Thursday, December 29, 2005

Fun with Names...

Wouldn't it be awful (and perhaps funny) if the person who changes the sign were to transpose just two letters in the pastor's name.

Can you hear some unfortunate vistor greet "Bro. Heresy?"

(By the way, this has absolutely nothing to do Free Will Baptists being theologically Arminian.)

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Yum...

I made some Chex mix today. It's some really great stuff, but I can really only have it at Christmas.

Monday, December 26, 2005

Once a year...

Once a year my brother, the diehard University of Georgia Bulldog fan, will actually admit that he graduated from Georgia Tech.

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Timberrrrr....


This morning we did a little bit of work on Christmas eve. We cut down a twenty year old pine tree from my brother's property line.

It was quite the little adventure. My brother-in-law climbed a thirty foot ladder to secure the rope to the tree. We needed the rope to pull the tree in the direction we wanted it to fall, just to make sure that it fell where we wanted it.

As you can tell, my brother's truck is well down the hill in the backyard. He was not able to see Pop tell him, "PULL!" (That is why the rope has slack in it.) Well, the tree did not fall on the neighbor's house. (Which arguably is a good thing.) But on the other hand, it didn't exactly fall where we wanted it to fall either. It fell about ten feet away from my brother's house! Some of the farthest reaches of the branches even swept over the edge of the roof and down the side of the house. Overall though, the house escaped largely unscathed.

However, not everything survived the affair...


This is a plastic chair that was destroyed.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Coming Soon ....

This is an actual picture of Baby Perkins!

We had a scheduled check-up with our Doctor today. She said that everything was looking good. We are about 10 1/2 weeks along, so we were too early to hear the heartbeat. But we asked her if there was anything we could do to know that everything was going ok, because Valerie has not been sick.

The Doctor reassured us that everything was looking good. Then she asked us, "If you don't mind waiting for the sonogram machine to boot up, I'll give you an early Christmas present." So, we got an early sonogram of Baby Perkins!

It's still a little early to tell the gender, but at least we know that the little guy/gal is in there. Baby Perkins jumped around and then pounced at us like a tiger. We got a few printouts. One shows Baby looking at us. But I've posted the profile picture. It's pretty clear that Baby is a Perkins. Just look at the size of that head!

Monday, December 12, 2005

Cool Christmas Gift...

My sister-in-law Michelle gave me a cool Christmas gift. It is a framed set of pictures of U2. The top picture is of the band from the All That You Can't Leave Behind era. There is also a smaller picture of Bono from the PopMart tour. (I can tell because of the buzz cut and red sunglasses.)

The album listing is a little off though. The Million Dollar Hotel is not a "U2" album. It is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name written by Bono. A few U2 songs appear, but it is not a true U2 album. Also, U2 Exposed: The Interview certainly is not a U2 album?!?!

Regardless, this is a great and thoughtful gift. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Some Theological Musings Courtesy of Auggie

I read today in Augustine's Confessions: Book Three, Chapter 7, Paragraph 12 that "evil was nothing but a privation of good (that, indeed, it has no being)."

Would I be correct to understand Auggie to say that evil is the absence of good, like cold is the absence of heat, and like darkness is the absence of light?

If so, (and I think so), then is good/evil measurable across a continuum of 0 to infinity (like heat or light), instead of measurable as a binary function of 0 (evil) or 1 (good)?

How is this approach different to the Ultilitarian's view, in which one tries to express goodness as a mathematical function that can be operated on by calculus to determine the maximization of goodness.
(As an aside, I know that Man really screws up utilitarianism, but what about if God used utilitarianism? Hmm...Is this an underlying assumption of the Free Will Defense or at least in Plantinga's undercutting defeater of Mackie?)

Friday, December 09, 2005

"We don't need no education"....

Well, at least that is what Pink Floyd said. However, I would disagree. I disagree so much, that I have now spent 12 years of regular education, 4 years on a Bachelors, and 3 years on a Master's Degree. That's almost two decades!

I graduated earlier today with a Master's of Divinity with Biblical Languages from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my church(es), my friends, my professors, my pastor(s) and my family for their prayers and support. Above all though, I would like to thank my beautiful wife, Valerie, for making all of this possible. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, December 08, 2005

let it snow, err, ice...


We had a little bit of an ice storm here in Fort Worth today and yesteday. It was enough to get the schools to close early on Wednesday and stay closed all of Thursday. It gave Valerie and I a little bit of extra time together before our families arrive for graduation on Friday.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

blog purpose statement...

I've been blogging now for a little over a month. During this span of time, I've finished classes at seminary, made a cross country trip by car, and found out that I'm gonna be a Daddy.

Looking back over my previous posts, I 've realized that most of the posts are really just little tidbits about personal life and a few random musings about college football.

In the future, I plan to continue to make posts about personal stuff. However, I'd also like to begin posting some more theological musings too. I'll have to figure out some topics to talk about though. I've thought about possibly doing a book review or something. I have heard quite a bit about the "emerging church," and would really like to figure out what is going on there. Perhaps, I will do some reading along those lines. Anyway, if anyone has some ideas, please let me know.

From embryo to fetus!

Baby Perkins is now a fetus according to www.pregancy.org. Apparently, all organs necessary to sustain life have formed.

Friday, December 02, 2005

Val Wins Again....


For the last 2 out of 3 years, Valerie won my college football pick'em league. And of course winning has not gone to her head...
she wrote a little victory song that she loves to sing to me repeatedly! Posted by Picasa

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Clean, Good Old Fashioned Hate....

#13 versus #20

When: November 26, 2005 7:00 PM (CST)
Where: Historic Grant Field at Bobby Dodd Stadium on the campus of Georgia Tech.

Pre-Game thoughts:
I'm never really sure who exactly I'm gonna pull for in this game. I, like Lewis Grizzard before me, "am Bulldawg born and Bulldawg bred, and when I die, I'll be Bulldawg dead." So, I have a lot of Dawg in my heart.

But...

I've also got a lot of love for (and an Industrial Engineering Degree from) Georgia Tech.

I am so conflicted.

A UGA win would be good, but it is not really going to help them much in terms of bowls if they wind next week. UGA would still go to a BCS bowl if they lose this week and win next week in the SEC Championship game. Whereas, Tech really could use the boost in bowl interest with a win tonight. Overall, Tech has a lot more to gain with a win, then UGA stands to lose with a loss.

Pre-Game Predictions:
It's gonna be either a blowout in UGA's favor, or Tech will win it close in a real slobber-knocker. It really depends on which Tech team shows up.

Pre-Game Pick:
I hedged my bets and picked UGA, even though Tech could use the win more.

Friday, November 25, 2005

Go Big Red!

(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Go Big Red! Nebraska wins 30 - 3!

The Huskers finally look like they are getting things together. The offense was red hot. The Blackshirts were smothering. Overall, this game could not have been any better! Hopefully Coach Callahan can build off of this win.

Perhaps the Huskers will get an invite to a little better bowl now also.

By the way, the University of Colorado should be ashamed of the poor sportsmanship displayed by their students.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Thanksgiving in Kansas

We spent Thanksgiving just down the road from Val's house in Nebraska at her Grandma Lambert's house in Kansas. Grandma Lambert (Ada) and her husband (Ivan) used to be dairy farmers. Grandma still lives on the dairy, although the dairy has been gone for several years now.

We enjoyed a nice cool day with our family. There was plenty of turkey and entertainment between the Cowboys and Lil' Miss Sierra, who insisted on having everyone's attention. :o)

By the way, the Cowboys game was yet another example of the travesty that is NFL overtime rules. How do you get a "do-over" coin flip?!?!

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Travel Days Stink...

I'm tired!
We drove for 10+ hours, 600 something miles, made 4 stops, sat through two slow congestion areas, and took one detour. But finally we are in Nebraska.

Tomorrow we will have lunch at Valerie's Grandma's house. It is gonna be great. Hopefully, I'll get to watch the Cowboy game.

We also found out that our T-Mobile service now extends all the way to Smith Center, KS! That's pretty far off the beaten path of their metro and interstate coverage areas. But hey, we are happy about this.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

I like Yahoo! Mail...


I like the idea of Yahoo mail. And it's not just because I can check my email from anywhere.

With Y! Mail, the viruses/worms that are sent to me reside in Yahoo!'s servers, instead of on my computer. This way, I don't have to solely rely on the strength of my personal anti-virus programs. I think this is a much safer system than using POP3 via MS Outlook to download email to my computer.

Monday, November 21, 2005

My mind is mush....

I took the GRE today. I need it to apply to the PhD program. It was a lot like the SAT, only (of course) harder. There were two essay sections, one math section, and one verbal/vocabulary/reading section.

This was also the first time that I took a standardized test on a computer. The test did not allow any omitted questions. You also could not return to a question after you submitted your answer. The test also tested you dynamically, meaning that if you starting doing well, then it would ask harder questions and vice versa.

Does anyone know what a good score on the GRE is?

Friday, November 18, 2005

Friday's Visit to the Doc

We went to the Ob/Gyn today. I was pretty uneventful. Basically, they could have handled just about everything over the telephone. The test results were back. They all looked good. We talked for 2 minutes about family history. And that was pretty much it. We are going back in the middle of December.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

I'm Sick....

I hate being sick. I did not sleep at all last night. Yesterday's runny nose became a sinus cavity of jello overnite. Thankfully though, it is not discolored. I pray that this passes quickly.

Monday, November 14, 2005

Weekend Football Results...

Ok, so we lost. I'm disappointed. I did not get to see the game, but I know that we lost by a point on a late field goal. It's okay I guess. We were allready out of the championship hunt, but we are still very much alive for the SEC championship and a BCS game. (Plus, I've still got that Ga Tech victory as insurance!)

On the other hand, Nebraska pulled it out on a late field goal. Congratulations NU and Bill Callahan, you finally became bowl eligible. You only almost lost a close game to a K-State that is seriously awful this year.

Clearly, the return to greatness is not coming this year. I'm thinking NU might be going to Shreveport, LA. The question is...What will we be thankful for next Thanksgiving? A great football team with dreams of a glorious bowl game? Or another below average football program with dreams of another new Head Coach?

Coach Osborne, Would you please submit your resume for Head Coach, instead of Governor?!

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty....






















Look at those eyes! He's a big hungry hairy Dawg, looking to terrorize the little kitty cats from Auburn!

Go Dawgs! Sic' Em!

By the way, I hope that Shockley's knee holds up. I have far too many friends that are Tigger fans that would love to rub in a loss.

(Although, I could just remind them about the sting of losing to my Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech.)

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Here Turkey, Turkey, Turkey....


Congratulations Hilary on your first turkey!
Maybe you can freeze it, so that we can have it for Thanksgiving at Grandma's house. Posted by Picasa

Monday, November 07, 2005

Wow!




According to www.pregnancy.com our little blastocyst became a fetus today!

Posted by Picasa

Saturday, November 05, 2005

a bad case of the similarities...

and

Is it just me, or do these guys bear a striking resemblance?
The guy on the left is Joel Osteen.
The guy on the right is star Notre Dame receiver Jeff Samardzija.

Friday, November 04, 2005

More Baby News...

We went to the Ob/Gyn yesterday. We had lots of paper work and several little tests done. Valerie ended up giving several vials of blood for testing. We'll go back in a couple of weeks to get the results.

We also have an estimated delivery date of July 14, 2006.

More to come later.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Some guys get all the luck...

(photo by HENRIETTA WILDSMITH/Staff at the Dallas Morning News)
Link to the Story from Dallas Morning News

This guy not only got to go to the U2 concert in Dallas, but he got invited onstage to play Angel of Harlem with the boys! He even got to keep Bono's sunglasses.

I, on the other hand, am going to have to settle for Point of Grace's Christmas tour instead of seeing the greatest band in the world.

Oh well. ce la vie. At least the DVD of the U2 concert from Chicago will be out in a few weeks. Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Where did the picture go?

The few of you who have actually seen this blog (and the fewer who may actually ever return to this blog) may have noticed that the picture in my previous post has been removed. I think that my explanation is pretty clear. It was censored and suppressed by my wife, who did not want such a picture to be on the internet. So in its place I will have to come up with a different picture, because otherwise the post just does not make sense!

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

The results are in....

(Photo censored and supressed by the powers that be, a.k.a., Valerie.)

Do you know what this means? Of course you do.

Welcome to a whole new world...I don't even know what to do....
except to pray to thank God for His blessings, His unfathomable wisdom, His great grace, and His promise of provisions for our (new) needs...

and of course to call our family, except that it is after midnight for my family. Posted by Picasa

Monday, October 31, 2005

Pastor electrocuted while performing baptism...

This is a really sad incident.
( http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=21976 )

I don't think it was the microphone that electrocuted him. The water was probably electrified by some other source, such as a water heater or water pump. The pastor was fine standing in the electrified water because there was no path to ground for any current to flow. And that is probably what happened when he reached out to the mic. Once he touched the mic, he completed the circuit to ground. Like I said, it is really tragic.

I hope that I never think about this when I perform baptisms.

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Some Days are Better than Others...

Well, so far the Huskers and the Bulldogs have lost today.

But it looks like the Yellow Jackets will pull it out.
There is :03 seconds left....And now it's over. Yellow Jackets win 10-9.

The Huskers were never really in it until almost the end.

The Bulldogs had to play the Cocktail Party without Shockley, but Tereshinski sure did play his heart out. His flea-flicker TD will go down as one of the greatest plays in UGA-UF history, although it will never live up to Lindsay Scott's TD from 25 years ago.