Kennesaw State’s school newspaper, The Sentinel, has an opinion section for students to submit their opinion on hot topics. So naturally, I decided to put mine in about the zombie invasion.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Unfortunately, since mine wasn’t controversial enough and didn’t name a trending political figure, it didn’t make the cut. However, I’ll publish the quick read here for the rest of the world to enjoy.

Have you seen people walk into things while texting? Do you do it? Did you read this and say, “I know what a ^ is”? Drop a comment!

1. Cut Copy Paste
Two of the biggest gripes I hear from Windows users migrating to OS X are the right click and the ‘cut’ feature. Aside from most mice having two mouse buttons that work with Macs, Apple has not only fixed, but simplified the right click with the touchpad for MacBooks and TrackPad for iMacs. The ‘cut’ feature; not so much.

OS X Daily has uncovered the long-awaited cut feature. It’s different from Windows in that you decide whether you want to cut or copy when you are pasting the document.

Mac OS X Lion finally brings the long awaited “Cut and Paste” feature to the Mac OS X desktop and Finder, allowing users to truly cut and move the selected documents or folders to a new location, rather than just making a copy of them.

Cutting & Pasting Files and Folders in OS X 10.7 Lion is easy

• Command+C copies the files or documents, note they won’t be ‘cut’ yet
• Command+Option+V pastes the documents into the new location, cutting it from the prior locating and moving it to the new location

If you just hit Command+V you will only move a copy of the files into the new location, as in a true copy and paste, rather than a cut and paste function. Notice holding down the Option key also changes the menu text to show “Move Items Here” to further signify the difference.

This is a feature many Windows converts have been wanting for a long time. Prior to this, users would drag and drop items into their new locations to move them, or use the command line mv tool. Those still work too though, obviously.

Do you have any other not-so-obvious tips, hints, or tricks you’ve discovered in OS X Lion that didn’t make the cut? Drop a comment!

So I gave it a shot.

I liked it. In fact, here’s a picture of me collecting my 1st place Middle School individual trophy in 2004 over Hebrews, about two months after some website called Facebook was created.

I caught fire for Bible Quiz, learned a lot….and let everyone know how many points, quizouts, and perfect scores I had. I admit it: I was a proud kid back then. I can’t deny it. But to my defense, it seemed like everyone treated me as the know-it-all of the Bible. It was hard to be humble when people young and old informed me of my intelligence when I properly pronounced Nebuchadnezzar and Habakkuk.

Thank goodness I grew out of that phase.

Around 2008, as I was maturing in communication (and height), I realized that great teams never told me they were great; their opponents did. That is what I wanted to be: Humble, yet great. I was far from perfect, but I did my best to stay humble and congratulate others before myself until my graduation in 2010.

Fast forward to the 2012 Georgia State District Finals. That little, scrawny, know-it-all wisecrack received yet another award: The Steve Sundell Memorial Award. For those who don’t know, this prestigious award is given to a volunteer in Georgia who exhibits the spirit of Steve Sundell: A servant’s heart, a love for God’s Word, and a passion to see students on fire for the Word.

I’m still in awe.

The simple fact is this. I would not have been in Bible Quiz if it hadn’t been for his son Sheldon. And his other son, Seth, gave me my first chance to co-write for a tournament. I’ve used those skills to write for 7 more tournaments across the country.

Thank you, Steve Sundell. Thank you. Although I never met you, your legacy took one scrappy kid and made him a man through the simple power of the Word of God. It is my heart’s desire to leave a legacy like yours, one where people I never met draw closer to the Lord and His Word.

And I’ll chase that legacy until the day I die.

Yes, another incredible Mark Gilmer Atlanta Open has concluded. 16 A teams competed for the title – more than any other year I can remember.

I was blessed to be in Room 2 in A, which meant that I was able to officiate top notch competition. To say that the quizzing was merely “good” would be an understatement. This year’s Open was as competitive as I’ve seen it in a long time.

Now for the analysis. I did not observe any MSQ division quizzing. However, the MSQ team from Lexington, KY scored nearly as much as the rest of the MSQ teams combined.

Onward to the A league…

1st Place: Montgomery, Alabama #1
Overall, the team looked like the National Finals Championship division team they are. They possess your everyday 1st chair quizzer able to interrupt anything and 2nd chair quizzer answering every 20 and 30. As always, consistency has been the key, but I felt their weakness at the Open was the grasp of the material and not the interruptions. This is not an issue for two reasons: First, everyone is still working on the quoting this time of year, and for this team, it will easily be fixed before Regionals. Second, with veteran senior Hudson Kelley and seasoned coach Daniel Mims, Montgomery will definitely be back in the top bracket at Nationals.

The highlight for Montgomery was the last match of regulation against Lexington #1, quizmastered by yours truly. Heading into the final round, Montgomery was undefeated, and Lexington #1 only had one loss. A win by Lexington in the last match would force a sudden death playoff between the teams.

The match was hard fought. There were solid hits by both sides, but Montgomery seemed to have the upper hand most of the match. As good as Lexington was, Montgomery picked their questions wisely and went on to win the match right around question 18.

What can we say? The championships seem to be going to Alabama these days…

2nd Place: Toccoa, Georgia
Now this team snuck up on a lot of unsuspecting people at the Open this year. After Friday’s prelims, teams were looking at the one-woman show from Wesley Chapel, FL or Montgomery and Lexington #1 averaging 200+ points per game. But as you can see from my tweet after the festivities on Day 1, I had my eye on them:

Great 1st day at the Mark Gilmer Atlanta Open! Lexington #1, Montgomery, Wesley Chapel, Toccoa & 2 others Im forgetting look to b contenders

— James Lex (@JamesLex) February 18, 2012

I only saw them quiz two matches on Saturday, and I sure am glad I did. Captain Lindsay Cowan was stellar. For lack of better wording, she was overlooked as a top quizzer at the tourney by having Abby Rogers and Hudson Kelley taking 1st and 2nd. But let me tell you—no, warn you—that Lindsay is easily the third best quizzer in the Southeast right now. And she’s only getting better. Although there wasn’t enough concordance at the Open, it doesn’t matter for her. She’ll get the chapter analysis and quotes. Every. Time.

Of course, Lindsay didn’t do it alone. Now her supporting cast isn’t as experienced or quick as Montgomery’s, but it’s still competitive.

As of now, this team is easily 3rd in the Southeast and poised to perhaps steal 2nd place from Montgomery come May.

3rd Place: Lexington, Kentucky #1
This team is scary.

Let me tell you why.

This church is deep with talent. If they were a professional baseball team, GM’s from other teams would be lighting up their phone. Lexington had two highly competitive teams in the top bracket. Not one; two. Combine that with the success of their MSQ team, and all of a sudden the Southeast coaches are glad to not be in the Great Lakes region.

Now let’s talk about Lexington #1. This crew is young, quick, competitive, and knowledgeable of the portion. Veteran coach Karen White has to be happy with what she’s seeing out of this team. Not only can they interrupt and answer questions, but I could tell from my side of the table that they knew exactly what they were doing. If the other team answered 3 or 4 questions in succession, they were neither intimidated nor felt forced to interrupt faster. They knew their game and knew what to do in order to score points and win matches. I couldn’t tell who their “first chair” quizzer was because all three answered a 10, 20, and 30 in my room at some point. Lexington #1 is just begging to upset a contending team at Nationals, especially when they stack this team for a title run.

Other D1 A Teams
The team from Manassas, Virginia once again made the trip down to the Open this year. Senior captain Catherine Hains looks to be on the path to a well-deserved, under-rated 4th consecutive top 10 individual placement at National Finals. The team from Cumming, GA had a rough go at the Open this year, but they clearly deserved to be in D1 and, without a doubt, are going to get better as Districts and Regionals roll around. National Finals high scorer for the past two years, Abby showed us all why she’s the best quizzer in America right now. You can break this girl’s leg, and she’s still going to average 140 while making you root for her.

Final thoughts
I know I didn’t get to give an analysis of every team like I wanted to, but this will have to do. Overall, the 2012 Mark Gilmer Atlanta Open was spectacular. Congratulations to all of the teams and quizzers!

For those who never met Mark Gilmer, he was one of the greatest quizzers of all time and one of the greatest guys you could meet. He is no longer with us, but I can tell you that if he was at the Open this year, he wouldn’t care so much about the stats, numbers, or even the fact that it’s named after him. He would care about the smile on the first-year MSQ student’s face when they ran up and down the halls proclaiming their first quizout. He would care about the joy underdog teams experience when they beat a great team. But most importantly, Mark never lost sight of the end. Mark was a man who cared about the Word being firmly planted into the hearts of students. It was his passion.

And today, his passion has now formed into his legacy. There is no greater a legacy than to leave behind a tournament of quizzers, coaches, officials, and volunteers engaging in the Word.

I miss you, Mark. And I can’t wait to see you again.

Were you at the Open this year? What’d you think? If you didn’t make it, what would you like to see from these reviews? Leave a comment in the new comment system! I read them all!

And I must confess: I find Siri’s humor to be nothing short of hilarious.

I shouldn’t. I feel like I’m falling into a scary world where humans will converse with robots instead of people (Wall-e anyone?). But the sarcasm and wit of that precious personal assistant captivates me like no other smartphone.

After asking basic questions such as “Will you marry me?” (putrid EULA getting in the way of everything…), I started to dive deeper and ask Siri some theological questions. The responses?

Somehow, I don’t recall that in the Constitution or Thomas Jefferson’s letter. Still humorous.

I didn’t laugh out loud over this one, but I did start to wonder, “How many answers did the developers prepare for these questions?” No silver dollar if you said more than two, but you’d still be right…

Now this one didn’t make me laugh either, but the word “mystery” engaged the wheels in my head. Where had I seen that word before?

And then I remembered! It was from a passage in Ephesians chapter 6:

This is actually one of the last few words of a letter written by Paul to the Christians in Ephesus. It is Paul’s last request to the Ephesians. Think of it as a, “Oh, one more thing” request before heading out to work or school. It was obviously pretty important to Paul that the mystery or secret of the gospel be made known. (Shocker, I know.)

Would the great apostle Paul want to make the “mystery” of the gospel and truth of Jesus known to Siri? I can envision the apostle Paul asking Siri questions like, “Hey, how long is it going to take to get this letter to the church in Corinth? They’re a disaster over there, and it’s only 3 days until Sunday” or “Do vipers really kill you?”

But then I wondered, what would Paul’s reaction be if Siri said Jesus is a “mystery” to her? Would he start down the Romans road? Would he amend her End User License Agreement, bridge the gap between siliconism and spiritualism, and bring the shiny smartphone to the rugged cross?

No, he wouldn’t. But what if the name was Kelly, Micah, or Jordan? He definitely would make the mystery of the gospel known to them.

Would I?

Would I make the mystery of the gospel known my friends? They definitely have eternal value.

My coworkers? They have eternal value.

My classmates? Yep, they have eternal value.

My family? Yes, they have eternal value.

Maybe I should stop asking Siri goofy questions and begin thinking of ways to invest in real people. It’s hard to fearlessly and boldly make the mystery of the gospel to outright strangers. But friends? It’s a lot easier. And to think, unlike Paul or the thousands of other Christians around the world, I don’t have to be in chains to make the secret of eternal life known to those I love most.

I am not at all out to convict. I’m writing this for myself as much as anyone. But if you feel like you have too many “fake” things in your life that hold no eternal value, or if you have a burden to make known the mystery of the gospel to the people in your life, maybe God is calling you to do something instead of just thinking about doing something. If you’re unsure of how to take the next step, find answers by talking with a pastor or spiritual leader who can lead you down the right path.

And if you’re still unsure, you can always ask Siri and see what she thinks.

Tournament Coordinator Joshua Weber always has me write Regional level questions, with one stipulation: All answers have to come from the same chapter. This makes the Sunshine Classic questions a great transition from 1-verse league meet level questions to tournaments, where concordance begins to appear several times a set. Here are a few other elements that make the Sunshine Classic questions great for teams looking to go deep into the postseason:

• There is at least one question from every chapter in every set
• There are a lot of essence and quotes
• About four 20′s every match come from multiple verses and/or have a concordance element to them
• All 30′s are 3-4 verses long
• The 30′s are evenly distributed among the chapters. Each chapter has between 4 and 5 30′s from it.

The questions from this tournament are now up for sale! All 20 sets from the 2011 Sunshine Classic are available for $20. As soon as you order, I’ll email the questions to you right away and give you easy instructions for payment.

Have a question? Did I miss something? Drop a comment or email me!

The 2012 Southern Fried classic will be in pan-fried Texas this year, and I am honored to be the A League question writer. For those attending this tournament, here are some things you need to know:

• My questions will cover Hebrews 1-13 and 1st Peter 1-2.
• Difficulty will be between District and Regional level.
• There will be a 1-on-1 tournament with 10 questions per match: Four 10′s, five 20′s, and one 30.
• What about concordance? As always, if you can quote the material at a National Memorization level, you can answer my concordance questions. As for interrupting said concordance questions, that really depends on the quizzer. I can tell you that the concordance questions will be very straightforward. If you want to see my style, you can order my questions from Sunshine Classic.
• There will be a few humorous Statement and Questions in the sets. I don’t want to say they are interruptible after the Statement because some require quick thinking, but I can say the Question is easily interruptible. You can see a sample in the set below.
• The following practice set is over 1-6 because they have been taken from the Empire Classic, which I wrote for earlier this year.

Have questions about the questions? Want to publicly groan about Tom Ferguson’s choice to make me the question writer? Drop a comment!

The closer my heart draws to the true meaning of Christmas
The more I learn it’s not about my wishes
Presents are nice and fruitcake is sweet
But material things are fast to leave
What truly matters on Christmas morn?
Is it more than boxes to unpack and paper to be torn?
A New Year approaches, an old chapter goes by
But a new chapter begins, a fresh beginning on life
Should I start the year with promises to make?
Only four weeks later to have each resolution break?
Perhaps the best way to start is this very present Christmas
A time I could learn the key to getting wishes
After many a year, I have finally discovered
That my wish and present has already been uncovered:
The heart of Christmas is not presents under the tree
It’s a baby in a manger, a man on a tree
A Savior humble, so very not proud
The Breath of Love, a love that is loud
A man who died on a hill called Calvary
A God who raised and gave us victory
And after all has been said and the curtain closed
A single decision, a choice I have chose:
To no longer view this holiday as a time about me
But to remember a manger, a man on a tree.

School is out…the fruitcake is in.

The temperatures are down…the Christmas decorations are up.

The shoppers are crazy…the cat is lazy.

Yes, it’s truly the most wonderful time of the year!

I won’t clutter up the beginning of this humorous blog too much, especially since I’ve literally been waiting ALL YEAR to share these awesome Christmas comics with you. Some are hard to read, but you can enlarge them by clicking on them.

So sit back, relax, grab a cup of warm apple cider, and enjoy the Christmas cartoons of Calvin and Hobbes!

If you enjoyed this blog, please spread the Christmas cheer with your friends!

When we look at the short-term future—tomorrow, the day after, or the weekend—we naturally think of problems.

“Will I be able to get everything done on my to-do list this weekend?” “I sure hope (insert event) doesn’t rain out tomorrow.” “Whoops, I have an appointment with so-and-so when I’m supposed to be doing such-and-such! How am I going to get through this day?!?”

I made this mistake when I thought my biggest problem on September 15, 2011 was going to be a Calculus quiz. I knew I didn’t possess the energy or time to adequately prepare for the deceitfully devious deviation dilemma.

Fast forward the next evening to September 16. Truth was, the Calc quiz wasn’t nearly as bad as I had anticipated. In fact, I completely forgot about it later that night.

Isn’t that sad? For approximately 24 hours, I dreaded the thought that it would be the monster issue of my day. And yet as I went to bed, memories of Calculus exams were non-existent.

A good mentor of mine put it this way: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? …Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

My friend is right. And when I think about it, the quiz was the same whether I was worried about it or not.

So why did I make my problem bigger than it needed to be?

Fear. Specifically, fear of failure.

That’s one thing about worry: It always leads to something worse. My worry for a quiz did nothing but make me fear the possibility of failure. But you know what prevents us from fearing failure, or anything else in life for that matter? A proper comprehension of my aforementioned friend and mentor, Jesus Christ. Take your problems and stand them next to an infinite, all-powerful God. They’ll disappear right before your eyes.

As for me, I have let tomorrow worry about itself and allowed God to lift the burden of “maybe” and “failure” off my shoulders. Stressing out over the possibility of problems doesn’t make me a day younger or an ounce stronger.

What about you? Have you ever stressed out about a future event that ended up being nothing at all?