The Jury System

As I prepare to serve on a jury tomorrow at the Dane County Courthouse, I reflect on the following thought provoking quote by G.K. Chesterton.

"Whenever our civilization wants a library to be catalogued, or a solar system to be discovered, or any other trifle of this kind, it uses its specialists. But when it wishes anything done which is really serious, it collects twelve ordinary men standing around. Jesus did exactly this."

Racism and the Gospel

John Piper's new book Bloodlines deals with racism in light of the Gospel. Here is a fantastic 20 minute documentary giving some background on John's racist childhood and how the Gospel changed him and his view of race forever. I'm excited about the significance of this book and the potential influence it can have in God's church.


Bloodlines Documentary with John Piper from Crossway on Vimeo.

Pop or Soda?

A hilarious look at what people call soft drinks in various parts of the US. (HT: Boing)

My Photography Website

Oculus Photo Studio is finally online. To check out my new website you can go here. To join the Oculus Facebook page, go here.

Evernote, A Truly Great App

I am not quick to convert to a new app, but I've got to say this is a great app (thanks Derek). I now use Evernote to take notes, keep task lists, log photo shoot locations, catalog sermon illustrations, etc.... It has almost completely eliminated my use of word processing programs and has given me the ability to access all of these documents from any device (web, phone, laptop, etc..). See here why "Webby" named Evernote the best productivity app of the year in 2011.

Erasing Hell by Francis Chan

A good video by Francis Chan on a recent controversy and new book.

Risk Averse Christianity

In this video Alan Hirsch challenges us to consider how the gospel calls us to risk and how middle class American Christianity resists this very calling. This is definitely a thought provoking video.

Alan Hirsch - Are You Stuck In A Rut? from Verge Network on Vimeo.

Teenage Boys

From Mark Driscoll's Facebook today. It is so true that this explains jr. high boys. Not sure if some guy's brains ever fully develop in this regard.

G.O.S.P.E.L.

One of the clearest 5 minute explanations of the Christian Gospel I've ever seen. Great art.


G.O.S.P.E.L. from Humble Beast Records on Vimeo.

(HT: Z)

Protests Intensify in Madison

Crazy times here in Madison as 16 schools are now closed tomorrow because teachers are all "walking out" so they can go and protest against Governor Scott Walker's proposal to end collective bargaining with teacher's unions. This and his budget, which will greatly cut government employee benefits, have sparked a lot of controversy. This video reflects tonight's protest in the capital which will be followed by an even greater wave of protest tomorrow.



It would not be appropriate for me to express my personal views on this issue in this medium, but two things have troubled me as I've reflected on the last two days...

1. Are people willing to pray for and honor those who are their appointed government leaders? Even ones with which they disagree? Romans 13:1 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 definitely admonishes us in this regard. Certainly it is acceptable and healthy for people to protest, but I am concerned that the tone of these protests is becoming increasingly hostile and is representative of a growing lack of respect in our nation for those in authority.

2. The holocaust of babies being killed every day through abortion in our nation is unthinkable, yet where are the masses of people gathering in our courthouses and capitals protesting these horrors? One could call such a rally, yet the response would pale in comparison. I am not suggesting these kinds of rallies would be the most fruitful means by which to save the lives of the unborn, but I am deeply saddened by the contrast.

Packer Nation: A Win for the Economy

One thing a Packer win did for Wisconsin was to insure a boost in the economy. One of my employers Dick's Sports has seen a significant increase in sales compared to last year at this time. Here is a pic from my shift at 1 pm on Monday. By 3 pm we were packing up the tables with shirts and hats completely sold out. No worries.... NFC Champion supplies are still available online and Superbowl apparel is quickly on its way! Now's a great time to be a Packer fan!