Whittier Christian High School

Growing up in Los Angeles county during the 90's meant driving though good and bad neighborhoods with a common theme. No matter what kind of socioeconomic standing the homeowners managed to achieve, it seemed like every telephone pole was a victim of graffiti.



In some of the better neighborhoods public officials are quick to paint over the graffiti, however they never seem to be able to match the previous paint color exactly. This sends the message to taggers: "Here is a great place to practice tagging!" If you mess up, just wait a few day, and you will have a fresh new canvas.

Gang activity was a problem to be sure, but I was one of those kids who believed everything others told me. For example, a friend informed me that on the first day of public high school someone will come up and ask "Where you from?" This does not mean they wanted to know where you were born or what ethnicity you happen to be, but rather what gang you are affiliated with. Also, if you say "none," they will immediately force you to join their gang, or kill you on the spot.

I later learned this is not how gang members recruit, but it was a little too late. My fear of impending doom led me to beg my parents to send me Whittier Christian. This was a private Christian school 30 minutes away. Looking back, I realize what a huge sacrifice it was for them to put me into a school where the tuition rivaled that of my undergrad college. But it was a small price to pay not to get stabbed in the side on the way to biology.

Daker

I'm not sure if this was meant to be funny, but this video is great! The first act, and intro is a little mundane...but it's short so be patient. The guy is awesome.

I got this video off YouTube from Beonkey

Don't Ask Me to Help You Move, Unless You Want Stuff Broken

In a previous post about helping a friend move a television set, you may have noted some anxiety on my part. This is because I have a pretty bad reputation when it comes to moving things. When a friend asked us to help her move out, we managed to break 2 items in a single day. First by resting a new TV on a couch, only to watch it topple straight onto the floor with a crunch. Then forgetting to tape/hold the drawers of a new dresser in, so that when we tilted out of the van they all came spewing out, shattering into pieces. Thank God for Gorilla Glue.

The friend who asked us to help her move out, did not call us when she moved in to her new place.

My all time favorite mover's moment happened during a Purging of the church education wing. We were reorganizing rooms for new programs and needed to get rid of our junk for Jesus.

At the end of the day we were tired, and most of my help had disappeared leaving me, and another lady on Staff. The education wing is on the second floor, which requires us to carry things down a long flight of stairs. Rather than expending useless energy we decided that we would simply hurl this junk down the steps. After all it was going to the dump. What harm could we do?

The couches were fine, unfortunately the bottom step is not. Chalk it up to another lesson learned in how not to move furniture.

Churches Should Promote Social Taboos

Apparently as churches have sought to be more seeker friendly we have been missing one of our greatest opportunities to impact society. Today was a reminder of how important it is for us to instill a sense of shame in todays youth.

Forget self-esteem, and character development. Shame is the key building block to the prolonged survival and health of any culture. I think it is time the church reinstated it's authority on the issues of social taboos. What is acceptable and what is not? At the very top of the list public make out sessions should be banned from parks.

Now I'm not talking about amusement parks. We all know those are a virtual meat market for the hormone induced teenager, and besides if you pay the astronomical entrance fees you should be able to do pretty much whatever you want. No, I am talking about parks where little children, and families gather to swing, and run, and play.

Today armed with snack cups, the diaper bag, and a pair of pink shoes, this daddy was pushing baby and stroller for a fun filled outing. My 16 month old girl, Nicki, was gobbling gold fish crackers and enjoying the fresh air. As we happened upon the park a few blocks from home, I was delighted to find it empty, leaving the whole place to ourselves.

Unfortunately this was short lived. The second I put Nicki into a swing we were accompanied by a teenage couple, obviously cutting classes to do "other things." With the whole park at their disposal they chose to sit right next to us on the swings. They quickly proceeded to start making out. My daughter was enthralled. I was mortified.

A few awkward seconds later and the girl pulled the guy off his swing, and said, "Let's go smoke by the Slide." My relief at their leaving was short lived. Now instead of giggles and kisses in my peripheral vision the slide put them into my direct line of sight. Not knowing where to look I tilted my head 30 degrees to the left and settled for a small patch of dirt.

I'm not sure what was happening. The girl may have been choking, but I've never seen mouth-to-mouth performed like that in any of the CPR classes I've attended. The only smoking I saw was caused by the friction of two tongues wrestling to get into the other person's mouth. I felt dirty, and I wasn't even doing anything.

We left the park.

Churches, please take a united stand against PDA's (public displays of affection) in your neighborhood parks. Otherwise we'll have to go door-to-door, collecting donations, and getting signatures for a petition. Then we'll need to involve the local neighborhood watch, and let's face it, nobody wants that.

A Letter to the Church Office Manager/Secretary/Admin. Asst.

Dear Church Office Person,

I just wanted to take the time to thank you for your warm smile and friendly reception. Day after day you get to deal with so many "interesting" people. We know this is a thankless task that requires a whole lot of work for a meager paycheck...probably a little less than $100k a year. Highway Robbery.

Your skills require you to work with pastors, youth pastors, and volunteers, which can be a great joy, and a royal pain in the rear, all at the same time. From setting important meetings, to organizing the churches dart-ball championship match...your resume is a dynamo of hidden talents.

When you wanted to build a brick wall to keep the everyday wanderer from monopolizing your time, you resisted, and listened to Joe Talker drone on for hours. And you did it all with a warm smile, and polite nodding.

So here's to you Church Office Secretary, may you enjoy the one week in the year we honor your profession, unless we forget it about it. Let's face you're the only one who knows how to use a calendar around here.

God Bless

Ben Stein's Expelled

This weekend we attempted to see "Baby Mama" with some friends, but when we walked into the theater the only area with four seats was the front row. The designer of this Mega-plex decided that people who sit in the first row must like it close. The angle was so sharp that in order to see you had to lay on the floor and rest your head on the seat.

A few minutes in and we decided to see another movie. Our options were limited so we landed on the documentary called "Expelled" We were pleasantly surprised. This is Ben Stein's expose on the unfair treatment of scientists who think intelligent design has validity. Apparently many are being black balled from the scientific community, and some have been outright fired for their positions.


My favorite part of this movie is an interview that takes place between Ben Stein and professing atheist, Richard Dawkins. I don't want to spoil the movie for any of you, but there was enough humor and irony in this movie to make it worth recommending here.

LA Police Gear

As an avid air soft player, I am always looking for good deals on Military gear. Right now you can get a pair of 5.11 Tactical Pants at from LA Police Gear. These 5.11 Tactical pants have been the choice of police officers for over 20 years.

At the time of this post LA Police Gear is offering Free shipping, so click today and save. You can also check out their other supplies, including flashlights, boots, knives, and more.