this is no longer my blog

One of my redeeming qualities (or at least one that I find redeeming, anyway) is that I am easily amused/entertained. People don't have to go to great expense, most of the time, to find things to keep me interested. This concerns television shows, as well. It doesn't have to be a quality show to keep me entertained... I mean I already admitted to the fact that I watch Real World and the Surreal Life and Survivor... Reality television is considered the lowest form of life amang television shows, and they have no problem keeping me interested (I think it has a lot to do with how much I enjoy people watching, and this gives me the opportunity to people watch without being rude and staring). But there is at least one show that I will not lower myself to watch. It's even an MTV show, which some of my faithful readers might find odd- What? Mark not watch an MTV show? Unheard of!! But the show is Cribs. I have never seen a show that focuses so much on egotism and wealth and bragging so much in my life... except perhaps Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, but that pretty much says it all in the title. Cribs is a half an hour (or more, depending on if you catch a marathon, which MTV is famous for) of celebrities and not-so-much-celebrities showing off their fancy houses, their stable of luxury cars, basically look at what we can afford while you sit in a house you don't own, with borrowed furniture, and a 13" tv (luckily i have a borrowed tv, too, and it's not a 13 incher, but the tv i do own IS.) Basically it's look at the life I can afford and you can really only covet because I'm in a job where I'm horribly overpaid for very little work and you might have three jobs, which serve the public in much more necessary and tangible ways, and you're still struggling to make ends meet. But how do you like my flamingo-shaped swimming pool and my set of 7 porsches, and the 567" plasma screen television? I just don't see any reason for a show like that. So there's my vent for the evening.
In other news, I preached for the very first time in my church. Most people said I did really well, but I ended up having to revamp the ending of my sermon afterwards because I didn't like the way it ended. But, as perhaps you can tell, I'm really not feeling the same as I was in my last post. I had a good talk with my supervising pastor and he told me that realistically, about the time that you feel you've finally gotten into the groove and are making great strides in ministry, is about the time that you have to begin to think about closure and heading back to seminary. And I have only been there for three weeks, and this is my first ministry gig of this caliber, I can't expect to jump right in and be Mr. Super Pastor. I can't even expect to be in the ministry for thirty years and be Mr. Super Pastor. I just need to do the best that I can in the place that I'm at, and not worry about whoever came before me, because I'm my own person and I bring my own gifts to the table and if you don't love me than you're on crack.
Oh, and everyone's favorite new sport seems to be dodgeball. I'm glad the rest of the world is finally catching up with me. I have been singing the praises of dodgeball for quite some time. Ask my Educational Ministry class from last year. I did a power point presentation on dodgeball. Way before the movie came out and this new craze hit. I am a champion.