Tipping Point

I recently read the book "The Tipping Point" a book about how small factors can significantly change the course of events surrounding everything from fashion, to disease, to addiction.

It was a book that I thought about reading for some time (Came out in 2000) but had never gotten around to. Recently I found out that my work has a library, where you can check out real books. I called them up in Cleveland and asked if they had this one. They did own 2 copy's. As it turns out, both were lost :(

But much to my surprise, just over a week later a copy showed up on my desk at work. They had gone to the trouble of tracking down a copy at a Wisconsin public library and check it out for me through an inter library loan! Now that is service!

Well, it was a pretty short book, and very interesting. It makes some claims about the very small amount of influence that parents have on their children. I am taking that with a few grains of salt.

Still it is a pretty interesting collections of concepts, that has some application. The message does matter, but it is also as important how you communicate it, how memorable it is, and who the messenger's are.

My rating:

Worth the Read

Good discussion starter

Pick a Pop!

So you may not be able to tell in the picture but each of us is eating a different kind of frozen treat pop. Now I use such generic language, not as the food network does (to disguise the particular brand they have chosen) but instead due to the huge variety we from which we are eating.

None of the pictured frozen treats is truly a popsicle. Lilly has an Orange Cremesicle, Cara a Dark Chocolate Fudgesicle, Hannah a Milk Chocolate Fudgesicle, and Bill a White Chocolate Fudgesicle. What an aray of frosty treats!!! A testament to the modern appetite. Or maybe I should just get over it and grab myself an Icecream sandwich... but that is for another post!

mmmm frosty!

So what is your favorite frosty treat?

Fantabulous!!! (Easter Bread)

This year the Goodall family participated in a family tradition reaching back over the ages... well since I was a little kid anyway. Once a year we would have home made Easter Bread when I lived with my Grandma and Grandpa - it was really yummy and had a unique flavor and aroma due that is unmatched in my memory - accept for maybe Christmas Tree Cookies with the real silver sprinkles.

Well I heard a ton of chatter on facebook about making the bread this year, and my Aunt Char sent the seeds to my sister and I so that we could try to make some. You may or may not know it, but my wife is an excellent cook and baker, but before this weakened she had never made bread from scratch - dough yes, but actual bread no.

Well Cara stepped out in faith and it was Fantabulous!!!

Watch and enjoy... I only wish you could smell through this thing. Maybe after the iPod touch, they will come out with the iPod scratch and sniff ??!?!?

An Early Spring Bikeride

We had fun today sneaking in an Early Spring Bike Ride.

Last year Hannah learned how to ride without training wheels and remembered very quickly this year.  Lilly's first time she took to it like a fish in water. (It helps that she can finally reach the pedals now :)

Check it out.

Video of Lilly in action.

Bill

Unplanned Time Off

My work has implemented something called affectionately MULA, time off in which you get no MOOLA.    It stands for Mandatory Unpaid Leave of Absence.  It is basically a fancy word for a furlough.  I am fortunate that it is only one week long at this point, and that I still have a job :)

Already we have been blessed as some friends have offered to give us a meal, and we still have an active Zoo pass from my mom - so we get to enjoy this fabulous 50-60 degree temperature tomorrow up here in Minnesota.  (For reference it was sub zero last week. I am glad that I didn't get that week in March.)

I can say that God has always been faithful to us in every difficult time, and we are excited to see him training our hearts to lean on him in this too.  

I pray that I will find some rest and refreshment with the family in this unplanned Sabbath from work.

Lilly's Birthday Blizzard

This is a video that I created from a film that Hannah took of Lilly's actual birthday (her party was a few days earlier).  To celebrate her birthday she got a birthday blizzard with candles and all!!!

Enjoy.

Bill

Lilly at one Year Old

I just ran across this photo of Lilly at 1 year old. It is hard to believe that she is doing so much now. She could only scoot for so long. Now she is a dancing machine

"Search WIKI" User Rating when Loged into Google

Google apparantly launched a new "Search Wiki" feature when you are viewing seach results and are logged into your google account.

Just to the right of the search resutls there is an up Arrow, and an X.
The Arrow elevates the item in your search results.
The X removes the item from your search results.



There is also a () Thought balloon after the "Similar pages" link which allows the user to make comments. These comments are viable by other users who are logged into and record which google user made the comments.  This feature is referred to as SearchWiki in the popup baloon you get when you go to use the controlls.

Interesting.  I wonder how much influence this will have on Googles overall search algorythm over time...

A brave new world all over again.

Mission Statments

You may not know it, but I am a geek.

In looking for a folder for taxes this year I found my old mission statement from 1997 and then from 2000. So I present those as exhibit A and B in the case of me being a geek.

1997

1. I will balance my convictions with my compassion
2. I will not burn the candle at both ends
3. I will learn to say No
4. I will spend one hour alone every day in peace
5. I will never stop learning
6. I will trust my own judgement
7. I will live what I teach
8. I will get to know my family
9. I will trust my friends before they have earned it
10. I will never betray a trust unless a person's future is at risk
11. I will never lie, cheat, or steal
12. I will not make a promise that I can't keep
13. I will keep my mind and body health
14. 2000 - I will read for at least half an hour for growth or pleasure each day
15. I will develop Strength of Character by finding ways to be held accountable
16. I will live as a witness to my family
17. I will use my time and money and talents wisely in order to glorify God
18. I will make time to prepare for things that I am committed to
19. I will be early, not just barley on time (still working on this one)
20. I will really lift up one person each day
21. I will get organized
22. peace...

Tagged

I have been tagged.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose someone else to be tagged. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

So here you go:

1. I want to go to Italy
2. I love when my girls sing together
3. I once lived in a house in collage with 9 guys where everyone but me and my brother were musicians.
4. I broke my wrist once...playing twister...in math class...3 days before the end of the school year.
5. I just started learning biblical Greek (only working on the alphabet now)
6. One of my girl's favorite toy's is a simple helium balloon.
7. Hannah went down a sled hill so fast this year she lost her hat!
8. When I was a kid I always wated a black pickup truck, with a blue motorcycle tied up in the bed so I could drive around and always be ready for fun.
9. I used to have an imaginary friend named Jason.
10. When a group of cousins went out to a drive in movie, we almost rolled a Chevy Blazer with about 8 kids inside. Then we had to drive a few hundred feet sideways until we could drive out of the ditch.
11. I ran so hard in a race once that I was dry heaving through the last 1/4 mile. This scared the person I was trying to pass so bad that I beat them to the finish line.
12. I used to go around the U of M wearing suspenders hanging down, and a fedora - swing kids had a big influence on me I guess.
13. I was nicknamed "Socrates" in high school partly because of Bill & Ted's excellent adventure, and largley because I was known for asking too many questions.
14. My Great Grandma lived to be 103 and she remmebered seeing Haley's commit twice.
15. I chear for the Chicago Bears, Twins/Whitesocks/Tigers, Wild/Avalanch, Pistons/Wolves (in that particular Order)
16. My grandpa had a bayonete from WWII which I thought was one of the neetest things in the house I grew up in.
17. We also had some kind of wind/Pipe Organ in the house that was fun to try to play at the age of 5
18. The only comics I own are the Spiderman/Carnage series, and the "Death of Superman"
19. I thought I wanted to marry Cara within about the first 2-3 weeks that I had met her.
20. On our honeymoon, my favoriate thing we ate was a great Italian dinner, where they brought out frozen fruit and wrapped prochuto and cheese around it as an appatizer.
21. Cara humored me on our honeymoon by going to a live lobster roast place. They really creaped her out since they were moving around just behind where we were sitting.
22. Lilly and Hannah like Rootbeer floats, and Lilly just recently started calling it a "Floopbear"
23. I carry both the name of, and the weading ring of my grandfather.
24. I had a key supporting role in the musical "HMS Pinaphor" in Jr. High.
25. I enjoyed being a member of the general cast more in OKLAHOMA in Highschool, and being in the One Act adaptation of "A mid summer's night dream" with Caleb.
    

Table Topics - Paid too much

A friend of mine from work is part of a public speaking group.

He came up with these great table topic questions one day when he was in charge of the discussion.

I thought these were excellent so I decided to publish them one at a time over a few weeks. Feel free to answer any of them in comments or in your own blog or facebook post.  Just let me know if you answer because I would be curious to see what you said.

Tell a story that finishes this sentnce

• Something for which I paid too much, that was worth it ...
  

For me it would have to be learning Italian at the U of M.  I calculated this out once and I don't remember now, but I think I paid between $3,000-5,000 to learn the Italian language, plus Books and tapes - yes I am old enough to have had audio tapes in my class not CD's (use wikipedia if you don't know what they are :) which was hundreds in it self.

I say I paid too much because it was way more money than I had to spend on something so frivolous then.  Also I never did make it to Italy to practice my long studied skill.  

It was worth it because I did graduate...eventually, and that was a requirement.  It was also worth it because I came to really enjoy
Roberto Benigni from such films as Johnny Stecchino.  Also it is now on my and Cara's life list to make it to Italy some day.  And that is a wounderfull goal to be able to look out on fondly in the midst of every day life.

So how about you, how would you finish the sentence?

-- more topics to come in the future.

Layoffs an the grace of God

Well,

We had layoffs in the past week or so at my work and it makes you really evaluate things.  Inserts some unrest into your life also.  It also makes me think about how richly the Lord has blessed me.

I have work, family, home, and many more material possessions than I need for daily living.

Still I end up anxious.  The Lord has delivered me from every difficult time and every trying situation.

He has always provided for every financial need we have ever had in our life, from medical bills to any other unexpected turn of life.

This is what has sunk into my head since the layoffs passed and I still have my job.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving bring your requests to God, and the Peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:5-7)

99...100

Well, this may not be that exciting for any of you, but Hannah just counted to 100 today for the first time.  We were driving to our firends house just a few blocks away and I had said, dont' worry we will get there before you can count to 100.  And the whole way she was trying to count that hight and Cara and I were laughing because she doesn't know the numbers that high.

So at home I asked her again later, "Can you count to 100?"

She got up to 49 and then got stuck. So I reminder her of 50 and then she got all the way to 89 with prompts only for the ten's.  Well she made it all the way to 100.  Then she went back through and  counted to 100 - counting by 10's this time.

It was pretty cool to see her make that jump.

Anyway.  Now maybe the parable of the lost sheep will mean more to her :)

Sign Posts and Fences Part A

We are sign posts for God.

Sounds simple enough, and indeed we are. Some would say we are Christ's ambassadors. That is true too. We really fall short in this way. Do you know I don't' have a phish or bumper sticker on my car, because I am afraid that the way I drive sometimes may make my sign post say "Do Not Enter"? Now I am not making excuses for the way I drive (and with two little girls and a wife I am trying to work in it :) I am trying to make the point vivid. We fail to bring people to Christ sometimes because we don't live out the gospel truth that we love to talk about. God is real. He is alive, and walking among us as his spirit dwells in our bodies.

Do you know that we grieve the spirit sometimes? I am sure I do. Like when you are watching football and your favorite team just dogs the game. It is like they didn't even show up. Yeah like that. That is how God feels about us sometimes, but over something that really matters. The Word of God says so too. Do you know that in some places the bible says that God was sorry he made us? That hurts. But I think that is today a statement as much toward the people who claim to follow him as toward the ones who outright deny him.

Lets stand up and live out the life worthy of the calling which we were given.