't show them die.

In my opinion they should have followed Star Wars recipe for how to do a two part movie. Empire Strikes Back leaves you in the middle of a story. They leave you wanting more and knowing that the movie is not over. They pick back up with Return of the Jedi. Return of the Jedi not only concludes very well they make you care for the characters that are finishing up this journey. Both movies go together but they can also stand alone as great films. This movie feels like the second half of the first movie and I'm not sure they should have split them. There is a lot in it but they still fail to capture the emotional pull of a series finale.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows is rated PG-13 for action violence, some scary images, and some English swears. I give it one thumb up. *If you are a Harry Potter fan you'll probably 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.

Did you see Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2? What did you think?

How Would the A-Team Handle the National Debt?: A Guest Post By Burrill Strong

Burrill Strong and I met on the world wide web. We were introduced by Ricky Anderson. He has since become one of the top commentors at robshep.com and one of the best Twitter followers. Check him out on Twitter. You won't regret it.
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Of all the important questions we should be asking right now, this is one that seems to have been forgotten. But thanks to my years of painstaking research (read: hours of watching episodes of the A-Team), that’s an easy question to answer.  If asked to take care of the national debt, the A-Team would:

1.)Thoroughly screen the potential client.
Who would be the client? All of us U.S. citizens, I suppose. One of us would have to talk to Mr. Lee and a few other Hannibal Smith disguises to prove that we’re not affiliated with or being followed by Col. Lynch. The A-Team is careful about its clients.

2)Drive to Washington and immediately taunt the debt.
This taunting likely would end in a brawl. Face would get punched in the face a few times, but in the end B.A. would throw the debt and its henchmen over a bar or out a window, leaving them humiliated, angry and vowing revenge.

3)Devise a crazy plan to vanquish the debt for good.
Everybody knows nothing gets Hannibal on the jazz like debt. This outlandish debtconquering plan would involve a few explosions and hundreds of bullets, none of which would injure a person but several of which would flatten tires. It would also include at least one spectacular car flip. But don’t worry: when the A-Team flips a car, nobody gets hurt.

4)Have its plan thwarted and end up captured by the debt.
However, like so many other villains the A-Team has encountered, the debt would make the mistake of locking the team up in a barn, shed or garage with an old vehicle of some sort, plenty of sheet metal and a wide variety of objects that could be transformed into weapons. Naturally, this project would involve B.A. welding something. He always welds something. Maybe in this case he’d weld a federal budget.

5)Use its homemade weaponized federal budget to thwart the debt.
There would be copious amounts of gunfire from the debt and its henchmen; there would also be plenty of explosions from the A-Team’s homemade weapons. Another vehicle or two would flip, and eventually the debt would take a swing at Hannibal. But Hannibal would duck the punch and lay out the debt with a solid punch of his own.  That might not have been Hannibal’s original plan, but it would all come together anyway. And remember: Hannibal loves it when a plan comes together.

6)Leave the debt and its henchmen locked up for Col. Lynch.
Having brought down another villain, the A-Team would speed off in its iconic van just before Lynch arrives, leaving him to arrest the debt while fuming at yet another infuriating escape by Hannibal, Face, B.A. and Murdock.

In summary:
The A-Team’s method for conquering debt is shockingly similar to that of Dave Ramsey, give or take a few explosions and automatic weapons. (But Dave Ramsey definitely would punch debt in the face.) And we could be confident that the A-Team would have the problem solved in approximately 45 minutes...unless we had to endure commercial breaks, in which case they’d have the problem solved in an hour. Either way, that’s admirable efficiency.

I’m ready to hire the A-Team. Who’s with me?

Question? Help!

So coming up in just a few short weeks the wife and I are going on vacation. Well, we actually have two weeks off for vacation but we have nothing planned. Why you ask? We have 3 month old twins. Every idea that we come up with seems like work and not a vacation. We can't pawn them off on someone else for two weeks. It's way too much work. So here is where you come in...

Is it possible to vacation with babies? What is your best vacation idea for parents with 3 month old babies?

Movie Police

A couple of weeks ago at Waters Edge we showed a funny video to go along with our series entitled At the Movies. The video is called Movie Police. I love going to the movies but I hate the fact that they allow annoying people into the theater. People who talk during a movie or even worse people who bring babies. Are you kidding me?! People are ridiculous. But thankfully ridiculous people like that exist. If they didn't we wouldn't have a concept for this video. Enjoy.


The video was written by Phil Poteat and Rob Shepherd. It was filmed by Dillon Tulip and Directed by Phil Poteat.

What is the most annoying thing that you have ever seen someone do at a movie theater?

Feel The Burn

I recently posted about my adventure with Gold Bond. It burns but the burn lets me know that it's working. For some time now I have been using Nioxin hair treatments. It doesn't burn. I wish it did. I don't like the burning sensation but it makes me feel like it's working. It's like when you put peroxide on a scrape. It burns. It fizzles. It burns some more. That's how you know it's working. Every time I use the really expensive shampoo I wish that it burned. The shampoo is supposed to help me not go bald, but it doesn't even tingle. I'm left wondering if it really works.

Unless you are some type of weirdo nobody likes pain. Nobody likes pain and yet pain is one of the ways that God gets our attention. I recently read a story about an elderly women who had a stroke and fell onto her bathroom floor. For three long days she laid in pain. After three days a neighbor came to her rescue. While in the hospital her grandson asked her what she was thinking about for those gruelling three days. She said, "I've never been closer to God my whole life than when I was in pain."

We live in a fallen world where pain happens. Pain happens and it's in the midst of that pain that we often seek God with our whole hearts. It's in the midst of that pain that we are often quiet enough to hear Him. It's in the pain that we take the time to focus our attention on Him. God could leave us alone during our pain but instead He is present in our pain.

I don't like the burn but it makes me feel like a product is working. I don't like the burn of pain but it's often how I know that God is working.

What product do you use that burns? When have you felt God in the midst of pain?

Prayer for Emily

Emily is an amazing girl that I have never met. I was introduced to her story by a member of Waters Edge Church. Emily has been battling cancer since she was six months old. Today she has another surgery after four years of remission. She is only 8 years old and already understands the power of prayer. Emily's prayer is that 1 million people would be praying for her. When I heard the story I knew that I needed to share it with the readers of robshep.com.

I know you don't know Emily but will you take a minute to pray for her today?

My New Life Of Compromise

So this is my fourth week on Weight Watchers. If you are skinny then let me explain how it works. They give all food a point value. I have a certain amount of points and I have to stay under those points each day. I had three really good weeks and one bad weekend. I have lost six lbs so far. I used to eat everything I wanted to. Now my life is made up of compromise...

• At Chick-fil-A I get a char grilled sandwich and a fruit cup instead of a spicy chicken sandwich and fries.
• At Chipotle I get a burrito bowl instead of the amazing burrito.
• For snacks I eat fruit instead of something that is not fruit.
• At really cool hip and trendy self serve yogurt places I get non fat yogurt with fruit instead of non fat yogurt with Reese Peanut Butter Cups and cookie dough.

So Weight Watchers is working. I hate it. I don't hate that it's working I just hate not eating everything I want.

This past year there have been multiple things that made me want to lose weight but none of them motivated me to actually do anything about it. You would think the following would have...

• On Christmas Eve I was supposed to ride a donkey, named Jack, down the aisle for our Christmas Eve services at Waters Edge. I had written a sketch, memorized lines, and was set to ride. I got on the donkey and he almost collapsed. He took one step back and then almost fell over. Jack's owner asked how much I weighed. When I told her she said I weighed 50 lbs more than what Jack could handle. We then had to brainstorm what we were going to do. I got bumped from the segment in favor of someone thinner. When this thinner staff member got on the donkey he took off. It scared the rider really bad. Lucky for me it was so scary I still got to be a part of the segment.  I had to walk the donkey instead of riding it. It was embarrassing but it didn't motivate me to change.
• A few months later we were planning our Easter services and we came up with the idea to have me skydive. I was out of my mind excited about this. Come to find out there is a weight limit on skydiving. I was 20 lbs over the limit. I got cut from the segment. Lucky for me all the other guys were scared out of their mind. We then found a company that would allow over weight skydivers. We had to pay more money and I had to weigh myself before I jumped. It was embarrassing but it didn't cause me to change.

What finally got me motivated was a visit to the doctor. I went for a physical. I am thankful for doctors but I don't like them. I'm not a touchy feely person and they are way too touchy feely. The doctor said that I was in great health for a 32 year old. Her only concern was that she knew that my wife and I just had twins. She said that if I didn't do something about my weight then she was afraid that I wouldn't be around for my kids. That got me motivated! It's worth the compromise to be around for my kids.

Have you ever done Weight Watchers? Have you ever lost weight?

What's In It For Me?: A Guest Post By Daniel Carmen

Today I come home from a week of Student Camp. While I'm on a bus for 7 hours you will be reading the last guest post of the week. Daniel Carmen is the most faithful comment leaver at robshep.com. If you have a blog you should pray that he discovers yours. He leaves ha-larious comments. He also blogs. Check it here.
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My whole life I have had trouble fitting in socially. Whenever I make a serious effort to put myself out there, I seem to make such a mess. I cause people to push me away, to marginalize me. Over time my experiences have led me to keep mostly to myself, both laughter and tears. Now I tend to avoid getting involved with others. I mean once your fingers alight on the stove, you learn something you won't soon forget. That pointed, painful lesson seemed to be that letting others into your life can bring hurt. Can bring awkwardness. Can bring demands. ... So, what should I think when my pastor asked me if I would be interested in writing a guest blog for him?

Well, my instinct was to just ignore him, perhaps he would think that I didn't get the message, after all, what's in it for me? Yet my pastor is also, well, kind of a friend of mine. One of the few people that I know who takes me seriously, who listens to me, who lets me know in a Godly way that I matter, that I have value. So, I ultimately decided to write something, to give it a go. So here we are, but so what? Well, my whole point is about relationships. How even when we try to wall ourselves up, push away from others who might hurt us, we somehow know down deep, that this leads to an empty existence. We were made to be involved with each other and to encourage each other, and, well, to write something for our friends when they ask us. It is about stepping up and strengthening bonds.

Relationships span a broad spectrum. I mean there are all sorts and levels, from casual acquaintance, to co-worker, to friend of a friend, to family, to children, to spouse. They all have value at one level or another. I am now starting to appreciate that I need to approach them with purpose and with intention. So, today I might write a blog. Tomorrow I might share a cup of coffee with someone to talk about important things like sports or the weather. Perhaps one day I might have someone to share with when I feel lost and need encouragement. Better still, I might be able to offer a strong and safe shoulder for someone to cry on.

Whose shoulder do you cry on?

Random Thoughts By Ryan: A Guest Post By Ryan

I'm at camp this week so I asked some friends to guest post for me. Ryan is a great guy. We have the type of friendship where I can make fun of him and he still likes me. I joke him often about his love for The Bachelorette, his bad taste in DVDs, and his fear of babies. He's a great guy and I'm excited for you to get to know him.
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I officially met Rob last year in December after trying my hardest to avoid him at all costs. I had briefly met Rob in passing at church and seen him around the area but had no real contact. There was nothing wrong with Rob, but you know when you are out and you see someone you kind of recognize and have no idea what to say… Yea…

Anyways, after passing Rob at church, dodging him at Chili’s, and being forced to walk by him at Target and say hello, I got placed in his community group, which was one of the best things that could have happened. After a short amount of time, Rob and I developed a great friendship, the friendship inspired me to read and be a fan of his blog, which lead me to read his Mind Dumps, which leads me here…

Random Thoughts From Ryan:

• I first want to say that I am a proud fan of The Bachelorette. I watch it every Monday night just like every other man in America who is scared to admit it. I am just glad that Bentley’s gone. Hopefully she will get over it.
• My wife and I just put the snapshot thing from Progressive in her car. Have you seen it? Do you realize how mentally hard it is to drive with that thing hooked up in your car? Really hard.
• Shark week starts at the end of this month and my cable provider is awful, no Discovery Channel, ever.
• I work in the shipyard and it gets fairly dirty in my everyday outdoor environment. My wife lets me know whenever I rub my nose with my hand and get black snot all over my face, thanks babe.
• My New Years goal is to run 5 5Ks this year, I am running my second race this month on the 26th. The first was the Chik-Fil-A 5K; I finished 444th and almost puked at the finish line.
• Running has been a big hobby of mine lately. I wonder if I am the only one who worries about how short their shorts are every time I run. Maybe there should be one of those hands on your side dress code rules for guys shorts.
• The movie collection at my crib is pretty awesome, one of my friends actually liked the collection so much that they wanted to look at them everywhere they went in my crib. After he came over and left I found movies in my bathroom, bedroom, and even found “Hairspray” in the microwave. That may or may not have been Rob.
• Speaking of “Cribs”, is that show still on MTV? We do not get that station with our cable provider either. (I miss you Jersey Shore and Sixteen and Pregnant).
• I should probably speak about “Hairspray” too. Rob gives me a hard time because  own two copies on DVD. That is my wife’s movie, get off. There goes my man card again.
• Since Rob gave me full reign of his blog, I will admit that I introduced him to my runner’s best friend (Gold Bond Medicated Powder). I read his blog post “Questions Prevent Burning Powder” but he never asked me about it.

Thanks for letting me crash your blog Rob, and if anyone wants to know the winner of this seasons Bachelorette let me know.

We Miss You Daddy: A Guest Post By Monica Shepherd

Well this is the middle of the week and that means I have two more days of Student Summer Camp. In my absence I've asked some friends to guest post for me. Monica is my amazing wife who is not only missing student camp for the first time in ten years, but she is staying home with our twins. I miss her like crazy. Enjoy her post.
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Our last self-family portrait before Daddy left!

Dear Daddy,

We are so glad that you got to go to student camp for the week, but we really miss you! Mommy misses you too, and we think she's a little bit more tired with you gone. She's also jealous that you get to spend the week with the WEC students at Crossroads! Since you left, we have eaten 12 times each- 24 bottles, 24 burp cloths, and at least 24 bibs. Luckily mommy has lots of people that love her and us because she has only had to do two of those feedings alone. We especially miss you at 6:00am because that's our time with just you while mommy sleeps and you feed us. (We think mommy misses you a lot during this time, too!)

Hayden's nap in the monkey chair. Dreaming of daddy!

Reese hanging out on the couch in a new outfit.

During the first day you were gone, lots of people visited us and helped mommy. We stayed home all day and played, nap, bathed, ate, and pooped. Grandma Brownell came, but she asks that we call her Grandmaster Dode.....is she a rapper, daddy? Good news- we both slept all night your first night at camp.

Hayden is the happiest in the morning. He likes to laugh and make sounds on the changing table. He slept in his Batman shirt because he missed daddy so much.

Mommy woke Reese up from her nap, and Reese realized it wasn't daddy....or was mad at mommy for putting those stupid socks on her.

On your second day at camp, we played at home all day because it was like a bazillion degrees outside. Grandmaster Dode spent the night Monday and Tuesday, which is a big help! We get to eat at the same time and hardly have a chance to cry because there are 2 people here all day to swoop us up. We think Grandmaster Dode is hilarious- she talks to us in lots of different voices, sings to us, and holds us non-stop.

It was turquoise day for our outfits. We finally like to look at each other and make sounds.

Later in the day Tuesday, mom and Grandmaster Dode loaded us up in the car and went to get yogurt at Sweet Frog. They didn't share, so we got them back by crying on the ride home. You should know that mom might eat at that yogurt place every day your gone because she misses you- you've been warned.

Hayden laughing at Grandmaster Dode!

Reese wore this bib for daddy. We hope our friends Dan, Chad, and Britney read the bib carefully!

We love looking at pictures while Mom reads to us.

We are worn out and Mom is sure we'll keep sleeping through the night all week. (Well, we know Reese will, it's me she's worried about. -Hayden) We have a lot more fun stuff planned so we don't miss you as badly. Today Auntie Danielle is coming over for a sleep-over because mommy is a chicken. Thursday we are going to run errands, and we are going to visit Mamaw and Papaw Shepherd Thursday evening. We are going to the pool with mom and Auntie Mollie on Friday. It'll be our first adventure in bathing suits and in the pool!

We've got to go because it is time to eat again! We miss you Daddy and can't wait for you to get home. Maybe a kind, unsuspecting blog reader will take pity on you and mommy so you can go on a date Saturday or Monday night. Four nights is the longest you two have been apart and the longest we've been without our daddy. We can't wait to see you Friday!

Love,

Reese & Hayden

PS- Mommy typed for us because we aren't very fast typers yet.

We love you!

Baby Juked: A Guest Post By Dustin Valencia

I'm hanging out with high school and middle school students at Student Camp. While I'm away I asked for some of my friends to guest post.  I met Dustin on the world wide web. He has a great blog over at Abraham Chronicles. He blogs about how to do the father thing right. He lives in Atlanta, GA and he was kind enough to do a guest post for me. Check out his blog here. You won't regret it.
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Our youngest daughter Harper "slept through the night" for the first time the other night.

If you are a parent, or know of a parent, you know what a glorious day that is.

She surprised us by going from 9:00 PM to 8:00 AM -- quite a long stretch considering she had been consistently waking up around 4:00 AM the last couple weeks.

What I'd like to share with you, however, happened the day (or night, rather) before that happened.

It's 3:58 AM. Harper was just about to cry. I roll over, grab her out of her bed, and place her on our bed while my wife gets ready to nurse her.

I'm mentally out of it, half asleep, and my eyes are about to roll back in my head. Meanwhile, I'm changing her diaper, getting her prepped and ready for her feeding thinking she is about to go nuts. She's hungry for pete's sake!

I look at her, again thinking she's about to cry, and say, "Hey Harper!" (You know, in that please-calm-down-and-don't-cry-voice.)

She does the opposite and whips out a little smile. Scratch that, I swear it was a "Ha! I got you Dad" smirk.

I was BabyJuked.

She pulled a fast one on me. I was thinking she was about to do one thing, and 180s me and does the exact opposite.

She ate fine that night, fell back asleep, and woke up at 8:00 AM.

Thinking back on the episode, I can see that she had been toying with us. Straight up manipulation at the fragile age of 11 weeks. So much so that the next day she "decided" to not wake up at 4:00 AM and "let" her parents sleep for a few more uninterrupted hours.

I folded my cards. She had me beat. I was out-maneuvered by a newborn.

Such is the life of a Dad.

One thing's for sure: I'm certain my kids will out-maneuver me all the time. Eventually I'll be outdated, slow, and out-of-touch.

Another thing's for sure: I cannot out-maneuver my heavenly Father.

No matter how hard I try, I cannot:

• Hide anything from Him.
• Accomplish something to earn His acceptance
• Say the "right things" to merit His grace.

He already knows. He unconditionally accepts. He freely dispenses grace.

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Tell us about a time you've been BabyJuked.
What does your morning routine look like?

Robshep.com Is A Vampire: A Guest Post by Dan Peters

I'm at Student Camp with 120 high school and middle school students. While I'm away I asked some of my friends to guest post. Dan Peters is one of my closest friends, an occassional reader of robshep.com, and a ninja realitor.  Dan has said something about me for a while now. I hope you think it's as funny as I do.
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I’ve known Robshep beyond the blog world for quite some time. Although I enjoy his friendship and his blog greatly, I have come to the conclusion that he’s a vampire. He’s my only vampire friend. It might seem like a bold and somewhat shocking statement, but let me explain what has led me to this realization. 

He keeps his house colder than any warm-blooded human ever would. Seriously. I can often see my breath when I’m over there and if he opens the door to his bedroom, you swear he’s opening up a walk-in refrigerator. I think I may have seen him pull hamburger out of his dresser drawer for a bbq one time… actually I think that was a dream, but I did hear Monica, his wife, wears a snow suit to bed.

If you’ve ever been to his house, you’ll note that the blinds are always shut. ALWAYS. He has a great view of the woods outside his living room window with deer and everything, yet the light is kept out at all costs. Monica loves the beach, Rob despises it… it’s the light. There’s a reason why one of Rob’s favorite things in the world is watching movies. 

He posts blogs at crazy times… like 3:30 AM… I think that means he doesn’t sleep at night. 

Rob is very pale, his hair is very dark with a bit of a widows peak and his eyes are piercingly blue. If I were to make up a description of a vampire, it would be him. 

His wife loves Vampire movies, books, and TV shows. His wife loves him. Coincidence? I think not.

He has some pretty sharp incisors (teeth, the "vampire" ones)… it’s an odd thing to notice, but I have. Taken alone, I wouldn’t say it means anything, my wife has the same sharp teeth, but when combined with the other evidence, it’s tough to ignore.  

Have you noticed anything vampire like about Robshep? Has he ever tried to suck your blood? Do you eat garlic before you go to his house? I do, that’s why I’m asking.

Movie Review: Transfomers 3

Transformers 3 is a great action movie. Most people will love it. Some people will like it. Very few will hate it. It has humor, action, and really cool CGI. It's a great movie!

A great movie that I only gave one thumb up. Now if it's so great why did I only give one thumb up? Great question. The special affects are amazing and the action is off the charts but the plot and story are a little thin. Michael Bay is the best director of action sequences. He is not the best at character development. His movies are a lot of flash and bang with no substance. To me Michael Bay just needs to understand that less is more. The film is good but it's about 30 minutes too long. Like the previous Transformers movies instead of developing a character they simply add more humans. There are way too many human characters in this film.You don't get to know any of them. Instead you are left with an amazing action movie with very little substance.

In my opinion Michael Bay takes something that we love, action movies, and then just pumps them up with steroids. I often say of Michael Bay that if he ever made a cake he would add an extra pound of sugar, fry it, and then put fire crackers in it instead of candles. It would be glorious, but it's over the top. We already like cake. Why add so much fluff that doesn't matter. It's a great movie but it falls short of two thumbs up.

Transformers is rated PG-13 for lots of action/violence, some mild language, and a suggestive conversation.

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.
 
Have you seen Transformers 3? What'd you rate it?

WWE With God

Sometimes I want to wrestle God. I'm talking about acting like the Macho Man Randy Savage and I attempting to "OOOh YEAHHHH" off the top turnbuckle. I'm talking about laying an elbow smack down on God. Did you not grow up watching Professional Wrestling? Well, I did. I did and it leads me to want to attempt to put God in a full nelson. Can you imagine me in tights?

Let me explain why I want to wrestle with God. There are things that I am praying for and God seems to be silent. Things like...

• My twins, Reese and Hayden, both have hernias. They cause them pain and they can't have surgery until July 25. I am praying that God heals them.
• Family members to become Christ Followers. I hate that they don't know Jesus.
• My hair. I don't have thousands of dollars to spend on a hair transplant. God did a lot of crazy miracles in the Bible. He once made an ax head float in water. If He can do crazy stuff like that then he can fix my hair. I'm praying that God will revive my hair and fill in my bald spots.
• To hear from God. I have been praying for wisdom and God seems to be silent.
• Why God didn't allow us to get pregnant without the help of fertility treatments. I am thankful for our twins but for six years I prayed that we could get pregnant without the help of fertility treatments. We ended up seeking help and I praise God that He used it to give us two kids. I just wish that He would have spoken to us during that time.

When I read the Bible I see amazing miracles happen. I want to experience a miracle of Biblical proportions. I'm not talking about the type of miracle that you see on late night Christian TV. You know the type that costs you money? I once heard a guy say that if people pledged money he would send them glow in the dark anointing oil and they would be blessed when they pored it on their head. Really? Really? I think that stuff is silly but I am tempted to try it on my bald spot. Do you think it would work? I kid, I kid. I'm not talking about the late night TV preacher miracle. I'm talking about God doing something that I can't explain.

Andy Stanley says, "You don't have to understand everything to believe in something." I don't understand God. I don't understand why God is silent. I don't understand why God doesn't intervene and heal more people who are hurting. I don't understand why God doesn't speak when I need Him to speak. I don't understand but I still believe.

There's a story in the Bible where a guy actually does wrestle with God. In the story the guy says that he is not letting go of God until God blesses Him. I don't understand God but I'm not letting go. I don't hear God but I'm not letting go. I don't see God but I'm not letting go. I am not letting go.

I'm not letting go and I love that God allows us to wrestle with Him. Think about it...the God of the universe allows us to wrestle with Him. When we wrestle we communicate. When we wrestle we reach out for God. When we wrestle we get to know God. I love that God allows us to wrestle with Him.

Did you grow up watching wrestling? Who was your favorite wrestler? What are you wrestling with God about.

Mind Dump

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

• Have you heard Beyonce's latest song? Well, there is a line in the song that says, "You showed your @$* and I saw the real you." The song is about how she broke up with a guy and that she will be the best thing he never had. Let's get back to his butt. She broke up with him because she saw his butt? I wonder if he mooned her.
• Have you used Crest White Strips? I started using them and they kind of gross me out. While wearing the strips my mouth gets full of saliva, and I don't know what to do with it. Swallow it you say? No says I. There is a chemical attached to my teeth that is strong enough to make them white. The saliva that it creates has to be deadly. Right?
• I leave for Student Summer Camp next week. Can't wait! I love taking Waters Edge Students to camp. I say this every year but it's my favorite week of the summer.
• I spoke this past week at Waters Edge. If you'd like to watch the service you can check it out here.
• I fell down the stairs on Sunday. At my house, we have a really steep flight of stairs. We have lived here for six years and up until Sunday I've never fell. My foot came out from under me, I landed on my butt, and I started sliding. I heard Monica yell, "OH ROB!" I then slid on my butt down the entire flight of stairs. From the top to the very bottom. Monica met me at the bottom and asked if I was okay. I was. It didn't hurt. It gave me a carpet burn on my elbow, but besides that it was a decent ride.
• Have you voted on the First Annual Blogging All-Star Challenge? It's a fun little competition between me and Ricky Anderson. The winner gets bragging rights for an entire year. Make sure you check out the teams and then vote for the best one...
• Did you vote for Team Ricky or Team Rob?
• Ironicmom blogged about the competition here. Matt Cannon blogged about it here. Tyler Tarver blogged about it here. All of them are on Team Ricky. Team Rob was getting monkey stomped until...
• Jon Acuff tweeted about the contest. My office exploded in excitement when they saw that. There are a lot of Jon Acuff fans on staff at Waters Edge.
• So what does a Tweet by Jon Acuff about a blog post do for your stats?
• Jon Acuff for the win!
• It's summer time and that means that TV shows stink. My wife and I recently got Alias from Netflix. JJ Abrams created it, and I love everything I've seen of his. Watching it right now. Bradley Cooper is in the first episode. Weird to see him on TV.
• When I woke up yesterday my breath was stinking like Dragon Ball Z...the movie. Some of the guys in my Student Community Group told me that Dragon Ball Z was the worst movie of all time. So that's how bad my breath stank.
• There have been a lot of really cool self serve frozen yogurt places that have opened in the 757. They are really good!
• My wife bought me some superhero underwear cause it's cool...right? I haven't owned any since they were called superoos and I was 8 years old. She then shows me an article in a magazine that features do's and don'ts of fashion. Guess what type of underwear was featured?
• So yesterday I mentioned on the blog that I'm thinking of a tag line. What do you think of Robshep.com - random thoughts by a transparent pastor?

Whew...I feel better now.

Blog Keeping

My blogging experience reminds me a lot of the way I learned to play basketball. When I was in first and second grade my family lived in Germany. I didn't have a basketball goal. We lived in military housing and our house had the letters HH on it. I used the crossbar on the H as my basket. I shot over and over again on the H. When I was in third grade my family moved back to America. I played on my first basketball team as soon as we moved back. I was placed in the starting line up because I had a good shot. I didn't have a fat clue about the rules of basketball. I traveled a few times. I double dribbled a few times. I didn't know what I was doing but I could shoot. For some reason all that practice on the HH helped me have a great shot.

How's that like my blog you ask? Well, I started a blog without any coaching. Just like basketball I jumped in and I'm doing the best that I can. For the first time in my blog's three years of existence I've been getting some coaching. It's through Blog Rocket and Bryan Allain. If you have a blog then you should join Blog Rocket. If you like reading funny blogs then you should check out Bryan's blog.

Here's what Bryan suggested I do to advance my blog...

• Change my template from black to white - done.
• Add a tag-line to my blog - working on it.
• Change from Blogger to Word Press - still thinking about this one.
• Update my Feedburner link - done but with issues.

So I've been doing some blog keeping. I'm listening to Bryan and I'm working on the changes. The only problem so far is that I've lost a lot of people who read my blog through a feed. It went from 250 subscribers to 9. If you used to read through a feed I think I have fixed the link. Click on the button that says, "Subscribe to robshep.com." Thanks. Oh and be patient with me as I make some changes. I'm not great with technology. I hope I don't accidentally erase my blog!

First Annual Blogging All-Star Challenge

Some people have said that Ricky Anderson and I are twins because we think so much alike. Other people have said that it's more like distant cousins. The truth is that we aren't related. What we do have in common is that we both blog and love reading blogs. That love has led to a conversation. Sports teams have All-Star Games, so why can't bloggers. The following is the First Annual All-Star Blogging Challenge.  Two teams. Team Ricky vs. Team Rob. Five bloggers each. You get to vote on which team you think is the best. The truth is that it's just a fun way to feature some of our favorite bloggers. Enjoy.
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Team Ricky - The Team Most Likely to Communicate Back With You Compared to the Competition (TTMLTCBWYCTTC)

Matt Cannon - Matt is unstoppable. He has 5 kids, a wife and two jobs, yet he blogs every weekday without fail, and replies to every comment before the commenter can even finish thinking the comment. He's not human, but he is funny...and a pastor who uses each post to teach a bit about Jesus. If you don't vote for Team Ricky, you hate kids. And Jesus. And you probably kick puppies.

Knox McCoy - Knox, Knox. Who's there? One of the best bloggers out there. Today, I reveal the Internet's biggest secret: Knox is the secret love child of Tyler Stanton and Jon Acuff. He writes with Tyler's wit and Jon's gift of word structure and clarity. This guy will hit it big; it's only a matter of time. A vote for Team Ricky today is a vote for the Internet of tomorrow.

Tyler Tarver - Tyler is truly original. He's afflicted with focused ADD. Although he loves the Earth, there's nothing recycled about him. He's funny in print, video and origami. And he raps. It's like a gift.

Leanne Shirtliffe - Radio. TV. Newspapers. Asia. The Internet. Leanne's everywhere. In her spare time, she's a middle school teacher and mother of twins (she had two to save time and money on birthday parties). Did I mention she's Canadian? A vote for Team Ricky is a vote for gender equality and world peace.

Scott Moore - Scott Moore is one of the most kind and funny guys I know. He nails every post with deadpan clarity and/or hilarious Microsoft Paint illustrations. He's one of my personal writing heroes, and that list includes Dave Barry and Patrick F. McManus. The best part about Scott is he doesn't actually think he's funny. His goal isn't to impress you, yet that's what happens...every time.

Team Ricky is the Dream Team of bloggers. They'll make you laugh. They'll make you think. They aren't confined to any topic or medium. They're not world-famous; they're just awesome..and they'll write you back.

If you love Jesus...

If you love kids...

If you love the Internet...

If you love equality and peace...

If you love socks...

You'll love Team Ricky.

vs.

Team Rob - There is a good chance the Internet will shut down due to the sheer magnitude of awesomeness that is Team Rob.

Jon Acuff - Jon's blog, Stuff Christians Like, is read by, I would say, a billion people. He's funny, challenging and insightful. Jesus Jukes, Deep V-Neck Syndrome, and Side Hugs are just a few of his famous blogs. He's pretty much the Michael Jordan of blogging.

Scott Williams - Scott Williams is the inventor of the virtual fist bump on Twitter. His blog will challenge you to Dream Big and to Think Bigger. If you are a pastor, leader, or just a human being you will enjoy his blog.

Bryan Allain - If Jon Accuff and Tyler Stanton produced a kid it would be Bryan Allain. He lives in Amish country so I'm not sure how he has power to use a computer. He's gut busting funny.

Tyler Stanton - People falling, men getting hit in the crotch, and Tyler Stanton. What do they have in common? They are all things that are guaranteed to make a human being laugh. His blog was one of the first that I started reading. He inspired me to (attempt) to be funny on my blog.

Steven Furtick - Passionate. Audaciousness. Jump all over your toes. That's how I would describe Steven Furtick's blog. He has a unique take on this world. His writing makes me want to be a better Christ Follower.

Team Rob is the Ocean 11 of bloggers. Have you seen Oceans 11? How did they get that many big movie stars into one movie? Whether you are looking for humor, passion, leadership, or just some random fun this team brings the heat. Vote team Rob and God will bless your children's children. Vote team Ricky and Rob will put a curse on you where all your babies will be born bald and naked.

Vote for which team is the overall best. Oh and what Blogging All-Star got snubbed?

Happy 4th Of July

If you are an American reading this, then Happy 4th of July. To the rest of the world: Happy Monday. One equals a day off from work, barbecues, and fire works. The other equals just another manic Monday. If I was in charge of a country I would celebrate the 4th of July. It's a great American holiday.

Pictured Above: Reese and Hayden on their first 4th of July. Side note: the tag on their outfits says Made In China. Typical.

So what are you doing for the 4th of July?

What's That Smell?

I thank God for my Diaper Genie. Now I was never given instructions and I'm pretty sure we are not using it right but I thank God for it. I know that you are supposed to hold the baby over it while they poo and it is supposed to keep the smell in. I'm not sure why we wouldn't just hold them over the toilet. It gets pretty messy. I'm kidding. I know that you throw used diapers in there. What took me a while to learn is how to change out the bags. I ended up destroying an almost full Diaper Genie liner because I didn't know how to tear the bag. I figured that out after the fact.

Here's what I don't know about...my brother says that their Diaper Genie gets really full. He says he knows when to empty it because diapers are popping out the top and you can't close the lid. My wife says that our Diaper Genie is supposed to automatically twist the bags for us. It doesn't and I can't wait until it's full to take it out. Here's why. After a handful of diapers are put into the Genie we will walk into the babies' room and smell poo. Now that's normal because I always smell poo now. The stank of baby poo has been embedded into my nose. So I first check myself to make sure none of their poo has found its way onto my body. I then check their butt by smelling it. I saw my wife try to check by cracking the diaper open. That ended up getting some poo on her finger. I'd rather smell it then feel it. I digress.

The point is that the Diaper Genie works great, but eventually the smell of poo will find it's way out of the Genie and smack me in the face. The other day it got me thinking about a verse in the Bible.

Numbers 32:23 "But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out."

It's crazy how no matter how much we try to hide our sins they find a way of creeping out. How many people have done things and thought they got away with it only to get caught at a later time? Sin is like a dirty diaper. It stinks. It needs to be taken care of. We can hide it but eventually the stank of our sin will come out.

Thank God for His forgiveness. Psalm 103:12 "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

When it comes to our sin we can either hide it or we can confess it. I don't know about you but I'd rather give it to God in confession than have it poke its ugly head out in the open.

3 Questions

So last week I had a blast on this blog by simply asking 3 questions. It spurred a ton of comments and great discussion. Check it here. I love getting to know the faithful readers of robshep.com. I'm scared to try it again for fear that it will be like the movie Speed 2...a hot mess that doesn't go over as well as the original. I'll never know unless I try so here goes something...

3 Questions

1. More embarrassing - being caught picking your nose or being caught picking your underwear out of your butt?
2. What was the first album that you ever bought?
3. What is one chore you wish you never had to do again?

My answers:
1. Being caught picking your underwear is way worse. Just say you have allergies or your nose itches and move on. You get caught picking your butt and nobody is shaking your hand that day.
2. DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince - Parents Just Don't Understand. It was a tape and I bought it with my allowance. I loved that tape.
3. Take care of the flower beds. Hate it!

Okay, now it's your turn. This is an all play. Answer the questions and let's get to know one another like e-harmony minus the falling in love part.

I Need A Laundry List

I hate doing laundry. Now let me clarify. I hate doing laundry since I got married. Okay, now I really need to clarify. I hate doing laundry since I got married because I jack it up. When I did laundry as a single guy I never messed with any of the dials on the washer or dryer. I knew to separate colors but I just threw them in to whatever setting they were on. My wife on the other hand changes the dials based on the type of clothes that are being washed. I try to remember everything but I never do it right. I forget to turn the dial to hot/cold. Or I forget to turn the dryer to permanent press. It's frustrating to me. It's frustrating to my wife as well.

Now we could have fought about it. The conversation could have gone like this...

Monica: It's not that hard to remember a few dial settings!"
Rob: You are right, but I don't do the laundry as often as you. Because of that I forget. I'm trying to help you!
Monica: Your help is no help at all. You jack up all the clothes. What are you stupid?!
Rob: Well that comment jacked up my anger. Now I'm going to show you what stupid is!
(Rob takes dirty laundry and throws it all over the front lawn.)
Monica: Well that was dumb. Now you have to clean it up.
Rob: That's what you think!
(Rob pulls out the lawn mower)
Rob: YOU SEE I'M THE MAN! I TAKE CARE OF THE STUPID LAWN! I DON'T SEE YOU HELPING ME WITH THE STUPID LAWN! I KNOW THE DIALS ON MY STUPID MOWER!
Monica: YOU ARE SO CHILDISH!
Rob: I'LL SHOW YOU CHILDISH!
(Rob mows the lawn and destroys their clothes).
Rob: TAKE THAT MOTHER!

Thankfully we didn't have that conversation. Thankfully our conversation went like this...

Rob: I'm sorry I mess up every time I do the laundry. You know what would help me? If you could print out a list of all the settings and put it in the laundry room.
Monica: I'll see what I can do.

The next time I did the  laundry this list was laminated and in a place where I could see it...

Laundry


Darks:

1. Choose water level.
2. Water temperature- Cold/Cold
3. Speeds- Normal
4. Ultra Clean Notch 8

Whites:

1. Choose water level.
2. Water temperature- Hot/Cold
3. Speeds- Normal
4. Ultra Clean Notch 8

For the babies whites, use bleach. Fill corner notch 2 times with bleach. Be very careful for your clothes you are wearing. I wipe it dry with one of their burp cloths after I’ve poured it.

Towels:

1. Choose water level.
2. Water temperature- Warm/Cold
3. Speeds- Normal
4. Ultra Clean Notch 8

Dryer:

Timed Dry- 45 minutes
Fabric Temperature- Normal/Permanent Press (Medium High)

One thing that I've learned in marriage is that if you win a fight you've really lost. You've lost because you've hurt your spouse. Many couples treat marriage like it's a boxing match. They spar it out. They throw punches until they knock out their opponent. The problem is that when you've won the fight the love of your life is laying on the floor, and destroyed by your vicious attack. Because it's boxing you've been hit pretty hard too. I want my marriage to be more like a team sport. We may argue with each other but our end result is finding a solution that we can agree on. We win when we solve the issue together.

I forget how to do the laundry the way my wife likes it. What is one thing that you constantly forget how to do?

25 Things I'd Rather Do Than Sit In Traffic

Over the weekend I sat in traffic not once but twice while going to VA Beach. While sitting in it the second time I started thinking about other things I'd rather be doing than sitting in traffic. Here's my list...

1. Watch Twilight without Monica. I hate Twilight but I will watch it with my wife. It's awful but I'd rather watch it then sit in traffic.
2. Read Twilight books. The movies are bad but I'd always pick the movie over the book. Reading this would be awful but I'd rather read it than sit in traffic.
3. Go to the doctor. I like that we have doctors, but I hate going to them. They poke and prod you and then make you take gross medicine. I dread going to the doctor. It's awful but I'd rather go than sit in traffic.
4. Get a rash. Rashes are gross but I'd rather get one than sit in traffic (as long as it went away).
5. Take my shirt off in public. I'm not a fan of having my shirt off in public but I'd rather do that than sit in traffic.
6. Babysit a cat. I'm not a pet person. I think animals were created to be enjoyed outside and on dinner plates. No offense pet lovers. There's not much I like less than cats, but I'd rather babysit one than sit in traffic.
7. Listen to a baby cry. A crying baby is not fun, but I'd rather do that than sit in traffic.
8. Sneeze and fart at the same time. Have you ever done that? It's awful. It kind of hurts. I don't think that much force should come out of both ends of your body. It's rough but I'd rather do that than sit in traffic.
9. Eat broccoli without cheese. I like broccoli with lots of cheese. Without I'm not a fan. But I'd rather eat it than sit in traffic.
10. Watch a reality dancing show. I like reality TV but I don't like reality dancing TV. It's boring to me, but I'd rather watch it than sit in traffic.
11. Run. I hate running. I run because it helps me lose weight. At least when I run I am doing something productive. I'd rather run than sit in traffic.
12. Have a tickle fight with a stranger. I'm not a touchy feely person. To have a tickle fight with a complete stranger would be awful, but I'd rather do that than sit in traffic.
13. Smell the cheese. Who cut the cheese? I don't know but I'd rather smell it than sit in traffic.
14. Get my back waxed. I've never waxed my back but it looks painful. As long as it took less time than the time I sat in traffic this past weekend I'd rather have my back waxed than sit in traffic. 
15. Suffer through the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin' challenge. 12 blazin wings, 6 minutes, no water, and no wiping your face in any way. It's torture but I'd rather suffer through that than sit in traffic.
16. Watch a New World. Have you seen that movie? It's like having your life move in slow motion. If I am ever told that I only have two hours to live I'm watching that movie because it will make my last two hours seem like an eternity. It's boring but I'd rather watch that than sit in traffic.
17. Wear a suit. I hate wearing a suit. I wouldn't own one if it weren't for the fact that most weddings and funerals require them. I hate dressing up in a suit but I'd rather do that than sit in traffic.
18. Change a poopy diaper. I change a lot of those these days. Some make me gag. Others make me gag violently. I'd rather change diapers forever than ever have to sit in traffic again.
19. Floss. I don't like to floss. It hurts. My gums bleed. I forget to do it until two weeks before my dentist visit. I hate flossing but I'd rather do that than sit in traffic.
20. Drink Diet Mtn. Dew. Diet Mtn. Dew shouldn't exist in my opinion. It gives the amazing beverage that is Mtn. Dew a bad name. I'd rather dink Diet Mtn. Dew than sit in traffic.
21. Watch an episode of Barney. Is Barney still around? I hope not. I don't want my kids having to suffer through that. Barney is low quality TV but I'd rather watch that than sit in traffic.
22. Go skiing. Some people like to ski. Those people are not me. I went once and I fell a lot. I don't like falling. I like trying to get up on skis even less. I'd rather go skiing than sit in traffic.
23. Root for the Celtics. Being a Lakers fan it goes against everything in me to cheer for the enemy. But I'd rather cheer for the Celtics than sit in traffic.
24. Go camping. I hate camping. Camping is not vacation. It's going backwards to a much less civilized time. Sleeping on the ground in a hot tent is awful but I'd rather do that than sit in traffic.
25. Pluck my nose hairs. It hurts to pluck a nose hair. It hurts like a mother. I'd rather pluck a nose hair than sit in traffic.

Now as I was compiling my list I Jesus Juked myself. I started thinking about why I didn't use that time to pray. Instead of complaining I could have spent the time talking to God. I hate that I wasted an opportunity to talk my creator. Maybe next time.

So what would you rather do than sit in traffic?