Criminal Minds

“If we knew each other's secrets, what comforts we should find.”

John Churton Collins

I was watching the end of Criminal Minds, and this is the quote they ended with. I just wanted to share it!

Have a good night!

Ryan

Loving your Enemies

First off, before I write down what happened tonight, I want to pick on someone first. Lea was supposed to be here tonight for the class, but she ditched me saying she had some much stuff to do. And, she didn't read her homework I saved for her. (I am trying to make her feel guilty for not coming, and I don't know if it is working: Love ya, Lea).

Anyway, onto the subject. Tonight we had a really good discussion on "Loving your Enemies." We talked about MLK sermon he gave in November of 1967 on the subject. You can find it here. I warn you now, it is pretty long. We talked about that for a little bit. It is amazing that he gave the sermon now, and at least, I have come to realize that we aren't doing that now.

I mean, back then, the major subject was race. Now days, we talked about issues like homosexuality, abortion, etc. It seems to me that the church in general still isn't loving your enemies. We talk about change. But, then, nothing seems to happen. Jesus talked about "inclusion." He went out of his way to include the people back that weren't necessary the "right" people to hang out with, I guess. And, now days, the church doesn't like to talk about the same sort of thing. We talk about including everyone, but we can't still to have gay and lesbian pastors in the church. Maybe one day.

I guess that is enough rambling for now, I think. I continue to gain more insight and knowledge about loving your enemies. TTLY!

Shalom
Ryan

Our Solemn Hour

Here are some lyrics to a song called "Our Solemn Hour" by Within Temptation on their CD called The Heart of Everthing. I thought they were pretty good, so here there are:


Within Temptation Lyrics

Artist: Within Temptation
Album: The Heart of Everything
Song: Our solemn hour

Sanctus Espiritus redeem us from our solemn hour
Sanctus Espiritus insanity is all around us
Sanctus Espiritus! Sanctus Espiritus! Sanctus Espiritus!

In my darkest hours I could not foresee
That the tide could turn so fast to this degree
Can´t believe my eyes
How can you be so blind?
Is the heart of stone, no empathy inside?
Time keeps on slipping away and we haven´t learned
So in the end now what have we gained?

Sanctus Espiritus, redeem us from our solemn hour
Sanctus Espiritus, insanity is all around us
Sanctus Espiritus, is this what we deserve,
can we break free from chains of never-ending agony?

Are they themselves to blame, the misery, the pain?
Didn´t we let go, allowed it, let it grow?
If we can´t restrain the beast which dwells inside
it will find it´s way somehow, somewhere in time
Will we remember all of the suffering
Cause if we fail it will be in vain

Sanctus Espiritus, redeem us from our solemn hour
Sanctus Espiritus, insanity is all around us
Sanctus Espiritus, is this what we deserve,
can we break free from chains of never-ending agony?

Frustated

Well, I wanted to write my thoughts down and maybe this will relieve some of the stress I have right now. I am trying to find an instruction I need for work. Well, I tried the original website, thinking they are the writers of the instruction. I asked the help desk to email me the instruction. Well, as it turns out, they don't have to requested instruction. So, they sent to me to another place which might have the instruction. Well, their web site is really confusing. Now, it looks like I have to request for a new account. Hopefully that will go better than it looks like, and they might now have the instruction I am looking for. So, if this second place doesn't have the instruction, I don't know what I am going to do.

Well, I think this has helped out alot.

Men's Retreat

Well, good evening. As promised, I shall write about this past weekend.



The Men's Retreat was held at Palomar Christian Conference Center, which sits next to Palomar Mountain State Park. It is about an hour away from San Diego give or take 10-15 minutes.

The title of the retreat this year was "Myths of Manhood."

We watched the movie "The Man who Shot Liberty Valence" on Friday night. Mark Trotter and Greg Ladue talked on Saturday, and then we had a powerful worship and communion on Sunday.

I think the best talk was Greg's on Saturday night, which touched several of the men in the room. It struck to their very core and made them think about what is going on.

All in all, it was a good retreat. I walked away from the Retreat feeling recharged and ready to get out there and make a difference.

Take care!

Shalom!

Physical Health Assessment

Well, I ran my semi-annual physical health assessment this morning. Basically, it is our semi-annual test which we do twice a year seeing if we are physically fit to stay in the navy. I managed to do around 48 push-ups, 68 sit-ups, and run a 1.5 mile in 10:57 minutes. So, my overall score is a "Good, High" which ain't too bad, if you ask me. Although, I need to do better on my sit-ups and push-ups on my next test.

I have been slacking on here. I attended the 2008 Men's Retreat through my church over the weekend, and I need to talk about what happened. But, I am at work right now and I cannot go into too much details right now. So, I will try to write about this past weekend tonight.

I hope everyone has a good week! Take care!

Stress Relief

For a little stree relief action, click here.

This is pretty cool.

Six words....

So, I have been trying to think of six words that I would use. You wonder why six words. There is a "tag" been going around with my group of friends: Molly, Karen. Lea, and Marian. Here is what I came up with:

1) Faith, Hope, Love, Honor, Courage, Commitment

2) Brush off, Stand up, and Continue

Now, I guess, the hard part is figuring out how to fit a picture in the mix. That might take me a little bit.

(On a side note, I finally figured out where all of the "Drafts" run off to.....lol)

Here are the objectives if you come across this and are curious:

1) Write your own six word memoir.

2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration.

3) Link to the person who tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.

4) Tag at least five more blogs with links. (THIS FEELS A BIT TOO MUCH LIKE A CHAIN LETTER TO ME, AND, I ALWAYS BREAK THOSE, SO, JUST FEEL FREE TO PLAY WHETHER OR NOT YOU INVITE OTHERS.)

5) Don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

6) Have fun.

Birthday Calculator

A friend sent me this and I thought it was pretty cool. Here is the website. Here is the information it provided:


28 May 1978
Your date of conception was on or about 4 September 1977 which was a Sunday.

You were born on a Sundayunder the astrological sign Gemini.

Your Life path number is 4.

Your fortune cookie reads:
"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence." H.L. Mencken
Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 6 & 7.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 3, 5 & 9.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2443656.5.
The golden number for 1978 is 3.
The epact number for 1978 is 21.
The year 1978 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/7/1978 and ending 1/27/1979.You were born in the Chinese year of the Horse.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Elk; your plant is Mullein.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Mesore, the fourth month of the season of Shomu (Harvest).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 21 Iyyar 5738.Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 22 Iyyar 5738.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.18.4.16.12 which is12 baktun 18 katun 4 tun 16 uinal 12 kin.
The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Sunday, 20 Jumadiyu'th-Thani 1398 (1398-6-20).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 26 March 1978.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 30 April 1978.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 8 February 1978.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 14 May 1978.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 21 May 1978.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Monday, 2 October 1978.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Saturday, 22 April 1978.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 7 February 1978.

As of 4/17/2008 12:38:58 PM EDTYou are 29 years old.You are 359 months old.You are 1,559 weeks old.You are 10,917 days old.You are 262,020 hours old.You are 15,721,238 minutes old.You are 943,274,338 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Joseph Cross (1986)
Jesse Bradford (1979)
Kylie Minogue (1968)
Glen Rice (1967)
John Fogerty (1945)
Rudolph Giuliani (1944)
Gladys Knight (1944)
Dionne Quintuplets (1934)
Carroll Baker (1931)
Ian Fleming (1908)
Jim Thorpe (1888)

Top songs of 1978
Night Fever by Bee Gees
Shadow Dancing by Andy Gibb
Le Freak by Chic
Stayin' Alive by Bee Gees
Kiss You All Over by Exile
Boogie Oogie Oogie by A Taste of Honey
Baby Come Back by Player
MacArthur Park by Donna Summer
Thicker Than Water by Andy Gibb
Three Times a Lady by Commodores

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 4.27279843444227 years old. (You're still chasing cats!)
Your lucky day is Wednesday.
Your lucky number is 5.
Your ruling planet(s) is Mercury.
Your lucky dates are 5th, 14th, 23rd.Your opposition sign is Sagittarious.
Your opposition number(s) is 3.
Today is not one of your lucky days!
There are 41 days till your next birthday on which your cake will have 30 candles.
Those 30 candles produce 30 BTUs,or 7,560 calories of heat (that's only 7.5600 food Calories!) . You can boil 3.43 US ounces of water with that many candles.
In 1978 there were approximately 3.1 million births in the US. In 1978 the US population was approximately 203,302,031 people, 57.4 persons per square mile. In 1978 in the US there were approximately 2,152,662 marriages (10.1%) and 1,036,000 divorces (4.9%) In 1978 in the US there were approximately 1,921,000 deaths (9.5 per 1000) In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds. In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds. In 1978 the population of Australia was approximately 14,430,830. In 1978 there were approximately 224,181 births in Australia. In 1978 in Australia there were approximately 102,958 marriages and 40,608 divorces. In 1978 in Australia there were approximately 108,425 deaths.

Your birthstone is Emerald -->The Mystical properties of Emerald
Though not meant to replace traditional medical treatment, Emerald is used for physical and emotional healing. Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Agate, Chrysoprase

Your birth tree is
Ash Tree, the Ambition
Uncommonly attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with its fate, can be egoistic, very reliable and trustworthy, faithful and prudent lover, sometimes brains rule over heart, but takes partnership very serious.

here are 252 days till Christmas 2008!
There are 265 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were born was waning gibbous.

New Job

Well, they made me what is known as Mess Deck Master-at-Arms on Monday. This has been a good change for me, I think. There are some good ones, and some not so good ones. First, I don't have to stand duty for the next three months or so. So, that means I get to go to church every weekend. I have my nights off, also. I guess the bad part is I have to be at work from 0600 to 1500-1600 Monday through Friday, now which leads to long hours sometimes. Oh, well! I can't have everything.

Also, I have been playing volleyball this week alot. I played for Supply in the Captain's Cup teams. We played Wednesday, Thursday, and then today. I am really sore now. But, it has been good times. We came in second place. For today, we played four against six most of the day, winning our first match, but losing our second. But, we lost to a good team the second go around.

I still haven't gotten a reply back from my other senator and my one Representative about the G.I. Bill. We will see what happens.

Well, I have off to bed. Take care everyone!

Shalom

Montgomery G.I. Bill

This is a response I got back from one of my US Senators about the Montgomery G.I. Bill. If you are interested in writing to your Senators and Representatives, I would recommend the following blog.


Dear Ryan:

Thank you for contacting me about educational benefits for active duty soldiers and returning veterans. As you know, the Montgomery G.I. Bill passed after World War II provided for great expansions in home ownership and college education, contributing to the post war growth of the middle class.

Anyone willing to put their life on the line for this country deserves access to a quality education. It is way past time to revisit the Montgomery G.I. Bill to ensure the provisions of this important act are responsive to the needs of military families in the 21st century.

There are currently several efforts to update the G.I. Bill. I am proud to co-sponsor S. 22, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act introduced by my friend, Senator Jim Webb. This legislation would open up educational benefits to Reservists and National Guardsmen who served on or after September 11, 2001. It is currently being considered by the Veterans Affairs Committee on which I serve.

A similar piece of legislation which would achieve the important goal of expanding educational opportunities for National Guard and Reserve troops is S. 644, the Total Force Educational Assistance Enhancement or Integration Act, currently being discussed in the Armed Services Committee.

As either of these bills move forward, I will be sure to keep your views in mind.

Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of assistance.

Sincerely,
My United States Senator

So.......

Today I found out some good news. They are sending me as the Mess Decks Master-at-Arms. What that means is I am supporting the mess decks to lead the people down there. Not too bad of a job, if you ask me. Plus, on the good side, I don't have to stand duty for around 3 months. Gotta love that. I get my weekends off for the next three weeks, while we are in PSA. The hours sort of suck, but I am ok with that. 0600 to 1500-1600 is okay with me. I don't have to stand duty every six days. And, plus, I get to attend church every week.

Switching topics, I got to watch a ship launch on last night. It was a pretty cool thing to see. I think everyone has seen it done on TV. This is where the person who is the ship's sponsor tries to "break" the bottle of Champagne over the bow, and then they have a controlled slide, I think, where it goes into the water. There was a bunch of fireworks, and stuff. Not too shabby, if you ask me. Then, I got to see the "hydro dynamic effect" they were talking about. The ship next to us is a destroyer, and they were moving all around. We were pretty stable and everything.

Okay, I am going to finish watching the game, and maybe watch some of "Black Hawk Down."

Have a good night!

Shalom,
Ryan

Seeing Gray.....

So, I finished the book "Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White" by Adam Hamiliton. It was a good book. He advocates some good points. But, more important, it was one of the books that made you think about what is going on out there. I think he advocates that certain people just get together and comprise about what is going on. One of the more important topics he covered was about homosexuality. He gave some really good points on the left side and the right side and their arguments. He didn't agree with either side, but he does believe that we need to move forward and stop being stuck in the past. He also talked about abortion pretty well. He again talked about the left and the right sides and their points. He covered some other topics pretty well. I would recommend the book if you wanted to know his point of view on certain topics. I think I covered this earlier.

Anyway, I am standing on watch on the ship today. And, there will be a "dynamic hydro effect" tonight when they launch the USNS Amelia Earhart tonight at 2145. I don't exactly know what a dynamic hydro effect will be but we will find out. I think this will be a pretty cool event. One doesn't get to watch a launching of a new ship. I will tell you about it later!

I hope you guys have a good evening!

Shalom,
Ryan

Blogging

So, I am come to realize that all my friends have started blogging and I should to. Although, I don't exactly know what to write, we will see what happens. I think one of my New Years Resolutions was to this on Myspace, but I think this better. So, here we go:

My week has been good. The first part of the week is okay. Nothing big happened, which is a good thing. I guess you need days like that where nothing is going on. On Wednesday night, there was a pastor from a church in Kansas City called Church of the Resurrection (which from now on will be referred as COR!) His name is Adam Hamiliton. He started this church, I think, in 1990 with four people: his wife and two kids. In 15 years, it has grown to over 14,000 people with an average attendance to around 8,000 people, with 18,000 people on Easter! Wow, to say the least! Anyway, his talk on his lasted book called “Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White” was outstanding! He talked for over an hour and 15 minutes, I think. It was really good. If you are interested, I would check out Amazon or Cokesbury. At the end, I started with this girl sitting in the next pew ahead of me. I had a great conversation with her. She was new to the church, and we talked about a number of stuff before heading over to buy Adam’s latest book. I asked her if she wanted to hang out on Saturday afternoon and she said yes. Hence, today, we hung out this afternoon. It was awesome and I had a blast! Hopefully, she did too!

Now, I am off to bed. I need my beauty sleep before work tomorrow! I have the duty blues! Sucks, I know!

Take care!

Shalom!