Things I've learned from some of my experiences in life

1) If you're looking for gifts for kids, I don't recommend the latest toy or just something that "looks like it would be fun for kids."  Some things never get old, such as Nerf guns; LEGO toys/sets; knives, machetes, bokkens and practice swords, etc. (if the kids are old enough).  Kids may get tired of certain toys, but some things will last for a long time and likely provide a lot of enjoyment.

2) When giving someone a gift, it's often good to surprise them, but I think it's better to ask them what they would like, or if you know what they would like but not the model, style, etc. ask them, rather than getting something they don't like as much as something else.  For instance, if someone wants a car, knife, book, or just about anything that has more than one model, find out which specific model they want (including color and anything else).  Of course, if you can manage to ask someone what they'd like in some offhand fashion so they don't suspect anything, do so, although that may be fairly difficult to accomplish.

3) When swinging from vines, immediately stop if you hear a crack!  
If you do not because the vine is still attached to the tree and nothing seems to have happened, the vine may break when you are parallel to the ground, causing your head to hit the dirt with some force and giving you a concussion.  In fact, it might be a good idea to stay away from small vines hanging from trees altogether, or at least to not swing so that if you fall, you'll land on something other than your feet...or rear, I suppose.
On your head, for instance; not good.

And before you snicker, keep in mind that this is from quite a few years ago.

[To be continued...]

Two books by Josh Harris

You've probably heard of Josh Harris, the author of the book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye.
He's also the older brother of the twins, Alex and Brett, who wrote Do Hard Things, which I wrote a review about in the past.  I recommend his book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, as well as the sequel, boy meets girl.  (yes, its title is not capitalized for some reason)  The first book deals primarily with the subject of casual dating and why it's not a good idea, and the second deals with courtship.  To put it simply, "Here's what not to do, and here's what to do."  
Like I said earlier in this post, I recommend both books to any Christian who's not married yet.  Even if you take issue with the books, read them and tell me what you disagree with.  One single guy who goes to my church told me what he disliked about both books and even though we didn't agree on everything, I could mostly see where he was coming from, and we had an interesting conversation. 
The second book is good reading even if you don't foresee getting married in the very near future, but particularly if you think you've found the "right one" and want some advice on what you should do while in the courtship stage to both glorify God and protect the other person.  One thing Josh Harris says in boy meets girl that I find pretty significant is that if a courtship ends with both people not getting married to each other, it was not a failure.  This is because a courtship is a time for a man and woman to see if they might be compatible and the right ones for each other.  
Courtship is obviously different than casual dating, which just has pleasure for the moment in mind; while there is a bit more to it than this, it's basically just trying to get to know a person better to see if they're the one you want to marry (note that while there's always the possibility that the courtship may be broken off,  marriage is the end in mind).  
     


-Max out       

In Wake Forest

Hello all,
Right now I'm in the lobby of a Comfort Suites in Wake Forest.  After our church service finished this afternoon, we headed over to Hope Baptist Church here in Wake Forest, which we left from around a hour ago from.
There was a kick-off series of meetings for those people from Hope Baptist who are about to be leaving on a preaching road trip.  Tomorrow morning we'll be going to the annual Memorial Day service at Scott Brown's farm  (he's an elder at Hope Baptist as well as the director of the NCFIC), where various people, including war veterans, will give talks.
Well, got to go.


[update: 6/1/10]
Yesterday morning we checked out of our hotel, stopped by the gas station, and headed to the Brown's farm.
The event was officially supposed to start at 10:00 am, although Scott Brown didn't call everyone to the tent until after 10.  We actually got there at around 9:30 or so, and I tried to make myself useful helping people set up stuff.  Several of the speakers speak there every year, such as Bill Brown, Scott Brown's dad; Doug Phillips, and others.  The weather was rather warm, but it didn't rain, so the weather didn't interfere with the schedule.  The whole day went pretty well, in fact.








- Max out

Surprise!

Last night I went out on the front porch to feed the cats from their five-gallon food container.  Same thing I always do, but as I looked in the bucket (I either opened the lid, which was just resting on the top of the bucket or it was already off; I can't remember now), there was a possum looking at me with its mouth open and all its teeth showing.  I kicked him out by knocking the bucket over, but even after it was on its side, it was halfway in the bucket and didn't seem to show any inclination to leave.  Eventually it walked off, and the cats seemed to be grateful to be able to finally eat dinner.




-Max out

A Brief Thought on the Second Amendment

OK, here's something that occurred to me:
The Second Amendment states that we have the right to keep and bear arms, right?
Note, however, that it doesn't clarify what is designated by "arms."  Partly because of that (and partly just because I think it's what should happen), I think that the Second Amendment allows for the legal ownership and carrying of nearly any weapon.  Now it would be only slightly more of a stretch to say it allows for the ownership of weapons that can't be carried on one's person, as "bear arms" could probably mean something like "to use."  So there is a possibility that means that tactical nukes and other such military weapons capable of mass destruction are not legal according to the Constitution...even though most of our modern weapons weren't around at the time of its writing.
OK, as much as I don't like the governmental intervention in things, it's probably a good idea nukes are illegal and highly guarded (at least some of them), as it would only really be used to blow up lot of people, and of course nuclear weapons have the problem of radioactive fallout.
But anyway, I think it should be fairly apparent that although firearms may have been the main thing the Founding Fathers had in mind when they wrote the Second Amendment, the principle behind it is that citizens should be able to be armed to defend themselves.  I think that an extension of that would being able to be armed with the most effective weapon or weapons (or whatever weapons you feel like), since even if the Founding Fathers had firearms in mind, firearms were and still are the most effective personal defense weapons.  And that includes cannons and other large guns, doesn't it?


Anyway, here's a video on what happens when thugs are determined to do violence and their victims are unarmed and untrained.  Let's just ban guns, knives and anything else that can be used as a weapon...oh, wait - your body can be used as a weapon so your hands, feet and entire body should be illegal; your mind is a weapon, so you can't take that with you either (particularly if honed to a sharp edge); but of course, someone with the skills of Jason Bourne can improvise and use just about anything as a weapon.
Is this starting to sound ridiculous?  It should.
As it's been said many, many times, "Disarm the citizens and only the lawbreakers will be armed."
Well, enough on this topic for now - I can talk more about gun/knife/etc. control at a later time, since the facts about it are out there and are pretty well-known.  
http://www.ignatius-piazza-front-sight.com/2010/05/17/front-sight-a-look-at-the-future/#video
Well, I've got to get to bed now, but I'd like to see any thoughts anyone has to offer.


-Max out

Life as usual

My dad left for the "big sandbox" again recently.  I had a headache on Sunday but I'm better now, I got a haircut last week, and that's about it.


-Max out

Guess what today is?

If you guessed my birthday, you're correct.  I am now officially no longer a minor, as I turn 18 today.
Have a good day, everyone.