Eternal Fools

MAR 28 - APR 3 2010 – ETERNAL FOOLS – ISSUE 147

Health care is undergoing a massive overhaul, two five seeds are crashing the Final Four, and I witnessed only the second major breakdown of Nick's car, which has over 288,000 miles on it, all in one week. I was going to make a joke about the correlation between those things, but I realize most of you are probably hung up on the mileage on Nick's car. Technically he's driven enough miles to have reached the moon and already be on his way back. You know, if his car could fly, could manufacture oxygen, and somehow not be incinerated entering the atmosphere. Nothing big.

If you've ever been pranked on April Fool's Day, there's a good chance you know the sting embarrassment and the frustration having been "had", can bring. If you've ever delivered a good prank, though, you know the joy successfully pulling the wool over another's eyes can have and the drive obtaining a successful ending can create. Regardless of which side you've been on, in order for the prank to work it takes planning, craftiness, and usually subtle lies or "half truths" to lure the unsuspecting target into position.

What if I were to tell you that someone is pranking you right now. In fact, it's been going on since the day you were born, and with every step you take toward the end of your life it only gets more devious. The players became harder to spot, the lies became thicker and more clever, and the stakes reach eternal proportions. And unlike the ending of most April Fool pranks where both parties share a good laugh, this one only ends in weeping, pain, and absolute failure.

There is a way to come out unscathed though, to deny the pranker their victory and to avoid being the butt of the greatest prank in the history of mankind. When the stakes are this high, and the outcome so important, you can imagine it won't be easy. To be victorious it will require perseverance, wisdom, humility, love, and perhaps most importantly, self control. You cannot hesitate, you cannot waver in your allegiance and dedication, and you must be absolutely clear on what your goal is. No mercy will be shown to you and so none should be given to anything that stands in your way of victory.

JAMES 1:12 - (Click to read)

We are striving for that eternal crown, the one which will never perish. Satan has become very good at getting us to chase those pathetic wreaths, though, diverting our attention and focus through clever plans and elaborate strategies. Without realizing it he can twist goodhearted interests into loyalty stealing distractions. But when the world is his play house, it only makes sense for him to use everything at his disposal, which makes our time here that much more dangerous because his involvement isn't always obvious. Add in that he's been doing this for thousands of years, and we must realize our foe is an experienced prankster who considers no line too far to cross and no rule too good to be broken.

Thankfully, God has given us the Bible for us to study and learn about our enemy so we can know his tactics. We can be prepared and focused. He has given us His Spirit to guide, direct, and strengthen us during our journey. We can discern truth and be humble to it, accepting our need to repent. And He has given us His promise to motivate us to the end. We can know where our loyalty should lie and remain on that narrow path instead of pursuing alternative routes that promise the same destination but only lead to destruction. Don't finish this race only to discover that the king of all pranksters stole your eternal crown and duped you into chasing an idol. Don't be the fool in the Devil's April.

REVELATION 3:11 - (Click to read)

THINGS TO NOTE: Normal Midweek // Resurrection Sunday

THIS WEEK:

Monday - came, saw, and fell asleep

Tuesday- Conquer that idol smashing challenge you created for the final week of the campaign

Wednesday – Normal 7:00 Midweek at the FQ

Thursday – April Fools Day - Go ahead, prank your boss, I'm sure they'll love it

Friday- Bible Talk TBA

Saturday – Focus on the celebration of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection in an extended quiet time

Sunday - Normal 10:00 Sunday Service at the MSC

Brett "I keep hoping my inability to grown facial hair is just one elaborate April Fool's joke" Hibbler

Facts Are Facts

MAR 21 - MAR 27 2010 — FACTS ARE FACTS — ISSUE 146

Word has it this has been an incredible March Madness tourney, and normally I'd be in the thick of it to help confirm those claims. Right now, as most of you know, I'm a tad busy, so I have to live off small snippets and comments I'm given from others. If one of you could put together some sort of highlight reel, that would be really cool. I'll check it out when things slow down. October's looking pretty clear, so if you could have it ready by then that'd be great.

In order to watch some games, or even parts of them, I'd have to make some sacrifices. I'd either have to not go into work, or miss a church event, or neglect paying some bills and getting groceries, none of which would make much sense for just a basketball game. Sometimes I wonder, though, what we do sacrifice for in our lives, and if it's really worth it.

1 CORINTHIANS 9:25-27 - (Click to read)

In this passage Paul refers to well known games of those times. (Think the Olympics, but instead of gold they competed for a wreath of pine needles — hence the whole "not lasting" part) The participants would undergo intense training in self control, giving up certain foods, wine, cold drinks and sensual desires, and they'd stick to regimented schedules of exercise, no matter the weather or other responsibilities, for long periods of time. It's easy to wonder why people would do this just for a wreath of pine needles that  just dry up and die. Regardless of how you explain it, in the end it seems a bit foolish. Yet, if we dig deep enough, I bet there are a few "pine wreaths" in our lives that we're competing for.

If you were to make a list of the sacrifices you made during the last month, what would come out on top? What did you sacrifice the most for, and what was sacrificed the most in order to obtain other things?  I've known people who go to extremes to afford a trip or purchase, yet struggle to come up with a few bucks for something church related. I've seen people give up sleep and great amounts of time for work, yet grumble about getting up early or giving up free time to do something for God or to encourage their brothers and sisters in Christ. So here's my question for you as we continue to look at idols in our lives this week:

If the world were to look at your list of sacrifices, and you were not able to give any explanations, meaning, the list speaks for itself and the facts stand on their own; which god would they think you serve?

Is your job worth giving up eternal life with God? Is that hobby, sport or activity worth sacrificing God's promise and making a mockery of Jesus' sacrifice? Is sleep worth hindering the work of the kingdom and possibly slimming someone else's chance at hearing the Truth? Sure these things pull on us since they are what we're surrounded by 24/7, and seem as if they are the most important thing since they affect our immediate future,  but we cannot lose sight of our final destination. We need to seek that much deeper to understand our ultimate goal, of what we are to be sacrificing for, so that it may take precedent in our lives. No one wants to get to the finish line only to discover they ran the wrong event. These things aren't inherently bad, but if you'll do it for the world, you'd better be willing to do more for God.

JAMES 1:22 - (Click to read)

It's easy to get defensive and try to justify our lists, but in the end our sacrifices and how we spent our time will reveal our true hearts and what really mattered most to us in our lives. Let's be doers. Let's be Christians. Let's be God's people, striving for an nonperishable crown, not a useless wreath.

THINGS TO NOTE: Family focused Bible Talk at Young's on Fri

THIS WEEK:

Monday - had enjoyed the warmer weather but hopes to be able to wear its Moon Boots one more time before summer hits

Tuesday- Continue praying for the sisters' idols

Wednesday – Normal 7:00 Midweek at the FQ

Thursday – Go out and conquer some more Idol Smashing Challenges for the campaign

Friday- 7:30 Bible Talk at the Young's - Don't forget your family photos

Saturday – Pray for God's love to reclaim those struggling in their walk

Sunday - Normal 10:00 Sunday Service at the MSC

Brett "A pretty tall dude for a short guy" Hibbler

Numero Uno

MAR 14 - MAR 20 2010 – NUMERO UNO – ISSUE 145

See what happens when you steal an hour of my sleep just to save billions of dollars in power bills? I start speaking other languages and claiming I can time travel. (Think about it, I went from 2:00 to 3:00 in the blink of an eye — that's time travel.) As cool as those powers are, I'd much rather just fall back every time we change the clocks. And to prevent us from having entire days in the night (which would happen if all we ever did was fall back an hour), we'd just have to fall back like 7 hours at some point. We'd all get really good nights of sleep and put an extra half day on our lives, keeping us younger longer. This could give the world over a renewed vigor and joy, resulting in mass euphoria and global peace.

Maybe I should go back to bed. Clearly I'm losing my sanity.

At the end of last weeks 'C, I mentioned how God takes the idea of idols incredibly serious. I nearly rewrote the entire issue as I realized just how serious that was, but decided to save it for this week.

As New Testament Christians we tend to view sin in a little different way than the Jews did under the Law. They had ten specific things that laid the foundation for acceptable behavior, (which rabbit trailed into all sorts of other laws) while we focus on a person's heart as well as actions that stem from nine of those original ten. Sometimes I think we forget, though, that God hasn't changed his heart or thoughts about that original "list" He made. And even though sin is a bit more complicated than some tangible list of Dos and Don'ts, the ones He did list should still be held in high regard and be considered very specific things we definitely should not violate.

Guess what's number one on that "list"?  I'll give you a hint, it has something to do with idols and not having anything be more important than God. (Exodus 20) I realize God didn't emphasize any of the Commands over the others, or tell Moses to number them, but if the first thing out of His mouth is "don't worship idols", I have to believe there's a reason He said that first. We know He's a jealous God who's always vying for our attention, striving to win our hearts and affection from a world that will leave us empty and unfulfilled. So maybe it's first because He desires our love above all else. Certainly you could make a strong Biblical case for it.

Or maybe He mentions it first because He knows how easily our mind, heart, and attention are given elsewhere, and the dangers of what we tend to always give ourselves to. Perhaps this was His way of warning us of a very real danger, one we tend to overlook, and trying to protect us from the repercussions pursuing worldly treasures and pleasures will bring. Regardless of why it was the first of His commands, it emphasizes the importance of making sure we have no idols in our lives.

As we continue through this month, keep digging deep to unearth idols that are stealing your heart, affection, and usefulness from the Lord. And then take any steps necessary to destroy them. Jesus made it clear that it was better to be radical in ridding sin from your life than "trying to control it." And if God and Jesus were both so concerned with this issue, shouldn't we be, too?

MATTHEW 18:8, 9 - (Click to view)

THINGS TO NOTE: Ohio Valley Women's Retreat Sat and Sun // Sunday = All brother service at Young's at night

THIS WEEK:

Monday - is tired of eating all those carrots and celery it brought to the brunch that people passed over in favor of amazing food and fantastic desert. Not that Monday's bitter or anything...

Tuesday- Keep smashing idols on that list and/or doing your own

Wednesday – Normal 7:00 Midweek at the FQ

Thursday – Pray for your sister's and their conquering of idols

Friday- Normal 7:30 Bible Talk at Biggby's

Saturday – Ohio Valley Women's Retreat

Sunday - No normal Sunday Service. Night Service for brothers at the Young's

Brett "You call it Day Light Savings, I call it a super power" Hibbler

SFC, 72 Hour Weeks & A Move

[caption id="attachment_178" align="aligncenter" width="512" caption="The Only Facial Hair I Can Grow..."][/caption]

Updates, updates, updates. This is the part I failed terribly at with my last site, so in an attempt at repentance, here's the latest art news in my life.

For the past month I've been working at a graphic design firm in downtown Toledo called SFC. It's a company with a fortune 500 client list, and I'd consider it the Swiss Army Knife of the graphics community. The things they can do, print on, and are pioneering are amazing, and send a boy with a never-ending imagination like me into a tizzy just thinking about the possibilities of what I could do if I had free reign of their equipment. Fortunately for them, they've kept me very well guarded during my month stint,  keeping me in a very dimly lit room that's nearly sound proof, which I like to call the "Bat Cave." (Yes, I'm a geek in case you hadn't noticed) Their printers are too big to fit in my car anyway, so there's no sneaking them home either. (Actually, there are better odds of fitting my car through one of their printers than vise-versa. I could strap wheels on one of their ink cartridges and drive it home.)

I was brought in to do some basic InDesign work, and have been blessed with opportunity after opportunity to display lots of the talents, training, and experiences God has given me over the years, helping me make a case for why I would fit nicely in a place where versatility is a must. It's a been a lot of fun, and I'm hoping it doesn't end any time soon. (So far I'm on week 6 of a projected 2, so that's a good start)

The one downside is that I'm still working my other two jobs, I moved, and the usual responsibilities haven't lessoned, so my project with St. James has been postponed (big thanks to their patience), as have my next iPhone App and my children's book. But, if I can land this job full-time, the day for those projects and many others to see the light of day will be here before we know it. That is, if I survive this current sleep schedule of nearly nothing. (What do pillows feel like again?)

And there you go. A full update, complete with at least two jokes and hopefully at least one sentence of relevance. That should keep you satisfied for a while. And if not, send me a donation of 25k and I'll write you hourly updates. Otherwise, tough cookies.

Brett "Worn out, really happy, fighting the urge to itch my arm, and a tad bit thirsty" Hibbler

Idle

MAR 7 - MAR 13 2010 — IDLE — ISSUE 144

On my way to work tonight I saw something I can only describe as bizarrely hilarious. As I drove by one of the many plaza's along Monroe St., I saw out by the curb, sitting on a rock, a teenager. This was strange enough by itself, but he wasn't just sitting there. He had both his feet stuck out in front of him, straight as an arrow, his arms were bent, and his hands gripped an imaginary steering wheel which he was "driving" frantically along an imaginary road. Though his sunglasses obscured his eyes, his smile clearly showed he knew he was being watched and that people were more than likely enjoying the show as he flopped and flailed about like Jim Carrey in Ace Venture 2.  I couldn't help but laugh, and it definitely lightened my mood as I went in to work — Nice job, kid. Nice job.

That teenager may have looked and acted as if he was moving, but in reality it was quite the opposite. Despite the perception he gave, no matter how hard he jammed on his "gas pedal", he and his rock weren't going anywhere. Sometimes I wonder if that's the same way a lot of us are in our spiritual lives. Oh we look busy and our schedules are stuffed to the brim, and when around our brothers and sisters we seem like we've got our act together, but in reality the things that are consuming us aren't all that focused on God. We're really just as idle as that kid on the rock.

Instead of spending our time, energy, and resources on the Kingdom and God's work, we use it to satisfy some craving for personal reasons, bringing our spiritual maturing to a virtual halt until we begin again. These distractions are often dubbed "idols", so I guess you could say an idol in your life can easily make your walk with God idle.  (Thank you English language for making that awkward to say out loud.) A lot of things that detract from our time with God aren't inherently evil as we all know, but when I look at how I use my time I always feel that twinge of guilt if I see I spent more time on personal ventures than being involved with God's.

So what's making you idle right now? A hobby? TV? Sports? Politics? Cooking? Sleeping? Movies, music, or other forms of entertainment? Or maybe it's more along the lines of what Ryan discussed, relationships with your husbands/wives, kids, friends, co-workers, or others that sometimes we focus and obsess over so much it consumes us.

The theme of this month's campaign is idols and working very hard at conquering them. There are so many things in our lives that can quietly steal us away from God, so let's embrace the challenges for each week, let's try hard to pinpoint what it is in our lives that's making our walk with God idle, and let's stop behaving like a foolish kid on the side of the road. God takes the business of idols very serious, and it's time we did too.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:11, 12 - NIV (click to read)

THINGS TO NOTE: Church-wide fast Sun to Mon // Family Group Midweek @ Young's // Women's Devo on Sat // BYoN Service on Sun

THIS WEEK:

Monday - Fast ends at 7pm. Eat hardily!

Tuesday- Finish up that idol inventory if you haven't already

Wednesday – Family Group Midweek at the Young's at 7:00

Thursday – Pray for your brothers and sisters' idols.

Friday- Normal 7:30 Bible Talk at Biggby's

Saturday – Women's Devo at Young's at 9:00

Sunday - BYoN (Bring Your own Neighbor) Sunday Service and Brunch at the MSC

Brett "Thanks to under enunciation, I often forget idle and idol are two different words" Hibbler

Custom Sketch-Board Survey

CALLING ALL ARTISTS:
Ever had a sketch board? (Also known as an art board, portable art pad, or White Slab on the street) Ever wondered what it would be like if you could put your own artwork right on it? Regardless of whether the idea has ever crossed your mind, some obvious complications probably dissuaded you from ever attempting it. First, it would take some serious time to paint it yourself, and there would be little room for error. Then there's the smear factor of the final piece, and the fact the paint would ruin the smoothness of the board, making it difficult to use for drawing once it's been painted. The solution to all of these issues has arrived.

BACKSTORY:
Currently I'm working at a national Graphics company (Clients like Division 1 colleges, American Eagle, Home Depo, Lowes, Owens Corning - The Pink Panther inventors-, Rubbermaid, etc.) and have been granted access to their ridiculously amazing technology and ability to print on nearly anything flat. Seriously, the stuff they can print on, scan, and use baffles the mind.  Glass? No problem. Wood? Yep. Metal? Check. Plastic? Double Check. Cork board? Indeed. Laminate, vinyl, and paper? Since before you were born. Rock, stone, and shingles? Believe it or not, it's true. The catch is that I have to prove there is an interest in the product I want printed, thus making it available to the masses. (I.E., you and me at a low cost, not just for corporations.) That's where you come in.

THE DEAL:
Recently they've perfected the art of printing full color images on the front, back, or both sides, full bleed or positioned however desired, on portable sketch boards. (Ones like in the image above  with the handle cut out of a side and a clamp to hold your art).  The ink lays flat, keeping the surface clean and smooth, and the boards can be coated with any number of finishes, one even allowing it to be used like a Dry Erase board if needed.

The idea of having my art on a board that I could still sketch on, use like normal, or just have on display seemed cool. But having the ablity to print a bunch and take them to Cons, put my portfolio on one side and a splash on the other, or whatever else I wanted on it (even a giant picture of my face to scare small children) to use for general promotional purposes seemed like the perfect next step in marketing myself. It's like a business card, but usable, durable, and way too big for the recipient to lose in a drawer.

Now imagine this, you're at a comic con and you win a sketch board with some original pencil art by your favorite artist, signed by him and the writer of your favorite book. How cool would it be to have some pro work on your board to inspire you as you drew? (or shame you if the piece you're doing really stunk) Or if nothing else, just to have it on display around the house?

If this all sounds pretty good to you, then I need your help.

WHERE YOU COME IN:
All I need right now is a proof that artists would be interested in such a product. Written emails of interest would be great, so please send them, and pass this info and my email  (bretthibbler@gmail.com) on to anyone you know who may be interested. There's also a thread on Deviant Art to drum up some interest, so check the boards for that discussion. The green light is there and a similar website portal for direct user ordering and design has been created and will be ready for use, but only if there's a market for the product.

Also, in case you're curious about pricing, it's looking to be low. Like nearly as low as getting a blank one. This company is huge, so they can do things very inexpensively because they have their own shipping company in house and already have the stock of boards for other clients, so they have the bulk rates already. But, again, our access all depends on interest levels.

Thanks in advance for your assistance, and feel free to ask any questions you have. I'll do my best to get back to you.

Brett
www.1lastshot.com