I got written up

Do you remember your first job? Mine was at a Christian bookstore. I was young and I made a lot of mistakes. I think that because I made some mistakes it eventually led my boss to blame me for something and then write me up.  Over $500 was missing from the cash register and he was convinced it was my fault.  He told me that he was going to write me up and that it was going to go in a permanent file. 

Now he never explained this permanent file where my write up would live forever.  To this day I don't know what they do with my write up in my permanent file. Does someone pull out the file once a year to laugh at my mistake? If I do happen to visit this store do they talk behind my back because they've all read my write up in my permanent file? When I die do they mail that permanent file with the write up in to my loved ones?

I started thinking about this permanent file because one of my Students in my Community Group told me that he might get written up at his part time job.  I think this permanent file is kind of silly.  It reminds me of how we hold on to grudges and mistakes that others have made against us.  Instead of forgiving the person who hurt us we file away their mistake into a permanent file of our mind.  We hold on to it for no other reason but to remind ourselves about their foolish mistake.  I think it's better to forgive and clear up the file space in our head.  After all the person who hurt us goes on with their life. They don't hold onto or often times even remember the mistake they made.  The only person this permanent file really affects is the person who is holding on to it. 

A year after I left that job it came out in the papers that an employee that I was working with was stealing money.  This employee stole thousands of dollars from the store.  This employee was working the day I got blamed and then written up.  I knew I didn't lose the $500. It would have been nice to get an apology that said they ripped up my permanent file with my write up in it. They never did. It's ok though because I forgive them.

They didn't tell me I got to wear a costume

On Saturday morning the wife and I went to the Jones Institute for our final step in the IVF process.  The final step was implanting two embryos into Monica.  The whole process took about 2 hours and ten minutes. Ten minutes for the procedure, and two hours of waiting.  One of those hours was required after the procedure. The first hour...well we weren't really sure what was going on during that first hour. 

They dropped off two costumes and said that we both had to wear them.  They then told us that I could bring a camera in to take a picture of the two embryos.  While we waited we decided to kill some time with a photo shoot. Nobody told me I got to wear a costume, so I thought I might as well dress up and take some pics. Enjoy.

Pictured Above: Rob in his IVF costume

Pictured Above: I got to wear booties.

Pictured Above: Monica rock'n her costume.

Pictured Above: Rob making his blue steel (from Zoolander) pose.

Pictured Above: More posing for the camera.

Pictured Above: Lord willing this will be the first picture of our kid or kids.

Is It ok to pray to a God that you don't believe in?

There's a catchy song on the radio by The Script called "Breakeven." It's a song about heartbreak and it contains the lyric "I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing. Just praying to a God that I don't believe in." While recently listening to the song I wondered if it was ok to pray to a God that you don't believe in?

I immediately thought about one of my students. I first met him because he emailed me asking if we could meet. Come to find out he'd never been to my church. He was searching on the Internet and it led him to my email on our church's website. I'll never forget our conversation.  He said something along the lines of I don't believe in God, but I feel like God is drawing me to Him.  At the time he was an atheist.  God wasn't logical enough for him. He was looking for answers but didn't want to turn to God because he didn't believe He existed. I didn't know what to say to him, so I told him that the Bible says that if you seek after God He can be found. I said if God is true and He can be found maybe He is trying to get his attention.  I told him that even though this doesn't make sense maybe he should ask God to show him if he's real. If God is not real then at least you tried. I then invited him to my Student Community Group. I answered some final questions for him and that was it. 

The next week he came to my group. He was quiet. Nothing amazing happened but for some reason he came back the following week. I think he was searching for a God that he didn't believe in.  After a couple of weeks at group I invited him to attend a service at Waters Edge. That next week he showed up to church.  That next week God spoke to him. That next week he started believing in God. I'll never forget seeing Him ask God into his life. After seeing that I might would say that it's ok to pray to a God that you don't believe in.  What do you think?

In The Dark

There are some things that I really like about darkness. For example there is a major difference in light from my bathroom to my bedroom.  In the morning, when I look at the mirror in my bedroom, my hair looks regular to normal in thickness.  It's not pitch black dark in the room, but it's dark enough to make me feel like I'm having an Uncle Jesse, from "Full House", type of hair day.  A funny thing happens when I walk into the bathroom which is lit way brighter than the bedroom...my hair goes from normally thick to incredibly receding.  I go from uncle Jesse to Uncle Fester from "The Adams Family."  The lack of light hides what's really going on. 

Darkness is great because it hides the truth that light exposes.  I think it's interesting that the Bible describes Jesus as the light of the world.  He has a way of exposing the things that we hide in the dark.  His light brings truth to us even if we don't like what we see.  Like exposing a incessantly receding hairline Jesus exposes things that we hide in the dark.  Sometimes it's hard to be around Jesus because His light exposes the truth. At the end of the day though I'd rather see the truth then live in the darkness, no matter how it makes my hair look.

Mind Dump

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

• I recently watched one of the good Batman movies. While watching it I had this thought...I don't think I'd live in Gotham City.  If it was real it would be the worst place to live in the world. Psychos coming up with plots to destroy the city, gangsters running a muck, and grown men wearing costumes. It's cool in the movies but in real life I'd move to somewhere safer.
• Yesterday was my 9th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by going to the Jones Institute and having an IVF procedure.  We go back on Sat. for them to put everything back in. In two weeks we will find out if we are pregnant.
• My parents were going to bring us dinner from Outback. The power went out and Outback couldn't cook any food. So we ended up with Wendy's. It's all good though. We are really blessed, and I hope to eat something a little nicer tonight to celebrate. Oh and my mom brought over some homemade spinach dip and it was amazing!
• I got a summer cold this week. Those just shouldn't exist. It's never a good thing to get sick, but it feels ok in the winter. When it's hot outside I don't want to eat hot soup to make me feel better.
• The cold hit hard on Monday. So I went to Chipotle. When I'm sick it's better than a bowl of soup and a visit to the Dr. By Tuesday I was feeling much better. Just sayin.
• I've really felt loved over the past few weeks. So many people have mentioned how they are praying for Monica and I. It's amazing how powerful love is. You can change someone's life, make their day, and change their perspective by showing love. Amazing. 
• Our recycling now only comes every other week. I'm starting to feel it's not worth it. Our bin doesn't hold two weeks of recyclable materials.
• Shaq became a Celtic. One word...Boo. I really wish that him and Kobe could squash their drama and forgive one another. As a Lakers fan I'd love to see Shaq finish his career with the Lakers. I want him to retire as a Laker not a Celtic.
• My sensor lights in the front and back of our house are out. I think there might be a short. I don't have a fat clue how to fix em, but I miss having them come on. If you've read my blog for any amount of time then you know I live in a jungle. Coming home I never know what's creeping at my front door.
• I like the month of August. My anniversary, birthday, and vacation all take place during this month.

Whew...I feel much better now.

90 Things I Love About My Wife

Today is my 9th anniversary with the love of my life, Monica Shepherd. I love that girl a lot. Since we've made it to 9 years I thought I'd come up with 90 things that I love about her. That's only ten things per year.

1. I love how she supports me.
2. I love that she watches SportsCenter even when I'm out of town.
3. She thinks I look really good. I'm over weight and going bald, but from her perspective you'd think I look just like Brad Pitt. I was born in Brad's home town. Maybe there is something there?
4. I love when she laughs...especially at my jokes.
5. I love that she is not about the drama. I couldn't handle a dramatic girl.
6. I love how excited she gets to see me.
7. She is a really hard worker. I love that about her.
8. I love that she likes to take road trips.
9. I love that she has an opinion.
10. I'm a people pleaser and she...well tells people what she thinks. I've become a lot more direct since meeting her and I love that.
11. I love that she is the one who took my to my first Lakers game.
12. Speaking of the Lakers, can your wife name the starting players to your favorite team? Mine knows the starters to the Lakers and most of the bench players. I've never coached her on that.
13. I love how she takes care of me when I'm sick. I've heard this about most men, but I'm a baby when I'm sick. She does a great job of taking care of me.
14. I love her smile.
15. I love when she puts her hair up.
16. She's really patient with me. 
17. She wakes me up gently. There have been a few occasions where I fell asleep on the couch. When someone wakes me up I've been known to bite their head off. I don't know what happens to me. It's like I'm drunk. I once punched my brother when he tried to wake me up. I often don't remember what I did, but I'll wake up the next day feeling guilty for something.  I'm normally a laid back guy, but something crazy happens when you wake me up from the couch. Monica always gently wakes me up.
18. I love that when I hurt her she tells me that she forgives me.
19. I love that she doesn't nag me.
20. She's my best friend. We can spend hours with each other and not get tired of one another.
21. I love that she loves Jesus.
22. I love that she loves working with teenagers. Before she met me she was investing in teenagers. At one point she wanted to work at Young Life for a career. I love that she not only supports me working with teens she loves it.
23. I love that she's ok that we don't love all the same things. She likes to read a book. I like to watch the movie the book was based on. She likes sparkling vampires, fashion reality TV shows, and the beach. I don't. Even though we don't like some of the same things we still support one another.
24. I love her Buffalo Chicken Dip. I think we got the recipe from Danielle Peters. I love most people's Buffalo Chicken Dip, but I love Monica's!
25. I love that she knows fashion. Before her I would pick out my outfits based on what the manikin was wearing at the store in the mall. Now I can run things by her.
26. I love to play "Words with Friends" with her. Before we go to sleep we have a little ritual. We play Words With Friends (it's an iPod app), we talk, and then we pray together.
27. Speaking of sleep...I don't sleep well when Monica's not there. If Monica is out of town I normally stay up as late as I can and then fall asleep on the couch. When I wake up I go to bed, but I toss and turn. I love when she's home.
28. I love her sense of humor. She makes me laugh.
29. I love that she gently wakes me up when I'm snoring. I snore. Sometimes I snore loud. I've heard stories of other women beating the poo out of their husbands to shut them up. Not her. She gently asks me to roll over. Now it could be because she fears for her life because I do crazy things when someone wakes me up, but none the less I love her for it.
30. I love that she puts up with my lists. When we go on road trips I often come up with something that we should list. You know like the names of every NBA team, every wedding I've ever officiated, or our top ten favorite songs of all time. Together we were 2 NBA teams short and we came up with that I've done 20 weddings.
31. I love her face.
32. I love how faithful a friend she is. She has best friends in every major state.She's a very faithful friend.
33. I love she's heard me fart, caught me picking my nose, and knows that I have hair on my back and yet she is still not grossed out by me.
34. I love that she loves to go to concerts.
35. I love that she loves our families. She has even gone on vacation with my entire family without me.
36. I love that she scratches my back. Sometimes it itches for no reason and she has great nails.
37. I love that she has really white teeth. I hope our kids get her teeth.
38. I love it when we have nothing to do and we just sit around with each other.
39. I love she loves the TV show The Office. It took her a little while but now she loves it as much as I do.
40. I love that she takes pictures of every second of our life. Before her I didn't have any pictures from middle school on. After I met her I know have a play by play of my life in pictures.
41. I love how she respects me. In public and in private.
42. I love how she lets me dream without making fun of me.
43. I love that she loves the local church.
44. I love that she's tall for a girl. I hope to have really tall kids who like basketball.
45. I love that she's ok with the fact that I stink at home repairs. She doesn't even question my manhood for not owning any tools.
46. I got a Superman cookie jar for a wedding gift from her best friend Shima. That said cookie jar has been in our kitchen for nine years. It was my favorite wedding gift and I love that she doesn't make me hide when we have company over.
47. I love that she's good at grammar. I stink at it. She often proofs something that I've written for the blog. She'll even send me a text if I messed something up so I can fix it.
48. She's very sensitive to the fact that I'm sensitive.
49. She wears Lakers jerseys during the playoffs and to games. She even says that she wants one of her own.
50. I love that I can be myself with her.
51. I love that she loves my blog and even leaves comments.
52. She loves to dance. I don't. I love that she puts up with my simple dance moves when we do dance.
53. I love that she carries a purse. I can't find anything in there to save my life, but I love that she has it. She stores all sorts of things like tissues, food, and stuff for me to play with when I get bored at Dr.'s offices.
54. She gets excited when I come home from work. It feels great to have someone who likes seeing you when you get home.
55. I love her brown eyes.
56. Almost all of my favorite memories include her. Wedding, being in LA at the game where the Lakers won their conference, seeing U2 in concert, and living in TX for two years.
57. I love that she loves to be married.
58. I love that she fights fair. When we do get in an argument she doesn't bring up the past, call names, or put me down. We stick to the subject and fix it.
59. I love staying up late with her. She's a night owl and I'm not. It doesn't happen much but I love it when I can stay up late.
60. I don't love that she is almost impossible to surprise. I do love that she loves to surprised me.
61. I love that even before we were dating she owned a Superman t-shirt.
62. I love that her favorite movie is Dumb and Dumber and not Dirty Dancing.
63. She doesn't make me read her mind. Too many girls expect their husbands to read their minds and know how they are feeling. Since I can't read her mind I love that she communicates with me.
64. She's my best friend.
65. I love that she doesn't like fancy food. We both have pretty simple tastes when it comes to food.
66. I love making her mix CD's and I love that she loves my mixes.
67. She is confident in who she is.
68. I love that it was her idea for me to spend some of my money from doing weddings on a Playstation 3.
69. I love seeing her greet at church on Sundays. She is a really good greeter.
70. She loves Yankee Candles and I love that our house smells nice.
71. I love that she has integrity.
72. I love that I don't have to worry about her. She makes wise choices. I know some guys who worry about their wives when they go out. She gives me no reason to worry.
73. I love that she is good with details. I stink with details. I normally just handle things moment by moment. She'll think through things like bringing an umbrella to Student Camp just in case it rains.
74. She gets really tan. I love that.
75. I love that she likes my friends and doesn't give me a hard time for hanging out with them.
76. She gets me and doesn't try to change who I am.
77. I love how good she is at her job. She's an amazing teacher.
78. I also love that she wants me to meet her kids each school year. Each year I get to come meet her kids. She even asks me to come in a read my all time favorite children's book "Walter the Farting Dog."
79. I love that she's not crazy.
80. She is flexible. Let me clarify...when it comes to things like plans or decisions she is flexible. I tend to waffle on things and I love that a change of plans doesn't throw her off.
81. I love that her ring tone on her phone for me is Big Poppa by the Notorious B.I.G. 
82. I love that she helps guard my eyes and understands how images can get stuck in a guys mind. 
83. Before Monica I didn't wear sunglasses. She kept encouraging me to get some. Now I keep them in my car and I hate driving when it's sunny out without them. 
84. I love that she makes me want to be a better person. 
85. I love when she is silly. 
86. I love when she sings. We have fun singing loud together. 
87. She is the best wife ever! 
88. I love that she is going to be a great mom. I'm scared to be a dad, but I have confidence that she'll help me not jack it up completely.  
89. I love that she doesn't love pets. 
90. She brags on me. 

Monica it's been an amazing 9 years. Thanks for being you. I love you with all my heart.

I'm Scared To Be A Dad

This is a HUGE week for my wife, Monica, and me.  This is our final week of IVF. If all goes well we will be pregnant in two weeks.  I want kids, so what I'm about to say may seem contradictory to that statement. I'm scared to death to have kids. To quote the movie "Batman Begins" "We always fear what we don't know." I don't know kids. I know babies even less. I want kids, but the following are some things that I'm scared about...

• Changing diapers. I talk about poop. Talking about poop is funny. Cleaning it up on the other hand is gag nasty. I'm scared to clean the poop.
• Not having alone time. I'm a people person, but I need a little bit of alone time. I recharge with alone time. Kids don't allow you to have alone time.
• Being tired. I don't do well without sleep. I get cranky. I get really cranky and then I get sick.
• Jacking my kid up. Every kid has a wound created by their parents, but I'm scared to create one in my kid.
• Kids music and TV. I tried to watch Yo Gabba Gabba and I wanted to punch myself in the throat. I don't know how parents put up with things like Barney, Hannah, and the Wiggles. I'd rather pretend that TV wasn't invented then watch those shows.
• I can't say no to my wife because I love her. I'm scared that I will spoil my kids, and that I won't be able to discipline them because I want them to love me back. I know it's wrong, but I'm scared I won't be strong.
• Having girls. I don't know how to deal with girls. I was a little boy once so I feel confident that I will be able to relate to a boy. Sports, action figures, and super heroes are all things I can relate to. Dress up, dolls, and tea parties scare me to death.
• Having multiple kids at once. I would like to have multiple kids, but I'm scared to have them all at once. If we do have multiples I would like to have my own reality TV show called "What the Flock!" My last name is Shepherd so having a flock of kids would fit the title of the show right?
• Multiple girls at once.  Monica keeps talking about having girl triplets. No offense girls, but girls are drama. I don't know what I'd do with three baby girls. When Monica asked me what we would name the third, because we only have two girl names picked out, I responded with we don't have to come up with a third name because we can just let the adoptive parents name the third one. It was a joke...but not really. I'm scared of girl triplets.
• Having an ugly baby. Despite what people say about all babies being cute...it's a lie.
• Being spit up on. I'm scared of the spit up.

I'm scared because I've never been a dad before. What I'm not scared about is having kids with Monica. I know her and she's amazing. Because of that I can't wait to be a dad!

How To Get The Most Out Of Church

I know it's a difference in opinion but I don't understand why people leave a church because they are not being fed spiritually. What if Jesus said that when He went to church? What if Jesus was like "hold up Rabbi, you are just not going deep enough for me. I'm no longer being fed by your teaching."  Think about it...Jesus didn't start His ministry until he was 30 years old. That means He sat under someone else's teaching for most of His life. How in the world did Jesus, who is God, get something out of church? I don't think he doodled on the program because He was bored. I bet He got something out of it. 

Growing up in the church, going to a Bible college, and graduating from seminary has taught me a lot about the Bible.  Even though I know a little bit of Bible info I still get a lot out of church. Here are some things I do to get the most out of church...

• Go. My friend Jamey Menser often says that you have 100% more chance of winning the lottery if you play then if you don't play.  The same is true of church.  You will get 100% more out of church if you go then if you don't go. 
• Volunteer. If you really want to get something out of church don't just sit and soak. Give back.
• Pray for your pastor and staff.
• Invite people. When you invite you see church through someone else's eyes. If you don't feel like you can invite to your church then maybe it's time to find a church where you can.
• Invest in other people.  In my opinion the best way to learn is to teach others. 
• Give. You are more likely to pay attention if you are invested. There is no greater sign of being invested in the church then giving financially.  
• Ask God to speak to your heart before you go to the service.
• Apply what is taught. You don't really learn unless you change your behavior. For example I know a lot about eating right because I've read it, heard it, and even tried it once or twice. But I don't do it on a weekly basis, so the question is what good is the knowledge that I have? It doesn't do you any good unless you do something with what you are taught.

If you are having trouble getting something out of your church try some of the things I suggested. If Jesus went and got something out of it then I think we should too.

How you can live with a poopy diaper

My wife and I recently got to spend some quality time with our 2 year old nephew. If you have had or currently have a two year old then you know how fun they can be. For example...when my mom got home my nephew saw her at the front door and then ran into the living room to exclaim "GRANDMA IS IN THE HOUSE!!!" I've thoroughly enjoyed the fact that he is into super heroes.  We had a very in depth conversation about super hero powers. Poor kid didn't know that Superman had the most powers out there. He was running around pretending to be Iron Man and Spiderman until I told him Superman could shoot beams out of his eyes. For the next hour he would stair at me, shake his lil head, and pretend to shoot beams out his eyes.

One kind of humorous exchanged happened when my sister realized that he had filled his diaper with pee.  He is potty training but you know how that goes with 2 year old. About a minute after changing him my sister must have noticed the look on his face because she asked if he had to go to the bathroom again.  His response this time was that he already pooped.  When my wife told me this story she questioned how someone could live like that...that is with poop in their pants. For my nephew it was just a part of life. You can't say that he doesn't know better because he's been taught to use the bathroom.  I think for him it's more that he is used to it. 

It made me think about bad habits in general. How can a person live in a filthy house? How can a person live with high levels of drama? How can a person live with an addiction? How can I live being over weight? The answer is that we get used to it. It's not that we don't know better it's that we have lived with it for so long we don't know what it would be like to live differently. One day my nephew will be grossed out by pooping his pants, but for now he doesn't mind because he's used to doing it.  Think about something in your life that you would like to change. Now think about how life would be without it. Just like potty training a two year old it's possible to find freedom from a bad or destructive habit. When you do you'll eventually get used to living without that bad habit. Until then our bad habits are causing us to live with a poopy diaper.

My Interview with Lebron James

The following video is a fun video we showed last Sunday at Waters Edge.  We were announcing the most anticipated announcement of 2010 and that is the location for Waters Edge first multi-site.  As a joke I interrupted the welcome and showed a video of what I thought was the most anticipated announcement of 2010. Enjoy...



*Phil Poteat filmed, edited, and helped script this video. He's pretty much the junk and that's a good thing.

Mind Dump

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

• I had a great conversation with a York County Sheriff at church on Sunday. Yes we have a Sheriff present at all of our services. It only took one of the handful of church shootings for me to see the importance of having security even at church. Their presence alone will hopefully scare off crazy. I digress...
• So the Sheriff had some really interesting things to say to me. Things like...everyone should write down their serial numbers to their TV, game systems, cameras, and other expensive items in the home. That way if you get robbed you can report the items quickly and they can track your stuff. If you don't your stuff can get sold and there is no way to prove that it's yours. He also said that you should keep your license plate number in your cell phone. That way if your car gets stolen you can quickly give it to the cops so they can track it. Unless you have your license memorized that sounds like good advice. He said it could take up to 10 to 15 extra minutes to track your plate down through DMV.
• The most interesting thing that he said to me was that he gets lots of calls from parents who need help with their kids. He said he got a call from a parent who couldn't get their 9 year old on the school bus. How sad is that? He said, "our society has gotten to a place where they call us to police their lives." I think that is a huge sign that our society is in trouble. 
• I was recently featured on a blog. Ryan Shaughnessy. That was a huge honor for me! Thanks Ryan.
• On Sunday my pastor announced the new location for Waters Edge first multi-site. This was a HUGE announcement. Our church is too small for the amount of people coming. During optimum service times, that is times where most people can or are willing to attend a service, we are packed. That means that we either have to turn people away or stop growing.  Instead we are going to open a second location in Hampton. Our hope is that 300 people will leave Waters Edge York County and invest their time at Waters Edge New Location. That way it will free up space for York County to grow at the same time we will be impacting and reaching a different area. The new location is the Riverdale Theater in Hampton. Get ready Hampton cause this January Waters Edge Hampton is happening.
• On Sunday, I jokingly told someone that he didn't like the iPad because it was made by Apple and that he hates all things fruit. I then told him that if it was called a meat-pad I'd bet he loved it. It was a part of a segment at church. The segment also included a video where I interviewed Lebron James. Thanks to worship leading ninja, video editing expert, funny guy, good friend, and all around slacker of a blogger Phil Poteat the video will be posted tomorrow.
• Not too long ago a person said to me that every once in a while it's good to shock your system. They said that you shock it by eating something different.  Since hearing that I've tried shocking my system multiple times. I have actually eaten some vegetables in hopes that it would shock my system.  I'm not sure that's what they were talking about, but I'll let you know if it works.
• Next week is a HUGE week for Monica and I. Next week Monica has two procedures for IVF. On Monday she becomes a chicken and she has surgery to remove the eggs. On Friday she has to have two of the best embryos implanted back into her. If all goes well we will be pregnant two weeks from the surgery. Wow! And I'm a little grossed out by all this. I get really uncomfortable talking about lady stuff.
• I have a theory about dressing up. In almost every circumstance there will be someone who is less dressed up then you.  I've tested this theory multiple times, but most recently at a funeral. I don't like wearing ties, but I don't want to be the least dressed up guy. Have no fear someone will wear jeans. I saw it happen this week. You want another example? Last year on my cruise I was told to dress up every night for dinner. I was told we were supposed to wear a suit or at least a tie. I opted for a nice shirt and khakis.  You better believe there was a joker in a polo and jeans. I never know who these guys are, but I'm thankful for them.

Whew I feel better now.

It's Ok To Complain

It's ok to complain if...

• It is constructive with the goal of making a situation better.
• It is surrounded by compliments. Let the person know what they do right before and after.
• It is done with respect.
• It is to the person you are complaining about.

Most people end up complaining to someone who can't do anything about the situation.  It's not ok to complain if you are just venting about someone else. That's destructive and won't fix the situation.  When we complain to someone who can't fix the situation we are just trying to find someone to validate our feelings.  It may make you feel better but it spreads negativity and doesn't fix anything.  If you really want to fix the situation then it's important to talk to the person face to face. Otherwise you are just creating negative noise.  By the way this is a message to myself.

5 Favorites: Food Edition

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

5 Favorite Foods

1. Chicken Fajita Burrito with corn salsa and lots of cheese from Chipotle.
2. Buffalo Chicken Dip.
3. Chick-fil-A - especially the new Spicy Chicken Sandwich.
4. Marcos Hawaiian Pizza - it has chicken, bacon, ham, and pineapple. Amazing!
5. Movie theater popcorn.

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

Even if you were perfect...

I should have known better. Nothing good comes from anonymous letters. I was consumed by this letter from a person who I didn’t know. I felt great about my talk at church until I read their letter the first time. Now on my fourth reading it was starting to consume me. It didn’t matter that I had received a lot of positive feedback about my talk. It didn’t matter that I had preached my heart out. It didn’t even matter that this person was borderline insane with many of their accusations. All that mattered was that they were tearing me and my talk apart.

As I read the letter for a fourth time I heard a still small voice say to me “even if you preached a perfect sermon someone would crucify it.” I can’t tell you how thankful I am for that still small voice. I’ve gone on to apply that phrase to many areas of my life. Whenever I make a decision I try to remind myself that someone is not going to like it. Whether it's picking a restaurant for a group of friends to eat at, saying no to someone, or writing a blog post someone is not going to like my decision. I’m not perfect even on my best day, but as a pastor some people will even crucify my imperfections. Jesus is perfect and yet people still crucified the things He said and did. If that's the case I shouldn't expect any less.  The truth is I'm addicted to people pleasing and it's that desire that needs to be crucified. 

Rotten Fruit

I've been grumpy this week. I don't really know why. My grumpiness has led to a lack of patience, anger at idiot drivers, and screaming at my video game for being stupid. I really think the game I'm playing cheats. I hate losing. I digress.

 I feel like everyone is entitled to a grumpy day right? On the other hand grumpiness is a sign that something is wrong with my heart. Sure it's not the end of of the world, but according to the Bible Christ Followers are supposed to produce Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control...not grumpiness. The Bible calls those characteristics the Fruit of the Spirit. When analyzing my grumpiness I had this thought about fruit...

Fruit is most excellent. It's healthy, tastes amazing, and some of it even keeps the dentist away. I'd take fruit over vegetables every day of the week. But fruit doesn't stay fresh forever. It's starts off great, but after a little while it starts to rot. I think it's interesting that the Bible says that when Christ Followers live for God they produce amazing fruit. Too many people think that one dose of God will produce lasting change. One dose of God on Sunday may produce a little fruit, but eventually it goes bad. I think long lasting change comes from a continual daily pursuit of God.  Now don't get me wrong...it's not God that goes bad. It's the effects that don't last. It's like buying great fruit from the Farmers Market and expecting it to last all year. 

So my grumpiness is a sign that the fruit in my life is going bad. If I'm not producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control then it's a sign that fruit in my life is starting to rot. The only cure is to pour into my relationship with God and allow Him to produce some fresh fruit.

Top Movies for Men

Some movies are made for women.  Think Pride and Prejudice or Center Stage. These are movies guys will avoid like the plague. Then there are chick flicks that most guys can tolerate.  Think Hitch or most  movies with Reese Witherspoon.  There are even some movies that are gender neutral. Think The Blind Side or Slumdog Millionaire. Finally there are movies made for men.

There are some movies that I love that Monica can't tolerate.  To me that is a sign of a man's movie.  I recently watched the movie Predator staring Arnold Schwarzenegger.  It's without a doubt the most manly movie ever created. There is no love interest, the plot is simple to understand...jacked up guys are being hunted by an alien, and there are very memorable quotes..."I don't have time to bleed".  Watching it made me think of other movies that are made for men.

• Rocky IV - Rocky movies are the guys answer to dance flicks.  I can't stand dance movies! In the same way my wife can't stand anything Rocky.  The first IV Rocky movies are most excellent, but Rocky IV is the ultimate man movie.  
• Die Hard - probably the greatest action movie ever created. If you don't like it I question your manhood. 
• Raiders of the Lost Ark - what guy doesn't love this movie? 
• Terminator 2 - this is one of those movies that I'm definitely not watching if Monica is home. 
• Blade - now this is the way vampires should be. They don't sparkle and the only love going on is Blade's love for killing them. 
• Rambo - My wife has even more hate for Rambo then she does for Rocky. 

So that's my list of the ultimate man movies. Did I forget any?  

John Mayer and People at Concerts

Fellow Youth Pastor and world famous blogger, Terrace Crawford, scored some free tickets to see John Mayer in concert. He couldn't go, so he generously gave the tickets to me.  My wife, Monica, and I love concerts. We especially love free concerts.  Here are a couple of pics of the concert...

Pictured Above: John Mayer came out into the crowd for his encore. The lady sitting next to me yelled "WHY DIDN'T YOU GET ME TICKETS OVER THERE" to her husband. It made me laugh.

While at the concert I noticed that there are some personalities types that come out at almost every concert I go to.  No matter who is playing I see the following types of people that go to concerts...

• 
  
  Performing girl- this girl normally comes in groups of two. She stands up during the entire concert...even during slow songs. But it's not just that she stands, she dances and sings like she is on the stage. This person is fun to watch because they make funny faces when they sing.
• 
  
  The way too into it fan - this is the person who makes a sign to draw attention to themselves. They also scream throughout the show to try to get the performers attention. 
• 
  
  The Free Bird guy - this idiot fan thinks it's funny to yell Free Bird. Depending on if the concert is selling beer they will probably yell it more than once.
• 
  
  The Recorder - this person records large portions of the concert on their phone or flip camera. I'm not sure when they are going to watch the concert. I'm also not sure why they'd want to. The quality can't be that great. I'd rather watch the actual show then worry about recording it.  This however is the person who catches things like Beyonce falling down the stairs. So maybe they do it just in case something embarrassing happens to the artist? If that's the case then that's not a fan that's an enemy.
• 
  
  The Surprising Fan - at almost every concert I go to I see someone and I think...really? Whether it's the 72 year old at the rock concert with not a single band from the 70's or 80's, the heterosexual guy who went to the New Kids On the Block Concert without a girlfriend/wife, or the thugged out guy at the John Mayer concert there is always someone who surprises me. 
• 
  
  The Over Dressed - some people use concerts to dress up really nice. There's nothing wrong with this but it surprises me to see girls in really nice dresses at a concert.
• 
  
  The Mom - almost every concert has a mom who has brought her daughter to the show, but she is enjoying the concert a little too much. 

Did I leave any out.  If you go to concerts a lot what personality types do you see?

Movie Review: Inception

The summer movie season of 2010 has not been the worst summer of movies, but it hasn't been amazing either.   In my opinion it's had one amazing movie (Toy Story 3), and a bunch of decent but not great movies.  So far it was slightly better than last summer, but that's not saying much because last summer was nothing to brag about.  Then comes a movie from Christopher Nolan (director of Batman Begins & the Dark Knight) called Inception.

One thing I appreciated about Inception is that the previews didn't give much away.  Going in I knew it was directed by Nolan, it starred Leonardo Dicaprio, and it had something to do with stealing dreams, but that was it.  Unlike most previews today Inception didn't give away the entire plot.  The creators banked on the fact that they had made a good movie, with great stars, and people would come out to see it.  The creators ended up making an amazing movie that not only will people see, but people will be talking about for a long time. 

Inception is one of the best movies I've seen this year! A sign of a great movie is that people talk about after they see it.  Inception is one of those movies that you talk about over and over again. It's rated PG-13 for intense action/violence and because Leo uses God's name in vain.  I give it two thumbs way up.

robshep.com's Rating System

Two Thumbs up = I loved it, worth paying full price, and I will own it on Blue Ray.
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

My Worst Fears Come Out At Student Camp

I'm would not describe myself as a fearful person, but at some reason the week at Student Camp I develop a long list of fears. For example...

• The showers bring out a lot of fear. I wear shower shoes because I'm afraid my feet will get mad cow disease if I don't. 
• I pray to God that I don't drop the soap. I know that if it drops it will instantly become a loofa of hair and disgust. 
• There is a standing pile of water on the bathroom floor near the drain. I'm afraid of that H20. 
• I'm afraid I'm going to lose a Student. I count and recount after every bathroom or meal stop. I also count at the camp before sessions. Parents trust me with their Students and I don't want to lose one. 
• I'm deathly afraid of my skin touching the mattress. We stay in a college dorm and I don't know where that mattress has been. I bring sheets to cover it but it never fails...at least one night I wake up with the sheet off and my skin stuck to the mattress. 
• I fear the smell that is known as the boys dorms. I don't know how guys can produce such a wicked stench.  It is literally a punch in the nose when you walk in the door. 
• Failing down the stairs while I carry my tray of food. Our students sit up in the balcony of the cafeteria. To fall down those stair would not only hurt, it would also be seen by the entire world camp. 
• Sitting down on the toilet seat in the boys dorm.  Because there are no urinals the boys use the toilets to go number 1 and number 2. It's amazing how much number 1 ends up everywhere. 
• Because of that last fear if I ever have to drop a deuce I search the camp for a clean, private bathroom.  This brings out a fear that I'm going to get caught. I found a nice bathroom that was labeled girls/guys basketball locker room. I can't tell you how embarrassed I'd be if the basketball team walked in while I was taking care of business. 
• Having the bus run over my luggage. When I was in high school it happened to me. It wasn't pretty. 

I think taking 107 Students and Leaders is contributes to my stress/fear. In the end it's totally worth it because Camp is AMAZING! I love it and I'd go back next week if I could. 

Student Camp: Day Three

Student Camp is AWESOME! The Waters Edge Students have been amazing! I love getting to hang out with them for a week at camp.  Here are some highlights of day three...

• Everyone is getting a little noobly. According to Camp Vocabularity (which we learn each morning0 noobly is when your head and neck bounce when you are falling asleep sitting up.  Students have been great, but getting a little noobly happens to the best of us.
• Volleyball. Waters Edge Students have won the volleyball tournament the last three years at camp. There name each year is the Ferocious Chinchillas.  Now volleyball is a big deal to us because we lose in the first round of every other sporty tournament.  This year a team of 6 girls and 2 guys made easily to the finals.  In the finals they were pitted against a group of entire guys. They played their hearts out. The Camp Director announced that in 11 years of him watching the sports tournaments this was the most intense volleyball final he's ever seen.  In the end Waters Edge lost 29 to 27.  I was so proud of our Students. They prayed with the other team before the game. Congratulated them afterward and had amazing attitudes.  It's not easy to lose with grace but these students did. They fought hard and made me proud.
• Some of our students took part in the "studio". It's a place to be creative. Some of our students have made some amazing art and paintings while hanging out in the studio.
• It's a really big deal for Rob to know every student's name. Students ask me almost hourly if I know their name.  I'm trying but I don't have all 107 of them down.  I have one more day to get em all.
• Lots of questions are being asked. On day three we focused on who do you say Jesus is.  In our church group time we discussed how we tell people who we really think Jesus is by the way we live our lives. We had some good discussion. 
• Here are some pics of day 3...

Pictured Above: Practice for the big tournament

Pictured Above: Action Shots of the big tournament

Pictured Above: Some of the Ferocious Chinchillas with the fans

Pictured Above: Anthony and Jared with their sign that they made at camp.

Pictured Above: The Ferocious Chinchilla cheer.

Car Dings

I have a friend, lets call him Dan.  We will call him that because that's his name.  Now Dan really hates the thought of potential car dings. You know when you park next to someone and they open their door into your car and ding it? That's a car ding.  When Dan goes to a grocery store he parks miles a long ways away.  If he has to park close he likes a spot near a curb.  That way it lessons the chances of getting a car ding on both sides of your car.  Now the kicker is when he parks really far away and next to a curb he declares that he got a really good parking spot. 

Now I've come to appreciate Dan's passion for avoiding the potential of a parking lot car ding.  It reminds me of people.  When you get close to people they have the great potential to ding you with their words or actions.  It may have been an accidental ding or it could have been a ding made by a careless person.  A careless comment here, a hurtful action there.  Dings happen. Even though it's a little mark it still leaves a permanent mark.  Dings can even cause you to want to avoid people because of the potential damage they can cause. 

I think we'd all be better off if we were more careful with our words and actions. Dings leave marks.  You can't always protect yourself from dings but you can be responsible for the dings you cause.  If you ding someone be quick to ask for forgiveness.  If someone dings you be quick to forgive because after all you know you've dinged others in the past. 

Student Camp: Day Two

Day two at Student Camp was a smashing success.  Lots of fun had by all. Here are some of the highlights...

• Watching the two...count em two WEC soccer teams. Neither won, but one did make it to overtime before receiving a crushing blow known as a goal. 
• Watching Students run the obstacle course. It's only day two of camp, but currently two WEC students hold the time records. Kristen A has it for the girls and Eddie A (no relation...in fact they have totally different last names. They just both start in A) for the guys.
• Hearing about Epic World Domination. It's a large group game that sounds insanely fun. All I know is that it involves flags, socks with flower in them, and bases.
• GD. Now before you get offended you need to know what GD stands for in the context of Summer Camp.  GD stands for Group Dump.  It was started by a few high school guys a couple of years ago at camp and for some odd reason it's caught on. They actually talk about going to drop a deuce together.  Now they are all in separate stalls, but it's still weird. I've known the that high school students did this, but I didn't know that it spread to the middle school students. A bunch came running up to me exclaiming, "GUESS WHAT WE DID!!!" It was then followed up by info on their first ever GD. I don't get it.

Here are some pics of Day 2 of Student Camp...

Pictured Above: The Crossroads Morning Show

Pictured Above: One of the WEC teams in the soccer tourney

Pictured Above: The climbing tower. So far no WEC Student has dared to climb it.

Pictured Above: Olivia running the obstacle course.

Pictured Above: Some of the WEC gals after the obstacle course.

Pictured Above: Moriah, Britney, and Brie

Pictured Above: Clayton King playing the world famous "Clayton Says".

Pictured Above: Worship Leader Carl Cartee

Student Camp: Day One

Here are some highlights of my time with 107 Students and adults at Student Camp 2010.

• Spending 7 hours on a bus with Waters Edge Students. I'm not going to lie we have the best students ever. They make spending time on a bus fun.
• Taking an extra 15 minutes to count, check off names on a roster, and double count students after lunch.  My worst fear, in almost the whole entire world, is leaving a Student at a rest-stop or lunch break.  I was on a trip once, as a high school student, when the youth pastor left a student after lunch.  He had driven almost an hour a way before he realized the student was missing. 
• Not being late to check in at camp. Almost every year we are late. This year we got there with time to spare.
• Spending time with the leaders. We have 10 leaders this year. They are AWESOME!
• Seeing Clayton King and the rest of the Crossroads staff.  We've been to Crossroads for six years now. Clayton is the founder and main speaker.  Our church has built a good relationship with them over the years at camp. 
• Seeing 27 students stand to ask Jesus into their lives! I couldn't help but cry when I saw our students stand. I never know how they are going to respond. I beg God every year to move in their lives and He never lets me down.

Pictured Above: Parents and Students gathered at 6:00 AM to leave for camp

Pictured Above: More parents and students gathered at 6:00 AM

Pictured Above: They may not look like it but this group of high school students were having a blast on the 7 hour bus ride to camp.

Pictured Above: Crossroads Staff greeting us as we pulled into camp. This year was extra awesome because one of our former students is on staff with Crossroads this year.

Pictured Above: This is what we call organized chaos. At this point VA students are in a battle with GA students to see who loves their state more.

Pictured Above: Alex V doing his best Flash impersonation. That boy runs so fast.

Pictured Above: Say Cheese WEC students

Pictured Above: Courtney Hornsby leading the 11-12 grade girls small group during Church Group Time.

Mind Dump

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

• I had a fun time speaking at Waters Edge yesterday. We are in the middle of a series called "At the Movies". We are finding spiritual truth in some of this summers biggest blockbusters.
• Apparently a few people left yesterday at the beginning of the talk. I think they were offended that we talked about Twilight in church. I wish they would have stuck it out because Twilight was just the vehicle we used to relate to people. I'm pretty sure they were Christ Followers and I'm also pretty sure they were judging.  At the end of the day you can't please all people, but sometimes Christ Followers get on my nerves.  In Jesus day He used the culture to connect with people.  He talked about farming, and sheep, and lost sons.  Things people could relate to.  I don't mind if people don't like something but I think they lost out by not giving it a chance.  Rant over.
• Apparently some scientist has invented birth control for guys. A. I thought they already had that. It's that very embarrassing and awkward package that if you purchase it everyone knows what it's for. It rhymes with dondoms.  B. I don't want to know how this works. There has to be some serious side affects to this.
• As I was shopping this weekend I had this thought and posted it on Facebook/Twitter..."All women's clothing stores should have a husbands room with a tv, some sports magazines, and multiple game systems." I think it would make shopping awesome. 
• So we found a snake in our kitchen on Friday. Now when I say we I really mean Monica. Snakes are her worst fear in the entire world. We determined he was a ring neck snake.  It wasn't that big, but it's the thought of having a snake in the house that is freaky.  
• Today I'm taking 107 Students and Leaders to summer camp. We are leaving at 6:00 AM for a 7 hour drive. I pray that God gives us protection, and that He moves in our students lives. I just want them to be more like Him. In case you are wondering I'm praying the same thing for myself.
• I'm bringing an iron to camp this year. Don't judge me. It's not like this is a wilderness camp. I'd never torture students like this.  We stay in college dorm rooms and I hate it when my clothes are wrinkled.
• This week I'm going to be blogging from camp. I plan on posting the highlights of each day.
• I like the fact that TV now shows original programming in the summer. I remember when it used to be all re-runs. My wife is really enjoying the new shows "Rookie Blue" and "Boston Med".  Plus summer is when "Wipe Out airs". 
• So Lebron went to Miami. It feels like such a HUGE deal. Media outlets everywhere were focused on his decision.  If felt like everyone was talking about it on Facebook. I love that even with it being a massive media frenzy I had one friend ask if he played football or baseball. I love even more that my mother in-law asked who this "Lebron" guy was. 
• I feel like getting Lebron makes Miami a def contender, but it's no gaurantee that they will win it all.  I wasn't alive back when Wilt Chamberlin became a Laker, but it put him with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. Those are three of the greatest basketball players of all time.  They couldn't win together. It wasn't until they got really old, and Elgin retired that Wilt and Jerry won a championship. 
• So week one of in vitro is under our belts. It was a very interesting week. It confirmed that I thank God I'm not a woman.
• In vitro is very expensive. I'm not complaining...just stating. It will be worth it in the end. 

Whew...I feel much better now.

Thoughts I Wish I Wrote Down...

I received this email/forward from a member of my church. Most of the time I delete forwards without even looking at them.  For some reason I read this list and it made me laugh.  I don't know where this one came from but it's a list of pretty funny thoughts. I wish I had come up with some of these. They would have made a great blog post.

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the world are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
20. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Bad Neighborhood" routing option.
21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.
22. I would rather try to carry 10 over-loaded plastic bags in each hand than make 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
23. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
24. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
25. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
26. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
27. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate bicyclists.
28. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
29. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my last dollar everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!
30. Have you ever jumped up during a TV Commercial and ran to another room to do something, only to get there and forget what it was you were going to do.
31. When I put something in a place I know where I will be able to easily be able to find it later, I have pretty well ensured that I will never find it when I need it.
32. It appears that we are all children when it comes to opening something with a “childproof cap”.
33. Do you use your cell phone from the kitchen downstairs to call your child, who is upstairs, to come to dinner?

Triple Feature Movie Review: Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Stephenie Meyer must have written some really good books when she wrote the Twilight Saga. I think the books have put a spell over American woman.  The books have captivated these girls so much they are blind to the fact that the first two Twilight movies are awful. Even if they admit that they are awful they still went to see them multiple times and made both films gross a lot of money. 

Now I never saw the first Twilight, but because I love my wife I took her to see the sequel, "New Moon."  I was told that "New Moon" was a much better movie than "Twilight." There have been very few times where I actually wanted to bang my head against something so I would pass out.  Watching "New Moon" was one of those times.  Let's just say I'm not a big fan of that movie, and if that movie is way better than the first I can safely say the first movie is awful. 

My wife does an amazing job of supporting the things that I like.  She does such a good job that I feel bad ripping on the Twilight series.  After she saw "Eclipse" she promised that it was better than "New Moon." She also said that she would be interested in seeing it again.  So this past Tuesday night I willingly took my wife to see the latest Twilight movie. 

"New Moon" made me want to lick the movie theater floor in hope that I'd pass out from disgust.  "Eclipse" was a very different feeling.  It's still not an amazing movie, but it was way more enjoyable than the last film.  For one there was an actual conflict that made sense. There was a bad girl, an army of vampires, and a climatic ending.  The acting is not the best that I've seen, but it's not as bad as some people are saying. Truth be told I would enjoy it much more if "Blade" was in the movie and he was trying to kill the sparkling vampires, but for what it was it wasn't awful.  If it was just me I'd give this movie a thumb to the side, but compared to the first two films I'm going to give it one thumb up.  "Eclipse" is rated PG-13 for a few swears, and some minor action violence.

robshep.com'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

This is 3 of 3 reviews that will be posted today, thus the name...Triple Feature.

Triple Feature Movie Review: Knight and Day

Like him or not Tom Cruise is one of the most consistent actors in Hollywood.  Every big time actor has at least one what were you thinking movie.  Will Smith has "Wild Wild West," Tom Hanks has "The Lady Killers," and Tom Cruise has "Eyes Wide Shut." With the exception of one or maybe two movies Cruise is ridiculously consistent. He makes quality movies. You may not like him as a person but it's hard to deny the quality of films that he makes.

Knight and Day is not one of Tom's best movies but it's well done.  The chemistry between Cruise and co-star Cameron Diaz is evident.  The action is spectacular. The jokes are well timed and funny.  The biggest problem I have with this movie is that it feels like it's already been done.  It's a different movie, but it looks and feels like "Mr. and Mrs. Smith."  It probably doesn't help that a few weeks before "Knight and Day" came out, Ashton Kutcher released "Killers." Every time I saw a preview for "Killers" it was shortly followed by a preview for "Knight and Day," which was followed up by someone saying isn't that the same movie? Cruise's waining popularity and the fact that "Knight and Day" feels so familiar is probably going to keep most people away from this movie. 

I think it's a good summer movie. If you are looking for to escape the heat, and you've seen all the other summer blockbusters I think you'd like "Knight and Day." It's rated PG-13 for action/violence, and a handful of swears.  I give it one thumb up.

robshep.com'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

This is 2 of 3 reviews that will be posted today. Come back at 5:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) to read review 3 of 3.