February 2012
3 posts
5 tags
Church Greeters...
So what’s the deal with church greeters? It’s actually a job. Like at Wal-mart. The following is a fictitious conversation that summarizes the idea.
Pastor: ”Hey, we need someone for the ‘frontlines’ of Sunday church services. Would you be willing to greet people at the door?”
You: “Umm. Sure! I like people and I’m willing to stand there and say...
12 tags
Cool Means Cold!
When you’re talking to someone, do the words you use matter—or the meaning of the words you use? Is it form or function? The point of words is to communicate, whether in written or spoken form. They do not exist to simply exist. God did not choose to speak to us through another way, but through words, because words communicate.
Unfortunately, with the tower of Babel simplicity, and to some...
11 tags
The Church of Silat Ryu Kai Jitsu Do Fu
Or how everything seems the same….
I’m involved in martial arts. I’m involved in church. Here are similarities between the two and the way people interact with them. (MA stands for Martial Arts.) I’m sure with more thought this could be written more eloquently but it’s not intended to be eloquent or condemning as much as just fun to consider. Hopefully you can excuse...
January 2012
1 post
5 tags
Hmmm... Giving?!
Dear Pastor;
I’m confused… You just used 2 Cor 9:6 as a basis for your teaching today…
“My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.”
...
December 2011
2 posts
10 tags
Everything is a mission (if it's sexy)
Having spent some time in the Christian Church (and I still am btw) this is only meant as a critique or something to think about. It is not meant as an indictment. What happens AFTER people consider this is on them…
If you’ve been part of the church for any length of time, and particularly evangelical churches, you know that once a year there is going to be a missions month or...
7 tags
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is defined as “A maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one (or more) of the following, occurring within a 12-month period:
Recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home…” *1
It can be a horrible thing that can tear apart families,...
October 2011
1 post
5 tags
WatchRoad Dog Memorial 3 on Flickr. I think it would be foolish of me to try and say more about this man than he says about himself. You have left a legacy of helping children.
Goodbye friend.
September 2011
5 posts
21 tags
Reblog: Number One!
This is a reblog from my photography journal at: http://mumblingmonkeys.blogspot.com
Why? Because you guys deserve it! Go over and start following my photo blog…it’s very very lonely…..
****
Here again, this is me speaking from a Candid Portraiture and Journalistic Photographer’s perspective. The number one thing you can do to improve your photography: When you put your eye...
9 tags
More Than Photos
As I’ve had the opportunity to take photographs around the world I’ve learned a lot. For me though, the photography portion is just one part of what I experience when I travel. Sure my photography has grown quite a lot over the years (and imagine what would happen if I were consistently able to do that…). But sometimes, no matter how much my craft—dare I say my art—has grown,...
8 tags
FYI...
Just because I value you, I thought it might be good to let you in on a secret.
I’m an INTP…..
No. Seriously. Like so much so that it’s freaky… well that…and a little bit freeing to know that it’s just how I am.
If you know me at all you won’t be surprised by any of this but it still may give you some insight. When I read it in detail, not just the...
8 tags
Buy American!
No. Like my politics I’ll buy whatever I think is going to give me the best return for my decision. (BTW, cars are NOT an investment but a resource drain.)
I’m soured. Actually I’m well beyond soured almost to a point of complete resignation. However, I thought in absence of anything that I seem to able to do about my situation, that I would at least post a warning of all the...
10 tags
Over the hills and through Cameroon Post...
What can be said in words can be shown in images better for this post. Our travels have taken us through Savannah, Jungle (maybe—probably not what they consider but to me), Mountains, and forests.
Cameroon is a rich country with even more landscape than one month really allows you to see (unless you can afford airplane or helicopter). Everything from beaches, to jungles, mountains and even desert...
August 2011
9 posts
1 tag
WatchFILE0002 on Flickr. Via Flickr:
Everyday driving and traffic in Cameroon. Actually this isn’t bad at all.
27 tags
Dingo’s, Chickens, and Cockroaches—Oh My! Cameroon...
So in this blog post I am going to share with you some of the unique critters we’ve seen while traveling…. Wait a minute! Hold On! As I think about it I can’t really talk about the critters without talking about the roads, since it seems that every animal, bird, snake, etc. that is able, at one time or another can be found in the road. Soo… this journey will talk about the roads of Cameroon.
Did...
1 tag
WatchFILE0003 on Flickr. A roadside market.
1 tag
WatchFILE0010 on Flickr. ….and the overloaded truck I was telling you about…This is only one of the MANY we saw in this predicament.
1 tag
WatchFILE0020 on Flickr. This is a good road in Cameroon and probably most of Africa. We did have better but generally we also had much worse.
1 tag
WatchFILE0024 on Flickr. some more traffic fun in Cameroon.
1 tag
WatchFILE0027 on Flickr. A typical moment on the road in Cameroon.
9 tags
Cameroon Post #1—Weather
I’m going to be doing a series of blog posts on my travels to Cameroon, as much as for a journal of sorts, as to share the adventure. They will be on various aspects of Cameroon. Some of these posts have been started at another time and are just being put out because of the lack of internet, time, priority, etc.
*Just to be clear, I have not seen all of Cameroon or probably even half, but...
6 tags
Photography Post #3 or so...
Not sure if it’s my third but it’s probably around that….
Anyway, as I’m preparing to shoot in the field for the next month straight I am taking some time pre-mortem v. Post to consider some things. Hindsight, as useful as it is, doesn’t help the photos you’re about to take—unless of course you can keep the things you’ve learned and carry them forward or...
July 2011
3 posts
10 tags
It is what it is—Post #240 Designers
I started in Graphic Design and Web Design around 93 or so as an intern. At the time, graphics programs were taking hold but were not completely robust. During my time in school graphics software and computers sort of took the scene. It was a transitional period in many of the graphics programs found in colleges. I had training in Ruby Lithe, Blue lines, letraset, tech pens, etc. Very hands on...
7 tags
...and Justice For All
Most of the time it doesn’t seem like the judicial system gets much notice. It sort of goes on and on pretty much without notice until something remarkable happens. That happening can be remarkably good or bad or stupid or whatever. It’s not always bad despite what we may think right now, though I tend to notice the stupid stuff only. For example a judge who overthrows the vote of the...
9 tags
Formula much?
So… when you’re talking about successful anything—photography, martial arts, graphic design, etc.—whatever it is. Why is that we ultimately end up taking our successes and working them over and over, making formulas from them? As if replication will always yield success. Magic solutions.
For example, A photo of a model in front of a demolished or dilapidated building. I get the...
June 2011
9 posts
10 tags
Story!
The more interesting photographs to me, especially from a photojournalistic angle, tell a story. They aren’t portraits per se, they aren’t product shots, they aren’t locations, they aren’t landscapes, they aren’t art. They are stories captured in a 2 dimensional format, the script of which is only partially written, often without the beginning or the end—leaving the...
5 tags
Get Closer... Much Closer
One of the primary lessons I’ve had to learn is to not be afraid to be in the action. Too many shots I took early on just didn’t work because I was too far away. They simply were wasted shots. Get comfortable being close and in the action.
When in doubt…get closer.
No—seriously. Get closer. Stop using a zoom, go to a prime lense 30mm or 50mm and take several steps closer. ...
4 tags
.asp for Photographers
http://mumblingmonkeys.blogspot.com/
A simple, fun, .asp styled pointer for developing as a photographer. Just for fun people! :)
Getting the right gear—Lenses
Here is a blogpost on getting the right gear.
http://mumblingmonkeys.blogspot.com/
11 tags
Do The Research.
My first overseas trip to do photograhy was complicated. I’d mostly shot studio photos (product shots) and fine art black and white photos up until that moment and even some low key portraiture.
My assignment was to do some photojournalism while on location in Indonesia. This was my first venture to south east Asia, let alone the first time I had worked in the role of photojournalist....
8 tags
The Light
My fine art photography teacher used to say that photography was all about the light. Without it, you can’t take a photograph-at least not a good one.
Ray Spicer was his name and he was responsible for shaping my viewpoint on photography, specifically black and white photography. He always said that without beautiful light you cannot have a beautiful photo. Over the course of the past...
5 tags
Interpretors??
I don’t usually dream much that I remember (yes, I know I dream Every night all you literalists, however, I remember maybe one or two a year) and because of that it’s somewhat remarkable. I enjoy them typically, even the ones that make me wake up in a sweat. There are even times that I can control the outcome of the dream and that’s a lot of fun.
I also don’t worry much about...
8 tags
Old Friend
Hi there! It’s been awhile.
You’re always there of course, I’m reminded regularly as I see you around in the lives of other friends and other happenings. In fact, not a day goes by that you aren’t there. In the morning, during the day, in the evening, and even while I sleep, but I still manage to forget you—my oldest of friends.
You are the one that brings me joy,...
30 tags
Was it a Skunk Ape?
Different parts of the U.S. have very distinct personalities as demonstrated by its inhabitants. New Yorkers are known for their unfriendly directness. Californians are known for their liberal, easy going attitudes. Texans are known for their fierce pride in their beloved state. In every case, some very distinct images come to mind. Images of Mafia, surfers, and cowboys. However, unlike the...
April 2011
1 post
19 tags
It's not an STD... Seriously!
I’m feeling itchy. like I have a subtle and continuously growing rash. The kind that says “Hey scratch me already. Stop ignoring me.” It’s not the kind of itch that needs some ointment or some lotion so let’s just stop that train…
Unfortunately, this is not a new thing for me. It happens regularly. Like the recurrence of the kind of itch that needs an...
March 2011
2 posts
5 tags
Do you hear them?
They cry out in tortured silence, desperately wanting to be heard. Too often, with no hope available from those who were meant to protect and care for them. Often betrayed by those meant to love them. Too ashamed, too embarrassed, and at times too afraid of their own voice and how it may betray them or their dark secret.
There’s no need to worry though because you probably don’t hear...
February 2011
3 posts
22 tags
WANTED: Friends, Not Acquaintances!
So the past few weeks have been ridiculous. Crazy busy at work but not so much in an interesting or fun way….just busy. Then a friend dies. Then my mom, who’s Schizophrenic, flees and stops taking her meds.
It just hasn’t been cool by any stretch of the imagination…survivable sure, but not cool.
As a result, my mind has been processing and protecting itself like crazy,...
12 tags
Shoot me in the face...
Okay, context please! I listen to Audioslave A LOT. I like Chris Cornell’s lyrics (not that I really know if he writes them all, just assuming…). Lately I’ve been thinking about this verse:
there was a man who had a face it looked alot like me i saw him in the mirror and i fought him in the street then when he turned away i shot him in the head then i came to realize i had...
13 tags
R.I.P.
Last night a friend of mine lost his life in an accident. He was a good guy who I appreciated a lot. He wasn’t perfect—he was just a guy—but he helped abused kids and that makes him my friggin hero. He’s better than thousands of others who sit on their asses and do nothing.
On top of that he was our Security Officer/Sergeant at Arms. For him though, it wasn’t a role that he put...
January 2011
2 posts
19 tags
I'm new and improved.
No—it’s true.
I’ll let you in on my secret. As of last Friday I think… I became a real live member of a church. Yeah! Seriously. I mean as of that moment I’m a better Christian it seems.
Yeah, yeah… I know that there was no church, as such, during Jesus’ time but I’m sure that he and the disciples would have joined. I mean that’s the only place you...
13 tags
Puzzled?
I’ve been needing to post for a while and haven’t had anything burning come to mind… either that’s a symptom or the actual issue. I’m not sure which, but moving right along…. (Whistles and walks away…)
Today a friend had a wedding shower and we were asked to put bits of wisdom on a piece of paper that they could share in. Some people had some really good...
December 2010
1 post
21 tags
Who has an iPorn I can use?
Alright, so I didn’t make a typo and I don’t want to use your iPorn.
Recently a friend of mine went to a class on human trafficking here in Florida (love ya Road Dog). He was shocked at how high of an occurrence it really is for men, women and children. All the ports, etc. seem to be part of it. This is an extreme over-simplification but I’ve got a lot to say.
This is a topic...
November 2010
3 posts
8 tags
Merry Christmas Jackwagon!
I don’t like the holidays really. They’ve not been all that. I don’t like all of the drama and stress that comes with the stupid season… It doesn’t make sense. It also brings up a lot of family stuff—usually.
In that regard, it seems that most people I’ve encountered claim to have dysfunctional families. As I talk to them, a lot of times the dysfunction...
23 tags
Christ...
Here’s the thing—I don’t know if I believe in Christianity as it exists right now in the Church. There, I said it, but here’s the very real other thing.
I know my life is different because I have believed in God.
I’m probably risking a lot to say this publicly, but I figure that God is big enough to handle it so hopefully everyone else I know is too. Maybe it will help...
17 tags
Dream damn it! Dream!
Psalm 119:105 — Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.
Have you ever wondered what you were going to do with your life?
Have you ever thought about what you want out of life?
Have you?
Are you the person who has their future planned or do you let it all unfold as it comes?
If you have it all figured out…well…you make my stomach turn. :)
I have to admit...
October 2010
5 posts
Ummm... you've got a weed...
The past few weeks and the past month plus have been crazy busy. Lots of travel and lots of interruptions to regular life.
That’s caused a lot of interruptions to my work out schedule. That’s sucked. I’ve tried to keep up with it by running when I could and otherwise doing exercises at home, etc. but it’s not the same.
The past few weeks I’ve barely worked out other...
14 tags
The road to Hell....
…is paved with good intentions… (H. G. Bohn)
…is wide, but the path to heaven is narrow… (Matthew 7:13 - More or less…)
…is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. (C.S. Lewis - More or less…)
…is paved with works-in-progress. (Philip Roth)
…has no tolls....
19 tags
Let the bloodletting begin!!!
Seriously.
Really, I was so inspired by pencak silat last night and the combination of this quote :
“Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.” H. L. Mencken
That I wanted to just take a minute to bask in my testosterone. It’s mine to do that. Damn to those who say otherwise!
I am a man.
Not just any...
11 tags
Maslow, I'm awake. Now what?
I’m sure this isn’t anything very new. In fact, it’s pretty old but it has struck me recently that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs psychology theory is not only visible on the micro or individual level but also in the macro societal and cultural levels.
In martial arts you see it in the development of martial arts from base destructive, self-preservation centered militaristic...
30 tags
Porn cards anyone??
Porn cards and deep fried stuff on a stick…
So here’s the thing: if you’re into gambling, porn, prostitution, and partying, Las Vegas is great! It’s really about everything opulent. It’s about excess and mostly about living in excess. It’s a representation of everything that is wrong in people. It’s appropriately called “Sin City.”
Recently I...