Amazing Walkthrough

So most of my readers (of course it doesn’t include those reading on Google Buzz) are LDS so I am curious, how do you mark your scriptures? Now obviously, you don’t have to be LDS to mark your scriptures but it seems to be a regular occurrence of our Church.

I have a marking scheme, but I don’t recall where I got it from. It was a book that Nancy and I bought but I can’t find it anywhere. Now, I want to make certain that I have the scheme down before I proceed further. It goes something like this:

We mark the first word or the number of the verse with a color.
We highlight the entire verse if it is a Scripture Mastery verse.

Blue = Everyday actions/History
Orange = Vision
Red = Direct quote from the Lord
Green = Scriptural Mastery (and I may someday have to get a list of ALL of those to try and start memorizing it so feel free to provide me a link to that if you have it)

Beyond that, I make notes in the margins. Do you make notes there too?

Where do you store most of your thoughts for this kind of things? Please, feel free to pass this along to others you know as well. The only way that I think that I can find my answers and find the ultimate way for me to continue on this path is to get all the ideas I can.

Thanks,

Matthew

Tags: Church, Goal, Scripture

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I recently challenged myself to read more of those things that I know I should be reading, and to stay away from those temptations that I find so easily distracting and allow me to let myself get upset or angry.

Recently I restarted (as I have so many times) The Book of Mormon. So here is your chance, because you can help me to keep me on track. I do read at night before I go to sleep, but not at such a time as I am tired. While I can’t commit or promise you that I will read 3 chapters or anything like that, I do plan to read one chapter at a minimum per night.

Anyway, this is day 3 and counting.

Just to give you a hint how well I am doing, the title should give you a hint about how far I have gotten so far.

Tags: Church, Goals, Scripture

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So if I have ever emailed you, you probably got an email from me last night. Mo and H nicely responded and said, “Hey, this doesn’t look like your type of email. Just wanted to let you know.” On the other hand I got some ANGRY emails: “DO NOT EVER EMAIL ME AGAIN! THIS IS A SPAM EMAIL! STOP THIS!”. Now, from some older folks or some technophobes, I might understand this. This email I quoted, was from a teacher of one of my children. I immediately emailed him/her back and explained that my email was hacked and I had changed my password, and said sorry.

My apologetic email was rejected as blocked.

GRRR. Some folks, I wouldn’t mind clearing from my contact list of. This one, a teacher, was so quick to respond, I am sad that s/he didn’t even confirm that the account was momentarily hacked or other issue.

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No, not the weird one. The one on the TV or the movie.
Okay so that could be either I guess but I want to be Robby Ray. Why? I have doubts that when KK (her school nickname) gets old enough to make decisions for herself, she isn’t going her Daddy’s advice. She might not even want her Mom’s advice either. As it stands now, she decides her own fate and rarely considers the consequences. In the movie of Hannah Montana, when Miley/Hannah has a real issue for a life choice, she goes to her father, and ultimately they sing “Butterfly Fly Away” which is a growth song and a touching moment.

Recently, she had the opportunity to spend the day and night at a friend’s house. When she left, she set the house alarm, as she and her sister were both gone. Problem was, she forgot to shut the back door. Needless to say, the alarm company noticed the issue, and then when no response, they called the police to check the status. So the police arrived and went through the house, and despite it looking like we had been robbed (since it was a mess), they secured the house (locked the door, shut the door…), and then left. So then she spends the night at her friend’s house, with the express requirement (and ONLY requirement) to be home at 8:00 a.m.. At 8:20 a.m. (and a bit late for work), I had to go to the friend’s house, and pick her up and take her back home.

I find myself wondering how to show her at her wise 11 years old, how to learn the value of service. She sees everything in black and white. Something isn’t fair, something isn’t right… Ughh… It is a tough lesson I understand but her kid sister S is now in the phase where if it isn’t her way, it can’t stay. It must be changed to her way.

How does Billy Ray Cyrus handle all this???

Oh well… Off to softball!

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In my recent reading and watching, I have seen and read both Twilight/New Moon, and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. While I understand how much of a constraint the movie versions are under, I am so disappointed in the Percy Jackson story. New Moon, while it could not have been nearly as satisfying as the book has been, it is a much closer adaptation of the novel. Percy Jackson leaves much to be discovered.Now of course to avoid spoilers, it is all going under the cut, but if you have read the Percy Jackson book or I suppose if you have seen the movie, follow past the break, and tell me what you think.
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Tags: Book, Movie

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I have been watching White Collar on USA Network. In this last episode, Neil “escapes” and finds Kate. Watching Moz and Neil’s goodbye is heartbreaking. Watching Peter and Neil’s goodbye was shocking but there are so many more questions now that I hardly can stand it. Yet, now I have to wait until next season to get any news. The good news is that the next season is coming this summer.

In other television news (and again I try and avoid spoilers), Numb3rs recent episode (episode 16), seems to be the final episode of the season and the series. Charlie and Amida finally get married, and David finally took a position somewhere he deserves. While Otto and Larry seem to be keeping hope alive by preparing to carry on in Charlie and Amida’s place and the continuing story of Alan and Larry on the house, I think this show is dead. Rob Morrow has a new show signed on ABC (another legal drama apparently), David Krumholz seems to have a new show signed too. It is at this point unnamed.

I love new series (such as White Collar) but I also hate losing the old ones (6 seasons for Numb3rs).

As Charlie said in the last episode of Numb3rs, “Everything changes and everything stays the same.”

So what TV series, or other serial (books, comic books, radio programs) or episodic things do you love?

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Yeah me either but hey, I am gonna try this again. Really I am. Probably talk about work, tv, church, and family fun. Enjoy the stuff, and feel free to bug me if you don’t see a post here now and again okay?

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This weekend is Blizzcon which is a huge convention in southern California. It is all about my favorite video game company out there Blizzard. While I don’t put ALL that much about video games in here (as opposed to what I could put), this weekend could be different. I have Friday off work for this conference.

So to be nice, I will tag anything about this convention, #Blizzcon so any of the disinterested can just skip that post.

But then again, Ozzy Osborne is performing at the closing event Saturday night, so maybe it might bring some of you back to it again… haha.

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Recently in an unfortunate stressful time, I squeezed my iPod on both sides of the case. I didn’t mean to affect anything.

Suddenly my iPod showed the frowny face of DOOM! It no longer worked. I had lost it all. Slowly, I started to lose my sense of calm. My peace was threatened. I found other solutions for some respite, but I had lost my control! I tried using Kayla’s mp3 player that she had lost and I had found and was holding onto until I felt she was more responsible for it, but it was so frustrating not having the control or my favorite music, or the playlists I had created.

Through a very generous gift of a friend, I recently got a replacement iPod for a time period. Ah the joys of controlling the music again. Makes me almost wish I was a DJ/KJ again. Sure I never had the cool name (my radio name was Matt the DJ but no one made the connection) or the hip hop style, but I had some of the more packed shows and less chatter as I understood the true art of a cross fade, and the beats per minute to match styles to get more music in. I think I got all A’s in my radio classes. Not that it wasn’t expected (most people called it a cruisin class but I enjoyed it).

So today and for the last few days, I have been rocking out to artists such as Blake Lewis (wow did the human beat box got tired quickly didn’t it?), the soundtrack to Wicked and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Take 6, and realizing just how much of an Apple iPod fan boi I have become. Long live the iPod… Living without it just isn’t the same.

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Today is the first day of the rest of her life.

Today, my five year old, begins her next 13 year journey and beyond. Sadly, I am going to be at work today and so I won’t watch her take those steps. I didn’t really realize how much I will miss this moment. She seemed so excited last night as we walked through the halls she will spend her next few years in. She was singing and smiling. “I am going to Kindergarten tomorrow and I can’t wait.” Even as we went to grab some last minute school supplies, my heart strings were being plucked. She is a royal princess and tries every chance she can to show that to us.

The ten year old also starts her own journey today in going to Middle School. I suppose it isn’t quite as momentous occasion for her but she is growing up in my mind and I see that as a wonder for her. I also realize that my shotgun collection is SEVERELY lacking in the fact that she will ask soon to be able to go to a dance or some other socially awkward event which I will clearly have to dress up and “chaperon” which to means, keep a dictionary size gap between my daughter and any “dancer”. Not one of these flimsy school edition of the dictionary either… One of the Ye Olde English Proper English Dictionary which is at least 12 inches wide…

I know that Nancy and I can’t afford any more ankle biters right now, but I can’t help wanting one more. Now before Anne, MJ, H, Mo, Bridget, or any others in my illustrious readership start calling Nancy and making plans, keep in mind that wanting is often VERY different than planning. Many times it takes a hard slap of reality to show us that plans are much better investigated than depended upon. A recent attempt to look at getting more value out of our home has proven just how folly hoping for one plan and the reality of it (WHO THE HECK SELLS A HOME IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD FOR $69,000????) are completely independent.

I suppose the real victory in both of the kids being back in school is that it means that Nancy and I get at least one hour a day together without the kids. Holy pooh! I don’t know what I will do with that much peace and quiet.

Tags: Family, funny, Home, kids, School

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