I watch for the game ... but most of the entertainment comes from the commercials on Super Bowl Sunday. This year Focus on the Family has purchased a 30 sec ad. The spot will feature Tim Tebow and his Mom. Here's a description from Sports Illustrated..
The ad -- paid for by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family -- is expected to recount the story of Pam Tebow's pregnancy in 1987 with a theme of "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life." After getting sick during a mission trip to the Philippines, she ignored a recommendation by doctors to abort her fifth child and gave birth to Tim, who went on to win the 2007 Heisman Trophy while helping his Florida team to two college football championships.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Protecting our homes and family's
Last Saturday night my sense of security was shaken. We live in a nice neighborhood and have never had any real problems, Until three doors down from us someone kicked in the front door. Thankfully no one was hurt .. but they didn't catch the person who did it. The next afternoon was spent checking around the house and making sure that it was secure. Here are some tips to help make your home secure.
Although there's no way to guarantee you won't be a victim, there are ways to minimize your risk. Here are 10 ways to make your home unattractive to burglars:
1. Think like a crook. Look for places that get dark at night, that have access or aren't easily visible to neighbors or from the street. These are places where a burglar might lurk.
2. Trim shrubbery. Overgrown landscaping appeals to a burglar, who can lurk behind shrubbery and slip into a first-story or basement window without being seen by a neighbor, Polak said. Trim and thin out shrubbery to the point where no one can hide behind it.
3. Shine a light. Don't give burglars a dark place to lurk, Polak said. Landscape and path lighting and motion-detecting floodlights can work together so crooks have nowhere to hide. Pay attention to lighting indoors, too. Set lights on a timer, and change the timing frequently to keep burglars from detecting your daily routines.
4. Be alarming. A security system is one of the best ways to protect your home, Polak said. The presence of one makes burglars think twice before trying to break in.
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5. Keep 'em guessing. "Don't establish any patterns," Polak said. "If a burglar can't be sure of when you're coming or going, they're less likely to strike your house." A dog or cat moving around the home may confuse a burglar. A home-automation system, which can be integrated with a security system, can automate everything from lights and televisions to blinds. If you're going away, even for a weekend, don't let mail, packages, circulars or newspapers accumulate. Ask a relative, friend or neighbor to drop by at different times.
6. Be a good neighbor. Get acquainted with your neighbors, and offer to keep an eye on their homes while they're away. Know where they're going and when they'll be back, and get a contact phone number. If something doesn't look right while you're keeping an eye on things, if someone who appears to be in a utility-company uniform doesn't seem legit, trust your gut and don't be afraid to call the police, Polak said.
7. Look out below. Basement windows are a vulnerable point for older homes, Polak said. They're often single-pane glass with flimsy metal frames, and the opening is big enough for an average-sized adult to slip through. Polak recommends replacing those old windows with glass block for better security. Glass block also offers better privacy and energy efficiency.
8. Deny access. Make sure the locks on doors and windows are secure, and check them before leaving the house. The most common mistake people make is leaving the door to the house from the attached garage unlocked, Mickalide said. "They figure the garage door is locked, no point in locking the inside door," she said. "But if the garage door is breached or left open, a burglar can waltz right in."
9. Go around the back. The back of the house isn't visible from the street and can offer some tantalizing ways for a burglar to get in. Sliding doors are the easiest way to gain entry, so make sure they're always locked. Some people put boards or rods at the base of the slider to keep it from being opened. Don't ever leave a ladder outdoors — a burglar can climb up one to an unlocked second-story window.
10. Think safety, as well as security. Although a deadbolt lock that opens with a key from the inside may be the most secure, a turning deadbolt is better, because it permits a quick exit in the event of a fire or other emergency, Mickalide said. Bars on your windows may keep burglars out, but they can keep you in, too. If you must have bars, get the ones that allow you to open them easily from the inside, and practice doing it so you don't panic in an emergency. "Don't ever impede your exit from the house," Mickalide said.
By Melissa Hebert
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer
Although there's no way to guarantee you won't be a victim, there are ways to minimize your risk. Here are 10 ways to make your home unattractive to burglars:
1. Think like a crook. Look for places that get dark at night, that have access or aren't easily visible to neighbors or from the street. These are places where a burglar might lurk.
2. Trim shrubbery. Overgrown landscaping appeals to a burglar, who can lurk behind shrubbery and slip into a first-story or basement window without being seen by a neighbor, Polak said. Trim and thin out shrubbery to the point where no one can hide behind it.
3. Shine a light. Don't give burglars a dark place to lurk, Polak said. Landscape and path lighting and motion-detecting floodlights can work together so crooks have nowhere to hide. Pay attention to lighting indoors, too. Set lights on a timer, and change the timing frequently to keep burglars from detecting your daily routines.
4. Be alarming. A security system is one of the best ways to protect your home, Polak said. The presence of one makes burglars think twice before trying to break in.
advertising
5. Keep 'em guessing. "Don't establish any patterns," Polak said. "If a burglar can't be sure of when you're coming or going, they're less likely to strike your house." A dog or cat moving around the home may confuse a burglar. A home-automation system, which can be integrated with a security system, can automate everything from lights and televisions to blinds. If you're going away, even for a weekend, don't let mail, packages, circulars or newspapers accumulate. Ask a relative, friend or neighbor to drop by at different times.
6. Be a good neighbor. Get acquainted with your neighbors, and offer to keep an eye on their homes while they're away. Know where they're going and when they'll be back, and get a contact phone number. If something doesn't look right while you're keeping an eye on things, if someone who appears to be in a utility-company uniform doesn't seem legit, trust your gut and don't be afraid to call the police, Polak said.
7. Look out below. Basement windows are a vulnerable point for older homes, Polak said. They're often single-pane glass with flimsy metal frames, and the opening is big enough for an average-sized adult to slip through. Polak recommends replacing those old windows with glass block for better security. Glass block also offers better privacy and energy efficiency.
8. Deny access. Make sure the locks on doors and windows are secure, and check them before leaving the house. The most common mistake people make is leaving the door to the house from the attached garage unlocked, Mickalide said. "They figure the garage door is locked, no point in locking the inside door," she said. "But if the garage door is breached or left open, a burglar can waltz right in."
9. Go around the back. The back of the house isn't visible from the street and can offer some tantalizing ways for a burglar to get in. Sliding doors are the easiest way to gain entry, so make sure they're always locked. Some people put boards or rods at the base of the slider to keep it from being opened. Don't ever leave a ladder outdoors — a burglar can climb up one to an unlocked second-story window.
10. Think safety, as well as security. Although a deadbolt lock that opens with a key from the inside may be the most secure, a turning deadbolt is better, because it permits a quick exit in the event of a fire or other emergency, Mickalide said. Bars on your windows may keep burglars out, but they can keep you in, too. If you must have bars, get the ones that allow you to open them easily from the inside, and practice doing it so you don't panic in an emergency. "Don't ever impede your exit from the house," Mickalide said.
By Melissa Hebert
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Bible and Cell Phones
From Pastor Greg Laurie ... Wow after I read this .... Conviction about how often I pick up my cell phone instead of my bible.
Have you noticed how much cell phones are a part of our lives now? It seems like everyone has them, even the children.
My granddaughter Stella has a Dora the Explorer toy phone where Dora asks you a question. Then when you are answering, she seems to become disinterested and changes the subject quickly. Then she says she is your best friend and hangs up!
I was a bit offended until I reminded myself that it is, after all, a computer chip I am interacting with, not the real Dora (who herself is simply a drawing).
Next, they will have cell phones for dogs and cats, though I am not sure the latter would ever use them.
Rudeness
I was with some friends the other night and everyone was reading texts and e-mails on their iPhones, so I texted them a question. I figured that wold be the best way to communicate.
When cell phones first came out, they were enormous, about the size of a World War II walkie talkie with a battery life of about eight minutes. Now they are so small and powerful, with the ability to check e-mails, play video games, take photos and videos, and send text messages.
Sometimes they even make phone calls! (Though mine does not do that function particularly well and often drops calls)
We take our phones with us everywhere, we consult them constantly, and we panic when the battery begins to fade. We can’t seem to live without them!
What if we treated our Bible like our cell phone?
Someone sent me an e-mail that asks the fascinating question, “What if we treated our Bible like our cell phone?” So check this out.
Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carried it around in our purse or pocket?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go . . . Hmm, where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
Makes you stop and think, where are my priorities?
And no dropped calls!
Have you noticed how much cell phones are a part of our lives now? It seems like everyone has them, even the children.
My granddaughter Stella has a Dora the Explorer toy phone where Dora asks you a question. Then when you are answering, she seems to become disinterested and changes the subject quickly. Then she says she is your best friend and hangs up!
I was a bit offended until I reminded myself that it is, after all, a computer chip I am interacting with, not the real Dora (who herself is simply a drawing).
Next, they will have cell phones for dogs and cats, though I am not sure the latter would ever use them.
Rudeness
I was with some friends the other night and everyone was reading texts and e-mails on their iPhones, so I texted them a question. I figured that wold be the best way to communicate.
When cell phones first came out, they were enormous, about the size of a World War II walkie talkie with a battery life of about eight minutes. Now they are so small and powerful, with the ability to check e-mails, play video games, take photos and videos, and send text messages.
Sometimes they even make phone calls! (Though mine does not do that function particularly well and often drops calls)
We take our phones with us everywhere, we consult them constantly, and we panic when the battery begins to fade. We can’t seem to live without them!
What if we treated our Bible like our cell phone?
Someone sent me an e-mail that asks the fascinating question, “What if we treated our Bible like our cell phone?” So check this out.
Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carried it around in our purse or pocket?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go . . . Hmm, where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
Makes you stop and think, where are my priorities?
And no dropped calls!
Monday, January 18, 2010
TV Crew Helps Rescue Baby From Rubble
Proof your prayers mean so much .. A 16 month old girl pulled out of a destroyed home, three days after the earthquake hit. If you would like to give and help out .. click here
Friday, January 15, 2010
Pants on the Ground and MLK
This week on American Idol, 62-year-old novelty rapper General Larry Platt upstaged all the "real" singers on the Atlanta auditions episode with his instantly viral hit, "Pants On The Ground." But Platt is not just some William Hungian TV clown angling for 15 minutes of YouTube fame. His real legacy in fact extends all the way back to the '60s, when he was a teenage crusader for the Civil Rights Movement in Georgia.
Platt was actually a student of Martin Luther King Jr. back in the day, which makes the timing of his sudden fame quite interesting, given that next Monday is MLK Day. In the early '60s when he was only 16 (see the 16-year-old Platt in the photograph here; he's the one on the far left), he worked with activist groups like the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight racial segregation in the South. He was even beaten while participating in the infamous "Bloody Sunday" protest march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama.
Posted Thu Jan 14, 2010 1:53pm PST by Lyndsey Parker in Reality Rocks
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
2nd Annual Rock and Worship Road Show!!!
Tour Dates for Rock and Worship Roadshow 2010 (dates subject to change)
March 18, 2010 Indianapolis, IN
March 19, 2010 Madison, WI
March 20, 2010 Council Bluffs, IA
March 21, 2010 Colorado Springs, CO
March 23, 2010 Billings, MT
March 25, 2010 Tacoma, WA
March 26, 2010 Portland, OR
March 27, 2010 Boise, ID
March 28, 2010 Spokane, WA
March 31, 2010 Bakersfield, CA
April 1, 2010 Fresno, CA
April 2, 2010 Sacramento, CA
April 8, 2010 Long Beach, CA
April 9, 2010 Ontario, CA
April 10, 2010 Phoenix, AZ
April 11, 2010 Las Vegas, NV
April 13, 2010 Albuquerque, NM
April 15, 2010 Oklahoma City, OK
April 16, 2010 Dallas, TX
April 17, 2010 Tulsa, OK
April 18, 2010 San Antonio, TX
April 22, 2010 Cedar Rapids, IA
April 23, 2010 Ft. Wayne, IN
April 24, 2010 Columbus, OH
April 25, 2010 Columbia, SC
Monday, January 11, 2010
Presidential Proclamation - National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Human Trafficking is a real problem. I have seen children that have been victims of this. The devastation that is causes is horrifying. Props to our President for this proclamation..
A PROCLAMATION
The United States was founded on the principle that all people are born with an unalienable right to freedom -- an ideal that has driven the engine of American progress throughout our history. As a Nation, we have known moments of great darkness and greater light; and dim years of chattel slavery illuminated and brought to an end by President Lincoln's actions and a painful Civil War. Yet even today, the darkness and inhumanity of enslavement exists. Millions of people worldwide are held in compelled service, as well as thousands within the United States. During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we acknowledge that forms of slavery still exist in the modern era, and we recommit ourselves to stopping the human traffickers who ply this horrific trade.
As we continue our fight to deliver on the promise of freedom, we commemorate the Emancipation Proclamation, which became effective on January 1, 1863, and the 13th Amendment, which was sent to the States for ratification on February 1, 1865. Throughout the month of January, we highlight the many fronts in the ongoing battle for civil rights -- including the efforts of our Federal agencies; State, local, and tribal law enforcement partners; international partners; nonprofit social service providers; private industry and nongovernmental organizations around the world who are working to end human trafficking.
The victims of modern slavery have many faces. They are men and women, adults and children. Yet, all are denied basic human dignity and freedom. Victims can be abused in their own countries, or find themselves far from home and vulnerable. Whether they are trapped in forced sexual or labor exploitation, human trafficking victims cannot walk away, but are held in service through force, threats, and fear. All too often suffering from horrible physical and sexual abuse, it is hard for them to imagine that there might be a place of refuge.
We must join together as a Nation and global community to provide that safe haven by protecting victims and prosecuting traffickers. With improved victim identification, medical and social services, training for first responders, and increased public awareness, the men, women, and children who have suffered this scourge can overcome the bonds of modern slavery, receive protection and justice, and successfully reclaim their rightful independence.
Fighting modern slavery and human trafficking is a shared responsibility. This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, we can and must end this most serious, ongoing criminal civil rights violation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2010 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, culminating in the annual celebration of National Freedom Day on February 1. I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the vital role we can play in ending modern slavery, and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
A PROCLAMATION
The United States was founded on the principle that all people are born with an unalienable right to freedom -- an ideal that has driven the engine of American progress throughout our history. As a Nation, we have known moments of great darkness and greater light; and dim years of chattel slavery illuminated and brought to an end by President Lincoln's actions and a painful Civil War. Yet even today, the darkness and inhumanity of enslavement exists. Millions of people worldwide are held in compelled service, as well as thousands within the United States. During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we acknowledge that forms of slavery still exist in the modern era, and we recommit ourselves to stopping the human traffickers who ply this horrific trade.
As we continue our fight to deliver on the promise of freedom, we commemorate the Emancipation Proclamation, which became effective on January 1, 1863, and the 13th Amendment, which was sent to the States for ratification on February 1, 1865. Throughout the month of January, we highlight the many fronts in the ongoing battle for civil rights -- including the efforts of our Federal agencies; State, local, and tribal law enforcement partners; international partners; nonprofit social service providers; private industry and nongovernmental organizations around the world who are working to end human trafficking.
The victims of modern slavery have many faces. They are men and women, adults and children. Yet, all are denied basic human dignity and freedom. Victims can be abused in their own countries, or find themselves far from home and vulnerable. Whether they are trapped in forced sexual or labor exploitation, human trafficking victims cannot walk away, but are held in service through force, threats, and fear. All too often suffering from horrible physical and sexual abuse, it is hard for them to imagine that there might be a place of refuge.
We must join together as a Nation and global community to provide that safe haven by protecting victims and prosecuting traffickers. With improved victim identification, medical and social services, training for first responders, and increased public awareness, the men, women, and children who have suffered this scourge can overcome the bonds of modern slavery, receive protection and justice, and successfully reclaim their rightful independence.
Fighting modern slavery and human trafficking is a shared responsibility. This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, we can and must end this most serious, ongoing criminal civil rights violation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2010 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, culminating in the annual celebration of National Freedom Day on February 1. I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the vital role we can play in ending modern slavery, and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
more than you've ever wanted to know about Tenth Avenue North
The guys from Tenth Ave North tell the story of how they became a band... check out the interview here
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