Russell Money Coaching is up and running!

So proud of my awesome (and hot) wife Audrey for getting her financial counseling website up and running! Check it out! If you need help showing your bucks who's boss, give her a call! http://www.russellmoneycoachin​g.com/

The way to be a good parent

Stories about the obvious always perplex me. I'm constantly asking "Did that really deserve a news report?" The latest is a Live Science article about how kids who watch too much television at age 2 will have problems in the classroom, making friends and being bullied when they are 10 years old.

Too much TV on the kids' part represents a parenting problem. Just like eating a well-balanced meal is essential to good health, you need to put the effort into making sure your child receives a good balance of life. That includes spiritual development, reading, socializing, school, exercise and serving others, with a little TV and video games thrown in for extra fun. That creates a well-balanced child (who will grow into a well-balanced adult capable of taking care of himself or herself).

My wife and I let our 2-year-old son watch little less than an hour of TV a day. And it's mostly done so she can finish important stuff around the house without distraction. We spend far more time reading to him, playing outside with him, taking him to church and giving him playtime with his friends (teaching social skills) than we do sticking him in front of a television, so his primary influence comes from us.

When you become a parent, your priorities need to shift. You need to make sure that the needs of your spouse and children are met before you take time for yourself. It's what comes with the blessing of a family. People who think their daily obligations end when they get home from an 8-hour workday are the ones who will end up with bad marriages and obese, undisciplined kids.

Do right by your family. Look out for them first instead of having cartoons do it for you.

The void

A strange thing happened as I read the story of Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson.

Just a quick catch-up. Early this week, Ortiz was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence against his girlfriend (whom he lives with), the ex-porn star. Ortiz claims he never hit Jameson and said she is addicted to the pain medication Oxycontin.

I didn't stop to think about whether Ortiz is guilty, or if they will stay together, or any of that crap that's none of my business. Instead, I thought about the drug addiction, and what it means for Jenna.

People turn to drugs to fill a void in their life. It may be a feeling of non-acceptance, or lack of love, or wishing you were someone or something else. JJ hasn't lived the cleanest life, but none of us have. And now that she's considered old in her line of work (along with other demons she faced growing up), the pain could be catching up with her.

If it were 10 years ago, I'd have coldly written her off as a well-paid prostitute. But now I realize that she's still a child of God. That's not an excuse for her lifestyle choice in any way (again, I ain't exactly first prize), but it's a reason to pray that she heals rather than give a quick "as ye sow, so shall ye reap" judgment.

Some of my favorite movie scenes

It could be a good script or a gunshot, but here are some scenes from my favorite movies that impress me with their slickness, style and confidence. BTW, just cope and paste the links if you want to see them. I can't figure out why embedding isn't working for me right now.

Doc Holliday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDK3ts1JimQ&feature=related

Val Kilmer gives the best performance I've ever seen in this movie (I'd like him more in real life if he wasn't a jerk). He brings a charisma to Doc Holliday that just makes your jaw drop. His expressions would make a frowning stick figure smile (I'm your huckleberry is my personal fave) and his quick, cold efficiency in capping Johnny Ringo leaves no doubt that you'd rather flick a cigarette in the Incredible Hulk's face than hear Doc yell "Say When" within 50 yards of you.



Collateral

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zJlsc8GU50&feature=related

Part of what I love about movies is when they don't have to resort to confusing editing, special effects or any of that other crap to show you something impressive. Here, Tom Cruise (Vincent) has his briefcase swiped out of Jamie Foxx's cab, and Cruise confronts the two thugs about it. At this point, the director could have done some direct-to-video-quality camera cuts and ended with both muggers on the ground, leaving the viewer to think Vincent busted some spectacular move on them. Instead, he finishes two thugs in not that many seconds while we watch in astonished silence.


Ocean's 11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mWymlaejbs&feature=related

I'm a writer. Writers are suckers for good writing. A well-penned script sounds like a natural conversation, but has just enough funny and clever expressions thrown in to keep the talk from sounding mundane. This was a great scene from Ocean's 11 where Matt Damon and Brad Pitt are discussing the dangers of heisting ruthless casino mogul Andy Garcia. You could just hear "this is crazy" or "you're going to get us all killed" or "this is crazy, you're going to get us all killed", but thankfully, the script office didn't phone this one in. Who loves 'em, baby? I do.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH3mLKIXOe4&feature=related

This clip is shorter, but funny as well. Wish I could think of smart-aleck remarks this fast.

The wrong ministry

Few times in my life have I said that I'm truly disappointed and ashamed in someone. But that's the case with the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas.

You may have heard of them ... they're the ones who protest at the funerals of soldiers, spouting off about how God is happy that these soldiers are dead because it's His punishment for our country's tolerance of homosexuals.

Hate the sin but love the sinner. We all have our own sins and imperfects, but it doesn't mean that God loves us any less. Sometimes I'm so mad at myself that I can't look in the mirror. When that happens, I'm holding one of God's children in contempt; looking at him as a lower form of life. God hates that behavior, but He loves me. The message that this "church" conveys of God high-fiving the angels when a solider falls is absolutely wrong, and not reflective of God's loving relationship with us. For that, I'm ashamed of them.

Just as bad, this church will look at anyone who opposes them as "oppressors". I say this not to oppress, but to inform. God loves all his children equally and beyond what we can measure. That doesn't mean we are never rebuked or that bad things can't happen, it means that God sticks with us through the junk and wishes us no harm. I pray that this church learns about the true forgiveness of God, and in time, I'll forgive them for trying to pollute the pure word.

Weed wack

I almost couldn't be-leaf this one. That statement should tell you that I'm not too high on the idea of California preparing to vote (in November) to become the first state in the Union to legalize pot for recreational use by adults.

Some hippies and potheads would tell you that the state has drug its feet along on this long enough. Heck, those groups probably made a joint effort to campaign for this legislation. I don't agree with it, personally. We need to weed out anyone who supports it, because too many people are going to suffer if it happens. I was going to wait until 4:20 to post this, but as it turns out, the sooner the better.

Lesson to all. Just say no.

Crime fighting India chili

I got a kick out of this. India's military is now employing a legendarily hot chili to make tear-gas grenades for use in subduing suspects. The chili grows in the northeast part of the country and is scientifically measured as up to 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce (the measurement of a chili's spiciness is called a Scoville unit - look it up).

Now, I can barely smell Tabasco sauce without tearing up, so I can't imagine being swallowed up by THIS stuff. It's the only substance known to man that'll clear your sinuses and your bowels at the same time.

I wonder what other foods and beverages we can use in the fight against evil. Police cars can deploy a few quarts of bacon grease to cause fugitives to slide off the road and into a ditch. That would be more fun to watch than those boring spike strips. Drop some Fizzies into a crystal meth lab and enjoy the fireworks. Slip some Jolt Cola into the rations of bothersome survivalists, wait 37 hours or so and then take them out peacefully when the 4 o'clock sugar crash hits.

Think of the possibilities. What are some others that I left out?