Raey ni Weiver

So 2006 has come and gone and its time for my Second Annual Year in Review. Now these are simply my opinions. When it comes to categories such as movies, I review or rate only what I have seen. If you happen to disagree with my picks, that's fine. Just don't freak out on me. It's all in good fun. Being that the same people visit this blog, I am not too concerned about it.

Best Movies
1. Superman Returns - Don't be fooled by the less than expected numbers this movie pulled in over the summer. It was reviewed better than Pirates 2 which ran away with the box office. This movie is visually stunning, has a great story, and is the perfect spring board for this once powerful franchise. If you didn't see it, do yourself a favor and rent it.

2. The Departed - This star filled film by legend Scorsese made me want to be a cop and a mob boss all at once. Or I could just be a dirty cop and get the best of both worlds. Great film.

3. Invincible - A great sports movie that does have some of your typical sports film moments, but the true story in itself will keep your attention throughout.

4. Mission Impossible 3 & Cars - In what will probably be Cruises' last MI film (since being fired from the studio), this film had it all. I had never seen any of the other MI films but was immediately engrossed in the story and special effects. Pixar pulls off another winner in the cute comedy featuring the voice of Owen Wilson.

Worst Films
1. The Wickerman - Don't you love when previews look so great and present such a fascinating story? Such wicked lies. This was one of Cage's worst films...something he seems to do a lot of lately. Perhaps it is a good thing he will be taking a break for awhile. This film fell flat at every single level and in the end I didn't know whether to laugh ("Oh my legs! You have broken my legs") or cry that I paid the price of admission.

2. Silent Hill - Never again will I look forward to a movie inspired by a video game. If ever a movie had the potential for thrills and plot twist, the game Silent Hill would surely provide it. However this film simply stunk and blew a great opportunity.

3. Date Movie & Scary Movie 4 - there comes a time in every franchises life when it is time to end it. Please stop and let us be.

Best Sports Moments
1. Seeing the up and coming potential of the young 49ers offense. QB Alex Smith, TE Vernon Davis and RB Frank Gore are growing under the supervision of Dallas mastermind Norv Turner. They should be fun to watch next season.

2. The glory of the NFC division. Only here can a team with a losing record still have a shot at making the playoffs. Really gives a person hope.

3. Texas A&M finally beating the Longhorns.

4. The play of the Tennessee Titans under Vince Young. I was the guy who said he was overrated going so high in the draft. But hey, I am human. The kid is really good (looks like everything Michael Vick was supposed to be) and should have the Titans in the thick of the playoff race next year.

5. The following article. Maybe its because I read it when I was tired, maybe it is because of the cold meds, or maybe its because I work with kids all day. Or it could just be that it was really poorly worded. Sports writer Mike Tanier explains how QB Alex Smith is doing better at holding on to the football thanks to a new rule that "allows each team to bring a dozen balls with them to away games for use on offense. The balls must be examined by a referee, but they can be doctored to some extent to remove the slick waterproofing from their surface."

Tanier goes on to say, "Smith isn't the only one who is happy after a thorough ball-buffing. Frank Gore had some fumbling problems early in the year. But Gore doesn't seem to have any trouble holding onto Smith's balls. The Broncos, who come from the capital of ball-doctoring, may want to keep Jay Cutler's balls in a humidor so the rookie's passes don't sail on him. But the Broncos backs and receivers may have trouble grasping soggy balls."

Yeah, its been a few hours since I read it and it is still funny.

Best Books
1. The Ezekiel Option - Joel Rosenberg
2. Showdown by Ted Dekker
3. The Rapture - Jerry Jenkins & Tim Lahaye

Best Songs
1. So Long Self by MercyMe
2. Your Name - Paul Baloche
3. A Greater Song by Paul Baloche
4. Made to Worship by Chris Tomlin
5. Grace Like Rain by Todd Agnew

Best Shows
1. Heros (Monday on NBC) - the surprise show that has taken the country by storm. "Save the Cheerleader. Save the world." With plot twists and new questions in every episode, Heros has built more than a cult following, it has even been nominated for two Golden Globes (best drama and best actor). If you haven't seen this great drama, catch the marathon on January 1. Trust me, after 1 or 2 episodes and you'll be hooked.

1. Smalliville (Thursday on CW) - The sixth season has seen many changes for Clark Kent. As he begins to develop a greater sense of need in the world around him, we are treated to the new addition of Green Arrow. Coming up: the first look at the Justice League. This show has done an amazing job at staying fresh after this many seasons.

3. House (Tuesday on FOX) - Dr. House faces more than medical challenges these days in what has been a great season on FOX. House's drug addiction has finally caught up to him after a cop began investigating him (after being jilted in the waiting room). Can't wait to see how this story plays out.

4. The Office (Thursday on NBC) - This comedy reaches new heights this season as several new faces began work at Dunder Mifflin. Steve Carell is at his best. The best comedy on television.

5. Bones (Wednesday on FOX) - The sophomore season of this show has been no disappointment. As tension continues to rise between Booth and Bones, the mysterious continue to get better and better as well as the deepening story lines between Bones family history and some of the uncaught killers.

Not Looking Forward To...
1. Grease: You're the One that I Want (NBC) - for the love of everything, why ruin a great movie with this reality show?

2. Summer - Is it just me, or does it keep getting hotter and hotter?

3. The inauguration of MA Governor Deval Patrick. I wonder how the people who elected him will react once he raises our already high taxes and gives free passes to illegal immigrants.

Looking Forward To...
1. Beauty and the Geek (CW) - One of the better reality shows out there that is funny, sweet and actually seems to teach some life lessons to the contestants.

2. Summer - Is it just me, or is there a TON of stuff to do in New England?

3. December. I will finally be finished with college!..until I begin work on my Masters that is.
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Well there ya have it. Robert's (New) Land Year in Review. It was all done in fun and I hope you enjoyed it. Hope everyone has a safe finish to 2006 and a blessed and healthy 2007!

Merry Christmas!

As is tradition, tonight my wife and I selected the Card of the Year.
This is the first year that the chosen card has been featured on my blog. I find this to be a welcome addition to the contest after nearly 10 years.

Allow me to provide a brief history. One Christmas Eve, my sister and I were hamming it up for the camera. My sister is all her creativity, pulled out all the Christmas cards and we pretended to host an awards show of sorts. We selected what we thought was the best card of the bunch, had a laugh, and then ate junk food. Little did we know that this would be such a big hit. We continued to do this even after she went off to college, and then I kept up the tradition after we moved to Colorado. I brought this fun event into my marriage and luckily for me, my wife enjoys it.

Congratulations to this year's winner. It was a backdoor entry that came in a box of gifts shipped to us. Just so everyone knows, when selecting the chosen card, we do not look at the names. No playing favorites in this contest. It's a serious business. So without further delay, the winner of the 2006 Christmas Card Contest is....

Joe and Jerri in "Festive Christmas Tree". We liked the vibrant look of this card and the fun feel it gave to the traditional Christmas tree. Well done.

Our Second Place Winner goes to one of my students with "Festive Snowman". Notice how enormous the snowman is in comparisson to the forest. No one is going to jack (frost) with that guy.

Finally, our Third Place Winner goes to Pat from Curry with "Snoopy and Woodstock's Christmas". This card featured various textures that would make it enjoyable to people of all ages. Add that with the enduring Snoopy and you have a winner. Well, a third place winner anyway.

Jealous? You should be. This is a tremendous event in the life of a Christmas card! Entering is easy though. Simply mail us a Christmas card by Christmas Eve and it will automatically be entered into that year's contest. Sorry, picture created cards are not eligible for First Place status, though they have been given their own distinct category. Cash bribes do not ensure victory, but they are always helpful.

I hope that everyone had a very merry Christmas and that you take time today to say a prayer of thanks for the real reason we celebrate!

Worth Repeating

This is a blog I wrote in December 2005 over on Windows Live Spaces. I felt it was worth sharing again with a new audience and I hope everyone enjoys it.

Robert
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I just finished watching the film “The Polar Express” for the second time. Technically, it was the 2 ½ time I viewed the movie (once when it came out in 2004, once this past evening and the ½ came as I skipped through it in order that I could jot down a few notes).

For those who haven’t seen the “The Polar Express”, it is a truly outstanding movie. If you only watch one Christmas themed movie this season, watch “The Polar Express”. Along with the outstanding visual effects, this is hands down one of the greatest Christmas stories ever produced (as was the book).

What struck me the first time I saw this movie was the strong spiritual undertone throughout the entire film. It was not only amazing, but moving as well. A year later, I was still in awe over this aspect. What a life lesson this movie provides! Whether you celebrate the Christ of Christmas or are simply a “Happy Holiday’er” who enjoys Santa and decking the halls…this is a movie you need to see.

First allow me to say that I hope you finish reading this blog if you haven’t seen the movie yet. I will try not to ruin anything, but I feel what I have to say is more important than you knowing the end of a film.

Quickly, the movie is about a young boy who is struggling with his belief of Santa Claus. To believe or not to believe…that is indeed the question. He has collected worldly evidence that supports that Santa is not real (newspaper clipping of store Santa’s on strike, a picture of Santa with his fake beard being pulled down, a textbook stating that the North Pole is “devoid of life”, etc.). The world he lives in seems to support his idea of Santa not being real.

He lays down on Christmas Eve a shattered and broken child. A few moments later, the Polar Express arrives to pick him up. The Polar Express is a very magical train which is en route to the North Pole, more specifically, to Santa’s workshop. Along the way the boy witnesses many magical and spectacular things and meets numerous people. Yet he still struggles with his belief. He must see Santa in order to believe. Once they arrive to the very large North Pole, he sees Santa’s entire village complete with an express transportation system, millions of elves, a huge toy factory, and even flying reindeer.

Despite all that he sees around him, he can not believe because he has not seen Santa. He can’t even hear the bells ringing on the sleigh. The big man finally comes out of his home and the crowd goes into a frenzy. Our little boy can’t see Santa though. He can’t, that is, until he chooses to believe. It is in this moment that he can hear the bells. And it is in this moment that Santa comes to him.

Maybe you can identify with this child. You want to know God, you want to believe…but you can’t. You want proof. You won’t believe until you see God with your own two eyes. So often, people overlook the evidence of God around them.

“Well mister preachy guy…what about all the bad things? Where is God in all that?” Great question! Allow me to answer: We live in a fallen world full of sin (I will talk more about this later in the month). It’s a world where people choose to do evil instead of good. Just like we choose to believe or not believe. God gave us free will to choose Him. He truly wants your love…not forced worship.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled lesson; there is so much around us that we should see as evidence of God. I think people are looking for huge miracles, a divine message spoken aloud, or for a conquering king who will rid us of all things wicked. You know, that’s what happened the first time Jesus came to us. People were looking for some one to over throw the Roman government and set up an everlasting kingdom. They missed the baby who was born who would grow into a man who later died for the sins of the world. They missed it then, and people still miss it today. They miss how He touches the lives of millions, they miss the profound affect He has on the hurt, the lonely and the lost. They miss what things He is doing in the lives of others, often dismissing it as ‘untrue’ or ‘misled/informed’.

They miss it because they don’t see it. We live in a world that demands proof. To borrow a line from the movie “…sometimes seeing is believing. And sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.” Looking in the Bible in the book of John (chapter 20, verse 29) Jesus says to Thomas (who doubted Jesus was raised from the dead) “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.’”

Let me ask you, would seeing Him really make you believe? Or, once you saw Him, would you ask “Well how do I know you are really Him?” Believing is not something anyone else can make you do. It comes from within you. You choose to believe.

Maybe you still have questions. There is nothing wrong with having questions…just don’t let your questions keep you from The Answer.

The first true Christmas gift came when God sent his one and only son to earth. Our sins (and yes, we all have sin…whether is be a white lie or storing illegal nuclear arms in you closet) separate us from God. The punishment for sin is death (Hell...thus the separation). In order to fix this problem, God gave us His son. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and then became sin for us. He took the sins of all who ever lived, are living and will live and died because of them. As I said above, we all deserve punishment and separation from God for the things we’ve done. But Christ took that punishment for us. Jesus defeated sin; he defeated death and provided a way to God.

But, you must choose to believe. And this Christmas, I truly hope you would.

"One thing about trains: It doesn’t matter where they are going. What matters is deciding to get on.”

Copyright 2005
In His Image Productions