One of the "missions" that those who are part of the emerging/missional church are trying to do is to break down the wall between sacred and secular. There is definitely another much longer post that goes along with this mission, but for now, I want to quote Mike Pilavachi from his book When Necessary Use Words: Changing Lives Through Worship, Justice and Evangelism:
"We've often separated our spiritual activities from our secular ones: We go to a home group - that's spiritual; we buy a pair of running shoes - that's secular. Or is it? If we do our part to ensure that the person who is making our running shoes gets a fair wage and works in reasonable conditions, isn't that an act of loving our neighbor and, therefore, a spiritual activity? God is interested in the whole of our lives and He wants access to everything so that we can make choices that better reflect Him."
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Sketchcast
I found an interesting website called Sketchcast. It's for your blog I guess, and it's a new way to creatively express yourself. I guess.
I have a hard time drawing using a mouse, and my Mickey Mouse doesn't look too much like Mickey Mouse, but I'm sure I'll improve.
Here's the website.
(I took my sketchcast off because it was messing up blogger for some reason.)
I have a hard time drawing using a mouse, and my Mickey Mouse doesn't look too much like Mickey Mouse, but I'm sure I'll improve.
Here's the website.
(I took my sketchcast off because it was messing up blogger for some reason.)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Friendship Overcomes
"Anyone who calls anyone judgmental, well, er, is inherently judgmental. That icky substance - judgmentalism - lives inside of all of us. As followers of Jesus we are called to be the least judgmental, but often we find ourselves the most judgmental. Why?
I can offer a laundry list of reasons, but one of the biggest is that we take God's laws, as well as the hedges we build around them, and then place them on people who don't even believe in God. Worse, we become more concerned with behavior modification than real transformation. The result is that judgmentalism springs up in our hearts, shading our every attitude and interaction. So if a sixteen-to-twenty-nine-year-old thinks were judgmental, I'd love to fire back, but sadly, I have to agree. I don't want to agree. I want Christians to be known as the most loving people - the kind of people who love you until it hurts. But so far it seems like we're bringing more hurt than healing to many.
You see, love is the opposite of judgmentalism; it tempers our views, attitudes and interactions. In our cultural climate, love is foundational. Now some say that love has no agenda, but I believe that love is the agenda (see John 13:35). Whether in our communities, workplaces, or government, we must be committed to love those we work with and serve.
One of our weaknesses is that we're far more concerned with being right than being righteous. We become like the Pharisees whenever we focus on issues rather than people. Judgmentalism creeps in whenever we deal with issues as if they were black and white, rather than flesh-and-blood humans in need of redemption. Do you want to remove the unhealthy judgmentalism you have in regard to the poor? Make sure you have poor people who you love and welcome in your life. Do you want to remove the unhealthy judgmentalism you have in regard to homosexuals? Make sure you have gays and lesbians whom you love and welcome in your life. Do you want to remove the unhealthy judgmentalism you have in regard to our government? Make sure you have people involved in politics (even if it's just on the local level) whom you love and welcome in your life.
Then, when we talk about issues, we won't just be talking about those things we care about but people we care about. And the judgmentalism, well, it will naturally begin to fade away like it did for the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, and so many others."
- Margaret Feinberg, author and speaker, as quoted in Unchristian
I can offer a laundry list of reasons, but one of the biggest is that we take God's laws, as well as the hedges we build around them, and then place them on people who don't even believe in God. Worse, we become more concerned with behavior modification than real transformation. The result is that judgmentalism springs up in our hearts, shading our every attitude and interaction. So if a sixteen-to-twenty-nine-year-old thinks were judgmental, I'd love to fire back, but sadly, I have to agree. I don't want to agree. I want Christians to be known as the most loving people - the kind of people who love you until it hurts. But so far it seems like we're bringing more hurt than healing to many.
You see, love is the opposite of judgmentalism; it tempers our views, attitudes and interactions. In our cultural climate, love is foundational. Now some say that love has no agenda, but I believe that love is the agenda (see John 13:35). Whether in our communities, workplaces, or government, we must be committed to love those we work with and serve.
One of our weaknesses is that we're far more concerned with being right than being righteous. We become like the Pharisees whenever we focus on issues rather than people. Judgmentalism creeps in whenever we deal with issues as if they were black and white, rather than flesh-and-blood humans in need of redemption. Do you want to remove the unhealthy judgmentalism you have in regard to the poor? Make sure you have poor people who you love and welcome in your life. Do you want to remove the unhealthy judgmentalism you have in regard to homosexuals? Make sure you have gays and lesbians whom you love and welcome in your life. Do you want to remove the unhealthy judgmentalism you have in regard to our government? Make sure you have people involved in politics (even if it's just on the local level) whom you love and welcome in your life.
Then, when we talk about issues, we won't just be talking about those things we care about but people we care about. And the judgmentalism, well, it will naturally begin to fade away like it did for the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, and so many others."
- Margaret Feinberg, author and speaker, as quoted in Unchristian
I don't know how I missed this one...
but Jason Elam, the kicker for the Broncos the last fifteen years, has signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
I'm happy for him - it's a homecoming of sorts, since he played high school football in Georgia - but very sad he won't be a Bronco this season. The number one reason is because he used to go to my home church. In fact, he came up to me my last Sunday at my home church (he didn't know I was leaving) and asked if I could teach him how to play guitar. I just gritted my teeth and told him that although I would love to teach him, I was leaving for Dallas. Stupid timing. He ended up giving me a Broncos jersey signed by himself, Terrell Davis, Brian Griese, Ed McCaffrey and Brian Griese, and then also a football signed by the 2000 Denver Broncos football team.
He ended up leaving my home church shortly after I left - but I've kept tabs on him ever since then.
I hope he has a very successful season for the Falcons. I'm angry that the Broncos decided not to keep him. But life goes on.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
George Washington vs. Simon Bolivar Leaders
I've been reading this interesting book, just the title makes it intriguing:
Samson and the Pirate Monks: Calling Men to Authentic Brotherhood by Nate Larkin.
My boss gave it to me as a possible resource for a men's small group I'm helping to start. A guy in our church approached me and wanted to know if I was interested in starting something for guys - I would do a morning group, and he would do an evening group, and we would go over the same material so if someone missed the morning group, they could go to the evening group and vice versa. Now, if you know me, you know that: 1) I'm already pretty busy, so starting a group doesn't usually fall on my radar, and 2) I'm a little leery of men's groups in the first place, because I'm not a big fan of Wild At Heart, what it means to be a "real man", "let's go out and hunt a fourteen point buck for Jesus" type of stuff. But I like this guy so I'm willing to do it, especially if it reaches men in this community.
Anyway, I'm not sure I'll be using this book, at least not yet, but it was interesting reading.
One of the illustrations he uses in this book is the difference between how George Washington led, and how Simon Bolivar, who started up several colonies/countries in South America led. It was especially interesting to me based on my experience with senior ministers during my time in Arizona and in Ohio. Here is what he writes:
"Washington, of course, is revered in the United States as the father of his country. Bolivar tried to duplicate Washington's success in South America, but failed.
On December 23, 1783, George Washington made the greatest single statement of his long political career by resigning his commission as commander in chief of the Continental army. This simple act of humility stunned the Western world. Washington, who had almost single-handedly held the fractious colonies together during the Revolutionary War, was easily the most trusted man in America. Grateful throngs called on Congress to proclaim him king. Other voices begged Washington to set up a military regime, believing that only a commander of his stature could create the stability necessary for a successful transition to democracy...
But that wasn't the end of Washington's career. Four years later he played a leading role in the constitutional convention in Philadelphia, and in 1789, the new Electoral College unanimously elected him president. Washington discharged his duties brilliantly, operating as the consummate player/coach. Well aware of his limitations and unthreatened by the genius of others, he surrounded himself with men whose intellectual talents were greater than his own, men such as James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and John Adams. Compelled by the force of Washington's example, these men harnessed their competing egos and worked as a team...as it turned out, George Washington became "the father of his country" by refusing the role.
In 1783, the same year Washington resigned his commission at Annapolis, Simon Jose Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar was born in the Spanish province of Venezuela. By age nine, he was an orphan. By 1799, the year Washington died, the passionate young man had become a firebrand for liberty, forcefully arguing that the South American colonies should declare their independence from Spain. When he marched into Caracas at the head of a liberating army in August of 1813, Bolivar accepted the title of "liberator" from a grateful populace and assumed political dictatorship. He went on to lead successful revolutions against Spanish rule in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. In fact, he served as president of two different countries during his lifetime, Colombia and Peru. When Upper Peru was liberated in 1825, the new nation named itself Bolivia in his honor. Bolivar personally drafted a constitution for his namesake, proposing a weak legislature and a strong president chosen for life.
By this time, Bolivar's power extended from the Caribbean to the border of Argentina, but his rule as not peaceful. The nations he had founded were wracked by a series of revolts and civil wars. On September 25, 1828, a group of young officers invaded the presidential palace and tried to assassinate him. The attempt failed, but more plots followed as competing generals jockeyed for power. He was denounced everywhere. Finally in May of 1830, Bolivar agreed to leave South America and retire to Europe. He never made the trip however. He died of tuberculosis six months later in Santa Marta, Colombia.
Despite his giftedness as a military commander, Simon Bolivar failed miserably as a political leader because he was never content to be a brother. He always needed to be the daddy. Although he employed the language of team play in his speeches, his actions showed that he never really trusted anyone but himself. In the end, it was all about Simon. It's no coincidence that that the nations he founded are plagued by political instability to this day."
----
Wow.
I could definitely see the similarities in leadership style between Simon Bolivar and some of the leaders I have worked for in the recent past. I have so much more I could say at this point - like pointing out how certain leaders I have worked for didn't put anyone into leadership around them until 7-10 years after they planted their church, and how I heard interesting things while I worked for them, like "it's my way or the highway", and "you go toe to toe with me, I'll win every time", but I'll refrain for now. I did think the last paragraph really summed up the problem with these type of leaders: (1) Always needed to be the daddy; (2) never trusts anyone but themselves; (3) it was all about them. If Simon Bolivar leadership doesn't work in leadership of countries, why do we seem to think that it will work in our churches? And better yet, why do the other supposed "leaders" of these churches let the head person become a Bolivar type leader?
Samson and the Pirate Monks: Calling Men to Authentic Brotherhood by Nate Larkin.
My boss gave it to me as a possible resource for a men's small group I'm helping to start. A guy in our church approached me and wanted to know if I was interested in starting something for guys - I would do a morning group, and he would do an evening group, and we would go over the same material so if someone missed the morning group, they could go to the evening group and vice versa. Now, if you know me, you know that: 1) I'm already pretty busy, so starting a group doesn't usually fall on my radar, and 2) I'm a little leery of men's groups in the first place, because I'm not a big fan of Wild At Heart, what it means to be a "real man", "let's go out and hunt a fourteen point buck for Jesus" type of stuff. But I like this guy so I'm willing to do it, especially if it reaches men in this community.
Anyway, I'm not sure I'll be using this book, at least not yet, but it was interesting reading.
One of the illustrations he uses in this book is the difference between how George Washington led, and how Simon Bolivar, who started up several colonies/countries in South America led. It was especially interesting to me based on my experience with senior ministers during my time in Arizona and in Ohio. Here is what he writes:
"Washington, of course, is revered in the United States as the father of his country. Bolivar tried to duplicate Washington's success in South America, but failed.
On December 23, 1783, George Washington made the greatest single statement of his long political career by resigning his commission as commander in chief of the Continental army. This simple act of humility stunned the Western world. Washington, who had almost single-handedly held the fractious colonies together during the Revolutionary War, was easily the most trusted man in America. Grateful throngs called on Congress to proclaim him king. Other voices begged Washington to set up a military regime, believing that only a commander of his stature could create the stability necessary for a successful transition to democracy...
But that wasn't the end of Washington's career. Four years later he played a leading role in the constitutional convention in Philadelphia, and in 1789, the new Electoral College unanimously elected him president. Washington discharged his duties brilliantly, operating as the consummate player/coach. Well aware of his limitations and unthreatened by the genius of others, he surrounded himself with men whose intellectual talents were greater than his own, men such as James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and John Adams. Compelled by the force of Washington's example, these men harnessed their competing egos and worked as a team...as it turned out, George Washington became "the father of his country" by refusing the role.
In 1783, the same year Washington resigned his commission at Annapolis, Simon Jose Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar was born in the Spanish province of Venezuela. By age nine, he was an orphan. By 1799, the year Washington died, the passionate young man had become a firebrand for liberty, forcefully arguing that the South American colonies should declare their independence from Spain. When he marched into Caracas at the head of a liberating army in August of 1813, Bolivar accepted the title of "liberator" from a grateful populace and assumed political dictatorship. He went on to lead successful revolutions against Spanish rule in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. In fact, he served as president of two different countries during his lifetime, Colombia and Peru. When Upper Peru was liberated in 1825, the new nation named itself Bolivia in his honor. Bolivar personally drafted a constitution for his namesake, proposing a weak legislature and a strong president chosen for life.
By this time, Bolivar's power extended from the Caribbean to the border of Argentina, but his rule as not peaceful. The nations he had founded were wracked by a series of revolts and civil wars. On September 25, 1828, a group of young officers invaded the presidential palace and tried to assassinate him. The attempt failed, but more plots followed as competing generals jockeyed for power. He was denounced everywhere. Finally in May of 1830, Bolivar agreed to leave South America and retire to Europe. He never made the trip however. He died of tuberculosis six months later in Santa Marta, Colombia.
Despite his giftedness as a military commander, Simon Bolivar failed miserably as a political leader because he was never content to be a brother. He always needed to be the daddy. Although he employed the language of team play in his speeches, his actions showed that he never really trusted anyone but himself. In the end, it was all about Simon. It's no coincidence that that the nations he founded are plagued by political instability to this day."
----
Wow.
I could definitely see the similarities in leadership style between Simon Bolivar and some of the leaders I have worked for in the recent past. I have so much more I could say at this point - like pointing out how certain leaders I have worked for didn't put anyone into leadership around them until 7-10 years after they planted their church, and how I heard interesting things while I worked for them, like "it's my way or the highway", and "you go toe to toe with me, I'll win every time", but I'll refrain for now. I did think the last paragraph really summed up the problem with these type of leaders: (1) Always needed to be the daddy; (2) never trusts anyone but themselves; (3) it was all about them. If Simon Bolivar leadership doesn't work in leadership of countries, why do we seem to think that it will work in our churches? And better yet, why do the other supposed "leaders" of these churches let the head person become a Bolivar type leader?
Thursday, March 20, 2008
World Water Day - This Saturday
Thanks to my friend Rochelle, I found out about World Water Day before it happened!
Over a billion people on our planet do not have access to safe drinking water. Obviously this creates huge problems in the form of disease and death.
Go to www.worldwaterday.net to find out more.
Here is a map where you can see exactly where the water crises are.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Guinness...cupcakes?
Hmmm, this seems like an interesting recipe. Cupcakes that actually have Guinness beer in them. I guess it doesn't make them bitter, according to the baker, it evens out the taste.
Next time I'm in the mood for a Guinness, maybe I'll have my wife make me some Guinness cupcakes as well.
By the way, if you don't know the story of how Guinness came about, it's very interesting. Perhaps I'll have to tell the story sometime.
The Buckeyes
Colorado is my home state, and now that I've returned, I'm enjoying all the sports teams again - being able to watch and hear them is great.
However, each state I've lived in, I try to take a sports team and root for them.
Since I lived in Dallas, I root for the Mavericks (although I'm not much of an NBA fan).
I've been a huge Arizona Wildcats college basketball fan since interning in Tucson (and living for 3 years in the Phoenix area as well.)
And from Ohio, I'm taking with me the Ohio State Buckeyes. Which is a pretty easy decision. College football in Colorado pretty much stinks. The Buffaloes are my favorite college team from Colorado, I guess - but they've been embroiled in scandals and mediocrity since Bill McCartney left. So I'm rooting for the Buckeyes.
And here's a reason to get excited about them:
Number One High School Football Player Chooses The Buckeyes.
Sweet!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Dexter
I'm not sure if I should admit this or not, but I love the Showtime T.V. show Dexter. I bought the first season on DVD and I'm eagerly awaiting the second season coming out on DVD soon. I hope.
I'm also thinking of getting the soundtrack, I like the music. Kind of a "serial killer salsa" kind of sound. :)
I'm also thinking of getting the soundtrack, I like the music. Kind of a "serial killer salsa" kind of sound. :)
Monday, March 17, 2008
It's all a matter of what you're looking for...
Take the video test below. I thought it was kind of interesting. I'm just glad I got the number right, or else I would have felt really stupid about not seeing the m--nw---ing b---.
Seven More Years...
According to this article, I'm only seven years away from reaching the prime peak of my happiness. I guess at the age of 44, people begin feeling less happy, and then they become more happy in older age.
I thought it was interesting that the main premise of the article is that happiness is more associated with genes and age, rather than circumstances, experiences and the like. And yet I would say that our number one pursuit in life is to become "happier", whether it be through accumulating stuff, or having success, or whatever.
I guess I'll just decide to be happy. While I can.
Hulu
As someone who doesn't have a lot of time to watch TV shows - at least while it happens - I found something that is amazing.
It's called Hulu, and you can watch a bunch of T.V. shows and some movies, for free. There are some old school shows available (Buck Freaking Rogers!), and brand new ones as well (Friday Night Lights).
Have there been a few shows recently that you've just wanted to check out to see if they're good or not, but never had the time to do so? Check out Hulu. Tonight, I watched the pilot for The Bionic Woman (new one), and the pilot for Life. Have to say I liked them both, and yet I wouldn't have known I liked them without Hulu.
Check it out - you will not be disappointed. There are a few commercial interruptions - but they last fifteen seconds long. And the one I saw (HP) featured Gwen Stefani, so that wasn't tough to watch that commercial a few times.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Colorado Conversation #1
My daughter loves Barnes and Noble. She loves to go and read books, and of course buy books. How can you deny a book to a kid? "No, you can't read." So we go often.
One day we're in Barnes and Noble, in the kids' book section, and someone comes into the section with a little girl. This someone has dreadlocks, a lip piercing, and torn clothing. As they pass us, I look up at the face, and it looks really familiar. For the next several minutes I try to place the face. I realize that this girl looks like a girl I had in my student ministry in Colorado eight years ago.
In the past I would never approach a "stranger", and would never strike up a conversation with someone I don't know, but I'm different now. My office here in Colorado consists of one of two places: Paradise Bakery and Cafe, and Caribou Coffee. Both have good coffee and free internet. I've struck up many conversations with workers and regulars in both places. I've even developed a couple of friendships. So I decide to talk with this girl.
"Hey, I don't mean to bother you or anything, but did you happen to go to ___________ Christian Church several years ago?"
"Yeah, I did. You look familiar."
"I was your youth minister. You were in sixth grade, I think, and you hung out with Chris and Brittany."
"Yeah! My name is Sarah. You're...Adam, right?"
"Yeah."
"Wow, I can't believe you recognized me. That was a long time ago. You have a good memory. So...didn't you move to Texas or something?"
"Yeah. We lived in Dallas for a year and a half, then Arizona for three, then Ohio for three, and now we're back."
"Really? What are you doing?"
"I planted a church this year with Todd, the former associate pastor of the church. We actually meet here in Southlands, at the theater. It's pretty cool."
"Sounds cool. By the way, this isn't my daughter. She's my sister."
"Ah, I didn't think so, but I wasn't going to ask you. You would be pretty young to have a child. What are you, nineteen?"
"Yeah."
"Well, it's good seeing you. Take care."
I wish I could have continued on. Noelle wanted to read more books though. I wonder if she still believes in God. I wonder what she's doing these days. I wonder.
Maybe I'll run into her again. At Barnes and Noble. Or Paradise. Or Caribou.
One day we're in Barnes and Noble, in the kids' book section, and someone comes into the section with a little girl. This someone has dreadlocks, a lip piercing, and torn clothing. As they pass us, I look up at the face, and it looks really familiar. For the next several minutes I try to place the face. I realize that this girl looks like a girl I had in my student ministry in Colorado eight years ago.
In the past I would never approach a "stranger", and would never strike up a conversation with someone I don't know, but I'm different now. My office here in Colorado consists of one of two places: Paradise Bakery and Cafe, and Caribou Coffee. Both have good coffee and free internet. I've struck up many conversations with workers and regulars in both places. I've even developed a couple of friendships. So I decide to talk with this girl.
"Hey, I don't mean to bother you or anything, but did you happen to go to ___________ Christian Church several years ago?"
"Yeah, I did. You look familiar."
"I was your youth minister. You were in sixth grade, I think, and you hung out with Chris and Brittany."
"Yeah! My name is Sarah. You're...Adam, right?"
"Yeah."
"Wow, I can't believe you recognized me. That was a long time ago. You have a good memory. So...didn't you move to Texas or something?"
"Yeah. We lived in Dallas for a year and a half, then Arizona for three, then Ohio for three, and now we're back."
"Really? What are you doing?"
"I planted a church this year with Todd, the former associate pastor of the church. We actually meet here in Southlands, at the theater. It's pretty cool."
"Sounds cool. By the way, this isn't my daughter. She's my sister."
"Ah, I didn't think so, but I wasn't going to ask you. You would be pretty young to have a child. What are you, nineteen?"
"Yeah."
"Well, it's good seeing you. Take care."
I wish I could have continued on. Noelle wanted to read more books though. I wonder if she still believes in God. I wonder what she's doing these days. I wonder.
Maybe I'll run into her again. At Barnes and Noble. Or Paradise. Or Caribou.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Sickening.
At least he's paying for his crimes, but the fallout from this priest's action during the Rwanda genocide has cost more to the Kingdom of God than you could ever believe. If you don't want to click on the link, here is the article.
----
ARUSHA, Tanzania - A U.N. tribunal has extended the sentence of a priest to life in prison after upholding his war crimes conviction for ordering militiamen to burn and bulldoze a church with 1,500 people inside during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda's ruling came after Rwandan Roman Catholic priest Athanase Serombawar appealed his 2006 conviction, a tribunal statement posted on its Web site late Wednesday said. He was originally sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The tribunal is trying the alleged masterminds of the 100-day Rwandan genocide in which more than 500,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists.
The tribunal said it convicted Seromba for "his role in the destruction of the church in Nyange Parish, and the consequent death of approximately 1500 Tutsi refugees sheltering inside."
Seromba was convicted of leading a militia that attacked the people and poured fuel through the roof of the church, while police threw grenades inside. After failing to kill everybody inside the church, Seromba ordered it to be demolished, the tribunal found.
Thousands of Rwandans have turned away from Catholicism, angered and saddened by the complicity of church officials in the genocide.
Priests, nuns and followers were implicated in the killings and some churches were sites of notorious massacres.
The Rwanda war crimes tribunal has delivered 32 judgments, including five acquittals, since the U.N. Security Council established it in November 1994. There are 27 trials under way.
----
The book "Mere Discipleship" by Lee Camp does a good job at assessing the Rwandan genocide. I highly recommend it. I have some thoughts, but I don't know if I can really put them into words after reading this article.
News Of The Weird
Woman sits on boyfriend's toilet for 2 years
Girlfriend was physically stuck to the seat — her skin had grown around it
NESS CITY, Kan. - Deputies said a woman in western Kansas sat on her boyfriend's toilet for two years, and they're investigating whether she was mistreated.
Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said a man called his office last month to report that something was wrong with his girlfriend.
Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman’s skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.
“We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital,” Whipple said. “The hospital removed it.”
Whipple said investigators planned to present their report Wednesday to the county attorney, who will determine whether any charges should be filed against the woman's 36-year-old boyfriend.
“She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body,” Whipple said. “It is hard to imagine. ... I still have a hard time imagining it myself.”
He told investigators he brought his girlfriend food and water, and asked her every day to come out of the bathroom.
“And her reply would be, ‘Maybe tomorrow,”’ Whipple said. “According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom.”
The boyfriend called police on Feb. 27 to report that “there was something wrong with his girlfriend,” Whipple said, adding that he never explained why it took him two years to call.
Police found the clothed woman sitting on the toilet, her sweat pants down to her mid-thigh. She was “somewhat disoriented,” and her legs looked like they had atrophied, Whipple said.
“She said that she didn’t need any help, that she was OK and did not want to leave,” he said.
She was taken to a hospital in Wichita, about 150 miles southeast of Ness City. Whipple said she has refused to cooperate with medical providers or law enforcement investigators.
Authorities said they did not know if she was mentally or physically disabled.
Police have declined to release the couple’s names, but the house where authorities say the incident happened is listed in public records as the residence of Kory McFarren. No one answered his home phone number.
The case has been the buzz in Ness City, said James Ellis, a neighbor.
----
Tell me how ironic it is that the sheriff's name is Whipple.
Girlfriend was physically stuck to the seat — her skin had grown around it
NESS CITY, Kan. - Deputies said a woman in western Kansas sat on her boyfriend's toilet for two years, and they're investigating whether she was mistreated.
Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said a man called his office last month to report that something was wrong with his girlfriend.
Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman’s skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.
“We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital,” Whipple said. “The hospital removed it.”
Whipple said investigators planned to present their report Wednesday to the county attorney, who will determine whether any charges should be filed against the woman's 36-year-old boyfriend.
“She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body,” Whipple said. “It is hard to imagine. ... I still have a hard time imagining it myself.”
He told investigators he brought his girlfriend food and water, and asked her every day to come out of the bathroom.
“And her reply would be, ‘Maybe tomorrow,”’ Whipple said. “According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom.”
The boyfriend called police on Feb. 27 to report that “there was something wrong with his girlfriend,” Whipple said, adding that he never explained why it took him two years to call.
Police found the clothed woman sitting on the toilet, her sweat pants down to her mid-thigh. She was “somewhat disoriented,” and her legs looked like they had atrophied, Whipple said.
“She said that she didn’t need any help, that she was OK and did not want to leave,” he said.
She was taken to a hospital in Wichita, about 150 miles southeast of Ness City. Whipple said she has refused to cooperate with medical providers or law enforcement investigators.
Authorities said they did not know if she was mentally or physically disabled.
Police have declined to release the couple’s names, but the house where authorities say the incident happened is listed in public records as the residence of Kory McFarren. No one answered his home phone number.
The case has been the buzz in Ness City, said James Ellis, a neighbor.
----
Tell me how ironic it is that the sheriff's name is Whipple.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Music To Watch Zombie Movies To
I'm not a big fan of zombie movies, although I thought 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, although not technically zombie movies, were really good.
But after purchasing the remake of the Cranberries' song "Zombie" by Miser, my Zombie soundtrack might be complete:
Zombie - The Cranberries
Zombie (remake) - Miser
They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors! They Have Come Back From The Dead! Ahhhh! - Sufjan Stevens
The Zombie Song - Cool Hand Luke
notably absent from this list are any songs by The Zombies and Rob Zombie. Not a big fan of either. Although I am tempted to pick up the 28 Weeks Later soundtrack. It sounded good as I was scared watching the movie.
EDIT: I succumbed to temptation and bought the 28 Weeks Later soundtrack. Awesome.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Updated Best Movies of 2007 List
After watching a couple more movies from last year, here is my updated list for Best Of 2007 (I added Bourne Ultimatum and The Lookout as well):
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Truly a great year for movies.
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Truly a great year for movies.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Once
I don't know how long these videos will last on youtube, but watch them now, if you haven't seen the movie. Then go and rent the movie!
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