BFF

I don't remember when I first began to hear students using the term BFF.  I know it's been a while now, and I know that those who used it were mostly teenage girls.  Hearing it always brought a smile to my face.  For the uninitiated, the abbreviation stands for Best Friends Forever.   I am sorry to be so blunt, but there are few demographics in society who know less about the concept of BFF than teenage girls.  Their best friend today often turns into an enemy tomorrow.  Forever is the time between arriving at school and the end of the day.  If you listen to conversations or read social networking pages you would be led to believe that each girl has numerous friends who fall into this elite category.  In fact, by definition, you can only have one BFF, because "Best" is an absolute.  And that is what I want to talk about today.

In truth, a BFF is someone with whom you share things that you have experienced with absolutely no one else.  It is a person who knows you in ways other people are clueless about; it is a friend with whom you share so many inside jokes and stories that your conversations can leave other close friends wondering what language you are speaking.  A BFF is not someone you share a brief period of your life with before moving on to a new group of friends.  People like that can be among your best friends, but there is nothing forever about that type of relationship.  There is something in the BFF relationship that is eternal.

If this post was taking a spiritual or theological path, then I would write about how Jesus should be everyone's BFF- and that would be accurate.  But that is not my purpose today.  I want to tell you about my best friend for the past 37 years or so.  Steve Semmler became my best friend in the 8th grade.  In the years that have passed since that time we have shared so many moments, so many adventures and so many laughs.  We have listened to music from odd folks like Hurricane Smith, Tom Leher and Gilbert O'Sullivan and thought it was cool.  We took long walks on Myrtle Beach under full moons, complaining the entire time that the moon (The Turkey, we called it) was doing NOTHING to help us meet girls.  We memorized entire Beach Boys albums that no one else we knew had ever heard of.  We spent hours playing basketball and eating Fig Newtons.  We went to a Jimmy Buffett concert in 1974 at an ice skating rink, and a drunk guy threw up on our dates.  We learned to play guitar and went through the desert on a horse with no name at least a million times.  We could always immediately pick which waitress we would have as soon as we entered a restaurant, because we always got the least attractive one!  And I haven't even brought up Schlock Rod or Jim Stafford yet...

We made a friend, Sabrina Perry, who dated Steve once, then didn't speak to either of us for a year.  She then became our adopted "Sis."  Her parents Bill & Linda were like a second family to both of us; we ate more tacos and peanut brittle at their house than you can imagine.  When they moved to Jacksonville, FL after our senior year, we went to visit them.  The picture on the left is Steve, Sabrina, myself, her little brother Billy and some unknown rug-rat.  Later on Sabrina decided she wanted to date Steve again (I might as well have been his agent) and when he picked another girl instead, she punched me as hard as I have ever been hit!  It was not always easy keeping his admirers happy...

Steve and I attended the same college our freshman year, choosing not to room together.  His roommate was a drunk and mine a drug dealer, so we spent lots of time with amazing friends like Danny Hines, David (The White Boy) Nelson, Andy Walker, Bob Peterson, Tom Piner and Bill Moser- The Stallions!  Later on we shared an apartment for a couple of years. Steve was always there for me when things went wrong, not just when times were good.  We were in each other's weddings, and shared many great moments with each other's families.  He was simply a part of my life.

We have now lived many miles apart for a lot of years.  We have seen each other occasionally, and we call from time to time.  I called him the day before he turned 50 so I could be the last person to wish him a happy 49th birthday; he called me recently just because a Beach Boys song came on his I-Pod.  There are friends I speak with more often.  There are certainly friends I see with more regularity.  But even if I don't see Steve for another 20 years (when we have moved in next door to each other at Friends Homes) he will still be my best friend.  The reasons listed above, and those would be more than enough by themselves.  But there is one thing more.  Steve, with his unending invitations to join him at youth group at New Garden Friends Meeting in the early 1970's, started me on my way to finding Jesus.  He didn't do it by preaching or quoting scripture; he did it by being my friend.  And thus, his impact on my life is never ending.  Eternal.  That is the true definition of a BFF.  And that is the best kind of best friend...

I know he occasionally reads this blog, and I hope he is reading today.  Someday I will once again leave the state of Florida, and when that happens, I look forward to hanging out, listening to Beach Boys, eating at Calabash and walking the beach and singing.  "Hit it, Hal!"  And if you didn't get that reference, then I guess you are not my BFF...

Because of Jesus,

Life Together

L to R, Bottom to Top:  Andy Maynard, Donna Haynes Myers, Steve Semmler, Lisa Ramos Moran, Denise May Langley, Martha Ratledge Farlow, Beth Vestal McGalliard, Marilyn Jones, Carl Semmler, Alan Brown, Mark Hyde, Kathy Semmler, Carl Jones, Mark Farlow, Elizabeth Hyde, Dan Moran, Bob McGalliard.  Not pictured:  Chuck and Tammy Foster.

For the past two days I have written about a concert event from 1997 featuring the band Geoff Moore & the Distance.  Today I want to begin by letting words from one of Geoff's songs- Life Together- speak for me. 

They showed me what it was to really be a friend

It didn't matter what you had, how you looked or what you said

We'd ride our bikes down the middle of the street

and at the top of our lungs you could hear us scream-

"Friends forever to the end, on this my friend you can depend"

This is life together...

Everything that has been written in the nearly one year since I began this blog owes its roots to the youth group I grew up in at New Garden Friends Meeting in Greensboro, NC.  One of my early posts spoke of the friendship and adventures we shared, but looking back I don't think I did that incredible group of people justice, and so today I try again.  I was in 8th grade when Steve Semmler finally convinced me to go roller skating with that group, and becoming involved changed my entire life.  I was spiritually stagnant at the time.  The people I was hanging out with were not people who were leading me the right direction in life.   I really had no interests besides sports.  When that group of people- Steve, Carl Semmler, Beth Vestal, Tammy Doggett, Lisa Ramos, Andy Maynard, Tim Vail, Martha Ratledge, Becky Meredith, Joe Cannady, Joe Willingham, Julie Oden, Melissa Meredith, Roy Parkhurst, Mary Lynne Burris and others (including the infamous Ossman clan and our fabulous leaders, like Rob Mitchell and DB3!)- became a part of my life, everything changed. Forever.

We grew up, and we grew closer. Beth, Tammy, Becky, Steve, Carl and I were often inseparable during those years, with the others joining us at various times.  These were the people who taught me about life, faith, relationships and so much more.  We turned to each other with difficult questions.  When the girls didn't understand suggestive jokes, they came to us for translation.  When we had trouble with girls, we turned to them- even if sometimes they were the girls we were having troubles with!  There were so many trips, so many adventures, so many late night back rubs, so much bad Jungle Golf and so many laughs.  As we grew older and left youth group and high school, some of the group began to fall away, moving on to new friends and new places. But for many of us, there was a second act still to come.

Through college and life immediately after those years, the group began to expand.  Great friends from Quaker Lake and college joined our merry band of misfits.  Denise May, Mark and Elizabeth Hyde, Alan Brown, Donna Haynes, Belinda Marley and others were often found hanging out with us.  The old crew began to get into serious relationships (even getting married!) and spouses joined the gang.  Sunday afternoon football games, lunch after meeting for worship, and some truly ridiculous parties marked those years.  The parties at the apartment at Chateau at Random Woods that Steve, Alan and I shared were legendary, if only for the Guess the Leftover games.  At some point around 1980, Martha and I (who were both working at NGFM at the time) began to plan reunion beach trips for the old gang and our new friends.  It was in the second year of this planning that we first discovered the Betsy B.  Life together was indeed good.

Things change.  Children are born, people move away and life goes on.  We have not all seen each other much these past years, partly because Steve is in Ohio and I am in Florida.  It would be easy to feel like the bond we shared is broken.  There are so many relationships in life that are passing and temporary, and perhaps these were no more special than any other.  In May of 2006, we held a memorial service for my Dad at NGFM. He had passed away in February in Florida, but we wanted to do something in NC where he had lived most of his life.  I knew in advance that Steve was coming from Ohio.  I knew of a few others who might attend from my old group of friends.  I was astonished to find that almost everyone was there.  You can see them in the picture at top; it was taken after the service at Bob and Beth's home.  I could not that day, nor can I now, express what having them there meant to Marilyn and I, and to my mother.  They didn't have to come- they wanted to.  There is a bond that can't be broken, a bond not forged by human hands...

I tell you all of this to say once again that this group of people and the life together that we shared was the model for every youth group I ever led.  I prayed constantly that the students I served would get it- that they would want to be more than a youth group, that they would want to be family.  Ohana.  "Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten" (Lilo & Stitch).  Sometimes it worked, other times it did not.  I just know that I was (and will be again someday) at my best when I was with that group of friends, even though my best was seldom all that good.  I pray for them, and I thank God for them almost every day.  Friends forever to the end, the song says.  Life Together.  Sounds about right to me.  I'll continue tomorrow with a new definition of BFF...

Because of Jesus,

July 10, 1997

(Continued from 08/12/10)  Having lunch with Lisa Kraus Spires today, so it will be a very good day!  Hope you have one too!

The Geoff Moore & the Distance tour bus arrived at the Tupperware Convention Center around 8 AM on the morning of the show after driving all night.  At Geoff's request, I had arranged for he and a few others to play golf that day.  Jill Painter and friends shuttled them off to the golf course while myself and some others remained at the arena to make sure things went smoothly with the set-up.  There was a tremendous amount of equipment to integrate with the sound system already in place at the TCC, but the band's crew and the TCC union guys were all pros, and we just sat and watched.  In the meantime, the bus driver came to me with an issue.  The main lock on the bus door was broken, and he wanted to know if there was any place nearby to get it fixed.  I made a few calls and found a place in Kissimmee, but that only solved part of the problem.   They had no money.  I had this image in my head of famous, wealthy touring musicians, basking in the good life, when in fact these guys were pretty much broke.  We worked out an arrangement to get the lock fixed, and they were very grateful.  I suddenly did not feel nearly as bad about how much we had paid them to come play for us.

When the guys returned from playing golf, it was time for a sound check.  The place was going to rock; there was no doubt about it!  The TCC crew commented to me that this was the most professional band they had ever worked with, including the Willie Nelson's of the world.  Then it was time to feed the band (and ourselves).  I had asked Geoff if he had any requests, and he had suggested meatloaf.  I went to Boston Market and got meatloaf and lots of sides, and we had a feast.  The band loved it, thanking us for providing them with some variety on the road.

Show time arrived, and my prayers for a miracle had seemingly gone unanswered.  A crowd of about 500 ( we needed at least 1000 to break even) showed up to hear one of the best concerts I have ever attended.  If the band was disappointed in the size of the crowd, they never let on, and it did not effect their performance.  They rocked the house for two solid hours before closing with a moving time of commitment.  Even though I stood in the back of the TCC feeling depressed, I could tell everyone was enjoying themselves.  I especially remember that GMD played two new songs from an upcoming album- Only A Fool and Free.   Both were awesome.  After the show, the band hung around and sold hats and t-shirts and signed autographs until the last youth had left the building.  Our students were thrilled.  It had been an amazing night.

So why did I feel so crappy?  Despite the high energy success of the night, I knew we had lost a lot of money (about $7000) and did not have the huge impact on the community we set out to achieve.  I felt like a failure.  But God was not done with that night just yet.  As I was preparing to leave, a man from FUMC-K came up to me and put his arm around me.  He knew I was down, but he wanted to tell me something.  He said that during Geoff's time of worship and response that night that his wife, who had never given her life to Christ before, went forward.  His exact words to me were "Carl, the whole thing was worth it- if just for that one soul."  Kent King had just put the night into perspective- God's perspective.  Over the next few days I heard from others with similar experiences.  One of our Youth Counselors, Darin Miller, donated a large sum of money we didn't even know he had to help cover the losses.  I had prayed for miracles, and even though I had lacked faith, those miracles were popping up all over the place!  God had taken what seemed to me like a massive failure and turned it into an event that changed lives.  "To God be the glory, great things He has done..."

A few months later I was at at Long's Christian Bookstore in Orlando looking to purchase the new GMD album called Threads.  I was looking at some books when I felt a hand on my shoulder.  I turned around and was very surprised to see Geoff Moore.  He was there to autograph CDs.  We hugged and shot the breeze for a minute, and then he (rather sheepishly) asked me if I was still working at the same church.  After the small crowd, he had been worried about me.   I told him it was all good, and he gave me a copy of Threads- autographed.  I still treasure it as reminder that for all of those years, and for that one night in particular, I was doing the job "that only a fool would do..."

Because of Jesus,

CCM Thursdays: The Geoff Moore Concert

It was supposed to be the greatest day in the history of student ministry at the First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee.  It was a day we planned for over a year, that we poured our hearts and souls, our prayers and resources into, in the hopes that we could make a major impact for Jesus in our community.  This is the story of that day, and how it all went wrong.  Until God made it right, that is....

I met Geoff Moore & the Distance (GMD) at the National Youth Workers Convention in 1995, when we wound up sharing a table at the hotel restaurant for dinner.  I didn't know much about them at the time, but they were great guys with huge hearts for serving God, and I liked them immediately.  Once I began listening to their music, I was completely hooked.  About a year later our Youth Ministry Team began to dream and pray about bringing a major Christian concert to Kissimmee.  We wanted to do something huge for Jesus.  GMD had a big hit with Home Run around this time, and after much discussion we decided to contact their management and see what could be worked out.  We decided on July 10, 1997- a Thursday that was part of our Youth Week.  Our youth were very fired up, both to be part of such a major event and because they loved the music.  We had a concert video of GMD that we played all the time, always talking about how they were soon coming to us!   We decided we would host them at the nearby Tupperware Convention Center (TCC), a 2000 seat venue that had been home to many concerts, including Willie Nelson and The Moody Blues.  After securing the arena and setting ticket prices, we knew we needed to sell 1000 tickets in order to break even.  A full house would earn us around a $10,000 profit to use in our ministry.   All systems were go.

Except that all systems were NOT go.  The TCC would not let us sell tickets, except for a few hundred they gave us on assignment.  This meant people had to go to the box office to buy tickets that were more expensive than the ones we were selling.  We sold ours at church, and sold them all.  The TCC sold almost nothing.  We had also planned to save some money by doing the load-in and set up ourselves.  Again the TCC said no, saying that only union members were allowed to touch incoming or outgoing equipment.  We had planned to advertise on Z-88.3, the local Christian radio station.  Another concert promoter, hosting a concert at Universal Studios that same night, blocked us from running any ads until the week before the show.  We tried to get the word out (I remember Pete Lynes riding around with a concert poster taped to his car window for a couple of months!) but we just didn't sell enough tickets.  By the day before the show, after my final meeting with the folks at TCC, it was clear to me that we were going to lose a lot of money.  Maybe as much as $8000.  I went into Pastor John Willis's office ready to resign (you can read that story here).  I was very depressed.  Instead of the greatest day ever, it was looking like one of the worst.  I went to bed that night praying for a miracle that my weak faith was certain would not come.  (to be continued)

Because of Jesus,

Top 10 Moments: Mission Trips

Here are 10 thoughts about the various mission experiences that my youth groups were involved in over the years.  Are they random?  Oh yes!  Do they have meaning to me?  Of course!  So here we go:

10)  In the late 80's and early 90's the Springfield Friends Meeting group spent a lot of time serving at Our Father's Table, a soup kitchen in High Point.  We usually prepared a basic soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I remember one week we had lots of leftover food from Furniture Market caterers that we served the patrons- really quality stuff.  They couldn't eat it.  It was too rich for them. They asked for more PB&J's...

9)  I think the hottest place I ever been in my life was inside the Orlando Second Harvest Food Bank warehouse on our middle school mission trip from FUMC-K in 1994.  We also worked in another 2nd Harvest in Nashville in 1999, and it was not much cooler.  But those places provide amazing support to the communities they serve in the name of Jesus.

8)  Jennifer Minnigan Kuramochi (FUMC-K) told me recently that she was a little embarrassed to admit to the youth pastor at her current church that her high school mission trip was to the Bahamas- twice!  We did good work on those trips, but we didn't exactly suffer for it...

7)  Although we sent a small group (see picture at right- and no, I don't know why Ben Thacker is scratched up!), and I didn't go, the Service Over Self trip to Memphis in 1996 was a tremendous mission experience that did great things in service to the people of the inner city in that poverty stricken southern town.

6)  The previously mentioned 1999 Nashville trip was the first time I partnered with the Center for Student Missions (CSM).  It was an amazing experience.  We worked our rears off in 100 degree heat and 200% humidity, slept on the floor, and had about 75 people sharing one shower (with a strict time limit!).  It was awesome!

5)  I had only been at the Union Church of Hinsdale about three weeks when we departed on Work Tour 2000 (see picture) to Dungannon, VA.  That trip will get its own post someday, but the poverty we encountered there was incredible.  We actually built a wall inside a mobile home to split a bedroom in half.  It was a week full of adventure...

4)  The following year we went to Tijuana, Mexico and worked at an orphanage.  The children there could recite entire chapters of scripture in English and Spanish.  Some of our teenagers couldn't even recite John 3:16.  Plus those smart little kids conned us into eating habanero peppers and almost dying!  UC's traditional Work Tour closing ceremony, called Candle, took longer than the rest of the trip- or so it seemed!

3)  The group from Wesley Memorial UMC headed to Washington, DC to work with CSM in the summer of 2002.  We spent a fair amount of time building bunk beds for future groups to sleep on, so we made a long-term contribution to that ministry. We also delivered meals to AIDS patients.  It is the only trip I ever went on, mission or otherwise, in which this peace loving Christ-follower almost killed a student.  Thank you, Chris Morneau.

2)  In 2003 we went to Spartanburg, SC and served for several days with a variety of ministries.  I especially remember sorting hundreds of pounds of clothing into gender and size specific piles, and then throwing them all back together in another room.  Seemed pretty pointless, but it was what we were  asked to do.  We also slept over a homeless shelter.  Each night they locked us in and told us NOT to leave.  It was a little scary...

1)  In 2004 with WMUMC (see picture) and in 2006 with Trinty UMC we served with CSM in Chicago.  Both trips were amazing, but the 2004 trip featured us gutting the inside of an unused Jewish synagogue to make way for a new church in a poor area of town.  It was very hard work, and I still wonder how the church is doing now.  That was also the trip with one of the most amazing youth worship times ever- but you'll have to read abut that some other day!

So there you have them- 10 wonderful memories!  Come back tomorrow and catch the story of a concert gone terribly wrong- and how God used it to His glory anyway! 

Because of Jesus,

Hall of Fame: Beth, Darek & Marshall

As I have mentioned here before, during the next couple of weeks I will be looking back over all 28 years of my ministry in preparation for the big one year celebration wonderama extravaganza (and that is not just youth ministry hype!) coming up August 26.  Today we venture back to the early days and my work at New Garden Friends Meeting, 1978-1983.  Somehow in the beginnings of this blog I only inducted one person from that group into my Youth Group Hall of Fame (Terri Johnson).  Today I seek to rectify that oversight by adding three more deserving students from that era. 

It is only fitting that I somehow missed inducting Beth Edgerton(pictured at right, in the middle with Kathryn & Terri).  Beth was always one of those people who was a bit overlooked.  She was the oldest of three sisters, but somehow her middle sister Lori seemed to garner the most attention (especially from guys, and especially early on.  But then Beth had her Summer of Metamorphosis- contacts instead of glasses, braces off and a new haircut and- BAM!  New Beth!).  She was part of a group of three girls who dominated much of our youth group activity at NGFM, yet it seemed that she was often playing third fiddle to Kathryn Burris and Terri Johnson.  I repeated the same error by choosing Terri first for the HOF.  Yet Beth was not only an integral part of what we did at New Garden, she was the one who was always there.  She was always quick to speak her mind and offer help.  She was a true leader who was never afraid to question "why?" we did the things we did.  Almost every story I can think of from those days has Beth right in the middle of it.  She was one of the first youth I taught to play the infuriating solitaire card game, SMITH.  It was from Beth that I learned the eternal youth ministry truth that anytime you have three girls together, one will feel left out.  In fact, that is WHY I taught her SMITH!  My career and the HOF would not be complete without Beth Edgerton.

Much of what is written above could be said about Darek Newby as well.  His older brother Danny got more attention (and could easily be in the HOF himself), and he was not someone who stood out in a crowd.  But Darek was always there, and always supportive.  You can read specific stories involving him in some of the earliest posts on this blog, including Have You Got a Match? and Sand, Water, Sand, Water, Crab, Crab, Crab!.  Darek had a great wit and sense of humor, but could also carry on conversations about the deepest of topics.  Like Beth (and Marshall) he would eventually work at Quaker Lake Camp and had great impact on the children and youth there.  My favorite Darek story:  We were sitting in the office at New Garden, waiting for someone to arrive.  Darek called them, and this was the conversation as we heard it from our end.  "Hi, may I speak to Marshall.  This is Darek.  With an "a."  From church."  It was priceless.

The "Marshall" he was calling (at least I think it was Marshall- I have been wrong before!) was Marshall Ratledge (that's he and Darek looking at the camera).  Marshall's older sister Martha was a dear friend of mine from my own youth group days at NGFM, so I knew him well.  Marshall was a great guy whose personality just drew people to him.  Everyone loved hanging out with Marshall.  Like the other two, he was in the middle of everything that happened in those years.  He went on to become a QLC legend, with his "Magnet" hat.  One of those floppy old "Gilligan" style hats, it somehow became the symbol of Marhsall's "magnetic" charms with the females.  It was constantly being stolen, although its power seemed lost on everyone else.  A group full of students just like Marshall would thrill any youth pastor; I feel blessed to have had one.

So guys, better late than never, huh?  Only 27 years after I was your youth director, welcome to my Hall of Fame.  To celebrate, what do you say to dipping Beth in The Swash?  Join me tomorrow for a list of great Mission Trip moments from throughout the years!

Because of Jesus,

7 Things: Summer Movies 2010

Hi. I'm Will Jones, Carl's son. My dad, the usual writer of this blog, asked me if I wanted to be guest blogger for a day. I figured worse could be asked from me, so here I am. I'm a fifteen year old guy and I hope to one day be a filmmaker. I enjoy movies quite a bit, and this summer has been full of great and not so great movies. But here, we like to think positively most of the time so here's my list of the seven greatest movies of the summer.  I have also seen Ironman 2, McGruber, Grown Ups and Get Him To the Greek- but they didn't make my list.  Your opinion may differ- I am sure my dad's does!  Leave your comments and let me know what you think.

7. Prince of Persia
This "swords and sandals" epic from May, starring Jake Gyllenhal was not a huge summer blockbuster, but it did well enough that I'm betting it's not the last time we see Jake beating the crap out of Ben Kingsley. Movies based on video games normally don't get me too excited, but POP was surprisingly both funny and bold. With a bit of a Pirates feel to it, and Alfred Molina in his best role in years, this is one film that certainly deserves a sequel.

6. The A-Team
I was not around for the '80s when Mr. T ruled the television airwaves. However, from what I've heard of the show, it was just flat out fun. This is something that the film adaption takes to heart, seeing as it is one of the funnest film going experiences I've ever had. The A-list cast(no pun intended) including Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson, Jessica Biel, and Shartlo Copley, does a fantastic job just seeming like they're having a ball. Copley, of District 9 fame, especially deserves credit for being absolutely hysterical and believable as Howling Mad Murdock. one of the more under-rated films of the summer, I suggest to all, go out and rent it or buy it when it hits DVD. I promise you will not be disappointed. The action is incredible, especially the climaxing battle. If you don't like that final fight scene, you honestly just must not like movies.

5. Predators
Again, not around for the '80s, but I have seen the original Predator film. I could sit here quoting Arnold for hours, however, that's not what you're here for. The new installment, Predators is an adrenaline shot straight to the jugular. Robert Rodriguez, of Sin City fame, produces and wrote the first draft of the screenplay. His fingerprints are all over it.  Adrien Brody stars and has a terrific turn, channeling his inner Eastwood, to become a fantastic action star.  It has dialogue that keeps you on the edge of your seat for nearly two straight hours; in a Tarantino-less summer, Predators is comfort food for Tarantino's biggest fans.

4. Robin Hood
The newest take on the legendary character stars Russel Crowe and is directed by the legendary Ridley Scott.  Robin Hood is told as an origin story, something that Hollywood seems to be doing with all of it's long time characters.  The difference?  This origin story is actually interesting.  Instead of worrying about fitting it all in with the previous films, Scott does it his way and let me tell you, his way fits Robin Hood like a pair of green tights. The visuals are undeniably epic, the story is fantastic, the action is more than you could ever ask for in a summer blockbuster.  When you add that all together, you get an incredible film that I will be watching for years to come.

3. Toy Story 3
Pixar is the most talented creative team in the industry and Toy Story 3 is their masterpiece. It'll make you laugh until it hurts. It will make you wipe a few tears from your eyes. And most of all, it will return you to those years when you had your own toys that were always there for you.    P.S. Michael Keaton has his best role in years as Ken, Barbie's sole mate.

2. The Other Guys
This is a film from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. For those who don't know, this duo has given the world Anchorman, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and Step Brothers, three of the funniest movies of the last decade. Their fourth and most recent collaboration, The Other Guys certainly does not disappoint. This is an extremely funny film that will have you rolling out your seat with laughter. Mark Wahlberg joins the bunch as Ferrell's police partner, and truly does hold his own against Ferrell. The beauty of it all? Wahlberg is really just playing his character from The Departed minus the accent and a little bit more blunt. On top of all the hilarity, the action scenes are not done as if it's a comedy. They are better than most in this summer's big action productions.
P.S. Another Michael Keaton role for the books.

1. Inception
Christopher Nolan's latest is something that everyone has heard of by now. I saw it opening weekend and was blown away. The story is pure genius. I don't want to give away the plot, and I don't think I could if I wanted too. It is certainly a movie that makes you think. It is also a movie that nearly demands repeat viewings in order to sort out what all was just put in front of you in the two and a half hour run time. Certainly deserving of the Oscar buzz it's getting, Inception is not only the greatest of the year so far, it is in my own personal top ten list of all time.  Maybe dad will let me share that list with you some other day.

So I hope you enjoyed this trip to the movies.  Dad will be back tomorrow.