Best of the Year

As we end 2008 what are your bests of the year? What was the best movie, song, TV show, memory of 2008? View the comments to see my bests.

Top 5 Blogs of 2008

So I started robshep.com in March of 2008. Now that the year is almost over I thought I would pull a few of my favorite blogs from 2008. Enjoy.

Number 1:

Today I battled a snake...

I went out to get the mail this afternoon (I often times refer to getting the mail as an adventure)and on my way back a snake, about three feet long, slithered from the side of my house to my front door. The snake was wigging out which made me a little nervous. He/she was slithering up the front door and then falling back to the ground. It then started hissing at me and wagging it's tail like it was a rattle snake, but it didn't have a rattle. It was hitting the front door pretty hard and I was nervous Monica would hear the commotion and open the front door. This would have been bad for two reasons. 1. Monica's worst fear in life is snakes. 2. The snake would have got into our house.

So after a lengthy stair down I walked to the front of my house trying to give the snake some time to calm down and then slither away. He didn't. At this point I'm really nervous because I have been gone for a while and I don't want Monica opening the door to check on me.

I walk over the side of the house and I start yelling Monica whatever you do don't open the front door. She didn't respond. I then threw a stick at the snake. I hit him/her. It didn't move. I went back over to the side of my house and this time the snake slithered away from the front door and to the front of my house.

The snake went into one of the bushes in front of my house and I ran inside to grab a weapon of mass destruction. I found a shovel. I took the shovel and hit the bush. Hitting the bush scared the devil out of the snake and he shook like crazy. I did this two more times and on the third time he/she slithered out of the bush and around the front of the house and I think it went under ground. Monica captured some of the action from the safety of our house. The picture is of me trying to stab at the snake who is now under ground with my shovel. I guess today getting the mail really was an adventure.

Change New Years Eve/Day

Let's change New Years Day and it's Eve.

I know we have been celebrating this day for many moons now but I think it is time for a change. The fall and winter have a bunch of really cool holidays all stacked up together. It starts with Halloween and then you have Thanksgiving and Christmas. People dress up, decorate houses, watch movies dedicated to the specific holiday (scary movies for Halloween, Christmas movies for Christmas), and eat lots of food. These Holidays are HUGE! Thus creating a huge shadow for lowly New Years. On New Years you may throw a party but no one has special food dedicated to that day like turkey is to Thanksgiving. No one dresses up in costumes or ugly sweaters dedicated to New Years.

After Christmas the Holidays go downhill fast. Valentines Day is only special if you are dating or are married. St. Patrick's Day you get pinched if you forget to wear green. Easter is nice but outside of the church world it doesn't get the same hoopla as Christmas. There are some other random holidays in there but you get to the summer and all you have is the 4th of July. The 4th of July is a good holiday for Americans but not so much for the rest of the world.

New Years just can't compete with the fall and winter holidays, but in the summer it would shine. Think about it....what if we moved New Years to August 1? To my knowledge there aren't any great holidays in August. Plus it always confuses me that school years fall into two different years. For example if you start your senior year in '08 you graduate in '09. This way you would start a new school year in September '08 and end in June '08. I'm sure there are flaws to my case but in my mind it sounds like a great idea.

Since it's not in Christmas' shadow we could give each other one gift every hour to kill the time until midnight. If you went to Times Square to bring in the New Year it wouldn't be cold outside because the New Year is in August. We could dedicate bathing suits to this great holiday and have a pool party where everyone wears their New Years bathing suit. Who is with me? Let's move New Years to August.

Top 5 Blogs of 2008

So I started robshep.com in March of 2008. Now that the year is almost over I thought I would pull a few of my favorite blogs from 2008. Enjoy.

Number 2:

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Micro Machine Showers
So at the camp that we go to (Crossroads is a great camp) we stay at a college campus. We have been going for 4 years to this camp and over the years the college has renovated a lot of their buildings. This year our dorm is the same dorm we stayed in two years ago, but it is completely renovated. New carpet, new beds, new bathrooms. The new showers are great, well not really...

You see I am grossed out by public showers. You have to, or at least should, wear shower shoes. Shower shoes for me are cheap Wal-Mart flip flops. I try really hard to avoid any contact with the shower, fearing I might catch the bubonic plague. I don't like touching the shower curtain or walls. My greatest fear is to drop the soap because I don't know if soap cleans itself after touching the drain in a public shower.The showers at camp have hot water and so for that I'm thankful. The only problem is our showers were made for crack skinny people. I'm serious. Our showers are so small every time I move one part of my body rubs up against the walls of the shower. Whenever I move my right arm hits the shower knob and adjusts the temperature to either lava hot or freezing cold. My left arm rubs up against the shower curtain at all times. Touching the shower GROSSES ME OUT! I feel like I need a shower after I take the shower.

Here's the deal though I really am thankful for the showers. We live in a country that spoils us. At my house I have two working showers that are clean. This makes me blessed. I've had to tell my self that the crack skinny shower is better than the showers in the majority of the world. This thought alone helps me get through the two showers a day I take at camp. That and the fact that I just saw a middle school boy walk through the bathroom completely barefoot. So far he survived and that gives me hope that I will too.

Top 5 Blogs of 2008

So I started robshep.com in March of 2008. Now that the year is almost over I thought I would pull a few of my favorite blogs from 2008. Enjoy.

Number 3:

Sunday, June 8, 2008

So, if you have been reading my Blog then you know I announced something was going to happen this Sunday at church. For those of you who weren't able to be there the staff guys at WEC preformed New Kids On the Block hit song "Hangin' Tough" in honor of our series "I love the 80's". It was a blast to do! I love when we can be dumb and enjoy ourselves. Enjoy the video...

Here are some thoughts that I had of all four performances...
9:30 AM - We got the loudest reaction from this hour. They cheered for what seemed like forever. I liken this to the early years circa "Hangin' Tough"
10:55 AM - Great reaction from the audience! We even had one person give us a standing ovation. I liken this to the 90's New Kids circa Step by Step.
4:45 PM - Server Service was a little off. We made some mistakes and the crowd was nice but not excited to see us. I liken this to the end of the New Kids circa when they changed their name to NKOTB and nobody knows what songs were on that album.
6:00 PM - Brought the house down. I liken this to the reunion years circa right now.

Top 5 Blogs of 2008

So I started robshep.com in March of 2008. Now that the year is almost over I thought I would pull a few of my favorite blogs from 2008. Enjoy.

Number 4: (this is two blogs that go together)

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Why I don't like pets
So I am tired today. I am about to take a little nap, but I wanted to make sure that I got a blog in. It is my goal to blog at least once every day. Today's blog is totally random...Why I don't like Pets
1. I don't like to be sniffed in the crotch. I don't know why animals do this but it is awkward and scary. I know that you trust your animal, but I don't. For all I know they could be hungry and that might be the reason they are sniffing up on me. Nuff said.

2. I don't like to be licked. I know that is a way that animals show they love you, but that is the same tongue they used to lick their butt or other body parts. I don't know how people can feel loved by being licked.

3. I like my stuff. We have a lot of friends who tell stories about how their stuff was devoured by their pet. Stuff like I-pods, cash money, furniture, and clothes. I pay too much money for the stuff we have to have an animal eat it.

4. I don't like to be jumped up on. I am not a overtly touchy feely person to begin with. I like an occasional hug, and I enjoy high fives, but animals especially dogs jump on me. It is one thing to jump on someone if you know them, but animals don't wait to be introduced. They just jump on you and act like that is OK.

5. I'm too busy to pick up poo. This is huge for me. If animals didn't poo I wouldn't mind them as much. I don't want to pick poo up in my house or outside. In fact I giggle every time I see someone walking their dog and they are carrying a poo bag. Funny stuff!

6. Animals die. I once had a fish named Hulk Hogan. One day he floated to the top of my bubble gum fish tank (it looked like a bubble gum machine...it was awesome!). I cried that night pretty hard. Hulk Hogan was my hammerhead gold fish and I loved him with all my might for the 4 1/2 weeks he lived. I'm not good with goodbyes, so I don't like it when pets die.

7. Pets stink. I don't like smelling like an animal and I don't like my house smelling like one. I have a hard enough time making myself smell good. I don't need something else to stink it up.

8. I like to go out of town. Monica and I travel and when you have a pet you have to have someone else take care of them. This is an extra burden for the pet owner and the friend who has to take care of the pet.

9. I would rather spend my money on food for me then food for a pet. Call me selfish, but I enjoy my food. Pet food is expensive...speaking of expensive.

10. Pets cost too much. I don't want to pay a bazillion dollars to buy a pet and then a bunch more on food. That doesn't include vet visits, grooming, and discipline training school. If I did have a pet I would send them to a world class training place so they could do cool tricks like go to the bathroom on a toilet and flush it themselves.

So that is my list. Please don't hate me. I know that you probably like animals and I am happy for you. Please don't tell me I hate animals because I don't. You don't have to put your pet away when I come over. I won't intentionally abuse your animal, kick it while you are not looking, or harm it on purpose. I just felt like sharing.

(posted a few hours later)

Serves me right...
So, I blog today about pets and why I personally don't like them. Tonight we go to dinner at a new friend's house and they have a dog and cat. How ironic is that? I kept wanting to laugh because I was thinking about my list. First thing the dog did when we got there was take a sniff in the general vicinity of the area known as my crotch. We had a great time hanging out with this couple and I pray they don't read my blog because I don't want them to feel bad or think I wrote it because of them. Again I don't mind pets for other people...I don't hate pets, and I don't mind coming to your house if you do have pets. When I wrote the post I had no idea they had pets. I really did enjoy dinner tonight and hanging out, but it was further proof why I won't own a pet.

Top 5 Blogs of 2008

So I started robshep.com in March of 2008. Now that the year is almost over I thought I would pull a few of my favorite blogs from 2008. Enjoy.

Number 5:

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Nightmares
So my wife Monica and I have had the same nightmare two weeks in a row. Last week she dreamed that there was someone in our bedroom and she freaked out! It woke me up and I started wrestling my pillow thinking it was someone in our room. Then this week I have the same dream. I see a guy in our room and I reach out to grab him and start beating the bar-jesus out of him. Once again it was my pillow, but I woke up with my adrenaline pumping. My wife is now convinced that there is someone living in our attic. Scary stuff. I will keep you posted if this continues on...

Thundercats Hooooo!

Do you remember the Thundercats cartoon from the 80's? Great cartoon back in the day. A fan has put together a pretend trailer for a live action Thundercats Movie. The guy that put this together used Photoshop and Adobe Premiere to create a really cool promo. In his epic preview Thundercats stars Brad Pitt, Vin Diesel, Hugh Jackman and more. This thing is wicked awesome if you are a Thundercats fan. It's fake, but it's awesome.

Movie Review - Bedtime Stories

Adam Sandlers new movie is cute for the family. It's PG

but for some reason our theater said it was PG-13. It's in the same category as Night at the Museum. It's family friendly. If you are bringing the kids to the movies then this is a good one for you. If you don't have kids then go see something else and wait for DVD.

Bedtime Stories is about a janitor who ends up babysitting his sisters kids. Each night he tells them stories and the next day the stories come true. Cut premise, fart jokes, and Adam Sandler make it a good family movie.

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.

Merry Christmas

They say that it is better to give then to receive...but I sure do like receiving! What was your favorite gift that you gave and your favorite that you received?

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve @ Waters Edge

So Christmas Eve at Waters Edge is over. It was a lot of work, but I think it was well worth it. I'm amazed at all the time and energy everyone gave. I talked to one volunteer who took off two days of personal vacation to help us run production. The Waters Edge band gave up three nights this week dedicated to Christmas Eve. I'm humbled to be a part of such a great team of people! I think God was honored with this night! Here are some pictures.

Here I am shooting some Chick-Fil-A cows during the Waters Edge Preshow.

Our band rock'd it!

Here is Brooke rock'n the crowds face off.

Stu, hit a home run with his talk! I think many people were challenged to be changed by the light of the world...Jesus.

These drums were sweet.

Here if Phil leading worship while being painted. Phil is the man!

One tradition that we have for Waters Edge Christmas Eve services is that we close the service with the classic song Oh Come Let Us Adore Him.

At the very end of the service Stu prays and the staff come out on stage to say Merry Christmas and wave to the crowd.

I loved this night!

Christmas Eve

I am still sick but my adrenaline is pumping. In circa 5 hours Waters Edge will kick off the first of two Christmas Eve services. Last night during the run through I was awed, amazed, and led to worship. We met at 11:00 AM and I left at 10:30 PM. All the work was worth it.

As I was leaving I was talking with Dillon Tulip (Dillon is one of our students and he stayed all day to help) about what he thought. He said that he was glad that he was able to see the service multiple times through the run through because he enjoyed it so much. I'm biased but I believe that everyone attending the 3:00 PM service is going to want to come back for the 5:00 PM.

Anyway I know that a lot of robshep.com readers don't live in the 757 area code...but have no fear. We are streaming the service live tonight on the world wide web. Click here to go to the link. You can watch either the 3:00 or 5:00 PM service (Eastern Standard Time).

I'm sick

Sickness comes to robshep.com about once a year. This year it hit me the week of Christmas. Everybody I talk to has two reactions.

1. They back away because they don't want to catch the plague that I have.

2. They give me their special recipe that promises to cure my sickness.



I have heard everything from trying a nose spray, to eating away a cold. I'm wondering what do you do when you are sick?

Forgetting Christmas

I love Christmas. I love spending time with family. I love Christmas music. I love going to the Christmas Eve services at Waters Edge! I love eating the food...well I love eating food all year long, but Christmas brings out some extra good eats. One of the things I love the most about Christmas is the gifts. I love giving and receiving gifts. The only problem is that I can't remember what gifts I received last year. I remember almost everything I received two years ago, but last year is a blur. Do you remember what you got last year? This could be fun...if you remember let us know what you received.

Movie Review - Seven Pounds

Seven Pounds is Will Smith's newest movie. It has received pretty bad reviews overall. Some have even said that this movie was career suicide for the Fresh Prince.

Even after seeing the movie I don't understand what the seven pounds is in reference to. I did think it was a little slow. It's definitely not one of Will Smith's best...but it's not that bad. In fact I thought it was pretty interesting. Don't take my word for it though Monica liked it as well. One of the friends that went with us balled her eyes out.

I typically give a little bit of the plot away in my reviews but the previews didn't give you much...so I won't either. I actually think not knowing much about this movie makes it better. My official review is one thumb up. Seven Pounds is rated PG-13 for some potentially disturbing content.

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.

Yippie Ki Yay Mr. Falcon?

Have you ever watched a movie that was edited for Television? It's great because they will sensor all the swears. Sometimes they will just silence the curse words. Other times they will do a voice over and replace the curse words with a similar phrase or word that is not as bad. And then there is TBS...TBS used to replace the curse words with words that don't make sense. Years ago my brother pointed this out to me with the movie Die Hard 2. After he showed it to me I laughed for a long time. Since Die Hard 1 and 2 are classic Christmas movies I thought I would share the joy of a clip from Die Hard 2 (the TBS version).




Who is Mr. Falcon? I don't know who that is, but TBS made me laugh hard with this edit.

How much?

When I'm hanging out with friends I like to play a little game that I call "How Much". Here's how to play:

Step one: come up with a question. The question should start with the statement how much would it take for you to _______.
Step two: Ask your friends the question.

Here are some sample questions.

• How much money would it take for you to go to work in your bathing suit?
• How much money would it take to legally change your name to robshep.com? You can keep your middle and last name but everyone has to call you robshep.com. They can't shorten it to rob.
• How much money would it take for you to lick a public toilet seat?
• How much money would it take for you to live in a tent for a year?

So how would you answer the above questions?

Top searches that led to robshep.com

I love google. When you search on google it will give you a list of possible web pages that may have what you are looking for. This week people in the world have done some pretty interesting searches that have led to robshep.com. Some of these make me wonder about the people searching the web. Here are the top searches plus some commentary from me.

• White Elephant Duct Tape Macgyver - I don't know what White Elephant and Macgyver have in common.
• White Elephant Knife Duct Tape - makes me wonder what this person is going to do with a knife, duct tape and an elephant???
• Macgyver vs. Chuck Norris - the battle continues at robshep.com.
• Is Chili Soup - who knew so many other people debated this very thing?
• How do I make myself invisible on Facebook - I did a post on sometimes I feel invisible. It was about someone turning the lights off on me while I was at work.
• Monica Shepherd - I don't know who is searching for my wife but stop it.
• Monica's birthday - Seriously? I think Monica has a web stalker and it is leading them to my blog.

Spirit Week: Day 4

It's Spirit week at the Waters Edge office. Today's theme...July at Christmas. You've heard of Christmas in July so why not July at Christmas. To celebrate this great theme we were encouraged to wear summer attire. It's cold out side. The crazy thing is that while I was running errands not one person talked to me about how crazy it was to be in shorts and a t-shirt. I even saw two people wearing shorts at Chick-Fil-A. Maybe this Spirit Week thing is spreading?

On a sad note Meredith May (pictured to the far left) said goodbye to Waters Edge. Today was her last day as The Director of Preschoolers and Kids. It's sad for us but we are all excited about her new adventure in Nashville.

Spirit Week: Day 3

It's Spirit Week at the Waters Edge office. Day 3 was Wear Your Favorite Waters Edge T-Shirt to Work. WEC has produced some pretty hot t-shirts over the years. Here is a pic.

Spirit Week: Day 2

So this is Spirit Week at the Waters Edge office. Today's theme...potluck. To the untrained eye this doesn't seem like a very good theme for Spirit Week. Au contraire mon frere (that's French)...eating good food is a great way to boost spirit. It was fun seeing what everyone brought. It was even more fun hanging out with everyone and eating what they brought.

Christmas Party Game

Whether it's for work or for a church group or with friends Christmas parties happen. At most Christmas parties there is some type of gift exchange.

Here is a new game (at least it's new to me) that is a lot of fun to play. It can change up your Christmas party gift exchange.

I don't think there is a name for it so I call it Stealing Christmas.

How to play:

• Everyone needs to bring 5 wrapped gifts that cost no more than a $1 each. They can also bring junk from home if they don't want to spend the $5 bucks.
• Once you are ready to play put the gifts in the middle of the room and circle up around the gifts.
• You will need 4 dice and a two containers to roll the dice in. Small plastic containers work fine. The container helps the dice not roll all over the room.
• When you say go the two people that have the dice roll them into their container. If they roll a 7 or 11 they get to pick out a present from the pile. If they roll a double they get to roll again.
• After they roll they pass the container with the dice to the person next to them. The next person rolls and continues the process.
• The game moves quick because of the two sets of dice.
• Once all of the presents have been collected everyone gets to open their gifts.
• Now this is where the fun begins. Set a timer for 5 minutes and start the game over. This time if someone rolls a 7 or 11 they can steal one gift from someone else. If they roll a double they get to roll again.
• At the end of the five minutes if anyone doesn't have a single gift then they get to steal one gift from someone else.
• It's a fast paced game and a lot of fun!

Do you have a favorite Christmas party game?

Spirit Week: Day 1

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the office...WEC staff members are working like crazy! This week though we are having a little bit of fun as well.

For the last couple of years Jamey (Logistics Manager and Ministry Specialist) has thrown out the idea to do a spirit week at the offices of WEC. This year his persistence paid off. Do you remember spirit week in high school? Today's theme was Tacky Christmas Sweater Day. Here's a pic of some of the staff that participated.

Stats

I have a statcounter on my blog. It shows me stats like how many people visit robshep.com, what states and countries view the blog (Australia is the second leading country to read robshep.com), and lets me know how long people visit. It doesn't tell me anyone's name. In fact the only way I truly know if someone read the blog is if they leave a comment.

Today on statcounter I saw that a boat load of people visit for zero seconds. I don't know how that is possible. I mean by the time the page loads it takes at least a second. I also saw that a huge amount of people read for an hour or more. That can't be correct???

I don't base a lot on stats but they can be helpful. They let you know the reality of how things are. It's easy to take stats in things like sports or blogs, but there aren't a lot of stats for real life. Sometimes I wish there was a statcounter for my life. It would show me what areas I need to work on. It would be great to see how many calories I consume vs. how many I burn off at the gym. It would be great to see how much time I spend investing in people vs. how much time I spend watching TV. It would probably be very convicting seeing the stats of my life. So the question for you is what type of stats of your life would you like to see?

Christmas WEC Staff Style

Last night was the Waters Edge Staff annual Christmas party. Each year the staff gather at Lead Pastor Stu's house. Monica and I look forward to this every year. This year we ate (Tab, the food was bangerrang ), told stories, and then played White Elephant. It was a good time!

Above: The party started off right. Soon after Monica and I arrived everyone smelt something burning. Was it the food? No. Pictured above...what was burning.

Pictured above: Monica and Meredith's legs, Carlyn, part of Jamey's face (what is he looking at?), Brian and Tara, and Tab.

Pictured above: It's dark but trust me it's...Phil and Bethany, Heidi and Bill.

Pictured above: Keren (close up), Mike's arm, part of Amanda's face, and Mike and Sara. I know the above pictures are not the best, but I didn't feel like moving from my seat to take better ones.

Monica made me move out of my seat to take a better photo. Pictured above: Carlyn, Meredith, and Monica.

Pictured above: Brian having some fun with the White Elephant gift he opened. Pictured below : Carlyn sporting her White Elephant gift proudly.

Carlyn is engaged to Jamey who is on staff at WEC. Carlyn just started a blog. Check it out by clicking on her name.

I love gifts!!!!

This week one of the guys in my Student Community Group gave me a Christmas present. I love gifts!!! He then tried to torture me and said I had to wait until Christmas to open it. My wife does this too. She will tell me that she bought me something but she can't give the gift to me until the holiday or birthday. She makes me wait weeks. Weeks I say.


After I nagged him to death he finally relented and I opened this wicked cool gift. It's a book of the first three years of Superman's existence. It's from the days where his comics were in the daily newspaper. It also included this homemade snowman. Thanks Ryan for the gift! It meant a lot to me.

PS: Thanks Leisa for making the snowman.

Square Pizza...I miss it

This week Monica and I ordered a pizza from Little Caesars. Their large pizza is only $5.50 which is a really good deal. The thing is their pizza was circle shaped. For years Little Caesars had a square pizza. I miss the square. It's probably just in my mind but I think their square pizza used to taste better then their round pizza does. What are you thoughts? Do you miss the square? Does it taste better? Does anyone know why they changed? Leave a comment.

Songs

There is something about music that is so powerful. I don't know what it is. When I listen to a song I actually listen to the lyrics. I want to know what the song means. What inspired it? Sometimes I love a song because it has a good beat or a catchy chorus, but a lot of my favorite songs are my favorites because they say something that makes me think. Here are some songs that I'm digging right now.

1. Lost (remix) by Coldplay featuring Jay Z. Great song! The song says, "You might be a big fish In a little pond Doesn’t mean you’ve won‘ Cause a long may come A bigger one." I think it's about how we shouldn't compare to others. Someone is always better. That doesn't mean that we don't have value.
2. You Found Me by The Fray. This song was written during a difficult time in the lead singers life. It's a passionate song about hurt, loss, and questioning God's timing. In the song he cries out to God (who is smoking a cigarette) and asks why did you have to wait? Sometimes it feels like God doesn't answer our prayers. It's in those moments where we find God.
3. Broken by Lifehouse - Great lyrics. This line resonates with me... "I'm falling apart I'm barely breathing With a broken heart That's still beating In the pain (In the pain) There is healing In your name (In your name) I find meaning."
4. Live Your Life by TI - this line is probably inappropriate but I think it's pretty profound..."Your values is a disarrayed, prioritized are horribly. Unhappy with the riches cause you piss poor morally." It makes me think about how you can gain a whole world and yet lose your soul.

What songs are you digging? Leave a comment.

The Dark Knight

I love super hero movies. They have become their own genre. You have the chick flick, the comedy, the drama, the action movie, and then the super hero movie.

The Dark Knight came out on DVD on Tuesday. It is one of the best super hero movies of all time. Last week The Punisher came out in theaters. It is the worst super hero movie of all time.

That got me thinking. In your opinion what are the best and worst super hero movies of all time? Even if you don't like super heroes you should participate in this informal survey.

Thanks

Here are some things that I am thankful for this week...

• My wife - If you follow robshep.com regularly then you know that last week Monica surprised me with tickets to the Lakers vs. Wizards game. What you don't know is she used the money she had been saving to buy herself her Ugg boots. She's amazing!!!
• Christmas Storyland at Waters Edge. I love Christmas and I love celebrating it at WEC. If you live anywhere near Yorktown, VA you should be there this Sunday.
• I'm thankful that I didn't fart during powercut. Powercut is the workout class that I have been going to. It's a room full of ladies and today the instructor had us doing lots of exercises with our legs in the air.
• The Dark Knight came out on DVD today. This was my favorite movie of the year!
• I'm thankful my grandma sent our Christmas package already and it had $20 bucks so I can buy the Dark Knight.
• I'm thankful for Tim Insley. Tim is in my Community Group at Waters Edge. If it were not for him I would have dirty air filters in my house. He not only encouraged me to change them he went out and bought some new ones for me.
• I went to lunch with this guy and had a good time.
• I'm thankful for my parents. Today is their anniversary. Thanks for modeling what it's like to have a great marriage.

What are you thankful for? Leave a comment.

An embarrassing call for help

"I'm going to ask you for a favor, but before I do you have to promise me you won't blog about this."


Last night I get a call on my house phone. Normally that phone is reserved for parents and telemarketers. If someone knows me they normally call my cell.


On the other end of the phone was a familiar voice that said "I'm going to ask you for a favor, but before I do you have to promise me you won't blog about this." I was curious and a little worried.


On the other end of the phone was Brian Miller (Director of Administration at WEC). He said that he went to the office after the 6:00 PM service at Waters Edge. He was there with Bill Sprouse (Director of First Impressions at WEC). He said that he was talking to Bill and as Bill was leaving he said I will be right behind you. When Brian got to the office door Bill had locked it behind him. Brian's keys to the office were in his car. He was locked in the office with no way to get out. Brian watched hopelessly as Bill drove off on his motorcycle.


Brian's cell phone died earlier that night, so he couldn't pull up phone numbers. Slightly embarrassed Brian used the phone book in the office to look up my home number.


I've been in similar situations as Brian. I don't know why it's embarrassing. Maybe because there is the fear that someone will make fun you. Maybe it's because we have trained ourselves to not rely on other people. Maybe it's because our friends have blogs. I don't know why this type of thing is embarrassing but it shouldn't be. In life we often need help. We often need someone to come bail us out. We need people to do for us what we can't do on our own. The embarrassing thing is when people are too prideful to make the call. It's more embarrassing to ruin your life on your own then allow others to help when you are down. Think about it.

Best Surprise Ever!

My wife ROCKS! She surprised me with tickets to the Lakers vs. Wizards game last night in DC (read previous blog). We ate at Chipotle and then went to the game. The game wasn't close at all until the fourth quarter. The Lakers won! Here are some pics!

Above: Tip off. Below: Kobe went 13 for 14 from the free throw line...he missed near the end and it almost cost us. Nobody's perfect.

Below: Monica has a basketball crush on Luke Walton. He didn't play much but for some reason we have a lot of photos of him.

Below: My wife has really white teeth.

Below: The Wizards were trying to be funny with the kiss me camera. Monica and I have a goal to get on that camera at some NBA game. Better luck next time.

Below: This is the free throw that Kobe made before the miss. Ahhh!

Below: This is the free throw Kobe missed. Boo is right.

We won!

Below: Post game interview with Pau Gasol. I love Pau!

Surprise! Guest Blogger: Monica Shepherd

There are two surprises, actually! The first is that I’m writing a blog on www.robshep.com without Rob’s knowledge and/or permission. Good thing we share passwords in this family. The second surprise is that I am taking Rob to DC tonight to see the Lakers play the Wizards. He is finding out like the rest of the free world- through this blog! Surprise! I’ll be home to pick you up at 3:00 this afternoon. Don’t forget to wear your favorite Kobe jersey! We’ll eat at Chipotle and enjoy the view from some pretty sweet seats! Check out our view by clicking on the link below, clicking “Find Your Seats,” and entering Section 116, Row S. Besides a relationship with God, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you and I’m excited about tonight! Surprise!

http://www.seats3d.com/nba/washington_wizards/

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!

I Love Christmas!!! This week Monica and I decorated the House for Christmas. Here are some pics of our tree and our carolers.

Sometimes I'm invisible

Every once in a while I wonder if I'm invisible. When a car pulls out in front of me and I have to slam on my breaks, instead of getting mad I simply wonder if I'm invisible. When I'm at a restaurant and I'm really thirsty but my waiter won't refill my drink...I don't get mad I just wonder if I've turned invisible.

I'm about to leave work. I'm sitting at my desk wrapping things up and all of the sudden the lights get turned out and the door is locked. Right away I know it's not a practical joke. Why do I know that? It's because sometimes I'm invisible.

It made me laugh because my office is right next to the main door. You have to pass me to go out it. I'm now sitting in the dark blogging.

Chuck Norris vs. Macgyver

Chuck Norris has become a cultural icon. Sure his stats are bit exaggerated through online jokes, but the guy still bad to the bone.

The other day fellow staffer, blogger, and friend Brian Miller made the comment that Macgyver would take Chuck Norris. Now I like Macgyver and his ability to defuse a nuclear bomb with a pocket knife, toothpaste, and Duct Tape...but seriously? I told Brian he should post this to see what others would think. He didn't so I am. What do you think?

Why I Respect Burger King

It's unhealthy. It makes you fat. It probably shouldn't be consumed, but Burger King has my respect. Other fast food places give you so called healthy options. In fact I recently read an article about a guy who lost a bunch of weight on the McDonald's diet. He is trying to become McDonald's version of Subway's Jared. Burger King says forget that. They know who they are. Fast food is supposed to be unhealthy. It stinks to go to a fast food joint and order something healthy. It stinks because you can smell the grease, but you don't get to taste it.

Burger King knows that and embraces their fast foodiness. Bigger, cheesier, meatier, and then add mayo is their mantra. Case in point the BK Stacker. It is now called the Stacker, but for years it was the Bacon Double Cheeseburger. Now was there anything wrong with the Bacon Double Cheeseburger? No! But they didn't want to settle for a mild heart attack they asked how can we cause full on cardiac arrest? The answer they came to is to add a cheesy sauce. But wait they didn't stop there. You can get a stacker with four patties of meat! I'm waiting for the BK Stacker with a fried bun. That's the only way to make that thing more unhealthy. I don't eat there often but when I do they earn my respect. Weigh in on this...do you respect Burger King or not?

New Poll

What is the best Christmas movie ever? For me it's a toss up between Home Alone and Elf. You can decide what the best Christmas movie is by casting your vote in my newest poll. If you are reading this through a reader or by email subscription visit robshep.com to vote.

My very own Obi-Wan Kenobi

One would think that playing racquetball with a nearly crippled 98 year old would equal a victory...

The other day I went to play racquetball with my friend Dan Peters. While we were at the gym we were asked to play cutthroat (racquetball with three people). I kindly declined. Immediately when I saw this guy I knew he would destroy us. The guy looked like he was 98 years old, but I could tell he was a wise old sage in the game. You see racquetball is one of those sports where you don't have to be incredibly athletic or even quick. It's all about placement and control.

After a little pressure from the 98 year old (not actual age...he might have been 103) we gave in and decided to play. When the 98 year old got up he could hardly walk. He hobbled like he had arthritis throughout his whole body. I'm telling you he could barely move.

In our first game I think he was just testing us. He wanted to see how good we were...or better yet how good we were not. I won the first game. The second game was a different story. He destroyed us. I didn't score a point. Now the cool thing about playing this guy is that he used to be a racquetball instructor. All throughout the game he would give us pointers to help our game out.

As we left the court I told Dan that I really enjoyed playing the 98 year old. Sure it's embarrassing getting destroyed by a guy who was around when bathrooms were called out houses, but the only way to get better is to be around better people. This guy was like our very own Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. I love being around people that are better, smarter, and wiser than I am. It helps stretch me. I think we need people like this in life. We need people to point out how we could be better. We need people to model how life should be done. We need people to inspire us to be better than we are. Who do you know that stretches you? If you don't know anyone is it because you avoid them or because you haven't searched for them? Whether it's reading a blog, a book, or asking someone to mentor you it's healthy to be stretched out of complacency by someone who is at another level than you are. So who stretches you? Who is your Obi-Wan Kenobi?

Is Chili Soup?

I heard an interesting debate on the radio today. The DJs were talking about whether or not chili is a soup. A couple of the DJs passionately said that yes it is a soup, but one was staunchly against it. He said that chili is a separate entity all its own. Weigh in on the debate. Chili a soup or not? Comment.

Movie Review - Four Christmases

After Thanksgiving dinner my family has a tradition where we go see a movie. This year the movie of choice was Four Christmases staring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.

Vince and Reese play the dating couple who both come from divorced parents. Their upbringing causes them to avoid family oriented subjects like marriage, having kids, and celebrating Christmas with your family. They believe that marriage is the end all to a relationship so they avoid marriage like the plague. Each year at Christmas they go on vacation to avoid the family gatherings. This year their plans suddenly change and they are forced to celebrate Christmas with their family. Because both their parents are divorced they end up having to go to four different Christmases.



It's rated PG-13 for mild crude humor and some swears. It is not bad for PG-13 standards but this is definitely not a kid friendly movie.



Overall I thought it was OK. It's decently funny, but the characters are all very cliche. Since I'm pretty hard on movies I will tell you that the rest of my family liked it. They thought it was pretty funny. It's definitely not a new Christmas classic, but it is not a horrible movie.


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.

Turkey Day

Question: What is your favorite food for Thanksgiving day? Leave a comment.

Does Jesus Make A Difference Part 4

Does Jesus really make a difference in a persons life?


This is the final post on this topic. I would like to give some practical ways that Jesus can make a difference in your life. Please understand that doing this list doesn't change God's perspective of you, it changes your perspective of God. God loves you no matter what and doing things won't make Him love you more or less. It will however allow Him to make a difference in your life.

• Pray. I'm not just talking about praying for sick people or that you win the lottery. Pray that God would make a difference in your life. Beg God to show up and move you. The whole Christian movement was started by 120 people who were seeking God. Read Acts 1:15. God moved through 120 people and then it spread to 3,000. From there God continued to move and connect people to Him. Today Christianity is HUGE, but it started with 120 people praying.
• Fast. If you want to depend on God fast for a meal or two. It sucks to be hungry. That is why I make sure I eat at least 3 times a day, but Jesus told us to fast. When you fast take the time that you would normally eat and spend that time praying. Make sure you drink lots of liquids and lower your amount of physical activity.
• Tell someone about Jesus. When you are passionate about something you talk about it. Ask God to give you an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus and then seize the opportunity.
• Stop doing what God has asked you to stop doing. If you have a sin in your life that God has convicted you about then stop doing it. Ask for help, get accountability, do something.

I'm sure there are more things that you could do. The point is to do something. There is nothing magic about this list.

I would love to know how Jesus has made a difference in your life. Leave a comment.

Does Jesus make a difference? Part Three.

Does Jesus really make a difference in people's lives?

What difference does Jesus make? Some would say he helps a person become a better person.

Anyone can learn to be moral. With the right amount of discipline all of us can become good people. You don't need Jesus to become good.

Here's an example...I've never heard Angelina Jolie talk about God. I don't know if she believes or not. I do know that the work she does overseas to help the needy is very Jesus like. The Bible says that Christians are to take care of the poor, the widow, and the orphan. Angelina has done more for the poor and orphan than most pastors combined. So she is doing Jesus type work and she may not even have Jesus in her life.

So if a person can learn to be good or moral then what difference does Jesus make? I know that Jesus makes a difference in where we spend eternity, but there has to be more. The Bible says that if you are in Jesus, that is if you have a relationship with Him, then you are a new creation. It goes on to say the old has gone and the new has come. So according to this verse Jesus makes a difference. He changes a person and makes them new. So the question is if you are not feeling new, if you are not feeling like Jesus is making a difference in your life, then either Jesus doesn't make a difference or you are not allowing Him to make a difference in your life.

Does Jesus make a difference? Part Two.

Does Jesus make a difference in this world?

If you've ever been through a church business meeting then you might wonder if Jesus really does make a difference. Have you ever been around a group of people who claim to be Christians but they are more hateful, rude, and selfish then someone who doesn't claim to be a Christian?

Jesus loves us no matter what we do, but Jesus doesn't make a difference unless we do something. Do you agree or disagree?

I think that we get out of a relationship with God what we put into it. It's the same with people. If you want a great relationship with your spouse, or your friends then you have to put good things into that relationship. You can't just expect things to be good. It takes work.

Now I believe that God loves you the same whether or not you do anything, but to truly experience God in this world you have to do something. If you want little from Jesus then give little to Jesus. If you want all of Jesus then you have to give all of yourself.

Does Jesus make a difference? Part One.

I'm wondering if Jesus really makes a difference in our world.

I recently read a survey given to high school students. The survey asked moral questions like is it wrong to have sex before marriage, cheat, lie etc. The survey divided up the students into two groups, those that were Christians and those that were not. When asked the questions the Christian students answered like you would expect Christian students to answer. They said that it was wrong to lie, cheat etc. The majority of the other students said that it depended on the circumstances, or that if it benefited them it was ok.

Then the survey asked the students about the last few weeks of their life. According to this survey the majority of the Christian students lied, cheated, and had sex. So basically the only difference Jesus has made in this group of students lives is that they say things are immoral, but they still do them anyway.

If the only thing Jesus is going to give you is a guilty conscience then why bother? Over the next few posts I'm going to continue discussing this topic. I would love for you to come along for the ride. So how has Jesus made a difference in your world?

I love gifts!!!!

On Saturday night my doorbell rings. I was in the bedroom putting away laundry and I looked at Monica with a who could that be look. She said that answering the door was my job. Since I don't have to clean the toilets I will gladly take the job of answering the door.

I went to the door and there was no one there....except a cardboard cut out of The Incredible Hulk. Now you may not know this about me but I own 15 cardboard cut outs and I love super heroes. The Hulk fits right in with the Batman, Superman, and Spiderman cut outs.

After a few minutes of hiding out in the cold the culprits finally came in. We ended up watching Elf and eating Christmas cookies. Thanks Brad for the gift and thank you Moriah for delivering it with him! Welcome to the family Hulk. Here are some pics.