a tale of two brains

I saw this video by Mark Gungor over at Chris Davis’ website and wanted to link to it here for my readers.  (I know, some of you read both, so you’ve already seen it.)  This is a comedy video where a guy describes the differences between the male brain and the female brain.  (Yeah, men and women think differently — if you’re married, you probably know that already.)  It’s called “Tale of Two Brains“.

Remember that this is comedy, so don’t get all offended.  Although, sometimes truth is spoken in jest.  And, as some say, it’s funny because there’s some truth to it…  But also realize that he makes some generalizations in the name of humor, so don’t apply this to everyone.

Anyway, watch it, have a few laughs, and try to convince me there’s not some truth there…  🙂

If you want to watch the extended version, click here.  It’s about twice as long, and it explains why women can’t go in the “nothing” box with men, and it also explains how men and women handle stress differently.

If you enjoyed these, this guy has a couple more videos on YouTube that you might enjoy : Ask More Than Once, and Rainbow.

If you have any thoughts on these, I’d like to hear them.  🙂

origin of Valentine’s Day

I like to look at the origins of holidays, and today’s a famous holiday, so I glanced online to see where it came from.  Saint Valentine (or Saint Valentinus) refers to one or more martyred saints of ancient Rome from the third century A.D.  So the celebration was originated as a tribute to Christian martyrs.  Does that mean the ACLU and various other “special interest” groups will come after it, to remove the Christian connotations from it?  No, because now it’s about giving flowers and cards and chocolate to loved ones.  (That’s not to imply that that’s a bad thing.)

Here’s a bit of modern trivia about Valentine’s Day from Wikipedia :

The Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas.  The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

I think it’s good to have a day where we are reminded to tell our spouse how much we love them, because we sometimes take them for granted.  However, I think the holiday has become way too commercialized and stuck in tradition…

your report card

If your friends anonymously filled out a report card on you, how would they grade you in these areas?

Love
Patience
Understanding
Intelligence
Sense of humor
Helpfulness
Discipline
Kindness
Wisdom

my dad’s legacy

Yesterday was my dad’s birthday.  Sometimes I still miss him…  He passed away about 19 years ago, when I was just 13.  His death was very sudden, with no warning signs whatsoever — just a blood clot near his heart in the middle of the night.  And in an instant, my world was turned upside-down.  I really didn’t know how life could go on, how I could make it.  Nothing anybody could do would make me feel better.  I couldn’t sleep, I didn’t want to eat, and I didn’t want to talk to anybody.  In my desperation, I cried out to God, because I needed Him.  I had known about God, but I didn’t personally know Him until that point.  He met me at my time of crisis, and He gave me peace and comfort and love when I couldn’t find those things elsewhere.  And since then, God has been so faithful to me, revealing Himself more and more.

I know my dad is in Heaven now, because he lived for God and was faithful to Him.  He devoted his life to raising my brother and me right, and he was involved on the praise team at church, and he tried to live a life pleasing to God.  (Not that works save you, but because of his faith he did good works.)  I’m glad he doesn’t have to deal with back pains and the rough times of this life anymore.  But sometimes I still miss him.  And sometimes I wonder what life would’ve been like if he had been around longer.  But I really can’t complain, because God took that bad situation and worked it out for good (as He promises in Romans 8:28).  Through the pain and hardship, I met God personally.  And it forced me to grow up more, to help with my family (because I was the oldest son).  And it made me really cherish my dad and what he stood for, even when I was still a teenager.  His influence is still impacting me, making me want to become a great man of God.  I’m very thankful for the legacy he left.

Thinking about my dad’s life also makes me consider the temporary nature of this life.  We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow.  I still remember the night my dad passed away — it was just a normal evening, until his death.  I have no assurance that I will live a long life, so I need to do all I can every day to accomplish God’s will.  And I don’t want to take my family and friends for granted.

Occasionally I still meet people who knew my dad, and they always have a great testimony of how he influenced their life in a good way.  When it’s my time to leave this earth, I want to leave behind a legacy that glorifies God, like my dad did.

Dr. Phil on growing your marriage

Part of Dr. Phil’s advice to married couples is to write a 65-item gripe list.  Imagine telling your wife, “I wrote a list of 65 things you do that bother me, and I’d like to discuss it.”  Uhh…  I wonder how long it would take to recover from this…

Supposedly Dr. Phil’s marriage of 30 years is great, so he probably knows some things.  Nonetheless, I figure there’s some issues to deal with before presenting a 65-item gripe list.  Or could it possibly be what is needed to get that started?  Any thoughts?