September 11, 2001

I watched some of the documentaries this weekend commemorating the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. Thought I might share my own thoughts on these events.

After learning of the attacks from a colleague at another telephone company, I searched the intenet for breaking news and confirmed what he had told me. I told my coworkers what had happened, and we walked to our sales office a couple of blocks away to watch the events unfold on the TV in the conference room.

There was an oppressive silence in the room as we watched the scene from New York and listened to the talking heads blather on with their commentary. It was that day that I realized I disliked the national broadcast media.

Then the first tower fell.

No one in the room said a word.

Except me.

The word that escaped my lips was vulgar and crude but I'm certain it was what everyone else was thinking.

Motherfuckers.

How do I know they were thinking the same thing? Because in a professional setting that particular word is taboo. Might even get you fired. Not this day. Not a word was uttered by anyone else.

Many people said when they heard of or saw coverage of the attacks they were in shock, felt incredible sadness, were numb, or some other emotion that one might feel when they are unable to comprehend what it is they are seeing.

Not me.

I felt one thing.

Rage.

Pure.

Unadulterated.

Total.

Complete.

Rage.

All I wanted to do was go to the middle East and start killing people. When I got home that night I told my wife that if I was ten years younger, I would be on my way to a recruiters office in the morning.

She said she knew. She understood.

And the rage did not go away.

Our government failed all of us in the days that followed.

What if I was the President?

I would have called up the militia and dispatched each man to the nearest border. There could have been an armed American every 10 feet on our borders with Canada and Mexico. Shoot and kill anyone crossing the border.

All international flights cancelled. Americans abroad would have been instructed to make they way to the nearest embassy.

No one in.

No one out.

Unless you can prove you have a right to be on this soil.

After sealing the border, every person in this country illegally, whether on an expired visa or an "undocumented" immigrant, would have been rounded up and sent to their own country.

Every application for entry into this country canceled. Reapply. New, tougher standards for getting in.

But we didn't. Because we have turned into a bunch of thumb sucking gutless pussies.

And now we're paying for it.

That's my rant, incomplete as it may be. But my neck and shoulders hurt. I'm tired.

And I need to go pray.

It's July what?!?!

Where has July gone? Already days here in Wisconsin are noticeably shorter and school is going to start shortly. I feel like I am missing so much!

Been hotter than Hades here, so I haven't been doing a lot of barbequing but I have had the grill fired up quite a bit. Pork chops, hobo potatoes and the like. The last time I grilled I made bruschetta that we ate on toasted Italian bread. It was good! So good in fact that my wife bought more tomatoes and another loaf of bread today, so I made it again tonight. It was all we had. Very refreshing in these dog days of summer.

My oldest son and I worked on restoring a Weber kettle grill I bought him for his birthday last November. It was quite a bit of work, but we did a tremendous job and it looks fantastic. We broke it in cooking Hasselback potatoes on it, and did pork cutlets on it as a follow up.


Can you believe that that grill is almost twenty years old? It turned out really nice, and I'm proud of my son for wanting to do it with me.

Also in July, after waiting for 25 years, 1 month, and 2 days we finally got our driveway paved. It looks incredible, and probably added a ton of value to the house. Next up outside is to get a "smoke shack" done so I have a place to store my toys. Need to get those classic Weber kettles in out of the weather. Of course, it won't happen until the floors for the kitchen and dining room are done and the whole area gets painted.

I scored a Smokey Joe grill on CL the other day. Cleaned it up, repainted the legs and gave it to my mom and dad. Money well spent as far as I'm concerned. He'll get more use out of it than I would have. I also just bought a red Weber MasterTouch grill, but after seeing pics I decided to help out my young nephew who was looking for a grill, so he's gonna buy it for what I have into it.

Well, I need to go make some iced tea.

Have a blessed week.

Lots of little things

Lots of little things have kept me away from my blog. If there are any regular readers, I'm sorry for neglecting this blog.

This past weekend, two of my sons, a friend, and I cooked a KCBS BBQ competition just a few miles from the Yacht Club. I wish I had time to detail the whole weekend. (maybe I'll get to that in the next few days) We all had a wonderful time and got to see many friends we have made in the BBQ community.

It didn't suck either that we had a great weekend cooking and had our best ever finish. We placed 3rd in pulled pork, 7th in beef brisket (we have placed in brisket in every comp I have cooked), 13th in pork ribs, and 30th in chicken (If I get around to blogging the whole contest, I will tell you about the idiot judge who gave my chicken turn-in a 2 in appearance.). Our combined score landed us with an 8th place finish overall out of 43 teams.

8th place may not seem that great, but we have competed 4 times, and the 8th place in the overall was our highest ever, our 3rd in pork was our highest ever category finish.

Yes, we were more than proud.

We will cook one more comp this year on Labor Day weekend. Is a Grand Championship in our future?

Last week my middle son had a Little League game and hit a three RBI triple in their first win of the season.

Yes, I was more than proud.

Tomorrow I will take my sons to the WIAA State Baseball Tournament in Appleton to see our home town high school team play in their first ever State Tournament game. This is a big deal for us because I was on the baseball team at the same high school that on two occassions was one game away from the State Tournament. The whole town is extremely proud of what the young men have done this year we just can't imagine not going. Go Bulldogs!

I will be preaching (teaching is more accurate) at our church on Sunday. Since it is Fathers Day weekend I will take the oppurtunity to honor my dad, and to show the congregation some "rules" I have been working on for my boys and how these same rules can be applied to our life in the Body of Christ.

Here are the rules that I have been teaching the kids:

Rule #1: Keep your head on a swivel.
Rule #2: Shoot the puck.
Rule #3: Good enough isn't.
Rule #4: Empty the magazine.
Rule #5: Have more than one magazine.
Rule #6: Don't swing at bad pitches.
Rule #7: It's not the cooker, it's the cook.

Thanks for stopping by. More to come soon.

Hat availability

Here is what is currently available as of 11:23pm CDT 4/27/11:

2 washed lemon hats with navy text
1 washed purple hat with light green text
1 washed orange hat with navy text


Thank to the guys who have already placed orders!

It's a Pretty Big Deal

Yesterday Christians all over the world celebrated what has come to be called Easter. Our congregation prefers to call it Resurection Sunday.

Why?

Because that's what it really is and it removes the pagan aspect of the word Easter from what is Christianity's holiest day.

On that Sunday some 2000 years ago, Jesus of Nazareth, the step-son of a carpenter, fulfilled prophesies written hundreds of years before His birth, and fulfilled His own prophesy of Himself. Jesus said "Tear down this temple and in three days I will rebuild it." Of course, the Jewish leaders of the day didn't understand what he was saying.

Jesus was speaking of His own death and resurection.

Had Jesus not been resurected He would have been a liar and a fraud. Our faith would be in vain and empty. We would sit in Sunday worship for no reason, we would pray to an impotent god, and we would still be dead in our trespasses and sins.

But He did rise from the dead.

He died that we might live, and lives that we might never die.

He proved who He is.

He is our Lord. He is our God.

And He is worthy of our worship and praise.

The tomb is empty.

And that is a FACT!

Braggin' on my boys...

I'm a gun guy. I love guns; the engineering; the lines; the precision; the fact that they go BOOM!

I have taken my sons shooting in the past and they have had a really good time.

Wisconsin law requires that you complete a Hunter's Safety course in order to buy any type of hunting license. I completed my course in 1976, and it was time for the boys to take theirs.

I hounded them about their homework, took them to their classes when I was free, and helped the study, teaching things myself along the way.

All three of them passed their written test, and all three passed their field test. I was pretty relieved. Don't think I could have gone through another class like that.

Now, when I say I'm a gun guy I really am, but I don't own any shotguns. I'm not much of a hunter, more of a shooter. Not much fun in shooting a 12 ga at a target, know what I mean? I'm a rifle and handgun guy.

So back to the field day. It was held at a local conservation club, and they allow shotguns only, so I could not bring a .22 for the boys to shoot. They had to shoot shotguns which were provided.

My oldest had no problem with it, except the first 20 ga he shot was a little long for him and hard to handle. He fared much better shooting trap with a youth sized firearm.

My middle one did OK too, but he shot the same long shotgun as his brother and had a little trouble getting it pointed at the target. He chose not to shoot any trap.

My youngest wasn't going to shoot at all, and I was getting ready to leave when he ran out and decided to give it a go. The gun was again to big for him, but he managed and took a couple of shots. He's not a big boy for his age, and was worried he might have trouble with the recoil from a shotgun, but he seemed unfazed.

So, all three will get there cards in the mail, and I'll feel a lot more comfortable about taking them to the range.

Not in a good mood

I have had no tobacco for 48 hours now. I don't have the shakes or anything, but I am not happy and I am not in a good mood.

Also, my mood is foul because I have yet to see a journalist correctly report that the Public Sector Union Members in Wisconsin did not lose their Collective Bargaining Rights this week. They lost their Collective Bargaining Privileges. Did you catch that? Collective Bargaining Privileges. They were given to you by the Legislature 50 or so years ago. Now they have been taken away. STFU and get back to work.

Recalls? Are you effing kidding me? We elected all of these R's to do EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE DOING! All of you out of state pieces of shit should just stay out of state. Let us worry about our problems. That means you Michael Moore you bloated carp.

Thought this was worth posting here

SUPER BOWL: Aaron Rodgers, other Packers, looking to 'follow Jesus' example'

By: Art Stricklin

Original article can be found here, http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?Id=34574. ARLINGTON, Texas (BP)--NFL experts and newspaper headline writers have been quick to label Green Bay starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers the "Leader of the Pack."

Something about 4,712 yards passing and 34 touchdowns, and leading the Packers to the verge of their first Super Bowl title in more than a decade will do that for you.

But Rodgers made it clear in Tuesday's jam-packed Super Bowl XLV Media Day he only wants to be a leader of God's pack when it comes to influencing others to see his faith in Jesus Christ.

"We all have a platform, we all have a message in our lives," Rodgers told Baptist Press and a worldwide media turnout, which ringed his individual interview area. "I just try to follow Jesus' example, leading by example."

During his six years with the Packers, his career has seen enough twists and turns, dead ends and detours to test anyone's faith. An expected top 10 draft choice, he lasted until the end of the first round for reasons he never understood. He stood on the sidelines for three seasons while Packers quarterback Brett Favre went through his yearly will-he-or-won't-he retirement routine as Packers QB.

Finally given a chance to start three years ago, he has matured into one of the top quarterbacks in the league, but not forgetting his past, present and future in Christ.

"God always has a plan for us, a path. Sometimes we wish we knew it sooner," Rodgers said with a bit of a laugh, "but He always shows up His way."

He credits his parents, Ed and Darla Rodgers, who still live in Northern California where he was raised, for showing him a loving and Christ-centered household. He also remains close to his two longtime accountability partners, Pastors Andrew Burchett of the Neighborhood Church in Chico, Calif., and Young Life Christian youth group leader Matt Hock.

Even in the midst of the craziness of Super Bowl week and Tuesday's Media Day at Cowboys Stadium, Rodgers had already checked in with his accountability team.

"They won't be here Sunday, but they've been calling and texting me," he said. "Matt sent me a photo of his entire Young Life group decked out in Packers gear."

Rodgers' quiet and humble testimony has been enough to inspire Christian NFL fans everywhere and his own teammates as well.

Rookie defensive end C.J. Wilson, whose father is a Pentecostal minister in Mt. Olive, N.C., said he really didn't know what to expect when he showed up for his first NFL season this year. But when he saw the experience of his star quarterback and his witness, Wilson felt encouraged with his own professional football faith.

"I think it does help when your superstar quarterback is walking with God. I've been blessed to be around him and see how God makes all things possible in our lives," Wilson said.

Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings is one of Rodgers' receivers and teammates on the field, but more importantly, a spiritual brother on and off the field. He said he's determined to let Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers be his platform for God.

"I just want to let people know what it's all about. One of the Scriptures I refer to a lot is, 'to whom much is given, much is required,' and I'm required to have a voice [for God] because I have a stage and a platform," Jennings said.

"Number one, all glory goes to God. That's where it starts and that's where it finishes."

His father, Greg, Sr., is the pastor of Progressive Deliverance Ministries in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Packers defensive tackle Ryan Pickett has been inspired to join an anti-pornography campaign in the NFL this year to help rid the destructive influence among his friends and teammates. He said he had to turn down the invitations of his teammates this week and other times who wanted him to go places he knew was not right.

"I value my family and my wife. I try to stay away from that," Pickett said.

Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby doesn't have to be reminded about the number of Super Bowl games which have come down to a final touchdown or field goal, including the last Super Bowl held in Texas when the New England Patriots won on a last-second kick in Houston.

But he said his faith in Christ won't allow him to be defined by a single kick.

"I think He helps me knowing that kicking is what I do, not who I am. It's not everything that I am. I can escape knowing that my relationship with Christ is what carries me."

Crosby has also noticed his quarterback's faith and his example to his teammates and the sports world.

"Aaron has a great relationship with the Lord," Crosby said. "He's the face of the franchise and it helps to see he's living the message all of the time.

"I'm always reading in the Proverbs and Psalms to relax my mind before we play," Crosby added. "I know that God cares for me all the time regardless of any outcome here."

Of snow, sermons, and Super Bowls...

It has been quite awhile since I posted here. I've been tied up with other things, laziness being one of them.

We have been getting quite a bit of snow lately, 18 inches in the last week. Some folks will have you believe that this is an extraordinary amount, or that the weather has been unusually severe. True, only if you have been under a rock for the lat 40 years. The weather we are having now is typical for what we had when I was a kid. We had so much snow once in the middle 70's that we were stranded in the house for three days. That hasn't happened recently. It's February. It's Wisconsin. It's gonna snow. Get over it. Oh, and learn how to drive in it too, will ya? And just to clarify, I am starting to get sick and tired of clearing snow. I decided after the last snow fall that if I did someone's driveway, and they failed to reciprocate with any kindness at all, I wasn't going to do their driveway any more. I don't charge to clear someones driveway. I look to see if yours has been cleared, if not I'll do it, and then just drive away. I had a lady offer to give me $40 for 10 minutes worth of work to clear her drive. I took twenty, and told her the next was on me. I have done another neighbors driveway 4 or 5 times this year, and have not received a "thank you" or even a wave acknowledging my presence. They won't get theirs done again. Yesterday, a fellow drove up to our house, I recognized him as a guy whose driveway I did a week ago. He came out and thanked me then, then drove up yesterday to deliver some Rice Krispie treats. I'll do his again too.

As I have stated before, I attend a great church, and am an elder there as well. From time to time elders are called on to preach when one of a number of paid ministers is unavailable. This past Sunday was one of those days, and it was my turn to fill in. I chose to teach on Matthew 4:1-11; The Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness. It went pretty well, as I have been blessed to have biblical teaching from some men who truly love Jesus Christ, and are passionate for His Word. I predominantly used information from the text, as well as information from a book entitled "The Words and Works of Jesus Christ" by J. Dwight Pentecost. Let me tell you, if you are a confessing Christian, I highly recommend this book whether for just reading or for a group study. We are using it as a group study, and the Pastor teaching it studied under Pentecost at Dallas Theological Seminary (so we have all kinds of insider notes and stuff!).

My beloved Green Bay Packers will play in the Super Bowl on Sunday. My kids are really excited, and they should be, as this is the first time the Packers have been in a Super Bowl they will be able to remember. I think it's a great thing for the only publicly held professional sports franchise to be in a championship game like this. I think most folks are picking the Steelers to win, But something just tells me that this is to be the Packers' year. They have overcome so much to get where they are, they deserve to be the first sixth seeded NFC team to win. Not only that, they will have won an astonishing SIX consecutive do-or-die games in the course of this improbable run.

Where did I leave off last time we were together?

Let's see, my dad is recovering well from his hip replacement. He's up and about without any aids; no walker, crutches, cane, or walking stick. He's a great guy, and I am happy to see him no longer in pain.

My MIL is a different story. She had to have her hip replacement reworked three weeks after having it done. Somehow her femur was cracked. She was in a lot more pain after this one, and wound up going to an extended care facility for a little convalescing. She started to get better, and now her wing has been quarantined due to flu. No one has been able to see her for 4 days now. The SoDT was able to speak to her for a few minutes today, and she is getting better.

How 'bout them Packers?

My three boys started a hunter safety course this week. It will run for ten weeks and ends with a written exam and a field exam. I have taken the boys shooting before, and they are familiar with guns, but I want them to understand from a third party what gun safety is all about.

Following the shootings in Tucson last weekend, I told some of the men at my church that if I had been one of the guys to subdue the shooter, he would not looked nearly as good in his pictures as he does now. I would have grabbed that guy by the ears and repeatedly slammed his face into the pavement. Nothing pisses me off more than these attention starved asshats killing innocent people, especially little girls. Personally, there is no reason why this guy can't be in the gas chamber in 60 days. He is entitled to a speedy trial by a jury of his peers, right? Well, 60 days is speedy. Eye witnesses to the crime? Hell, make it 30 days.

I've got a birthday coming up soon. Can't believe it. Seems like yesterday I was a 32 year old getting married and starting my family. Now I'm 47 and have a teenager. God help me. No. Really, I need God to help me.

Gonna smoke a chuck roast tomorrow so we can have pulled beef sammies for the Packer game tomorrow. If they can play against Atlanta like they played against New England a few weeks ago, they'll be in the NFC Championship game. I'm looking forward to that.