The Shiny-Walled Box Thingie

This one I thought was cute...(absolutely NOTHING against the Amish, personally, btw...little disclaimer before we start..)


An Amish boy and his father were visiting a nearby mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny silver walls that moved apart and back together again by themselves. The lad asked, "What is this, father?" The father, having never seen an elevator, responded, "I have no idea what it is." While the boy and his father were watching wide-eyed, an old lady in a wheelchair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched as small circles lit up above the walls. The walls opened up again and a beautiful twenty-four-year-old woman stepped out. The father looked at his son anxiously and said, "Go get your mother."

PARADOX!

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.
He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.
He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.
He had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

--Author Unknown


HAPPY EASTER!!

Not Getting Any Younger...

although thank God i still look it..somehow this pic looks more like i'm turning 22, then 28..but, hey..that means that when i turn 40, i'll look like i'm 35? time certainly WILL tell.

Well, that's how fast a year goes...

Wow, this is a time when you can tell if you're loved. My big day is today & my home & friends went out of their way to make it really special..The fact that my B'day is the day before Easter Sunday this year also makes it memorable..

This is the halfway point, but tomorrow I'll do an Easter post, so I figured it best to post B'day happenings now...

The celebrations started a day early this year with a boys bowling trip in my honor (this was meant to be a surprise but someone accidentally told me where we were going just before we left..)..anyways, just as well I didn't take any pics because I LOST..came in last of the 4..but hey, I enjoyed it anyway..

Then it was back home & off to the squash court where I had my 2nd loss of the day, but this time to Martin...great fun, though..played best out of 5 & he won 3..

After a full 2 hours of that it was back home to a delicious dinner (not in my honor--remember it's still not actually my B'day) & then off to the club for a drink to ring in my B'day.

My A. Darice has her B'day the day before mine, so I was able to call her in the States before I went out & surprise her...also got my first pre-B'day wishes from her..





This morning I was awoken to the Birthday song & told of a "surprise" downstairs...aye, that it was..a FULL BRUNCH (pictured) where everyone sang for me, appreciated all the things they liked about me & made me feel all "warm/fuzzy"..



I thank God for bringing me through another year...I thank Him for equipping me & empowering me with the Keys to His Kingdom & the power of Heaven that helps me in all I do..I thank Him for bringing hardships, tests, challenges, trials, sickness, loneliness, etc. into my life this year, as it helped me appreciate the love, joy, friendship, family, health, blessings, bountiful provision, miracles & beauty in my life even more..

Thank You for another year, Jesus!
(a little prose now & then is always good, ain't it?)

somehow last year's B'day treats repeated...Also had Pizza & Chapman on my 27th. Just chance, funny enough..



I'll end this post with the B'day greeting I recieved from a dear friend named Joy C. who happened to be the sender of my first e-B'day-card this year (1st of 4 so far). Love you, Joy! Your card really touched me & made me feel special. ;)


Dear Brian,
Happy Birthday! I am praying that the Lord makes this year really special and unforgettable. I miss you. Thank you for all the fun, joy, and laugher that we've shared. You are such a good friend. Thank you for taking the time to always listen to me and hear my problems. When I think of March 22nd, I thank the Lord that He chose that date to create an amazing person like you.
I love you.
Joy

Tagged 2!

Ok, this is probably cheating, as she said some "thing"...but this is someone..

Jolene is the cutest baby around & everyone's absolute favorite...she's incredibly smart too & so easy to take care of...I manage to get time with her about 1x in a week when I'm home & for some reason there's no-one else to take care of her (as bad as that sounds)...

We, of course, have the funnest times together & I always look forward to the next..

She is affectionately nicknamed by me "The Shmooch"..(that's right--you can't pronounce that) other nicknames are "Pooches", "Cuteness", etc.

Tagged!

A few weeks ago Curly Cel tagged me:

Hey, Brian, you seem like someone who could have a cool story to tell with this one. - I tag you! ;)

"Show me a special something--something that is important or beautiful or meaningful or full of memories for you--or all of that--and tell me about it. Absolutely anything!! Take a photo of it! =D"

hmmmm...I'm still musing over it (actually I've long since mused over it...but then my trip post was due & now I'm seeming to find it hard to spare time to upload photos..)..

Stay tuned. Meanwhile, I already tag ALL OF YOU!! What about the rest of you? You can post your answers either here, or on Cel's blog at: mycurlythoughtsarehere.blogspot.com

February Happenings...

Well, what I really wanna talk @ is my trip to Ghana/Port-Harcourt just b4 the Feast..

Then of course the 3-day spiritual Feasting was phenomenal (one of my highlights in the year)...

Planning for the Offensive & back to full-on home life since my 2 week trip/Feasting was also worth noting...

other than that...enjoy the pics..

I won't "repeat-post" same pics of Ghana that I just posted for the young people here


but here are a few others..


this in the midst of Africa Cup of Nations, 2008... i didn't realize when i booked out my itinerary for my trip, the dates kinda fell on this event by themselves...i'm glad they did..


photographer should've stepped back a bit...now i don't remember the name of the hotel..this was to be our entrance to the beach...the hotel reminded me of Mombasa...this beach wasn't as nice as Msa ones, though...


relaxing..then i swam way out with Johannes, we swam the furthest out of everyone (there were a couple people out a couple meters behind us, but they had boogie boards)...then we had swam a little too far...because of the current it was a struggle getting back in..a little scary, actually..


Steven & Emily at their home's agriculture project...checking on the bee hives..
ironically, my battery ran out just before i got to take a pic of myself in full gear...it was quite the experience..since i didn't get a picture as a souvenir, a bee decided to sting my hand so i could have a remeberance...boy did that hurt! These African bees don't kid around...i kept that sting for about 10 days, believe it or not...

After a week there it was off 2 PH for a few days of bonding/connecting/visiting/celebrating the aip (activated incentive program) with the teens there..the fun continued...check it out..

This was actually to be the highlight for me, but the Devil had his try at stopping me from entering that leg of the trip...as i was coming into Lagos from Accra the flu that i had caught at Hattso (pronounced Hatcho) home was in full swing...i landed around 7 in the evening (see my post titled...with my head bursting (or so it felt) from the air-pressure)...didn't make it to a hotel till about 9 & thru fever/head-cold, etc. i managed to provision a discount on the hotel room & witnessed to a few of the hoteld staff & checked in my room fine...but by the time i was getting to bed, i was seriously praying about just catching a flight home (Abuja..due North from Lagos), instead of going due East, to my destination of PH where the teens were...
I actually tossled with the idea all night, between mosquito bites & exhaustion...by morning, I felt somewhat rested & claimed the power of the keys of the Kingdom that I would be completely healed as I went...I decided to go by faith.

And it worked...my "do the humble thing" for that week, was talking with the teens like a frog for the first 2 days I was there. Singing never happened at any point...when i read the prophecies the Lord gave for the teens who had finished their activated competition, I had to keep scraping my throat, apologizing, coughing, etc. ha.

But it turned out good.. check the pics...



Managed a nice dinner, between the home & the board sponsoring some treats...

Had Lebanese Bread with Humus & Baba-ganoosh (i'm sure that's not how it's spelled) for starters & then served up Kebabs, Fried Rice & Salad for the main with a nice apple/pineapple punch we made...then Jenny's carrot cake for desert..delish!


with certificates...


"But i didn't bring prizes!!"...."Just certificates!"..

more on the way..

finally...

internet was working extremely slow for the past week...

posting was near impossible..besides that, work kept me working (it has it's ways) & i could not have even if i could have (more puns)...

but it's fixed now & it's weekend...so i'm back..

funny enough these days, when i finally get a little minute to "blog" i end up perusing other blogs instead of posting anything myself...

you know, there's so much to catch up on out there &, hey, i already know what i've been up to...

but 2008 will not be "postless" for me, I promise...don't give up on me..

I'll keep seein' ya'...;)

To Love...

Just completed a thrilling/invigorating/envisioning 3-day retreat that we in the Family International hold yearly...the launch of a special new witnessing push has begun..

n-e-way, that explains my abscence since the 15th till now..

back 2 my post: a friend sent me this story...funny, i'd actually never heard it b4..may-b som of u r already familiar w/ it..it's a powerful story actually...I had no idea that Valentine's day actually has a strong history in the Christian faith & is a story of...well, u can read it 4 urself below..enjoy!


THE LEGEND OF ST. VALENTINE

The story of Valentine's Day begins in the third century with an oppressive Roman emperor and a humble Christian martyr. The emperor was Claudius II. The Christian was Valentinus.

Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship twelve gods, and he made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians. But Valentinus was so dedicated to the ideals of Christ, that not even the threat of death could keep him from practicing his belief. He was arrested and imprisoned.

During the last weeks of Valentinus's life a remarkable thing happened. Seeing that he was a man of learning, the jailer asked whether his daughter, Julia, might be brought to Valentinus for lessons. She had been blind since birth. Julia was a pretty young girl with a quick mind. Valentinus read stories of Rome's history to her. He described the world of nature to her. He taught her arithmetic, and told her about God. She began to see the world through his eyes, trusted in his wisdom, and found comfort in his quiet strength.

"Valentinus, does God really hear our prayers?" Julia asked one day.

"Yes, my child. He hears each one," he replied.

"Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night? I pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you've told me about!"

"God does what is best for us if we will only believe in Him," Valentinus said.

"Oh, Valentinus, I do believe," Julia said intensely, "I do." She knelt and grasped his hand. Then they prayed together. Suddenly there was a brilliant light in the prison cell. Radiant, Julia cried, "Valentinus, I can see, I can see!"

"Praise be to God!" Valentinus exclaimed.

On the eve of his death, Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia, urging her to stay close to God, and he signed it "From Your Valentine."

His sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 A.D., near a gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory. He was buried at what is now the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It is said that Julia herself planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near his grave. Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship. On each February 14, St. Valentine's Day, messages of affection, love and devotion are exchanged around the world.

Traveler tip..

If you can at all avoid it, don't fly with a head cold...

When landing in Lagos on my flight back from Accra, i wondered if enough pressure would actually make either my ear-drum collapse, or my head implode/explode, one or the other...

Just got back from a 10 day trip to Ghana & Port-Harcourt..doing some JT projects..

pics on the way..

New Year's Resolution 2--Nutrition & Exercise!

Firstly exercise..

I've always strived for fitness for a variety of reasons...Thank the Lord, I made it
a pretty firm habit to gym regularly last year(on average, minimum of 4 times per week, maximum of 6), with a balance of resistance & cardiovascular training...I've committed to the same this year (it's life-long really, but the thot of gyming 4 the rest of my life scares the "bejeez" out of me...i just trick myself into goals of "1 yr. @ a time"..)

Here r some of the benefits of good cardiovascular exercise & resistance training taken from research published in a recent magazine by the Family International:

Benefits of resistance (weight) training:

* Increased bone density, as well as stronger tendons & muscles, which are harder to injure & recover more quickly & easily.

* Improved balance & shock absorption, making it less likely you'll fall, or less likely to get hurt if you do fall.

* Improves your posture

* Improved ratio of muscle to fat makes it easier to maintain a proper weight; also makes your cardiovascular exercise yield faster results in weight loss.

* As people get older (for any of you who are aging), muscle mass is naturally lost, making it harder to perform even everyday duties. Weight training helps overcome this if already set in, or helps avoid it if it hasn't.

(note: this doesn't necessarily mean lifting huge weights. This is resistance training, not bodybuilding)


Benefits of any exercise:

-- Improves metabolism

-- Improves blood pressure

-- Aids in hypertension

-- Reduces body fat

-- Controls cholesterol

Sounds good to me...I think I'll stick to this resolution...


A few more benefits of exercise:

builds muscle, tendon & ligament strength; strengthens your heart & respiratory system; builds endurance; cardiovascular exercise increases blood flow & the ability of the blood to carry oxygen; increases the body's ability to use oxygen; lowers risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, and many other diseases; improves your immune system; helps you sleep better...

Benefits of eating healthy coming up...