Getting excitied....

....about the next installment in the Chronicles of Narnia movie series, Prince Caspian.

Here's a link to an interview on Christianity Today with Andrew Adamson, the director.

The Weight of the Story

Can't wait until May 16th! :-)

How to Clean the Toilet (a joke)

This is simply too much of a time saver not to share it with you.

1. Put both lids of the toilet up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.

2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.

3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close the lid. You may need to stand on the lid.

4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.

5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a 'power-wash and rinse.'

6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.

7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift the lid.

8. The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.

9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.

Sincerely,
The Dog

Being "baptized" (a joke)

Johnny's Mother looked out the window and noticed him "playing church" with their cat. He had the cat sitting quietly and he was preaching to it. She smiled and went about her work.

A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back to the open window to see Johnny baptizing the cat in a tub of water. She called out, "Johnny, stop that! The cat is afraid of water!"

Johnny looked up at her and said, "He should have thought about that before he joined my church."

A new spiritual mentor for Obama

From the April 30th Values Voter Blog:

A New Spiritual Mentor for Obama

I sort of heard through the grapevine that Barack Obama might be in the market for a new spiritual mentor.

Maybe Obama would benefit a lot from giving Governor and former Pastor Mike Huckabee a call.

Mike doesn't have a church anymore, since he left the ministry long ago to become a state Governor for 10 1/2 years. But he's still very spiritual. And Barack might really benefit from a chat with him.

On the one hand, Huckabee seems to care more about Obama as a person today than his former Pastor, Jeremiah Wright, does. Obama's old mentor doesn't seem to like him very much. On the other hand, Huckabee has always been complimentary of Obama even though they have very different ideas on politics and policies.

Wright seems to be doing everything he can to nuke Obama's campaign and to introduce racism into a conversation where race previously hadn't been an issue. On the other hand, when Obama was at his lowest and most vulnerable point following the disclosure of the initial set of Wright's garbage rants, Huckabee took the high road and played peacemaker. While condemning the remarks themselves, the former Governor did not use the situation as an opportunity to pile on. And while not justifying Wright in any way, he encouraged people to try to understand the world from which he came, which is a world that Huckabee himself has some understanding of.

And it seems clear that Jeremiah Wright was spending so much time talking about conspiracy theories and America's wrongs that he might not have had time to talk about, you know, spiritual things. I'm betting Wright may not have spent that much time talking with Obama about the usual spiritual mentor topics ... God, the Bible, and things like that. Huckabee would make a much better mentor in this regard and can talk about both spiritual things and social issues at the same time. And Huck can do this without insulting anyone and without the need for prime-time coverage for himself.

And maybe while they're talking, Mike can share his perspective on Jeremiah 1:5 ("Before I formed you in the womb I knew you ...") or Psalm 139:13 ("you knit me together in my mother's womb"). Since Obama is so respectful of people who disagree with him on abortion, maybe this conversation will help him to rethink his "judgement" on the topic. After all, many more Americans have died as the result of abortion than in Iraq. And of all the things Wright has mentioned as being harmful to black people, abortion is hurting us more.

Huckabee can even give Obama some political advice on some practical matters, such as holding a multi-racial and cross-spectrum coalition together in places where it can be hard to form them. You see, Huckabee earned the support of 48% of African American voters in Arkansas - unheard of for a white republican in the very heart of Clinton country. Also, since Huckabee knows quite a bit about balancing budgets and about helping the people to be healthier and have better schools - all without taxing people to death - he might be willing to share his notes on this as well.

Obama needs change in the type of people who give him spiritual advice. He seems open to having a conversation that crosses the traditional political, racial and geographic boundaries. And since he has an opening for a new spiritual mentor, he could learn a lot from taking some advice from a man from Hope who has shown him a lot more kindness and courtesy than the other man from Hope (or others who are on "his side"). This guy is definitely conservative, but, unlike Wright, he isn't mad about it or about anything else. He's already been fully vetted. He has a lot of experience as a Pastor and has a lot of good advice to offer. The new guy doesn't act as if he thinks the whole world revolves around him. And he doesn't throw anyone under the bus.

More Chicago PBR.

Just thought I'd share the highlights video from the rodeo this weekend. :-)

PBR on Saturday in Chicago!

I went to the PBR rodeo on Saturday April 26th and had a great time. Results of the entire PBR rodeo can be found on the main Professional Bull Riders website.

There were only 12 qualifying rides on Saturday night. While my favorite rider, Wiley Petersen (more on him below) did not have a qualifying ride, he made just under 7 seconds, and it was great to see him ride in person. Here are a couple of good pictures.

First, I have a nice picture of one of the bulls being lassoed after the ride getting him back to the corral.



Next picture is a really nice mid-air bull ride shot. This is Brendon Clark riding on Hatrack.



And while the number one bull rider in the world, Guilherme Marchi only rode about 3 seconds, I did actually catch a picture of him on the bull in those 3 seconds!



And more on my favorite bull rider, Wiley Petersen. He's the 2007 World Finals winner, and is also a born again Christian with an incredible testimony. After each and every ride, he kneels down in the arena in prayer before stepping out. It was great to get the chance to see him ride. This is the picture I was able to take of him on the bull he rode, Buckwheat.




Update on May 6th:
I have also added these pictures to a picture album on my Facebook profile.

Blake Shelton - Austin

This is among my favorite songs. Those who know me will also know why I'm posting it right now. :-)

So much fun - There's only one of me! :-)

I had a friend send me the coolest little URL - How Many of Me? And I found out that there is only one Ruth Anne Wheeler in the U.S. Me. :-)

Check it out, and see how many of you there are.

HowManyOfMe.com

http://howmanyofme.com" There is 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. http://howmanyofme.com "How many have your name?

New $5 bill

Sad to say....this may be true sooner than we care to think.

Dog Pack Attacks Gator In Florida

At times nature can be cruel, but there is also a raw beauty, and even a certain justice manifested within that cruelty.

The alligator, one of the oldest and ultimate predators, normally considered the 'apex predator', can still fall victim to implemented 'team work' strategy, made possible due to the tight knit social structure and 'survival of the pack mentality' bred into the canines.

See the remarkable photograph below courtesy of Nature Magazine. Note that the Alpha dog has a muzzle hold on the gator preventing it from breathing, while another dog has a hold on the tail to keep it from thrashing. The third dog attacks the soft underbelly of the gator.

The photo below is not for the squeamish!

(3 puppies attacking alligator toy)