The Joshua Yoder Blog

 I just recently finished a recording for my podcast with my old high school baseball coach Ray Hoppel, which was a ton of fun and don't worry, the episode will be uploaded soon. But after doing the recording, it made me realize something and that was Summer vacation is basically over and people are now returning to another year school for kids in different grade levels. As always, when it comes to this time of the year, many of us are thinking where on Earth did Summer go? Or that it went by way too fast. Pretty so many of us are going to start hating that it is too cold outside and that we can not wait till it gets warmer again 😂 Now with my history when it comes school, it isn't always at the best, but again after talking with Coach Hoppel. It was another reminder that there have been some amazing moments despite my struggles. And that is basically what I wanted to do with this blog post. I want to talk right to all of the students who are heading back to class whether it b...

 WOW! I mean, when I first started this blog, I didn't think much of it, to be this was going to be a place where I could just write whatever. I had no idea that it would even last as long as it did and I am so grateful to all of you, whether you are some one I know who reads this or someone from around the world, thank you so much for your continued support. For post 350, I thought I share a special story to you guys, a story that I use to remind myself, that God is there for us. I guess you can call it a sign if you will. A few years ago, I went to a Wednesday night Mass over at the Roman Catholic Church in Lewistown called Sacred Heart. It is a very lovely and beautiful church and I have been around them for sometime now and at the time I really became good friends with one of the pastors there named Fr. Peter Rettig. Sadly, Fr. Rettig is no longer than at Sacred Heart due to him being transferred, but trying to stay positive, this was one of my favorite moments that happened du...

 One of my favorite comic book characters of all time. The dark warrior from Image Comics himself, Spawn. Spawn was created by Todd McFarlane who had just left Marvel Comics to form Image Comics and was released in May in 1992. The story of Spawn follows Al Simmons, a government assassin who had been killed by his employer Jason Wynn who grew tired of Simmons and his increasing sense of morality. Simmons was then sent to Hell where he met Maleboliga one of the demon lords and made a deal where he gets to see his wife Wanda again.  Unfortunately for Simmons, he reawakens as a Hellspawn five years later, realizing that his wife had moved on with his friend Terry Fitzgerald as well as many of his memories missing. With little choice, Spawn adopts his new identity in an effort to atone for his past sins and use his newfound powers for good. Early on in his time as Spawn, Simmons did battle with street thugs and gangs becoming a dark, sadistic anti-hero. But then soon come up again...

 Myself and my twin brother Chad had recently watched an old episode of WWE's Most Wanted Treasures where the crew were trying to find special items that involved the Eighth Wonder of the World himself, Andre The Giant. The episode itself was a fun watch, but it made me a bit emotional and honestly, it was really cool to see the looks on the faces of the people who knew and loved Andre. Speaking of being emotional, I remember watching the 2018 documentary of Andre the Giant that aired on HBO. Just seeing what Andre had went through his entire life was really sad to see. For those that may or may not know, Andre was born with a disease called gigantism which is caused by excess human growth hormone. Andre the Giant put the world of professional wrestling on put notice in the late sixties, but by the time he got to the WWWF (Now WWE) in the early 70s and became a Global Superstar! I dare say his presence in the company was a major driving force for the WWE to become what it is today....

 Ah yes, yesterday was one of my favorite moments of the summer season. And that is the annual Summerfest event held by HWF which is the local wrestling federation run by my long time friend Matt Silks. Although this is the fifth annual Summerfest under the HWF banner, this event has been since I first met Matt back in high school and has held a special place in hearts of many of us pro wrestling fans here in Central PA. It is crazy to think how far something like this has come, I mean I was a freshmen in high school when I first met Matt and the gang. Of course, back then it was just a bunch a kids and a simple trampoline. Now look at it, it has become such a big event around town. Which honestly makes me smile because something like this in a small town like Lewistown. It is something to help people come out together and enjoy some good old wrestling. It also brings a tear to my eye because I remember the talks I have had with not just Matt, but several other people about doing s...

 A very underrated band in my humble opinion and it was certainly one who I would listen to a lot with my father and I still listen to them to this very day. The Blue Oyster Cult is pushing 60 years old and has been a major influence on heavy metal music. Blue Oyster Cult's longest and most successful lineup in their careers were Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser who is lead guitar and vocals, Eric Bloom as lead vocals, guitar, Allen Lanier on keyboards, guitar, Joe Bouchard on bass and Albert Bouchard on drums. Their manager Sandy Pearlman (RIP) and rock critic Richard Meltzer have also help contribute to the writing of the band's lyrics. The band was known for their fusion of hard rock and psychedelia sound mixed in with some occult, fantastical and tongue-in-cheek style of lyrics really helped in establishing the band. The band itself is pretty much like a science fiction novel which being a science fiction fan myself, I really enjoy that aspect of the band. Also I must ...

 It is crazy to think that this incredible band has been rocking out for over 40 years now and they are just as good as they were when they first started. Which is rich coming from me considering that I wasn't even born when they first started 😂 but nonetheless, Stryper is an amazing band. For those who may not know, the name of Stryper came from the bible. In the book of Isaiah 53:5, the backronym of their name is "Salvation, Through, Redemption, Yielding Peace, Encouragement and Righteousness. Their first EP, The Yellow and Black Attack came out in 1984 and hit the ground running becoming the first Christian Metal Band to be accepted into the mainstream. As of 2024, Stryper has released 16 albums from the Yellow and Black Attack all the way to their most recent album, When We Were Kings. As mentioned before, these guys were head banging for Jesus long before I was even born. The first time that I had ever heard of Stryper was because of a professional wrestler named Chris J...

 Today, Tuesday August 5th marks the 62nd Birthday of man named Don Yoder or as me and my two brothers call him, Father. Wow, what can I really say about my dear old dad. He is hardworking, dedicated, loves to hunt and is no nonsense. He always seems to just keep things simple for me and my brothers, which honestly makes me feel bad because the things that I deal with ain't exactly simple. To be honest with all of you, I never really had a sit down and talk about cerebral palsy and scoliosis with my dad and how he felt about all of it. I mean, we had a few moments where he was settle me down when I got frustrated about things due to my issues. I have had plenty of talks about it with my mom, who always blames herself for it despite me and Chad telling her it is not her fault, it happened for a reason. But I never learned how it effect my father, honestly I am too scared to ask him about it. My father wasn't never really someone who shared his emotions and to be fair, it was jus...