The other day I was chatting over a pint of coca cola with a friend, and we started talking about random business ideas. Here is one that we collectively came up with- the Frotorch!

It’s essentially a blowtorch, but with a completely different function! Spray it on your head and grow an afro! It’s mega volumizing and super stylish! It’s fro cool! (pun on so cool) ish….
:3

Hey there! Do you like twitter? Do you tweet? If you do and you’re reading this why not check out the official stickandgooniverse twitter? @thestickandgoo

Often, I lie in my bed, motionless. I can’t go to sleep but I can’t sustain being awake. I just lie there.

Sometimes, I think maybe the fact that I can’t sleep is a prompt to prayer. So I pray for whatever I feel is put on my heart and usually get to sleep. Other times, I just lie there and take everything in.

I listen to the noises of midnight. I hear the thunder and the howling winds. I hear the rain lashing down on the world below. I hear cars and vans and lorries driving off into the distance, hurrying along with their schedules. Sometimes I hear people talking, or music in a Doppler effect passing by. I hear the clicks of the cat’s paws as she walks in and out of my room. I hear the sounds of the night time. Sometimes I hear nothing. Sometimes I lie in the silence. I turn my head to gaze out of the window. I see dark colours. Occasionally I see the stars. I see the moon in all it’s beauty.

And in the quiet, I reflect on things. I think of my family and my friends and I thank God for them. For He is in them. I pray for those who do not yet know salvation through Jesus. I pray that i’d be able to make a difference in this world. God is in the difference. I think of the beauty of nature and I thank God for He is in the magnificence. I think of the misty horizons of the future and I pray for guidance, for God creates my future. I think to my life. I thank God for another day that He’s given me. I thank Him that once again I can rest my head in this place. I thank Him for my safety and my freedom and for all He has provided for me. I thank Him for loving me. God is love.

Sometimes, I just tell Him about my day. God knows it all already, but sometimes I just like to tell Him and talk with Him. And in the quiet stillness, He meets with me. God is always there for me with open arms, whatever the circumstances that have happened or no matter how bad the day might have felt.

It reminds me of that passage of scripture in 1 Kings 19:

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13 NIV)

God is meeting with Elijah. So Elijah is waiting on the mountain and there’s a wind so harsh that its splitting rocks. But God wasnt in the wind. And then, there was an earthquake, but God wasn’t in that either. After that came a fire but, again, God wasn’t in it. And then came a gentle whisper. And God was in that gentle whisper.

Sometimes, we look for God in extraordinary things, but we overlook where we can actually meet with Him. God doesn’t need to show off with extravagant events – Like with Elijah, He’ll often meet us in the quiet when we still our hearts. God is in the stillness.

He’s the latest character in the stickandgooniverse, capiche? ( I only said he’s new York Italian because then you’d read it in that accent! He’s not actually a new Yorker or an Italian, because, in fact, he’s a doodle!) :3

Today whilst taking a break from work, I decided to work on a comic that I started; more specifically the characters and their clothes. Here are some quick designs I drew up. I wonder if they’d sell in real life? Or if people would wear them… I might make some for myself :3

Oh and by the way, ALL T SHIRT DESIGNS (C) STICKANDGOONIVERSE, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED!!!

Its time for another random thought of the evening.

There used to be this butch looking guy who walked past my house. He always wore a black hoodie and black pants. He always had the hood up, even in summer. His face was a perpetual grimace and I would not wish his evil glance upon anyone. With him, he had a husky dog on a chain. Not a lead, a chain. Of all the dogs in the world, I feel that huskies are one of the nicest breeds, but this particular husky dog looked evil. I never knew the guy’s name or the dog’s name for that matter, so being as he was such a butch and pretty scary guy, I gave him a proper butch nickname… Only joking! I nicknamed him cecil. He somehow seemed less angry with the name cecil.

I havent seen him walk past my house in a while… I wonder what happened to cecil?

Yesterday, I had a pear, an apple and a banana for breakfast. Looking at me there on the counter was a tin of krispy kremes. I hovered over the donuts, but then decided not to take a bite because I needed to get out to church.

An hour passed and it came to the start of the service. I was leading worship and I got to the final song in the setlist. And I know its reaaaaaaaaly bad but my stomach started rumbling and I thought ‘man I wish I’d had a donut before I came out’.

So here is a ditty I composed about doughnuts:

The Doughnut Ditty 2012

In the morning

I saw them there tempting me

with a metal 6 pack

I love the winter

I love the frosted delights

red cups and reading books

there sits a cardboard dozen

when I started this song

I thought I would soon be done

but i’m not yet done

I’m a hungry one

hungry as a hippo

singing on the stage

and i’m thinking

how I wish I had a doughnut this morning

honey glaze

maple glaze

frosted top

doughnut cake

cream filled

jam filled

custard filled

sprinkly thrills

oh how I wish I had a doughnut to eat

oh how I wish I had a doughnut to eat 

this seagull wants to have a crepe as part of a balanced diet. What a guy! Seriously though, balanced diets are a good idea. CAW CAW.

Hello there people of the world! So, you might be thinking ‘this guy? what happened to this guy?’. I’ll tell you what happened. Christmas. New Year. General lazing about. Thats what happened. But i’m back. Back again. Yes I’m back. Tell a friend.

So, I was planning to do a post every day for a year. Since i’ve failed that, i’ll just do as many as I can.

…….

Hey, whats wobbly and flies around? A jellycopter!

…….

Anyways, seeing as it is now 2012 (Happy new year everyone!), I thought i’d post a little guide to starting the year right. Would you like that? Oh, you would? Fabulous.

Sometimes, I attempt to do a few new years resolutions, but since they are doomed to the pit of failure, I will simply state that I heartily aim to do the following:

1. pray more
2. spend more time in God’s presence
3. study more

I think it is good to set yourself some goals for the year. Even if you don’t quite manage them, you’ve still tried to better yourself, which is always a plus. To make a good goal, there must be motivation!

So whats with the pray more thing? Its simple. Prayer is talking to God. I want a better relationship with God. Ergo, I should pray more.

I’ve been thinking lately about the strands of churches that have service cards and things like that. They all have structured prayer, which I think is a great thing because it makes sure you pray regularly and for certain things. Here are some things I will try to pray for more in 2012:

• the queen
• the prime minister and people in parliament (because they are making decisions every day that impact us)
• law enforcement and the judiciary
• my family
• my friends
• the people I know who don’t yet know Christ
• the people I don’t yet know who I am to meet in the future
• the people I don’t know who don’t yet know Christ
• a strengthening of the church

Being as it is a busy year for the UK, what with all the olympics and stuff, I think that it is nice to start the year by praying more. It just is. Theres going to be so much going on, and its good to commit it all to God.

It is also good to pray to say thank you to God for all that He’s done for you. Or just to talk to Him and tell Him whats going on in your life. Its nice to be in relationship.

Another thing I’ve been thinking is that a lot of the time I pray the same prayers. WELL NO MORE! 2012 is the year that I try to add some variance to my prayer life.

On this point, the subject of prayer overlaps into my 2nd aim: spending more time in God’s presence. I want to spend as much time in His presence as I can. He makes me a better man and I crave His presence. God is indescribably magnificent and I want to be in the best relationship with Him that I can. He makes happiness stir up within me. Like a squirrel running around.

And finally, studying more. This is a twofold point. For the first part, I refer to the bible. Man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God. God’s word is my sustenance; I must study it harder! It is the one thing that you can never study enough and that you will never tire of studying. At the end of last year, I saw this play in stratford called ‘written on the heart’. It is the story of the King James Version translation of the bible. It was a powerful and emotional story and I highly recommend it to everyone. If you can ever see this play, then do! I was made aware of just how many people died to give me the bible that I can freely read today. I’m thankful that I  have the freedom to read it, and since it cost so much to so many, I have no right to neglect it. I WILL STUDY MORE.

The second point is with regards to subject materials – I want to read more to do with my career; I want to further my knowledge and broaden my horizons. So, I’ll study more. I may be busier than a one legged cat in a litter tray but I’ll study more.  I will also try to read some more classics. I do love a good shakespeare play.

So this is how i’m trying to start my year right, but what about you? Do you have a plan? Do you trust in God’s plan?

Whatever your circumstance may be, here are some points on starting your 2012 right:

1. if you have new years resolutions, try to stick to them like fresh pizza dough to an un-greased baking tray. This means the washing up brush of life will have to scrub the tray pretty hard to stop you. Its good to  try to better yourself.
2. If you have a short fuse, lengthen it. If you have a long fuse, make it longer. Do not let anger burn inside you. Its nastay.
3. If you’re not a christian, inquire about Jesus. Following Him is the best decision you will ever make. Fact. If you are a christian, then live out your faith the best you can. Spread the love of Jesus to this world of ours.
4. If life seems tricky, do not worry. Who, by worrying, can add a single hour to their life? No one. Put your trust in God.
5. Watch your tongue. It is a thing that can spout poisonous words if you let it. So don’t let it. Control what you say before it controls who you become.
6. Build some time into your schedule to talk to God. If you are not a christian, I would advise this too, but if you don’t feel like that, then build a pause in your schedule to sit back and reflect. Also, make time for your loved ones.

Ok so there you have it. I’m getting hungry now, so i’m going to sign off!

Happy new year everybody!