News Alert: Obama "burns" $535 Million

"Newly released documents show that a Silicon Valley investor and senior administration officials warned the White House against having President Obama visit the solar company Solyndra in May 2010 because of its mounting financial problems, saying he might be embarrassed later. 

Obama’s Energy Department had provided Solyndra with a $535 million government-backed loan and wanted to highlight the investment to show taxpayers how their stimulus dollars had been put to work. Top administration officials concluded that while a visit posed political risk, it was appropriate. Obama ultimately appeared at the factory and praised the company, which collapsed in late August and is now under federal investigation."

Posted on Washington Post earlier this afternoon, this article outlines one of many errors our current president has committed.  $535 million dollars wasted on an alternative energy company now under federal investigation.  Jobs creation and change is not what the current president has accomplished.

It is time for the citizens of our country to make a statement.  If you aren't registered to vote, get registered. Find out where your voting location is and make every effort to remove the current president from his office and make way for a real leader, not a rock star.

Have a wonderful day.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day Mark Driscoll Style

I thought about trying to write a little about Saint Patrick, but than I read Mark Driscoll's blog and thought I would just refer you to his post. Entitled Vintage Saints: Saint Patrick, Driscoll gives a brief history on Saint Patrick that is very insightful. Check it out; here's a quote:

"Patrick gave his life to the people who had enslaved him until he died at 77 years of age. He had seen untold thousands of people convert as between 30-40 of the 150 tribes had become substantially Christian. He had trained 1000 pastors, planted 700 churches, and was the first noted person in history to take a strong public stand against slavery." -Driscoll concerning Patrick

By the way, I am not wearing green! Happy reading.

Current Reading List

I just wrapped up reading The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. For some reason, this book series eluded me as a child, but am glad I read it and highly recommend it.

After receiving a gift card to Barnes & Noble from my mother in law, I picked up the title President Reagan The Role Of A Lifetime by Lou Cannon. Cannon a journalist in Washington D.C. during his presidency has written three books about Reagan and so far I have enjoyed the read. It is not a hard read, but I am learning new words.

In addition, on the night stand is Eldest by Christopher Paolini. This is the second in Paolini’s Inheritance series, which I heard got a bad review. I am not letting the reviews hold me back; I am just taking it for what its worth and am willing to see how Eragon develops as a Dragon Rider.

One last book that I am actively reading sits on my night stand is A.W. Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy. This book is full of so much wisdom. I can sometimes only read a paragraph, before I have to stop and think about what he is saying. It is a thin book, but it takes a lot of processing because it pretty deep stuff.

What are you reading? If you have any recommendations on a good book, I am always willing to take it. Have a great Wednesday.

God Bless

Tebow doesn't let the haters affect him by Pat Forde

This article hit espn.com on Tuesday 6, 2009 and I thought it was well written. Tim Tebow is a young man who has his head on straight and gives all the glory to God. Check out the link, it is worth the time.

Oh...and go Flordia. I am not cheering for OU, Keith!

Insert Title Here Top 7 of 2008

After using a mathematics equation similar to the BSC, I am posting the top 7 Insert Title Here posts. Insert Title Here has changed some much throughout the year of 2008; I figured these few were worth sharing again. The first half of the year began very slowly, but the second half of the year saw most months with 20 or more posts. It is a fun exercise and an easy dissemination of information to relatives in distant places. Without further delay, here are the Top 7:

7 – Saturday Night Fun with Snakes! - This post was so much fun to write because it was an exciting night. As the adrenaline flowed and a bit of fear overtook us, we felt as though it was in our best interest to get rid of these snakes. Wow, and to think I was inches from stepping on one!

6 – Camping: Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My! – After several days of camping in Kerrville, of course the re-telling of the adventure had to make Insert Title Here. This camping trip was Kari’s first and at this point last, due to Baby.

5 – Tuesday Baby News: Press Release 11/25/2008 – I think the computer rankings moved this post to 5 because recently there has been a lot of Baby coverage. Oh, the baby coverage will continue, but this was a very exciting post, so it made the top seven.

4 – Reminiscing Christmas: Part I – After receiving a few e mails concerning this post, I am glad to see it in the top seven. It was delightful it to go down memory lane remembering all the wonderful times I spent with my family growing up and realizing that I valued the family more than the gifts.

3 – Taylor Swift a Theologian? – Not only is it a good song, but this post has gotten a lot of response. Although not to many comments showed up, many ladies young and old had something to say about the "Taylor Swift" post. This was definitely one of my favorites; an easy pick for 3rd.

2 – Soul Ink: Represent – This is the first video in a series of four that would accompany a sermon series at the Well. Soul Ink: Represent is one of my favorite Crown Films. Go back to the origianl post or Crown Films to see Soul Ink: Represent and other films.

1 – Eternal Ripples – I felt God reminded me of how important it is for us to make a positive impact on those around us by creating an eternal ripple. This post led to a “part two” post by my buddy Keith entitled “The Church” in “Church”. I think we should all be encouraged and look forward to the way God works and moves in 2009.

I enjoy writing, sharing and hope that you will continue to join Insert Title Here in 2009. God Bless and Happy New Year!

5 Things That I Find Addictive

I am not sure how I feel about being tagged, but I can’t be too opposed, because I am doing it. My wife was tagged recently to name the 10 things I love and she did an amazing job. So, The Fairy Queen tagged me to list the 5 things that I find addictive:

5. Mexican Food – I would say 8 out of 10 of my meals our Mexican food. I love the hot, spicy flavors Mexican food offers. Good salsa, chips and some enchiladas makes an amazing meal. My current favorite is a lunch special near our place: $3.99 two cheese enchiladas, rice, beans and two tortillas. I enjoy eating breakfast taco covered in great salsa. Sometimes I like to think my last name is Garcia, but sadly it is not. Mexican food is one habit I won’t be kicking.

4. DVD’s – I enjoy buying/watching movies. I learned quickly that I was not responsible enough to rent movies (pre Netflik), so I started buying movies. This comes with an added bonus because most DVD’s I buy have bonus footage that I also watch (you would not get this if you rented). I watch the film with the Director’s commentary at least once and than re-watch the film several times.

3. Insert Title Here – My blog is addicting. I do not believe people are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what I have to say, but I do enjoy sharing with those I don’t speak to daily what is going on. For example: I won’t see my parents for the holidays because we have already celebrated Thanksgiving with them and I wanted to share our latest on Baby news. Also, I enjoy writing or at least attempting to write.

2. Publications – I love buying books, newspapers and comic books. I am addicted to the smell, touch and look of something published. The new book cover, the black ink of newspaper and catchy comic book cover are almost a craving. I have a shelf full of books that 75% of them have been read, so I shouldn’t buy any books in a while, but somehow I do.

1. Making Films & Taking Pictures – I love making films and taking pictures. I enjoy writing, storyboarding, casting, filming and editing a project. I would have taken the video camera yesterday to our first appointment, but my battery was dead (I did take our camera, with a spare battery, but left it in my pocket). I don’t think I would have used it anyways cause I was pretty nervous, but I am addicted to making movies and taking pictures.

Tag: Stine & Jackie

November Sermon Series at the Well

Come see us @ 10:30am at the Well.

“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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

726 Miles Away

At approximately 12:30pm central time Hurricane Ike is 726 miles away from Austin. I got this information from the below website. I normally don’t blog about websites, but this one really caught my attention.

The amazing website I want to share is http://www.stormpulse.com/

It is a storm tracker website, detailed to the MAX. I could probably spend several days on this site. Check it out. Happy storm watching.

God Bless

A Few Stories to Share…You Know, From the Weekend

Thursday night I burned the midnight oil and completed the first documentary in a series of four that is accompanying the current sermon series at the Well, Soul Ink. It is posted below and you can always check out new videos at http://www.youtube.com/jhellums

Friday I got to see a De Leon team play some polished High School football. While I was enjoying the great football, they were beating up on Milano so it was sad to see the boys in Maroon and Gold lose. Later that evening we watched I Am Legend. I got to open a birthday gift early and got a huge bag of Gummy Bears and I Am Legend DVD. My wife knows me all to well. To be honest, I couldn’t stay awake through the movie, so we hit the bed about midnight.

Saturday began the birthday celebrations. My mother in law, Ruth, asked me what I wanted for my birthday dinner and desert, I decided on chicken and dumplin’s and brownies with vanilla ice cream. Little did I know Ruth had not prepared chicken and dumplin’s in several years. She did a little research and made a few phone calls and for dinner we had some amazing chicken and dumplin’s. For dinner, Pop and Donna joined us in Milano for the birthday celebration. Donna brought some green bean casserole that had a jalapeño flavor that was awesome. At the end of dinner we had desert, brownies and vanilla ice cream, yummy! It was a great time out in the country eating great food and relaxing with family. Thanks for a great Saturday.

Sunday we kicked off Soul Ink. Soul Ink is based on the passage of scripture from Roman 12:9 through the end of the chapter. Major points: First and foremost, the first spiritual mark we should have is Jesus “tattooed” on our hearts. Second, love everyone. We are to love everyone, but hate the evil/sin that is in others lives. Instead we are called to “cling” or glue ourselves to the good in everyone and love them no matter what. The series started great and you can hear it soon on the web at www.thewellinaustin.com I am looking forward to the rest of the month and whatever God has to teach me.

Sunday afternoon, we met up with my mother, Matt and Alex at Hula Hut (again, sorry Cassie). I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed Hula Hut till recently, but the last few blogs I have mentioned eating there…huh, it must be one of my favorites. We enjoyed some great eats and had Tres Leches for my birthday desert. I was filled to the max after that. Mom hooked me up with a sweet Astros shirt and a gift card. What a great lunch!

The Cowboys looked great and I enjoyed watching the ‘boys in HD too! My uncle asked me what I thought about the Cowboys, so I thought I would share to my fellow readers. I thought they looked amazing in the first half. As they marched down the field in the first half via running and passing they dominated the defensive. Romo threw clean passes and had time to eat a lunch while he was in the pocket. The second half was a little different, a few bumps in the road, but Cleveland was still no match for the Cowboys. I think they have a solid team. Rookie Felix Jones looked great running down the field and I like the great chemistry and attitudes from TO and Romo (squirting water at one another). It was an amazing 27th birthday.

I hope you each had a blessed weekend. God Bless.

Abigail Mahree Burnett Has Arrived

I was going to post this on Nicole’s blog, but I cannot figure out xanga. I got very frustrated trying to post there…but enough about that.

On August 20, 2008, at 5:27pm Abigail Mahree was born and weighted in at 7lbs 2ounces and 20 ½ inches long. She is healthy with a full head of beautiful hair. The parents are excited about their new bundle of joy and looking forward to relaxing at home soon. I have a few pictures, I hope I can post later today and Nicole’s blog will have plenty of pictures to share as well. Check back soon.

Have a blessed day.