When I picked up Glynn Young’s first novel Dancing Priest I wasn’t sure what to expect. I read a lot and my expectations for fiction are pretty high. My tastes very from Tolkien to Dostoevsky, from Stephen King to Nicholas Sparks and all of the great classical and classic authors of fiction. I read a lot of theological books, science and technology, philosophy … so picking up this novel from a new author with whom I had only really read his online poetry and having a stack of other things to read I wasn’t 100% sure if I’d get in to it. Yet get in to it I did.

When the book starts I got the feeling that things started almost too fast to be honest. The backstory, characters, and events just starting coming at me lightening speed. Then around chapter five I found myself immersed. Young doesn’t use a lot of extra and unnecessary “flowery” language. There are no “dark and stormy nights … the kind of night that is so dark … so stormy” that just plague good (and many bad) stories. He gets to the point and sucks you right into the characters, their lives, and the events that change them forever.

I didn’t get the feeling that I was reading a typical book. It was almost as if I were spying on these people’s lives. I was the insider into an amazing array of people and situations that had me at times happy and more often than I’d like to admit in tears. Young is not writing a behemoth novel for page or word count. He is telling a story. A vivid and compelling one at that. After finishing the novel I’m astounded at his skill as a story teller. All of the adjectives and descriptive language in the world mean nothing without a good, solid story and characters you actually care about. In Dancing Priest Young has focused on the story thankfully. He pulled me in and didn’t let me go until the very last sentence of the book. And actually I’m still not free of it … I want more. I need more. I really feel the need to know what happens to these people I’ve come to know through Young’s novel.

This book has left me wanting more … more story tellers like Young. And more from Young himself. I don’t know if I can wait for the sequel … but guess I will have to. ~ Vince Arter, Jr. – 09-Dec-2011

It made me think again … WHO GOES TO BED DIRTY? I mean come on people that’s NASTY. I am interested in who does this (so I can avoid you … ha ha ha). It seriously bothers me. Maybe it shouldn’t. Maybe it is one of those “negotiable preferences” but to me it is just … Yuck.

Your bed is supposed to be a refuge. A nice, cool, clean place where restful sleep recharges your batteries and sweet dreams dance in your head. Climbing into a nice clean bed after a nice hot shower all clean and ready for rest … oh man … it just doesn’t get much better than that. I just hate going to bed without taking a shower or bathing. Somehow it just goes against how I was raised I guess. You took a shower BEFORE you went to bed. If you didn’t Mom would start yelling, “What are you gross? Take a bath before you go to bed. You’ve been outside playing all day/night!” Thanks Mom for the great advice.

I’m sure I’ll get some flaming responses on Facebook or here on the blog but I stand to the defense of my position. Take a shower before you go to bed people. I just get grossed out thinking about it. Icky.

V2

Well … things should be up and running again. Hope to get back to posting on all things I care about.

Cheers … V2

On my drive in to to work this morning I was thinking of how much work I have to do (work and home). How crazy things have been and how I need some sleep. I started to get irritated. My breakfast was on the run and not very good. I had about 4 hours of sleep last night. I haven’t had a lot of quality time with my family because we all have a million things going on in our lives. I need more time in the Word.

The I checked myself. What was I doing? I stopped and prayed, “Lord of the Universe, Creator of all things seen and unseen, One who nothing is hidden from … what is this in my HEART? I sincerely apologize for not thanking You that I woke up this morning. Thank You for the breath that I am taking for granted! I thank You that I have a job to go to that supplies the needs of my family. I thank You that even though my breakfast is quick, gross and on the run THAT I HAVE BREAKFAST … I will not go hungry today like so many others worldwide! I may not have time with my busy family but I thank You that You gave me Godly parents, a wonderful, beautiful, God centered wife, two amazing children who are following after You and so many good friends. I am truly an unworthy man and You chose to bless me many times over any trouble that is in my life and I’ve taken that for granted again.”

Have you done the same? So many have had major loss this year. I lost my brother but I thank God that in his last few months He had moved in his life. I know where my brother is. Loss of a job? What a horrible thing that is to a family and to that person. But lest we forget everything we have is a gift from the Lord including our jobs. Pray and trust in Him. Trouble in relationships or at work? I am not minimizing that. I’ve been there. It is not easy to take God’s advice on this but what we are called to do so (and believe me it is hard for me to obey this command at times too when my mind is racing): Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)

When you were walking into your office or home did you take a deep breath (even if hard during allergy season? :-\) and thank Him for the breath in your lungs? Look around … the Scripture tells us He is evident in all of Creation … we do not worship the creation but the Creator … yet do we stop to thank Him for the trees, grass, oxygen? For the cool breeze on our face? Did you get upset when you woke up and saw the rain? Did you think, “oh traffic is going to bad what a way to start the day” or did you say, “Thank You my God, my Creator, for the rain that You make to fall upon the Earth.” Did you let it hit your face and cool your brow and know that His creation is good? Thank You Lord for Your rain.

Please take a moment today. Just stop. Trouble will always be there. Just stop and thank Him. Times are tough and your trouble may be strong but our God is stronger. For His chosen He is there for us at all times. He is our Sovereign King and all things work according to His will even when we just can’t see how that is possible (been there too). Stop and thank Him even in your tribulation for the good things and for the tribulation as we are to do according to the Scriptures. For those in trouble, I’m not trying to minimize that trouble. I’ve been there. Just stop. Thank Him for what you do have. Life, breath, food, water, rain, trees, friends, family … and most importantly, for His children, eternal life through the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What else matters in the end? And do it even in tribulation as Scripture tells us to.

Romans 5:3-5 “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (ESV)

Be thankful for what you have … praise and thank Him in the good times and in the bad my friends. For His chosen people, thank Him that He died for your eternal salvation and that you are indwelled with the Holy Spirit! Be thankful to Him for and in ALL things my friends.

God bless you … your friend in Christ,

Vince Jr.

I already know that Wine (the library not the drink) will play a big part because I can’t do without e-SWord and SPORE if I also go OpenSource OS (Ubuntu Linux most likely) … but have also considered going Windows but nothing else paid for (so OSI on Windows).

Does anyone even CARE? I would blog my results (painful as they will probably be). It has been four years since I taught my last UNIX class at St. Louis Community College and so haven’t been using *nix for a long time.

Thoughts?

Bwwhahahahahahaha. I almost choked on my desert I found that SO FUNNY! The monkey army poopapault!

I was thinking this morning and started doing some study on a verse that is sometimes controversial. John 11:35 “Jesus wept.” Some commentators would say that this had little to nothing to do with the death of his friend Lazarus. It means in the Greek he “shed a tear” or “quietly / silently wept”. I believe it was in significant part because of the those around him and Lazarus.

In the previous verses He was upset. He groaned. This could have been partially for those around Him but also as being upset at the lie of death (As Matthew Henry puts it). He knew what was to come. I’m sure some will hit me with contraries like he was mad at their unbelief or such but I love how J. Vernon McGee puts it: “…His sympathy was for the living. He knew what He was going to do for the dead. “Jesus wept.” While John’s Gospel is written to show us the deity of Christ, here Jesus is shown in all His humanness. He even asked where Lazarus was laid because He was so human. And here we can see the way God feels at a funeral today. He mingles His tears with ours. He groans within Himself. I get a little impatient with Christians who say one must not cry at a funeral, but one must be a brave Christian. Death is not pretty; it is a terrible thing. Jesus wept!”

In Henry’s Concise Commentary he states, “Christ’s tender sympathy with these afflicted friends, appeared by the troubles of his spirit. In all the afflictions of believers he is afflicted. His concern for them was shown by his kind inquiry after the remains of his deceased friend. Being found in fashion as a man, he acts in the way and manner of the sons of men. It was shown by his tears. He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Tears of compassion resemble those of Christ. But Christ never approved that sensibility of which many are proud, while they weep at mere tales of distress, but are hardened to real woe. He sets us an example to withdraw from scenes of giddy mirth, that we may comfort the afflicted. And we have not a High Priest who cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. It is a good step toward raising a soul to spiritual life, when the stone is taken away, when prejudices are removed, and got over, and way is made for the word to enter the heart.”

John Wesley had this to say on verse 35 this catches so much in both these statements, “Jesus wept – Out of sympathy with those who were in tears all around him, as well as from a deep sense of the misery sin had brought upon human nature.” Wow. He sympathized with those around him but he cried because he also knew what caused it. Sin.

Albert Barnes (who I don’t often read) stated, “Sorrow at the death of friends is not improper. It is right to weep. It is the expression of nature and religion does not forbid or condemn it. All that religion does in the case is to temper and chasten our grief; to teach us to mourn with submission to God; to weep without complaining, and to seek to banish tears, not by hardening the heart or forgetting the friend, but by bringing the soul, made tender by grief, to receive the sweet influences of religion, and to find calmness and peace in the God of all consolation.”

As I’ve studied this all morning I think the Believer’s Bible Commentary sums it up well, “Verse 35 is the shortest in the English Bible. It is one of the three instances in the NT where the Lord is said to have wept. (He wept in sorrow over the city of Jerusalem and also in the garden of Gethsemane.) The fact that Jesus wept was an evidence of His true humanity. He shed real tears of grief when He witnessed the terrible effects of sin on the human race. The fact that Jesus wept in the presence of death shows it is not improper for Christians to weep when their loved ones are taken. However, Christians do not sorrow as others who have no hope.” (See 1 Thes. 4:13-17 on why that is.)

Dr. John MacArthur takes a slightly different take on this that He was really weeping over sin which causes death (physically and spiritually … which I can see) but I truly also believe (as the other commentators have stated) that an element of Jesus’ humanity that yes sin has caused this awful thing and conflict called death (that He was about to… Read More conquer no less) but that He was compassionate to those around Him and for the effect that this had brought … someone He loved had died and he was about to show the greatest physical sign up to that point that He is God. And yet he wept.

I don’t know if any of this little commentary has helped anyone but it has helped me today as I’ve studied this once again after losing someone very close to me who I really loved. Chris was (and is) my brother and I love him. A part of me died with him (literally too for those that know he had one of my kidneys since 1986). I will miss him but know he doesn’t miss me. He has the answers now. He knows for SURE God is in control in His sovereignty so he has nothing to worry about. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I just wanted to share some thoughts. E-mail me any time if you don’t want to post comments here: vince@vincearter.com. God bless you all.

Vince

Even getting enough sleep! Sleep burns calories in addition to being critical for overall health. I was surprised. Anyway this is just a quick post … if you want to know more go to http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/ and start tracking!

I’ve decided nothing goes in my body unless I track it. That will help me cut down on what I eat but also it is quite humiliating to see how quickly those calories add up (even if you don’t track it for long).

Good luck.

Vince

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
(x) The Princess Bride
(x) Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
(x) Saw II
(x) White Noise
(x) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 2
(x) Scary Movie 3
(x) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
(x) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
(x) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG (the new version)
( ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
(x) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
(x) Flubber
(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
(x) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
(x) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
(x) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
(x) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
(x) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean’s Eleven
( ) Ocean’s Twelve
( ) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremacy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
(x) Predator II
(x) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious George
(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
(x) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
( ) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She’s All That
( ) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
( ) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
(x) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
(x) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
(x) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
( ) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles
(x) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
(x) Baseketball
(x) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
(x) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(x) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
(x) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
(x) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
(x) The Last House on the Left
(x) Re-Animator
(x) Army of Darkness
(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
(x) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
(x) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
( ) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
Now Add them up and…
Put “I’ve seen…xxx out of 239 films” in the subject line and repost.

I know … many of you are saying “gee Vince … get a sense of humor”. Being a jerk is not funny. This is just rude and has made me boycott Cheetohs. I have a sense of humor (just ask my wife … ha!). I just don’t find being a total … well … I can’t say it … let’s just say jerk … is funny.

You may … I don’t. Sorry if you disagree but I think this is just bad advertising. Although it does pretty much guage the state of of things in the world today. Maybe if we tried to humble ourselves and be kind to one another (those basic tenants taught to many of us as children by our parents, churches and schools) instead of giving in like animals to our baser instincts the world really would be a different place.

Vince