Rob Bell

Rob Bell is the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, and is known to many Christians through his NOOMA videos, and the books he has written. I remember watching his videos in youth group and thinking they were very interesting. Videos like Dust and Lump.

Recently he's come under fire by a lot of Christians for the description and accompanying intro video of a book that hadn't even come out yet. This is the intro video for the book, Love Wins:

The people concerned with Bell's theology basically said he is being a false teacher because the video he implies all people will go to Heaven because Love wins, and our Loving God would never send someone to Hell.

Of course I don't believe that myself, and I was ready to blog about how maybe Rob Bell explains that idea further in the actual book, saying God is a loving God but people choose to not love him back and there is indeed a Hell...and that we shouldn't be so quick to judge Bell and assume he is a false teacher.

Then I started researching the issue further, and I came across this post from a pastor named Erik Raymond's blog responding to Rob Bell's earlier book, Velvet Elvis: check it out here

Now I have quite a few friends who own or have read that book...I was planning on reading it myself, but maybe I shouldn't?

A lot of what Raymond comments on makes sense, and I'm wondering what you guys all think?

Welcome, Bienvenue, Wilkommen, Bienvenido!

Welcome to my first blog of 2011. I believe its been about 2 and half years since my last post... a lot has changed since then! so consider this post the first post of my new blog.

I will be using this blog to talk about things I've noticed, funny things I've found, things that happen to me, current events possibly, and once in a while a post that actually takes effort and goes a little deeper. That being said, don't expect a lot of great writing out of this blog!

If you would like to read blogs with great writing and considerably better posts, you'll need to check out these blogs:

my wife- http://kimscrazyness.blogspot.com/

my brother Josh- http://joshbowers.blogspot.com/

Josh's wife, my sister in law Breeann http://breeannbowers.blogspot.com/

and last one for now, our friend Heather http://tutusandrainboots.blogspot.com/

So about the "lot of things have changed" I believe the last time I mentioned Kim in the blog we were just dating. Well now we're married! It will be two years in July.

Also, I believe I had recently started at SaveMart. Well worked there about 9 or so months, then went on to Jamba Juice in Modesto for a little over a year, then I got hired with the City of Manteca, working at the Manteca Golf Course thanks to my friend Andrew Jessee. Its a pretty cool job.

I have a post idea that I will be posting possible later today....but thats all for now!!

Nameless

Hello World.

So Kim and I watched the 24: Redemption movie that came on tonight. And basically its the first two hours of season 7, which starts January 11. And its amazing. I won't spoil it for you people that haven't seen it, but I will tell you it has Jack in Africa and it centers around the terrible tragedy of African children, young boys being kidnapped and turned into soldiers for the rebel army. You want to know more about the movie, it comes out on DVD Tuesday I believe. Anyway, the child abduction/turning into soldiers is a very real situation in Africa right now. These kids are so young and are brainwashed to kill their own people and anyone their captors tell them to. Yet most people tend to either not care or refuse to believe it goes on. Kim is a member of an organization called invisible children, just one organization that's trying to help stop this horrible situation. You can talk to her, or go to the website for Invisible Children, which of course is Invisible Children.com. Apparently, the leader of the LRA (the rebel army taking the kids) is going to sign a Peace Agreement, so keep that in your prayers, maybe some peace can enter that region and little children can grow up in peace and actually have a childhood.

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The other day Doug, Kim and I had the oppurtunity to deliver a thanksgiving food basket to a struggling family of three. Our church is partnered with a local organization called LOVE inc, and they set it up so people in our church (and the other churches in manteca that are participating) can form groups and take a basket to a family. Our family was Frank and Monica and their daughter. Both Frank and Monica had lost their jobs recently and were wondering what they were gonna be eating when the food runs out, so this basket was a huge blessing to them. Monica mentioned she might be getting a job at the new theatres, so I'm praying that happens. Despite all of the stuff that has happened in their lives so suddenly, both of them never seemed to blame God. Their struggles are so great yet their faith was even greater...It really was inspiring to talk to them.

In light of this post, as the holiday season is coming up with Thanksgiving this week and Christmas in December, I encourage all of you to show love to others. Be slow to anger and judging. Theres struggling people all around us. All over the world, yet even in our own town. Help someone. Help them do anything. Its not that hard. People need us. Let show them Christ's love, not man-made condemnation and hatred, or equally worse, the indifference; that seems to be ever present these days.

Have a good Thanksgiving everyone.

Oh and Happy Birthday to my brother Josh (On thanksgiving!)

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER

So I decided that these cookies were so good they deserved their own mini-blog. Save Mart sells these cookies, and they are simply amazing.

Heres a pic:



Yea, they will change your life. Next time in youre in Save Mart, get a bag, theyre like 4 bucks or so.
OK enough free advertising from me.

More substantial blogs to come in the near future

Save Mart

Hello all.

I thought I'd update all of you on my work situation. A couple posts ago I mentioned I was applying to Save Marts because I was finished with Big Boy. Well I actually got hired at the Save Mart in Ripon back in June.

Grand Opening a year ago or something

Big Boy Market was a good job to have-during Highschool. But after, it was just time to get out. I stayed there a good 4 plus years, because it was comfortable and I was just lazy. There was good people that worked there, and a lot of the customers were pretty cool- Pastor Dan would even shop there once in a while. I made min wage tho, and my hours werent the greatest. After 4 years somewhere, you think that would not be the case. I dont blame them though, I mean they couldnt really afford it, seeming how they closed down!
So when I got offered the job on the spot during the first interview, you bet I took it. So I put in my two weeks notice to Jen and told Save Mart I could start after the 2 weeks. I took some pics on my last day.

Thank you for working?



Front of the Store at Night

You know, I thought i would miss the customers and my co-workers at Big Boy, and the freedom and laid-backness of working there, but let me tell you, its a world of difference. I do miss the people somewhat...

At Big Boy, sometimes I kind of liked my job, but now that I'm working at Save Mart, I LOVE my job! My co-workers are all pretty cool for the most part; I've made a couple of friends already. Yes, its not as laid back, but thats okay, I needed to take my job seriously and grow up in that area. The majority of the customers are amazing. I think this is due to the fact that its Ripon, where everyone is generally in a great mood 98 % of the time. The hours are significantly better, and I started at 8 35, somthing I wasn't even making at Big Boy. Another reason I feel blessed is a few of my co-workers are Christian (and one of my managers) , something I didn't really have in common with my Big Boy co-workers.

So adding to all of this, Save Mart does the secret shoppers program, (to make sure were doing our jobs) and I recently passed mine with flying colors. Which isnt hard, if you do your job, something I tend to do very well. (Not to brag or anything) Theres incentives for getting good scores, and I got a $5 gift card to use at the store, which is cool.

Wait, thats not it!

One of managers, Rick, came up to me on Tuesday and asked if I wanted to be an extra in a training video that corporate was making Wed night at the Riverbank Save Mart. I said yes and it was loads of fun. I was there from 11 pm to 6 in the morning. (We will get paid for a full 8 hour shift) There was about 10 or 11 of us, all Save Mart employees, 3 of which were my co-workers. I was an extra in the background for several scenes, and I had a small speaking part as well, where I had to 'win the right' to take a customers' groceries out to their car. Every Save Mart employee will have to watch this video the week before Thanksgiving, so that means it will be seen by hundreds of people. Pretty cool.
One of the corporate ladies said we will probably all get a copy of the video, so I'll try to put part of it on here if I get it.

Pic I took of the Director prepping Bob for the scene

I'm sorry if this blog came off as me bragging, but I figured you would all like to know about my new job. I truly feel blessed to have this job, especially after Big Boy closed a little over a month after I got hired at Save Mart. Thank you, Lord.

Rest In Peace, Reese

So once again I apologize for not posting in like a gazillion months. I really want to post reguluarly, I do. Anyway, I thought I would put this up to start up the blog again. As many of you know, the best rabbit in the world, Reese, had to be put to sleep recently. I was upset the day it happened, maybe a few days after. I'm good now though. Still miss him here and there. However, I thought I would put this up for you people to see. Enjoy.