Friday, October 31, 2008

This is an Old Picture, but I Did It

I did a little research (cause I don’t believe everything on the Internet or e mail, like some) and found out that this picture is true (there is video footage). Obama explains this by saying sometimes during the National Anthem he puts his hand over his heart and sometimes he doesn’t. I wasn’t going to write this blog, but with a little encouragement, I decided to put it out there.

I myself used to stand in respect to the flag during the National Anthem similar to Obama. I logically justified not putting my hand on by heart by saying, “It’s not a pledge of allegiance, so I don’t have to put my hand on my heart during the song.” I was never called out on it until last fall by my mother in law. She said, “You’re supposed to put your hand over your heart.” I explained to her my logic and proceeded to NOT put my hand over my heart during the National Anthem.

After some thought, I decided to research the “law” or “code” that governed the “putting you right hand over you heart” law I had heard so much about and prove everyone wrong. The research led me to the following code:

United States Code Section 36 USC 301
(also here)
“(b) Conduct During Playing.— During a rendition of the national anthem—
(1) when the flag is displayed—
(A) all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart;”
It is US Code that we do this. I was completely wrong! After reviewing this and determining it was a real code, I no longer stand at respect during the National Anthem without putting my hand over my heart.

Our nation and its people should respect all the laws of the land and it seems Obama believes this is an optional code he doesn't have to follow. What do you think?

Halloween Might Be Sad This Year

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Rant About a Letter to the NFL Commissioner

In letter to Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, 13 elected officials in Washington D.C are asking the NFL to provide free games to those in the “home city.”
"The policy leaves behind NFL fans across the country simply because they live outside cities to which the NFL has granted franchises," according to the letter from Senators Specter(R), Leahy(D), Reed(D), Whitehouse(D), Domenici (R), Enzi(R), Barrasso (R), Lieberman(I), Durbin(D), Salazar(D), Sanders(I), Allard(R), and Thune(R).
I am appalled!

I don’t completely agree with the NFL Network and do not think “buying” games is cool, but can the federal government to tell someone else how to run their business? The NFL is about making money, they can do whatever they want with their product. If the NFL wants to make all the games Pay-Per-View; than it is their choice.

Let’s take the WWE for example: Once a month the wrestling organization hosts a Pay-Per-View extravaganza, thereby blocking viewers from the “sport,” similar to what the NFL Network does. This effectively blocks two types of people: people who don’t have an avenue to purchase (those with basic cable or an antenna) and those who actually have to spend the $29.99 to pay for the event. What if the senators asked the WWE to allow those in the host city the Pay-Per-View event “free access” because they are hometown fans? Sounds like they wouldn’t be making money, but instead giving away a product they promote in order to make money.

Maybe I am over-reacting and/or don’t know what I am talking about, but I read these and see “government control.” I am all about free-access, but if the NFL or the little man on Main Street wants to allow smoking in his place of business, it is the owner’s decision, not anyone else. If they start losing business because no one is buying, than they will have to change the technique.

This will conclude my rant about how 13 US Senators should get back to work “rescuing” us from the recession, leave the NFL and other business owners alone and keep gas prices low.

Have a wonderful day.

Major Political Announcement*

After much pressure and many requests Insert Title Here has been asked to endorse a candidate in the upcoming presidential election.

Mickey Mouse is the presidential candidate for Insert Title Here. Mr. Mouse has so much experience and really doesn’t need the money for this campaign fund, but is asking anyway. What a guy! Mr. Mouse has been on the scene since 1928 and will be celebrating his 80th birthday a few days after the election on November 18th. He is older than both the “other” candidates and recently announced his running mate, Snow White. Similar to the Republican Party, Mr. Mouse thinks Miss White will win the lady votes because sometimes, “the ladies sometimes just don’t like mice,” Mr. Mouse said recently.

Mickey Mouse is a veteran, survived the Depression, enjoys classical music and was the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The guy is known worldwide.

Political experience – Mr. Mickey Mouse has been on the political scene for decades. Often time’s people write in candidates and according to Wikipedia, “Mickey Mouse is the best-known and most-recognized character in America…causing Mickey Mouse to be a minor but perennial contestant in nearly all U.S. presidential elections (since 1928, at least).” Vote for Mickey Mouse-Snow White 2008. He is the best man/mouse for the job.

Happy Voting.
*This is a spoof and not endorsed by Disney in anyway.

"I Want Winners"

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Bud Selig Makes a Great Decision

Not that sportswriters in America care what I think, but I am glad Selig decided to suspend the game. Joe Buck kept presenting the scenarios saying they may consider ending the World Series without nine innings played because it was an “official” game in the 6th.

As I watched the rain fall, Hamels attempt to hold Upton on 1st base; I hoped for a hit from Pena to prevent the possible ending of the World Series according to Buck. I was worried about what would happen and surely not going to bed. Eventually Hamels would give up a base hit to Pena and the Rays tied the score 2-2. This would guarantee a suspension of play. They called a rain delay and I sent Keith a text that I was going to bed, but to let me know if they started play again.

Keith wrote back about 10:30pm and said the game was officially suspended till today (pending more rain). There was no doubt once the Rays tied the score it wasn't going to be finished, but I love what MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said, “There's no way they're going to allow a championship game to be canceled in the [sixth] inning on a rainout.”

On another note, it would have been a baseball travesty if the Rays didn’t score and they declared the Phillies the World Camps. I think Phillies starter Cole Hamels put it best, "I truly believe that would have been the worst World Series win on the face of baseball. I would not pride myself on being a world champion with a called game." What a great statement, Hamels and way to go Bud Selig for not even considering calling the game.

Don’t forget about your free taco (see below post)!

Steal a base. Steal a taco.

For those of you not following the World Series, be thankful, you get a free taco because of a stolen base. Head to you local Taco Bell between 2pm and 6pm and get 1 free Crunchy Beef Taco.

Enjoy...and don't forget to catch the end of Game 5 today...hopefully, if it stops raining. God Bless.

Monday, October 27, 2008

My Arm is Sore, Ouch!

This weekend was very relaxing and eye opening. Aaron, Randy, Dustin and I played an amazing game of Buns Up (or wall ball). I don’t know the origin of the game, but know that my cousins and I have played it since we were little.

If you haven’t played, basically you hit a solid wall with a tennis ball and when it returns you catch it. If you touch, touch-miss or get hit with it and don’t catch it, you have to touch the wall before you get pegged by another player. When you get three strikes, you face the wall “buns up” and other players (three) get to throw it at the person with three strikes. There are other various rules, but they are irrelevant at this point.

I was definitely the biggest loser in yesterday’s game. I was the only one on the wall three times and I feel like I threw my arm out. It was great fun to get out there and enjoy time with my family.

More on eye opening – In an effort to curb some of the soreness in my arm, I think it is about time to seriously consider a workout. I have not started my program yet, but I think I am going to focus on drinking more water, jogging and doing some other calisthenics. I am going to start my plan tomorrow, seeing that I had a coke earlier today. No seriously, I am going start this “program” and I would ask that you pass an encouraging word my way about working out (I’ll need it).

I hope that each of you had a great weekend. Reminder, check out the new poll on the right hand side. It is an anonymous poll, so I don’t have any clue who votes for who. Have a spooky week.

Joke:
Why wasn't the vampire working?
(Answer Coming Soon)

“You probably should just move back to California.”

Now, I really don’t mean the above statement because I am glad my mother moved back to Texas, but I talked and saw my mom more when she lived in California than now. Although she has a good excuse, I wish we could get together more often.

My mom coaches in a small town outside of Austin and stays super busy daily. She will remain busy until the end of softball season, than her schedule will slow down some. It is great to have her back in Texas.

It just so happens, she not only is an amazing coach, but she takes some sweet pictures too. As I was putting together some of my pictures (seen below), I thought my mother needed to post some of her pictures. I got her laptop this weekend and she had 8 gigs of pictures. We went through them and picked out some of our favorites. We have posted a few here and you can find them in my Amazing Links. I will be adding more because I burned 2 cds full of her pictures, but didn’t have time to upload all of her pictures last night. Drop a comment and let me mom know what you think. Enjoy.

Concerning J.Hellums Photography, I have used various cameras to shoot: Canon Poweshot SD630 (Beach, NYC and Old Barn), Sony DSC-T200 (Spring Flowers) and Canon EOS Digital Rebel (Washington DC and Grapes). For editing, I use Adobe Photoshop and love it. J.Hellums Photography hopes to one day frame and sell some of the photos. Since I only have one order (and I plan to give it as a Christmas gift to my brother), I am not "pushing" the sell of any photo at this point. I hope that answers your questions, Cassie.

PS: Say a prayer for my buddy Richie.

God bless.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Launched J.Hellums Photography

I have been trying to compile some of my better shots to share with everyone and I finally did it. You can check out what I have up now. I am going to be posting more soon, but I am still going through my pictures. You can find the link under Amazing Links section and you can always click here to go check ‘em out. I hope that everyone has blessed weekend.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

News Flash: Raccoon['s] clash...with Dallas cops

**Associated Press-Oct. 23, 2008-DALLAS — Police learned something during a frenetic burglary call to an elderly couple's home: Tasers don't work on raccoons.

Police arrived with guns drawn after receiving a 911 call from an 85-year-old man who heard noises near his front door Tuesday night.

Officers surrounded the house but pretty quickly — in the words of the police report — "determined the suspect was a raccoon."

In the meantime, the masked burglar apparently made its way into the house through the chimney. That's when things got really interesting.

With officers in pursuit, the raccoon took off through the house, ripping up Venetian blinds, pulling down drapes, knocking over a lamp and toppling a flowerpot. Finally, Officer Daniel Ek tried to let it out the back door when the suspect apparently turned threatening.

"While unlocking the back door, the suspect ran at Officer Ek," the police report says.

Ek used his Taser, but the raccoon ran up the chimney with the stun gun's prongs in its back. An animal control officer tried unsuccessfully to flush it out with ammonia, homeowner Bill Hyde said in today's editions of The Dallas Morning News.

A neighbor helped secure the front of the fireplace to keep the raccoon from returning. The next morning, when the neighbor returned to put a cap on the chimney, the raccoon had escaped.

"He got away clean," Hyde said.

(**This is a complete copy of the article, link is to reference the source)

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I Don't Think This Got Enough Press

Sen. Joe Biden in Seattle, WA at a fundraiser on Sunday, October 19, 2008:
“And here's the point I want to make. Mark my words. Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. And he's gonna have to make some really tough - I don't know what the decision's gonna be, but I promise you it will occur."
“...I guarantee you it's gonna happen. I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate. And he's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you, not financially to help him, we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right. Because all these decisions, all these decisions, once they're made if they work, then they weren't viewed as a crisis.”

The Answer to Guess What Happened Here?

Last night as I was getting ready to get into the shower, I leaned over to start the water and placed my hand on the wall. As I turned the water on the wall gave way and my hand slipped through the tile and sheet rock. Tiles crashed to the bathtub and shattered making a loud noise. Kari hollered with alarm from the other room, “What happened!” I stuck my head out laughing and said, “Just come look.” She came in and I pulled the shower current back allowing the light to completely expose the hole in the tiles. We both just started laughing and she said, “That what I don’t like about apartments!” It was hilarious.

On another note, a little baseball talk. Scott Kazmir and Cole Hamels take the mound tonight for Game 1 of the 2008 World Series. I am looking forward to cheering on these two teams because I don’t really mind who wins. To overanalyze a bit, I most often watch National League baseball more than I do the American League (because the Texas Rangers don’t represent the American League well in my state). I enjoy watching baseball in general. I am a baseball fan first and than an Astros fan. I don’t really dislike one team or another, but I am glad to see the Red Sox’s go home for the winter.

Go Phillies! Go Rays! Please just give us some great games.

Have a great week. God Bless.

Guess What Happened Here?


Answer to come this afternoon.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Another Activity: A Poll

After an exciting time and several responses to the book giveaway; I am now going to try an additionally activity @ Insert Title Here. To your right, you will find the first poll in what hopes to be a weekly question (or something like that). I am looking forward to see what kind of response this will receive. Well, that’s about it. Happy Voting! Oh, and don’t forget to vote November 4, 2008.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Camping: Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Okay, so maybe we didn’t see lions, tigers or bears, but we did see plenty of animals.

Joining us on our inaugural trip was my sister in law Shelbi. We headed out to Kerrville-Schreiner Park with an ETA in Kerrville at about 8:00pm; we enjoyed the ride through the Hill Country. A couple of notable sightings on the trip: an owl flying in front of the car and perching on the power line and the beautifully lit and busy main street in downtown Fredericksburg, TX.

We arrived in Kerrville at about 8pm and noticed the sign that said the population was 20,000 plus. I was very surprised about the number and took a little heat for it. I thought we were going to a small remote town, but apparently in the last 15 years (or so, I have been to the park before) the population had exploded. I reassured Kari and Shelbi that we would be in the “sticks” away from the city (hopefully). We stocked up at the local HEB and went to check in. We found out that we were going to be away from the main highway, in what I like to call the sticks and far enough away from town to have a sense of comfort in the woods.

Already being dark, we pulled the car into the site and found a suitable location for our tent. We pulled the tent out of the box and went to work. At one point, Kari read the instructions, "prior to camping, set tent up to make sure all the piece are there*.” Well, of course we didn’t do this part, but we kept on working to get the tent up. While setting the tent up, Kari figured out that in the course of setting up and leaving the headlights on, we had run the battery dead. This fact slightly panicked and upset Kari and Shelbi. Shelbi exclaimed, “how are we going to get home?*” I calmed the girls down and told them we would take care of it in the morning and confirmed we would be making it home (planning to ask for a jump from a camping neighbor). We got a little fire going, but once everything was situated we fell asleep under a full moon.

Saturday we were rudely awakened by the sun. Normally, Saturday mornings are good for sleeping in and NCAA football, but not when you’re camping (unless you’re in one of those huge motor homes with 30 inch screen TV’s, how is that camping?). We got up ran a few necessity errands, learned that it was 49 degrees that night and went back to cook some breakfast. We ate and got to know one of our camping neighbors. He was a professional camper and from September to May travels around the United States camping and then returns to his home in Alaska. He was a very intriguing Christian man who shared some amazing life stories and encouraged us to live simply.

We got cleaned up and at lunch time we had chili dogs. WOW, those were some amazing hot dogs (maybe I was just really hungry). We enjoyed hanging out and worked with the fire. In the afternoon, Shelbi wanted to rent a paddle boat and go out on the Guadalupe River. Shelbi and I got in the front seat to power the “ship.” Shelbi didn’t last long, so Kari took over for her and we paddled the mighty Guadalupe. We spent about an hour on the river spotting wildlife such as: turtles, geese, dragonflies, and squirrels.

After our trip on the river we headed to Fredericksburg, TX for trade days. We weren’t sure of closing time, but headed over there anyway. We did arrive just near close, but Kari did find something to buy as well as ministry to someone. Sidenote: My wife has such a loving and genuine heart. I watched as she empathized, encouraged and prayed for a lady who had just learned that her brother had been dead two days and she couldn’t leave because she was working at the fair. It was a quick dash to Fredericksburg, but a divine appointment.

Saturday evening was spent preparing steaks. I seasoned and marinaded the steaks, threw them on the grill and Kari took over from there. We enjoyed great steak and mac and cheese. It was an amazing dinner. We gathered around the fire and made smores. Shelbi enjoyed catching her marshmallow on fire, but didn’t want to eat it burnt. We ate our desert and than sat around the fire enjoying the warmth and company. The fire really got going great about the time we were ready for bed, so I scattered the logs and we called it a night.

The sun was not an enemy on Sunday morning, we slept till nine. We started cleaning up the campsite and Kari prepared breakfast. We enjoyed a delightful meal and continued to prepare to leave. Tear down went very smooth and we headed out about noon. We waved goodbye to our temporary home, but not before taking pictures with a baby deer.

On our way home we picked up some jams and apple butter in Fredericksburg and found out peach season is May to August. We will be heading back to Fredericksburg in July (that is when the biggest peaches are grown), if not before. In Johnson City we took a safari tour. We got to see so many animals. My favorites were the zebras. Those animals are beautiful and just sweet looking! Kari and Shelbi fed and enjoyed the camels the most. Those guys eat a bunch and can drink up to 30 gallons of water. It was an awesome time for us all.

That’s about it. I didn’t mean to give play by play, but I thought it was worth sharing. Basically, we are already planning our next camping trip. It was a blast. Oh, and Kari is now officially a camper! God bless, and stay tuned, pictures to come.

*Items are paraphrased and not actually quotes.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Quote from Romo-Favre Conversation

"The only thing I said was, it's worth trying [to play] if you can deal with the pain and can function good enough with a splint," Favre said to Romo concerning the fractured finger on his passing hand.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Camping 101

I haven’t been camping in years. Maybe it hasn’t been that long, probably about 3-4 years, but this coming weekend Kari and I will embark on our inaugural camping trip. We have reservations for Kerrville-Schreiner Park located in Kerrville, TX. Formerly a state park, this 517-acre park is near the banks of the Guadalupe River. We hope to make a little trip southwest on Saturday to the Lost Maples State Park where you can see the first signs of fall (orange trees!).

Now I didn’t intent to give advice or teach you how to camp, I just thought Camping 101 fit since this was our inaugural trip and my wife has never been. We aren’t going to “rough” it too hard; we’re camping near water/electricity and will be sleeping on an air mattress.

On making reservations, I will mention that you should make your reservations in advance. I love going to the Texas Parks & Wildlife website checking out all the state parks. You can search by region and I can tell you that all the state parks in the hill country and lake areas in Central Texas are booked. I was a little surprised. I am very excited about the trip and “vacation.”

Check back on Monday for what should be an exciting camping story and some pictures...oh, and absolutely no Joe the Plumber coverage (seriously, find something else to report)!!! Have a great weekend all. God Bless.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Churched: Book Review

Churched: One Kid's Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess by Matthew Paul Turner reminded me of my own childhood memories from growing up in the church; like the multiple invitations of Jesus into my heart and being kicked out of my 5th grade Sunday school class.

Turner is a blogger, speaker and author of The Coffeehouse Gospel, Provocative Faith, Beatitude: Relearning Jesus, and recently released Churched. He has written for Relevant, HomeLife, Christian Single magazines and was the former editor of CCM magazine. He can be found online at www.matthewpaulturner.com.

Turner recounts several scenes from childhood on his journey to becoming a good fundamentalist. Without much effort he points out many of the contradictions to the bible he learns from Sunday school teachers and preacher. It doesn’t seem to be his goal to place blame on anyone, but rather reminisce and laugh about some of the odd things he learned as a child. With these stories he accurately describes these experiences and holds the readers attention throughout because it invokes personal memories of the reader. The prelude caught my attention immediately, because Turner describes a fire breathing Jesus tattoo. At the time, we were working on the "Soul Ink" sermon series, so I was hooked! A couple of my favorite quotes are:
“Imagining God as anything less or more than how Pastor Nolan described him was a borderline abomination. I suppose that’s why a green and orange Jesus was ridiculous to Mrs. Snover. Coloring outside the lines was a chance no one was willing to take.” -Concerning a picture of Jesus that was colored by Matthew, instead of completely white.
“…I thought it sounded like a painful procedure, one that might involve a shot or stitches. I didn’t like pain or blood…I wasn’t sure I wanted the Son of God building a condo inside one of my atriums. I did learn one thing about having Jesus as a bodily tenant: he would not tolerate cigarette smoke.” -Concerning the processes of inviting Jesus into one’s heart
I couldn’t think of how to phrase it until I read this by Jason Boyett in reference to Churched, “…it's worth reading just for the chance to see someone refuse to be defined by his past, and learn to grow beyond that past without getting angry or bitter.” That is completely the way I felt about the book. Turner’s angle was such that once you read the stories, you just sit back think about your own childhood and laugh. It is not your typical "theologically deep" book, but worth the time and effort to read. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Again, congratulations to Cassie, your copy of Churched is on its way. Don’t forget to check the book out here.

God Bless.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

News Flash: Feedburner Installed

I have seen it and used it on other websites, but never tried it out on Insert Title Here. The wait is over; I am now “burning my feed.” So, to the right under "subscribe here" you can update your RSS feed to Insert Title Here with the new link. If you don’t use a reader, I highly recommend the Google Reader. Let me know what you think.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Today in History: October 14, 1964

Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize becoming the youngest person to receive the award. King was awarded for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination by participating in civil disobedience. In Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, King was assassinated.
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become reality. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” -Martin Luther King Jr

Monday, October 13, 2008

Winner Announcement!

After reviewing the video submissions for the Churched Book Giveaway and struggling over which one was the best…drum roll please. The winner of the first ever Book Giveaway @ Insert Title Here is Cassie, the author of Pacific Northwest: The Saga Begins.... I would like to thank everyone who participated in this experiment/event. Check out the winning video:



Don’t forget: Churched Book Review and Camping 101 will hit Insert Title Here this week.

And the Winner Is…TBA

I know many of you are on the edge of your seats; texting me; just dying to know who the winner of the Churched Book Giveaway is…And to be honest, my co-judge has not been able to view all the films because I have not given her all the links yet.

So, tonight, at an undetermined time the winning video and winner of Matthew Paul Turner’s book Churched will be released (in stores now). Check back soon for the winner and Churched book review (this week).

Till than, Happy Monday.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Pennies, Nickels and Dimes

By 1929, an economic downturn known as the Great Depression hit worldwide. I remember hearing stories from and about my grandfather living through this time period (he was born in 1917). I always remember when we went shopping, we stocked up on non-perishable items. I have always found myself doing this and sometimes I will tell Kari while we are shopping, “grab one more of those, just in case.” She pointed this out one day in the store and I thought about how I was raised.

I don’t have extreme fear of this current economic crisis and can only hope we don’t see anything near the Great Depression, but have you ever imagined yourself in that time and place. Meals were skipped, many times they earned pennies and many lost their life savings in the blink of an eye. If these few conditions listed didn’t change your lifestyle, you didn’t survive.

I work in an office that is at a constant temperature of 70 degrees. The lights are always on. Plastic cups are disposable. Paper is often times wasted by the ream and thrown into the trash can, overlooking the recycle bin.

All the way from our apartment to cooperate America, I think we are about to see changes in how we spend money. I thought the changes would come with the $4.00 gallon gas, yes, there were some changes, but I think now, we are about to see lifestyle changes similar to those found in the Great Depression. Instead of walking past that nickel or dime on the street, people will start picking it up. I know personally, we have already started to adjust to whatever the economy might hold in store.

Whether is is a temporary dip or a depression, “what do you really need to survive,” might need to be your question, instead or “what do I want?”

More to come. Stay tuned to Insert Title Here and don’t forget about the book giveaway; tonight is the deadline.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Red vs. Blue

The Washington Post has this chart at the following address. I found it interesting; I don’t know if I have actually seen a chart on how our candidates would "adjust" taxes. I don’t make my blog much of politic grandstand, but thought I would share this with my readers and encourage you to vote.

I was reminded last night by my wife and Will that I should probably go vote. Yes, I did consider not going to the polls because the Electoral College seems to do most of the “electing” anyway, but I was persuaded and looked up my registration. Check out this website; you can figure out if you are registered and if so in what city you are registered. Oh, and one more link, to find out who represents you check out Who Represents Me (for those not in Texas, I recommend google to find out the above info).

I will be driving over to Pflugerville to cast my vote. I don’t have to tell you, we are on the brink of history, whether Obama or McCain gets elected, it is a very important you exercise your freedom and right by participating in the election. Happy voting!

One more thing, whoever gets elected, God is still in control; He has, is and always will be. God Bless.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

4 More Days Left on the Book Giveaway


With several submission; the competition is close, but I think there still might be a video out there that could win it all. If you don’t want to participate, you can buy your own copy of Churched here.

One more time…I am looking for the funniest and most outrageous video online. It can be posted on any video hosting site (youtube, yahoo videos, myspace, etc.), but must have the capability to be embedded. A panel of judges (probably Kari and I) will narrow the videos down to a top 5 and from the top 5 the readers get to vote which one is the best video. The links must be e mailed to me at jeremyhellums@gmail.com reference Churched Book Giveaway in the subject line. Please don’t post links as comments. Any links posted as a comment will be disqualified. You can submit more than one link and if there is a duplicate link, it will be based on who submitted the link first. There is no purchase necessary. Remember the contest ends Midnight Friday, October 10th, 2008.

God Bless.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Texas Parks & Wildlife Expo 2008


The working and passage of Texas Parks & Wildlife Expo on October 4-5 has become the “beginning of Fall” for me. This weekend I will be making the annual trip to South Austin to work the two day outdoor event for Jericho Light & Sound. According to the website in 2007, “over 42,000 visitors enjoyed Expo!” I am sure this number will increase for various reasons, but one of the greatest things about Expo is it’s free. You can bring the whole family to see shows, animals, go canoeing, shoot guns and so much more. Expo is an introduction to everything outdoors; for me, it’s a blast even though I’m working.

A couple of my favorite things about Expo: The Birds of Prey show hosted by Master Falconer John Karger with Last Chance Forever. This show will educate and “wow” anyone with the beauty and power of Red Tail Hawks, Bay Wing Hawks and several other species. Amazing Animals is hosted by Chris Bellows from Sea World. This show always draws a huge crowd (get there a little early) and like the namesake he brings amazing animals.

If you don’t have any weekend plans and are just looking for something to do; check out the website and make plans to visit Texas Parks & Wildlife Expo 2008. Have a great weekend.