Freedom

Are you for freedom? Are you for other's freedom or just your own? Yesterday I picked up a product, from Family Christian Store, put out by the International Justice Mission called Freedom. It has two CDs from my favorite artists (Toby Mac, Third Day, Relient K, Shane and Shane, Jars of Clay, Natalie Grant, Brandon Heath, etc.) and a DVD with an incredibly emotional documentary about human slavery around the world. The good news is that it is only $5 and it will be the best $5 you spend this year. I believe that a portion of the proceeds go to the IJM.

I want to go rescue some kids right now. But I know, although I can't do that, we as a church can help in a very real and practical way. I will be exploring how practically we can go about fighting slavery in the world today. If you have any ideas or thoughts please send them my way. We are called to help.

"Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow" Isaiah 1:17

Sushi, Sushi, Sushi

Today I will be having lunch with Nathan and Kimberly Harris and my my sister at Aloha Sushi in La Jolla, California. It's been a while since I've had sushi because I can't seem to find a place I like in Escondido. In my opinion, and this is my blog, you have to love sushi in order to eat it. You can't just walk into any place and just start ordering rolls and think that you're going to be satisfied. Plus, it costs too much to just go anywhere.

So today we will be introduced to Anne Marie's (my sister's) favorite place in La Jolla. She is what some would call a sushi expert. It better be good, no, it better be fantastic or a small part of her credibility will be lost!

I tend to lean towards the deep fried rolls, although I love me some Philadelphia Rolls. Generally speaking any roll with avocado and creme cheese is a-okay with me!

What kind of sushi do you like? Is there a place around Southern California I need to try? Is there a roll somewhere I need to try?

Beauty Instead of Ashes

"To give to them beauty instead of ashes, The oil of joy instead of mourning, A covering of praise for a spirit of weakness" From Isaiah 61:3, Young's Literal Translation.

I was thinking about this for a friend who is going to be getting a tattoo here very soon. Wouldn't this verse, or part of it, make for a great phrase around something like a Celtic Cross. I was thinking maybe a Celtic Cross that looks like ash in the middle and then as it spreads out it becomes a vine with flowers or something else colorful growing from it. It would get more and more beautiful as you spread out to the edges. And then around the cross you can have the phrases, "beauty instead of ashes...", "joy instead of mourning...", "praise for a spirit of weakness..."

Just a thought. Maybe I'll share it. I think I'm going to have to share it now. I hope someday to see it on a friend of mine.

We Talk

I like going to work. It gives me a chance to talk to people, my friends. I think humans crave to talk, listen, and be listened to. We all have different interests but I think a good listener is someone who can make someone else' interest an interest of theirs. Here are a few things we talk about at work:

Talking

Sports (Dan, Brian, Mladen)

Music

Religion

Christianity

Games (Will)

Fitness (Matt F, Zo, and Dan)

Parties

Deep Thoughts (Krista)

Jumping (Matt B)

Trucking (Derek V)

Being a team player (Derek B)

Food (Alicia)

Church (Ana)

Customers

Late calling customers (Tony, Dan, Jess)

Money

News

Gas (both kinds)

Chocolate (Dan)

Tatoos

Comics (Will)

Computers

Cleaning

Prayer

Big groups walking into the restaurant

TV

Movies

Questions (Stephen)

Concerts

Coordinates

Routes

Bob

The Hospital

Menus

The list could go on and on. We share life together when we talk. It's amazing how well you know people that you spend 30 hours with a week. Looking forward to going in again tonight and getting to know my friends a little bit better.

What do you talk to your friends about?

Libya and Gas Prices

So here we go again. More turmoil in the Middle East and higher gas prices. It's always funny to me how OPEC, oil companies, and the oil future's market will use any excuse to raise oil prices. As this article points out, there is no attack on the oil production in Libya, there's just a thought that it might be effected. I've got a good idea, why don't we wait until the oil production actually is effected until we start raising prices on oil and gas?!? Either that or I want a refund if it's not effected, on all the money I paid in since prices started going up with the Egypt thing-a-ma-bob. Which, by the way, wasn't a big enough producer of oil to have our gas prices go up during their crisis, but it didn't keep the industry from raising the prices anyway.

Bottom line is that gas prices will go up whenever they feel like they have a reasonable excuse, even if that means it's unreasonable, but seems reasonable to consumers, and consumers continue to buy gas at the same rate.

What's a good tip?

I was asked this question from a customer on a delivery. What's a good tip? You would think we'd get this question more, but I think it was the first time I've received it in all of my years of delivery driving. "Well, that's a good question." I said. Then I preceded to tell her everything I've thought when it comes to tipping a pizza delivery driver. Below is not what I told her, it is my tipping manifesto, I didn't have time to tell her all of this and she was old so I said $3, which is what she gave me. Here is the inside scoop for all of you, the behind the scenes, if you will, from a pizza delivery driver's perspective.

$0-Stiff, the person is self absorbed or clueless. Most likely completely narcissistic because they think either the delivery driver is already getting paid enough or they think the delivery fee is all they should have to pay. Unfortunately we do not receive the whole delivery fee. But even if we did it wouldn't be enough to pay for our gas to get to their house and back with the cost of gas today. Not only that but a tip is something that should be on top of wages or gas, it should be an extra because I was nice enough to drive your pizza to you because you were too lazy to get off of your hind end and go to the restaurant and get it!

$1-Don't even bother. This is almost more insulting than getting stiffed. Unless it comes from a woman 75 years old or older. For some reason they are exempt. I've seen rich people write in a $1 tip on a credit card receipt when their total bill was something like $35.95. Embarrassing...mostly because they are just trying to make themselves feel better, more narcissistic than just plain stiffing in my opinion.

$2-Not adequate and on the border of don't even bother. That's like basically seeing how little you can get away with giving to someone who just served you, without really wanting to give them anything at all. We see through that. You suck!

$3-Almost there...but not quite. It's on the border of almost enough and you suck.

$4-Ah, now we're getting somewhere. I'm pleased, not excited, but pleased when I leave a door with $4. I think this is a crucial amount because it leaves me extra after everything I've done for you.

$5-Now I'm getting a little excited. The only time I'm not happy with a $5er is when the bill totals more than $50. But even at that I'm okay. I had a customer give me a $5 tip on a $115 order a week ago and I was pretty upset. Had to balance a lot of stuff to the car and fit it in, get it to the house, balance it to the door, maybe make two trips to the door from the car, and then get back to the store. Worth more than $5, not only that but $5 was only about 4%. I was expecting $10 or more.

$6-The Sweet Spot! For some reason I love a $6 tip. Again as long as the bill totals $60 or less. It just feels so good. It's like the person could have given a $5 tip and felt good about themselves but they went out of their way to go over an above the call of duty and stick in an extra dollar. I had a lady a couple of nights ago tell the phone person to put a $6 tip on the credit card, he proceeded to tell her that she "could put the tip on the receipt". I told him, "Dude, if they say put a $6 tip on the card do it as fast as you can, it's guaranteed!" I told him he better watch his back if I got there and she gave me less than $6 (I was kidding of course). He was scared (a little of course). I got to the lady's house and she was surprised at how quick we got her the pizza and gave me a $7 tip! The phone guy was spared.

$7 and up-GRAVY!

Overheard

"I'm so sick and tired of being wet." I overheard this being said by one homeless man to another.

How have you helped the poor this week?

Let Him!

I was delivering pizzas again tonight, not a huge surprise. But I was surprised by something that happened at the corner of Ash and Valley Pkwy. I generally scan the road at all times when I delivery drive. I especially look several hundred yards ahead at the lights and when they change and what potential time savers I can come up with, changing lanes, whether to turn or not to turn, whether to speed up, etc. As I was looking ahead at this particular light I saw a man with a cane who was probably 90 years old. I immediately understood that I might not even make this light, then something unexpected happened, as I pulled up to the light and stopped, so that the man could cross the rest of the way (he was halfway across), he looked up at me, smiled, and them waived me through. I've seen this happen a time or two in my day, and I've seen some people waive the person who was trying to help to continue the rest of the way. Not me! I smiled waived and made my turn.

We, for the most part, serve the elderly and handicap in our society regularly. We make sure the doors are open for them, parking spaces are available for them, we wait patiently behind them while they drive at their own pace, etc. I want you to hear me say that I believe this is what we should do, but I also want you to hear me say something else, when they want to help or serve us occasionally I think we should let them.

I believe the elderly and handicap in our society today get so used to not helping because no one really allows them to help them from time to time. I'm not talking about making them our slaves, I'm talking about allowing them to lend you a hand when they try to. If they open the door for you, don't run around and grab the door away from them so that you can help THEM out, just go through the open door. I've even seen someone in a wheel chair try to open a door for a group of people and the first person in the group took the door from him and made him wheel in before everyone else. I'm guessing the man who took the door from the man in the wheel chair thought he was doing a good thing, but I would argue that it was not the right thing. Saying thank you and walking through would have been the right thing.

So next time a 90 year old man stops and smiles, take him up on his act of kindness. It will make your day!

iPhone 4

I've been asked many times if I like my "phone". In the past I would answer this question with a simple "yes", or "it's the bomb!" But recently I've been answering in a different way. Basically I use my "phone" in so many different ways that I've had a hard time calling it a "phone" anymore. It's my hand held organizational, discipline helping, swiss army knife like, jack-of-all-toys! Here is a list of things I do with my phone:

1. Check the weather

2. Read the Bible

3. Read books by Timothy Keller, John Piper, Marc Driscoll, etc.

4. Calendar

5. Reminds me to pray

6. Games, mostly Yahtzee!

7. Facebook

8. Blog

9. Text messaging

10. Tweet

11. Fantasy Football

12. Take notes

13. Calculate

14. Pay my bills

15. Music

16. You Tube

17. Check movie times

18. Listen to Sermons

19. Read the news

20. Keep track of the Lakers, Dodgers, and Chargers since I don't have time to watch a game.

21. Voice Memos and recordings

22. Pandora

23. GPS

24. Look for hotel rooms when we travel.

25. Take pictures

26. Email (I receive email from 4 different email accounts on my phone.)

27. I check the wait for Disneyland rides while at Disneyland.

28. Skype

29. Netflix

30. Use it as a flashlight.

31. Coupons

32. Take video

33. Budget

34. Check how many minutes, texts, and MB I've used.

35. Shop

36. Bank

37. Look up yummy new recipes.

38. Look up yummy restaurants to visit.

39. Surf the web.

40. Check the surf report.

41. Listen to Farts

42. Use my light saber.

43. Play with fish.

44. Make new ring tones.

45. And occasionally I talk on the phone.

Okay, so what do you do with your "phone" that I don't. Or which of these things above do you like the most or do the most with your "phone". I'm curious.

Where have you been all of my life?!?

Chick-fil-A has done it! It is quite possibly the greatest invention in the history of fast food. Yep their new ketchup packet is ingenious! It carries three times as much ketchup as a regular packet and you can squeeze it out or open it up and dip directly into the plastic container. Just one question: What has taken anyone this long to think of this?!?

I know it sounds funny but I'm serious when I say that it is the greatest invention by any fast food chain, at least in recent history. I know you parents are probably going to agree with me. How many ketchup or salsa packets have I squeezed out for my son Lucas alone over the years?!? The answer to that question is 4,398,529. All the while I am pausing my yummy consumption of food so that he is happy and I don't have to pause my intake because I have to squeeze two or three more out! No more my friends. I just teach him how to open these, and even if he can't I just open a couple and away I go!

Unbeatable

Found this at a friendly neighborhood Walmart. Thought it was thought provoking so I took a picture. One of the many wonderful things we can do now by just grabbing our phone out of our pockets.

A few questions about this sign:

1. Who put this up and thought it was okay?

2. Who thought that orange paper square was the way to go?

3. Did someone purposely do this?

4. I bet most people don't even notice the mistake and buy whatever this sign was selling thinking they were getting a bargain.

It may have just been an honest mistake but it still makes for a funny picture. I want to ask a few questions about your life:

1. Are you putting up a sign that is false and do you think that's okay?

2. Do you think the orange paper is okay?

3. Are you purposely leading people in the wrong direction?

4. Are you a person who is okay being deceived or even deceiving yourself?

You may think I'm reaching here, and you may be right, but I believe these four questions each have a different word associated with them.

1. Advertisement: Anyone pointing people in a direction other then God is pointing people to something false.

2. Mediocrity: Doing just enough to get by isn't what God wants for your life. Praying audacious prayers and giving all that you have IS what God wants for you.

3. Purpose: Does the purpose of your life speak to what you ultimately believe in? Is what you ultimately believe in the right direction?

4. Self Deception: Most people spend their whole life moving from deception to deception because they don't want to be held accountable for their sins, or they don't think there is anything such as sin. Surprisingly enough, Christ came to take all of the world's sin on Himself.

Unfortunately advertisement, mediocrity, lack of purpose, and self deception are a few things keeping far too many people from the Truth. Don't believe the sign.