tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248617332024-03-13T08:34:43.411-05:00The Life of JaWSA blog by Jason SansburyJason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-83819644907937633722007-04-12T08:56:00.000-05:002007-04-12T08:58:18.739-05:00I'm moving this show...So I have decided to move this blog to a new place. You can check it out now <a href="http://jason.thebrotherssansbury.com">here</a>.Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-66292993146345623622007-04-09T21:11:00.000-05:002007-04-09T21:26:34.682-05:00Sports Top 10Here are a ton of random sports notes:<br />1. The Masters. Sometimes Tiger kicks the course around and sometimes it bites him and everyone else. No rain means crazy fast greens and a tougher course.<br />(Personal Masters moment: parking cars for Young Life at the Olive Garden and some kid getting practice badges from little old ladies and re-selling him. I believe our $3500 take for the afternoon shift still stands as a record! Gotta love cute, undersized 7th grade guys with business acumen.)<br /><br />2. Joey Harrington as an Atlanta Falcon. Believe it or not, I like this move. Harrington suffered in Detroit for a long time with a bad team and now he will be in a good system, with a good QB friendly coach with a starting QB who tends to get himself hurt. Joey Harrington for Pro Bowl 2009! (Sorta)<br /><br />3. Can I tell you how much I am going to freak out if the Hawks don't have their lottery pick? Unless it is one of the top two (I'd take Durant over Oden) then Phoenix gets it just to make the Boris Diaw trade look even better for them!<br /><br />4. I find myself sometimes drawn to NASCAR races. And occasionally I find myself stopping and listening to country music. Tennessee is really like rubbing off on me in bad ways. If I moved to Chicago, would I become a big fat guy who eats sausage pizzas? Oh wait...<br /><br />5. Pac-man Jones won't be a Titan this year. Now, if he was Q-bert Jones, then that is a different deal entirely...(And in 10-12 years are we going to have some guy named Master Chief Smith playing QB?)<br /><br />6. Living closer to Kentucky has meant I have a new appreciation for how crazy those basketball fans are...<br /><br />7. Calvin Johnson is going to be the best player in this year's NFL draft. Imagine if he hadn't lost his mind and gone to Georgia. The Dawgs would be like 2 time defending national champs.<br /><br />8. Baseball. Ugh. I just don't bring myself to care.<br /><br />9. A way to make track meets more interesting: allow all the events to happen simultaneously. Imagine a javelin throw happening in the same space as the hurdles. Hilarity ensues.<br /><br />10. I miss Atlanta sports radio. The Nashville scene is full of older sounding gentleman who want to talk about how great 1970 was.Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-11919981400882143522007-04-09T11:02:00.000-05:002007-04-09T11:25:55.866-05:00Easter Sunday...Wow. I am tired...<br />Saturday night my recent stomach aliment went completely goofy on me, which meant I was up and down all down pretty much every hour on the hour. So needless to say, when Sunday morning arrived I was already exhausted. The big man needs his sleep!<br /><br />Sunday morning at church I had to vacuum because the Easter Lillies that we set out made a mess. So I got early and knocked that out. During the two services, I was the children's moment guy. Now, I have to tell you this: being the children's announcement guy isn't my favorite thing. I just feel like it is awkward and not in my wheelhouse, but I have come to realize it is also a place where I am seen and can raise my appearance in the church. But I also, and way more importantly, try very, very hard to make it something that a 4-7 year old can understand. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This week, it worked and I felt really grateful for it. You know you have hit a homerun when the pastor works part of your kids moment into their hard work of delivering the sermon. So, I did that.<br /><br />We were packed at both services and I was very thankful for that, especially for the two pastors I work with. They have and are under a ton of junk lately, stuff that I think has been extremely unfair to them both. So I was glad that people ended their petty issue stuff enough to show up and worship on Easter. <br /><br />Then I had lunch with the pastors and their families. They are good men, with good families and I am honored to serve with them and call them friends. June is going to be a really difficult time for me and I ask for your prayers for me and for them. Wounds will heal in time and I pray that we somehow each find ourselves stronger in the broken places.<br /><br />Then my starbucks buddy Jack had invited me for dinner. His family just moved here and I hadn't met them. So it was a little weird to show up and find that Jack was just put on 2 weeks of total silence to heal his throat and voice, which has been bothering him for over a month. So, I had to work a little making everyone feel comfortable. He has a great family with four kids and though they were a little hesitant at first, they really were warm and welcoming to me. I look forward to hanging out with them some more.<br /><br />Lastly, I decided to head over to <a href="http://www.cumberlandonline.org/">Cumberland Church</a>, which is a start-up church in the Franklin area that is an affiliate of <a href="http://www.northpoint.org/">Northpoint Church</a> in Atlanta. I got lots of thoughts on it and will probably write that in another post in the coming days. Just stuff stirring around in my head. One thing that was cool was bumping into an Augusta guy, who nearly 10 years ago played guitar with me in a praise band for <a href="http://www.trinityonthehill.net/">Trinity on the Hill's</a> SoulScape service. (RIP). David is in Nashville trying to make a living as a musician and it turns out Adam, the guy who drummed with us, is living up here too, working for a music publisher. Look forward to maybe hanging out with them soon. Strange how God moves us into different places, times and opportunities. I will say it was nice to be able to pray, sing and worship at Cumberland. Probably my last time because they move to Sunday mornings in May, which is totally out for me. Church work has many assets but a flexible Sunday morning schedule isn't one of them!Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-11506800909151140672007-04-06T11:36:00.000-05:002007-04-06T11:54:19.784-05:00The Edge 2007...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RhZ3XLcQLbI/AAAAAAAAACU/qwJuX5byoAs/s1600-h/DSCF4401.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RhZ3XLcQLbI/AAAAAAAAACU/qwJuX5byoAs/s320/DSCF4401.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050355272234577330" /></a><br />For the last few years, I have been so incredibly fortunate to partner with <a href="http://lifewithjeremy.blogspot.com/">Jeremy Wilson</a> and <a href="http://jessifiguringitout.blogspot.com/">Jessi Ford</a> from <a href="http://www.foresthillsmacon.com/home.aspx">Forest Hills UMC</a> in Macon, GA in doing an event we call "The Edge." Now, the Edge has a bit of a story. It started as a middle school event and was loosely related to the <a href="http://www.umcyouth.org/">North Georgia Conference</a>. And days before the first one, the leader of the event bailed out and Jeremy and I stepped in with some other people to clean up the pieces. And in doing so, we realized that we think and work alike and started partnering on more and more things.<br /><br />So, the next year, we decided to keep the Edge event alive, despite it moving away from being a conference event, etc. So we bought the logo from Matt and kept using the name. And every year since, the Edge has been a great middle school event for our two churches. We have never tried to grow it larger and are happy with it.<br /><br />So last weekend, we held the Edge 2007 at Whitewater Express. And it was great. Here are some of the key elements and ideas of it:<br />1. <a href="http://whitewaterexpress.com/">Whitewater Express</a>. I hadn't been there since 2004(?) and they have done some great improvements. It really is becoming a world class camp for the kind of retreats we do. It isn't <a href="http://www.younglife.org/Camping/">Young Life</a> level but really nothing is. But it doesn't come with the headaches that renting a Young Life Camp comes with (work crew, etc.)<br /><br />2. We used material from the <a href="http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/resources-junior-high.html">Simplyjuniorhigh.com</a> website and ordered the curriculum <a href="http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/resources-junior-high-sermons-jr-high-camp-in-a-can---action-heroes.html">Action Heroes</a>. It looked at different Old Testament characters and was very good and adaptable. It saved us from bringing in a speaker as Jessi and I covered the talks. Jessi has come a long way and is becoming a really solid communicator. One day we may be able to say we knew her when...<br />(And personally, I haven't had a speaking experience where I really felt in the zone in awhile, which has made me nervous because I have some speaking gigs coming up. And Saturday night, God was merciful and moved me into the zone and I just let him speak through me. Great joy when we are doing what God made us to do.)<br /><br />3. Activities. Most of my kids decided to play paintball and it was fun. I got tore up and I am still nursing some bruises. But it was a great bonding time. And my high level pain threshold has won me street cred with my middle school guys.<br /><br />4. Worship. Jeremy is really the best worship leader you have never heard of because he has been so dedicated to serving the people of Forest Hills. He has talent but works hard and knows how to build a great worship team, even if it took his church until this year to figure out that they need to just hand him the ball and let him run with it. I always know that when Jeremy is leading, we are going to have a moving, meaningful worship time.<br /><br />So we are already thinking and praying about next year. It is amazing when God calls people together and all their gifts move in unison to do his purposes...Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-59196472179383912952007-04-06T11:13:00.000-05:002007-04-06T11:14:37.429-05:00Friday Movie Reviews (Vol. 4)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RhZwx7cQLaI/AAAAAAAAACM/d3ZyqjsyhPQ/s1600-h/Shooter_poster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RhZwx7cQLaI/AAAAAAAAACM/d3ZyqjsyhPQ/s320/Shooter_poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050348035214683554" /></a><br />So this week's flick is what could be a the start of a lucrative franchise. (Sorry there wasn't more, but it has been a busy week.)<br /><br />So Sunday night after returning from the middle school retreat, I decided to catch a movie before heading home to crash hard. So I knocked a film off the list I have been wanting to see and just haven't had the time: <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0822854/">Shooter</a>.<br /><br />Now, here is the truth, Shooter is a decent action movie that I can definitely see becoming a franchise along the lines of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Hard">Die Hard</a> for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Wahlberg">Mark Wahlberg</a>. It has the pieces there: a loner who loves America but hates the system, action sequences, crazy sniper shots (man, I need to dust off my copy of Halo 2) and more. But the movie does suffer from some bad directing and one really bad performance. <br /><br />For starters, the movie's set-up is good. A sniper who quits after being abandoned by the country on an operation that kills his friend and spotter. Three years later, he is asked to evaluate a sniper scenario and gets implicated in a failed assassination attempt on the President. From there it turns into your typical man-on-the-run movie, where he picks up help, a sidekick, etc. And a lot of the movie seemed to be throwing action scenes upon action scene just because there is a budget for it, without doing much for the plot. But Wahlberg is believable as a hero and I could see this becoming a franchise, especially because the novel it is based on has several others books that follow it.<br /><br />What was bad: <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0544718/">Kate Mara</a>. Like, I generally don't write and call-out people for being terrible in movies, but Mara is horrendous in this film. Admittedly, it is your typical damsel in distress role, but her bad acting and fake southern accent made me cringe nearly every moment she was on screen. It just was really, really badly done, and exploitative. (That isn't to say she is simply a terrible actress. I felt her work in <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0758794/">We are Marshall</a> was pretty good.)<br /><br />On the whole, Shooter is a "wait for the DVD" or when it makes the jump to heavy rotation on USA or TBS.Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-83230557419732050192007-04-06T11:04:00.000-05:002007-04-06T11:06:02.033-05:00You Might Be a Redneck...(Vol. 1)So I have a calendar where you get a different "You might be a redneck if..." jokes every day. Here are two of my recent favorites, mainly because they are true of me:<br />You might be a redneck if you've ever been injured playing ping-pong.<br />You might be a redneck if your idea of "getting lucky" is passing the emissions test. (Oh boy that one is true of me every August.)Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-81178508812658791262007-04-05T18:20:00.000-05:002007-04-05T18:22:38.417-05:00Maundy Thursday...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RhWEircQLZI/AAAAAAAAACE/MuxWOzdCucI/s1600-h/cd100portraits_fivewisevirgins.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RhWEircQLZI/AAAAAAAAACE/MuxWOzdCucI/s320/cd100portraits_fivewisevirgins.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050088288477523346" /></a><br />From one of my favorite bands that I am rediscovering. I thought especially meaningful this Holy Week.<br />Lyrics from the song <span style="font-style:italic;">Around My Neck</span><br /><br />The cross I wear around my neck, what does it mean<br />if it does not mean death? Please tell me<br />if it doesn't mean blood<br />or nails or crying<br />or loneliness.<br /><br />The cross I wear around my neck, what is it for<br />if it is not for breaking?<br />If it's not for pain<br />or nakedness<br />or hammering.<br /><br />The cross I wear around my neck is being raised above my head<br />and I think this time it's wearing someone else<br />I see it drop into the ground<br />and when it falls I hear the sound<br />of someone crying<br />"I love you"<br /><br />The cross I wear around my neck, what does it mean<br />if it does not mean love? Please tell me<br />if it doesn't sing<br />of hope and healing<br />and forgiveness.<br /><br />The cross I wear around my neck, who is it for<br />if it is not for me?<br />If it's not for sin<br />and all my searching for the innocence.<br /><br />The cross I wear around my neck is being raised above my head<br />and I think this time it's wearing someone else<br />I see it drop into the ground<br />and when it fall I hear the sound<br />of someone screaming<br />"I love you"<br /><br />The cross I wear around my neck, who is it for<br />if it is not for us?<br />The lame and the blind<br />the ones held captive<br />and the fatherless...Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-52739762595775497522007-04-05T17:21:00.000-05:002007-04-05T17:31:07.922-05:00Brain Dump...Man, it has been a long and sometimes very frustrating week. I am slap wore out and there is still a big push yet to come on stuff to do. I am very thankful for having Monday off, if for no other reason than I get to do my taxes, which I have been putting off needlessly for far too long.<br /><br />Today I learned that someone I respect and that has been a huge help to me during my time here is leaving the church. I honestly don't know what to think. I respect him a ton and his leaving will be a big loss for us as a church.<br /><br />I am way behind on my viewings of Lost and Battlestar Galactica. I need to get caught up...especially since BSG is done for the season. I have heard a bunch of spoilers already about the end of the season.<br /><br />Not msny movies this week, just too much going on. Easter may be a good day to play some catch up.<br /><br />Being far from home on holidays really stinks.Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-48646325090921607872007-04-04T17:44:00.000-05:002007-04-04T17:45:35.942-05:00The Easter Haircut...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RhQqhrcQLYI/AAAAAAAAAB8/vXeWXoIKyHk/s1600-h/img085.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RhQqhrcQLYI/AAAAAAAAAB8/vXeWXoIKyHk/s320/img085.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049707840274443650" /></a>Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-17993363870094628682007-04-02T18:01:00.000-05:002007-04-02T18:02:02.554-05:00My Celebrity Look-Alikes<a href="http://www.myheritage.com/collage" title="MyHeritage - share black and white photos with facial recognition technology" alt="MyHeritage - share black and white photos with facial recognition technology" target="_blank"><img src="http://storage.myheritagefiles.com/H/storage/site1/files/70/66/72/706672_3296322a9811640h2fcd36.JPG" width="500" height="574" border="0" ></a>Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-69576293509892108082007-03-30T06:00:00.000-05:002007-03-29T17:04:02.548-05:00Friday Movie Reviews (Vol. 3)So this week there are a few more reviews than last week. But I didn't make it out to all the movies I wanted to see. Blame? The middle school retreat I am on this weekend. (Hopefully next week I can play catch up with <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0490204/">Reign Over Me</a> and <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0822854/">Shooter</a>. The current Netflix selection is <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0381061/">Casino Royale</a>, <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0478166/">The Heart of the Game</a> and <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0118276/">Buffy</a>, Season 2, Disc 4.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RgXXZT1uFiI/AAAAAAAAABY/EnTsfficGqk/s1600-h/399px-Pride_ver2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RgXXZT1uFiI/AAAAAAAAABY/EnTsfficGqk/s320/399px-Pride_ver2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5045675787360802338" /></a>Saturday afternoon I saw the new film <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0475355/">Pride</a> which stars <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0005024/">Terrence Howard</a> and <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0005170/">Bernie Mac</a>. And to tell the truth, I am biased for films like this. I guess the idea of a person who comes in and inspires a group of people towards a common goal rings a little too close to home for me to be objective. That being said, here is my review.<br /><br />I think <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0475355/">Pride</a> is an good film with some great performances that tells a true story. The story is of Jim Ellis, a collegiate swimmer during the Civil Rights movement who moves to Philadelphia and serves at a run-down, soon to close, public recreation facility. From there, he grows a team and teaches them about swimming, competition and pride. On the whole, I think it is a good film worth watching. Howard gives a great performance and continues his streak of picking good roles. (Though, he is scheduled to play Jim Rhodes in <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0371746/">Iron Man</a>, a film I am skeptical about because of <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0000375/">Robert Downey, Jr.</a> playing the lead. But, hey, everyone's got to get paid sometime...)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RgXYST1uFjI/AAAAAAAAABg/2HuD3M5w0JY/s1600-h/stranger-than-fiction-20061005021255134.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RgXYST1uFjI/AAAAAAAAABg/2HuD3M5w0JY/s320/stranger-than-fiction-20061005021255134.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5045676766613345842" /></a>Saturday night, I opened up a Netflix envelope and watched the film <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0420223/">Stranger than Fiction</a>. And I have to say, it is a very, very good film with some strange-ness that could be distracting but I found to be immensely endearing. For starter, <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0002071/">Will Ferrell</a> plays a comedic role that is a far cry from the kinds of characters he has played in films like Talladega Nights and Blades of Steel. And he does it extremely well. Additionally, I now think that <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0350454/">Maggie Gyllenhaal</a> was jobbed out of an Oscar nomination for her amazing portrayal of a woman that is smart, funny, sexual and intense. (And as long time friends know, I have always had a little thing for the ladies that are a little odd. She fits the mold.)<br /><br />The premise is that Will Ferrell plays an IRS agent who can hear a woman who is writing a story about his life and his impending death. It feels a little bit <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0107048/">Ground Hog Day</a>-ish but it works and is smart. The author, played by <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0000668/">Emma Thompson</a>, eventually comes to realize that the character is a real-life person after he has fallen in love and begun to live a life outside the mundane life that he had lived. I highly recommend this one, as it shows Ferrell has some better chops that we give him credit for, and the story is smart, funny and odd, which is unusual from the Hollywood establishment.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RgcDlj1uFkI/AAAAAAAAABo/rakmsei4yiQ/s1600-h/405px-A_Good_Year.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RgcDlj1uFkI/AAAAAAAAABo/rakmsei4yiQ/s320/405px-A_Good_Year.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046005851302532674" /></a><br />I also saw the recent film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Good_Year">A Good Year</a>, starring <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0000128/">Russell Crowe</a>. It is a decent film, but not great. I generally file it in the category of movies where the "adult-you" is somehow confronted by the "child-you" and comes to the realization that you are a jerk. Pretty basic and simple. There are some interesting plot twists and turns but on the whole, catch it on cable.Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-56420541135354359472007-03-29T16:31:00.000-05:002007-03-29T16:36:53.549-05:00Yeah, he's THAT good...So my buddy Turff, who has accused me of ruining his life by giving him the youth ministry bug (I plead guilty...) is now the youth director of a start-up UMC in Peachtree City, GA. And in addition to being my friend, still a partner in ministry (He has mad drama skills) and more...he is a great youth worker. Want proof? This picture ran in his local paper...of him and some kids, all muddy from their recent retreat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/Rgww3fCEFsI/AAAAAAAAABw/xmLBjnBEXuc/s1600-h/Lighthouse-UMC_muddy_0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/Rgww3fCEFsI/AAAAAAAAABw/xmLBjnBEXuc/s320/Lighthouse-UMC_muddy_0.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047463012156577474" /></a><br />So here is a shout-out to all volunteer youth workers, who let Jesus "ruin" their lives , who put up with idiot youth directors and more. And even more so, a HUGE shout-out to volunteer youth directors who lead a youth ministry. No one rocks harder than you all....Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-47459804208096988322007-03-29T13:04:00.000-05:002007-03-29T13:08:09.356-05:00Awkward Youth Ministry Moments...So on Mondays, I go pick up about 10 students from the closest middle school, bring them back to the church, have a snack with them and about an hour later, we have Confirmation class, once some kids from other schools arrive. In the meantime, we play basketball some.<br /><br />So this week, I am playing with the kids and generally goofing off. One kid in particular talks a bunch of smack, so I talk a little with him. So this kid somehow got a rebound and ball faked me. And, unintentionally, I mugged him. Like had to hold him up by his shirt or else he would have smacked a wall kind of mugging. (It was a good fake.) <br /><br />And of course right as this is happening, a mom is dropping off her kid. Yeah, I am the youth director that assaults 6th graders...Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-32057331672987896802007-03-29T12:55:00.000-05:002007-03-29T13:04:48.091-05:00Jason's Productivity Tip #3: Firewalling...Okay, again this isn't a new idea. I think I first learned the term and explanation from <a href="http://www.43folders.com/">Merlin Mann</a>. But firewalling has become a regular part of my approach to getting projects finished. So what is firewalling?<br /><br />Essentially, firewalling is when you clear your space and work from all distraction and knock things out. Essentially, you unplug from the world, remove all the outside influences and get to work. Here is how it works for me:<br /><br />I have found that the best time for me to firewall is early in the morning. I beat everyone to the office, look at or make a to-do list and get to work. I make sure the wifi is off on my computer, make sure my door is shut and set aside a certain amount of time to be firewalled. For me, I find an hour usually gives me the most productivity. And then I get to work taking on tasks and getting things done. So what do I tend to do in my firewall time?<br />- Plot calendar stuff for the next stretch. What is important that I need to be at and what things can I remove?<br />- Brainstorm lessons and series. I am in a venture where I write stuff not only for my youth ministry but for others as well. So I am constantly draining the brain-juice working up ideas for my youth group, the curriculum company or speaking engagements that I have coming up.<br />- Write cards and letters. I owe lots of people thank-yous and I use firewall time to get caught up.<br />- Clean and organize. As hard as I try to keep my work areas clutter free, I always need to revisit, clean and throw away.<br />- Busy work, like calendars, newsletter articles and more...<br />- Pray. Especially during firewall time in the mornings, I pray about what is coming up on that day and that God will give me wisdom in knowing how to deal with each situation.<br /><br />And of course I have some advantages over others in regards to firewalling. I have my own office, I control my own hours and I have the ability to un-plug from things for short periods. I imagine if I shared space or worked in a cube farm, it could be a lot more difficult. But it is one of the ways I get things done.Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-75504559933311511042007-03-28T16:09:00.000-05:002007-03-29T12:23:08.404-05:00Hurt...So I am getting ready for a summer speaking engagement where the Big Idea is that while life is sometimes painful, God is with us throughout it all. I thought the video clip of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO9dbmJ_2zU">Johnny Cash's rendition of the song Hurt</a> might be a useful media piece for the talk. And in the search for it, I found this. Which made me laugh...and it does contain some language...Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-91482477303260156442007-03-28T09:17:00.000-05:002007-03-28T09:26:46.770-05:00More on Horror Movies...So I had no idea that this would break this week, so it is interesting that my post hit this week. A movie coming out soon falls into all the negatives that I mentioned about horror movies and set off quite the firestorm with its advertisement. Jill Soloway has an excellent post about it <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jill-soloway/remove-the-rating-for-em_b_44404.html">here</a>.<br /><br />And like Clave posted in the comments on my post, Joss Whedon weighed in as well. Now, I am a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0923736/">Joss Whedon</a> <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/clearance/77da/">fanboy</a>. Pretty much everything of his I have ever seen has been pure gold, from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118276/">Buffy</a> to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162065/">Angel</a> to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303461/">Firefly</a> and even <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114709/">Toy Story</a>. So it was awesome to see this in Soloway's post:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">From: Joss Whedon<br />Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 10:17 PM<br />To: Advertising<br />Subject: CAPTIVITY BILLBOARDS/REMOVE THE RATING<br /><br />To the MPAA,<br />There's a message I'm supposed to cut and paste but I imagine you've read it. So just let me say that the ad campaign for "Captivity" is not only a literal sign of the collapse of humanity, it's an assault. I've watched plenty of horror - in fact I've made my share. But the advent of torture-porn and the total dehumanizing not just of women (though they always come first) but of all human beings has made horror a largely unpalatable genre. This ad campaign is part of something dangerous and repulsive, and that act of aggression has to be answered.<br /><br />As a believer not only in the First Amendment but of the necessity of horror stories, I've always been against acts of censorship. I distrust anyone who wants to ban something 'for the good of the public'. But this ad is part of a cycle of violence and misogyny that takes something away from the people who have to see it. It's like being mugged (and I have been). These people flouted the basic rules of human decency. God knows the culture led them there, but we have to find our way back and we have to make them know that people will not stand for this. And the only language they speak is money. (A devastating piece in the New Yorker - not gonna do it.) So talk money. Remove the rating, and let them see how far over the edge they really are.<br /><br />Thanks for reading this, if anyone did.<br />Sincerely, Joss Whedon.<br />Creator, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"</span><br /><br />Lastly, there is a campaign at work against this particular movie and how they violated MPAA standards. (The MPAA gives movies their ratings and has to approve advertisement for films.) You can find out more at the <a href="http://www.removetherating.blogspot.com/">Remove the Rating blog</a>.Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-32453640421442087132007-03-26T14:21:00.000-05:002007-03-26T17:50:56.050-05:00Horror Movies Bore Me...So Turff sent me an interesting article from MSNBC about horror movies that you can read <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17010215/">here</a>. And I am using this as an opportunity to do a little rant on the state of horror movies and the general dung being produced by the current Hollywood establishment.<br /><br />For starters, there is something horribly wrong when horror movies that are incredibly violent are being marketed to teenagers. Don't believe me? Weekly <a href="http://www.ew.com/ew">Entertainment Weekly</a> does a best guess as to which movie will win the box office each weekend. Many, many weeks they pick the current horror movie and follow it with the thought of "that is where the kids' money will be." And to that I say, do we really need to be working hard at screwing up kids even more than the world already does so? Marketers need to be forced to deal with real kids in real circumstances. Too much of their "plans" are at the expense of real kids with real problems that don't need to see the latest film where we watch blood get splattered on whatever hot WB star is in it. I guess that is what happens when you live deciding how to live based by the dollar.<br /><br />Second, horror has degenerated into gore-fest and has nothing to do with suspense. Now, one of the last truly great, adult (non-porn) horror movie was <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0102926/">Silence of the Lambs</a> in my opinion. What made it great? Suspense, not gore. Is Hannibal Lecter scary? Yes! Want to know why? Because he isn't the raving psychopath running around with a chainsaw. He is a scary because there is a part of him that could be the guy down the street from you who just goes off the deep end. Know why suspense has fallen from the genre? Because it is easier to play the t-and-a card, splatter a bunch of blood on stuff and cash a paycheck. I am waiting for the first film that forgoes any semblance of plot in favor of just saying "Hey, let's watch smoking hot girl get chased by a psychopath and have some wet t-shirt contests with blood." Some would argue that this already happened.<br /><br />So how would I fix it:<br />1. Hire smart writers. Seriously, make the plot be what drives the film. Tell a good, interesting suspenseful story. If you can't tell a good story, then don't make the film. (Examples of a "horror film" with smart writing: See <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0289043/">28 Days Later</a>.)<br />2. Move away from hiring cheap starlets. There is almost the theory that if you can survive until the age of 35, then nothing scary will happen to you according to Hollywood. Someone ought to write a smart, intriguing movie about a nursing home. (In fairness, I hear the independent film <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0435625/">The Descent</a> broke this mold somewhat but I haven't seen it yet.)<br />3. If you want to go a gore-or fest, then don't market, sell or allow kids to see it period.<br />4. Quit making the evil people the heroes. This means quit doing ridiculous sequels where the only loose thread connecting them together is that the same killer is present in them. Be intelligent enough to <br /><br />Other notes:<br />-If you write a good horror flick, don't sell away your sequel rights. Some interesting films (<a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0185937/">Blair Witch Project</a> for instance) was doomed to a horrendous sequel that had little input from the original film makers.<br />-If you are a parent, refuse to let your children participate in this culture of gore and misogyny. I know middle schoolers who can't sleep at night because they have seen stuff that there is no way they should have ever seen.<br />-If you are fan of this type of movie, can you tell me why? I mean, seriously, do a deep self-inspection and ask yourself why do you find pleasure or joy or entertainment from such profane things?<br />Getting down off my soapbox...Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-50322007849036064572007-03-24T09:00:00.000-05:002007-03-24T11:26:33.919-05:00Friday Movie Reviews (Vol. 2)I know, I know, I am a day late. But I was in Macon hanging with some friends and then on the road last night. But here are the reviews for this week, which was slow, as I only saw two movies.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RgUzuj1uFgI/AAAAAAAAABI/xXgodZ7PHvM/s1600-h/405px-Idiocracy_movie_poster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RgUzuj1uFgI/AAAAAAAAABI/xXgodZ7PHvM/s320/405px-Idiocracy_movie_poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5045495832526067202" /></a>First up, on DVD I watched the film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiocracy">Idiocracy</a>. Now, first off, you need to know that this film has a bit of a controversy attached to it. The film was made by Mike Judge, who is the writer, director of the cult classic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Space">Office Space</a> and the creator of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beavis_and_Butthead">Beavis and Butthead</a>. So on the buzz created by that film, Judge directs this film, which then was essentially buried by the company that paid for it, released in as few theaters as possible and then sent to DVD. All of which is interesting when you realize that the film's content probably irked some higher-ups. <br /><br />The basic plot of the film is that a do-nothing Army soldier and a prostitute are part of an experiment where they are supposed to be frozen for a year and brought back. What happens is that they are forgotten and wake up 500 years later. And the "evolution" of the world is actually de-evolution. So suddenly, they are the smartest people in the world. Hilarity ensues.<br /><br />On the whole I liked the movie and its approach. It has some pretty stinging commentary about how our society caters to the least common denominator and where that ends us. (For example, the favorite television show of the future is "Owww, My Balls" where one man is put in as many different positions as possible to take a shot to his male regions.) It is crass in some places, which would rule it out of youth ministry film but it definitely is a decent comedy that makes you think.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RgUz8z1uFhI/AAAAAAAAABQ/YOhw-43ePQc/s1600-h/406px-The_Last_King_of_Scotland.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RgUz8z1uFhI/AAAAAAAAABQ/YOhw-43ePQc/s320/406px-The_Last_King_of_Scotland.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5045496077339203090" /></a>Next up, on Thursday in Macon, taking a break from writing curriculum, I went to see the film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_King_of_Scotland_%28film%29">The Last King of Scotland</a>. Now, Forrest Whitaker recently won the Academy Award for Best Actor for this film and I have to say it was well-deserved. His portrayal of Idi Amin and his descent into madness is amazingly well done.<br /><br />The movie is about the following of a fictional Scottish doctor who comes to Uganda during the coup that leads to Amin seizing power. Soon after, through circumstances, he meets Amin, fixing his wounded hand and from there begins a relationship which grows as he becomes the doctor and advisor to the the leader. Slowly and surely, he becomes aware of Amin's failing mental health and gross human rights violations. (It is estimated that during the 8 years Amin had power, some 200,000 people were systematically killed.)<br /><br />I would say it is a good film, but not a great one. The failings of the main character at times made me want to root against him and the unlikely turn at the end of the film was too unbelievable for me. A decent rental movie.<br /><br />For next week: The theater is suffering from a glut of good theatrical releases this week, so I will be hoping to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475355/">Pride</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0822854/">The Shooter</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490204/">Reign Over Me</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453556/">TMNT</a>. Anyone want to fund this movie habit of mine?Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-68785081895203839422007-03-20T09:30:00.000-05:002007-03-20T09:31:46.141-05:00Quote of the Day...My brother Will in reference to Pat Robertson of the 700 Club, in reference to Pat's ridiculous claims to leg press 2000 pounds, as told in his attempts to sell you his protein shake:<br />"Geez. I hope I get to see Jesus pimp slap him."Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-49581945205480832752007-03-19T17:21:00.000-05:002007-03-19T17:30:57.915-05:00Vision in a church...One of the things that I think is so incredibly important in the life of a church is the need to continuously put a vision in front of people about what the church is called to do and to be. It is admittedly one of the harder jobs that I think pastors have. How much is too much? How far do you push your people? Where is the healthy balance between loving the people in your care but being driven to reach those outside your church? Tough questions all.<br /><br />But one of the big things that I think helps is having people share their stories. The more we can draw the lines between people being broken and wounded and their finding help through God's work in the church, the easier vision casting becomes. So, when I stumbled into a website recently, I was amazed to see what a Granger Community Church in Indiana was doing.<br /><br />Now, I am not sure that GCC got their idea from here or not, but I think they may have. A popular blog on the internet (which has since become at least one book) is a site called <a href="http://postsecret.blogspot.com/">PostSecret.com</a>. The site is designed that people write their secrets on to postcards and send them to a PO Box and then some of the cards get put on-line on Sundays. I will say, at times it is a heart breaking site to read, as it is full of pain caused by some of the most evil that there is in the world. It is raw, graphic and sincere. (And not safe for work most weeks.) So when I do check it, it has always been a source of prayer for the people who write in but even more so for the people who are going through the same things but not writing in.<br /><br />So, in the midst of trying to cast vision, GCC took the same kind of idea and wanted to flip it. People can pick up cards at their church and share what life has been before they came to the church and after. And out of it have been some amazing, powerful, creative expressions of the truth of God using their church to build his kingdom in the lives of people. It is really amazing and you should <a href="http://readmylifestories.blogspot.com/index.html">check it out</a>.Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-70847477167507896792007-03-19T11:18:00.000-05:002007-03-19T11:26:23.468-05:00Weekend Wrap-Up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/Rf64g75wRXI/AAAAAAAAABA/rmJWzaWY4Sk/s1600-h/DSCF3960.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/Rf64g75wRXI/AAAAAAAAABA/rmJWzaWY4Sk/s320/DSCF3960.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043671508676789618" /></a><br />This weekend marked the start of Spring Break around here. So in the massive wisdom of our church leadership, we scheduled helping a food drive on the first day of Spring Break. Now, you need to know- EVERYONE around here heads out for Spring Break. Second, the last time we did this, turnout was horrible and that was on a good time. So what happens? Our people prove us wrong and show up in droves to help sort and pack food for the poor in Williamson County. It was really amazing watching everyone get after it and knock it out. And about half the folks were youth and youth families, which was encouraging. So we packed 217 boxes of food that are going to be distributed closer to Easter. And some of the guys even stuck around for a long time for the pick-up trailer to arrive.<br />Sunday School was uneventful. Small crowd due to the holiday.<br />Sunday night we played some hoops for MYF. I once again amazed the kids by having a Charles Barkley (post-retirement) body and a Reggie Miller jumpshot. It was fun and I was proud of how my older guys included and encouraged the middle school guys who were playing with us.Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-11058145137657306942007-03-18T15:35:00.000-05:002007-03-18T15:46:55.528-05:00A couple decent youth ideas...Okay, here is a couple decent youth ministry ideas/stuff that I have done recently.<br />Game idea: Make up a bunch of clues that you would use for the games Charades or Pictionary. Mix them all up. Then divide your group into teams. As each kid comes up, they pick a clue and then roll a dice. Odd = Pictionary, Even = Charades. It can be fun when they get a clue that would be easy in one and hard in the other and crap out on the roll. Just a fun game.<br /><br />Bible study idea: I had my high school students write down at least 5 things they would say or describe themselves as. Then on the other side I had them write at least 5 things they would like to be in 10 years. One, it provided me some good insight into kids that I wouldn't have gotten without it. Second, I did the exercise and they gained some insights about me. Lastly, we wrapped it up with a discussion of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5) and how to work and ask God to grow those fruit in our own lives. I also liked it because it was pretty low commitment level for kids, i.e. it was easy for every kid to participate and be genuine.<br /><br />Just thought I'd share.Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-9639497416493150032007-03-16T11:42:00.000-05:002007-03-16T12:25:17.512-05:00Friday Movie Reviews (Vol. 1)So rather than spreading out my movie and DVD reviews over several posts, I am going to start trying to consolidate them into one post each week.<br /><br />So this week, we have a movie with a surprising twist, an overrated gladiator movie, a funny film that I don't think is as funny as everyone else and some dang fine television.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RfrLLr5wRUI/AAAAAAAAAAo/SKuklzQbAQQ/s1600-h/449px-Astronaut_farmer.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RfrLLr5wRUI/AAAAAAAAAAo/SKuklzQbAQQ/s320/449px-Astronaut_farmer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042566134418654530" /></a> For starters, <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0000671/">Billy Bob Thornton</a> has an amazing gift of picking roles. Now, obviously sometimes he does movies that are downright rancid (see: Bad Santa) but sometimes he does incredibly moving, well crafted roles that tell a good story. In the film <a href="http://theastronautfarmermovie.warnerbros.com/">The Astronaut Farmer</a>, Thornton leads a great cast that tells the amazing story of a former NASA level worker, who left the program to take care of his family and wants to go into space. And out of that framework, there is a great story about dreams, family and small town life. And it isn't Disney-fied. It has some sudden twists that I wasn't expecting and because of that unpredictability, it may be the best movie I have seen so far this year. Thornton deserves some Oscar-buzz for his role but likely won't see it because of the film's early release date. The rest of the cast also does remarkable work, including <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0000515/">Virgina Madsen</a> who plays Thornton's wife. I definitely think the film is worth watching and (for you youth ministry folks) it would be a good film for the dreaded long bus rides on trips. I am hoping it will release on DVD before our annual choir tour.<br /><br />Next up, on the advice of a friend, I went to see the film <a href="http://300themovie.warnerbros.com/">300</a>.Now in the interest of full disclosure, there were many things going into this movie that would bias me in favor of it. For example, I find this genre to be home of some great movies (<a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0112573/">Braveheart</a>) and some good movies (<a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0172495/">Gladiator</a>). Second, way back in the day, I was a comic book nerd and would be again if I could afford it. And this movie is based on the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Miller_%28comics%29">Frank Miller</a>, a well known comic writer and artist. (For my money Miller's work on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Miller_%28comics%29#Daredevil_and_the_early_1980s">Daredevil in the 1980s</a> is unparalleled and I can still remember the joy I had when I found the complete run in a bookstore in Panama City, Florida for like $10. The guy had no idea what he had...) That being said, I think the film 300 is good but flawed.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RfrNmb5wRVI/AAAAAAAAAAw/IuyTv1noODE/s1600-h/300Poster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RfrNmb5wRVI/AAAAAAAAAAw/IuyTv1noODE/s320/300Poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042568793003410770" /></a><br />This film does an amazing job of explaining itself in historical contest and then deriving itself down to a story that everyone can relate to. Some of the buzz of the film has been that the film is a current political allegory, which I dismiss. I just think it is a story where you can read more into it if you like but don't have to.<br /><br />So the flaws of the film? A complaint I have with a lot of modern movies, which I call the "Just because you can doesn't mean you have to" rule. In essence, sometimes technology and the world's skewed sense of decency means that you can get away with far more in the movie-making industry than ever before. And because artists feel like they can, they sometimes needlessly push the boundaries, calling it realism. And, in my opinion, this movie falls into that trap. For example, there are a couple of brutal beheadings that are shown in graphic detail and their inclusion doesn't strengthen the plot. Additionally, there are a couple of odd 90 second runs of nudity that don't seem to answer any plot issues or further the plot along. And, for me, it distracted from the general essence of the film. (Youth Minister's note: Take 300 off the list of films you can watch with kids...)<br /><br />Next up, via Netflix, I watched the critical darling comedy <a href="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/littlemisssunshine/">Little Miss Sunshine</a>. And I have to say: Eh. It isn't the worst comedy I have ever seen, nor is it the smartest comedy I have ever seen. It is definitely a dark comedy and lives and dwells in its darkness. The closing sequence is funny but in a weird way. RANT ALERT: I did find it interesting that the closing sequence is made in such a way that condemns the beauty pageant culture (and deservedly so) but juxtaposes that culture by having a little girl do what is in essence a strip club routine (taught by her grandfather!) to the song Super Freak by Rick James. Talk about confusing and mixed messages. I mean, I realize that we live in Bizarro world, but do we really have to glorify it?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RfrRS75wRWI/AAAAAAAAAA4/gQeIRlW_Qf0/s1600-h/Buffy2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NpTpDGICOsg/RfrRS75wRWI/AAAAAAAAAA4/gQeIRlW_Qf0/s320/Buffy2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042572856042472802" /></a> Lastly, I am a couple discs deep into <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Buffy-Vampire-Slayer-Complete-Second/dp/B000063IOT">Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 2</a>. Again, I must say that I am deeply impressed with the show. Season 2 seems to be when things kick it up a notch. For starters, Spike, a long running character, gets introduced. Second, the characters seem to really come into their own. My personal favorite is Xander, who is average in every way, except heart. No powers, not smart like Willow or wise like Giles but still seems to be the one who pushes and moves the Scooby Gang on. If you haven't seen the show or thought it "kiddy" I can't recommend it to you enough. (PS- Season 8 of Buffy, as told in comics hit the open market this week and promptly sold out. Joss Whedon is the idol of nerds everywhere...)Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-60323496563320988862007-03-15T16:43:00.001-05:002007-03-15T16:43:57.792-05:00Uh, my church isn't like this...<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EpHfeEH4Lwo"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EpHfeEH4Lwo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br />But maybe it should be...Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24861733.post-89788502245724617392007-03-13T18:49:00.000-05:002007-03-13T18:57:51.703-05:00Random things from me...My Final Four picks- Texas (because of Durant), Florida (because the NCAA couldn't have given them an easier bracket unless they put them in the women's tournament), Pittsburgh and Ohio State (because of Oden and Conley, Jr.) Team that will make some unexpected noise: Davidson will make the Sweet Sixteen.<br /><br />Books in my Amazon to get basket: 42. I miss my book allowance from the ATL.<br /><br />Upcoming speaking gigs: <br />April- Panama City, FL- youth group retreat<br />May- Macon, GA- youth worker training<br />June- Cocoa Beach, FL<br />August- Minnesota it looks like...<br /><br />Things I wish I owned: A video ipod. <br />What I am doing with my money instead- paying down debt.Jason Sansburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02516705807167477175noreply@blogger.com0