more2ignore

How to find my CURRENT blog post...

2020-11-03T07:54:00.002-06:00

No, Y2K didn't happen late, nor is there a major computer virus on the loose. The date is correct. It's a glitch i found, that i am using for a fictional blog i have created, called "The End - 2020" . (So instead of the end of the world happening in 2012 like the movie, or a pre-Trib scenario like the Left Behind novel series, it's a different twist." )

For my most recent posts, check this link or sinply scroll below.

My entry for TrekBBS

2011-06-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

This is a test, showing my entry for TrekBBS's June 2011 art challenge.

Helping those making $250,000 or more in light of the tax cut expiration

2010-09-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

There has been much talk by politicians and pundits over how people making $250,000 a year will need the Bush tax cuts to be extended.

Now, it seems most people on both sides of the aisle agree that tax cuts for those making under $250,000 are needed during this recession.. But what about those making more than $250,000?

To be honest, I don't understand how someone making $250,000 can't make due on higher taxes.
If you survived on an income lower than $250,000 (where a higher percentage of your income was going to housing, food, medical bills, utilities, etc.), and were able to grow to your current income level before, why can't you do it now?

You know that the US economy is suffering, and that investment and credit is needed for millions with incomes less than $250,000, many of whom can't may much in taxes due to lack of work. Why are you not able to do your patriotic duty and start new jobs and businesses to help your fellow Americans out of the recession.

OK, I understand there may be extraordinary circumstances for some, such as taking care of special needs children or ill parents. But my understanding is that current tax law provides deductions for these and other such expenses, so that your income would not fall into the $250,000+ category as far as tax bracket.

I have a solution for those who feel that the expiration of tax cuts would seriously hurt them, or more importantly, the economy as a whole. I will loan you $1,000 for services at one of 4 recommended Christian financial ministries:

Crown Financial Ministries = Christian ministry founded by Howard Dayton and Larry Burkett
Christian Financial Ministries - recommended by Dave Ramsey
Good $ense - from Willow Creek Community Church
Gary Moore - Gary Moore and the financial seminary can offer advice on investing from a Christian perspective

If you are interested in getting that loan , please contact me at loan@more2ignore.com

If you feel the need, you may read the terms & conditions of the loan below:

You must follow the program laid out by one of the above 4 ministries.
You must prove to the ministry that you will be put into the higher tax bracket due to the Bush Tax cuts expiring.
One of the above ministries must confirm that they believe you will follow/are following their program.
Twenty (percent (20%) interest will be charged, compounded monthly. A different interest rate may be negotiated between lender and ministry only.
The money will be paid directly to one of the above ministries to help yourself on a path of financial stability (you will not receive any money, only services by these ministries up to $1,000)
You must help someone else in a comparable way once your financial situation is stabilized.

Let me know if you are interested in this loan. (Or if you aren't interested in the loan, but are interested in the help, you con contact the above ministries above, and see if they have any free resources for you).

Again, i must repeat, this is a serious offer. But only for those that meet the guidelines, and I can only have 3 loans out at a time.

I also challenge any politician or pundit who is serious about how the tax expiration will hurt the economy to find serious "victims", so that they may survive this economic calamity.

God bless you and the resources He gave you.

You never know what you might find on the internet...

2010-04-10T19:29:00.002-05:00

Just typed in my name, and found, out of nowhere, an old news article i wrote as a college intern with the Boca Raton News. It's nothing extraordinary, but just surprised how this just seemed to appear.

This is just a reminder that things, wtherer good, bad, neutral, important or trivial, can reappear when we least expect it.

A thought about "adult" things...

2009-12-27T14:44:00.001-06:00

Just because something is "not for kids" does not mean it is "adult".

New Blog = The End - 2020

2009-12-21T15:39:00.000-06:00

Hey guys!

You guys might have been seeing a lot of commercials for the new movie, 2012. You may have even seen websites like ThisIsTheEnd or WHo Will Survive 2012

Well, I have a new blog, called The End - 2020.

If you've read the Left Behind series, then you might be interested in it. The basic concept of a ficitonalized story of the biblical Apocalypse is the same, but theologically different. When it comes to the End Times, also known by some as the Tribulation, there seems to be 3 main thoughts: pre-Trib, post-Trib, and Chicago Trib.

pre-Trib: There is this vague biblical idea of the Revelation. Pre-Trib people read the Bible to mean that Christians will be raptured up before the anti-Christ is revealed, and THEN there will be a Tribulation. People can still get saved, but it will be much harder.

post Trib: These people An extremist might buy a cabin in the mountains & stock up on supplies (like the Y2K fears in 1999). "Normal" post-Tribbers will simply prepare for bad times, and preach the gospel in the midst of any persecution, and try really hard not to complain.

Chicago Trib: OK, i made that term up. This philosophy says they don't know if either pre- por post-Trib will happen. They'll just go with the flow, and read the Chicago Tribune (or other news sources) and deal with events as they come.

However, one of the best thoughts i've heard on the above philosophies is summed up like this: "Pray, pray, pray for the Rapture, but prepare, prepare, prepare for the Tribulation."

I started this blog now, due to a couple of reasons:

some extra free time

The movie 2012 is coming out, and they too have a blogger, so i'd like to exploit that if i could

The desire to challenge American popular Christianity, which made Left Behind kind of trendy, and the Church not as effective as it could in addressing social issues in the world

i'd like to see if i have any potential as a professional writer.

Some peculiarities about The End - 2020:

i found a glitch in the Matrix - er, Blogger's set up, where there is a way to essentially post blogs from the future. (check the date of this entry) How i did that is a trade secret for now. Should I get some kind of book or media deal, then perhaps you can find out.

If this blog got any traction, it could open the door for a book. The blogs would serve as the openings for each chapter, and create the background for what was about to happen, plot-wise.

If anyone really gets into it, i am very open to having other contributors,who can give the perspective of another type of believer, such as someone from China, who might already have been under persecution.

i plan on linking to some real life blogs, as The End 2020 blogs might reference those as a way to talk about certain issues. If you wouldn't mind me doing so, let me know if i can link to your blog as well.

Comments will be from real people. i'll moderate them so we don't get anything too crazy. But i think th eonly way people will want to come back, in addition to creative entries, will be to see that the blog really engages people.

i would like to see how it goes by the end of the year. Let me know if you think i should continue. If so, please spread the word. Also, if there are any ways you can boost traffic, i'd appreciate it. For example, I have a link to one of 2012's fictional blogs, e ThisIsTheEnd. I am wondering if you click it through my blog, it might somehow enhance my blog's visibility.

Also, try google searches (especially blog searches) that include key words: 2012, 2020, Charlie Frost

and see if you can find it. If so, there's an option for you to bump it up (in Google), so I would appreciate that a lot.

Look for more entries beginning Nov. 2 or so.

Thanks for your support!

EDIT: This blog entry originally had the post date of 12/21/12, but I changed it to make room for more relevent material.

Best boxes for Aldi

2009-12-03T13:11:00.000-06:00

i am planning a post, "How to Shop at Aldi's", but there's one particular segment that will take quite a bit of room, so i thought i would elaborate on that aspect before writing the bigger blog. (i also note about Chicagoan's calling it Aldi's, despite the sign).

This sounds crazy, but to those inexperienced with Aldi, this can be helpful in helping you bring your groceries home.

At Aldi's, you have a couple of options to take your groceries. You can buy plastic bags for just a dime, or pay $1-$2 for reusable bags & insulated bags. But one other option is to use the boxes that the items were shipped in. These are free, and when you are done with them, you can simply toss them in your recycling bin if you don't use them for your own storage (or other purposes).

The best boxes to use are:

1. Orchard Gold 1 Gallon Punch (Citrus Punch & Fruit Punch): With the cardboard inside the big box, you have extra support on the handles as well as separation for different type of items.

2. Nature's Nectar Juice (Grape & Cranberry varieties; NOT Apple): These boxes don't have specific handles, but are made such that they have natural handles. I actually also use them to store different types of items at home. The different colors but standard size make them great for home use.

3. Carlini Oil (Vegetable, Canola, Corn): A little smaller than the juice boxes, but same basic concept. Solid and easy to handle

IMPORTANT: Now, it's OK to shift 1 or 2 lone bottles in a box over to another box that has some space. But please do NOT empty an entire box of items (and especially do NOT stack them on full boxes). It's rude, it makes the store look bad, and it may cause the management to take drastic measures, and ruin shopping for the rest of us. In fact, the Aldi at 7342 S. State Street at one point actually tore a whole stack of juice boxes, rendering them completely useless to customers.

Coming soon, "How to Shop at Aldi's"

The "real" name of Aldi & Jewel grocery stores

2009-11-03T06:08:00.015-06:00

i don't care what the sign says on the outside.

In the city of Chicago, it's Aldi's and Jewel's, just like Dominick's and Walgreen's.

(And before you start getting smart...No, it's not "Wal Mart's". That just doesn't sound right!)

Coming soon... "How to shop at Aldi's" guide (the abridged version).

How a Glenn Beck statement affected me

2009-09-04T12:56:00.004-05:00

Out of all the things I could blog about…I decided to use this space to respond to a Facebook status & comments made. Facebook isn’t good for elaborate discussions, so I thought I would post it on a blog.

Why focus on this? Well, I made a promise to respond, and I am trying to really fulfill what I promise. There’s a new season of my life blossoming, but I need to work on some things first.

Anyway…This was prompted by a relative who was in town form Holland & watching Fox News’ Glenn Beck show.

He was ranting & raving like a right wing extremist, but it caught my ears when he said something like “Social Justice is just a code word for…” and I think it was communism or something anti-American. Why did it spark such a hot response form me? “Social justice” is a phrase that CONSERVATIVE EVANGELICALS use to talk about issues that Christians need to address in our society. It’s a phrase used very often by students, graduates and faculty of MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE. It’s a college, but certainly NOT one that a right winger could claim has been co-opted by Liberals. Social Justice is also talked about by the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). Several CCDA members have ties to Moody Bible Institute, as many of CCDA’s members are MBI graduates.

So when Beck attacked “social justice’, I felt he was attacking Christianity (probably without knowing it), and really reveals a heart of NON-Christians on the Political Right. Because of the Political Right/Republican Party’s verbal stance n issues like abortion, sex, etc., many Born again Christians have assumed that all of the republican platform is OK (or at least, “not that sinful”). And that will lead to moral compromise among Christians involved. (And I know that’s not everyone…see some of the responses from Facebook to get examples of those who may have a political orientation, but yet still aware of the sin around them)

I think there are far more Born again Christians on the Left who are aware of the the “sins” of that side, and still represent Christ in those areas, and vote/work accordingly. (Some examples of Christian’s who may seem on the “Left”: the work of the Marin Foundation, or Soong Chan Rah’s book The Next Evangelicalism). I think far more born again Christians on the Political right may not even be aware of the sins on their side and thus don’t speak on them.

Here’s the Facebook status conversation that was started:

JP John Paulus
A visitor was watching Glenn Beck and called "Social Justice"
a code word for socialism (or somehting like that). Can someone set up a viral
message/video that calls him an anti-Christian deceiver. Note how he is against
the CCDA & its... principles (which use capitalism as a tool for SOCIAL
JUSTICE)?!??!
August 28 at 4:18pm • Comment • Like / Unlike • View Feedback
(6) Hide Feedback (6)

Geoffrey D. Wessel
Why stop at "anti-Christian deceiver," he's been masquerading as a respectable journalist for years now...
August 28 at 8:24pm • Delete

Suzanne Alexis
Wouldn't it be better to do a more thorough investigation into what he really believes before calling him names? (It's possible your visitor misunderstood him or took his
words out of context). Is he allowed to have a different opinion than others?
August 28 at 11:06pm • Delete

David Pensgard
Let me be a little provocative here. Biblical communism (all things in common) is biblical and therefore Christian only when voluntary, communism that's forced is
robbery... which is unchristian. Beck's just a boiling chip for what most
Christians already know, which is that stealing isn't an acceptable
justification for giving to the poor. Giving is beautiful. Giving other people's
money against their will is ugly. I'm not defending Beck, I don't care for him
much. I'm just stating the evils of governmental communism. Capitalism (in
practice) isn't moral either, but it could be participated in by moral people
who work hard for the right reasons, take care of their needs, provide for their
families, and donate voluntarily to the needy and to the Church. I.e., charity
is the place for the sorts of activities that left- and right-wing ideologues
try to squeeze into government and corporations respectively. How's that for
provocation?
August 29 at 1:20pm • Delete

Suzanne Alexis
Good provocation, very good!!

I will continue provoking . . .

I strongly disagree with this administration's economic and social
policies, but would not join a group that calls the president names. I'm a lot
more interested in articles, groups, etc. that point out what is wrong with the
policies and why. That is freedom of expression. It's true that Jesus called the
Pharisees "white-walled sepulchres", but He could do so because He knew what was
really in their hearts. Since the rest of us don't have that kind of knowledge,
we should discuss our differences with civility, even if the other side isn't
being civil.
August 29 at 4:08pm • Delete

JP John Paulus
I wanted to write something before the status expires...won't be able to
today...but check my blog tomorrow. I wanted to respnd to what you had to say,
Suzanne & David. It's good stuff, but wanted to throw some other ideas out.
The blog address is http://more2ignore.blogspot.com
Hope to have it by 1pm tomorrow (Friday, CST)
Yesterday at 4:48pm • Delete

Suzanne Alexis
I didn't know our status could expire!!?! I'll be away for the weekend but hope to
read it when I get back.
2 hours ago • Delete

As far as health care… one thing no one has mentioned is that private industry has HAD their chance, for decades to help build something to help people.

And f you need to think economically…how does it help society if your kids get sick because a family couldn’t afford to go to the doctor or wait hours at a clinic? When a person drops dead or goes to the emergency room for a situation that a doctor visit could have prevented…doesn’t it cost you and me time and money?

On the bigger picture, if those on the political right really do want to help, not just cause division (especially to stroke their own ego), then they need to do a couple of things;

Repent of the sins on “their side”…the evil parts of capitalism that David Pensgard mentioned. Bernie Madoff and the whole “Mortgage derivative” mess…that wasn’t due to big government: that was sin from the private world

Communicate to build up rather than speak to destroy - People like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, etc. could be using their media influence to do things like get people to volunteer more, give more money to worth charities, network communities so the giving can be more efficient (i.e. one church in a neighborhood might provide nightly dinners to the homeless, another gives clothes. But without communication, these services can’t be maximized, nor can they catch abusers of “the system”),.We can cgo all over scripture.

The attitude and vicious talk is what especially galls me about the non-Christian conservatives, who can poison Christians’ thinking as well

A sharp contrast to Glenn Beck is Mike Huckabee. While I don’t agree with everything Huckabee says politically, he is a model Christians (and non-Christians) can respect and follow. In addition to having stances on some issues that are not typically considered Conservative/Politcal Right (i.e. support for the Arts in public schools, immigration reform that has some compassion on the immigrants), he actually DIALOGUES with people. He’s done so on the daily Show with Jon Stewart, talking about issues like abortion. Again, Huckabee wasn’t perfect on there, but I think he definitely opened doors in terms of dialogue and was a peacemaker.

We as Christians, wherever we’ve been called, need to be peacemakers and bridgebuilders, not just between people, but ultimately pointing to Jesus.

A personal update

2009-04-20T20:05:00.000-05:00

I should've wrote something on March 21, my daughter's 4th birthday.

But since i procrastinated too much, how about a re-cap of the past four years....or at least enough stuff to let you know that i have a lot to be thankful to God about:

4 years & 1 month ago:

2 years & 5 months ago:

2 years ago this week: we closed on a beautiful bungalow in a good & vibrant yet working class (those qualities seem contradictory on the North side, at least in some people's minds)

1 year & 2 months ago: I was unemployed. Even the temp agency, where i got "Temp of the Year" in 1998 couldn't get me a temp job!

Sorry if it sounds like bragging...but ultimately, these things happened, not because of some amzing thing *i* did, but that God had done.

http://www.boyinthestripedpajamas.com

2009-04-19T19:14:00.002-05:00

My wife and i recently saw a film on DVD -- "Boy in the Striped Pajamas". It's a (presumably) fictional take on the Holocaust, seen through the eyes of the 8 year old son of the Auschwitz death camp director in 1942, and his friendship with the title character, an 8 year old Jewish boy who lives on the other side of the fence.

It's a very well done The two children, especially, are amazing.

Asa Butterfield portrays Bruno, the lead character. Physically, he looked to me like Hitler would have as a child. But his character is in fact a true human being, and while not at all perfect, definitely a protagonist.

Jack Scanlon, who portrays Shmuel, is so amazingly sad (as one would expect in real life), yet still has childlike hope.

Its a must-see movie.

While i loved Slumdog Millionaire & was glad to see it win so many awards, i am surprised this wasn't nominated for as many Oscars. Jack Scanlon, hands down, should've won Best Supporting actor.

Please note -- this movie is based on a book by author John Boyne. While in some ways different from the book, both the author & many readers were very pleased by the result.

The official site of the movie is here.

Just a rough thought here...but if you were to show movies about the Holocaust to students, I would do it in this order:

Boy in the Striped Pajamas - great "entry level" Holocaust film, which shows some of the horror, but enough for a child (i.e. grade school) to take in. Certainly lots of issues for people of all ages to discuss, however.
Life Is Beautiful - For middle schoolers...lots of humor, but again, getting into issues to discuss
Schindler's List - For high schoolers and above...some intense stuff, that certainly requires discussion. A great film...

This blog entry should probably sound deeper & more thoughtful than it is...i encourage you to check out this movie (we just saw it at our local RedBox DVD rental)...but you should actually buy it, especially if you're a teacher, or in some way work with youth.

A Fresh approach to the 2008 campaign...

2008-08-15T12:33:00.002-05:00

I am excited about the upcoming event hosted by Rick Warren & Saddleback Church. Barack Obama & John McCain will each be interviewed by Pastor Warren over a variety of subjects, including those that aren’t usually mentioned: poverty, HIV/ AIDS, climate concerns, and human rights. Most intriguing to me was what Rick Warren said about the focus: ““While debates typically focus primarily on the candidates’ positions and only secondarily on how they’d lead and make decisions, this Saddleback Civil Forum will reverse that ratio.”

While this forum being hosted by Christians is a personal bonus for me, it’s the idea that they are trying a different approach that’s gotten me enthused.

It will be LIVE on CNN this Saturday , starting at 7pm (CST), as well as MSNBC (Curious that FOX isn’t interested in broadcasting an event at a church)

I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up too much, but I am looking forward to a fresh look at the candidates. I would have liked to see some of the alternate candidates, like Green Party & Libertarian Party involved. But I think this will be helpful (and there is high probability that one of these two will be the next president)

I think the process of how they come to decisions is vital, and can help predict the out come of events, even if we don’t know what those events will be. After all, who would have know during the 2000 presidential election that we would have to deal with the aftermath of terrorists. And in the 2004 election, who would have guessed that the US would have to address a catastrophic natural disaster, which we are still feeling the effects of?

Would people have voted differently, had they known how the candidates come to their decisions?

I encourage you to watch…and if the format is good, communicate it to the world, especially the media. Let’s change the way politics is usually done, starting from our end.

To find out more info, check out this news article à
http://www.churchcentral.com/nw/s/template/Article.html/id/24705

or the official website form Saddleback à http://saddlebackcivilforum.com/

Mia's 3! It's a miracle

2008-03-21T01:06:00.010-05:00

Today is Good Friday. It's good because Jesus died for us and what we have done, and made it "all good" with God.

It's also a good Friday because it's our daughter Mia's birthday, born 3 years ago today... and my daughter Mia is a miracle!

A quick summary: my wife was fine at our last doctor's visit. Then the next week, she started getting these headaches that wouldn't go away. So we called the hospital, who told us to come to the emergency room. Just a few minutes afyer we got settled at the hospital, they saw her blood pressure was off the charts, and Sythera went into at least 2 seizures (that i saw!). Our doctor came and let me know that she had to deliver the baby, or both could die!

As soon as those things took place, we called our church secretary, who prayed & spread the word to not only our local church, but to friends as far as Washington, Thailand, Russia, India. A friend later told me "People you don't know are praying for you."

Mia was 10 inches long and 15 1/2 ounces when she was born. As a friend enlightened me, she was smaller than a pack of Twizlers when she was born!

A lot of her story is detailed on an old web page .

Since those early days, Mia has changed a lot. She came home on oxygen. She had four therapists, covering speech, occuational, physical & developmental therapies. The therapies she still had until age 3 (when the state of Illinois' Early Intervention program for preemies runs out) were more for us parents, to help us make sure Mia was on track.

Today Mia is a healthy girl who now is fighting mommy & daddy so she can have more sweets instead of fighting for her life.

Some of her recent phrases:

I want to wash my hands.

Let's go to gymnastics!
I like the money, daddy!

MY (fill in the blank of whatever we're trying to pry out of her hands) !!!!!

In the midst of this, we had several other life changes:

moved out of our Rogers Park condo and settled in the South Side fo Chicago, in the Chatham neighborhood
Sythera got a new job!
Recently, JP got a job with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, utlizing many of the skills & experiences he gained from previous work & volunteering

Thanks to all who have prayed for Mia & supported my family.

We can't wait to see what the future brings!

If you've been through this, or know someone who has...God CAN bring you through. He won't give us what we can't handle.

Learn how to start Bible Clubs

2008-01-05T06:14:00.000-06:00

Some information from a friend. For more information , contact Brian Dye at brian@visionnehemiah.org

http://www.urbanyouthnetwork.com/

Join the movement to spark Bible Clubs in public schools throughout
Chicago.

This one day training will have two tracks- one for youth
ministers and one for high school youth.

Being brought to you by:
Urban Youth Network, Brothers & Sisters United for Christ, The Fusion,
Exodus 20:13 and the Save Your Sex Movement.

Saturday, January
19th 9:30am-1:00pm.

Network with other youth and youth workers
over lunch. Bring $5 for lunch or be one of the first 100 attendees to
register and eat for free.

Hosted at District Office of the Church of the Nazarene- 1111 N.
Wells.

JP's New Year's Resolution -- write some blogs!

2008-01-02T06:06:00.000-06:00

A New Year's resolution i've made is to actually write some blog entries, not just comment on them (see my blog list). It's been 6 months since the last entry -- i hope to make it more frequent!

In addition to writing for Levois at http://www.thesixthward.blogspot.com/ , i want to occasionally write here as well

Some of the topics i will cover...

urban ministry
Family (immediate)
Family (extended)
Media
neighborhoods of Chicago (such as Chatham & Uptown)
city living
politics

Some of the particlualr subjects i plan on writing about include

how to shop at Aldi's
Korean historical dramas
analysis of the 46th ward Aldermanic elections
Uptown fundementalism

My very first blog!

2007-07-01T16:20:00.000-05:00

Based on the name of my high school newspaper column, i really set up this account so i can post some comments on other blogs.

i'm married and with a toddler girl, i don't want to get sucked into a new internet obsession.

But i'll post what i can when i can.

Who knows where this will grow into...