I’m really excited about the show. We have a great cast and an outstanding line-up of sketches. Even the few “controversial” sketches have turned out well. I don’t think they’ll get banned, so that’s a good thing.

We will be practicing the video sketches next week since they must be filmed on the 30th. Newt McNewsy will be back with more interesting character interviews, and we have some new videos that are sure to entertain the crowd. Now if we can make sure we don’t injure any cheerleaders this year, we’ll be in good shape. Wish us luck!

By the way, DVDs of Pirates of Patmos are now available. You can order copies at ALC. Also, And Then There Was One is being performed by Truth Tabernacle Church in Denison this weekend. It’s a dinner theater show. Performances are on Friday and Saturday nights. If you don’t have anything to do (and you don’t mind the drive), check it out.

1. Friday at Texas De Brazil. A good night with family and friends to celebrate Kevin’s birthday.
2. Saturday. Worked on SNL and went to Adventure Landing with the young married’s group. I haven’t been there in years, but it was fun. We drove go karts, played some putt putt (I won…amazing!), and had a late dinner at Chili’s.
3. Sunday. Had two good services led by Jeff M and Echo. Our pastor and his wife are enjoying some vacation time in Mexico. After service, we headed to the mall for a quick shopping trip, then met my family for dinner.
4. Tropic Thunder. Caught an early evening showing of Ben Stiller’s new movie. It wasn’t what I was expecting, and the humor is geared more towards the male audience. However, it did have some really funny moments. The movie definitely earns the R rating, so it’s not for everyone. Tropic Thunder has some great cameos and even though I strongly dislike Tom Cruise, his appearances in this film were hilarious.

Well, that’s my weekend in review. It’s amazing how quickly time flies when you’re having fun.

Have a good Monday everyone!

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water , they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Sometimes I wonder whether I’m just being stubborn. Maybe God is simply trying to get it through my thick head that I’m not supposed to go down that road. Normally, I feel guided, but not now. I am uncertain. I am frustrated. I’m seeking divine direction.

Tonight I ran across a quote from Randy Pausch, the inspiring author who achieved worldwide fame for his “The Last Lecture” speech that was delivered at Carnegie Mellon after he learned that his pancreatic cancer was terminal. It made me stop and think differently about my situation.

“The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something… because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”

While I’m not entirely certain that I’m moving in the right direction, I don’t want to be one of the “other people” either. It’s against my nature to give up when faced with a challenge so I guess I’ll keep walking until God leads me in another direction or until I find a way to scale these brick walls.

USA has taken the gold again. More specifically, Plano has taken the gold. Nastia Liukin just won the gold medal in the women’s gymnastics all-around competition at the Beijing Olympics. She trains at her family’s gymnastics club, World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, in Plano, TX. It’s the same gym where Carly Patterson (the previous winner of the all-around competition) trained. Yay Plano!

Coming in second place was another amazing girl from the USA, Shawn Johnson. Take that, China! After all the lies about the ages of the Chinese gymnasts, I feel like justice has been served. According to a news article today on Yahoo! Sports, nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government’s news agency reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13 making her ineligible to be on the team that won a gold metal earlier this week. The Chinese government states that her age was incorrect in that article. To quote Mike Myers from Wayne and Garth, “Yeah, and monkeys fly out of my butt.”

Regardless of the age controversy, the lies, and the cheating, the real champions showed up tonight and demonstrated that they can get the job done with honor, grace and integrity. I’m so proud that these are the girls representing my country.

Go USA!

Instead of dreading the future and all the uncertainty it holds, I’ve decided to embrace it. After all, there are some benefits to growing older. For example, every year that passes means I’m closer to retirement. You may laugh at that statement because I’m still relatively young, but I plan to retire early — 50 isn’t that far away. Before I know it the day will arrive, and it’s something to anticipate, not dread.

I received an email this week from a friend who retired a few years ago. She’s having the time of her life. She spent a month in Australia earlier this year and is planning to be in South Africa for almost 2 months in the Fall. Wow, isn’t that awesome? If I plan it right, that’s what the future has in store for me.

So, I’m changing my perspective and celebrating the digits being added to my age. Growing older simply means that I’m getting closer to achieving my career goals and moving to the next stage where I have the freedom to pursue my passions. What’s so bad about that?

China displayed a perfect example of this ridiculous beauty standard to the entire world last week. Just moments before the opening ceremony of the Olympics, officials determined that the 7 year old girl who was supposed to sing the Chinese national anthem, “Ode to the Motherland”, wasn’t good looking enough. Although her voice was beautiful, her chubby face and crooked baby teeth were deemed unacceptable, and she was not allowed to represent her country. Instead, a more attractive girl (a veteran of television ads) was trotted to center stage to lip sync while the less attractive girl sang behind the curtain.

When I read stories like this, it angers me. No wonder girls have self-esteem issues. They are held to an impossible standard and are judged “unworthy” if they don’t measure up. It doesn’t matter if they have a brilliant mind, a Grammy-winning voice, or a beautiful heart. All that matters is the outer appearance. It’s a shame.

Life shouldn’t be a professional beauty pageant. Women should be valued for their intellect and skills, not their attractiveness. We’ve come a long way since the “leave it to Beaver” days when women were just supposed to be pretty, bear children and keep the house clean. Yet we obviously have a long way to go until we are respected as intelligent human beings with skills and value beyond a pretty face.

All of that is about to change next year. Delta plans to launch a broadband service across its entire domestic fleet. This will open up WiFi capabilities to all passengers. They will be able to use Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs to surf the Web, check e-mail, Instant Message and access their corporate VPN. Luckily, Delta does not plan to enable voice capabilities — for now. Of course, once Internet is available I find it hard to believe that voice won’t be following soon after. Moreover, Delta is not the only airline carrier planning to offer WiFi service. American Airlines has already tested the service on some of its Boeing aircraft. Southwest Airlines, Jet Blue and Alaska Airlines are also expected to trial similar services soon.

I’m conflicted about this decision. On one hand, I see the value of being able to surf the Web and be productive while you are stuck in a plane for hours. However, there’s a part of me that mourns the loss of the only place I don’t feel guilty about not being connected. On a flight, I can turn off WiFi and be free from the bondage of technology (and work). I don’t have to check my mobile device every few minutes for the next email or text. It’s a nice place, a simpler place, a haven — if only for a few hours.

Some call the inclusion of WiFi on planes “progress”; others call it productivity. I’m not sure what label to give it. Technology is wonderful. It has made my life easier in some ways, but it has also complicated many other aspects of it. This “always on, always available” technology makes it more difficult to strike a good work/life balance. In the past, work didn’t follow you home (or on a plane). Now, it follows you everywhere. Companies love it because it makes employees more productive, but the personal costs can be high.

I’m sure recreational travelers will welcome the addition of WiFi. For these travelers, it will help minimize the boredom they experience on long flights. Many business travelers will rejoice also. I see the advantages, and I’m sure I’ll use the service when it’s available. Who knows, I may be happy to be more productive while I’m in the air. Maybe it will mean that I won’t have to work quite as late when I reach my destination — that’s always a good thing.

WiFi might be a blessing in the long run, but then again it could also be a curse. Even worse, it could be the precursor to enabling voice in the cabin. Just imagine…150 people using their cell phones in flight…lovely.

For those “foodies” out there, it’s time to rejoice because this week is Restaurant Week in Dallas. What’s Restaurant Week? It’s a week when over 100 restaurants will offer three-course meals for the fixed price of $35. The meal includes an appetizer, entree and dessert. Since many of the participating restaurants are four- and five-star rated, this is a steal. Don’t feel bad for taking advantage of these fine restaurants, though, because it’s all to raise funds for local charities. A portion of the price will be donated to the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home.

Restaurant Week begins on August 11 and runs through August 17, but some restaurants are extending the offer through August 31. Reservations and required, and availability is limited. When calling, you need to request a Restaurant Week reservation.

For more information and to view a list of participating restaurants, click here.

Despite the controversy surrounding the host nation of the Olympics — including concerns over pollution, security and human rights — the games will go on. Athletes from 205 countries will represent their countries and compete to earn one of the most coveted awards in sports, the gold medal. This year, NBC will broadcast events live via the Internet. If you don’t want to wait for the tape delayed broadcast on TV, you can visit www.nbcolympics.com and watch what you want, when you want it. It’s the Olympics “ala carte” style. Simply pick and choose your events. You can even open two windows and watch multiple events at the same time. About 2,200 hours of programming will be available on the Web — impressive, huh?

Because of the time difference, while we are watching the opening ceremony on Friday night, the Olympic games will be gearing up in Beijing. To calculate the time difference, here’s an easy shortcut. Flip the a.m. and p.m. to go from Eastern time to Beijing time. Remember, it’s always ahead in China. So, 8 p.m. Friday in New York is 8 a.m. Saturday in Beijing.

The Internet viewings enable you to watch the games online Friday night and cheer on your favorite athletes while the events are occurring “live” Saturday morning in Beijing. Ah, the power of the Internet. Remind me again…why do we need broadcast TV? Oh yeah, so we can watch mindless commercials and advertisements, but that’s a different rant for another night.

Go team USA!!