I am at crossroads in my life in more ways than one. I lack spirituality, and therefore, probably purpose in life.

I grew up Catholic, eventually got tired of all of the church's politics and guilt-teaching. For a long time, I lost contact with God and had serious doubt.

Then I figured that a personal relationship with God was better than none. I tried to live my life (and still do for the most part) in a way HE would deem acceptable. But after awhile even a "personal" relationship with God felt empty.

I met a great guy, a pastor, who turned me onto some books, Lee Strobel's "A Case for Christ" series, and those were very enlightening. We had long, fascinating discussions about them.

I know it comes down to faith, but that's also hard for me to fathom. How did those of you who are born again, or just those of you who have strong faith, take your leap and put your faith in God, and really and truly live with him?

Any good ideas out there for food on the big game. I'd like to try to avoid stuff such as pizza.

And I'm looking for a really good recipe on pineapple salsa, or something similar.

If I could impart on people one lasting thought, it would be this:

It is what it is.

Think about it, and you'll understand the significance of these words.

(Wow. some people are just dumb...)

If the December robbery of a pharmacy went down the way McMinnville, Ore., police believe, it indicates the suspect, sheriff's deputy David Verbos, 36, had little respect for their crime-solving ability. Verbos allegedly took OxyContin at gunpoint in the robbery, but later called the McMinnville police to report that someone had stolen his license plates (perhaps hoping to insulate himself in case a witness had glimpsed the plate at the scene). However, when police arrived to take a report, they noticed that Verbos, a stocky man about 5-9, was wearing a black jacket, gray sweat pants, and white sneakers, thus fitting nearly dead-on the description of the man who had robbed the pharmacy. [News-Register (Eugene, Ore.), 12-29-05]
From Chuck Shepherd's news of the weird.

I wrote an earlier blog about maybe being addictted to sex. I found this quiz doing some research on way2hope.org.

So now I'll know the answer.

OK, I took the test, and it looks like I'm addicted. I guess there could be worse things to be addicted to.

Signs Of Sexual Addiction:

Whether you're the addict, the spouse, or the children, sexual addictions can warp family life by harming relationships and causing the addict to see others as little more than objects of sexual gratification. If you suspect you have a sexual addiction, you can take this quiz to find out the extent of your addiction and what actions you should take to get control. If you're the spouse of a suspected addict, you can compare what you've witnessed with the items on the test to see how extensive the addiction is. I'm sure this quiz will be as uncomfortable for you to take as it is for me to prepare.

Sex and Porn Addiction Quiz:

Answer each question "yes" or "no"

A. Sexual and Pornographic Thought Life:
1. Do you imagine sexual body parts or activities more than a few times a week? YES
2. When these imaginations occur, do you find yourself dwelling on these thoughts? YES
3. Do you view nude images in books or on the Internet? YES
4. Do you view images of sexual body parts? YES
5. When you see underwear ads or commercials, do you think about sex? YES
6. When viewing sexually suggestive TV programming, do you pause or replay the images? NO
7. When making love with your spouse, do you find yourself thinking of other people? NO
8. When you see people of the opposite sex, do you find yourself looking at their sexual body parts? YES
9. Do you view pornographic materials featuring children or young teens? NO (I'm addicted to sex, not children!!)
10. Do you have sexual thoughts about children or young teens? NO
11. Have you thought about how you could seduce a particular child or young teen? NO

B. Sexually Addictive Actions:
1. Do you masturbate while imagining sexual images, viewing explicit materials or remembering people you've seen? YES
2. Have you ever masturbated to the point of not being sexually interested in you spouse? NO
3. Do you attend "adult" theaters or drive-ins? NO
4. Do you visit nude (partially or totally) night clubs or strip clubs? YES (I mean I have in the past)
5. Do you engage in cyber-sex or phone sex? YES, I have.
6. Do you visit peep shows, where people display their sexual organs? NO
7. Do you engage in spouse swapping or orgy type behavior? NO
8. Do you ever pressure your spouse for sex when they don't feel like it? NO
9. Do you ever pressure your spouse to engage in sexual behavior they're uncomfortable with? NO, but I do have suggestions every once in awhile.
10. Do you use prostitutes? NO but I'm not opposed to it.
11. Do you masturbate while thinking about children or young teens? NO (Again, I'm addicted to sex, not children!!)
12. Do you masturbate while viewing pornographic images of children or young teens? NO
13. Do you think about children or young teens while making love with your spouse? NO
14. Do you masturbate often while thinking about a particular child or young teen? NO

If you answered "yes" to any of the questions in A or B above you may or may not be sexually addicted. You should visit our page Addiction And Sex to get more information and use these questions to check your actions and thoughts for the next 3 months.

If you answered "yes" to 4 or more questions from A and B above, you have a tendency toward sexual addiction. You should visit our page Addiction And Sex to get more information, find a trusted friend (your spouse should be this trusted friend) to help you use these questions to check your actions and thoughts for the next 3 months.

If you answered "yes" to 8 or more questions from A and B above, it is likely you have a sexual or pornographic addiction. You should visit our page Addiction And Sex to get more information, find a trusted friend (your spouse should be this trusted friend) to go with you to a professional counselor to verify your test findings and help you heal.

If you answered "yes" to any of questions 9-11 of section A or any of questions 11-14 of section B, you have a tendency to become a pedophile. Obviously, the more of these questions you answered "yes" to, the stronger your tendency is. To make sure this stops before causing serious harm, you and your trusted friend should get an appointment as soon as possible with a professional counselor, review your answers to these questions and answer the counselor's questions completely and honestly. This can be healed if you're willing to bring it into the light.

If you're using these questions to check the behavior you've witnessed of a member of your family, keep in mind they are probably trying to hide their behavior. If you've seen any of the above behavior, lovingly recommend they take this test and offer to be their trusted friend.