Mission of Fatherhood

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

God has put some circumstances in my life, again, that have brought on some new thinking and a different focus, again. He seems to keep doing that and it's never easy... but it is my own fault for resisting His nudgings. I am not going to go into the details of those circumstances because, frankly, they are unimportant to the point
and a little personal.

What God laid on my heart and then my wife sort of said almost the same thing the next morning was that if you are steeped in pop-culture and fill your head with new releases in the theater, current releases of your favorite secular music artists, keep up with and work to see your favorite TV shows, and generally fill your mind with all these things of the world... You are probably missing some growth opportunities, if not most growth opportunities. Your mind is occupied with the world and not God. How important is pop-culture to us? Billions of dollars are spent on entertainment of the movie/music/TV varieties. That's how important.

What is the chief end of man? Why are we here? To glorify God and do His will. He gives each of us a purpose. We are alive because God wants us to be. If He wants us to be, then He has a purpose for us. Am I fulfilling that purpose?

I am not a huge TV person. We just don't watch that much. I have some shows I watch with guys at work and we talk about them. Same with movies, we talk about those, too. I do love movies. Probably my favorite form of entertainment. I also like music. I also have always loved Stephen King books. I have every Stephen King audio book in my collection. And I am not going to condemn any of those forms of entertainment, that's not my point. But my issue here is that I listened to secular music in the car, and I like some good alternative rock-and-roll which is typically not very godly these days. If not music then I was listening to a Stephen King audiobook or some other secular audiobook. I also focus on what movies are out and the TV shows that we do watch I spend energy making sure we have them recorded to watch at work and that time is spent doing that. But how much time and energy do I spend on/with/for God? I do bible study with the kids in the morning and spend time reading (a little) on my own but for the most part I am spending most of the time and energy on things that aren't glorifying to God or giving me an opportunity to grow. Very little.

So, I felt the need (i.e. nudge) to refocus a little. I removed the music from my portable device as well as all audiobooks. I am only listening to teaching by John MacArthur during my commute (he's fantastic) and I am completely committed to having a better attitude and those easy little things we do every day without thinking about them that aren't really glorifying to God or even obedient to God... I am just as committed to being aware and conscious and purposeful about my actions. That attitude/actions part sort of was a side effect, honestly. That didn't start as a conscious choice but actually came about from the first part. I just ended up winning the little battles against myself a little easier that cause the bad attitudes and disobedient actions.

This has only been the past few days, but I promise you I feel a difference in my heart. There is a very intense peace about it. I have not ever really felt it like this before. I think for the first time in my life I am finally letting go of my selfish desires/lusts of the flesh that we all fight... the ones I didn't really want to let go of (oh, this one isn't so bad. I'll just hang on a little bit to it) and God has blessed me with a peace about it to show me I should have let go a long time ago. Again, I am not saying that entertainment is bad. I am saying that putting entertainment higher than God is bad. I mean, that's a no-brainer... but it's also VERY easy to do.

There are times I am very sad and regretful about missed opportunities and wasted time in my life. I've made some really bad choices along the way. Thank God for His mercy and His grace. But I think if I dwell on that regret, I'll never get past it because as life goes on and I grow, there will always be something to look back on and regret. Instead, I just want to move forward now. I am actually kind of excited to keep moving forward. But I guess that's a whole other post.

Wow, she's gorgeous.

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:26:00 +0000

Just found this picture on my wife's blog actually and was stunned at how gorgeous this little girl is. Maybe I am biased because she's mine... but I don't think that's it.

Adam & Eve

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:05:00 +0000

I just finished going through a bible study with the kids from John MacArthur called Before Abraham which details some of the major events in Genesis before Abraham. Of course, the first event would be Adam and Eve and the creation of everything. Also, I am reading a book right now titled Family Man, Family Leader by Philip Lancaster which is about biblical fatherhood. Both of these have discussed Adam and Eve and both have said the same thing about something that had escaped me before. Not sure how I have not heard or thought this before (maybe I have and just forgot?).

Adam was created first, of course. He was given the command to eat from all the trees of the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Note that God didn't tell Adam what NOT to eat. He told him what he could eat. This command was given before Eve was even created. That is interesting in the idea that Adam had the responsibility of teaching Eve of God's command once Eve was created.

God says that it is not good for man to be alone. In my mind, this is where woman was created, but that is not correct. God first brings all the animals to Adam so he could see them and name them. An establishment of his dominion of the animals and... and here's the part I've never seen before... to show Adam that there was not a suitable mate for him in existence, that it would take a new and special creation to fill that role. Then God created Eve and Adam knew she was exactly what he needed. A brilliant bit of teaching from God.

In the Family Man, Family Leader book, this is discussed in the context of Biblical headship and the order and hierarchy of God's creation. Something that fragmentation of the family from industrialization and feminism has really injured in our modern culture. Just the mention of headship or submission causes a negative reaction. That's most likely because we've lost the biblical definition of headship and submission. Jesus himself submitted to God the Father, the ultimate "head." The savior of the world was in submission. That doesn't mean he is less than the Father, or somehow weaker or diminished or worth less. No, it means there is an order to things by God's nature.

But I love the way God showed Adam how he needed Eve and how nothing else could be what she was to him. That was pretty cool.

Mission of Motherhood

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 03:25:00 +0000

My wife, Becca, has moved her blog to a new address and given it a brand new face (I might've had something to do with that part). She's way better at this blogging thing than I am and way smarter, too. Head on over and give her a visit and see what she has to say.

http://www.MissionOfMotherhood.com

Echo

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 05:09:00 +0000

As a father I have, many times, heard my tone or the harsh words come out of my mouth only to totally regret it immediately after. Most of my life I have had a short fuse and it comes out with my kids too often. I mean, kids can be a bit... um... trying, I guess. If you ever wanted to work on your patience or the ever popular "long-suffering" then I supposed having a large family is the perfect thing for you. I remember my mom saying to my older brother one time something about God is helping you learn patience and he replied, "I didn't ask to learn patience."

Anyway... If I thought the regret of saying harsh things or saying things harshly was bad, now I hear the same words or tone echoed from my kids sometimes. That really hurts. I have passed on this short-tempered, unguarded tongue thing to my kids and it hurts my stomach when I think of that. I wonder, "Is it too late to fix it?" Well, I don't actually know. I have to fix it in myself first before it can be fixed in them. Something to think about and work on.

The world hates Christians... and we deserve it.

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:31:00 +0000

Christians have a problem. The world sees Christians in a very negative light. I know, scripture says that they will hate us because of Jesus but this is not because of Him. This is because of us. I have a couple of examples that will help to clarify what I am saying.

The movie Easy A has a group of Christians in it and they are portrayed as pompous, exclusive, not exactly all that smart, complaining, completely closed-minded, extremely fallible and weak but very hypocritical about it, bent on imposing beliefs on everyone around them and if everyone doesn't subscribe to those beliefs within an acceptable amount of time then they must be sent away because they aren't worthy to be around. Many Christians would be very offended by the way Christians are portrayed in the movie and would, very possibly, call them out for it and

maybe boycott the film and all the actors in it... which, by the way, would perpetuate the exact reasons they were seen that way in the movie to start with. See where I am going here?

Another example is GrinchAlert.com... a site put out there by a church in Dallas. This site is a place Christians can go to complain and call-out business and such who refuse to act Christian enough about Christmas. There was one posting there where the bank this particular person used did not have any Christmas decorations and were not planning to have any and the posting person was offended enough to say they were going to change banks because of it. Really?

Here is a shocking statement... not everyone is redeemed. There are more who aren't than are. I know that because scripture says that's how it is.

¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Matthew 7: 13, 14 (New King James Version)

How can we expect the unredeemed to act redeemed or have the heart of the redeemed? We can't. We can't expect all businesses to be excited about Jesus or see Christmas as a holy day because they don't have it in them because they aren't redeemed. So is calling them out and refusing to do business with them going to save them? Um... no. It just makes Christians look exactly like the people they already think we are.

¹⁴ Do all things without complaining and disputing, ¹⁵ that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Phillipians 2:14-16 (New King James Version)

Instead of trying to save everyone with the imposition of our (God's) will on them... we should love them. Paul tells us that by our character, by our love, by our actions as Christians will we affect people for Christ. We can make people want to be like us and want to love Christ by bearing good fruit and showing true, Christ-like character. They will be drawn to it.

¹ Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, ² to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. ³For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, ⁵ not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
⁸ This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
⁹ But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.
Titus 3:1-9 (New King James Version)

What I believe Paul is saying in the passage above is that our neighborhood, our workplace, the grocery store, the highway, etc. should all be better places because we are there. That people will be drawn to God BY THE GRACE OF GOD through your character and service, and not because of it. "Be ready for every good work," Paul says. "These things are good and profitable to men." That's what will bring people around and make them want to be a part of the body of Christ. Then in verse nine, Paul tells us that this sort of arguing and contentiousness and "strivings about the law" are "unprofitable and useless." We are not going to win souls by complaining about the phrase Happy Holidays or whether the business' Christmas tree is "Christian" enough for Jesus. We are starting to sound more like the ACLU than the beloved of Jesus Christ. Serve in love and "speak evil of no one." That's how we honor Christ this Christmas, with an attitude change to service in love.

I fail at this every day. I am a complainer. Not about Christmas decorations or phrases, but many other things in my daily routine. I judge people outside my idea of goodness and righteousness without even really being conscious of it. I forget to love the hard to love. I hate how people drive so selfishly here in the Dallas area and I totally forget to love many of them every commute. God forgive me. I guess this is my personal, spiritual project for the month...

to improve myself in this area and hopefully teach my kids the same so they can grow with me.

The Case for Siblings

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:54:00 +0000

A funny and true to life post over at Faith and Family:

http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/features/the_case_for_siblings

Toy Story 3 Outing

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:09:00 +0000

I have three kids with birthdays within a month of each other in June and July. I wanted to take them to see Toy Story 3 as sort of a day with Dad thing. I took half a day off from work to take them. I decided to include Henry, my four year old son, too, since I thought he could sit without making it too difficult and he would enjoy the movie. I considered taking Sophia, my two year old daughter, who absolutely loves Toy Story 2... but really had some fears about her ability to sit still through the movie or maybe having one of those two year old freak-out fits that she has sometimes and that I would have to change a diaper away from home (which I really hate) and we were seeing it in 3D and I had doubts about her ability to deal with the glasses for the whole movie and how she could generally really make the whole experience a drag if things went badly.

Now, I really thought all those things and I talked myself into not taking her. My wife said she didn't want to be the one to tell her because she would be heart-broken. I just thought we wouldn't tell her and it would be all good. But Becca, my wife, brought up the fact that the other kids would be talking about it when they got home and Sophia is no stooge, she's gonna know she missed it. So I thought just turn on Toy Story 2 for her here at home while we are at the movies and she'll be happy as can be. Becca would not even consider that because she said if she was at home with Sophia and most of us were gone she would not sit Sophia in front of the TV. She just couldn't do it. That's my wife... always thinking of the kids.

In the end... If you go back and re-read the last two paragraphs with the perspective of how selfish they really are (i.e. how selfish I am), you will see why I ended up thinking about it and realizing that it's not about me. Yes, I took her with us. She did great. She sat still and quiet and watched the movie all the way through. She did not like the 3D glasses much, but who can blame her? They were HUGE on her. I did have to change a diaper, but look... I am still alive and didn't suffer any permanent damage. Apparently the cutoff age for having to pay for a movie ticket is ONE so her ticket cost the same $8 matinée price as all the rest of us. Ouch. Yes, a matinée with me and five kids was $48 and I didn't buy a single kernel of popcorn or a bottle of water. No wonder movies make millions.

So, we had a good time... all of us. We made memories and it was actually my initiative to put the outing together which is something I am historically bad at. I worried it from my selfish perspective thinking how miserable I could be if the little ones acted badly and almost made a decision that would have come back on me later like bad tacos. I would've regretted it and would not have been able to take it back. I thank God that He softened my heart for my daughter and allowed me to give up the worry and enjoy the time. Consider that if you start to worry yourself into something like that.

Pink

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 01:53:00 +0000

My daughter, Sophia (2), loves pink. Pink clothes, pink shoes, pink balloons, pink anything.

One evening at dinner everyone was talking about hair and Sophia said something about wanting pink hair. So I decided to pink her up using my mad Photoshop skills and this was the result. She was pretty excited to see pink hair and eyes.

She is now the pink princess. She's beautiful in any color and one of my blessings and I am thankful for her.

Proverbs 3 (New King James Version)

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 02:49:00 +0000

Guidance for the Young (and maybe the not so young)

¹ My son, do not forget my law,

But let your heart keep my commands;
² For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.
³ Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
⁴ And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.
⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
⁸ It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.
⁹ Honor the LORD with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
¹⁰ So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.
¹¹ My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
Nor detest His correction;
¹² For whom the LORD loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
¹³ Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;
¹⁴ For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
¹⁶ Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who retain her.
¹⁹ The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;
²⁰ By His knowledge the depths were broken up,
And clouds drop down the dew.
²¹ My son, let them not depart from your eyes—
Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
²² So they will be life to your soul
And grace to your neck.
²³ Then you will walk safely in your way,
And your foot will not stumble.
²⁴ When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
²⁵ Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
²⁶ For the LORD will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.
²⁷ Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor,

“ Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
²⁹ Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.
³⁰ Do not strive with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.
³¹ Do not envy the oppressor,
And choose none of his ways;
³² For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD,
But His secret counsel is with the upright.
³³ The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the home of the just.
³⁴ Surely He scorns the scornful,
But gives grace to the humble.
³⁵ The wise shall inherit glory,
But shame shall be the legacy of fools.

Henry's Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:38:00 +0000

My son, Henry, turned four years old today. Last night it started to snow, again. This is a pretty strange thing for this part of Texas this time of year. We've had quite a bit of snow this year... again, for this part of Texas. I took the kids in the truck and we went on a "snow ride" so they could see it falling while we drove. Henry said, "It's like God gave me a birthday present." Amen, Henry... Amen.

Families Worshiping Together

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:54:00 +0000

This is a really good post over at Generation Cedar about children and children's church/sunday school

FAMILIES WORSHIPING TOGETHER - WHY NOT CHILDREN'S CHURCH

Here's a Great Message

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:39:00 +0000

The Centrality of the Home in the Evangelism and Discipleship of the Next Generation - Voddie Baucham

Take 30 minutes or so to listen to this and you will hear Voddie talk about this mission.

CLICK HERE

It's a Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:13:00 +0000

We had the mid-term sonogram this past week and we are officially going to be the Brady Bunch... it's girl #3. So that's three boys and three girls for those keeping score at home.

Everyone except the two oldest boys was happy about the results... the boys wanted another boy, of course.

A Banner Day

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:05:00 +0000

My 3 year-old son, Henry, has had this fear of pooping for a very long time now. It's not that he was constipated or anything... he just didn't want to poop. He actually would hold it in for a week at a time. We called it the Stinker Shuffle because of the dance he did while trying to hold it in with all his might. During these times he was extremely loud with crying and moaning and sometimes outright screaming. We all hate the Stinker Shuffle around here.

When it happened in public, people would really wonder what in the world those crazy people with all the kids are doing.

A few weeks ago, Henry decided (all at once pretty much) that he was going to pee on the potty and wear big boy underwear. That's how he put it. I gotta say, when the boy decides something, he does it. I honestly don't believe we've had one accident, even at night, since the very first day. Dry underwear every day and morning and after naps. We don't even ask if he has to go... he just does when he needs to. It's been the greatest potty training experience ever because he trained himself. He just decided to do it on his own without us pushing. Maybe that's the key.

BUT... we still have the Stinker Shuffle problem. He might be going on the potty, but the stinkers are still an issue as he still didn't want them to come out. THAT IS UNTIL NOW. Tonight, I was getting him ready for bed and he said he needed to go potty. That is totally normal and part of the schedule. We went in and he asked me not to peek, again his words. I said OK and turned my back and looked at the fishtank and my desk and whatever else was going on around me. After a minute or so I asked if he was done and he said, "Yup." Then he looked up at me and said, "I made my stinkers." I was stunned. I had no response but, "You did?" Well, God bless us all, he did. Not even a peep. I am thinking maybe the switch on his brain flipped tonight and the Stinker Shuffle is like the twist, or the mash potato... a thing of the past.

I can say that I felt very blessed and my wife was expressing the exact same sentiment. In fact, her exact words were, "It's a good day at the Beard's." Amen, Becca, Amen.

Proverbs 16:25 (New King James Version)

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:44:00 +0000

There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

Rededication

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:52:00 +0000

I know, I know... I am maybe not the world's worst blogger as far as getting posts out here, but I am up there the slakerest of them. I am officially going to try to do a post a week. Why you ask? Why take the time out of the insanely busy schedule to post on your blog that maybe three people read and two are my wife and mother (who I am not even sure she reads it, but I guess she'll let me know if she reads this post)? Well, my original thought with this whole thing was that I would write about the struggles and successes and failures of my mission as a father. In doing this I was hoping to maybe understand it and get a clearer picture of my mission and my path within that. It would make me think about what I am doing and hold me accountable for what I say here, in a way. Also, maybe my struggles and triumphs could be inspiration for others on this same path. That's why I am purposing myself to get here and write it down. I even spent a little time and gave this thing a new look. I kind of like it. Anyway, I will see you soon, constant reader. No, really, I will.

Proverbs 16:33 (New King James Version)

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:24:00 +0000

³³ The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the LORD.

Pregnant

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:13:00 +0000

My wife is pregnant with #6. At the same time I have a friend at work whose wife is pregnant with their first. We found out at the same time and he (jokingly) said I stole his thunder with my announcement of #6. I told him that #1 carried much more weight in the announcement category than #6 to most people. People just stare at me and I can hear them saying in their heads, "What's wrong with these people?" Then they say out loud, "Don't you know what causes that?" or "How many is that, twenty?" Yeah, I have heard them all. It's funny how most people can't comprehend more than two or three kids in a family. Heh, I used to be one of those who couldn't comprehend it. Remember, I am the guy who would've just gone on without any kids or would've just stopped after one or maybe two when they did come. But I would've missed out on the blessings that I have received from all of my kids. As my wife says the more kids we have, the holier we get. Sanctification through parenting... who knew? :)

Change

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:59:00 +0000

My wife said something to me the other day... Valentines day to be exact. We were just turning off the light and getting settled in to go to sleep and a discussion broke out. I won't go into details but something she said has been on mind ever since. She said that I should not try to live my life to please her or do what she wants from me... But I should live my life to please God and do what He wants from me. It may sound like an obvious thing, but it most definitely feels like a revelation to me. It makes sense, really. Pleasing her will trickle down from pleasing God. It sounds so much like a no-brainer saying it here, but it has really affected me since that night.

Valentines Day

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:44:00 +0000

I have a little tradition on Valentines day that started a couple of years ago. I take pictures of characters in movies or whatever that my kids like and I take their faces and do a little Photoshop magic and make the characters have their faces. This year my three oldest are very much into The Lord of The Rings (they all have the audiobooks on their iPods and listen to them constantly) and my oldest has watched the movies just this year and loves them. So I asked who their favorite characters were and that's who I made them this year. My two year old son prefers Toy Story and Buzz Lightyear, so that was his fun. They tend to look a little strange but they can see themselves in them and it's good fun every year.

Aragorn (Ben)

Legolas (Lydia)

Gandalf (Jack)

Buzz Lightyear (Henry)

Quality Entertainment

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:55:00 +0000

My dad and I used to call movies "Quality Entertainment." It was just kind of a joke we had for whatever reason. I don't remember how it started or even when. When it comes to movies, "quality" is a word that doesn't apply in some cases.

I am a big movie lover. I own a bunch and we rent some and guys at work trade movies to view. Some are good, entertaining... Some are not so much. Some are violent, profane... ah, there's issue. Langauge.

My wife and I have always been very picky about what we let our kids watch. We get the usual comments and looks when people hear that Brother Bear has never been watched at our house. Neither have many other titles, Disney or not. We also pre-watch anything the kids are going to watch. In some cases, the movies are excellent movies with great stories but the only real problem is the language. I am not exactly sure why they feel the need to put so much profanity into movies these days. Maybe that's how they talk, but I don't and most of the people I know don't, either. But my kids have missed out on some fun movies due to language issues with them.

Well... here enters the geek in me. I knew there were companies out there that edited movies for content and sold "clean" copies of them. I kind of checked into it and they do exist and seem to have a limited selection of things. There is also the "ClearPlay" DVD player that edits movies as you watch. It's relatively cheap and the monthly subscription fee is only about $7 I think. It looks to be a very cool deal. BUT, being on the short end of the cash machine right now and being a total geek that loves a good challenge, I decided to try and edit them myself.

This whole thing started with my wife and I saying that our 13 year old son, Ben, would probably enjoy Jurassic Park without being too scared of it now that he is a "big boy." So, I watched it again to make sure it was alright for him and was surprised at the langauge used in it. It's funny how you see things differently when looking through the eyes of your children. There were about 15 places in the movie that had language I considered offensive, minor or otherwise. A few were what I would consider pretty harsh. Well, my kids aren't going to watch that.

At that point I got to wondering if I could edit a movie and how I would go about it. I took Jurassic Park, which I own on DVD, and ripped the video and audio of the movie into files and imported those files into a video editing software. That one sentence does not exactly express the trouble I went through to get this done. I tried several different software packages for video ripping and audio ripping and finally found the ones I liked and tried many ways to get the quality I wanted and finally got the settings for all parts. The actual editing is just a matter of watching through the movie in the editor and marking each place I want to edit in the timeline of the editor. Then I go back to each marked place and take the audio volume down on the center channel for the offensive words. (Note: while editing Apollo 13, I had to edit the front surround channels for some of the words as the voices came through on those channels, too).

After editing it all, I just use a DVD authoring software to put it back onto a DVD. It really sounds like it could be a total pain to do, and I won't say it's easy, but it's not that bad, really. And I enjoy doing it. My wife calls it my new hobby. Maybe, but the kids got to watch Jurassic Park, which scared my 8 and 10 year olds to death. Neither of them made it through. The 13 year old loved it.

After Jurassic Park, I did the next two Jurrasic Park movies, The Lost World and Jurassic Park III. Right now I am working on Apollo 13 and The Incredibles. What's that you say? What could I be editing out of The Incredibles? Ya, I know this is super picky, but that scene where Mr. Incredible and Mirage sit at a table and chit chat with a little harmless flirting. I know, it's a ticky-tack thing to have a problem with but we felt uncomfortable enough when we saw it that it kept us from showing the kids the movie. But I cut it out and now it's watchable.

I am not sure what will hit the editor next, but we'll see when we get there. As a note for anyone wondering about copyright and piracy... I own the actual, real DVDs of all the movies I have edited. And I don't sell the clean copies of the movies to anyone else.

Proverbs 26: 24-26 (NKJV)

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:27:00 +0000

"He who hates, disguises it with his lips,
And lays up deceit within himself;
When he speaks kindly, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart;
Though his hatred is covered by deceit,
His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly."

No-Lidders

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:07:00 +0000

This is a short clip they did where I work. I thought this was funny. If you know me, see if you can find me in this clip.

Focus

noreply@blogger.com (Darin) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:45:00 +0000

One thing I struggle with is being too focused on me. What I mean by that is I am very caught up in my thinking and my actions in me. I think of me, I do things I want or think I need. I get so into me that I get myself depressed when things don't work out like I want. It's really kind of childish. I see the same traits in my children. I scold them for it and then turn around and do the same sort of junk myself only on an "adult" level... whatever that really means. I spend so much time and energy pleasing myself (or trying to, anyway) that my service to those around me, including my God, suffers greatly.

This blog is about what I consider my God-given mission at this point in my life... fatherhood. I can absolutely guarantee that being focused on myself is a sure and absolute way to not be performing up to my full potential as a father. A mission is about service... to God, to others. At least the kind of mission I am talking about here. I cannot possibly serve God or others while trying to make sure I am doing all I want to do. IT IS NOT ABOUT ME. That is a theme that I've tried to remember for the past four years or so that started this entire thing. I am an insignificant part of the greater plan. Not that God can't use me significantly in any way that He chooses... It's that what I am or what I can do or what I want is infinitesimal compared to the greater plan. It's what God can use me for, what He can do through me that is significant.

I believe we were not put here to enjoy things. Not that finding joy in our work or even play is bad. But I believe that there is no promise that we will be happy. There is no promise we will not suffer. In fact, I believe that suffering is sort of a big part of it all. Christ suffered greatly for something He didn't even do... He suffered for us. He died for us. That's torture and death... And I can't even find the strength to think of others during my selfish day.

This stream of consciousness blabbering is not something I've sat and thought about... it's just something I am thinking about. I literally just sat down and started typing. Basically, I struggle with selfishness and I believe that limits my effectiveness as a father, husband, employee, Christian, etc. I also believe it contributes to my inability to find joy in my days. That is something else I struggle with. I want so badly to find joy in the everyday, mundane, God-given tasks... in all that I do. I know it's there. I just have to forget about me and make the focus on those I am serving. I believe that might be a good start. Well, pray for me if you care to. Thanks.