R.I.P.

This happened at work today; I had to break the bad news to Bryant...this truly is a day for mourning. The following story is taken from NBC4.com:

WHEATON, Md. -- A two-alarm fire swept through a chicken restaurant in a Montgomery County strip mall Saturday morning.
The blaze erupted about 8:45 a.m. in the duct work above the stove at El Pollo Rico, where workers had just arrived to start cooking. The fire spread to the roof of the strip mall, which is across the street from Westfield Shoppingtown Wheaton.
The fire damaged three other businesses -- Ranger Surplus Army-Navy Store, Sarita's Beauty Salon and Henry's Insurance. All three were closed. A Salvation Army thrift store was also closed because its utilities were shut off.
Fire officials said the blaze was accidental, likely caused by grease in the duct work. It took more than half an hour to bring the flames under control.
Fire officials estimated the damage at $750,000 to $1 million.

A song that moves my soul

Casting Crowns - "East to West"

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness

The chains of yesterday surround me

I yearn for peace and rest

I don't want to end up where You found me

And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight

I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west

And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned

But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west 'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again

In the arms of Your mercy I find rest'cause You know just how far the east is from the westFrom one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin

Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in

Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light

I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night

I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals

I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me

You're holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west

I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again

In the arms of Your mercy I find rest 'cause You know just how far the east is from the west

From one scarred hand to the other

One scarred hand to the other

From one scarred hand to the other.

A little excitement at Carribou

So it's Thursday night, BIBLE TALK NIGHT, and I'm determined that, one way or another, this will not be a typical BT night. I was planning on meeting up with Chudi at Carribou Coffee in downtown Silver Spring around 6p so we could invite people to come to the Bible discussion we were having at 7:30p. Well, 5:45p rolled around and I still hadn't heard from him all day. But I did here from Lemlem, and we made plans to meet up and invite people. As I drove down there, I finally heard from Chudi; he said he'd get there around 6:45p, so I told him to save us some tables.

As I drove down to the coffee shop, I found myself getting nervous about inviting people to the discussion. I hadn't specifically invited people to our discussions in a while, so there was a considerable amount of rust to shake off. But I was determined to do it. Arriving there, I found Lemlem and Yvonne sitting at the long table that our group usually grabs for BT. Lemlem admitted that she was nervous about reaching out too (she was also a little rusty). So we prayed for courage and compassion, and got up and started. The first girl we talked too was very friendly; she couldn't stay for our discussion, but she mentioned she was looking for a church! We exchanged info and parted ways. The next girl was friendly, but not too interested. She was doing work and couldn't be bothered. The next lady didn't even want to talk to us. So we moved on to this couple that were both working on their computers. Lemlem started to speak to them, and the guy expressed how he thought it was really rude when people "try to push their religion on you." He wouldn't even share with us what his religious beliefs were. We both had to recuperate a bit after talking to this guy...we definitely wern't expecting that kind of reaction! Fortunately, we were not discouraged and kept on talking to people. The next guy Lemlem spoke to actually wanted to come to the discussion!

Eventually, it was time to start the discussion. The guy Lemlem invited and another guy who walked in that Yvonne knew ended up coming. We had a great discussion on faith, with Yvonne's friend adding a lot of interesting comments. All in all, it was a great first Bible Talk of the year, and I can't wait for the next ones!

NEVER AGAIN!

There's nothing more eye-opening about the food you eat than finding out exactly how many calories are in it...

So there I was, working some overtime today at Rescue 2. I had to come straight from station 28 this morning, so I had no time to stop anywhere for breakfast. "No problem, I'll just pick it up later," I thought. I was going to go to this diner, but they were closed. IHOP was practically right next to the diner, so I figured I'd go there and get my favorite omelette, the "Big Steak Omelet." This Omelet comes with three pancakes, and I knew that I'd be really full after I ate it. So I eat it, feel really full, and eventually decide to check out exactly how many calories this Omelet has. Here are the results from calorieking.com: Total fat - 87g. Total Cholesterol - 910mg (303% of the daily value!) Saturated Fat - 35mg. Sodium - 1840mg. I had a feeling the numbers would be high, but I had no idea they'd be OFF THE CHARTS. Let's just say some repentance will be happening right here, right now. IHOP, it's been fun, but you and I (at least the Big Steak Omelet and I) are THROUGH.

A food I will NEVER eat again

There's nothing more eye-opening about the food you eat than finding out exactly how many calories are in it...

So there I was, working some overtime today at Rescue 2. I had to come straight from station 28 this morning, so I had no time to stop anywhere for breakfast. "No problem, I'll just pick it up later," I thought. I was going to go to this diner, but they were closed. IHOP was practically right next to the diner, so I figured I'd go there and get my favorite omelet, the "Big Steak Omelet." This Omelet comes with three pancakes, and I knew that I'd be really full after I ate it. So I eat it, feel really full, and eventually decide to check out exactly how many calories this Omelet has. Here are the results from calorieking.com: Total fat - 87g. Total Cholesterol - 910mg (303% of the daily value!) Saturated Fat - 35mg. Sodium - 1840mg. I had a feeling the numbers would be high, but I had no idea they'd be OFF THE CHARTS. Let's just say some repentance will be happening right here, right now. IHOP, it's been fun, but you and I (at least the Big Steak Omelet and I) are THROUGH.

GIANT upset

Who would have thought it? Who would have dreamed it?? Who would have conceived it??? Surely not I...I was probably the most stunned person that night at the Carona House. I was CONFIDENT that the Patriots would finish off the season unbeated and secure their place in football history as one of the most dominant franchises ever to play the game. But with the amazing David Tyree catch and the go-ahead touchdown to Plaxico, all that Patriots talk was silenced. One thing was for sure...our HOUSE sure wasn't silent...anti-Patriot fans (I can't call anyone who was there true Giants fans; people just wanted to see the Pats go down) were going nuts during that final Giants drive. Sure enough, they pulled off the impossible and handed New England their only loss of the season, and what a time to lose. With a super bowl loss, 18 wins still doesn't sooth the pain.

So now here I am at work, chillin at station 28 (Gaithersburg), riding the fire engine (WHOO-HOO! Second fire day in two straight shifts!) and waiting for something to happen. We were on a call where a guy was legitimately having a heart attack, but the ambulance crew got him to the hosptial and no doubt helped save his life. What else will happen today? Only time will tell...

Decision '08

I spent some time on Barack Obama's website today, checking out videos of him speaking and learning about his history. I must say, after what I read on the site, and after what I saw of him on the debates the other night, I really like him. I still need to find out more on where he stands on some of the issues, but he's my leading candidate so far.

I don't know if you guys have seen the movie "Crazy/Beautiful," but I just finished watching it and it drove home the importance of how everyone needs someone who believes in them and makes them feel loved. Kirsten Duntz's character has some major issues in her life, stemming from her past relationship with her mother and current relationship with her dad. It took the love of Jay Hernandez's character (and him risking his own future) to help her see her worth. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but I'm a sucker for a good love story.

Oh, and that picture of Barack...I took that picture. Seriously.