Omniscience.

You know something that's crazy? The fact that everyone has had something happen in their lives that you probably have no idea about. That's right. I'm including close friends and relatives in this mix. You can't possibly know what a person has done or had done to them every second of every day, nor would you particularly want to. Yet God knows everything that has ever occurred throughout all of time. He knows every second of both your life, Ernest Hemingway's life, and Janis Joplin's life. And this concept - this omniscience - fascinates me. The fact that God even cares about all of the little details in our lives. The fact that people could - and do - have scars and triumphs in their lives that I am completely oblivious to. The fact that the world does not revolve around what humans say or do, but around the God who made the world in the first place. I don't know what you've been through in the past, and I don't know what tomorrow holds for you or me. But putting our trust in an omnipresent and omniscient God means that we don't have to worry about where life takes us.

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"Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." - John 18:37b

Clint Eastwood news that I just had to share. :)

Clint Eastwood is going to star in another movie. The movie will be called "Trouble With the Curve" (here it is on imdb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2083383/ ). He had previously said that "Gran Torino," arguably his best movie ever and maybe my favorite movie, was going to be his last acting role. But now he's back! CLINTON EASTWOOD, JR. IS GOING TO BE BACK ON SCREEN! :D

I shudder for you if you're unfamiliar with Clint. I grew up watching him on screen, mostly with my dad, who shares my love of good Westerns and seeing justice served. But, if for some reason you are, here are some pictures courtesy of Google images that may help you understand that Clint Eastwood > any other "macho" male actor, ever (and yes, that includes Chuck Norris. Clint is better).

Here is a young Clint. He first became famous for his role on the TV series "Rawhide" in 1959. He then went on to star in Westerns as characters usually nameless, avenging, and generally unstoppable. Clint is also the famous Harry Callahan of the "Dirty Harry" series.

 

This photo features Clint in one of the greatest Westerns of all time, "Unforgiven," which was made in 1992. Clint both directed and starred in this film. "Unforgiven" completely destroyed the myth of the archetypal Western hero as an incorruptible and physically strong man. Clint portrays William Munny as an older man who used to be a well known killer. Munny decides to partake in one last bounty hunt, and the movie displays Munny's physical and emotional weaknesses with surprising twists. Munny is not the brave and indefatigable protagonist of most Westerns; he is a flawed and fragile hero. If you've never seen a Clint Eastwood movie, I would strongly encourage you to watch this one. It's a Western with depth, often a rare find in the genre.

 

This is Clint in what was supposedly his last role as Walt Kowalski in "Gran Torino."  I think this may be his best movie; if not "Gran Torino," then "Unforgiven" is definitely his best. "Gran Torino" is not for the faint of heart, however, it presents a strong theme of respect for every human being, regardless of age or race. It's not every day that you stumble upon a movie with the lead character in his eighties and the main supporting characters played by those of the Hmong ethnicity. It's also not every day that a movie literally brings you to both raucous laughter and outbursts of crying. I've loved Clint as an actor since I first saw some of his Spaghetti Westerns, but this movie is the main reason I love him as a director. It's sheer, unadulterated genius.

I thought Clint's acting career went out with a beautiful bang in "Gran Torino." But, hey, if the man wants to come back in front of the camera, I'd like to see anyone try to stop him. I'm excited for his return and will support him, 82 years of life and all. :)

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"He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him." - John 1:10

This verse really spoke to me recently. It's crazy to think that the Creator of the universe goes unrecognized by so many every single day. Jesus Christ was and is real. Please take the time to pick up a Bible and learn about God and what He has done. It will change your life.

The Olympic Games make me happy.

Y'all, the Olympics are here. And let me just tell you something...I love the Olympics. Whether the games are being held in Atlanta, Beijing, London, or anywhere else.

(picture found on Google images)

I don't think I'm ever as proud to be from the United States of America as I am when I watch (1) our troops in action and (2) our athletes representing the red, white, and blue in the Olympic games. There are just so many brave, disciplined, and gracious athletes from my country. I'm especially glad that NBC is finally beginning to cover the running events. I ran cross country for seven straight years. I love running almost as much as I love Switchfoot; for those of you who know me personally, you know that what I just said is quite meaningful. :) Anyway, I really am delighted that runners, and in particular long distance runners, are finally getting some well-deserved recognition. And today, the very first double-amputee competed in the Olympics: Oscar Pistorius of South Africa raced in a heat of the open 400 meters with blades in place of human legs. You can read more about this inspiring feat here:

http://www.mercurynews.com/olympics/ci_21235612/olympics-double-amputee-oscar-pistorius-south-africa-makes

I used to run in both the open 400 and the 4x400 in my high school track days, and there is no doubt in my mind that the 400 is one of the hardest races one can tackle. The runner in the 400 must basically sprint one full lap around the track. This may sound easy, but keep in mind that the races considered true sprints are the 100 and the 200. Running full out for a grueling 400 meters is quite hard on the body. Truthfully, it's impressive when anyone -  disability or not - excels at this race. Although, of course, the 800 meter run is actually the most difficult race in track, especially when you're up against girls who like to accidentally kick you down with their spikes...but that's another story...

In further Olympic news, Michael Phelps is a beast. :) He now has won 21 Olympic medals. And I'm proud of Gabby Douglas for winning the all around women's gymnastics competition. Go, Team USA!

So if you're not watching the Olympics, who do you think you are and what are you doing? Support your country and cheer on those who have trained for a lifetime just to make it onto a podium and hear their national anthem. And if they're competing not only for their country but also for God's glory, that just makes it all the more worthwhile. :)

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"Stand firm, and you will win life." -  Luke 21:19

A warning to unsuspecting readers...

I hate to have to do this, but, alas, I have been driven to it. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I rather like that sign.

It's "grammar police" time! :D

I can't tell you how many times I've looked at blogs or simple Facebook posts and been absolutely affronted by the horrific misuses of elementary words. I understand that everyone makes mistakes from time to time (even me...I guess) but to constantly mangle simple phrases? That's pushing it. So here is a nice list of how to correctly spell and use certain words and phrases.

1. Your/you're: "Your" is possessive, i.e. "Your grammar is appalling." "You're" stands for "you are." It is a contraction. For example, "You're heading toward the library." Now let's use both of them in a sentence! Can we do that? Why, yes! "You're really starting to bother me with your incorrect grammar." Hooray! Have we learned something already?

2. Y'all: This is the correct spelling of y'all, which stands for "you all." If you have doubts about where the apostrophe goes, remember to substitute it for the missing letters in the contraction. I shudder to type this, but..."ya'll" is illegal. Illegal!

3. Probably: "Probably" is never "prolly." Don't do it. Just say no to drugs and "prolly," "probly," and other sketchy substances.

4. Definitely: Why do people insist on writing "defiantly" in place of "definitely?" "Defiantly" means you're doing something "in defiance of." I just don't get this error.

Well, that's all for today. I hope no one thinks that this is going to be a new daily blog occurrence (although, if you wanted me to spout off about grammar every day I really would). :)

Also, a note to a certain person who thinks reading this sort of thing is boring: you don't have to come and read over my shoulder. So just go back to work. Go try to make friends with the fax machine. Honestly. :)

Ignore that last paragraph if it doesn't pertain to you. To the music fans, The Killers have been performing new songs from Battle Born, and you can find some of them on YouTube. Here's a new one called "Here on Out."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMOuiCKCw6k

Why are they so good? If you haven't bought an album of theirs yet, "Hot Fuss" is a mighty nice one. Here is a complimentary picture of it:

 

I do believe that's enough for me today. Have a happy day. :)

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"Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you." - Luke 11:36