it's christmas - or close as possible for me :) hope all have a great christmas and a blessed time with friends and family :)

be in peace
love you all,
john o'keefe
aka, "the gink" and "punk monkey."

think of life like this - "rain, dancing monkeys, and the taste od good beer" - yea, life is good :)

the rain, the bike and mud :)

living in northen cal i picked up a new hobby - mountian biking - and i love it. nothing could be more fun then peddling down a muddy hill only to eat dirt at the end - and nothing could be more fun then doing it with friends :) there is something very cool about feeling the mud splash up your back as you are enjoying God's creation -

the other day i was hitting some trails where i live in folsom - and i saw a wonderful four/five point buck - i tried to grab my camera in time - but it crested the hill before i could get a good shot at it - it was a wonderful site - now, for some this is no big deal - but remember, i lived in las vegas for most my life - not many bucks (not the green kind) in vegas. it was the coolest ever - i love it - and the hard part for me is - i can't stop riding my bike now - i even ride it to the church office :)

pax

all the good stuff

i started a fotoblog a few weeks ago called "ginkworld: inside the vision of punk monkey" - and i have to tell you - this is too much fun :) am i allowed to have this much fun? i love it. my cell has a camara, so i take pics of things i think are cool or different - it is a life view of a punk monkey :) - it's fun - check it out and let me know what you think :)

also, just to let everyone know i am back and bloging a daily study at the praxis blog - i did not post there for a while thinking that it would be picked up - but it was not - so, it is back and running - :)

pax

sometimes i find it hard to blog on certian things. for example - over the past i have been honest and open with my feelings and life experiences - and all that is cool in my book. while people who have left their voice on this blog have been kind and loving i have recieved email from others who have not been so kind and loving.

one person told me that it was not right for a minister to share his "private life" with the whole world - they were upset with me to talking about lost loves and the break-up of my marriage - they felt that it should not be talked about and left for me to deal with alone - humm, so i wonder? could that be one of the reasons i have stopped blogging? could it be that i allowed the few to control the desires of the many? could it be that i have allowed the minds of those who desire for nothing to be talked about in pubilc to control the desires of a community (internet or not) of supportive people?

which leads one to ask, and wonder, to what extent do we share on a blog? for some that might be just a short look into the self - or others, like me, it could mean you get to see the soft belly of the beast. i think i blog from my heart and i strive to be open and honest - i think i have been shying away because i felt as if people were set back by my honesty - but now i know it is because i allowed those who desire to keep all things "clean" to control my blogging - not any more.

if i share something from my life that upsets you - or causes you to think i am "too open" - "tuff shit" is all i can say - i will share as my heart leads, and if that offends - please do not read any more - and please stop emailing me with your desires that i stop - you lost the war - you might have won a battle - but the war was lost, and i blog from the heart :)

pax

hey - i was just invited to join the ozze blog over at the ozze :) and i did - should be fun :)

i went for a long hike the other day with this great guy i met via a youth ministry - it was a long hike, about 18 miles - but it was a blast. we shared, talked, and got to see inside the heart of each others ministry. i was excited about all the possibilities - and then something from God happened - it was great

well, it has been a while - and all i can say is that i have been blessed a million times over - my lack of writing is not due to my pains, but my joys :) God has blessed me in many ways - he renewed my heart, allowing me to see a deeper side of myself and my faith - very cool. he has blessed me the heart of another - and that is the greatest earthly joy i can think of.

i will be blogging more as time moves on - and these joys are procesed :) rest assured, out of all the pain comes great joy - :)

check out ginkworld.net and look at the foto-page - some new pics of me :) as if you asked for them :)

be in peace

wow - for a guy who said he would post more often, i sure let the ball drop on that one :) please forgive me - but all seems to be getting a bit even in my life now - so, here i go again - a little insite :)

being new to cal - "nor-cal" for all you locals :) - i have been finding this election stuff pretty funny - i mean, a hooker, a child star, a drug dealer, the taco bell dog and a elderly lady with no teeth - my vote goes with the hooker - at least she's honest :) but we now have "gov arnie" - i guess the only cool thing about it is we have the coolest gov in the u.s. :) come on, admit it - our gov can kick your gov's butt :)

pax

ok, i'm ready. i'm packed, stoked and ready to roll - i will be leaving las vegas ( maybe i'll write a movie with that title) on thursday morning and heading to the "sac" area - this should be exciting. as i get ready to start a new position as "pastor of student ministries" at harbor community church in folsom i and very excited - and let me share with you why:

first, i feel God is leading me to the area. it's a great place and i feel "good" in the city - very connected and very comfy. second, the people are great - no, i mean these people are wonderful - loving, kind, open, willing - very cool people - all of them. glen and pamela are great people (lead pastor and his wife) and eveny member of the leadership team. i spent a long weekend at a great little "b&b" in georgetown with all of them, and i loved every minute. third, the op for ministry in the area is killer - very little going one except a few "youth groups" that gather. the area is wide open. and lastly, the lady of my dreams :D - life is good, and God is wonderful :)

well, i will go and be off line for a short while - but i will blog as i can - and i can do that all the time from any computer - i love tech. i will be posting as time allows -

pax

i have come to the conclusion that packing sucks! no matter how you slice it, packing sucks. as i am packing all my stuff i realized that 90% od what i own is garbage; book i purchased and never read (and never will read); computer programs that are 32 bit and will never run on my system; cds from artists i have never heard of, in a style of music i never listen too; videos of things that i thought were cool at the time, but now realize just how jerky they are. garbage - more garbage then actual stuff. i even found a pair os pants i had when i was 400lbs - go figure; shirts i never wear, shows that don't fit, pants with holes and stains - garbage. i am amazed at the garbage we collect in life - and the garbage we keep and drag around with us.

as i start this section of my life over and i seek to rid myself of all the garbage of the past i find moving and packing to be a rather healing experience. i am tossing out "stuff" that is holding me back - and deciding that i do not desire to pick stuff that will holed me back - of stop me from reaching the hieghts God desires of me. so, while packing suck, cleaning out life bagage and garbage is very cool.

pax

so - what do you think of a openly gay bishop?

pax

Ok, here is the deal. I love the idea Spencer, Jordon and Charlie have with getting together as communities and learning from each other. I bought into it “hook, line and sinker;” and, as of this writing over 800 people are connected – listing over 240 cities – that is cool, I love it. Spencer has already had a meeting in his community, and the photos are on line – excellent – I am excited about the possibilities. But here’s my problem (some how you knew I was going to say that) – if this is so important to us a s postmodern/emerging people and we all claim that community (tribe) is a valuable part of out DNA and joining groups like Indie Allie is vital to the conversation – why is there no way to contact people?

Many people join, post a cute and catchy name, but leave no way of contacting them. How can we have community without contact? I am in the process of moving to the Sacramento area (Folsom) and I am excited about the possibilities – yet, as I look over the small group of 6 people, I see that there is no way to contact anyone of them; no link, no email – nothing. How can we build community we are not connected?

Over the past I have not been able to “visit” many of the postmodern/emerging events (unless I am speaking and they help pick-up the tab J). But I have been the biggest support of all events that happen – if I get an email asking for free ad space on ginkworld.net for a pomo/emerg event, I give it – every time, with out exception. I have tried to find out all I can about what happened at different events – and I am so connected it can drive a man crazy. but I think connection is important to building community – so, if your not connected, get there J

Well, if you have an idea – let me know.

pax

a new start

after long prayer and interviews i have selected to take a position as a pastor with harbor community church in folsom california - and it looks great. the position is as "student pastor" - but i will also be working with small groups and preaching every now and then - it's great. i will be heding up to the area in a few weeks for a leadership training - and then i will be moving to the area - keep me in your prayers.

also, i have met a lady - :) so, keep that in your prayers also - God is moving in my life in powerful ways - it's great :)

pax

a paycheck away

ever hear the news and they talk about millions of americans living one paycheck way from the streets? and you hear the stories you think - no way - impossible - could never happen in america. well, let me assure you of this - the stories are true and it can happen in america. how do i know? because i live one pay check from the streets.

it took every dime i had to help plant a church that is not going to move past where it is (bank accounts are at zero dollars). i lived on savings for three years, praying that God would bless the ministry - but the blessing never came - while the reasons for this are many i think the main reason is me and my lack of hearing God speak - i wanted to do it my way and have learned a very valuable lesson - God is in control and do His bidding. yet, between student loans, bills from the past, and just living - there is nothing let but month at the end of a check - if for any reason i lose my position sub-teaching, i am on the streets - hard fact - hard truth - but very real and very awakening.

so, why am i posting this stuff? for a few reasons - but one of the most important is this - that when you read of a person who is a pay check away from the streets you will know it's truth and you will do what you can to help - get involved in the lives of others - work at the shelters and get connected - and don't look down on the person because you think you are better. another reacon? well, i believe if you are truly going to be "inside the mind of punk monkey" that you be given a inside view - even the ugly stuff.

but the main reason i write this is for prayer - massive prayers. pray that God be involved in all this and that He lift me up. i have been interviewing - like crazy - so pray that a ministry position opens and God leads me to it. pray for that God open the door to my financial problems and that He bless what I have to make it through. keep me and mine in your prayers as we deal with this situtition - we know that God is in control, and we know that God is the lead.

pax

SOLITION

ok - if you are looking for a great op in the pomo/emerg world and are looking for a great place to lear and grow - may i suggest "solition" on septemeber 4-6 in ventura ca - should be a ton of fun - i am going to try my hardest to be ther for it all - besides the op to grow i can spend time with people i have come to know, love and respect - john and stacy, jared and dan kimball (author of "emerging church" - a must read for all thse wondering about the pomo/emerging church mind - and he is the lead pastor at "vintage faith"). if you want to know more - head over to ginkworld.net and hit the link at the bottom of the page -

if i am there i will post the fact that i will be here - if not, i will post that too - it all depeneds on how the interviews are going - who knows, i just might be working in the area - very cool :-) .

besides, i just might be heading to terre haute to pick up mia (the women i will marry) and the kids - now,m that would be very cool :-)

pax

LOVE:

all you need is love :-)

pax

conformed or transformed?

i was talking with a pastor the other day who was complianing about the postmodern/emerging church. his complant was that the pomo/emerg church was simply a church that confomed to the culture, while the modern church seeks to "transform" the cutlure. i, in my kind and easy spirit, disagreed with him.

the modern church sees itself as not being effected by the culture, but the reality is it "is the culture." a great deal of the messages in the church center on being a "good american" instead of a good follower of Christ. the modern church is a image of the american system - we elect elders, we have a "democratic" system of government - we think, being a good Christian means being a good american - never questioning the government. but scripture call us to be transformed - not to be american but to be followers of Christ. the modern church has conformed, the problem is is that it did so 50 years ago, and the world is changing around them - and they just can't get a grip on the transforming part -

pax

i am amazed at how God works in our lives - and i am excited about the possibilities. what i find interesting, is that i see possibilities and others see problems - and that is amazing to me. i know God is doing some powerful stuff in my life - and i know that the blessings are great, and getting greater - but there is fear in all this. as life changes and life grows, i see how good life can be - and how powerful God is in life.

love, faith and peace are all at work in my life - and they are great feelings and great experiences - God is moving and i am open to leting him move in my life -

pray for me and mia (she's the lady God sent into my life) as we seek God's plan for our lives and we see the possibilities for His ministry -

pax

hey all - i am out and about this weekend interviewing up north in sacremento - and i will fill you in on the details over time. i need prayer in this - my life is being blessed by God in many ways and i need prayer. i met a wonderful women who i care for deeply, this opportunity is coming my way - and others also - and i am feeling that God is moving in my life. i need prayer:

pray that this new relationship is of God, by God and through God - she is a wonderful christian women with four great kids - and i believe God is moving in our lives - we both believe He is moving in our lives.

pray that the church God desires me to serve show itself to me. while i know i have certian areas of the country where i want to go - pray that the area i do go is the area where God wants to use me. pray that God open the doors for me, so i can walk in where He wants me to be.

pax

hey all - i got this idea from my new friend spencer over at the ooze - and it is the collest thing ever - it's a "photo blog" - man this rocks. you can create your our by going to fotolog.net this is a great and powerful tool - and it is great for guys like me who can't spell to save their lives - bu i am getting better, i think ;-0 - my personal fotoblog is found at: ginkworld's foto-blog - and for those who have been wondering what i look like - you can go and see for yourself - hopefully over time i will be posting pics of those i love - family, friends and others - on this site - you will get to see the birth of a new on this for me as i move ahead in God's love and blessings -

pax

remember the old tina turner song "what's love got to do with it?" i do, and for a long time i asked myself that very question. then i relaized that love has a great deal to do with it all - everything.

i am a romantic - i write poetry (mostly love) and i am a sucker for love - i fall in love easy, and it is hard for me to fall out. i like love, and everything that goes with it - the ups, downs, the crazy and the sain - i just like love. so, i think love has a great deal to do with everything - and it is not a "second hand emotion" - but it is the first gift from God to us all.

pax

pets:

i like pets - i do. one of the biggest bummers that happened over the past few weeks was the death of my pet farret - jnco - he was great. we had him for seven years and he was the best animal i ever shared my life with - i loved that little creature. well, my daughter seemed to have taken my twisted view of pets to heart - and now we have nine rats - and more on the way.

did you see the movie "willard?" well, i am in the process of having my daughter's name changed to "willard." she takes them to the park and they follow her around - do what ever she wants - and i think it's cool.

two weeks ago she found a sparrow falled from it's nest - a very young sparrow - so she took it in, and mothered it back to health. now we have a sparrow flying around the living room. it would not bug me so much if it had any kind of "contol" - but birds will be birds ;-)

i am glad my daughter has taken a love for God creatures - and she does love them all - but the biggest problem i am having is, "how do you get bird poop out of a futon cover?"

pax

over the past few months i have gone through some major life changes. most of them dealing with my emotional life; these changes have also effected my body. about four months ago i decided to "get into shape" - meaning i am spending five days a week at the gym - and it seems to be working, which is all very cool - i lost 80lbs, increased my chest to 50' and decreased my waiste to 36' (heading to 34' fast) and i feel much better about a lot of things - and that is all cool - but there is a down side to all this also - if you thought strangly dressed people hang at the pool or the beach - you never saw a stranger group then at the gym. i use to make fun of them - untill i realized i was one of those who dressed funny ;-) now, i just smile and look weird as i grunt and lift wieghts - maybe style comes later.

pax

ok, i'll be the first to admit that i have not been blogging like i use to. and to be honest, i don't know why - actually, that's not true - i do know why - it's because i have been lazy. yea, i have been sittinf on my duff and just have not been able to put my mind to the blog - but i think i have covered that with a new desire to keep you filled in on the daily happenings of a punk monkey - so, i will be blogginf more now - and i will be shring with you some pretty twisted stuff - hold on to your hats, the ride should be fun

pax

i like peas

i have been writing a ton of poetry as of late. people have expressed a desire for me to post more - but much of it is deeply personal and that makes posting it hard, but not impossible. i will be searching my spirit and will post on ginkworld.net poems as i believe God is leading - but remember, i warned you ;-)

hey - we did some magic with some graphics on ginkworld.net - tell me what you think. pastor john as morhpeus - pretty cool.

RULE ONE: no person over 250lbs whose stomic is larger the their chest may not wear a speedo - no exceptions, no excuses - it's not an official law in the domain of ginkworld.net - it's not sexy, no matter what they tell you - and ir is just wrong - plain wrong.

pax

ok - i think i figured it out. it seems that as people "develop" in faith they get lost in the laws, and blind to the grace. it seems that the rightous are harmed more by thier righousness, then a sinner is harmed by their sin - given that, i wounder hos do we bring people back from the edge of thinking they got it right - and everyone else got it wrong. how do we move ahead in faith, and bring the love of Christ to others when we do not love them ourselves? it is amazing how it all just falls into place - go figure.

ps - it's summer time, the pool is filled and the punkster will be posting watchings of those who enjoy the summer heat -

pax

we are at the end of an era

i recieved notice the other day that one of the greatest theologians i had even met was retiring. for those of us who attended "drew" were blessed by this person - this person changed many lives, and helped many students see the truth of scripture - this person was the life blood of the school - now, before i go on let me say that it is not len sweet, tom oden or charles rice (though charles is also retiring) - this person is "ms murphy."

leary anna murphy, or "ms murphy" as she was known to all the students who came to know and love her, was one of the guiding lights at drew - from her little office in the basement she guided, helped and supported all the students with the love and grace of a true follower of Christ. i can remember many a time when i needed to talk, a cup of tea of just a friend - and ms murphy was there - drew is losing a great women, a deep spiritual master and someone who effected the lives of more students then any of the profs who graced the halls at drew - on april 29, 2003 drew will become a little less bright, a little less friendly, a little less like home - to you ms murphy, form one student who remembers you with love and peace - i pray you have a great life and remember you changed mine in many ways -

pax
john o'keefe
"punk monkey"
ginkworld.net -

ok, here's the deal:

camping - fun
hiking - fun
friends - fun
family - fun
sunburnt shaved head - no fun at all

remember, when you shave your head, and you camp - spf50 is a great thing to have - take it from a hairless punk monkey - spf50 rules.

pax

wow, everyone has been great. the emails i have recieved, and the comments on this blog have been wonderful. i am truly blessed to have so many friends - and many i have not met, but know this - i truly love you all. my daughter and i have been dealing with this for three years before it came to ahead - and we felt, and feel, the prayers for all, and we love it. things are getting better - because God is showing us what he want's from us. as we move in God's perfect plan, we move in faith in all we do - and we love it. thank you again, and check back often - i am getting better and better each day - and will soon be back to my insane writing -

pax
john

Where I have Been

It comes as no surprise to some, but I have been going through some hard times as of late. My wife left us (my daughter and I) and I have been having a hard time finding a church to serve. While I am not going to pretend that all has been rosy, it has not; while I will not pretend I have not questioned, I have; while I will not insult your intelligence by telling you “I’m doing great,” because I am not – but what I am going to tell you is that I have come to completely trust and focus on Christ in all this, and that has been the hardest thing for me to do – but one I believe was needed.

I will not pretend to say that “God caused this” to teach me lesson, because I don’t believe that for a second. But what I do believe is that God will be in the healing. I am not certain what God will do – I am certain that what comes of this mess, it will be a great blessing up us (me and my daughter) and that God is keeping us wrapped in His arms. This has been a two-year process of ups and downs, and I have not always focused on God through it all. But this time I have come to place my complete trust in Him who is watching and loving us.

I believe, in my heart of hearts that God is in control and all will work out according to his plan. Keep us in your prayers and we seek to do as God desires.

Pax

the glory of tech

i was bored today so i did something i hardly ever do - i went into my "cpanel" and looked at some stats - ginkworld.net is growing at a great rate, over the year that i have been using this hosting company our average monthly hits have climed from a little over 5,000 to just over 10,000 - cool. but in that good news comes some strange news - it turns out that i have an email address connected to my "cpanel" and i did not know it - so, i looked in and what did i find? some 1,200 emails dating back to 12/22/02 - all that missed email - some was junk, no problem - but some of it was friends, and i missed getting back with them because of this little known catach all that seems to direct email to that account, as it sees fit. so, it you emailed me durring this period, i am sorry if i did not return your email - it was nothing against you, honest - tech is grand.

pax

over time it sinks in, and over time it forms a stark reality that you deal with - the church is dead. now, before you get you panties in a twist think about that - the church is dead. it is; it truly is. the deeper i get into this thing called "theology" the deeper i ceom to the realization that the church is dead and beyond help - now that that is said let me add that i believe a community of faith is alive and well. let me expain what i mean by "church:"

church is a place of duelisms - where the right hand does not even know there is a left hand, never mind anyother part of the body. a church is a place that uses it "humanity" as a reason for it's problems, while at the same time claiming to be transformed by the spirit. it is a place where one is taught in "one baptism, one faith, on God: as long as it is our method of baptism, our understanding of faith and our God. a place where we believe in the "priesthood of all believers" yet we maintain and demand a "priestly class." a place where they speak of healing, yet cause the most pain on a person. a place where love is spoken in the open, and gossip is taled about behind. a place where you are hugged, while being stabbed in the back - a church is a placve where people are tole they are welcomed, yet their ideas are not. a church is a place where money and building are the central ministries.

a community of faith, while nowhere near perfect, is a place where people can love, are looked to for love and accepted with open arms. a community of faith is not a place where they claim anything they can not do - they are honest, transparent and open to change - a place where people admit their humanity without claiming any level of perfection. - it is people searching for a relationship with people by coming to God.

pax

i was talking with the wall the other day, and i did not get an answer
i was talking with a rock the other day, and i did not get an answer
i was talking with the tree the other day, and i did not get an answer
i was talking with the wind the other day, and i did not get an answer.
i was talking with the sea the other day, and i did not get an answer
i was talking with the church the other day and...

pax

i spent the better part of the day cleaning my system - and there was a tone of cleaning. it got me wondering about church (i guess when i am being bored i tend to think more about the church). anyway, this new progream i was given mt a friend used this cool thing called "intelli" something - i'm not big on all the back door stuff about computers - it is designed to actually "think" as it defrags and fixes my hard drive - and i thought - now, get this - "intelli-church" a church that actually thinks and moves to the needs of it people - humm, this could be something good -

pax

A BLAST OF REALITY:

i was surfing around this morning - checking on my fav sites, to see what happening in the lives of some cyber-friends - i hit the bridge in phnx, becasue aaron is such a cool guy - i visit with jordon cooper, becasue everyone needs to visit jordon cooper - i hit the ooze, to see if my articles were still up (hey, i'm honest) - i hit next-wave, because i own charlie an article and i have to get my butt in gear to get it too him - i went to faithmaps, stephen has some great links - and then i hit open source, andrew rulz - that was my morning - pretty standard stuff for a saturday. as i checked my email, too many to read at one time so i check back often, i got a email from a new friend in canada (bc area) who pointed out this little "marketing blurb" from "outreach marketing" it read:

"IMPROVE YOUR CHURCHES IMAGE WITH A NEW LOGO"

ok, i like marketing just as much as the next guy (or gal) and i can truly get into a new and exciting campaign - i love the "bud frogs" (actually, i liked the lizards - too funny) and i watch the superbowl for the ads that will run - and i actually get disapointed when the ads are not too cool - but i think this one is just too far out of bounds. the idea that a church can change it's image because it gets a new logo is just "dog down stupid" - and any "elder" who thinks it can, needs to be taken outside and slapped around for an hour (keeping in mind it must be done in christian love). i can see the meeting now (wavy lines, wavy lines, wavy lines) ....................

"ok, look, our church has a bad rep in this town. we are seen as closed minded, judgemental, cruel and out of step with the times; we are seen as a church filled with people who see dogma as a central part of the faith. people think what we have to offer is not what they need. we have boring music, out of touch sermons and our youth program is dated to the year 1943. given all that, we need something new, all those in favor of developing a new logo raise your hands. good, motion carries, we will have a new logo - now, pastor tell us about your up coming sermon series where you blast gays, unwed mothers, drug addicts, unbelievers and any of the churches that do not agree with us."

what's changed? but hey, thay have a new logo

pax

a broken heart:

i am not sure about others, but when i heard that mr. rodgers died my heart was broken. i can remember many a day sitting in front of the tv and watching him and wondering why my father could not be more like him; i can remember watching him on tv and knowing in my heart that he would never get drunk, beat his kids and be gone for days - when my life was up rooted, mr rodgers was a life line a safty zone - a place i could go and seek safty. to some he was a geek - but to me he was the father i never had. as i worked through my emotions today concerning this wonderful, blessed and caring man - i an hurt by the realizating that new generations will not have this man - except in re-runs. when i look around for a "human role model" i think we can not do much better then mr. rodgers - a man who loved kids with out fault, and was willing to be honest and transparent with us.

today i had a great loss. as deep a loss as if i had lost a "real father." there was a time in my life were i figured mr. rodgers to be corny, out of date and our of step with the word - but in my heart i know there could never be a voice so loud as that or mr. rodgers to an emerging community - his love, his grace, his acceptance, his hionesty, his transparent heart and mostly his constant warmth and "being there" for each and eveyone of us who needed to know that the world was safe - mr. rodgers, thank you for all you did for me, and for all who wathced you, knew you, loved you and wiched we could have just a bit of your compassion.

pax
john o'keefe - a rodgers fan.

God Quietly Phasing Holy Ghost Out Of Trinity

HEAVEN—Calling the Holy Trinity "overstaffed and over budget," God announced plans Monday to downsize the group by slowly phasing out the Holy Ghost. "Given the poor economic climate and the unclear nature of the Holy Ghost's duties, I felt this was a sensible and necessary decision," God said. "The Holy Ghost will be given fewer and fewer responsibilities until His formal resignation from Trinity duty following Easter services on April 20. Thereafter, the Father and the Son shall be referred to as the Holy Duo."

the magic potion

all right, it's been developed.  a special liquid that will bring you from a baby boomer to a gen-x'er; or at least that is what the email i got said.  they called it "human growth hormone with igf-1" and it is amazing it will help you reduce the amount of sleep you need, cause wounds to heal faster, you can lose weight while you sleeping, all that and be less winded when exercise.  it will put color back in gray hair, grow hair back where it had once fallen out, tighten your skin, strengthen your bones and all this while helping you build your muscles quicker.  isn't science great?  and all you need do is send them a ton of cash, wow.  they get rich, and you get the shaft - not that's capitalism at it's best.

pax

it's my ball, and i'm going home:

i got an email from a friend who wanted me to know that one of the sites he visits, removed any mention of me, ginkworld.net and punk monkey from their site. he said that when he emailed the site to ask why - all he got was "nothing" - he told me he emailed three times and each time he did not recieve an answer. he found this interesting because the site did have some links to my blog, ginkworld.net and a few papers i wrote. in his email he asked me what i thought of it all - well, after checking the site i found he was right - but hey, i can live with that. after i came out with my "anti-war" stance, coupled with my desire not to mix politics with that stance - and hold purly to my faith view of war - i fell out of favor with some - and i have the "hate email" to prove it. so, what do i do? i don't worry about it - it's their ball, and they can take it home if they want - it's cool.

but i want to add this - i have also recieved a great many emails from friends who support my views and encourage me to keep going. friends who give me a "e-slap on the back" every once in a while. normaly, being removed from a site would not be something that would effect me, but today i also recieved a number of emails from people who simply want me to stop my anti-war stance and be "more in line with america" - sorry, i desire to be more inline with jesus, and less in line with usamerica - but hey, it's my ball and i'm am home.

pax

hey - we just added a "comment box" - nothing like being a day late and a dollar shot - so, add your comments as you see fit -

pax

on average i get about 200 spams a day; i filter, i change email accounts, i even ask to be taken off the list - but i still get the spam. i am of the mid that says, if you ask to be removed from the spam list they know you are good email address so they do not remove you, they sell you to another company - so now i do not ask to be removed - it never works. anyway, back to the spam - i get everything from viagra, hair growth, penis enlarges, credit cards, home loans, and all kinds of "free" stuff - "free" because it actually not "free" - it costs for "shiping and handling." Yeaterday i recieved an interesting spam - no, i have no interest in the product (in fact, my rule is "if you spam me with an ad - including pop-ups - i will never buy your product) but the title was interesting, "the difference between celebration and suffering." my first thought was, "hey, a new 'your voice' article." it was a bummer when i opened the email - it had nothing to do with worship, as i had hoped.

pax

i am tired of all the politics and the infighting; i have created a new nation (citizenship is avalible on ginkworld.net - it is the "the republic of ginkworld." it is a place of safty and security - while the ecomony sucks, it has a ton of freedoms. we are a new nation and we are interested in fomring treaties with the republic of jordon and the rouge nation of theyblinked. the republic of ginkworld is an emerging nation with spiritual ties. here's a bit on the republic of ginkworld:

The Republic of Ginkworld is a tiny, socially progressive nation, renowned for its devotion to social welfare. Its compassionate, intelligent population of 5 million love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, socially-minded government stops and the rest of society begins, but it is mainly concerned with Social Welfare, although Religion & Spirituality and Healthcare are secondary priorities. The average income tax rate is 50%, and even higher for the wealthy. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Basket Weaving.

Crime is totally unknown. Ginkworld's national animal is the punk monkey, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the monkey.

pax

the rear view:

i have been following a church's discussion concerning the hiring of a new senior pastor. it's been a great discussion and an interesting lesson (i am using them as an example for something i am writing) but what i have come to see is very interesting:

this church was planted some 16 years ago by a person who was one of the "founding fathers" of the hyper-modern movement (while he may be postmodern today, at this point in time he was not) - he moved on a while back and took other positions with other churches - i have no interest in giving his name, or the name of the church - so, let's move on - the church seems stuck, it can't move on. it keeps looking back to "when he was here" (which has been over 10 years back). could you picture people driving the way some churches think? if you send all your time driving looking in the rearview mirror, you never see what's a head of you, what do you think would be the outcome? as a church they are spending a great deal of time looking in the rearview.

i remember once talking with my grandfather (a very wise old man) who said that "at some point people reach a place in life were they have more life behind them, then they do a head of them. at that point people spend more time talking about the past then they do the futurte." the church is at this point. i believe, in the hearts of many, it is dieing and they want to remember the "good old days" and recapture the "glory days gone by." by looking back, all the church does is remember "what it was like" when so and so was here."

another problem the church has it it seems to want to drive the same car it did in the early 90's late 80's - and today the selection is so much better. they are looking for a "car with all the new bells" but not a new car. they are spending their time comparing all the people who are applying for the position to the pastor who left 10 years ago - and they want the same "gift mix." - the problem is that no two pastors have the same gift mix. what worked yesterday will not work today - it just won't.

churches that spend too much time looking into their past forget that they have a future. one church elder (from another church) told me, "i thought postmodern people cared about the 'ancient and future' parts of the church?" i said, "we do, but what happened 15 years ago is not 'acient' and we will use the ancient if it enhances our future." ancient does not mean "the great hymns of the church" from the 1700 to 1900's - it means the hymns of the 100 to 500's (maybe even up to the 1100's) - but the 1950 (while it may seem ancient to some) is not an "acient" time -

anyway - i just wanted to ramble - pax

the great enfp's:

i was spending some time looking over the blogs of friends - when i came upon my friend david hopkins blog - and out from the past i was smacked in the ficae with a haunting past of the myers-briggs test. i, like david, an an enfp

here's a little quote from the page:
General: ENFPs are both "idea"-people and "people"-people, who see everyone and everything as part of an often bizarre cosmic whole. They want to both help (at least, their own definition of "help") and be liked and admired by other people, on bo th an individual and a humanitarian level. They are interested in new ideas on principle, but ultimately discard most of them for one reason or another....

Friends are what life is about to ENFPs
ENFPs are global learners
ENFPs sometimes can be blindsided by their secondary Feeling function
ENFPs have what some call a "silly switch."
ENFPs are friendly folks

here are some examples of enfp's:
Dom Delouise, actor
Dave Thomas, owner of Wendy's hamburger chain
Lewis Grizzard, newspaper columnist
I. King Jordan, president of Gallaudet University
Martin Short, actor-comedian
Meg Ryan, actress (When Harry Met Sally)
Robin Williams, actor, comedian (Dead Poet's Society, Mrs. Doubtfire)
Sandra Bullock, actress (Speed, While You Were Sleeping)
Robert Downey (Heart and Souls)
Alicia Silverstone (Clueless)
Sinbad
Andy Kaufman

and there is so much more - i remember when i took the test, my wife and i did it together and we are both enfp's, i was told by the person who gave me the test that enfp's make rotten pastors and even worse church planters - well, in a modern world maybe so - but in a postmodern reality i think enfp's make the best pastors ever - thanks david, for the flash back and the info - you rule.

mike jackson:

i, and 27 million others, watched the jackson interview last night - and i cam away with one simple fact - the man is sick, out of touch with reality and without a dout the most off centered person on this planet - on, not michael, the interviewer - mike was cool, the guy who was doing the interview was sick - real sick. the one part that sticks in my mind is when mike was talking about his love of climbing trees (which is a very cool thing) and having a water ballon fight - which is even a cooler thing - when the clown who was doing the interview saud, "so, you like climbing trees - do you like it more then sex?" mike just looked at the guy like he was a jerk - and the guy was a jerk.

now, i am not a big mike fan - i like his musis and i enjoy his shows - but i am not a memeber of a fan club and all my gloves are matching pairs (plain leather). but when i watched the "interview" i saw first hand how the "news" people can take a simple statement and twist it all out of shape; "you get the nails, you get the wood and we will get this guy mike and we'll nail him up." dies mike have issues - sure, we all do. does mike come from a disfunctional family - sure, we all do. does he have things he has to get past - sure, we all do - but is is a pedo - no. is he "sock" - no. is he being railroaded by a headline hunting media - you bet - and for shame on "baba wawa" for her additional comments - poor shot - it's not fun watching people kick an inocent man when he's down.

pax

my friend jordon cooper took his site down this week because he felt it was not going in the direction he wanted it to go - and i say good going jordon - i respect a man who stands by his ideas and walks the path God wants. jordon is rethinking, regouping, regenerating, reconnecting his site - and his first step is deconstruction - jordon, very postmodern, very community centered. i will be praying for you and the site my friend - also for that great family of yours (wendy has some great food - you are a lucky man)

pax

"the scion conference"

i have been toying with the idea of a "southwest conf." it seems that many of the conferences are either in CA or the midwest - with a few in texas - so, i have been toying with the idea of developing a "southwest conference" some place in AZ or NV - it's most likely AZ (phenx would be perfect). i even have a name for it - tell me what you think "the scion conference" - playing on the meaning of being a "decendant of or heir of an individual" (we are heir to the kingdom) and the planting term, where a scion is a "bud or a branch that is cut and grafted into another plant" - is that not too cool?

anyway - all i need is money, some sponsors, and a group of people willing to speak and teach - game? ideas? email me (gink@ginkworld.net) and help fill in the blanks - i would love to kick it off sometime in 2004 - in the summer (the southwest in the summer is great and theirs a ton of stuff to do) - the conference would need to be "family friendly" - so we will need to put together some very cool "vacation" spots for people to visit with the family - like the zoo - anyway, i have all but decided that it's a go - lacking money and sponsors is a big set back - but i have a good feeling about the possibilities - this is cool. think of it this way, a conference where you can bring your family, have fun and learn - this is important.

pax
john

there i was, minding my own business - picking my own nose - and surfing the web. i figured, "hey, why not go and see how jordon is doing." so, i popped over to jordon's site - and he's gone. he took his site down - there i was, with index in nostral, and no jordon - what is a poor monkey to do? then i realized that he was not "gone" just "re-cooping" (sorry for the tacky play on words) - well, jordon i commend your for your courage and your standards. you are the man - peace brother, and if i can help let me know - i will even remove my index finger ;-)

pax

the chair:

i was sitting in a chair
i was sitting in a chair
i was sitting in a chair
i got up -

i am not sitting in a chair
i am not sitting in a chair
i am not sitting in a chair
i sat down

...

i love reality tv - well, actually it's not that "reality" and it's pretty bad tv - but hey, it beats reruns of star trek and "dead zone" - but out of all the reality tv that is out there to pick from - i just can't seem to get into "the osbournes." i have friends who love this show and think it's the coolest thing out there - but there is something about a aging rockstart who has a hard time talking because of past chemical "treatments" that simply drives me crazy. besides, i lived dysfunction i don't need to watch it - but i tried, t i truly tried. but have no fear - joe millionaire is coming in a very close second (and on the anti-moral scale it's kicking obsournes but - as if beating an aging rockstart is hard). i have a hard time with the fact that some clown is telling a group of women that he is a millionaire and they are falling all over themselves to win this man's money (affections). but i wonder, does this say much about the stars, the women, the producers, the tv networks or us as a viewing public? all!

the reality of reality tv is this - you watch it. you talk about it, you put examples in sermons, you use video for illistrations - you know you do - american idal, joe millionaire, the osbournes, the bachelorette, high school reunion, star search, surreal life, and the grand daddy of them all - suvivor (which in my view is getting old). if we did not sit in front of the boob-tube all evenings watching these silly shows - where we know there is no "reality" in the bunch, thye would be over in no time -

they need to create a new reality tv show called "the o'keefe's" and base it on my life - that would be true reality. you could get to watch me change the tv stations, wash the car (not often enough for the wife's tastes), clean the ferret cage (actually, you would wacth the wife clean the cage and me take the credit for it) and feed leftovers to the rats - man, that would be kicking tv.

pax

here's the deal - we were apporaced by a national new agency to have tests done on the cole rat - but it got away. we are uncertian how this happened, and we are making every effort to find the clone - but there is no telling on a time frame for this to happen. we have released the hounds and we are using dna testing to accomplish this task. we have asked the federal goverment for some $10,000,000 to help in this massive "rat-hunt." we will be using the funds, with no promise of sucess, to fund this massive undertaking - to pay the wages of all thos who are working, to invest in next level tech and to use in funding an educational program to teach the public of the dangers of cloned rats.

yes, we have come to the realization that we have over-stepped the bounds of human nature. given our past experiences with lab rats and chemical mistakes (remember i was once a lab rat, but because of a horriable chemical spil i became a u.s. senator - who then changed into a punk monkey) we have learned a great deal. our hope is that we retain this lab rat before it becomes an elected official - and man would that screw things up big time.

pax

i ranted this on ::seven:: so i am reposting it here - because it's always safer to rant at home.

i've been wondering today - how does one see God through all the crap? no, i'm not talking about "life problems" - i'm talking about the politics, the gossip, the mean spirited, the crap - the crap that fills our churches and turns them into toilets - i have had enough of the "we're only human" argument. too many of us discount our "sinful" nature and just live with it - yet we are "transformed" by a relationship with jesus - well, if transforming is simply seen as "wet humans" - count me out. my relationship with jesus changed my heart - i see no need for war, i find it hurtful when people insult others, i think it is wrong to make people second class based on gender or color, i hate the taking of all human life, i am hurt by those who think christianity is simply a country club that you go to once a week - and then cheat the plate for the dues. i am appauled at the "indifference" (which is the opposite of love) to the problems of this world, and fid it easy to simply write a check to solve the problem - you know, check 1034 dinner at Poa, check 1035 "church," check 1036 hair dresser - let's stop talking and start doing -

pax
john -

Theo-Clone Update:

it is after a lot of pressure from the media (actually the paperboy said he wanted to see them) that we now unvail the pictures of our rat clones.

see, they look alike -

pax

::WHO::WHAT::WHEN::WHERE::WHY::

next question please

christians being ripped-off:

my friend andrew careaga emailed me to check out his blog and see what i thought about the problem he is having. it seems that he is running into a bit of a problem with his publisher - check out his site for more info. andrew is a great guy with a great christian heart - maybe mr. anthony needs to know that the way he treats people - check out andrew's words for the details -

Theo-clone
“where theology meets science”

that’s right, I’m jumping on board the cloning craze. So, it is with pride that I announce today that the scientists at the cloning arm of ginkworld.net “theo-clone” has successfully cloned a rat. Now, we need to make it clear, we will not make the daughter/self available for DNA testing, because of the religious beliefs of the parent/self. They believe that taking of blood violates their God created bodies, and they will not allow their blood to be used in “immoral scientific” testing.

We are proud of this fantastic human achievement. We at theo-clone have been beaming with the pride of a million fathers (mothers, brothers, sisters and second cousins). This is a red-letter day where we have moved to the realization that cloning is possible – over the next few weeks, we will be releasing photos of “spitfire” the first cloned rat. Our future cloning experiments will include the following:

Gold fish
Earthworms
Fruit flies
Frogs (tad-poles)

If you desire to have a small useless animal cloned, let us know – for the fee of $100,000.00 we will be happy to help

Pax

mel returns to thunderdom

i got an email article from a good friend, iggie, and it was all about mel gibson being under pressure because he is making a movie about jesus. when i read the story, i was upset that people would give him such a hard time for his faith - then i realized, we all will be given a hard time for our faith. besides, it seems kind of silly that an actor who is making a movie about the death and suffering of jesus christ would complain about some bad press - but then that could just be me.

pax

those evil tats:

i remember when i was getting my undergrad in business i needed to take an “economic statistic class.” the class was cool, and the ideas i got from the class are still with me today. One of those talents was to see what is a “cause and effect” – and not a “effect and effect” when it comes to those silly "stat studies." let me explain:

one of the studies we looked at was the correlation between ice cream and crime. it was statistically proven that, as ice cream sales increased, as the crime rate rose – proof, a direct correlation between ice cream and crime. so, the natural conclusion was to outlaw ice cream. after all, if ice cream were taken out of the picture crime would naturally decrease. the problem with logic is that the relationship between ice cream sales and crime is an “effect/effect” relationship – the cause, heat. hot summer days – as the days got hotter both the sales of ice cream and the incidents of crime went up – they were the “effects” of the “cause” hot summer days.

well, as i was going through my day I came across a very interesting article concerning tattoos and adolescent high-risk behavior; "tattooing and high-risk behavior in adolescents" by timothy a. roberts, md and sheryl a. ryan, md, published in PEDIATRICS vol. 110 No. 6 december 2002, pp. 1058-1063 (link). the most interesting part of the entire article is there “effect/effect” conclusion:

“Conclusion. Permanent tattoos are strongly associated with high-risk behaviors among adolescents. In the clinical setting, the presence of a tattoo noted during clinical examination of an adolescent should prompt in-depth assessment for a variety of high-risk behaviors.”

Interesting, they see a tattoo as an “effect” of and “effect” – “high-risk behavior.” And the biggest problem is that many churches – I know of several – who have used this study to be “proof” that tattooing causes “juvenile delinquents.” Yet, as the study indicated, only 4.5% of the over 6,000 youth studied had a permanent tattoo – so, how can anyone come to the conclusion that a tattoo is bad, and can lead to “high-risk behavior?” Or, even that a tattoo is a “sign” of “high-risk behavior?” I know, let’s get rid of that evil ice cream, and the world will be safe again.

pax

things learned:

i took this first week in January to figure out what I learned in 2002 – because life is a learning process, so this is important stuff:

1. when a modern evangelical want to share with you’re their religious views, they do not what you to share yours with them.
2. press the “release” BEFORE trying to close a pocket knife.
3. the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, but gossip is ripping down walls left and right.
4. never ask a women is she is pregnant, unless you see the baby coming out.
5. the main reason for the fall of any given civilization is “meetings”
6. the longer I am married, the deeper in love with my wife I am.

see, education is a continues process – pax

i got an email from a friend today who thought i would get a kick out of this:

a baptist church in casper wyoming, "platte valley baptist church," is looking for a pastor. they discribe themselves as "fundermentalist, conservative, irrerancy if bible, kjv only." now, on the surface, no big deal - not my cup of tea, but hey it's their church right? anyway, the kick comes in when my friend tries to vist their site - www.ifbweb.com/pvbc/ - only to get the following message:

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /pvbc/ on this server.

i wonder, does the same sign hang on the church door?

pax

billboards that did not make the cut

from dribbleglass.com

for all my canadian friends - what do you think?



for thos who are having a proble with the phone company



this would have work on new years - when i needed sleep - at 4:30 am



speaks volumes for our commercial "drive."



any questions?



there are more, and they will be posted over time - but these were some of my favs -

pax

a new drive:

well, today proved to be a great experience - some new blood got hook into praxis and it looks like we will refocusing on a launch in the middle of march - i am excited about the possibility - and i have not been excited about this for a while, and it feels good - the music is getting tight - and it looks like God is moving in the winds.

pax

a kick -

happy new year to all - it was a blast to be in vegas for new years. over 300,000 people having a great time and zero violance. in fact, and it speaks volumes, the only people that seemed to want to argue or "fight" were the fundermentalists christians who were out with signs telling eveyone they would fry in hell (photos will be posted when the film is developed) - what a great time and what a wonderful experience - to bring the new year in with the women i love (my wife) and a group of friends - life does not get any better the this -

pax
john

ps - if you look back at the posting on 12/26/02 the pick is finally up - it looks scary.