This makes me smile every time I watch it!

This is Nora the piano cat. Someone took her Youtube videos, and wrote a concerto around them! It really is quite lovely. So without further adieu... this is The CATcerto. Enjoy!



Chris

A Lesson On Selfishness

At 3:30 on Monday morning, January 23, 2012, our family huddled in our basement with two families very dear to us and watched the ABC3340 weather blog as James Spann reported on the tornado tearing through Alabama. I selfishly hoped that it would close Jefferson State the next day because I really didn't feel like going to class that morning. My selfish "wish" became a horrible reality as my brother showed me twitter messages like: "Centerpoint has been hit", "It's destroyed", etc. I drove to school the next day feeling awful that I could have even wished such a thing. No, I didn't want anyone hurt or worse, killed, I just wanted my school to close so I wouldn't have to go to class that day.

As I drove to school the next morning, it was like any other normal morning, until I got over Chalkville Mountain and into Centerpoint. What I saw was destruction. I felt guilty. My heart was heavy as I slowly maneuvered my truck through downed power lines, tree branches and other debris. This is what I saw...

Just last week, buildings lined theses streets. Banks, Gas stations I had filled up at, Restaurants I had eaten at. All demolished.

Entire Neighborhoods... Leveled.

I praise God that more people were not killed. And I pray for the families of the 3 people who's lives were ended so swiftly that morning. I know that God will use this disaster in mighty ways to draw people from all over the state to Himself.

I don't at all think that if I hadn't wished it, that this wouldn't have happened, but the very fact that I could have been so selfish makes me sick. I pray to God that He will work in my heart to eradicate the spirit of selfishness within me. This was one lesson in selfishness I desperately wish I hadn't needed to learn.

Please be in prayer for all the families affected by the tornado.

Chris

VIDEO: "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus"

This guy has a very intriguing view on the difference between just "talking the talk" and actually "walking the walk". I tend to agree with a lot of what he has to say.

CONTENT ADVISORY: Though nothing actually "bad" is said in this video, some "mature" material is mentioned. Please use discretion.

New Blog Design!

Changed the design of the blog. Let me know what you think.

Chris

Oh my goodness I'm so excited!

                 IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME!

Easy Christmas Gift Idea

 For extra credit on one of my construction classes, I was told I could go to the campus wood shop from 10:00 - 1:00 and create anything I wanted. I decided to make some Christmas gifts for friends and family.

                                                           "Friends" Sign -

I started by selecting my base material, in this case, a recycled solid core door. Next I removed all existing hardware from the door and selected the best looking, unscratched section of the door, measured out 15 inches by 3 feet, marked it, then cut it out with a circular saw. I then centered a series of snap together router templates that read "FAMILY" on the sign base and taped them down.

                                        Router                                    Router templates

After setting the templates, I used a router to very carefully cut out the letters. After finishing with the router, I removed the templates to reveal the newly cut letters. Next I selected some recycled fencing material for the "frame" of my sign. These were cut to size with a chop saw, glued with wood glue, then secured with nails from an air powered nail gun. Almost done... all I needed now was something to hang it by!

                                                   Added Hanging Chain

I found some chains from an old hanging planter and ta-da... an easy and Christmas gift for anyone who loves that "rustic look"!

Hope you like it!
Chris

Note: Routers, Circular saws, Chop saws, Nail guns and any power tools are VERY DANGEROUS and should be used with extreme care! Please don't play around with these things. They're tools, NOT TOYS! 

What A Testimony!

Tim Tebow is my favorite football player... ever! He's an outstanding guy who hasn't let his superstar career get in the way of his relationship with his personal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Please... if you have 12 minutes to spare today... watch this video! It's an amazing interview that's well worth your time!

For the National Championship Game in 2008, Tebow wore the verse "John 3:16" in the paint under his eyes. During that game 94 million people google searched "John 3:16"! How awesome is that?! I think I'm gonna go buy a "John 3:16" bumper sticker for my truck!

When asked about a comment from a teammate to "curb his references to Jesus Christ and his faith", Tebow responded:

"If you're married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife 'I love her' the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and every opportunity?"

"And that's how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ is that it is the most important thing in my life. So any time I get an opportunity to tell him that I love him or given an opportunity to shout him out on national TV, I'm gonna take that opportunity. And so I look at it as a relationship that I have with him that I want to give him the honor and glory anytime I have the opportunity. And then right after I give him the honor and glory, I always try to give my teammates the honor and glory."

"And that's how it works because Christ comes first in my life, and then my family, and then my teammates. I respect Jake's opinion, and I really appreciate his compliment of calling me a winner. But I feel like anytime I get the opportunity to give the Lord some praise, he is due for it."

I love this guy! God bless Tim Tebow!