LINKAGE
You know...Links...Over to your right...There you go.

Trinity Chapel (my home church) - If I need to explain this one, then.....

Fair Tax, blah blah - Fairtax.org is the website for Americans for Fair Taxation. It's where you go to find out about the fair Tax. I'd explain what that is, but it would take a little while. Go to the website or get a copy of The Fair Tax Book by Congressman John Linder and Neal Boortz. It's great for the country and even better for the citizens.

Woven Hand - My favorite band in the world, and current project of David Eugene Edwards. You know, he was the front man of 16 Horsepower. Never heard of them either, oh. Go there to find out about them.

Facedown Records - It's a record label, duh. Lots of great hardcore and metal as well as some punk. Bands like ALove for Enemies, No Innocent Victim, Flee the Seen, Blood Lined Calligraphy. Most of the bands come from a Christian perspective. It's where Figure Four, Comeback Kid, and Sinai Beach all started at.

Neal Boortz - Co-author of The Fair Tax Book, and syndicated radio talk show host. He's a Libritarian, look it up yourself, extremely sarcastic, as well as brilliant. And he's from Atlanta, GA. Yes I realize some of you won't give him a chance because he's from the South.

Dr. Mike Adams - He's a criminology professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and is a regular columnist for Townhall.com. A former liberal atheist, now conservative Christian. He writes a lot of satirical columns. Another sarcastic and brilliant mind.

Lydia Pistol's blog - She was in the middle school group at the church were I first got involved in youth ministry back in TX. She was 12 when I first started teaching. That's 13 years ago. She's now married and living in London. A definite must read for me. It's an American perspective on marriage, faith, and the things of life...in England.

Pistol Family blog - It's really just another place for Lydia to post stuff. I guess some people can't be satisfied with just one.

Chris Coggin's blog - Another old friend from TX. He and his wife are starting a church in Austin called the Austin Project. There is only one blog on there right now, but good stuff.

My myspace - Do I really need to explain? If you'd like to know what 16HP and Woven Hand sound like. I always have a video from both on the right side of my page. Under "About me" and "Who I'd like to meet". You can also see how Sandrine stalks me. Oh, crap. Don't tell her I said that.

Enjoy.........or don't.

God bless,

Mr. Keith

(Aren't you glad I didn't right anything political or religious in this post. Well except to explain what some of the links are about.)

How did I get here?

Well, that's an odd question. Is my memory so bad that I can't remember my past?

The last couple of days, for some reason, I've been thinking about what I'm doing, enjoy, and where I live as opposed to where I thought I would be in my younger days.

Take for instance the fact that I'm in children's ministry. I'm in Children's Church on Sundays during our second service. We have kids from third grade to sixth grade, as well as some kids in middle and high school helping out. I teach sometimes, do offering, get them ready for praise and worship ect.

What's so odd about that?

Up until three years ago I had been involved in youth ministry since I was 16. That's 12 years of my life. Just two years ago you couldn't convince me I'd be doing anything other then youth ministry.

When I was in middle school I felt like that's what I was supposed to do, and at 16 I sat down with my Youth Pastor, Barry Young at the time. We talked about what I felt God was pushing me towards, as far as ministry. He told me to talk with the Assistant Youth Pastor, who was over the middle school kids, and see if there were things I could do to help out, as long as it didn't interfere with any high school stuff going on. So, I did and I thought that's what I'd be doing for most of the rest of my life.

I never thought I'd be doing this, but here I am.

Another thing is the music I listen to. I mostly listen to Alt. Country, Americana, Hardcore, and I guess what they call New Metal.

When I was 12, that's 1987, I was introduced to Black Flag. I think the hardest stuff I had heard up until then was ACDC. So, when I heard Black Flag I was a little shocked. I sat there and listened and I couldn't figure out if I liked it or not. Of course I told my friends I thought it was cool, or maybe I said it was "rad". The next few years I got into stuff like Slayer, Anthrax, Morbid Angel, Minor Threat and so on. It seemed to me the harder and faster it was the cooler it must be.

Now, at that point in my life I figured by the time I was 25 I would have grown out of that phase. Here I am at 31, and the two CD's I'm playing the most right now are Zao's "The Fear is What Keeps Us Here" and Flee the Seen's "Doubt Becomes the New Addiction". Both are, of course, quite hard with Zao being on the fast side. It seems the older I get the more I love hard music.

There are other things as well. Isn't it interesting where we thought we were headed when we were younger as opposed to where we are today.

I always heard growing up that God moves in mysterious ways. I guess this was part of what was meant by that statement.

God bless,

Mr. Keith

I am not one that thinks of boycotts as something to get involved in.

When movies come out that I find offensive, I don't stop going to theaters that are showing it. I go see a different film.

When France said they opposed the war in Iraq, I didn't go out and put one of those stupid "boycott France" stickers on my vehicle. In fact, my first thought when they started showing up was "I bet this idiot isn't even smart enough to figure out what's French and what's not". Those people were the ones that stop eating French Toast and French Fries and French Bread. Thinking they were really sticking it to the French.

When I find out a place I eat or purchase things at regularly supports canidates or policies I disagree with, I don't stop eating or shopping there.
Case in point; Ted Turner is an moron, and he owns Ted's Montana. It's the only restaurant that serves bison on it's regular menu. I happen to really enjoy the taste of bison. If given the opportunity to eat there I jump at the chance. I hate that some of my money goes to him, but I get to eat bison there.

I think boycotts for the most part are a waste of time. They usually end up having the opposite effect then intended. When some people see that there is a boycott they feel the sudden urge to go where others are saying we shouldn't go to.

Where am I going with this?

Boycott Citgo.

The gas station?

Yes, the gas station.

Why?

Because Citgo is owned by the Government of Venezuela, and there for run by Hugo Chavez. Every gallon of gas, candy bar, quart of oil, or six pack of Bud you buy goes to support the new Roberto Mussolini. (Ahmadinejad being the new Hitler. He is calling for the total destruction of Israel, after all.)

Chavez and his government are supporters of Islamic terrorists and any one that hates America (United Nations). I'm not so sure that he is actually a socialist or a communist. I think he is just a power hungry SOB.

If you truly love USA then you would think it a good idea to cause problems for all of our enemies, but if you think hurting the Government of Venezuela is a bad thing, then it's obvious where your loyalties are.

Here's something for all you peace at any pricers, like Carter. The Soviets had a definition for peace you might agree with. Peace is when all voices opposing the Soviet Government are silenced.

The only place to find the peace you want is in solitary confinement.

If you will recall the only reason this nation came into existence was because we went to war with England and won. The only reason we don't all speak German and Israel exists today was that we went to war and won.

The price for freedom and peace is the willingness to take up arms and wage war against those who try to take it away from us until they are defeated. Whether they surrender or are completely destroyed.

With all that said here is a challenge for you. I don't see any reason for the US be be a member of the UN. Some one explain to me why the UN is good for the US.

God bless,
Mr. Keith

p.s. International opinion is a load of crap. So, that is not a reason.

I deleted my post about my reaction to "The Path to 9/11".

I don't regret what I wrote, and if you read it I stand by what I said.

But even though I still meant what I wrote. I believe that it was time to take it down. I didn't intend on keeping up forever any way.

I realize my views can be very polarizing and "offensive" to a lot of people. Just read some of the other blogs I've posted.

The reason I deleted it is because...I'm not sure how to explain it. I could say that some of the language I used was inappropriate and some of it was, but that's not it. I could say it was to politically one sided, but that would not bother me in any way, shape, or form. I could even say that the direction I ended up taking was not what the film was trying to say, but I wasn't writing a review. I was writing from my heart, my emotional experience. That is after all why I waited until after I saw both parts.

It was just time to delete it. I don't know if any one is reading this blog any way. You might be reading this thinking, "What the hell is this loser writing about?"

If you didn't read it then, I just wasted your time. I apologize for that.

If you did, you are probably happy I took it down. You're welcome.

God bless,
Mr. Keith

In responce to The Austin Project, Chris Coggin's blog, September 1, 2006.

Amen, brother.
How often do we as Christians allow ourselves to get caught up in life and forget...No, not forget, but set aside the truths we know.

We don't forget to persue Christ and a Christ-like life. We set those "things" aside because of bills, stress at work, or some one cut us off in traffic.

Even in sin, I am aware of what I am doing, and yet, I continue for that short period of feeling good. Then turn around to the fact that what I just did was wrong.

When i was a child I could get away with the excuse that I didn't know what I was doing to be wrong. Here I am in my thirties, and I still struggle with doing what is right. I know that doing right always, always, always leads to joy. Sin always, always, always leads to darkness and disappointment, but here I am still trying (did you catch that? trying) to do right in the eyes of God.

Oh, how pathetic a creature this man is.

How is it that Jesus still stands beside me holding me up? Walking beside me. So often carrying me through life.

Why does He put up with us? With me? Who am I that You would reach out Your hand to save me? Isn't He great?

God bless,
Mr. Keith

(It's back to talk radio for me.)