Jackson Area Mixed Martial Arts

Been busy working on a tv pilot for mixed martial arts. This is a 30 second spot I just finished for it.

So, in case you have wondered why I haven't been around, this is part of the reason as of late.

Busy? Or Just Plain Lazy?

Lazy? Not me. I’m busy. Up early, up late. My schedule is filled from beginning to end. I love what I do and I love getting stuff done. I attack a daily to-do list with the same intensity I play basketball. Me lazy? I don’t think so!

Or at least I didn’t think so. That is, until I read about the difference between busyness and fruitfulness, and realized just how often my busyness was an expression of laziness, not diligence.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Does this challenge you to rethink how you go through your day?
-Are you a busy sluggard?
-What will you do to ensure change takes place?

Vatican - Muslim Talks Continued.

More on the talks between the Vatican and the Muslim Delegation:

The Vatican seminar was organised in response to a Muslim call for dialogue issued in October 2006, a month after Benedict's controversial speech in Regensburg, Germany.

The call titled "A Common World" was signed by 138 Muslim religious figures and scholars.

The Regensburg lecture sparked days of sometimes violent protests in Muslim countries, prompting the head of the Roman Catholic Church to say that he was "deeply sorry" for any offence and to attribute Muslim anger to an "unfortunate misunderstanding."

The closed-door discussions at the Vatican will focus Tuesday on "God's love" and Wednesday on "loving your neighbour," a theme that touches on two Vatican priorities, human rights and religious freedom.

The Vatican is however cautious over opening a purely theological dialogue, with Tauran telling La Croix: "We'll see ... how far we can go together."

Christians and Muslims differ in their concept of God, and follow "different paths to reach this God," said Tauran, the Roman Catholic Church's pointman for dialogue with Islam.

Read the full story here.

Looks like the Vatican is dropping hints that they will not do as I had feared. They are showing signs that they will not be compromising their faith in the name of peace with their Muslim friends.

Voting Rights Hindered?

Follow Up Video:


Billy Club. Black Panthers. What say you?

Vatican looks to improve Catholic-Muslim relations

VATICAN CITY (AP) — In a bid to improve strained Catholic-Muslim relations, the Vatican hosted scholars, imans and clerics from both religions Tuesday as it opened a three-day religious conference.

The forum aimed to counter the effects of a speech two years ago by Pope Benedict XVI that angered many in the Islamic world.

The meetings will culminate in a papal audience and is intended to help the two faiths find common ground. The closed-door forum, which gathers 29 scholars and clerics from each religion, started Tuesday and will last through Thursday.

The Vatican said in a statement the first day was dedicated to the "spiritual and theological fundamentals" of the two religions, and the second will focus on "human dignity and mutual respect."

Read the entire article here

Some Questions:
~ Should improving relations between catholics and Muslims be a top priority?
~ Do Catholics and Muslims worship the same God?
~ Is it possible for the two religions to mutually co-exist without stepping on each others toes?

Monkey see...

... monkey do:

New research suggests that teens who spend the most time watching sexually charged television shows are twice as likely to become pregnant or impregnate someone else.

The findings, reported in the November issue ofPediatrics, don't prove that sexy programming leads directly to pregnancy.

Still, parents should pay close attention to what their kids watch, said study author Anita Chandra, a researcher with Rand Corp.

"Not a lot of content on TV talks about the potential negative consequences of sex," Chandra said. "Characters engage in sexual talk or activity, give positive attributes to sex, and there's little discussion about the risks and contraceptive use."

As a result, she said, kids might become interested in sex without realizing the potential pitfalls.

Really? Is this really all that new of information?

My wife and I were watching a documentary the other night on TLC about Purity Balls, prom-like events that fathers attend with their pre-/early-teen daughters who vow to a chaste life, including - for some - not kissing until the wedding day. A woman made a comment during an interview to the effect of "these [commitments] are important even more so in today's culture because sex is so much more 'out there'."

Q's for you's:
--Do you think that premarital and/or teenage sex is more prevalent now than during your school days? Your parent's school days?
--Do you plan to do one of these purity balls with your daughter? Why/why not?
--Should purity ball's be held for boys also?