NYC Trip - Day 2, Part 2

We eventually made our way to the site of the former World Trade Center towers. There's not a lot to see there now. Just a big pit where they are setting the foundation of the new building.

It was sad to think of all of the souls lost there... very sad.

Preparing to build again.

One of my favorite pictures.

A neighboring church was used by the police and firemen to sleep in shifts as they looked for survivors. It now holds an on-going memorial to the lives lost seven years ago.

It also is the same location George Washington prayed the moment after he was inaugurated as our country's first president. They still have the pew inside where he knelt that day.

Outside the church.

George Washington's Pew

Patches of the police
and firemen lost that day.

After our solemn visit at Ground Zero we walked over to Battery Park, across the water from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

DC, Dea and Lady Liberty.

DC looking across the water at the Statue.

While we looked across the glistening water we explained to our children how important the Statue was to those immigrating to America through Ellis Island. When they saw the Statue of Liberty, they knew they had made it. They knew they were free.

As we discussed the history, a young woman approached us and told us she had overheard our conversation, was from Fox News, and wondered if we'd agree to be interviewed on camera. They were putting together a pro-America video public service announcement and she wanted us to participate.

We agreed.

We got mic'd up and the producer, Brad, explained his approach. He would ask us a series of questions and if he heard something he liked, he'd have us expound on that. At the end we then said a series of introduction lines.

With Dea, he liked when she said "Freedom, to me, means being able to teach my children the way I want."

With me, he liked it when I said "Freedom is not free, it's not cheap, but it's worth it."

It took about a half hour and was a lot of fun. As I mentioned, at the end he asked us to say some intro lines, like "This is MY American Story" and "Stand-Up America!"

When Dea did her Stand-Up America line, Brad asked that she speak as mother would to her children to motivate them. So Dea takes a deep breath and says aggressively, "Stand-up America!" Feeling it was a little too strong, Brad tries to rephrase his approach.

I jumped in and said "Don't ground America, honey."

We all shared a laugh and finished the interview. Brad said the promos may start showing up as soon as next week, so if you see Dea and me on TV, let us know.

The previous night, on our bus night-tour, the tour guide mentioned that the Staten Island Ferry was free and gives a close pass by the Statue of Liberty. So, after we finished up with Fox News we walked over to the Staten Island Ferry and hopped aboard.

After a long day of walking, sitting on the boat and viewing the New York skyline and the beautiful Statue was a wonderful respite.

New York skyline minus the Twin Towers.

The Brooklyn Bridge

Ellis Island

Gabe and I look on from the Ferry.

The Statue of Liberty

On the way back from Staten Island,
DC collapses into Dea's lap
and enjoys a quick nap.

We had planned to hit the "Top of the Roc", which is the top floor of the Rockefeller Center, but we were all pretty wiped out by this time. So we hopped on the subway and headed back to the hotel for dinner and a good night's rest.

NYC Trip - Day 2, Part 1

We started the day worn out from our journey the day before, but we couldn't dally... we had a lot of places to go this day.

Yeah, I'm tired.

We hopped on the subway and made our way down to Grand Central Station.

Gabe and DC waiting for the next train.

The Grand Central subway stop.

This beautiful, large and impressive Grand Central Station building has been used very successfully by Brian DePalma for both The Untouchables and Carlito's Way. You walk into a building like that and quickly realize we no longer consider buildings as an art form. This building is a work of art.

Grand Central Station

Hanging out at the GCS.

DC, Dea and Gabe outside GCS.

Me and DC near GCS.

After a brunch in the GCS dining area, we trekked on foot around the city, spotting many o' landmarks.

Madison Square Garden

The impressive U.S. Post Office.

The Empire State Building

Can you guess where we are?
That's right!
The American Stock Exchange.

Flat Iron Building
used in Spiderman.

We tried to take in so many iconic and well-known locations. It was stunning to turn the corner and find, one after another, places we had seen on television numerous times during our lives.

Our weary feet continued our tour of this massive, memorable city, leading us toward the saddened ground known as Ground Zero...

NYC Trip - Day 1

I didn't really sleep Monday night into Tuesday morning. Every second that I tried to doze off I was afraid I was going to sleep through the alarm, so I tossed and turned and checked the clock until 4:00 a.m. finally lit up the alarm.

We muscled the kids out of bed and, thanks to my wonderfully efficient wife, threw the pre-packed luggage into the car and headed to the airport.

We made our way through security and waited patiently for our delayed flight. We eventually made it onto the plane and about an hour and a half later we were racing through the Atlanta airport, our carry-on luggage flapping about our winded bodies, making it to our connecting flight to New York just in time.

But how did we get here? The idea was simple enough. My wife turns 40 next year... a month before my daughter turns 16. They were going to celebrate by taking a mother/daughter trip to New York City. Then, as fate would have it, the hallowed Yankee Stadium was being torn down after this year and it occurred to me how much fun it would be to take my baseball-nut son to a game there before it is gone forever.

So, I asked the Mrs. if she would move the trip up a year. The stars aligned (school Spring Break, Little League Spring Break, Yankees home opening weekend against the local Rays) and we booked our flight and hotel through my brother John's travel website.

We arrived in Newark, took a limo over to the Hotel Newton on the Upper West Side, quickly settled in and immediately headed down to Times Square. The kids were excited to use the subway and were amazed at all of the lights in Times Square. Tourists, like us, were everywhere, which actually made us feel safer.

The nicely tiled subway stop for Times Square

DC, Me and Gabe in Times Square

People watching at a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Shop

Gabe outside the Yankees Store

Later that night we went on a night bus tour atop a double-decker bus. It took us through Little Italy, Chinatown, the Village and over the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn where we saw the Brooklyn Bridge at night.

A couple of buildings on the night tour
including the New York Life
building in the center and the
Empire State Building lit in green.

As the night tour ended, rain started to fall. We took shelter near the ESPN Zone restaurant and eventually took our weary bodies back to the hotel and collapsed in a heap.

Raining in Times Square.

A busy and fun first day in New York City.

Back Home

The family and I returned LATE last night/early morning from a wonderful and extremely busy week in New York City.

I'll have more posts and pics about our trip in the coming days.

Little League Highlights - Cards Lose 9-1

On the heels of the big win last night against the Yanks, the Cards came out flat in the afternoon heat and lost to the Dodgers 9-1. A lot of mental errors and one of those games where we simply hit it right to the opponent, the Cards dropped back into a tie for second with the Dodgers.

Gabe went 1-3, but had two really solid hits. His first went to right center and his second was caught in left. His third at-bat he hit the ball off the end of the bat, sending a soft liner to the pitcher.

You can watch the video highlights HERE (again, big file, Internet Explorer preferred).

A frustrating way to enter spring break, but it's a long season.

Little League Highlights - Cards Win 8-2

Gabe and his Cardinals had a really good game last night. Facing the first place Yankees, the Cardinals used great defense and solid hitting to win 8-2. Gabe pitched a complete game, using only 53 pitches out the 85 he was allowed to throw last night to shut down the strong Yankees team.

On offense he also did well, hitting 2 for 3 with a double and a triple. This was a nice reward as Gabe has been trying to incorporate his hips more into his swing to get more power. He still does it better in practice than in game situations, but he's getting there.

You can watch the video highlights by CLICKING HERE (Internet Explorer preferred). The video is large, so you may need to wait a minute for it to upload.

The Cardinals are the only team in Safety Harbor so far to beat the top-ranked Yankees.

The Cardinals started out the year strong, going 4-1, but in-field errors dropped their record to 4-5. After two straight wins, however, they've moved up in second place behind the Yankees and now sit at 6-5 with an important game today against the third place Dodgers.

Go Cards!

St. Michael the Archangel Wants You!

The Saint Michael the Archangel Organization has started efforts to gather 1 million participants to say the rosary for the unborn on Saturday, May 3rd, from 9 a.m.-10 a.m (EST).

God can accomplish more with a simple thought than we can do in a lifetime, so lets show Him our passion for this by committing to this prayer time.

I've signed up. So can you, right HERE.

Preview of Matt Maher's New CD

Here's a five-minute promo of Matt Maher's new CD called Empty & Beautiful to be released on April 8th. I can't wait!

Here's the official description and track listing:

Singer/Songwriter/Worship Leader Matt Maher’s 12-track Empty & Beautiful, which releases April 8, 2008, includes songs that are both corporate and reflective; driving and soft; each one telling the story from a different perspective. Maher describes the heart behind his Essential Records debut, "The realization of our own emptiness without God is both a moment of sadness, and a window to joy, which opens to something so much bigger and more beautiful than ourselves. To lay down one’s life for the Gospel in service of God and neighbor, is a reflection of the beauty of God. That is our charge as Christians, and that is where these songs came from."

Track Listing

1. Your Grace Is Enough 2. Look Like A Fool 3. As It Is In Heaven 4. I Rejoice 5. Great Things 6. Leave A Light On 7. Empty & Beautiful 8. For Your Glory 9. Shine Like The Sun 10. Unwavering 11. Lay It Down 12. Maranatha

Happy Easter!

Luke 24: 1-8

"But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.

They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, "Why do you seek the living one among the dead?

He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day."

And they remembered his words."

Happy Easter!

May your soul be renewed by the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Club God - Coming Soon!

I sketched out a Christian short called Club God, about God prematurely calling a comedian up to Heaven so he can help God with his stand-up act. It will be the first real production of Sonlight Pictures.

It's about 15 minutes long and covers a lot of simple, theological ground. Plus, it's pretty funny.

We're going to shoot it in April/May after I return from vacation. John Snell and Brian Shea, friends and actors from our film The Box, have agreed to be in the short. John Snell will play God and Brian Shea will play "Shecky" the comedian.

John and Brian on the set of The Box.

We'll be shooting the short at the Cinema Cafe in Clearwater, the location of The Box premiere. We have four hours to shoot fifteen pages, so it will be a race to be sure.

I'll have more pics and vids in the coming weeks. We'll post it on YouTube and GodTube when it is completed.

Pray for us. We'll need it!

How Long Have Christians Been Pro-Life? A Very, Very, Very Long Time...

I came across this quote from a Catholic blog called the WardWideWeb and he quotes from Athenagoras: Embassy for the Christians, and The Resurrection of the Dead. In the book, Athenagoras, a Christian apologist from around 170 A.D., argues in a letter to the Emperor that Christians are not murders, as their pagan enemies portend.

In this argument, Athenagoras specifies Christian opposition to abortion as well.

"But we consider the looking on at a murder to be nigh to murder itself and forbid ourselves such spectacles. If then we do not even look on at these shows (so as not to be under a curse and to incur defilement), how can we be capable of murder?

Again, we call it murder and say it will be accountable to God if women use instruments to procure abortion: how shall we be called murderers ourselves?

The same man cannot regard that which a woman carries in her womb as a living creature, and therefore as an object of value to God, and then go about to slay the creature that has come forth to the light of day.

The same man cannot forbid the exposure of children, equating the exposure with child murder, and then slay a child that has found one to bring it up.

No, we are always consistent, everywhere the same, obedient to our rule and not masters of it."

This is the second early Christian document I have read that specifically states Christian opposition to abortion.

So the fact is, you cannot be Christian and pro-choice. Those have been opposing forces since the institution of Christianity itself.

Mark's Baptism

Having accumulated numerous God-Children over my life, I struggled as to how best to honor them on their "rebirth" day or baptismal day. It occurred to me that I should combine their "rebirth" days into a single day, choosing the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19th), as Joseph was responsible for guiding Jesus on his chosen and divine path.

So, for the past few years, every March 19th I would sometimes send my God-Children some religious trinket or card, but would always say a novena for them.

A few months ago my niece Kristi and her husband Robbie told us there were expecting their third child and asked if we would consider being the God Parents. We were ecstastic! So this past Saturday, March 15th, my wife and I were honored to become Mark Chappell's God-Parents.

Dea, Pete, Robbie, Mark and Kristi

Due to the once-in-200 year lunar cycle, Easter is very early this year and, therefore, the Feast of St. Joseph was moved up to avoid inclusion in Holy Week. So, as divine providence would have it, as I welcomed Mark Chappell in to my God-Family, I was happy and surprised to find out that the Feast of St. Joseph was moved up to March 15th as well.

What a fitting gift, to welcome a new God-Child on the day I celebrate all of my God-Children!

I will delay the start of the novena until after Easter, as not to interfere with Holy Week.

The trip to Atlanta for the celebration was memorable. Weather caused the 1 hour flight to last much longer. We circled Atlanta as tornadoes dashed through downtown. We could see the lightning and dark clouds below us, not knowing just how strong they were.

Pete, Dea, Father Tim, Robbie, Kristi,
Mark, Tyler and Lauren's forehead.

We stayed with Katie and Brian and Saturday morning we drove up to Athens and celebrated the Baptism with family friend, Father Tim. Afterwards we went to a local park where we enjoyed food, family and also a surprise celebration of the grandfather of Mark Chappell (and my brother-in-law), Steve Smith. He turned 60 and was given a book of stories everyone relayed about his impact in their lives. Some were funny, some were touching, all were sincere.

Me and Mary in a picture she labeled
"Guess who's older?"

It was also Steve's mother's 91st birthday, so the day was full of celebration!

Afterwards we returned to the Chappell home for more fun, including a game of Sag 'Nads. Brian was off his normally precise game, but it was fun, none-the-less.

Katie at Krisiti's house.

We journeyed back to Brian and Katie's house for the night and flew out of Atlanta early Sunday morning... in time to make it to the Lifeteen Mass Sunday evening here at home.

Overall it was a very long, tiring, but wonderful and blessed weekend.

PS - Thanks to my sister Mary for the pics!

Awesome Catholic Commercial

For a long time I always loved the way the Church of Latter Day Saints promoted their faith. Every time I would see one of their commercials I thought "Why doesn't the Catholic Church do that?"

Well, my brother Charles made me aware of a great Catholic Commercial on the Catholic Come Home.Org website. I've included some screen shots below.

The commercial does a great job of promoting all of the wonderful things that the Church has done over the last 2000 years. It's so easy in this sound-bite generation to get distracted and lose sight of history. It's easy to think of the horrendous sex abuse scandal first before thinking of the saintly acts of many priest predecessors.

This commercial brings to light all the Church has brought, and continues to bring, the world population.

You can watch the video by clicking on this Catholic Come Home link.

They have a link to donate to get these television commercials on the air. Its time for good Catholics to pony up to spread the faith. Catholics are notoriously cheap with their tithing... If memory serves, on average Catholics tithe 1% of their salary while Protestants average around 8%. Let's get off our collective buttocks and get these commercials out there!

2012: Doomsday (2008)

What happens when you take a low-budget copy-cat film factory (The Asylum) and create a end of the world Christian epic? You get 2012: Doomsday. (Note: Films with a ":" in the title are usually suspect at best).

For those of you who don't visit the low budget section of Blockbuster, you may not be aware of Asylum's offering to the film palette. Asylum is known for taking titles that the major studios are making, changing it slightly and releasing a low budget "copy" or similar genre flick. Here are some examples:

Alien vs. Predator (Hollywood)
Alien vs. Hunter (Asylum)

Snakes on a Plane (Hollywood)
Snakes on a Train (Asylum)

Transformers (Hollywood)
Transmorphers (Asylum)

10,000 BC (Hollywood)
100 Million BC (Asylum)

You get the idea. They take on special effects heavy Hollywood flicks and try to ride on their coat tails with their weak special effects copies. This production model has been used since filmdom started, with B westerns, B crime dramas, etc. Asylum is the latest to favor financial rewards over artistic innovation. And to their credit, it works.

When films of faith started to generate a market, Asylum created Faith Films and have made two "Christian" epics, Apocalypse and 2012: Doomsday, both of which are a combination of Armageddon, Day After Tomorrow and Left Behind.

And, for the most part, they are both the same film (Apocalypse deals with an impending asteroid collision and 2012 deals with the impending end of time interpreted by the Mayan calendar), however 2012 succeeds more often than it fails. Director Nick Everhart along with director of photography Mark Atkins max out their low budget resources to create a competent and fast moving story about four people who are called to an Aztec temple as the world is about to end.

The film opens with an archaeologist uncovering a hidden Aztec location which holds a large golden crucifix. This is followed by a missionary in search of a doctor to help villagers in a remote Mexican location. Then there is the missionary's father who has forecast the coming cataclysms. And, finally, there is the atheist paramedic who has visions of a cross and an Aztec temple.

During their journeys to the temple they all must overcome weaknesses in their faith. They soon find people beginning to disappear as the end of time draws near.

Both Apocalypse and 2012 share special effect sequences, so don't watch both of them and expect original material. And, in true low budget flare, 2012 re-uses shots within the same film to fill the gaps that were not shot originally. This isn't blatant, but noticeable if you're paying close attention.

The "faith" piece of this Faith Film is light, at best. The characters speak of God in the abstract and, as they deal with loss, offer no real Christian insight into grieving, sacrifice and suffering. And only the missionary at the end of the film really prays to Jesus instead of the generic God.

As one would expect from a company with the history of Asylum, this film is not intended to inspire faith, only to cash in on the growing faith market.

For a low budget film, the directing and cinematography are above average and the acting is solid, for the most part. The script is weak, however, the special effects below average and the faith aspect of the film merely window dressing.

If you're looking for an inspiring Christian film, Faith Films hasn't made one yet. However, if you're a Christian film lover who also enjoys an average b-movie and all of the limitations which that implies, then 2012: Doomsday won't disappoint... much.

California to Outlaw Homeschooling?

You can read more here:

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=69177

and here

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=58137

It appears that the California Court ruled that homeschooling may be illegal. This will get to the Supreme Court, guaranteed.

I have too many thoughts on this to put here now, but the ruling is ridiculous for so many reasons. The simplest of which is that, if that were true, it would be illegal for parents to assist in helping their kids with their homework. If I don't have the training to teach my children math during the day, then I certainly lack the same training at night.

The reason we started homeschooling was because we were teaching our kids five hours a night with their homework. We decided to save money and time and get their school work done in fewer hours. We're provided complete curriculum, texts, lesson plans and tests.

The kids can work at their own pace, have become completely self sufficient and are grades above their counterparts in government required standardized testing. Plus there are so many homeschoolers in the area that their social life is full.

California needs to be consumed by a hellish fire.

Today, preferably.

NEWS FLASH: Media Biased!

Okay, so it's not so much of a news flash as it is a statement of fact.

Here's a prime example. A few months ago Mike Huckabee, a Christian pastor, got raked over the proverbial coals for having a subliminal figure of a cross in the background during a Christmas message.

A pastor having an image of a cross during a Christmas message???? NO!!! How could he??? What was he thinking???

Flash forward to last week.

Barack Obama gives a speech justifying gay marriage by quoting Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and stating we should ignore the "obscure" passage by St. Paul about homosexuality.

And what of the media outrage? Surely a non-pastor selectively picking from the bible to leap across to a volatile subject such as gay marriage would generate some intense media buzz!

Crickets. That's all you hear. Crickets.

Besides the fact that there are more than just this "obscure" statement in the bible about homosexuality which illuminate quite clearly the early church's feelings about it and besides the fact that Obama conveniently excluded the direct quote from Jesus about a man and a woman becoming one flesh in marriage, the silence from the media outlets is stunning and a perfect example of complete media bias.

You can read a very good analysis over at One News Now.

Whether you're for gay marriage or not, such blatant bias in coverage of critical political issues should be a concern for every American, no matter which gender with whom you prefer to bed down. Because at some point, that moral compass will be pointing in a direction with which you don't identify and you'll expect the media to show some centrist opinion.

Yeah, good luck with that.

I still believe this country is the best country in the world. What saddens me most is that we've stopped raising the bar and are, instead, sliding quickly toward second place.

We used to be a beacon of truth and opportunity. Now we're an example of selective relativism and moral confusion.

Come to America... we stand for nothing.