Random Thoughts 10/24/05

• I'm still watching classic movies when I get a chance. Last night I stayed up to watch Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (James Stewart, Doris Day, 1956). It was better than I suspected, except that the movie ran a few minutes longer than it was scheduled, so my TiVo didn't get the last few minutes -- NOT good when your watching a suspenseful movie. I'll have to TiVo it again (plus 15 minutes) to see the ending. Fortunately it's on again soon.
  
• As a preacher, I find it intriguing that some stories are more interesting than others. More specifically, I'm intrigued that some stories are told better than others. Some people I really respect have said that it must be some kind of sin to make the Bible boring. Well, there must be a lot of ministers that need to repent. I believe that there's a lot you can learn about narrative storytelling that can be applied to preaching the Bible. But not only is this a lot of work, it's an artform – one which some folks will appreciate while others don't at all.
  
• Have you ever been enthralled by a video game, a favorite song, or a hobby of some sort? You can't get enough of it; you spend every second thinking about it, then suddenly, like a switch was flipped, you just don't care anymore? I found an article that talks about that sudden end that comes when you're briefly obsessed with something. I've had it happen with video games several times: one day I'm staying up until 3 in the morning to play just one more level, the next day I quit cold turkey and don't even miss it. I've had Dustin's PlayStation 2 at my house for months but I didn't play it after the second week. Go figure.
• If you stand in a hurricane and report that the wind is blowing really hard, is that news? I'm just saying.
  
• Shannon gave Pellet a bath last week. Pellet is a stuffed toy hamster (and a cute, fat one too) that Tanner (almost 4) has latched on to for as long as we can recall. For countless months, Pellet has gone everywhere Tanner has gone, day or night, and it was beginning to show. Reluctantly, Tanner conceded that Pellet was getting pretty grungy looking and a little stinky too, so into the washing machine he went. He emerged from the dryer, and returned to Tanner's hands, the brightest and best smelling toy in the house. If there is one toy we would pack away as a keepsake, it's the ubiquitous Pellet.
• I have a minister's meeting that we're hosting tomorrow at Wyandotte. It's just a luncheon for prayer and fellowship. No big deal. That being said, I look forward to it being over! I'm a little stressed over it.