Prayer Journal

Things I am following:

Career:
Promotion to Specialist
Lindenwood Opportunities
Where is God working

Spiritual:
Shepherding group decision
Deacon Decision
Family's spiritual growth

Purpose for my life:
Seeking where God's working and while waiting and seeking - I need to improve my character

Anything you want

Leave any comments that don't fit other posts. For more private comments send to jschmidt2002@charter.net. Is there a better way to do this? How can I make this stay on the first page?

Memories...

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over these words right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad. When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) by what people remember about you.

Told You So...

At 5:00 this morning (November 28, 2005)on the way to work I was unexpectedly treated to a Joe vs the Volcano reference. What was I listening to at that time of the morning that could offer such a classic cinematic gem?? Was it "The River"? - No. Was it "The Arch" - No - not even the Arch. It was none other than 91.5 KSIV Bott Radio (yes Laura my radio does get this station). I know that you're now wondering - out of the many quotable quotes in the movie which one was referred to and why - so here is the paragraph that it appeared in.

Copied from the Back to the Bible website

Woodrow Kroll: Yeah, there are others, of course. Those are the two major ones, the two primary ones. We're going to talk about that first one today. How God has revealed Himself through natural phenomena. There was a movie some years ago called, Joe Versus the Volcano. And I didn't see this; but someone told me that Patricia, in this movie, says this. She says, "My father says almost the whole world's asleep. Everybody you know, everybody you see, everybody you talk to, he says, only a few people are awake. And they live in a state of constant, total amazement."

End of Back to the Bible quote

Can't you hear the sadness in the tone of his statement "And I didn't see this; but someone told me that...? Please oh please spare yourself from this sadness - watch Joe vs the Volcano today - with a friend - or two.

Winter Jam 2006

Added 2 new links to Winter Jam 2006, and ConcertZ.org - check them out. New artist for 2006 Krystal Meyers is 16 years-old - check out her web site - you can listen to her music.

Another Movie Quote

How's this for knowing your career direction:

I don't want to sell, buy, or process anything as a career.

I don't want to sell anything bought or processed,
or buy anything sold or processed,
or process anything sold, bought, or processed,
or repair anything sold, bought, or processed.

- John Cusak's character in Say Anything

Movie Quotes

Can you guess the movie these quotes come from?

#1
Actor 1:
I like being part of something that's bigger than me - than I. It's good for your soul to invest in something you can't control.
Actor 2:
You're a romantic. You have a lyrical soul. You can love under the best and worst conditions.

- Ben (Jimmy Fallon - Fever Pitch)

#2
I have never known that kind of faith. It makes me sad that people like Fred and Alice who have lost everything can still be open to love-- while I who have lost nothing am not.

NOTE: Names were changed to make it a little tougher to guess.
- Lena - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Ryan of Doom Quiz

I thought this quiz...
featured on the blog of doom, was rather interesting and not one of the dumb ones, so I'm gonna do it myself.
Three Names You Go By:
1. Joe
2. Dad
3. Mr. Schmidt Sir


Three Screen Names You've Had
1. Jobywon45
2. Vzh4h9
3. jschmidt2002

Three Things You Like About Yourself
1. My easy-going nature
2. My academic ability
3. My job

Three Things You Don't Like About Yourself
1. I am socially challenged
2. I worry too much
3. My hair is too gray

Three Things That Scare You
1. Being responsible for a family
2. Anything I don't have control over
3. Being embarassed

Three of Your Everyday Essentials
1. Music
2. Working Vehicle
3. Food, clothes, air, and water are good

Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now
1. Kurt Warner St. Louis Shirt
2. Vans
3. Baggy hand-me-down jeans

Three Of Your Favorite Bands/Artists
1. Def Leppard/Green Day
2. Audio Adrenaline
3. R. E. O. Speedwagon

Three of Your Favorite Songs
1. "Untitled" by Simple Plan
2. "Better Days" bu Goo Goo Dolls
3. "In the End" Linkin Park

Three Things You Want To Try In the Next Year
1. Java Programming
2. Get a real Christmas tree
3. Being a better Spiritual Leader

Three Things You Want in a Relationship
1. Respect/trust/openess
2. Oneness/team spirit - "can do" attitude
3. Fun/Shared interests

Two Truths and a Lie
1. I am 47.
2. I have sung solos in choir and chorus.
3. I still can run a mile in less than 5:30.

Three Physical Things That Appeal To You About The Opposite Sex
1. Eyes
2. Smile
3. Hair

Three Things You Just Can't Do
1. Stand by when someone is getting picked on
2. Stay angry for long periods
3. Have a consistent quiet time

Three of Your Favorite Hobbies
1. Tae Kwon Do
2. Listening to Music/Watching Movies
3. Sports Biking, running

Three Things You Really Want To Be Doing Right Now
1. Watching a Movie (Better Off Dead)
2. Reading Blogs
3. Finishing up Christmas shopping

Three Careers You Are Considering
1. Marriage counselor
2. Programmer
3. Youth Pastor

Three Places You Want to Go on Vacation
1. Dude Ranch- Wyoming
2. Virgin Islands
3. Hawaii

Three Kid's Names
1. Ryan
2. Rebekah
3. Reagan

Three Things You Want To Do Before You Die
1. Be published
2. Learn to sing well enough to sing a solo
3. Learn to play the drums

Three Ways You Are Stereotypically A Boy
1. I like guy sports
2. I like to sweat
3. I like to hit things

Three Ways You Are Stereotypically a Chick
1. I like tear jerker movies
2. I sing along with the radio
3. I fill in surveys like this

Three Celebrity Crushes
1. Kirsten Dunst - Spiderman
2. Danica McKellar - Winnie Cooper from Wonder Years
3. Julia Stiles - Prince and Me

Why I am not a Scrooge...

When I was a child growing up in the olden days before Toys R Us, WalMart, Video games, and parents that spoiled their kids rotten all year long and ... (of yeah back to why I am not a Scrooge) . My 3 brothers and sister felt grateful when we got clothes and books and maybe 1 toy like a sled or a kitchen set. Speaking of a kitchen set, I remember the Christmas when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I had snuck into the dirt hole, that was where a basement should be, under the house we rented and saw a hand made kitchen set that had "from Santa" written on it in handwriting much like my dad's. This kitchen set was a mini size hutch/cupboard with 2 doors above a counter and 2 doors below. Being the oldest, and having to help my mom a lot around the house I assumed that it was for me (please do not dwell on why I wanted a kitchen set - it is not important to the story). After several weeks of keeping this discovery secret, the time came to unwrap the kitchen set. I eagerly anticipated hearing that the kitchen set was mine. What I heard instead was that the kitchen set was for my sister, and I got a red sled. I am pretty sure that I went ballistic and probably crushed my father's feelings when he tried so hard to get the correct gift and instead caused a big scene with a lot of crting and hurt feelings. I remember trying unsuccessfully to trade my sister the sled for the kitchen set. While that incident would support the Scrooge indictment ... "ooh the poor child was traumatized - no wonder he turned out to be a Scrooge". That was not what happened. Christmas was pretty routine for us for the next 10 years or so. There would always be cold weather with fresh crisp air and more times than not snow (we lived in Iowa). Every Christmas Eve our church would have a childrens Christmas show and we would each memorize a line or 2 that we would have to recite at a microphone in the front of the church. Our grandparents would sometimes attend. When we came home from church we would find all sorts of new presents under the tree, and the treat we left out for Santa would be gone. Probably why my mom tool so long getting into the car to go to church. I think the problems leading to potential scroogedom started when I started earning enough money to purchase presents. The first several years I spent a lot of time selecting the perfect gift for all family members. My parents were hard to buy for I don't think I ever found the perfect gift for them. I felt that would have required massive amounts of money for a major appliance or something similar. They were always grateful enough, but I never really believed that it made them happy enough. As I got older, I had less time to try to pick a perfect gift for my siblings and they started getting money of their own now, so if they really wanted something they could buy it during the year. I guess that the feeling of futility of getting a present that would surprise someone, something that they really wanted, something that they hadn't already bought for themself took its toll. I wanted the gifts at Christmas to be very special like the kitchen set could have been, like the original Christmas present. Lately, I can't come close to the old Christmas feeling. In Missouri it's as likely to be green and springlike as snowy in December. The air is not cold and crisp. There is too much noise and cement everywhere. The pace at Christmastime is too hectic. If you don't buy a gift for everyone that gets you a gift then you screwed up. If you get too many presents then your credit card bill haunts you like the ghost of the Christmas just past. I am trying to get over these feelings (as you can tell I have a ways to go) I suppose if (Ryan of Doom take note) I never got our kids anything special throughout the year that it would be easier for me to find something extra-special for Christmas.

About decorations, I do not like our plastic tree(we got it from a person that was moving and didn't want it any longer) , I do not like our lights (see now I sound nore like Sam (from Green Eggs and Ham - my calibur of literary reference). We always had a real tree (but we didn't have to pay a real lot - get it tree lot -lol). Decorating a tree is always a frustrating experience for me that is heightened by trying not to dampen the spirits of the kids that are trying to help but at the same time keeping the decorations safe and somewhat nicely arranged on the tree. I have never gotten into outside lights - I don't think that makes me a Scrooge. I don't believe that I need to go through a light display every Christmas. I look for things that will exude the pureness of the generousity that God had for us when he sent his Son, and these things are hard to find. I think the homeschool choir concert comes pretty close.

In conclusion, I am not a Scrooge. I am a frustrated idealist that has been beaten repeatedly by the commercial, non-reflective, see-how-much-we-can-cram-into-one-season-ness, forget-the real-meaning-for-the-season-ness that our society almost forces upon us. There are times when something as simple as offering a kleenex to someone during a game of Apples to Apples brings my heart the joy that it craves all year long, but especially at Christmas. Something as simple as a new tree may be a good place to start, or another kleenex incident.

Sorry - too tired to proof read.

Read Any Good Blogs Lately

I don't have time to keep up on recent blog activity. Please comment on any updates to blogs that you found especially noteworthy.

Murder or Euthanasia?

Warning - contains gross imagery.

It all started last night. Sue was having trouble sleeping due to sinus drainage so she went downstairs to sleep on the couch. However, she had trouble sleeping due to some uninvited visitors that were making strange noises in the laundry room at first, and later beside the TV. I thought I would set a trap for the visitors to ensure there would be no more strange noises keeping people awake tonight. The first time I went to check the trap the peanut butter was all gone, the visitors had won round one. The next time I set 2 traps near the site of the earlier defeat. Later in the afternoon, we were in the kitchen when I heard a snap. I went to look at the traps. One trap had killed one visitor, and the other trap had also killed a visitor. This was no surprise that is the function of the traps. However, this time there was an unexpected twist. One of the cute little mice had its head in the trap, but its legs were still moving. I had seconds to react. What should I do? Should I leave and let the mouse die on its own? Should I somehow help it? What if I don't react fast enough and he escapes? What is the most humane thing to do at this point? I decided to end the suffering of the mouse and stomped on its head about 7-8 times. But how hard do you stomp on a little mouse that is suffering to end its misery without needlessly making a mess in the laundry room? I tried to find the perfect amount of force to kill it as quick as possible without the mess part. I could not believe that it was still moving at stomp number 5. I especially couldn't believe it when I picked up the trap and saw the gory remains of the mouse. When we got back from Awana another mouse was in the trap and this time he was lucky enough to die before we got to the trap. It was lucky for me also. One murder is enough for one day.

Interesting ?? Quotes

Oh God, I don't love you, I don't even want to love you, but I want to want to love you!
- Teresa of Avilla


When we get our spiritual house in order, we'll be dead. This goes on. You arrive at enough certainty to be able to make your way, but it is making it in darkness. Don't expect faith to clear things up for you. It is trust not certainty.
- Flannery O'Connor

If knowing answers to life's questions is absolutely necessary to you, then forget the journey. You will never make it, for this is a journey of unknowables - of unanswered questions, enigmas, incomprehensibles, and most of all, things unfair.
- Madame Jeanne Guyon

I was once asked to sign Christianity Today magazines statement of faith "without doubt or equivocation." I had to tell them that I can barely sign my own name without doubt or equivocation.
- Philip Yancey - Christian Author

When good things happen, I accept them as gifts from God, worthy of thanksgiving. When bad things happen, I do not take them as necessarily sent from God - I see evidence in the Bible to the contrary - and I find in them no reason to divorce God. Rather, I trust that God can use even those bad things for my benefit. That, at least, is the goal toward which I strive.
- Philip Yancey

Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
- John Donne

To live in the past and future is easy. To live in the present is like threading a needle.
- Walker Percy

Some things are loved because they are worthy; some things are worthy because they are loved.
- Ian Pitt-Watson

As a journalist, I have a tendency to distance myself to observe my surroundings like some invisible person who does not enter into but glides in and out of the scene, taking notes all the while.
- Philip Yancey

It's dark at the foot of the lighthouse.
- German proverb

Those who say that they believe in God and yet neither love nor fear him, do not in fact believe in him but in those who have taught them that God exists. Those who believe that they believe in God, but without any passion in their heart, any anguish of mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, without an element of despair even in their consolation, believe only in the God-idea, not in God.
- Miguel De Unamuno

We receive enlightenment only in proportion as we give ourselves more and more completely to God by humble submission and love. We do not first see then act: we act, then see...And that is why the man who waits to see clearly, before he will believe, never starts on the journey.
- Thomas Merton

It's much easier to act your way into feelings than to feel your way into actions.
- Philip Yancey

If you find God with great ease, perhaps it is not God that you have found.
- Thomas Merton

God gives us just enough to seek him, and never enough to fully find him. To do more would inhibit our freedom, and our freedom is very dear to God.
- Ron Hassen

I keep hitting a glass ceiling, for though I excel at doubt and honest self-appraisal I see a frustrating lack of progress in qualities like joy and love. And just when I think I'm becoming more patient and gentle, I get cut off after waiting on hold for twenty minutes on the telephone and start pounding the desk with my fist.
- Philip Yancey

The real 'work' of prayer is to become silent and listen to the voice that says good things about me.
- Henri Nouwen

There are three coping mechanisms children learn in order to survive a dysfunctional setting: Don't Talk, Don't Trust, and Don't Feel. Later, as adults, these same survivors find themselves incapable of sustaining an intimate relationship and must unlearn the pattern of indifference. Christian counselors tell me that wounded Christians relate to God in the same way. Reacting against a strict upbringing or feeling betrayed by God, they squelch all passion and fall back on a more formal, less personal faith.
- Philip Yancey

If Saul proves that 'To obey is better than sacrifice,' then David proves that relationship is even better than obedience.
- Unknown

5 stages of spiritual growth:
1) Loving ourselves for our own sake
2) Loving God for our own sake, in view of what God does for us
3) Loving God for God's sake, unselfishly
4) Loving ourselves for God's sake, in awareness of God's great love for us
- Bernard of Clairveaux
5) Loving others for God's sake
- Philip Yancey

In a fundamental human paradox, the more a person reaches out beyond herself, the more she is enriched and deepened, and the more she grows in likeness to God. On the other hand, the more a person "incurves," to use Luther's word, the less human she becomes. Our need to give is as great as anyone's need to receive.
- Philip Yancey

Inspection stickers used to have printed on the back 'Drive carefully - the life you save may be your own.' That is the wisdom of men in a nutshell. What God says, on the other hand, is 'The life you save is the life you lose.' In other words, the life you clutch, hoard, guard, and play safe with is in the end a life worth little to anybody, including yourself; and only a life given away for love's sake is a life worth living. To bring his point home, God shows us a man who gave his life away to the extent of dying a national disgrace without a penny in the bank or a friend to his name. In terms of men's wisdom, he was a perfect fool, and anybody who thinks he can follow him without making something like the same kind of fool of himself is laboring under not a cross but a delusion.
- Frederick Buechner

Ideas Wanted

Being new to this posting stuff, I was wondering what people want to read. Please send back any suggestions serious or otherwise. Thank You