Stuntmen bring Super Mario Bros. to life

Humility (Day 1 of 4)

Humility is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. And your humility grows through encountering God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help you to humble yourself in all of your days.

Numbers 12:3 "(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)"

2 Samuel 7 "Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

Nintendo to release 2DS, drop Wii U price by $50

(Reuters) - Japanese game maker Nintendo Co will launch a new and inexpensive handheld gaming device and offer a $50 price cut for its 32GB Wii U console in North America and Europe this holiday season in a bid to reverse weak sales and woo gamers back to its offerings.

Dubbed the "2DS" and priced at $129.99, the new addition to Nintendo's 3DS range will go on sale on October 12 and play 3DS and DS games with 2D graphics, as its name suggests.

Known for games with much-loved characters like "Mario" and "Zelda," Nintendo has been facing stiff competition from inexpensive or free mobile games on tablets and smartphones. This reflects an industry-wide trend where mobile games are eating into the market share of consoles and handheld devices.

With the "2DS," Nintendo hopes to attract new entrants in the handheld space who have not been able to afford variants of its 3DS systems, priced at $169.99 and $199.99, Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America said in an interview.

Some industry analysts have criticized Nintendo for not taking advantage of the rapid growth of games on iOS and Android mobile devices by keeping its game franchises limited to its own systems. Nintendo executives have said they believe that letting its other popular game characters like "Mario" roam on mobile devices would impair the company's hardware business in the long term.

By introducing the "2DS," Nintendo is going after "not just consumers who have necessarily a phone or tablet," and want a taste of Nintendo's game fare, "but all consumers, especially younger consumers," File-Aime said.

The "2DS "release will coincide with the launch of Nintendo's kids role-playing game "Pokemon X and Y."

Nintendo's prospects have dimmed since the launch of the Wii U console last November. After posting tepid sales -3.6 million Wii U units sold since launch to June 30 compared to 9.3 million units of its successor, the Wii - the game maker aims to sell 9 million consoles by next March by offering new games and reducing its price.

To boost Wii U sales, the company will sell its 32GB deluxe version for $299.99, down from $349.99 starting September 20, Fils-Aime said.

The eight month-old Wii U will face fierce competition from Sony Corp's PlayStation 4, priced at $399, and Microsoft Corp's Xbox One, priced at $499, which will hit store shelves in November. Both next-generation systems will come with cloud gaming technology that lets players stream games from remote servers and carry a host of exclusive games.

The company has also timed the release of games like "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD" and "Super Mario 3D World" to reinforce its Wii U console, Fils-Aime said. Third-party titles include "Call Of Duty: Ghosts" by Activision Blizzard and "Assassin's Creed IV:Black Flag" by Ubisoft that will be released this holiday season.

"It's going to be these launches that are going to drive the (Wii U) business forward and we're certainly going to do a lot of marketing activity behind the price decline," Fils-Aime said.

Analysts say the three-decade-old Nintendo has an uphill climb as competitors like up-and-coming GungHo Online Entertainment post millions in sales per day with just one mobile title called "Puzzles & Dragons."

"One of our benefits is that our products tend to sell well over time versus this spike up and go away type of sales curve that other companies may have," Fils-Aime said.

Learn from the movies, you will

This past year, my wife, Carmen, started working part-time with Tim Bargo as part of First Priority Tri-County. If you are unfamiliar with that organization, they are all about reaching students for Christ and being a Christian influence in our area schools.

Every now and then, I hang out with Carmen in the First-Priority office here in Corbin. And if you’ve ever been in that office, the first thing you might notice is Tim’s nice collection of books.

One particular series of books that caught my eye one afternoon is the “Videos That Teach” series. In each of these books, scenes from various Hollywood movies are discussed. Then the book explains how you can apply a lesson from each scene to your Christian walk.

Since I am a Christian who also loves movies, I had to borrow one of these books to share the lessons that can be learned from some of these blockbusters.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Luke Skywalker travels to Dagobah in search of the Jedi Master, Yoda. Luke knows that to become a Jedi Knight, he must learn to use the Force.

After his X-Wing ship sinks in the swamp, Luke is instructed by Yoda to lift it out by using the power of the Force.

When Luke tries and fails, he gives up and the X-Wing sinks deeper into the swamp; however, Yoda is successful, telling Luke the reason for his failure is because he does not believe.

Just the way Luke did not have faith in the Force, we sometimes don’t have enough faith in God to overcome our obstacles. But Philippians 4:13 reminds us that, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

FORREST GUMP

Because of a medical condition, Forrest must wear special leg braces, which only add to the ridicule he faces because of his less-than-average intelligence.

As he climbs into the bus on the first day of school, the children sense his uneasiness. No one will let him sit down. Finally, Jenny invites him to share her seat.

Forrest will remember this act of compassion for the rest of his life.

This scene is similar to a story from the Bible, which takes place in Luke 10:25-37.

A man fell among thieves who stripped him, wounded him and left him for dead. Both a priest and a Levite passed him by, but a Samaritan showed compassion by helping heal the wounds and taking him to an inn.

The Lord tells us to love your neighbor as you would yourself.

Just like the Samaritan in the Bible, Jenny showed a lot of compassion for Forrest when others would not.

THE KARATE KID

Mr. Miyagi has agreed to teach Daniel karate; however, after several days of hard work, Daniel is frustrated and storms off.

Mr. Miyagi calls him back and explains why he made Daniel paint the fence, wax the car and sand the floors. In doing seemingly menial tasks, Daniel had actually been learning the basic movements and foundations of karate.

Daniel is appropriately humbled and ready to study. Mr. Miyagi begins his first lesson, stressing that respect must go both ways between student and teacher.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Just like Daniel should have trusted Mr. Miyagi rather than drawing his own conclusions, we should fully trust in the Lord to guide us in life.

The Empire Strikes Back, Forrest Gump and The Karate Kid are three of my all-time favorite movies. There is no doubt I will watch each of them many more times in the future. By studying this “Videos That Teach” book and by studying the Bible, these movies will be even more enjoyable knowing they will serve as a reminder of God’s awesome word.

Spiders vs. peppermint oil — revealed!

Spiders hate peppermint oil. If you see spiders crawling around your home, mix some water and about 15 drops of peppermint oil in a bottle. Then spray your garage and all door frames. Once the spiders get a whiff of that... they gone!

Forgiveness (Day 4 of 4)

Forgiveness is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. And your forgiveness grows through encountering God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help you be more forgiving in all of your days.

Hebrews 12:15 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;"

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

1 John 4:20 "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"

Forgiveness (Day 3 of 4)

Forgiveness is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. And your forgiveness grows through encountering God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help you be more forgiving in all of your days.

Luke 17:3-4 "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him."

Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."

Ephesians 4:32 "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Eye drops with ease — revealed!

Do you dislike the feeling of putting cold eye drops in your eyes? Just run the bottle under hot water for a few seconds, then use the drops. You will barely feel them!

Forgiveness (Day 2 of 4)

Forgiveness is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. And your forgiveness grows through encountering God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help you be more forgiving in all of your days.

Matthew 6:14-15 "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Matthew 18:21-22 "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."

Luke 15:20 "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."

 

Forgiveness (Day 1 of 4)

Forgiveness is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. And your forgiveness grows through encountering God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help you be more forgiving in all of your days.

Proverbs 18:18 "The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty."

Micah 7:18-19 "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

Matthew 5:23-24 "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

Hope (Day 3 of 3)

Hope is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. And your hope grows through encountering God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help to build your hope in all of your days. Let your life be transformed by memorizing scripture.

Hebrews 6:11 "And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:"

James 4:8 "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

Winter Jam announces west coast lineup

Winter Jam has announced its lineup for the west coast tour. It is headlined by Newsboys, but also features Crowder, Plumb, Newsong, Tenth Avenue North, Building 429, and my personal favorite, Thousand Foot Krutch. I do not live on the west coast however, so I am hoping this lineup stays the same when it comes to the east coast as I would love to get the chance to see my favorite band live.

My wife and I went to Winter Jam this past year when it came to Lexington, Ky., and for just a $10 admission, it was an awesome show. So we'll probably be going again next year regardless — I just hope we get to see TFK as well.

But for more information and scheduled dates, you can visit the official Winter Jam website here

Hope (Day 2 of 3)

Hope is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. And your hope grows through encountering God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help to build your hope in all of your days. Let your life be transformed by memorizing scripture.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

Lamentations 3:22-23 "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Romans 8:24-25 "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."

Hope (Day 1 of 3)

 Hope is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. And your hope grows through encountering God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help to build your hope in all of your days. Let your life be transformed by memorizing scripture.

Psalms 71:14 "But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more."

Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life."

Isaiah 40:28-29 "Hast thou not known? hast thou heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."

The devil wears Prada

Many moons ago in my high school boys Sunday school class, my teacher, Frosty, shared an analogy with us. I don’t remember the story verbatim but I think this was pretty much the gist.

He said once upon a time, a man had died and was standing at the foot of the pearly gates. Before the man entered, Saint Peter gave him a choice of where he would like to spend eternity.

His first choice was straight ahead through the gates to walk along the streets made of gold. But his other choice was this raving party he could go to filled with scantily clad supermodels drinking and dancing.

The man weighed the two options set before him but wound up choosing the party with the supermodels.

As the man walked through the door to the party, all the women disappeared and the man fell into a never ending pit of fire and flames.

As horrific as that sounds, the point Frosty was trying to make is that the devil will throw many temptations at you that seem desirable and fun, but will only lead you away from God and straight to an eternity in Hell.

Reflecting on Frosty’s analogy got me thinking about the types of worldly pleasures Satan uses and throws our way to turn our backs on the Lord.

Of course from the story, one of the first examples that comes to mind is the partying lifestyle that the devil makes so appealing to lost souls. Drinking, drug abuse and sleeping around may seem fun for a few hours but can end up destroying you physically and spiritually. You also kill any type of witness you could possibly have for Jesus Christ if you are seen in public participating in these activities.

Popular music is a second thing the devil uses a lot to pollute our minds.

The music itself may seem harmless but some of the lyrics I’ve heard would make Satan himself blush. And as speaker Nick Hall mentioned during Winter Jam 2013, when the band One Direction talks about “getting some,” they’re not referring to a handful of Skittles.

I’ll admit, a lot of pop music is very catchy to me and very easy to sing along with. But before you know it, you might find yourself singing about sex, drugs or violence, and not even give it a second thought.

Then there is the seemingly limitless amount of content you can find on the Internet.

A lot of the Internet is great as it allows you to reconnect with old friends and family members. And there’s a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips anyone can research.

But the devil also throws plenty of filth your way which is very easy to stumble upon if you’re not careful.

The Internet is loaded with pornography that can be discovered way too easily. As soon as online solicitors get your email address, your spam folder gets stuffed with that garbage almost hourly. And a simple typo in a Google search can sometimes be all you need to produce images no eyes need to be seeing.

Then there is the online gambling the devil so conveniently provides on the Internet. You don’t even have to leave your house to lose this month’s rent in a hand of poker.

These are many temptations the devil will try to place before us, but as Christians it is very important we resist such worldly pleasures.

Even if some of these things sound fun, you should always take a minute to ask yourself one simple question: If this was the last day of your life, is this the activity you would want to be doing? We need to keep in mind what is truly important to you and — most importantly — to God.

The Bible backs this up with several different verses regarding the devil and temptation.

James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.”

And 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.”

And James 5:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Everyday we are likely to face temptations — whether we are out and about, or even in our own homes. But don’t let the devil win the battle for your eternal soul. Overcome your temptations and give all the glory to the one who truly deserves it — our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Anger (Day 3 of 3)

Anger happens to the best of us! Your response to anger is based on trusting God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help you to respond properly to anger. Let your life be transformed by memorizing scripture.

Romans 12:19 "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

Ephesians 4:26-27 "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil."

James 1:19-20 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."

Anger (Day 2 of 3)

Anger happens to the best of us! Your response to anger is based on trusting God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help you to respond properly to anger. Let your life be transformed by memorizing scripture.

Proverbs 21:14 "A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath."

Proverbs 29:11 "A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards."

Daniel 3: 19 "Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach and Adeb-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated."

Prayer provides the ultimate wireless connection

Back in September of 2011, me and my wife Carmen closed on our house here in Corbin. We weren’t married yet so I moved in there from my apartment and lived there for a year alone until our September 2012 wedding.

And as anyone who has moved into a new place could tell you, a lot of work goes into preparations.

First there is the obvious packing and unpacking. But you also have to think about things like setting up your electricity, water lines, garbage, etc.

As the big moving day got closer and closer, I pretty much had everything squared away except for one thing — an Internet provider.

The house we bought had just been built and it was located in a neighborhood that had just been developed in the past few years. You can actually search for our address on Google Earth and you will still see images of nothing but trees.

While the feeling of living in a new neighborhood was pretty neat, the one drawback in a town like ours is it might take a while for TV/Internet providers to add new neighborhoods to their coverage area. I believe some more local providers have since begun covering our neck of the woods, but at the time it was slim pickens. And for a guy who has to constantly check Facebook, Twitter, Kentucky Sports Radio and Fantasy Football leagues, I was starting to get pretty concerned.

So I ran through the yellow pages with a fine-toothed comb calling anyone and everyone who I thought might be able to help us out. However, everyone I called either told me I was out of their service area or in a location where it was impossible to receive any type of signal.

I finally found a company who is actually headquartered in my hometown of Pikeville which is 2.5 hours away. They offered me DSL Internet but I had to also subscribe to a landline which I honestly hadn’t possessed since I was in high school.

So after all the frantic searching, I finally got our house set up and ready to settle in.

As I look back at that couple of weeks I spent frantically searching for a connection, it got me thinking about how the most important connection doesn’t require any type of special wires or satellite signal.

When you want to speak to God, all you have to do is pray. It doesn’t matter if you live in a big city or if you live in the boondocks, the connection is always available and always ready.

Psalms 145:18-19 says, “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.”

It’s really something to think about how we spend loads of money on computers, phones and bills just to tell everyone on Facebook what we’re having for dinner, while the most important form of communication is absolutely free and accessible whenever and wherever we desire it.

Our God is the ultimate provider of our needs and is ready to connect when we call out. 

Anger (Day 1 of 3)

Anger happens to the best of us! Your response to anger is based on trusting God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help you to respond properly to anger. Let your life be transformed by memorizing scripture.

Proverbs 14:30 "A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones."

Proverbs 17:14 "Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out."

Proverbs 19:11 "Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs."

Proverbs 20:3 "Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling."

Angels in the outfield

This was a very cool story my co-worker Chris Parsons shared in one of his recent columns for the Times-Tribune newspaper. It is regarding the Knox County Little League All-Stars who wound up winning the Kentucky State Championship, and competed for a spot in the Little League World Series before their run fell short.

Below is a few lines from Chris' column. You can read the full story here. But I just wanted to share this very neat and inspiring moment from the Knox County All-Stars as they were one strike away from winning the state title...

With two outs and two strikes on the final batter, Knox County, which was playing the field, asked for timeout. When time was granted the infielders gathered around the pitcher’s mound where they’ll usually talk strategy.

As they huddled it looked as though the players were making some sort of mark in the dirt surrounding the mound with their feet.

As play starts back, the final strike of the game is thrown and the team wins the state championship. As the celebration settled down both teams met around the mound for a postgame prayer. It was then the parent discovered that the marks made in the dirt by each of the Knox County infielders were crosses.

"Big Blue Fan in the Morning"

This should be the new University of Kentucky fight song.

Joy! Joy! Joy! (Day 3 of 3)

Joy is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. And your joy grows through encountering God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help to increase the joy in your life! Let your life be transformed by memorizing scripture:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

James 1:2-4 "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

3 John 1:4 "I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth."

Joy! Joy! Joy! (Day 2 of 3)

Joy is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. And your joy grows through encountering God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help to increase the joy in your life! Let your life be transformed by memorizing scripture:

John 10: 10 "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."

Romans 12:15 "Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep."

2 Corinthians 2:14 "But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume."

Philippians 4:4 "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again — rejoice!"

Mount Everest mobile network — revealed!

 The world's highest 3G mobile network services base station is currently set up at the bottom of Mount Everest.

Ncell, a mobile phone and internet operator in Nepal, said it set up a 3G base at an altitude of 5,200 meters (17,000 feet) near the village of Gorakshep, according to Aigars Benders, the chief technical officer of Ncell.

The service is mainly targeted at the approximately 30,000 tourists who come to trek in Nepal's Himalayan region every year. 

A few hundred mountaineers attempt to climb Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain at 8,848 meters (29,028 feet) and it is estimated that the annual total number of mountaineers in the region number several hundred.

Joy! Joy! Joy! (Day 1 of 3)

Joy is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. And your joy grows through encountering God and meditating on His Word. The following verses, when memorized, can help to increase the joy in your life! Let your life be transformed by memorizing scripture:

Psalms 126:5 "Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy."

Proverbs 15:13 "A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit."

Jeremiah 15:16 "When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven's Armies."

Luke 10:20 "But I don't rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven."

Florence Y'all Water Tower — revealed!

If you have driven along I-75 through Florence, Ky., you won't be able to miss the giant Florence Y'All water tower. And you also won't be able to help exclaiming "It's Florence Y'All" every time you pass by. But I was curious about the history of the "Y'All" part because I remember it used to say "Mall" as in Florence Mall which is next to it.

So according to Wikipedia, which is always 100-percent accurate, here is the back story:

The giant advertisement (for the mall) raised legal concerns (when it said "Florence Mall"). In July 1974, state Bureau of Highways officials told the city that the tower's sign was taller than allowed by state law. Among the solutions mooted were repainting the tower or covering the words with a large tarpaulin. With time running out to comply with the law, civil staff met for a brainstorming session at the Stringtown Restaurant with the late C.M. "Hop" Ewing, then Mayor of Florence, who "sketched different ideas on a napkin." Ewing ultimately devised the idea of removing the vertical lines at the sides of the M in MALL, adding a stem to make it a Y; becoming Y'ALL. Ewing called it a "corny solution, but cost-effective" because the minor alteration would cost one-third of a full repainting. The city paid $472 to the W.T. Marx Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, to make the changes.

Free song download!

For a limited time, you can download this Stellar Kart song here for free! I heard this band live in my hometown of Corbin, Ky. and really enjoyed their show. They are a pretty popular punk rock Christian band. I'm a fan. Check it out!

The Overflow Devo by Lecrae (Day 8 of 8)

One of the greatest days of my life was when my wife gave birth to our son. During the pregnancy, everyone told us that the love we would have for him would surpass anything we have ever experienced. Boy, were they right. Though he is totally dependent on us for all of his needs, which is extremely taxing, we don't mind it at all because he's our son and we love him.

As a father, I remember looking into his crib and thinking, "I have the responsibility of being one of the biggest influences in this kid's life. What will I do? How will I raise this little guy?" I imagined my son as a father, staring into his child's crib and asking the same questions. Then I encountered a thought that rocked me to my core. My son would probably do what all people do when faced with a new situation — emulate their parents. Which leads me to my next thought: What will he emulate? What type of example will I leave for him to follow?

I believe the answer rests with the wise King Solomon. As we glance over his life we see a man who is well accomplished, has inexhaustible riches, and incredible influence. He's living the American Dream before there even was an America. However, Solomon says something in Ecclesiastes that is very revealing. The book opens with the Preacher proclaiming "Vanity of vanities, All is vanity." In other words, "Worthless, it's all worthless." This is very discouraging coming from a man who has seen and acquired EVERYTHING! If we are only pursuing earthly pleasures then, according to Solomon, we are chasing a life of worthlessness.

Thankfully, Solomon leaves us with some guidance (and I think we better listen considering that God made him the wisest man other than Christ). In chapter 12, verses 13 and 14, Solomon tells us to fear God and keep his commandments. This is very intriguing. Some would even look at this as anti-climatic. Is that really it? Yes, of course it is! In Psalm 1, the scriptures proclaim that blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord. This is the point that Solomon was making! The world promises you complete satisfaction through the pursuit of vanity, but in the end your pursuits are worthless. The Lord promises if you pursue him your thirst will forever be quenched. In Matthew 11, Jesus promises rest to all of us who are weary and burdened.

So as I raise my son, the desire of my heart is to give him something of value. My prayer is that when he runs into new challenges and asks himself what I would do in those situations, the example I have left him reflects the law of the Lord. May we leave a legacy found in Christ before we die.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Homemade iPhone Amplifier — revealed!

Are you like me and enjoy listening to your favorite music on your iPhone while getting ready? Then you know how frustrating it is when you turn on the shower water and it completely drowns out your cool beats. But you also know how dangerous it could be placing a couple of speakers in your bathroom. Well I've discovered a solution to this problem! Just place your iPhone in a glass like the one shown above and voila! You have a homemade amplifier that really gives your iPhone speakers a boost. Try it out!

Chasing down every temporary high

There’s no denying the fact that I am a huge nerd.

To everything from sports, TV and movies, to music, video games and Internet surfing, if it’s geeky, I’ve tried it.

Growing up, it was very rare to not find my brother, Jordan, and me in front of a TV playing Nintendo. We spent many hours a day playing games like Super Mario or Zelda. Twenty years later, not much has changed. Whenever we get together for Christmas or other holidays, there will be some point where we play his new Nintendo Wii or dust off the old Nintendo for nostalgia.

Other geeky hobbies I enjoy are movies and sports. Luckily, these are two things I can enjoy with my wife, Carmen, who is also a big sports and movies fan.

If you pricked our fingers, we would both bleed blue. Carmen and I have only been to one live game together, but we never miss watching the Kentucky Wildcats on TV or listening to them on the radio. And in between games, we listen to Matt Jones and the gang talk about the Cats on Kentucky Sports Radio.

We also love to watch movies together. Occasionally, we make our way to the Tri-County Cineplex to check out some of the big blockbusters. But most of the time we’re watching from our own DVD collection — which is stacked a mile high — or we tune in the AMC channel which always seems to be playing movies we know word-for-word.

Then there’s my iPhone I got for Christmas back in 2010. Sometimes you would think that thing is stapled to my hand. I’m always looking at it checking my Facebook, Twitter and email, or playing games like Angry Birds or Words with Friends. As sad as it is to admit, I’ve almost forgotten what it was like not having an iPhone.

And to finally put a stamp on how big of a nerd I am, it has now become an annual tradition getting together with my friends Brody, Blake, Frankie and Jay to watch the WWE WrestleMania pay-per-view at Brody’s house.

But what happens to video games? They get boring after a while and collect dust in your closet.

What happens to iPhones? They tear up or become obsolete when the new gadget comes out.

It’s a similar story with sports and WrestleMania. Watching the Wildcats is fun but they only play for a few months out of the year. And WrestleMania is just four hours out of the year.

There was a song that came out about 10 years ago by contemporary Christian artist Stacie Orrico. It was called “More to Life” and it was about how we have all the nice things this world has to offer but we still spend our time moving on to the next thing and “chasing down every temporary high to satisfy...”

That song is always a good reminder of how all of these gadgets like iPhones and video games can bring you fun and happiness for a little while, but only knowing the Lord and spending time with him daily can truly bring you joy.

And that joy you find with the Lord doesn’t get old or dusty. It is everlasting and more wonderful than Mario rescuing Princess Toadstool, or the Wildcats winning a championship.

Psalms 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

We will all have our hobbies and interests in this world. It could be sports and movies, or maybe other activities like fishing, hunting, painting, reading or writing. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying those pleasures, and God will make time for you to enjoy all of them. Just make sure you place your relationship with Him above everything else.

When you keep Him there, you will forever have more joy and happiness than any geeky hobby can bring you.

The Overflow Devo by Lecrae (Day 7 of 8)

Put simply, "Weight and Glory" is about seeing God. When I say seeing God I'm not talking about some vision in the middle of the night, a near death experience or a mysterious message you found in your alphabet soup. I'm talking about seeing God with the eyes of faith which comes through trusting Jesus. Seeing God is beholding Him in his word and being impressed with all He is, all He has done and all He will do.

At times you will find yourself filled to the brim with awe and wonder and yet other times you will be desperately empty longing to be filled again; both are blessings. But more often than not, we find ourselves in the latter situation, and instead of finding our fulfillment in God we look to lesser (inanities) to get the job done. And they never do. So the question is, "How do we daily see God, through eyes of faith, in a practical way?" This is why I wrote "Here we go."

We must remember that "faith feeds" and though you may be dead to sin, sin is not dead. This means that everyday there is a fight (the fight of faith) to starve our sinful desires and fatten our spiritual ones. God has given us the means to eat and at the center of that provision is the word of God. John Piper puts it like this "I make an effort by reading my Bible everyday on a quest for vision of God that will reassert [His] supremacy in my heart... in such a way that it makes money lose its effect or anything else that's clamoring for my soul... the goal is to see God as so supremely valuable that other things assume their way lower position."

Through taking in His word and rehearsing his promises, the Holy Spirit convinces us that God is more satisfying than anything else. Every morning it's "KB, here we go, enjoy God... taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalms 34:8)" Rather it hearing the word sung, rapped, preached, read; meditate and memorize God's means to grow your faith.

Prayer: This morning oh Lord, I long to see you! Come off to me as big, glorious and grand because that is exactly what you are. Open my eyes to see you as I dedicate my whole heart to daily intaking your word. Amen.

Psalms 90:14 "O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days."

The Gas Arrow: Revealed!

Have you ever pulled up to a gas station and forgot which side your gas tank is on? Well, The Gas Arrow is a little, tiny arrow right beside the picture of the gas pump that tells you which side your car’s gas hole is on! #MindBlown

Matthew West "My Name Is"

Matthew West's "My Name Is" was inspired by former student and now track coach at University of the Cumberlands Jordan Jeffers who overcame drug addiction by seeking God.

The Overflow Devo by Lecrae (Day 6 of 8)

"If Christ is not valued above all, Christ is not valued at all." —Augustine

To me, these must be among the most cutting yet beautiful words ever written. Jesus looks so glorious in this statement! Yet for many, this statement comes off as anything but glorious but more like "unnecessary" or quite frankly, arrogant.

After tweeting something along these lines a few months back, there was a young lady online who wasn't too fond of this type of talk. She responded (along with some other colorful words) "Your God sounds like He's on a power trip, I would never want to be with a god like that." And I thought, is God on a power trip? Or is He, like many folks say, just laying down a bunch of restrictions to suck the fun out of life? No and no. In fact there is no other being in the universe that is more for your joy than the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's demand for our focus to be solely on Him is not harsh but gracious. God is no cosmic Hitler shouting commands but a divine philanthropist who withholds no good thing from His people. "O the happiness of that one, who hath not walked in the counsel of the wicked (Psalm 1:1)." Sin has been disagreeing with this since the Garden of Eden and has always sought to provide its own alternatives. But every alternative proves to be like a trial version that expires quickly, it's gone in a matter of moments. Only God satisfies. Sin can't afford us, we are too high maintenance for it to keep us happy. We are made to be filled with the best and that is found exclusively in knowing God.

Augustine wasn't after laying before us an ethic of rules but an ethic of worship. When God is seen, He is worshipped. No one encounters the Living God and casually acknowledges His greatness and then moves on with his/her life. God is too great, too beautiful, too awesome, too attractive to truly be seen and not obsessed over. "Once you've really seen the Lord your obsessed with what you see."

Our only challenge is seeing Him. As you meet with God in His word ask Him to open your eyes to see "the glory of the Lord" and watch how it transforms your life. This is how we overcome sin.

BJ Stockman, a Christian writer, said, "Trying harder and harder to stop looking at porn isn't the way to stop looking at porn — you must look somewhere else, namely, the person of Jesus Christ." And this is not limited to porn but any sinful passion you can imagine can be driven out by a supreme one; a God-given passion of seeing the Lord Jesus.

Set your sights on the Lord Jesus, "black out" on empty promises of this world and "zone out" in the presence of Almighty God.

Prayer: Oh Lord, deal with your servant mercifully. I want your promises to be the joy of my soul and your words to make my heart happy. I cannot do this myself oh God, by your Spirit please graciously grant me the eyes to see, ears to hear and taste buds to savor the wonder of your word. Help me to zone out. Amen.

2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

The Overflow Devo by Lecrae (Day 5 of 8)

Do you believe the gospel? Before you answer, notice I didn't say "did" you believe the gospel or "have" you believed the gospel? Normally when questions like this are asked, we immediately think back to some point in time where we said yes or no to God. We see the gospel as something we did and not as something we continue to do. But what is helpful for us to understand is that God's appeal to man to believe is much less like a question and much more like a command.

If I were to ask you, are you sexually pure? It would be weird for you to say, "Yes, I did that one time three years ago." Belief in Jesus is much like this. If at one time in my life I decided to trust Jesus, I will spend a lifetime making that same decision. We are in constant need of returning to all that God has accomplished for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)." This is the gospel! Christ has not only died the death I deserved to die but He has lived the life I failed to live. Spotless, righteous and guilt free is what all those who've trusted Christ are declared before the judge of all the earth. But we are a stubborn people, slow of heart and often forgetful of that which keeps us from sin and lifts us from darkness after we've fallen.

In Hello I write, "After we stray we see no point of praying, I can't go to God, I'd rather hide because He's angry." Like Adam, our guilty conscious leads us to run away from God which inevitably leads to more sin. I wrote Hello to encourage you that Christ's salvation is always bigger than your sin. There is mercy for your beloved. There are many steps that can be taken away from the cross but there is always one step to return: repentance and faith in the gospel. Live in the freedom that Christ has given, you have been forgiven. Not freedom to sin but freedom from sin. Everyday God grants us a new day to walk in the realities of the gospel! "Hello new mercy, Hello every morning, everyday I live, it's another day, I know that I've been forgiven.

Romans 4:7 "Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered."

Prayer: Oh Father help me to believe, embrace and rehearse all that you have accomplished for me in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord will see you through it

Several months ago, my Sunday school teacher, Rick, mentioned a simple analogy in class one morning that has stuck with me all this time. I don’t recall it even being the primary focus of our discussion that day. It was just a quick example to paint a picture. Maybe it was just something God told him to say solely to have an impact on my attitude about life. Regardless, it’s a lesson I learned and something I think about almost daily.

The analogy he used was how his baby boy would always cry whenever he was placed in his car seat. The point was that even though the baby did not like the idea of being restrained, it was for his safety. The comparison Rick then made was that sometimes we complain about situations God places us in, but in the long run, we will be better off for it.

That notion has been something I have struggled with all my life. I’ve heard time and time again people who have come up to me and said, “I go to church all the time. I say my prayers. I read my Bible. So why does God let bad things happen to me?” And for a long time, I always wondered the same thing.

I had always believed that if you are a good Christian and do what God asks you to do, then as a trade, He should make sure life is just always peachy for you as long as you live.

But I’ve learned that if you’re in that mindset, you are really missing the point.

We are here to do God’s work while having faith that, in the end, God knows what is best for us. And while sometimes we may be placed in situations we think are bad, if we just stick it out, God will bless us and place us where we need to be.

The best example from my life was how God ultimately led me here to Corbin and to my wife, Carmen.

After I received my four-year degree from the University of Kentucky, I had made the decision to further my education and get an MBA degree. I didn’t want to get too far from home, so I applied to all of the MBA programs that were in Kentucky.

I really wanted to get in to UK’s program because it seemed like it was one of the best. But after taking several practice GMAT exams, which is the entry exam for most MBA programs, my scores were always way too low to even be considered by UK.

So as I headed into the classroom to take my official GMAT, I had already convinced myself that I would need to settle for another school.

But somehow, by a miracle in my opinion, I scored high enough that day to get into any MBA program here in Kentucky. So after that, there was no more debating. I was going to grad school at UK.

But after a few short weeks in the program, I was already getting way behind and had not received a decent grade on anything. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was in way over my head. So before I flunked out, I dropped out.

I was left questioning why God had led me to a school where I was going to fail. But in my opinion, I believe I would have succeeded at some of the other schools and might have gone on to find some type of career in business. However, God knew this was not what was right for me.

So after that, my mother introduced me to the design program where I went to and excelled. That experience and degree ultimately helped me land this job in Corbin — which is also where I met Carmen.

Had I started a career in business, who knows where I would be right now? I’m pretty confident I would not have met my wife, and I probably wouldn’t be doing a job I enjoy.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

So while it was difficult and discouraging to go through failing at school, I should have realized that I was not where God wanted me to be and he had an even bigger and better plan for my life.

Now I have a wonderful wife, a nice home and a great church family where I am excited about doing God’s work. And I absolutely thank God everyday for leading me to it all.