Time to Remember the Past...

The time is drawing near. Time to re-read and re-learn. Time to remember the past...

BBQ...Fun Times

Tonight we had an EQ BBQ for church, as part of the EQ Presidency got to plan the party. It was fun. We have sort of decided that for the EQ socials, we want to emphasize getting to know one another and having fun. In the past we have played different kinds of get-to-know you games, tonight we just let everyone hang out and chat. we grilled burgers and hot dogs for dinner and then made root beer floats for dessert. The kids really liked the root beer floats. I think everyone had fun. Then when we were finished they all pitched in and helped clean up. I really enjoy these get togethers to be able to spend time with people from church, outside of church.

There are some of us that have got together a few times to play games; board games, card games (scum) and RockBand. It is great to be able to socialize with families that are in our place. They are raising their kids and trying their best, just like we are. It has been a long time since we have had a group of friends that we hang out with. I think it is important for our kids to see how our family is just like everyone else's.

When I was a kid, my parents were friends with the McDonalds and Mendozas. We would go to one of their houses and the parents would talk and play games and the kids would play. I remember many times falling asleep on a couch while our parents would be talking with their friends into the night. I remember those times that we spent together playing "centipede" in the living room using the couch cushions for ammo. Or when we would spend hours and hours "lip syncing" to Starship and the Miami Vice soundtrack before we knew what lip syncing was. We didn't need Wiis or PS3s we used our imigination. I see my children doing the same thing when we get together with the G, E, and W's. These are the times that they will remember.

If you are not familiar with RockBand....watch this

Fact Check Friday

Emi Kolawole does it again. She does a great job of deconstructing the political ads from all sides and bringing out the truth. Enjoy!

Paper Clips

Yesterday I posted about a new site Snagfilms.com where you can watch documentaries online for free. When I read about things like this I always try them out first. So when I visited Snagfilms the film that was on the home page was "Paper Clips", so I watched it. I did not know what I was getting into. "Paper Clips" is a the story of a Tennessee middle school project to learn about diversity and tolerance. It turned into much more than that. From the film website: www.paperclipsmovie.com

Whitwell, TN is a small, rural community of less than two thousand people nestled in the mountains of Tennessee. Its citizens are almost exclusively white and Christian. In 1998, the children of Whitwell Middle School took on an inspiring project, launched out of their principal's desire to help her students open their eyes to the diversity of the world beyond their insulated valley. What happened would change the students, their teachers, their families and the entire town forever… and eventually open hearts and minds around the world.

PAPER CLIPS is the moving and inspiring documentary film that captures how these students responded to lessons about the Holocaust-with a promise to honor every lost soul by collecting one paper clip for each individual exterminated by the Nazis. Despite the fact that they had previously been unaware of and unfamiliar with the Holocaust, their dedication was absolute. Their plan was simple but profound. The amazing result, a memorial railcar filled with 11 million paper clips (representing 6 million Jews and 5 million gypsies, homosexuals and other victims of the Holocaust) which stands permanently in their schoolyard, is an unforgettable lesson of how a committed group of children and educators can change the world one classroom at a time.

PAPER CLIPS, presented by One Clip At A Time HMA, is a production of The Johnson Group, in association with Miramax Films and Ergo Entertainment. It was named one of the top films of 2004 (documentary) by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, has been acclaimed by critics as "Oscar caliber" (Joel Siegel, Good Morning America), and has received audience and jury awards at film festivals across the country.

What a great story of a community coming together and learning about how we should treat each other and how we want to be treated. One of the reasons that God allows events to occur like the holocaust, is so that those of us that come later can learn from the past and not repeat it. Also, to bring people together, break down barriers, remove prejudices and bring us to a state where we are all God's children. Watch it. Take the message forward in your life. Share it with those you love.