My wife the guitar hero

Ok, first of all I would never guess Michele was a video game fan.

Secondly, I never thought she'd be turned into some raging, metal head, rock-god either, but you learn something new everyday about your spouse.

It was a very ordinary Christmas gathering at Michele's grandmother's house. Christmas food, festivities, and then Dominick and Matthew (Michele's cousins) brought over the new Nintendo Wii system. The first hour was pleasant and actually endearing seeing everyone from grandmother to aunt do bowling with the nunchucks. There was lots of chuckles and some actual smiles how this game system brought the entire family together.

Then....

...someone brought out Guitar Hero 3.

I've heard of it, and knew it was popular. Michele was pretty much ho-hum about it until a few songs came up.

Songs by Poison and Pat Benatar..

None of us did very well hitting about 20% accuracy until Michele hit rock-god status with Pat Benatar's "Hit me with your best shot".

She started hitting all the chords and climbed higher and higher on the 'star scale' and the entire room got into a rock stadium fervor building like a full on Pantera concert. She was getting better and the guitar licks coming on strong....I couldn't believe it. MY WIFE A SLASH! MY WIFE THE LONG HAIRED BAND GUITARIST!

Michele after 5 tries hit 89% on Pat Benatar..and we erupted like metal-heads when she finished the song after about five tries!

I chuckled, my wife the Guitar Hero.....and I was her biggest fan. REALLY talented and gorgeous melting hot.

Weather

Ok, it's cold.

I read an email a few days ago when one of my friends said I don't have a 'cold' gene.

I don't think it's the case now, because it's about -5 and there's a 35 mpg wind. The cold might not bother me, but the wind is another thing.

Michele and I were running from store to store and every time I would let Michele out and go park the car; by the third time I was verrrry cold. So cold I told Michele, "We don't need to get the extra deodorant stick today." It's not worth it.

We might stink, but we're warm!

Hope THIS season

You wouldn't believe what I like to do.

I like to read the back of the book before I start a novel.

Aaack. Crazy. Unbelievable.

But why give your heart, or spend hours with something only to find it a disappointment.
I mean, honestly, read that novel only to find out the ending was a disappointment - how did that feel?

I think it's a divine part of our nature to want to know the ENDING.

God gives the ending of the story of human history in Revelation. Jesus said what his end would be like.

Why? Because of Hope. We want something to be complete, fulfilled...we want closure.

During this Holiday season, remember Hope.

Hope for something better, hope for something to come, hope for good things to come. That was God's intention when Jesus came into this world.

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Living in the mid-west, I've seen life differently than in California: birds aren't always around, the sunshine doesn't warm all year round.

Life doesn't exist that way, and God tells us that in Romans. Nature, God's creation tel
Nature gives us a glimpse of the HOPE of a new season when the snow melts and washes away our troubles, our pain, and our questions.

But the winter will pass, and the sun will come back. The deadness of life will spring once more into vibrancy and colors.

God didn't intend for life to be experiencing Winters constantly, and one day, there will be an eternal summer, an eternal cosmic summer - and heaven.
Words like Joy, Celebration, Fulfillment, Bliss will describe our ultimate Hope. Heaven is being with God forever.

Heaven's celebration isn't boring. We've all been at stodgy, Baptist like celebrations in the gym holding foam cups with punch and smiling at each other - and we think that's heaven. A Baptist wedding is our closest concept sometimes of it.

No wine? No dancing? Didn't we read Isaiah, where the 'aged wine, and feasting, and dancing' was described? What about the wedding supper? It's going to be parrrrrty!

I believe all those moments of difficulty only to see triumph come is a glimpse of our Hope.

All of our lives we get a taste, or a story of it. SuperBowls. Lance Armstrong's victory over cancer. The end of WW2. A rescue at sea. A child found alive. A love found.

This time of the season, what do you HOPE FOR?

I hope to see my mom young again, and happy with laughter again. I hope to meet Ronald Reagan without a mental illness. I hope to meet crowds of Dufur families and chlidren united happy and hugging. I hope to see Christopher Reeve run. I hope to meet the first King of China and ask where did he get the Abrahamic sacrifice ritual? I hope to see those who persecute and mock me while on earth in heaven and look into their eyes and see that God saved them; we'd hug and tear with the thought, "God is amazing isn't he?"

I hope to fly through the cosmos. I hope to do CC&C and a full season of FF with some buds.

Most of all, I hope to see God and spend time asking him questions...and watch him paint more sunsets with a wave, and spin planetary systems on the tip of his finger.


We have Hope.

On the road with the Gipper

Traffic. Commuting.

We don't like it, and most people just listen to music or 'veg' out.

I decided to take advantage of audio books and have been having a grand old time.

The best audio book by far has been the bio of Ronald Reagan, "When Character Was King".

Growing up I never appreciated Reagan, and when he died a few years ago, it truly was a passing away of an American icon and a man we might not see again for quite some time. As I grew older, and learned more of the man from both critics and friends - he was one of our greatest presidents.

The reason why I say this is Reagan was all American - he believed in the best about America and her people. He believed in a idealistic, utopia vision that Americans could make a difference, and privately he was not a man of privilege as some might believe. Yes, he was a movie star, but he wasn't like in the league, popularity of George Clooney - really more like Ray Romano. He was ordinary, sincere and true. Alot of people don't know he was dirt poor, had an alcoholic father, but the eternal goodness and faith of his mother became his inner being's mold.

Reagan always believed providence had a hand when 'bad things happened' - it was good for your soul by divine planning. In turn, he always did fight for the working man because he struggled as a working man.

If you never thought anyone could be that sincere, or cornball true - Reagan was it. Stories about him almost seems contrived, almost too good to be true, but I later found out reading bios, reports of both critics and friends...he was the real deal. There is a story, even I found hard to swallow, but pondering it more and more I believed it: when Reagan was sworn in as president during a overcast day - witness of all people swore there was a break in the overcast skies as a beam of sunshine hit the inaguration platform where Reagan was standing. It was as corn and apple pie as a Norman Rockwell painting.