I heart boobies?

Wondering what the first thought that came to your mind was when you read this blogs title? Inappropriate? I would agree. Apparently, there is a growing segment of people that would disagree and consider this to be an instrumental marketing tool to raise awareness for breast cancer and its victims. The bigger issue is that they are being worn by high school and jr high students causing concern about sexual harassment, cancer awareness, and giggling adolescents.

While I"ll leave it to the school officials to decide whether they should be allowed or not, here is my take on it.

First off, many if not most teenagers are not mature enough to handle the slang word used here even if you do believe it's going to create dialogue and raise awareness. The majority of students are just going to wear them because it pushes the limits and I believe it will lead to more harassment then actual discourse on the topic of breast cancer.

Secondly, and more importantly, to do something like this cheapens the message. I equate it to PETA using naked people to try to get their message out. It's controversial and draws attention more than anything else. The problem with using that ploy with cancer is the insensitivity it reflects toward those who have been affected. Cancer is no joke. It is straight from the devil and deadly serious. 250,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone and countless people are affected in a negative way because of it.

Not to mention that breast cancer is not the only cancer ruining lives. What about colon cancer, is "i heart rectums" next? My dad died of Mesothelioma and I don't think a "I heart asbestos" bracelet has hit the market yet.

Maybe I'm making this a bigger deal than it is, but do we really have to "sexualize" every single thing in this country in order be heard? I loved when all the pro athletes wore pink for breast cancer awareness, this however presents the message in a most unflattering way. I pray for a wave of the Holy Spirit to sweep across our mtv, jersey shore generation, and I pray for those who have been affected by the ugliness of cancer. I miss you and love you Dad.

praise the Lord or pass the pancakes?

can't we all just get along? I remember in my old c.r.c church days, showing up with my dad for the good ol saturday morning pancake breakfast. We would throw a few bucks in the folgers can and sit down to tackle a tower of fluffy goodness.

Those days are seemingly over as the war over "IHOP" is getting heated. Apparently the "international house of pancakes" is suing the "international house of prayer" over the use of it's acronym. The pancake house claims to have had the letters coined in the 1950's while the prayer house has only been around ten years. This bodes the question of why the pancake giant would wait until now to make a fuss? It seems they fear that there will be some confusion now that some of the international house of Prayer's are serving food...................?

Maybe it's just me, but I can't imagine that anyone is going to walk into the pancake house and say they want Mike Bickle to wait on their table, nor can I imagine anyone walking into a 24 hour prayer center and ordering a short stack. But maybe some people might replace the annointing oil with blueberry syrup and that could make things pretty sticky.

I'm just thankful that the group J.O.N (jolly odd neanderthals) have allowed me to keep my name without litigation. I don't have time to take this to court and I heard they have a pretty powerful attorney named Lucy?

Well I'm off to make some pancakes, I might just pray over them too, and maybe I'll confuse myself.

milestone

Many things have happened that have marked our world over the years. Men landing on the moon, the fall of communism, and the creation of redbull to name a few.

Now we can add to that list "Ava Zondervan no longer sucks her thumb". For quite some time now we have tried to determine the best way to deter this habit so that she won't need braces for the better part of a decade. We contemplated everything from hot sauce to amputation, but it actually happened rather organically.

We had a going away ceremony for her blanket. She literally has had this blanket since birth and was the queen of finding the tag, positioning it under her nose, and then sucking her thumb until she passed out. All we did was make a special box (not really all that special, old gift box with pink paper) for her blanket and then told her now that she was six she didn't need it and we would put it somewhere safe. TA DA!!! Instantly the thumb which had been so connected to the blanket was no longer seen as necessary and she hasn't done it once since=)

ORTHODONTIC VICTORY!!! (or at least postponement)

birthday

I turned 36 on the 31st, and nothing is better than coming home and having your two beautiful daughters run up to you yelling "we made a card for you daddy" and then hand you these=) I am a blessed man.

official preschooler

so cute. Addy tried not to act like she was too excited or nervous, but you could tell it was a really big deal. Last night when I tucked her in she asked me when it would be tomorrow. I told her when you wake up in the morning. "Then I go to school?!" Yes honey, then you go to school.

I dropped her off along with the fifty five million dollars in supplies we're required to pay for on top of christian education (i'm not bitter=) and watched her interact with her brand new classmates. A boy (obviously not good enough for my daughter) tried to talk to her and I quickly shot him a threatening glance while doing the throat cut with my finger motion, KIDDING!! I did pass him a note saying I'd be waiting by the swing set after school for him if he ever talked to her again, but he never showed.

Anyways, a new chapter is beginning in our lives and I guess I'm ok with it. I told her on the car ride to school that I wanted to pray for her in three ways.

1. God would protect her
2. she would have a mind ready to learn
3. she would show her classmates and teachers the love of Jesus

Right in the middle she blurts out, "Dad, are you closing your eyes?" I explained to her that I had to drive and God would still hear, but I'm not sure she was convinced=)

Love you Addy!!!