my secret plan to take over the world

step one:
get out of debt

step two:
inheiret (or marry someone with) an oil refinery

step three:
buy the Yankees (sabotage)

taboo

In an authentic manner, the whole point to make art is to:
1. create and then…

2. talk.
3. discuss.
4. converse.
5. engage.
6. share.
7. encourage.
8. involve.
9. commune.

two pages + two weeks

I finished a book a week or so ago...mainly about two christian young men who decide to leave their upper-middle class status, and take on the lives of homeless men among the streets of Portland, Phoenix, Denver, and D.C. for three months.

As I was contemplating God's promise and the notion of risk within my own life, I was encouraged by the last two pages:


"That first night on the streets of D.C., when it felt like Sam and I had dropped into oblivion, I prayed a desperate prayer: "Jesus, be our Rock."
And He was.
Even though the months brought more challenges than we could have imagined, even though we came to the end of ourselves again and again, Jesus held us safe in His power. And He will do the same for you too.
What if following Him is hard? What if along the way He asks you to accomplish difficult tasks or to overcome intimidating obstacles? What if it requires more of you than you have to give?...
...God probably isn't calling you to live on the streets like He did Sam and me, but He IS calling you- like He does each of His children-to take important risks of faith that are unique to you and your opportunities. I doubt those risks will have much to do with putting on a Christian acronym bracelet or a cross t-shirt. More likely, your journey will lead you toward utter dependence on the King of kings and a resolution to follow Him wherever He may ask you to go. That is might be to the streets, to you friends and family, to your neighbor, or to a stranger you haven't even met yet.
Still not sure what your risk might be? Then I dare you to ask yourself a reality-rattling question: "What would i do during my day or in my life for God if I wasn't concerned with what I wear, what I eat, where I sleep, what I own, what people think of me, or what discomforts I face?" Think about your answer. You're probably at least in the neighborhood of where your personal journey starts.
If my question sounds a little over the edge, think of it as a rephrasing of the invitation Jesus presents to all His chosen ones:

"Then Jesus said to his diciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.' (Matthew 16:24-25)

The next step on a journey of faith always feels risky and a little scary. but, it's also always terribly important and incredibly promising-and it's always up to us to take.
So join Sam and me and so many others in our generation. This Jesus we follow is the Redeemer of the world. The God we serve is the Rock on whom we stand. He's sure, steadfast, and worthy of our trust. He's calling us to live this life abandoned to Him, encouraged at all points by His Spirit and His Word and His people, looking to him for all we need.
There's only the left to do:
Walk off the edge with Him. "

(taken from: : "Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America" by Mike Yankoski)

"...give a little bit..."

life seems a little more complete with someone holding your hand

......."bringing sexy back"......or the 80's anyways.

this is what 5 days hiding in KCMO looks like:

awesome finds at an antique mall!

james: wild aces catcher extraordinaire!!


gold/bronze/green pumps, SCORE!


Royals fan memorabilia to prove i'm "true blue"


seeing the first baseball team i ever knew at "kauff park"

(man i love my boys in #7!!!)
:)
p.s. - they won....i'd like to think I had something to do with it....

Happy 4th of July!

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated.
But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.
Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education.
They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War.
We didn't fight just the British, we were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government!

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.
So take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

What happened to men and human beings like this?!
Remember: Freedom is never free.