Monthly Archive for April, 2009

Better Than That Shack Book Could Ever Be

Posted April 29, 2009 at 1:42 am // 2 Comments

I remember reading The Pilgrim’s Progress as a kid…it was a version that was put into very simple English for schoolchildren, but it still spoke volumes to me. The tale of a man trying to find his way to Heaven and eventually finding the only true way there, while encountering many people and traps along the way, is one of the best spiritual stories I have ever heard or read. Every single person in this life is a mirror image of someone in the book, whether they be Christian, Worldly Wiseman, Help, Obstinate, Pliable, Watchful, or a host of others.

While the story has remained in my mind and heart for years, we had given the book away long ago. In fact, I don’t remember where it went, but I have felt a recent desire to read the story again. Yesterday I used some store credit at Redeemed Music & Books to buy a copy in its unabridged text, to get a fuller view of what the author, John Bunyan, was trying to convey.

It only set me back $2, and I am thoroughly enjoying it so far. Some of the archaic language, spelling, etc. is a bit off, but the story is so much more vivid now than it was when I was a kid. In fact, I am now to the part where Christian is reaching the Slough of Despond. What to do?

The Pilgrim’s Progress is one of those books that to me, conveys the message of God’s love and grace through our life journey in such a powerful way. The story is the reinterpretation of a dream the Lord gave John Bunyan while imprisoned in the 1600s and it is every bit as timely today.

In a day and age where Your Best Life Now promotes self-consciousness over the saving power of Christ, and The Shack shows blatant disregard for God’s holiness and promotes modalism in its worst form, it is so refreshing to go back to a time where people had a much simpler understanding of God and so effortlessly conveyed some of the most powerful, true to the Bible messages that we could ever read.

How To Improperly Fall A Tree

Posted April 25, 2009 at 1:18 pm // 1 Comment

I am receiving the perfect lesson on how to improperly fall a tree from the folks across the street. This is hilarious.

As I type right now, I am looking out my window and seeing a man with a chainsaw trying to cut through the tree trunk. The tree has a rope around it that is connected to a Ford Explorer’s tow hitch…that Explorer is sitting about a good 100 feet from where the tree stands now. Even funnier, there are two guys standing above the man with the chainsaw trying to use their physical strength to guide the tree in the direction they want it to fall.

And as if that isn’t funny enough, the guy is totally cutting in the wrong direction from his initial V-cut. Bahahahahahaha!

I laugh uncontrollably at this because my family is from the Pacific Northwest, where every kid born into a family of someone who works in the timber industry learns how to wield an ax shortly after learning to walk. That being said, my dad, brother and I worked on a good amount of trees that had to come down and they never hit the house or outbuildings — and what do you know, we didn’t have to rope it to a car or push on it.

I guess I could offer some help to these guys…

Patrick Clegg Declared Brain Dead; Pray For The Family

Posted April 23, 2009 at 1:00 pm // 0 Comments

UPDATE 9:55 PM CST: Officials at St. Johns Hospital here in Springfield have declared Patrick Clegg to be brain dead. The accident was too much for him to recover from, and his organs will be donated as per his family’s wishes tomorrow. Here is the text of the release from St. Johns:

Tests to evaluate the condition of Patrick Clegg, the 16-year old Waynesville High School baseball player, were conducted tonight at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.

The results showed his condition had deteriorated and that Patrick was now brain dead. The family has decided that, in keeping with Patrick’s wishes, his organs will be donated tomorrow.

The Clegg family wants to convey their gratitude for the prayers and expressions of kindness they have received since Patrick’s critical injury Tuesday night. Waynesville funeral arrangements for Patrick Clegg will be announced later.

—-

2:30 PM CST – I have posted three videos for the News-Leader over the span of yesterday and today, and I encourage you to check them out:

Mike Clegg, Patrick’s father, speaks to the N-L’s Allen Vaughan
Lebanon baseball coach Paul Dudley describes the scene and how his team is holding up
Thursday noontime report on Clegg including interviews with friends

Please continue to pray for everyone involved in this situation.

Take Some Time, Check It Out

Posted April 23, 2009 at 9:44 am // 0 Comments

Not only am I blogging here on my personal site, but I have begun blogging in my official capacity as a videographer for the Springfield News-Leader, the daily newspaper in Springfield, Missouri.

It’s called Behind The Lens and it would be absolutely awesome if you checked it out, or even better yet, added it to your site bookmarks or RSS feed.

Basically on that blog I’ll give extra insight into the stories I shoot, the technical aspects of shooting some of my videos, and also strike up a few discussions here and there. It’s a great way to connect with the Springfield community and beyond.

Once again, check it out at News-Leader.com/BehindTheLens.

Say A Few Prayers For Patrick Clegg & Family

Posted April 22, 2009 at 1:46 pm // 0 Comments

We have received word here in the N-L newsroom that the turn of events regarding a Waynesville High School baseball player is not good.

Junior Patrick Clegg was hit in the back of the head by a pitch last night during the game against Lebanon, and was subsequently airlifted to St. John Medical Center here in Springfield. The latest report is that he is in critical condition and on life support. Word is they may take him off the machine later.

I don’t know any further details but please join me in lifting this young man and his family to the Lord in prayer at this time.

Just For The Sake Of Doing It

Posted April 22, 2009 at 10:44 am // 3 Comments

Gotta have a little fun at work while my video ingests into the system. If you’ve got 15 minutes to kill and all your work is done, might as well get crazy.

Have You Taken A Trip Down Furlough Drive?

Posted April 21, 2009 at 12:08 am // 6 Comments

About a month ago, specifically March 7, I happened upon a road called Furlough Drive. At first it looked like this short little harmless stretch of asphalt in a housing development, but oh boy, was I ever taken for a ride.

I should have listened to people who had gone before me and told me the road was deceptively short, but the trip seemed to last five days (specifically, eight hours of travel per day) no matter how fast you were going, how many miles you logged or even if you just sat on the shoulder.

I went down Furlough Drive and it led me straight to Portland, Oregon. Funny because I know people who went down the same road and claimed it took them to faraway lands such as Florida, California, Texas, even New York. All traveling the same road! A couple folks told me Furlough Drive led them straight to their house.

The odd thing is that while I was driving down Furlough Drive and passed such entertaining places as the Rose Garden arena, the Oregon Coast and my old hometown, I was completely unable to correspond with any of my work colleagues via phone. Wild!

Even weirder was the fact that my vacation down Furlough Drive did not result in me making one red cent. I have confirmed with the others I spoke to that drove down the same road, that they had the same thing happen.

The most glaring absurdity behind this is that originally I thought it was only myself and my colleagues who had discovered Furlough Drive. I passed a couple of them on the first and second days of my trip, then on Day 3 I happened upon some California state workers and even tried to teach this French auto parts worker some English at a diner (I was able to understand something about him helping hold his CEO hostage or something). By Day 5, Furlough Drive was absolutely clogged with traffic from every place imaginable.

Furlough Drive is a blessing and a curse at the same time. The incredible journey it led me on resulted in me being absolutely non-productive from a work standpoint, but able to see loved friends and visit the place I yearn to belong again someday.

True to form, after one week of enjoying the trip in my car down Furlough Drive, it spit me right back out in the Ozarks again. After I returned to my job, I was told by my superiors that I would be able to enjoy another excursion sometime within the next three months.

See you again in June, Furlough Drive!

A Public Picnic Invitation

Posted April 17, 2009 at 9:49 am // 0 Comments

I’ve posted this on the SOFA Football blog but I hope that I can reach a different audience here.

The Springfield Open Football Association, a group of friends and comrades who gather to play flag football once a week, will host a picnic at Sequiota Park in Springfield on Sunday, April 19, at 4 p.m.

The picnic will commemorate SOFA’s first six months of existence. It all started as a group of ten people who gathered at Smith Park in North Springfield and decided shortly afterward to play every week. The games moved to Kickapoo High School to accommodate a larger group, and the rest is history.

The public is invited, as always, to participate in the SOFA game that will take place prior to the picnic at 1:30 p.m. The Kickapoo High School practice field will be the venue, and is easily accessible from Jefferson Avenue.

After the game all participants, their families, and their friends are invited to the picnic at Sequiota. It is requested that each game participant bring a food item and/or beverage to share with the group. Please refrain from alcoholic beverages as this is a family-oriented event.

For more information, please e-mail me at chris at chris-brewer dot com.

Tax Day Tea Party, The Springfield Version

Posted April 16, 2009 at 9:57 am // 5 Comments

The above is what the Tax Day Tea Party looked like in Springfield.

Definitely hundreds there, if not close to a thousand or even topping it at one point. It was a peaceful protest and I only saw one policeman.

Saw Republicans, Democrats and libertarians alike who all stated they were fed up with big government’s intrusion into their lives. Others simply stated they were there to show support for the FairTax initiative.

All in all, it was the first protest I’ve covered that was completely peaceful and where people were generally good-natured. Can’t say the same thing about the Iraq War anniversary protest in ‘07 or worse yet, the May Day riots in Portland.

Oh No, Watch Out For “Right-Wing Extremists”

Posted April 15, 2009 at 3:59 pm // 8 Comments

This Department of Homeland Security report is crap.

Read this from the report above:

The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) has no specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues. The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment.

Chris Brewer Interpretation: “Many people are concerned about the direction our government is taking its people. People who are overtly concerned about this and who organize rallies in order to raise awareness to and protest against newly enacted government policies pose a threat to our government’s iron grip of power. The fact that Obama is black also means they’re all racist.”

The worst part of the report:

DHS/I&A assesses that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat. These skills and knowledge have the potential to boost the capabilities of extremists—including lone wolves or small terrorist cells—to carry out violence. The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s because they were disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffering from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today.

Chris Brewer Interpretation: “F.U., veterans, and thanks for serving.”

This smacks of nothing more than an attempt by the liberals in the highest levels of government to silence and shut up those who disagree with them by branding their stances on current issues as “anti-government” and “illegal.”

Right-wing extremism, my left foot.

I’ll believe it when I see the DHS report on the Black Panthers, Nation of Islam, et al.

Why does it not shock me that many liberals cheer on Janet Napolitano, yet they were critical of the same tactics used during the Bush administration?

As for me, I wouldn’t be opposed to Napolitano resigning over this. The report is so poorly worded and paints such a broad brush that it clearly signals an attempt to undermine any conservative voice that even so much as questions the current actions of our government.

I’m an Iraq War veteran and a libertarian, so I guess I should go turn myself in now.