MoviePastor.com: Church, Culture, Christ

Man Night - Saturday

This Saturday in the great metropolis of Hartselle, Bad Boy Boxing is holding an event titled Alabama Extreme Cage Fighting in the Hartselle Civic Center.  I dont watch Ultimate Fighting, I've never been to a cage fight - but this sounds way too redneck to pass up.  Seeing someone get beat to a bloody pulp on purpose inside of a cage sounds like my kind of fun!

The event starts at 7:30.  Tickets are $15.00 for general admission - $20 for ringside.  Several guys from Crosspoint are planning to go.  So lets go hang out.

We can meet at the Mexican Restaurant - El Portal  - in Hartselle at 5:15 - that should get us out in time to get over to the civic center early and get a decent seat.  We might take your money and send someone over early to get tickets. 

If you are going - leave me a comment, email me - or call the church phone and let me know so we'll get a table big enough.  Someone will be there at 5 to reserve the table.

iPhone Limbo

CRAP!  I'll post details later - but I got my shiny new iPhone and cant use it.  Its a brick.  The AT&T people overwhelemed the iTunes store apparently and cant unbrick the phone.  they sent me home with a nice new $300 brick!  Called at&t and they said to keep trying.  Blogs are saying that people around the country are having the same problem. 

Apple couldn't see this coming? 

App Store on iTunes

There are some pretty cool and free apps on the new iTune store for my soon to be new iPhone.  Already got Pandora and Typepad apps for free music and blogging.  Surfing the store now.  SWEET!  Gonna get the new Youversion Bible for iPhone too! 

iAmexcited

Went to the AT&T store last night to scope out the potential situation on an iPhone.  Fortunately I live in a smaller town.  Best guestimates are that the store will have fewer than 100 iPhones, but more than a couple dozen based on what I could pull out of him.  They will have 6 employees manning the store and open at 8.  I asked about interest and people telling him when they were planning to line up.  Only one caller to the store said they would be lining up early.  That guy said 3:00am.  CRAP!  Our plan (me, a buddy from work, and a buddy from church) are getting there at 5:00am.  The AT&T rep said based on his gut feel, we'd be among the first.  I want to be one of the first 6 in the store!  I got to get my phone and get out so I can go to work.  There is an APPLE store in Huntsville but that place will probably be slammed.  I bet people start lining up tonight!

The BEST part of the conversation.  I asked about 3G coverage in Decatur.  There was coverage in HSV but not Decatur when Apple announced the phone.  They turned on 3G in Decatur 2 days ago!!  I probably wont be able to sleep tonight.  If I cant - I might be there before the 3:00am dude arrives! 

So - are YOU getting an iPhone?  Are you waiting in line to get it? 

Video Week

OK - since i've almost done all video posts this week I thought I'd pass along this one.  I almost wet myself laughing at Joe Cocker singing at Woodstock.  Made me think about songs the church sings sometimes.  Does our music make sense to the people we are reaching?  At least sing clearly and put the words on the screen.

Check it out

Now Playing...

on the iPod:

• Take the Long Way Home - Supertramp
• Slow Ride - Foghat
• The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
• The Logical Song - Supertramp
• I want you to want me - Cheap Trick
• Don't Bring Me Down - Electric Light Orchestra
• Heart of Glass - Blondie

Yep - thats a weird mix

Any suggestions from that Era? 

Your Choice

"Live for nothing, die for something - your choice."

I watched Rambo last night, which was an incredible film.  At one point during the movie while he's going into a hostile area to rescue someone, a few of the people with him don't want to go because the odds are against them.  John Rambo - excellently played by a bulked up Sylvester Stalone - says "Live for nothing, die for something, your choice!"

Rambo's mission is to rescue Sarah Miller (and the rest of her missionary team held captive in Burma).  The cool thing is that it was Sarah who had earlier challenged Rambo to do something about the dire situation in Burma by telling him "trying to save a life isn't wasting your life, is it?" 

This challenge sort of set John into motion and action in this incredible rescue with incredible special effects.

Isn't that our challenge?  Trying to save a life isnt wasting our life!  It's what we live for. Or rather what Christ has called us to die for. There are so many empty pursuits in life that occupy most of our time and energy.  But in the end they amount to nothing.  We can't take anything with us.  Instead we should be dying to the things of this world and living to do what we can only do while we are here on this earth - reach people for Christ.

You have one life to live - how are you going to live it?  Live for nothing, die for something.  Your Choice!

No Man Capris!

I didnt know there was such a thing as "man capris"  We dont have a dress code at Crosspoint - but maybe we should at least ban the wearing of man capris - like this restaurant/pub I went to recently. 

iHope it goes on sale SOON!

New iPhone gets announced tomorrow! Oh Yeah Baby!  I will have one the day it comes out!

Is Pizza Hut Ready Web 2.0?

So I decide to test ordering pizza online from Pizza Hut. I have a 20% off your first online order so I figure why not.  I get online, select my items, and go to check out.  Of course it wants me to create an account.  It even offers me a way to use my cell phone to text orders in and check the status.  Pretty cool.  So I fill out the form

1 - it doesnt like my password - even though its a strong password it has a comma in it - they dont like that.  No big deal I have more passwords - but its annoying. 
2- Because the form reset due to the invalid password - I had to fill out some info twice - didnt like that but I did.
3 - I put in the code for the coupon and it says "invalid code" - I check the code several times - visit the help to make sure Im entering the right number - its correct.  Code does NOT work. 
4 - I get online and find another code (thank goodness for free coupon sites).  I enter this and it kicks me back to the first screen and my order is lost.
5 - I sign back in, put my order in, try the codes again - they dont work. 

Now Im frustrated - so I call their customer service line.  I explain the problem and they tell me that someone will call me IN THREE BUSINESS DAYS.  So I might get a call Tuesday about this.  I wanted a pizza today.  What the Heck!?!?

So I give up and call the local store that delivers.  The person who answers the phone has better ebonics than english skills but we wade through and I ask "hey - i have an online coupon for 20% off that I cant use, will you honor it"  He is polite and says yes.  We wade through the order and then he says its going to take an hour and a half.  WHAT!!??!!  Now I am furious so I cancel the order.  I start to order another vendor - but we want to try their new pasta - not a pizza.

There is another store closer that doesnt offer delivery but has carry out.  I call the number on my coupon and a friendly voice answers.  He asks which Pizza Hut I will be picking my order up at.  Uh, the one I called?  There are only 2 - i called the first one and thought I called the second one.  It was a local number.  No - I actually called an order center in Tennessee.  I tell him the pizza hut at the mall.   "What block is it located in - the 2400 block or the 900 block?"  How the heck should I know?  Both of our restaurants are located on the same road and I could not tell him which one is which. 

Its by the mall.  Of course the name of the mall changed recently so it takes a while for us to figure out which pizza hut is which.  I ask about the coupon -  He checks with a supervisor - which takes a few minutes - and they will honor my coupon. 

Total time spent ordering - 30 minutes.  Round trip drive - 15 minutes.  Not sure how much $4.00 gas I burned to go get it - but I save the delivery charge  - and  I got 20% off.

Will I use Pizza Hut Online again?  MOST LIKELY NOT!  Will I be calling them soon to order?  Probably not.  Pizza Hut - if you are read this - you need to get your web act together!