New Blog Page Coming SOONOctober 19
We are going to have a new blog page up here really soon, to allow you guys to comment each blog, and to allow for better organization and stuff.Keep checking back for the updates.PEACEDoug


Children's Television October 18
I thought this was funny. My friend Chase, who is a senior in high school, was showing a group of high school aged people this video and they thought it was hilarious. When I came over I realized it's one of the shows that Jaxon loves to watch. I'm just glad I'm not the only one that found it so ridiculous.


Pro-EdOctober 18
Today is going to be a good day, I can tell already. And not because I won anything from the stupid Monopoly McDonalds game, because I resisted (go me). It's good because when I got to class I checked our statistics for the website and saw that we had a record number of people visit the site yesterday. Which probably means that the rest of my family has figured out that there are pictures of my son on here, and came to look at them. But I'm also in a good mood because I got a neat reminder in my ethics class today. We started a discussion about abortion (big ethical issue) and all but two people had raised their hand for being pro-choice. After extensive education as to what abortions really look like and how they are performed, and all that jazz, almost no one would admit to being pro-choice. There could be a number of reasons that they didn't raise their hand at the conclusion of today's class, but I liked the reminder: that education on a topic, no matter how "controversial" or "personal", does force people to reexamine their beliefs. I hope I am doing some of that in youth ministry as well. And I hope I continue to allow myself to be educated on topics I think I already know.PEACEDoug

Children's Television October 18
I thought this was funny. My friend Chase, who is a senior in high school, was showing a group of high school aged people this video and they thought it was hilarious. When I came over I realized it's one of the shows that Jaxon loves to watch. I'm just glad I'm not the only one that found it so ridiculous.

Pro-EdOctober 18
Today is going to be a good day, I can tell already. And not because I won anything from the stupid Monopoly McDonalds game, because I resisted (go me). It's good because when I got to class I checked our statistics for the website and saw that we had a record number of people visit the site yesterday. Which probably means that the rest of my family has figured out that there are pictures of my son on here, and came to look at them. But I'm also in a good mood because I got a neat reminder in my ethics class today. We started a discussion about abortion (big ethical issue) and all but two people had raised their hand for being pro-choice. After extensive education as to what abortions really look like and how they are performed, and all that jazz, almost no one would admit to being pro-choice. There could be a number of reasons that they didn't raise their hand at the conclusion of today's class, but I liked the reminder: that education on a topic, no matter how "controversial" or "personal", does force people to reexamine their beliefs. I hope I am doing some of that in youth ministry as well. And I hope I continue to allow myself to be educated on topics I think I already know.PEACEDoug

This turned my frown upside down October 17

I just reread this...I apologize October 17
Today has been busy, hopefully things calm down next week. Although I doubt it. We hit a snag in the hoody production, and I hope it all works out but I'm not happy about it at all. That is why I'm venting to you guys. I hate when nothing you want to do is "possible". I'm told that constantly "that just isn't possible" well, if I believed that every time I heard it what would my life look like? I wouldn't be married because high school sweet hearts don't really work out. Kids at such a young age are out of the question because I have my whole life for that. I couldn't work at a church because it's not possible to make enough money to sustain a family while working at something you love, you have to get a real job. Don't even think of giving 10% of your income to the church because it isn't possible to survive like that, it is a neat idea, just not possible. Oh and don't even think of starting a crazy company with a friend, it'd be great to make some money doing something else you love, but (everyone together now!) "it just isn't possible.I realize I'm ranting, but I'm so proud of myself for going back to school while raising my son, growing closer to my wife, helping kids grow closer to Jesus, and having this business all while loving God first. It is possible to do what you were meant to. And I want my hoodyTHE WAY I WANT IT!PEACEDoug

free time filled October 16
I actually have a free 9 minutes before I have to go finish homework and get going to class. So I thought I'd write a quick blog for you guys. All this free time gave me just enough time to scan some fun reads online. I read another cool article in Business Week it's a top ten list for video game creators, here's a quick blurb, you can get the rest here."1. Never ask a player if they want to save their game...2. Always say "press any button" to start a game...3. Always let players remap controller buttons to suit their preferences."It is kind of nitpicky but I liked it because it makes me feel connected to the video game world I've lost touch with (I'm not really complaining). If any of you are Dane Cook fans, you've probably already seen this but my mother-in-law showed me this and I thought it was funny. enjoy
PEACEDoug

ScarbucksOctober 15
Looking more closely at the wound, it looks a bit like an "S". Apparently he's only going to have the stitches in until Friday. That is a really short amount of time, which makes me happy. Well I have a good 3 hours of homework to do today. So I've done my online reading early while Jaxon was watching the Doodle Bops. This is what I found that excited me, then made me sad, because I can't enjoy the perks. I can only be jealous of the innovative stuff starbucks and apple are doing. I wish I were innovative!
PEACEDoug

a day of adventuEROctober 14
Well, it has happened. I've had to take my son to the emergency room. I was sitting with him on my lap, and when he went to slide off the chair he did a nose dive into a corner of the wooden molding. It left a kind of hole just above his right eyebrow, I then went into panic mode. I'm not going to act like I was in control, but I think I handled it rather well. He didn't have a concussion or any brain trauma, he just had to have 4 stitches put in. The doctor said it was a star shaped wound ...yuck. Every 4-5 minutes I replay the whole thing in my mind and feel sick and guilty, but this is what boys are like ...I guess I have to get used to it. Because of my stressful day I did eat a few servings of ice cream on my mother's advice, to relieve my anxiety, so who knows what I'll weigh tomorrow probably 200lbs. I'll let you know.
PEACEDoug

TitleOctober 13
I'm sorry, we forgot to bring our camera, so I didn't get any candid shots from the shoot today, but we'll get the real stuff up here fairly soon so don't hate me (hate Matt if you want though). It was a lot of fun. We were suppose to be doing the shots on top of a building in down town Dport but, as we were leaving it started to rain so we just went to the studio and took pictures in there. It was done in a proffesional manner, but we got to have a hand in what we did and how, which was great! All in all, I think I you guys are going to love the results, especially those of you who participated in it. If you wanted to be involved but couldn't, don't lose heart we will surely do another one in the future, and hopefully it'll be just as productive!
PEACEDoug

Stop or I'll shootOctober 13
Oh my. For some reason I'm not jittery with excitement. I'm moderatley pumped, but mostly because I have something fun to do today. I know that once we get started and taking pictures I'll be elated. Then once I get the pictures I'll be insane with happiness. I'll post some candid shots from the shoot later today. So check back.
PEACEDoug

Parents are cluelessOctober 12
I stumbled across this website assuming I wouldn't appreciate it. But, I was pleasantly surprised. It lets parents and kids both share their secrets, their fears, and their feelings anonymously. I read it, and saw that some parents are selfish and mess up, and saw that some teens are thoughtful and on the right track. I saw hurt from parents that are shut out of their kids lives, and fear that they are making the same mistakes their parents did. I saw youth reaching out for someone to tell them they are loved. It is a neat and simple site. I think any family that is willing to go just look at the site together would benefit.
PEACEDoug

Don't throw plasma gernades at your teacher October 12
Sorry for not posting anything yesterday, I thought since I posted twice on Wednesday, and that the second was at 11:52 that it would count for Thursday's, I was wrong I'm sorry.Well thanks to Reed for giving his opinion on Halo 3 being used in churches. He brought the "killing aliens made of pixels" arguement, which I appreciate, he contrasted this idea with Grand Theft Auto, and how realistic it is unlike the fantasy space adventure of Halo. I feel pretty much the same way. If you see a Brute walking down the street you have my support in grabbing the nearest needler and busting a fantastical cap in his booty. But! I don't like that something rated for 17 year olds is available in churches for younger students. That is a little shady. I bet I could get just as many people to come to a video game tournament if I were offering Smash Bros, or Madden as the games. I'm a believer along with Reed, that Halo is great, and if I play it at home, I shouldn't be ashamed to play in church. I've heard the same violence arguements with mixed martial arts, but I've seen that work in crazy ways, where nothing else could. So to prove my point I've provided a video that has nothing to do with what I've been talking about. Enjoy.
PEACEDoug

I'll give you my opinion just quit emailing meOctober 10
Because of the huge response I got from my Halo 3 questions, I am going to give a quick run down of what I believe:1. I believe I did not recieve a single email about Halo 3 so I'm not even going to waste my finger strength on typing about it.2. I believe I'm tired (it is 11:52)3. I believe my dad is the only one who reads this blog (hi dad! Tell Haley I said happy birthday, since she doesn't have a phone I couldn't get a hold of her.)
PEACEDoug

Peace of Christ be with you October 10
The New York Times had an article that brought up some great points about churches using Halo, a very violent game rated M for 17 or older (I can hear my Composition Prof in the back of my mind, telling me that an author said this not the New York Times.) You can view the whole article by clicking here but here is a quick snippet of what I though was especially fun:"The alliance of popular culture and evangelism is challenging churches much as bingo games did in the 1960s. And the question fits into a rich debate about how far churches should go to reach young people.Far from being defensive, church leaders who support Halo — despite its “thou shalt kill” credo — celebrate it as a modern and sometimes singularly effective tool. It is crucial, they say, to reach the elusive audience of boys and young men." It demands an answer, that's why I like it. Is Halo evil? Is it ok at home but not in church? Why should it not be used? I'd like to here what you think. Contact me (click here) to let me know your thoughts and I'll tell you what I think tomorrow.
PEACEDoug

McDonalds Super Diet October 9
Matt's Blog rating:He has now done a blog without a video, or dumb picture, that's an improvement. Also he has added a title, I wonder why... However, "Alot" is not one word, so that takes a lot of points off for not using spell check. What a rookie mistake! I hope we can continue to be friends after this blog feud is over. In other news I'm at 188.5 lbs, so I'm going to try to get to 175 so I can maybe show a picture of me with a six pack to Jaxon so he will believe me when I say I used to have muscles. So, I went to McDonalds this morning before class, even though I'm trying to lose weight, I just can't resist the Monopoly game. It is the BEST marketing ever. I don't even like McDonalds but I go there just to play the stupid game. If eNGedi ever did anything that smart, marketing wise, we'd be millionaires in a year (It makes me sad, because I know it'll never happen.) Hopefully I'll just get a boardwalk piece and win the million that way...why not...
PEACEDoug

Retro Mondays October 8
Well it looks like Matt finally figured out what a blog is. I can only assume someone emailed him and told him that it wasn't just posting stupid videos from the internet, but instead saying things...like what you're thinking and what's going on. Or maybe he just figured it out all by himself after finally running out of funny links from ebaumsworld.com that he could steal. But besides making fun of my motivation to lose weight and get into better shape, he has at least caught onto a great sitcom...so good for you Matt.But enough about Matt being a turd, I was sitting here setting up my new webcam so I can have video calls with Simon who's in Colorado Springs, and Liz just went over to the wii and started playing old school Super Mario Bros. from the original NES. I don't know why, but I just thought, even though she can't get to the 4th world, and she dies at EVERY hammer brother she comes to...that's pretty hott that she is playing the game that started my video game adventure.
PEACEDoug
PS: I like that Matt, saying PEACE at the end of your articles in all caps. I should start doing that...

This week in footballOctober 7
Iowa lost, KC lost...but I got to watch a lot of football, so that's good. I also went bowling today, not something I do that often in the real world, but I do bowl a lot on my wii. Bowling in real life isn't nearly as much fun, and I'm much worse when I have to throw a real ball that weighs more than my head...it hurts my muscles (they don't get used very often.)I think I'm going to start working out and letting everyone see my results each week on here, so I have some accountability. If I start gaining weight back or not working out, then you guys have every right to email me and tell me what a lazy bum I am.Reed since you're the only one that I know of that actually reads this stuff, it's all up to you my friend...BE MY ROCK! Then when I am cut and in awesome shape I'll give you all the credit.
PEACEDoug

mess with me IKEA your car October 6
Today is that day that you dream of after a long week at work, Saturday! A day where sitting around and doing nothing is celebrated with college football and a cold Diet Dr. Pepper. But, just when you thought Saturday couldn't get any better, the IKEA magazine comes and you get to look through it while you wait for the Iowa game to be on the Big Ten Network. Now if Iowa wins this will be the second greatest Saturday of my life. (the first greatest was the Saturday that I got a car for my birthday, along with Mortal Kombat III for my Sega, had mashed potatoes for dinner and watched the "Saved by the Bell" movie, where Kelly and Zack get married in Vegas. I love that one)
PEACEDoug
PS: REEDIZZLE

checking out competitors October 5
I like to go around to different websites and see what is new with them and what cool new ideas they are coming up with. Sometimes when I do that, I find stuff that isn't the best idea too. Here is an example of something I would not try, especially if I were planning on taking a plane ride anytime soon. I think that's funny. Got my grapes my pear, and of course my handgun next to my salad dressing.On another note, I've been researching cancer lately. Not for any serious reason, just because I think I'm going to do a sermon series on it sometime soon. Cancer is a crazy thing, but there are some things we can learn from it, if you can get beyond the ugly side of the metaphor(death). So, that has been VERY interesting. Cancer is a crazy thing. I'll let you guys know the cool things I come up with as it happens.
PEACEDoug

first blog ever! October 4
Alright, this is my first ever blog attempt, I figured since I give updates to business stuff on the news page I'll try to keep that and this seperate. So, this will be more about me and less about eNGedi, but don't be super surprised if it overlaps a little. All I know is my side is better than Matt's, and since I run the website, I get to read his blog before it goes on the site. So, I will be stealing his thoughts before anyone knows they are his thoughts...and claiming full credit for neat videos and things he wants to show people. HAHA good luck finding out what is mine and what I just took from him.
But I did run across a really cool video that made me immediately think of eNGedi and my responsibility as a person in the clothing industry (even in the smallest capacity). Just a neat video that makes you think about fashion and what we listen to as far as marketing goes. Makes you think, hope you like it.
PEACEDoug