intermittent bright ideas

Come Join My New Blog

2011-01-13T10:09:00.002-05:00

I used to share some thoughts here @ Blogger.

But now I can be found at http://www.larzmarshall.com/ .

Feel free to stop by.

My Son Turns 18 Today

2010-01-31T23:04:00.006-05:00

From time to time, there are markers in my life that make me feel old:

* buying my first lawnmower
* filing my own taxes
* watching Lady Gaga and realizing that I just don't get it

But this newest life marker makes me feel more proud than old. My son Corbin was born Feb. 1st, 1992. It really doesn't seem like that long ago, and I remember clearly many details of that fascinating event in my young married life. It was a great moment, one that any parent can agree is difficult to put into words. (And frankly, I still don't understand how those who don't believe in a Creator God can go through that experience and still think its all just an accident. But that's another topic).

Today, our family celebrates our 18-year old son. We probably don't tell him enough that we're proud of who he's become. That we're proud of what he stands for, the great friends he's chosen, and how he allows God to penetrate his life. He's certainly still growing, maturing, refining. And we can't wait to see what the future holds.

So Happy 18th Birthday, Corbin.

And go clean your room.

On Deck: Why We Love The Church

2009-09-20T23:09:00.003-04:00

Product Description: Why We Love the Church presents the case for loving the local church. It paints a picture of the local church in all its biblical and real life guts, gaffes, and glory in an effort to edify local congregations and entice the disaffected back to the fold. It also provides a solid biblical mandate to love and be part of the body of Christ and counteract the "leave church" books that trumpet rebellion and individual felt needs. Why We Love the Church is written for four kinds of people - the Committed, the Disgruntled, the Waffling & the Disconnected.

Looking forward to starting this book sometime in the next couple of days. The anti-Church movement among Christians is getting old. Yes, I think the organized church can do better. But I'm not sure the solution is for all of the 'young whipper-snappers' to go start what I like to call the 'come as you are, we've got an Espresso bar' churches. Sure, some of these are good things. Most work under the premise "we're going to reach the lost." But I have a hunch the bulk of them just attract other disgruntled folk who, instead of helping the organized evangelical church figure out new paradigms for ministry and how to contextualize it in our culture, find it a lot easier to just go congregate at the local Java the Hut.

So I'm anxious to see what these guys have to say, and hope to write about it here.

Renovations

2009-09-20T22:43:00.003-04:00

I want to lose some weight.

OK, let me say that differently...I need to lose weight.

I've been heavy for a long while. A number of years ago, I was able to start a regimen that allowed me to lose over 50 pounds, get in shape through exercise, and maintain for a while.

I don't know how it happens, but it just does - I become more sedentary, lose focus, and eat a lot. Not just a lot, but a lot of the wrong things. I'm not gaining weight by over-eating salads. It's chips, pizza, fried this or that, breads, cookies and the like.

I'm troubled by it all for a number of reasons. First, I feel like crap. I didn't just start feeling lousy today. It's been around for a while, so you would think I would see the correlation and do something about it. But its so easy to get busy, unfocused, and undisciplined. Clothes don't fit well, you get winded easily, and self esteem sometimes takes a hit. All which works together to make me feel lousy, mostly in a physical sense.

Second and perhaps most importantly is the bad example. I'm heavy because its my fault - its not genetic, etc. I've spent a good bit of my life developing myself as some sort of leader. But the example I'm setting for those in my sphere of influence - not to mention my own children - isn't a good one. I must do better. I will do better.

Many Mondays have come & gone where I've said 'today is the day that I hit it and make a change.' Funny, that worked once. Can't put a finger on it, but I just resolved that I was going to make changes, and I did. And it worked. But the many times in the past year I've tried have come up short.

Here's my plan: write about it often. Sure, very few (if any) read my blog anyway, but I plan to start mentioning on Twitter and FB that I'm blogging and see if some come over. I think it could be an interesting way to find some accountability. But speaking of accountability, I plan to seek out someone this week to help me in person, face to face. I'm praying about who that person is.

I plan to count calories like before, and follow the Body for Life workout program. There are lots of ways to go, but I know this works - I did it before. And I remember how good I felt as the lb's came off.

I owe this to myself and to my family. And I owe it to God to be everything I can for Him. Added responsibilities and interesting twists & turns of life make it important that I be healthy and full of energy.

Your prayers and encouragement are valued and welcome.

20 Assumptions of a Christian Blogger

2009-05-26T15:21:00.002-04:00

Read this at the Church Crunch blog and found it interesting (good to follow on Twitter, etc.) Here it is, blatantly 'borrowed' and credited!

Here’s a list of assumptions that I’ve been thinking about for a while that I finally wrote down on paper this past week. I’m giving very little context for why my thoughts have been moving toward these ideas, but take it for what you will! I think these are pretty “safe bets” though:

It’s safe to assume that you will probably never make a full-time living off of being a Christian Blogger.
It’s safe to assume that you will be misunderstood theologically from pretty much every camp, including your own.
It’s safe to assume that you will never have the “numbers” like a secular blog does that may in fact cover the same scope and content.
It’s safe to assume that your family, friends, fellow staff members, congregation, and pretty much everyone has or is reading your blog.
It’s safe to assume that your pastor has read your blog (and has some thoughts about it).
It’s safe to assume that God doesn’t need you to be a blogger.
It’s safe to assume that you aren’t blogging about something that’s entirely original, both in coverage of content and theologically.
It’s safe to assume that you’re probably not doing good enough of a job attracting non-Christians to your obviously overly-Christian blog.
It’s safe to assume that if you’re blogging under a pseudonym that you will ultimately and inevitably be discovered.
It’s safe to assume that you’re going to have to work harder, smarter, and better to increase your readership than in other industries.
It’s safe to assume that much of your readership is probably technologically backwards, to varying degrees.
It’s safe to assume that you’ll eventually question whether it is “God’s Will” for you to be a blogger.
It’s safe to assume that you’re not as good of a blogger as you’d like to think that you are.
It’s safe to assume that pride is ultimately not a sustainable mechanism for success in Christian Blogging, so probably best to ditch it.
It’s safe to assume that your blog design looks light years behind the industry standard for taste, appeal, and quality, so you probably should spend more time (and money) on it.
It’s safe to assume that some people will actually be impressed with you and it’s your job to remind them that you’re just as human as they are.
It’s safe to assume that the world would be just as bad (or good) without your blog content. See #6 again.
It’s safe to assume that people will misinterpret your motivations for being a Christian Blogger.
It’s safe to assume that God intends to use the web and blogs to further His Gospel Message, be encouraged.
It’s safe to assume that God will get His Glory regardless of whether you’re a blogger or not; whether you blog about Him or not.

Better Ways to Spend Your Money

2009-05-20T10:19:00.010-04:00

I'm not a big Starbucks guy. I have no problem if others want to spend their hard-earned dollars on their products. We all have our ways to spend our money, so if my friends want to double-latte themselves, have at it. Truth is, I'm not a coffee drinker at all, and fortunately I have a wife who is very content with the 99 cent cup of coffee or cappucino from the local Speedway.

And I've really only been in Starbucks a few times. Most of those visits were made on a trip to the Philippines with a group of guys, and every time we saw on, we had to pull in. I think I had an over-priced muffin, but that's about it.

They do sell bottled water there, and the pitch that's used is that you and I can help with the worldwide clean water crisis, which is very real and something I hope we all pay attention to and respond. But the Starbucks approach with their Ethos brand water is troubling, misleading, and a huge waste of money.

Ethos, a brand of bottled water acquired by Starbucks in 2005, is sold at locations throughout North America. Ethos bottles feature prominent labeling stating "helping children get clean water", referring to the fact that $.05 from each $1.80USD bottle sold ($.10 per unit in Canada) is used to fund clean water projects in under-developed areas. Critics have argued that the claim on the label misleads consumers into thinking that Ethos is primarily a charitable organization, when it is actually a for-profit Starbucks brand and the vast majority of the sale price (over 94%) does not support clean-water projects. Although sales of Ethos water has raised over $4,000,000 for clean water efforts, the brand is not a charity and has added to Starbucks revenue. The founders of Ethos have stated that the brand is intended to raise awareness of third-world clean water issues and provide socially responsible consumers with an opportunity to support the cause by choosing Ethos over other brands.

Well, that's all fine and sounds good. My, those socially-conscious folks at Starbucks...let's give them a hand!

Not so fast. I've been told that the water actually costs a more than that (remember, I don't frequent SB, and I live in a town where...believe it or not...we don't have one), and some report that only $.02 of each bottle goes to fund water projects in these under-developed areas of the world. But let's stick with the $.05 per bottle. Guess how many bottles had to be sold to come up with $4 million bucks?

How about 80 million. OK, so maybe there were donations along the way, etc. to help them get the $4 million. So lets say they sold 40 million bottles - still seems like a lot, but 40 million bottles at $2 each is $80 million bucks....of which $4 million went to the cause they use to market the water.

What if each of those people took that $2 and instead of buying over-priced, trendy water which really pads Starbuck's bottom line more than it helps provide clean water worldwide....and gave it away instead? If 80 million of these bottles have been sold, what if instead...that money was just given to Blood:Water Mission, or any number of reputable groups who are really in it to serve people and not make a profit? $2 x 80 million....$160,000,000.

I think a lot could be accomplished in the worldwide clean water crisis for those kinds of dollars. Don't you?

Oh, and on a side note of great importance...Starbucks WASTES over 6 MILLION gallons of water EVERY DAY!

I know this controversy isn't new - others have pointed it out long before me, and much more convincingly. Doesn't seem to change much of what Starbucks is doing with Ethos. Funny, the definition of Ethos from Websters is 'the character, customs, and habits which distinguish a people or community from another.' Well, with Ethos, Starbucks doesn't appear to be distinguishing itself from anything. Just another way to make a buck and make us all feel like we're helping in some way.

The Narrow Way

2009-05-15T20:18:00.003-04:00

Came across this image called The Narrow Way. Thought it was particularly interesting. Artist is David Hayward, aka The Naked Pastor. You can see lots of his work - some funny, some edgy, some funny & edgy, etc. on his blog.

Stand By Me

2009-05-03T18:43:00.001-04:00

Terrific video, shot in various cities all over the world. Street musicians, all singing the same tune, put together for a documentary. Very cool....

What's going on in the world??

2009-04-30T13:55:00.003-04:00

Funny thing about Facebook: you connect with people you haven't seen in years, and you get the occassional out-of-the-blue question.

Happened to me this week. Friend from High School, whom I haven't seen or heard from since 1985, sent me this question (keep in mind I know nothing of his background or religious involvement, or lack thereof):

I hope you don't think this is a crazy question .... but, since you are a bible scholar, what is your take on what is going on in the world? I know we haven't talked in over twenty plus years, and if you do not feel comfortable answering this question, I understand

So I answered...and here it is.

Hey. Well, first off, wouldn't really consider myself a scholar at anything. Just so you know where I'm coming from...and not coming from, too!

I'm not a "these are signs of the end times" kind of guy. OK, so if the Cubs were to get to and win the World Series, I might start looking for the heavens to split open. I'm sure there are those out there who are talking gloom & doom, etc. Not just because of the crappy economy or the never ending flood of bad news that seems to be all we hear.

Though I don't go down that road much, as a Christian I do remind myself often that we have to always be prepared for whatever might come. I vividly remember watching the towers fall back in '01, and my heart sank for lots of reasons. Lots of the same questions that many of us had flooded my mind, but I couldn't help but think about the specific people in those buildings who just went to work that day like they had hundreds of days before, no inkling that it would be their last.

I heard a preacher from LA talk about that day, and how he got home late that night after dealing with so many people and so much emotion. His wife told him he needed to talk to his own children and help them too. So instead of just telling them that everything would be fine, not to worry, he told them this: "We have little control over how we die or how things will end. The only thing we have control over is how we live our lives." Well, that stuck with me a good bit. I suppose because there is so much truth in it. We only have control of how we live our lives, and no say in how or when it ends. So as a Christian, what does that mean for me? I just try to live in a way that I suspect Christ would (it's not that easy...if it were, more Christians would do it!).

The Bible does talk about worry, and in a nutshell it simply says 'don't do it...it's not good for you.' Funny, many think the Bible is just a bunch of rules and they want nothing to do with that sort of life system. But God lays those sorts of things out because he knows us pretty well (he created us, after all) and knows what's in our best interest. Example: divorce. Yes, it does happen, and the Bible has some things to say about it. God says that he hates it (pretty strong words). Now, is that a rule designed to screw up our lives? Or is it God saying He hates it because He knows how much hurt, anger, bitterness, etc. that can come from it, not to mention the carnage of our children that get stuck in the middle and have all sorts of baggage to deal with, etc....(Writing this having no idea if you've gone through that...no offense or preaching, just an illustration). I have lots of friends who have been through it, its always messy, and no one wins. I see why God hates it...

Anyway, there are certainly a lot of things going on in the world that I can't explain. But my absolute conviction is that we've created most of the mess, and with God's help we can fix some things. But my even bigger conviction is that God hasn't abandoned His throne...he's still on it. He's bigger than bailouts, Israeli & Palastenian skirmishes, presidents we may or may not like, tyrant dictators, recessions & mortgage crisis', and Oprah :) And he cares enough to hear me out when I talk to him, too. (I can't get anywhere near Oprah....)

Scripture does say that if God's people will humble themselves and pray, God will heal their land. My hope is that God's people will do their part...my conviction is that God can do his. Don't know if that makes any sense or answers the question, but it just sort of all came out.

Lemme know what you think.

Sour Grapes?

2009-04-21T09:21:00.003-04:00

ONE hot summer’s day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. “Just the things to quench my thirst,” quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: “I am sure they are sour.”

“IT IS EASY TO DESPISE WHAT YOU CANNOT GET.”

Came across this from Aesop's Fables, quoted in a book I'm currently reading called 'Made to Stick.' Immediately thought of some of the conversations/blogs/comments/friends that I've interacted with in the last couple of years, and how I think this applies to some of those thoughts.

I like to talk about the Church. What its doing well, where it appears to miss the mark, and how we can learn from those who are doing some things well....and learn from others who are missing the mark. So I listen, read, visit, and chat with lots of folks about the subject. And sometimes, I venture outside my pre-conditioned box w/in which I grew up and was trained and continue to serve to this day (a movement, btw, that I have no problem claiming...I'm a card-carrying member and proud of it).

Seems as though I have a good number of friends and acquaintances who take a "baby AND the bathwater" approach to certain limelight pastors and churches. Sure, they have laundry lists of reasons - some of them based on doctrine, preference, or just plain dislike.

Or could it be sour grapes?

I'll be the first to admit that I've wondered what life must be like as a leader at one of 'those' churches - Willow, Southeast, Northpoint, Saddleback, et al. Perhaps even crossing the line of envy on occassion. And usually I look forward to the chance to learn from what the leaders at these places have to say. Part curiosity, part learner. And no, I don't just buy everything they're selling and run off to implement it into my life/church/organization.

Maybe its just the type of crowd I run with, but there seems to be a lot of bashing going on. Almost that 'if its successful, they must be compromising something.'

But I keep coming back to the question: Is it simply sour grapes? Are we quick to point fingers at that which, apparently, we can't have? Is it possible that in our insecurity, we complain about not having a seat at the big-boy/big-church table? And does our insecurity lead to openly ripping other brothers and sisters in Christ who are doing, in many cases, amazing things in and for the Kingdom? And instead of starting an Anti Rick Warren/Bill Hybels/Andy Stanley blog and finding all the feet of clay we can find and hurling our attacks, shouldn't we instead be focusing on the lost around us and figure out ways we can bring them to the Throne? Kind of like those aforementioned guys are doing?

Look, most of us have no idea what it must be like to walk in the shoes these guys have been given. And just because their style doesn't jive with ours, and they may come across as smug, as a CEO, or a know-it-all....we're not walking in their shoes. Just how might that heavy load of leadership responsibility change any of us.

So, I for one and going to stop calling the grapes sour. I'm not going to throw stones at those whom God has chosen to do high-impact, national level ministry. Maybe I'll even pray for those guys from time to time. I'm sure its not as easy as some of them make it look. In the meantime, God has equipped little ol' me with some special skills and abilities. And he gives me the privilege of joining His team and using them for His glory.

"And that," quoth me, "will be my contentment."

Love the Sinner?

2009-04-20T17:03:00.002-04:00

Interesting article in USA Today (click here). Interesting on a couple of points...

1) Anything that gets God in the conversation is/can/should be a good thing.

2) There needs to be more people saying things like this in particular. If for no other reason than to balance out all of the 'hate' that seems to get most of the media microphones.

Your thoughts??

Feeling Old

2009-04-18T10:45:00.003-04:00

Along the way I've discovered that there are certain benchmarks in my life that have made me feel, well....old.

I remember the first: buying my first lawnmower. I don't know why, but that made me feel so 'adult'. Afterall, you just don't go buy a lawnmower when you are a kid, a college student, or a newlywed living in an apartment. So I felt old.

Though there have been others, the most recent is my oldest son being turned loose to - gasp - drive a car! And if that wasn't bad enough, it coincided with his new JOB! at our local culinary bastion of seafood, Long John Silvers (OK, so its part Long John's/part A&W). Nonetheless, he's driving and he's working.

And dad suddenly feels old.

The good news is, I couldn't be more proud of him. He's certainly not perfect. But he's turned out to be a very impressive young man. He's freakishly talented (all sorts of music), treats people with respect and kindness (siblings excluded...I hear that doesn't really kick in for a few more years), and seems to be paying attention to God and His will.

Oh, and last night I felt a little older still....he sends me a pic from his cell phone of him standing in Times Square, where he is with his kick-butt choir to perform in Lincoln Center. Here is an audio of the actual choir, one of the songs they're doing that they recorded a while back.

Possibilities

2009-03-05T16:42:00.003-05:00

Couldn't help myself - another Demotivator that I had to share.

The More Things Change

2009-03-04T16:02:00.002-05:00

Wow, so much has happened in the past coupld of months...here's the 5-cent summary:

Moved from Anderson IN, a place we loved & lived for over 16 years. Came back to our Alma Mater to assume a staff role and a change in direction from 19 years of local church ministry. Loaded a moving van on New Year's Eve and brought my family to a small Eastern KY town, leaving behind a great place that wasn't exactly what I would call 'cosmoplitan,' but hey, we had a Target - so that's something. Pulled my 3 kids out of their school, away from their friends, and their HS music program that I think probably stacks up to the best there is. Not to mention that its the only town/church/school my kids have ever known since we've been blessed to have such a long stay at one place. Did I mention the 3-bedroom apartment with not so great insulation and a heat pump system that should never have been installed north of Atlanta, GA? I could rant a bit about how it hasn't worked at all (really...completely shut down) the last two nights as it dipped down to single digits...but stuff happens, and we earned our Boy Scout Polar Bear Badges in return!)

Now before you read into this...all 5 of you that regularly read this (you know who you are), I am not complaining at all! Truthfully, not even a hint of regret...just a disclaimer regarding why its been such a drought on this here forum (OK, so I've already lived here too long...)

And now its March 4th, two months later. And from everything I'm sensing, the family is doing well. OK, so we're occasionally cold. And we've given up a convenience or two. Kids are plugging into school (when they have it....a lot was missed due to snow), and we're starting to hone in on youth groups, etc. Wife and I have both hit the ground running with our roles at the school, and we seem to be in the 'sweet spot' of where we should be.

So, as blogs go, I've been a little preoccupied. Truthfully, a friend introduced me to Facebook, which I used to make fun of. Now I'm somewhat addicted, and have found it to be a terrific way to both find old friends and stay in touch with the masses. It has taken more of my time than I ever imagined. The first night I was on, a friend and former youth group kid said keenly "Welcome to Facebook. It will eat your soul." Pretty insightful.

Perhaps its just getting older, or maybe its the role I play in my new job. But the notion of reconnecting with friends and acquaintances from the past is more attractive to me than ever before. Around 16 years or so of my adult life have been spent in youth minsitry at two different churches. I am amazed at the number of kids that I have had in and out of my life, so many that I've even forgotten some (perhaps that's not because of the sheer number, but my increasing age!) But our paths keep crossing, and its enlightening to hear about their journeys.

What on earth does this all mean? Couple of observations. First, this social networking thing is bigger than I imagined, and appears here to stay. How can the Church harness it in a productive way, and not start something lame like "GodBook" or something (I'm guessing its already happened...). Second, we need people. I've said that before, and used it as part of my philosophy for small group ministry. But we really do need people. Yes, FB and other mediums aren't face to face interation, but those are still people typing those words on the other side. And our interactions with one another can be meaningful, helpful, encouraging, supportive....or mean spirited, etc. Is the Church paying attention? Are we learning anything? Are we taking a page from this phenomenon and seeing that somehow, someway, people need to interact, talk, share, joke, debate, encourage & be encouraged, etc? Is that happening in the local church en masse, or are we stuck in some other time? Third, I know a lot of folks who tend to run from culture. I guess its the assumption that it's all evil or something. So they don't go to movies unless they're G, the don't listen to music unless its K-Love or The Fish or something that could only be a Christian station, and they avoid or very much limit any Internet usage to email. I'm all for knowing what our kids are into, and being responsible parents - that's not my point. Rather, shouldn't we be the ones out there "in the mix", being Salt & Light? I know that many are, and I applaud it. We're engaged in meaningful dialogue with all sorts of flavors of people, some who are hostile to Christianity - often because of how Christ has been misrepresented to them somewhere along the way. Regardless, seems like a golden opportunity to be a part of the transformation and perhaps redemption stories that some of these folks might tell to their grandkids one day.

After all, those are real live people out there typing those words.

Demotivators 2009 Calendar

2008-12-21T23:18:00.003-05:00

I always enjoy the humor from the folks at Demotivators (actually, Despair). They produce a yearly calendar that you can customize yourself with all sorts of dates, and you can have your pick of which Demotivator to use for each month. Goofy website called Think Geek has their own Demotivators calendar, and I thought their list for the calendar was worth sharing (each phrase is accompanied by a corresponding pic that makes it even funnier):

January - Government. If you think the problems we create are bad, just wait until you see our solutions.
February- Propaganda. What lies behind us and lies before us are small matters compared to what lies right to our faces.
March - Blogging. Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few.
April - Customer Disservice. Because we're not satisfied until you're not satisfied.
May - Tradition. Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid.
June - Procrastination. Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness always pays off now.
July - Opportunity. I am Dr. Adewole Aremu- a director with the Union Bank of Nigeria in Lagos - and I wish to speak to you most urgently about a matter regarding the sum of $39,000,000 US Dollars...
August - Hope. May not be warranted at this point.
September - Sanity. Minds are like parachutes. Just because you've lost yours doesn't mean you can borrow mine.
October - Give up. At some point, hanging in there just makes you look like an even bigger loser.
November - Meetings. None of us is as dumb as all of us.
December - Corruption. I want either less corruption or more opportunity to participate in it.

Humbled & Speechless

2008-12-16T22:49:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday night, my wife and I were treated to an incredible evening of reflection, stories, laughter, and tears as our congregation we've served for 16 years had a good-bye reception. Let me first say that I enjoy a good pat on the back as much as anyone. But over-doing the thank-yous and kudos is borderline uncomfortable for me. Sure its nice and I don't want to diminish it, but I've never been a "much ado about me" kind of person. I know people who are....and I don't particularly care for that sort of mentality. So I resist it.

But this is a little different. I can't tell you how great it feels to know you're respected and valued, and that your efforts over some span of time made some sort of difference. I supposed that's a big part of why I got into this 'business' from the get-go.

To say that they pulled out all the stops would be an understatement. Many of the funny things that were done were full of insider jokes that wouldn't make sense here without a lot of explanation. But they put together a program that they hoped would last 45 minutes, and it finished around 1 hour and 45 minutes, with a dessert reception to follow. It was and is all very humbling, and I can't tell you how blessed my family has been to have been a part of such a wonderful community of believers. If you read this and you were involved in some way - wrote one of the letters we received, helped plan the evening, were part of a video or testimony, helped with the very cool scrapbook that was assembled, or were one of the many in the crowd who just showed up - I can't thank you enough. I only hope I can mirror your heartfelt thanks and appreciation for all you've done for me as Vicki and I have "grown up" in your presence.

I Wish I Had Known Nick Nischan

2008-12-02T21:00:00.005-05:00

From the title, I assume you know from the outset that I never actually met Nick Nischan. His family arrived at my alma mater just after I graduated, and I only casually met his dad on random visits back to the university. But where the title of my thoughts tonight might mislead a bit is that I feel like I know Nick Nischan, especially after the events of the past few days.

Nick's funeral celebration was this afternoon in a crowded church of family and friends. His battle with brain cancer for the past 6 years of his life has been well documented in this little corner of the the world, though his influence has gone far beyond Eastern Kentucky.

For the past several years before I arrived back at my alma mater to assume employment, I had heard about this kid named Nick. What set him apart was not that he was dealing with a sickness that was robbing him of being, in a physical sense anyway, what any 13-year-old boy wanted to be. But words that I had always heard were "courageous," "inspirational," "brave."

After the events of the past few days, I can only assume that was all true. As I sat through the funeral - which was actually more of a celebration service - I heard those descriptive words used over & over again by the several who spoke at the service. I can't imagine the funeral service for one of my own children. But to actually get up and speak.....remarkable. And yet, both Dad & Mom took their turn. I wish I could script out for you their words....it was beautiful, well-said, and very touching. I'm beginning to sense that this remarkable little boy was one of those "apples that didn't fall far from the tree" as they say. Nick's mom, Tammy, is a prolific blogger, and has been documenting this 6-year journey at http://www.tammynischan.blogspot.com/and it wouldn't surprise me if she posts the manuscripts of both her talk and Tim's. If you get a chance to read some of her posts, it won't be a waste of your time.

The service itself was as unique as the life it commemorated. The four-piece band did an instrumental version of Audio Adrenaline's 'Big House' as a prelude. I didn't put two and two together at first. But if you know the song, the lyrics refer to the "big, big house, with lots & lots of room...with a big, big yard, where we can play football." Nick was a huge football fan, and reference was made later in the service to Nick playing football in that big, big yard at his father's house. I don't know if the Audio A guys ever dreamed that song, or any of theirs, would be used at a funeral. But it was perfect. In fact, it was used as an invitation song at the end. Again, this won't show up in any handbook on how to perform a funeral (neither would the video tribute to Nick sent from Chuck Norris!). But Nick's life was celebrated tonight much like it was lived. Full of life. Taking advantage of every opportunity and every moment. Pointing to Jesus all along the way.

Click the picture of Nick for a very good article written by our college president about Nick and his family's journey.

I never knew Nick Nischan. But in a whole lot of ways, I feel like I know him now. I just wonder if any of us will leave a legacy after we're gone like this 13-year-old inspirational young man.

Marshall Family Christmas Card

2008-11-30T14:48:00.000-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Got Leftovers?

2008-11-29T22:53:00.001-05:00

Here's a suggestion for what to do with any leftover Thanksgiving grub....

Larry's Top 10 Favorite Christmas CD's Top 5

2008-11-26T00:03:00.009-05:00

I gave my best take on numbers 6 through 10 yesterday, and now for the top 5 (thanks for the suggestions and or nods from several of you thorough email, facebook, etc. ) BTW, if you blog at all, you know that comments are like a drug...you can never get enough. So please feel free to leave your thoughts. And now for the Top 5 Christmas CD's in Larry's Collection as determined solely by him:

#5 - A Very Sentimental Warm & Cozy Family Christmas

OK, stop everything – go right now to your local Family Christian Store, or for some of you, find someone who knows what that is first, then go find one. Go to the bargain bin or the rack of one million Christmas CD’s and get this for cheap. You will be pleasantly surprised! It’s been out for a few years, but I still see it in the mix, exclusive only to Family Christian Stores. Most of the artists are Christian artists. But these versions of the songs (and lets face it, most Christmas CD’s are just cover tunes, right?) are very fresh, and the whole CD has sort of a jazz vibe. I like it a bunch. I made a playlist a couple of years back of background music for the onslaught of Christmas parties we tend to be involved in, and I kept grabbing songs off this disk. Very creative version of 'God Rest Ye' by Salvador. Good tunes, certainly not run-of-the-mill stuff. Trust me, this CD is a diamond in the rough you will be glad to have.

#4 - Amy Grant

She probably had one of the earliest Christmas recordings I owned. Since then she had a newer release entitled Home for Christmas (with 'Grown-Up Christmas List' AND 'Breath of Heaven,' two huge songs), and I think now has an even newer CD. Heck, she'll probably go Keith Green on us and keep releasing Christmas CD's long after she's dead (very obscure joke there....let me know if you get that.) Nevertheless, I couldn’t leave that Tennessee Christmas cassette tape and the 2nd offering she had off the list. (OK, so she surrounds herself with great writers….shouldn’t we all?) Both were good. So much Christmas music is just cover tunes with a tweak. Amy Grant, to her credit, always had a new, fresh song that crept off the disk and stood out. She has this smooth, comforting voice that is perfect for the Christmas genre. Her songs have played in the background for many Christmas gatherings in our house, and our celebrations wouldn't be the same w/out her music.

#3 - Mannheim Steamroller

I was first introduced to these folks back in the 80’s while in college. One summer, a couple of guys sort of “house sat” a home for one of our professors. He had an amazing stereo, and an even more amazing collection of Steamroller albums. Our only condition of living in his house for the summer was to keep our hands off the stereo. OK, so that didn’t work. And the chances are good that Louie might read this, so I’m busted! However, that was my first exposure to Mannheim Steamroller. Very interesting, unique, and experimental music. Steamroller has been around a while. Most people probably think they only do Christmas stuff, but they have a huge catalog of music (actually, get on their mailing list...their actual print catalog is quite unique, and you can even get like an $89 wooden steamroller for those of you w/money to burn....just don't burn the wooden steamroller). Their Christmas music is sonically in a league of its own. Those Trans-Siberian folks are popular right now, but outside of the Mad Russian Christmas song, I don’t care too much for them. Mannheim steamrolls the competition (sorry, a Dave Macanally moment for my Indy friends who watch the news…), and their first two CD’s are must-own discs for any music fan. But stick with the first two, maybe the third one too. Happened upon a new release from last year, I think….can you say “jumped the shark?” After begging with the Wal-Mart clerk, she actually let me return it! But their early Christmas stuff "is gold, Jerry. It's gold."

#2 - An Evening In December, Vol. I & II

OK, so I expect very few to actually own this, and even less to agree that it belongs as high as number 2. I'll preface this by saying that I am a marginal vocalist. You won't find me singing much in public, though I can blend in with a group, a choir, etc. Something about this collection of songs makes me wish I could sing! I remember in college, our school did what was in those days called Madrigals, now the Feast of Christmas. It was the first time I had heard such professional acapella music with such blends & harmonies, and I was a wannabe, never a part of it. (OK, so I did wear tights and a 16th century little skimpy outfit and play one of those 4-foot trumpets, but that was the closest I got to being a part of it!) Not sure when I came across these recordings, but it was somewhere in that time period in college. I have cassette tapes still, though you can get downloads from Amazon (I used my pepsi points to get the entire first release on mp3). The harmonies, the arrangements, and the guest vocals from the likes of Russ Taff, Wayne Watson and others make these songs special. Main artists on both releases are First Call, who started out as a studio background group, then started to do their own thing (think a slightly less jazzy Manhattan Transfer). I believe these both go back to the early 80's, but to me they're pretty timeless arrangements that real musicians and music lovers can't help but enjoy and appreciate.

And the #1 Selection in Larry's Top 10 Christmas CD's:

#1 - A Charlie Brown Christmas – Vince Guaraldi Trio

Is there any more comforting sound than this jazz instrumental CD? I don’t even really know what to say about it. It’s just the ultimate in cool and great musicianship. Such great expressiveness. I’m a marginal musician at best, but music like this makes me wish I could sit down and play something – anything – just to play along with these guys. Of course, they make it sound so easy. I now have 3 kids, all of whom enjoy good music and are perhaps aspring musicians themselves. On more than one occassion, I've had to retrieve my copy of this CD from their clutches. So this isn't just good stuff for kids of the 80's. Good music is good music, and I'm thrilled that my kids actually like something that I like! If you don’t have much in the way of Christmas music, and you only had $10 or so to spend in your holiday budget for something (I can’t believe I’m going to say it…here it comes…) as meanial as music, get this CD. And get ready to groove. It helps if you're somewhere that you can play it loud, too.

Larry's Top 10 Favorite Christmas CD's 'Bottom 5'

2008-11-25T14:36:00.011-05:00

I happen to be a fairly avid collector of Christmas music. It’s actually quite sad and borderline wrong, sort of in an ugly, rich American kind of way. But its one of my many vices, and a guilty pleasure. Truth is, I’ve always had my ways to get CD’s at affordable prices, often free (and always legal!), and usually pick a couple up the week following Christmas at 75% off. So there.

My usual golden rule is to not allow any Christmas music to be played in my hearing until Thanksgiving is officially over. This year, in the spirit of John Kerry, I’ve flip-flopped a bit on that stance, and have busted out the Christmas tunes. Plus, driving from KY to IN every weekend gives me some time to do a lot of listening. I decided it was high time to put together my Top 10 list of favorite Christmas CD’s. I've always wanted to, just never had the time. Not that I have the time now, but after a few days of reviewing, refreshing my memory, and sorting through the cheese, I think I have arrived at concensus. Feel free to disagree, submit your own, etc. When possible, I’ll give a link so you can snag these great yuletide tunes for you own collection. Before I get started, a couple of disclaimers:

FIRST, A large number of these are Christian artists. Nothing wrong with that, but remember...I get them cheap and/or free, and I get what I can. If I could get my hands on a bargain-bin version of Hanson's "Snowed In", I would add it to the collection. OK, bad example. Would rather have my wisdom teeth re-installed and re-removed than own anything Hanson. So keep that in mind.

SECOND, Though some of these are classics, I didn't go the Bing Crosby route, or anyone from that particular era. It's not that I don't like any of that - I'm as big a fan of Holiday Inn and White Christmas et al as the next person (notice I didn't say "the next guy"), I just don't listen to it too much. Gene Autry singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was great when I was 6, but I've moved on. You're allowed to like it, and I'm allowed to listen to stuff that's good. So here goes……

THIRD, Some of these are actually more than one CD. Took some editorial liberties, but I will try to mention which of the 'set' is my actual fave. So buckle your mistletoe....here we go.

#10 - Handel’s Messiah – A Soulful Celebration

It’s no secret that I’m white. Very white. OK, so I don’t clap on 1 and 3, but I’m pretty white. I think that’s why I’ve always liked this CD. It’s kind of the ‘anti-me.’ The title might give it away a bit. Of course, its a take on Handel's Messiah that's flat-out soulful. I believe its produced by Quincy Jones, and features artists like Stevie Wonder, Take 6, Al Jarreau, and others. And a couple of black choirs that just throw down. Assuming 'throwing down' is a good thing. Anyway, if you're familiar with Handel's Messiah, you should really enjoy these renditions. If you're not familiar with The Messiah, you should be! Every Valley is a favorite. I particularly enjoy the instrumental & experiemental opening track entitled "A Partial History of Black Music." But one of my all-time favorite tunes is the culmination of the disc, which I think would make Handel smile. When the rip into "The Hallelujah Chorus," I just have to crank it up. That song needs to be very loud when its played. the only thing possibly better than listening to this over & over would be to hear it live. It's terrific. You can get it on Amazon.

#9 - Blues For The Child

Not sure how many people actually own this - its fairly obscure. I discovered it several years after its release and had to grab it on eBay. Some of this is conjecture on my part, but I believe the guy behind this project was a blues musician named Lanny Cordola. It was released in the early 90’s and slid under my radar. Happened to hear Chris Lizotte do a song one year at an event and asked him if it was recorded, and he told me it was on this project (actually, not sure the song I asked him about was actually on this, but he has 2 other cuts). If you know Chris and his music, the phrase “and the mountains in reply echo back their glorious strain” in his "Angels We Have Heard On High" track are vintage Lizotte. Very cool bluesy/jazzy version of Silent Night with some unknown female vocalist, and an instrumental guitar/dobro/mandolin rendition of "What Child Is This" that stays on my current Christmas tune playlist. Also a technically beautiful guitar version of "The Christmas Song." If you can find this CD, its good and worth the hunt.

#8 - Happy Christmas Volumes 1-4

This is actually 4 cd's. Sue me. The folks at Tooth ‘n Nail records, home to a host of eclectic bands, released these over a number of successive years. There are lots of highlights throughout the collection (not sure if they put out more of 4 of these), but they’re quite fun. My favorite from the collection is Happy Christmas Vol. 2. Includes Sixpence None The Richer doing "The Grinch" (that song had to have been written with Leigh Nash in mind), and another band that I know nothing about named Viva Voce doing their ‘airy techno’ version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." When they kick in at the turn, it always makes me smile. (Sort of like that chick from Flyleaf in that first song they had that was popular called "I'm So Sick" where she screams. Makes me smile and hit replay). Several great cuts on each of these volumes from Relient K, Switchfoot, Supertones, and a host of bands that you may or may not know. Fairly fresh & fun. The Sarah Masen song, "Heaven's Got A Baby" on Vol. 3 is another personal favorite.

#7 - Merry Christmas from Doc Severinson and The Tonight Show Orchestra

Another absolute gem from the early 90’s. First, for many of you, Doc Severinson was (is?) a fabulous trumpet player, and a big band leader. Before Leno and his “copy the funny stuff from Letterman’s show” routine, Doc led the band for the show, and occasionally they toured and recorded (never got to see them in person, but would have loved that chance). I’m an old-school ‘band’ guy, and have enjoyed that a good bit with my kids and their musical pursuits. So I do love a good big band sound. This Christmas CD is full of wonderful big-band arrangements that just fill the room. Great orchestration and plenty of jazz influence. Plenty here to appreciate for both musician and listener both. Not a bad song on the disc, and its easy to find on ebay, Amazon, et al.

#6 - The Blind Boys of Alabama – ‘Go Tell It On The Mountain’

I like this because its just different than the same-old. There’s just something cool about the music these guys produce (their release with Ben Harper is another fave of mine). Granted, this is the kind of thing you either really like or really don’t care for at all. Joining them are a host of guest vocalists like Harry Connick Jr., Tom Waits, Chrissie Hynde, Aaron Neville, Mavis Staples, George Clinton and others. Favorite tracks include the title cut, and ‘Last Month of the Year.’ Another one of those CD's that sounds better as loud as you can get it. A real Christmas gem, though one that's a little polarizing at my house (I think I'm the only one who likes & appreciates it)

So there it is for now....numbers 10 through 6. Will post my top 5 tomorrow. But I can't end this post without this next piece of Christmas cheer.....

The CD that I can’t believe I actually own:

Yo! Ho Ho – Various Christian Rap Artists

I wish I was kidding. But I’m not. Apparently in 1990, this was necessary. Wait, I was there….and this was never necessary! But it happened, and somehow I have it in my collection. Before I get into the absurdity of it all, here is some of the brilliant copy from the back of the jewel case:
“So here’s the deal. It’s Christmas and Rap is happenin’. YO! HO HO! is in your face. You have always wondered what Christmas would be with a hip M.C. Well, here it is…YO! HO HO! Features your favorite Christian rappers comin’ correct for Christmas. Chill out – rap it up!”

I can’t imagine that anyone connected to his product is actually proud to be forever embedded on this disk. From the title track by DC Talk, to "Drummer Boy" by E.T.W., to the unforgettable "Mary Had A Little Lamb" by M.C. Ge Gee (I wonder if that name fits on his Shoney’s nametag…EDIT....OK, apparently M.C. Ge Gee is actually a girl...), this is truly a collectors item. I almost put it on ebay, but then realized that it was too valuable to let out of my sight!

Here’s some lyrical content from "Drummer Boy" by E.T.W. (I believe that stood for End Time Warriors, if you’re taking notes at home:
“A little drummer boy back in the day,

came to the stable where Jesus lay

He saw a big star a shinin’, three wise men in line

Bearing fresh gifts, and busting fresh rhymes”

I wish I was making that up, because its amazingly funny now. I guess in 1990, it was a fresh as a Bel Air prince.

Really, I don’t know if you could ever find a copy of this….but its worth a laugh. Or better yet, take the $ you would spend on this glorified coaster and send it to World Vision or the charity of your choice. The artists on this project will be eternally grateful that you didn't listen to this embarrassing piece of anecdotal trivia that's part of an unending stream of garbage put out by Christians in the name of entertainment back in the day. It got better....but mostly because it couldn't get much worse! There is one of these currently on ebay...better bust a move and get over there. And while you're at it, throw your hands in the air like you just don't care.

UPDATE: I've been following a CD of YO! HO HO! on Ebay, and it just ended at $23.50. That's pretty good cash for a CD. Really good for a really lousy CD. May have to put my copy out there for the masses...

My Final Newsletter Article

2008-11-20T08:18:00.002-05:00

Just submitted my final article for our church newsletter. I've officially been gone since Oct. 1st, but still there every Sunday till we move after Christmas. So here's my last go at saying farewell...

It seems like it all started just yesterday. Fresh off of a 3-year ministry in Ohio and just starting a family, you invited us to come and ‘grow up’ in your midst. I can honestly say that those first few months of getting settled in Anderson back in 1992 seemed like we were planting roots. So much seemed right about the spot where Vicki and I had landed, even though leaving such good friends in our previous ministry was hard. The heritage of youth ministry that we were inheriting was at times intimidating, but the high bar of expectation was also refreshing. It turned out to be exactly what was needed for us, and those years are full of memories that will never fade. To this day, nothing beats being a small part in the transformation of the life of a kid. Those who linked arms with us throughout those years and did so with such longevity and energy know exactly what I’m talking about. Nothing beats it.

I can’t say enough about the people at Bethany. Such a diverse group that really only God could orchestrate. Some of you have been there your entire lives, while some have just shown up along the way. But so many are attracted to something about this place. It’s no secret that we’re not perfect. In fact, that’s one of the things I appreciate so much about Bethany. Not that we’re flawed, but that we’re willing to admit it! Only when we own up to the fact that we’re not clicking on all cylinders will we ever find solutions. Yet in spite of our imperfection, there’s some sort of cosmic magnetism (I just made that up…not bad…) that pulls us together in a way that’s unique and at times awe-inspiring. I’ve often had a press-box view of how God has worked through so many of you to do tremendous kingdom-building things. I was privileged to sit back, take notes, and learn from you. For that I will be forever grateful.

Personally, the way you took such good care of our family is a reflection of your heart. You’ve fixed our cars, sharpened our mower blades, changed our diapers, baby sat, played with and taught our kids, left anonymous gifts, raked our leaves, and so many other things – both small and large – that have shown us what it means to live as a family of believers who take care of each other. Not to mention that some of you let us dress you up in the most ridiculous outfits and perform in ways that would be humiliating to the average person. Good thing you folks aren’t average!

Bethany will always have a spot in our hearts. Vicki and I have spent 16 of our almost 20 years of marriage with you. Our kids became followers of Jesus in your midst, and I had the thrill of baptizing each of them at Bethany. You gave us a long leash to do, try, experiment, and sometimes pull the plug on some programs or traditions that just weren’t working like they may have at one time. That’s never easy, but often its necessary. And so, so many of you have been such valiant servants through the myriad of changes that have happened in the past 16 years. I’ll never forget your example, and your willingness to do whatever is necessary – even when it’s not exactly your cup of tea – to see the Church move forward and continue to reach people and lift up Jesus.

In 16 years, I’ve submitted something like 194 Bugle articles, give or take. Truth is, not a one of them has been by the deadline. Apparently, that’s not one of my gifts. This one is no exception…it’s one minute past midnight, just after the day it was due. The Bugle folks would expect no less! But this one wasn’t as much about procrastination or forgetfulness. It’s the hardest one to do, because it’s the last one. But please know that this new season of ministry for our family is exciting and unique, and we’re only adequate for the task because of the last 16 years of both you and God molding and shaping us. We commit to staying on the potter’s wheel. And we trust that you will too.

Rob Harris Is My Friend

2008-11-13T21:30:00.003-05:00

Rob is one of my friends from college. For the past bunch of years, he's been the worship minister at a church just outside Nash-vegas, Franklin TN to be specific. Rob is a great talent, and leads a mean worship service. We've used a number of the worship tunes he's penned at our church in Anderson (and I think we even reported them to CCLI...). Lately, Rob has spent a good bit of time writing. I'll preface this by saying I'm not a country music fan. In fact, I make fun of it often....and can't we all agree that there's plenty there to make fun of?? (Sadly, as I travel around the area of my new residence....lets just say the seek button on the radio seems to only find country stations).

Anyway, I do enjoy Rob's songs. Many of them make me feel like I should be at Texas Roadhouse eating peanuts and waiting on my onion blossom. You can check out a bunch of his songs here at this site, or at his myspace music page here. A few that are my faves: "Three Months & A Winnebago," "Too Far Gone," and his rendition of (with Joey Martin on vocals....reminds me a bit of Julie Miller) Freebird. (these songs are Rob's originals that he wrote, but with studio vocals....at least I think that's accurate). Check him out, and listen for one of his songs to eventually hit the radio...and if it does, tell me. I probably won't be listening - but the CD that contains a Rob Harris penned tune will be the first...and perhaps only....country CD I purchase!

Tough Economic Times / McCain on Leno

2008-11-12T14:18:00.004-05:00

Times are tough all over, not just here in the US. Yesterday, the Chinese government laid off the entire second grade!

(OK, so I borrowed that from Leno last night...)

Speaking of Leno, did anyone else watch John McCain on there? He was great. Even if you didn't vote for him, he's hard not to like. Very engaging, funny, and no one...I mean no one... loves this country more than him. The story he told at the end about the cell mate and the homemade American flag was beautiful & touching. If you can find the interview on YouTube or at NBC.com, its worth your time.

Lars And The Real Girl

2008-11-11T21:36:00.004-05:00

I took a chance on this film, having overheard a conversation somewhere (not sure where exactly) and having a boring evening alone. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatment! What a great film. I can't really divulge the premise...many of you would write this off if I gave you a summary. But a very good film that is quirky to be sure, but full of great stuff. To see how this community of people loves & accepts this guy who obviously is working through an issue is not only touching, but very much refelective of the heart of Christ. Do yourself a favor...rent it, watch it, and see what I mean!

UPDATE: Watched it again this weekend with my wife (kept telling her she would love it...and I was right!), and was able to purchase a cheap previously-viewed copy!

Finding Middle Ground

2008-11-10T21:12:00.004-05:00

OK, so I've discovered Facebook. Really quite fun - have connected with friends from HS, College, and kids from youth group days gone by. Sat with Facebook on the laptop while I watched the election returns, and was somewhat amazed by what I was seeing happen. Not the outcome of the election itself - I had a strong sense that it would go the way it did. But the reaction of my Facebook friends. It seems my friends fall into 2 categories:

"The Sky is falling! Rip our garments, put ashes on our head, get on our knees and cry out to Jehovah God to not let this guy become president!!!"
"This is perhaps the most unbelievable, history-making night of my life."

I sat watching the comments people were making...and all I could think was "really?" I had my share of problems with both perspectives. First, I just don't think .... at least in my lifetime .... that the Oval Office has made that much impact on our world and particularly on my life (well, the current guy had a little to do with us being in a war that is built upon some shaky rationale, and how can we not blame the gas price 'surge' on him?), and I just don't think Obama can be all that bad. Though there are some moral issues I disagree with on his position (and Johnny Mac's, too), there are some aspects of his platform that are interesting, and we'll see what happens.

However, some were reacting as if the Messiah himself had descended from on high. Not sure I get that, either. He has no experience and is unproven. But, he sounds & looks good. Is that a reason to vote for him? And the average age of those making the "this is the most amazing night of my entire life" comments? About 25. Not that a 25-year-old has nothing to say or no opinion...but there's going to be a lot of amazing moments in your life to come. An unproven entity with a lot to prove becoming president? History, yes. Improbable, certainly. But until the guy actually does something, let's hold off on Messiah (well, let's not go there...regardless)

Three observations I have about the whole deal....just my thoughts for what they're worth....

God is still on the throne. Here in beautiful KY, the sun was really bright the next morning.
Chuck Colson said some time ago that "Jesus isn't coming back on Air Force One." He of course was criticizing the billions of dollars the Religious Right was spending to get the 'right' people in office. We, the people of God, have substituted our mandate to be salt & light and to permeate the culture by living the Kingdom....with the notion that morality in our country should be legislated by elected officials. I believe we need Christians in politics...and dentistry...and law....and running libraries....etc. God's people, when they have risen up throughout history, have made mountains move. With or without elected or appointed officials.
And lastly, I need to spend some time hanging with friends of different perspectives. Not to sway them or be swayed, but to understand better where folks who think like them are coming from. Most of my friends, on Facebook anyway, are on the far right. A few who weren't afraid to wave their Obama support. And in defense of those folks, they happen to be very intelligent, thoughtful Christians who are doing some great things for the kingdom (I know...for some on the Right, that's hard to understand).

All that to say that I think we can use a deep breath, thank God that He hasn't abandoned us, pray for those in charge, and get busy being His followers.

The Great Shark Catch of 2008

2008-06-09T16:22:00.004-04:00

Took a couple of my kids to see the new Indy Jones movie the night before we left the beach (my second viewing). Trevor and Vicki stayed behind, and while walking along the beach before nightfall, came across 4-5 small sharks, laying dead on the beach. Not sure if they washed up in the tide, were left by a fisherman who caught them (hey, I hope they catch 'em all....those little guys grow up to be big guys!), or what. Neverthless, we now have a story to tell...an actual fish tale...

It's So On....

2008-06-09T16:10:00.004-04:00

We returned home from vacation to a house surrounded by branches from the storms for the week, high grass from all the rain, and this lovely scene. Seems a wacko squirrel is having its way on the patio furniture cushions in both my yard and our neighbor's porch.

Upon further examination, it appears he's going up into a grove of trees that are between my house and my neighbors; there is a trail of cotton all up through the trees. Let the games begin. Little squirrel, you will not have the last word.....

Not happy, to say the least. Looks like we'll be having some fried squirrel very soon.....

What Is the What

2008-06-03T16:06:00.003-04:00

Took a chance on a book I saw at Borders that looked interesting, though not sure how much of a "beach read" it might prove to be. It's called What Is the What by Dave Eggers. "Separated from his family, Valentino Achak Deng becomes a refugee in war-ravaged southern Sudan. His travels bring him in contact with enemy soldiers, with liberation rebels, with hyenas and lions, with disease and starvation, and with deadly murahaleen (militias on horseback)—the same sort who currently terrorize Darfur. Based closely on actual experiences, What Is the What is heartrending and astonishing, filled with adventure, suspense, tragedy and, finally, triumph."

This has turned out to be a fascinating story, one in which I knew little about. Very eye-opening and educational, and highly recommended. Amazing read.

Ahh, The Ocean

2008-06-01T12:54:00.006-04:00

I love the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Specifically the little area called Emerald Isle. A few pics of our vacation destination. Love having that big, God-created ocean right outside the door!

Worth The Wait

2008-05-27T10:18:00.004-04:00

For some reason, the wife and I have taken in a more-than-usual amount of movies in the past couple of weeks. We don't go to the "big screen" all that often, but a few movies or series seem to warrant a trip to the theater. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and the Narnia (all in the series of each) are such great stories, and wonderful escapism. Add to that the Indiana Jones series. At the age my kids are, we can enjoy most of these together. We don't exactly enjoy paying the high price for a family of 5 to go. Regardless, closed my eyes at the ticket window and saw the newest (and probably last) movie this weekend, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of fun, lots of action, vintage Indy.

The Story of Stuff

2008-05-27T10:12:00.003-04:00

You need some time, like 20 minutes. But this is a fascinating little video called The Story of Stuff. Very interesting, and something we all should see & understand. Check it out at http://www.storyofstuff.com/ (Thanks to Troy for passing this along!)

Obama's Uphill Battle

2008-05-24T11:03:00.003-04:00

First off, I'm not promoting any one candidate over another. There are things I like about a couple of them, and really liked one of the guys who bowed out a few months back. But I do believe in a fair fight, and from the looks of signs like this one that pop up at many campaign rallys, it seems we still have a long way to go in our country.

In my home state of Kentucky, I was not surprised in the least that Clinton crushed Obama in the recent primary. Outside of a few larger areas (Lexington, Louisville), its easy to live a "diversity-free" existence. I spent the first 21-ish years of my life in one of 2 towns in KY, and the only person(s) of color I knew during that time were exchange students from Zimbabwe during college.

I've heard lots of stories from the past. One such story happened in 1919, when all of the blacks in my home town were gathered up, placed on a train, and shipped out of town. Somewhere out there is a documentary about this event. But many years later in the mid-80's, the effects of that event were still evident. There were no blacks in or around our town. None. I know, there are lots of possible reasons for that. It wasn't exactly an area that lots of people were looking to move into in the first place. In fact, a lot of us were hoping to spread our wings and fly somewhere else (and many of my friends did). But I think there was a general vibe that those of color were not welcome. I never heard it said, or saw it in action. But I did hear comments. Stories that made me scratch my head and wonder what's wrong with people.

So I'm not surprised Obama had a poor showing in Kentucky. I don't think my experience is different from most of the state. I just thought we were closer to moving past that. Voting (or not voting) for someone because of their politics is one thing. Because of their skin color (or gender, for that matter) is quite another.

A New Book, A New Artist

2008-05-22T16:18:00.004-04:00

Been reading a pretty interesting book. It's entitled "11 Indispensable Relationships You Gotta Have" by Leonard Sweet. Sor far, really enjoying it. The idea behind the book is that our Christian journey is as important as our destination. So influential 'partners' as we travel along are important to our success at this Christian life thing. It's sort of an iron-sharpens-iron approach, and good to ask as I read: do I have a person that does this in my life, and am I able to in turn do this in the life of another? Very good thusfar; had the occassion to hears Sweet in person last fall, and he rolled out 6 of the 11. Glad to have stumbled across this book.

Speaking of stumbling across stuff, happened to find a new artist who showed up on the most popular purchase list at http://www.independentbands.com/ (his CD is out of stock there at the moment), but followed a link to his MySpace music page, and really like his stuff. His name is Jeff Johnson. Actually contacted him, to see if he might come through Indiana anytime. I believe he's from Texas or somewhere out west. Anyway, give him a listen. He does a cover of 'Inside Out' from Hillsong United that's very cool. (Saw somewhere on some site that he was actually on American Idol, perhaps even the first season. Didn't know that or remember him, but I do like the sound of what he's doing currently...)

Tragic Day

2008-05-22T15:04:00.002-04:00

I've long been a fan of Steven Curtis Chapman, and highly admire & respect not only his tremendous songwriting, but his humble spirit and personality. Just an amazing talent. His recent push regarding international adoption is very cool, having adopted on more than one occassion himself.

Which makes the news of the last two days that much more hard to swallow. His teenage son tragically struck & killed their 5-year-old daughter from China in the driveway of their home. I can't imagine. I think these sorts of things hit you much harder when you're a father, too. My heart goes out to the Chapman family. His music has ministered to so many over the years, including me. I hope the prayers & thoughts of the masses are felt & evident in this terrible time. You can read more about the story from this Nashville area newspaper.

When You Call To Get Your Computer Fixed...

2008-05-19T11:32:00.006-04:00

Called customer support lately? Tried to get service to fix your computer, or anything else? Chances are you're getting someone in India. Here are a couple of actual pics from India, which should make you feel confident about the level of tech support you're getting.....

Everything That's Wrong With Politics

2008-05-19T11:26:00.000-04:00

"Each of the Coburn Seven counts himself pro-life. If a bill came to the Senate floor that would save millions of unborn children, one assumes that pro-life members would push to improve it, accept a few necessary compromises and then enthusiastically support the legislation. It is difficult to imagine why pro-life legislation involving millions of Africans should be viewed differently. "

- Author, columnist, and former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson, criticizing Senators Tom Coburn, Jim DeMint, Jeff Sessions, Saxby Chambliss, David Vitter, Jim Bunning, Richard Burr--Republicans who have signed a hold letter preventing action on the reauthorization of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). (Source: The Washington Post )

A Tale of Two Movies

2008-05-17T21:05:00.003-04:00

Last night, I wanted to see what all the fuss was concerning The Golden Compass. So we blew a buck on it from the neighborhood McD's RedBox, our new rental friend, and gave it a whirl.

Really? People were worried about this movie? First of all, it just wasn't that good. I'm not just saying that to solidify my moral compass (pun intended), but I thought the movie just was kinda bland. The ending of the film couldn't have been more "here comes the sequel", much more than many where we all knew sequels were imimnent.

I remember the countless email forwards warning that this film was going to send our children's faith foundation into a tailspin dive that would surely land them in the clutches of Satan himself. Well, sorry. It just isn't good enough to do that. If you didn't know that the author Pullman was an athiest and was taking intentional shots at the Catholic church, well, you wouldn't know that from the movie. Compass won't drag anyone into athiesm, just like Harry Potter won't raise up a generation of wizards.

As luck would have it, our George Bush check arrived recently, so we could afford the once a year journey to the local Cinema 10 to take in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Talk about night & day. Where Compass was weak (cheesy CGI, bad acting, not that great a story), Caspian kept me on the edge of my seat (along with paying for a family of 5 to go to the movies!) I thought the first Chronicles was good, though there was some cheese. None here with Caspian. Excellently done. Of course, the religious symbolism was of special interest to me, but I think the movie is good even if you're unaware. I found Caspian to be an excellent upgrade from the first movie, and that bodes well for the remainder of the series (next up: Dawn Treader, in May of 2010).

A couple of interesting footnotes. Compass and Wardrobe cost the same to make: roughly 180 million. Wardrobe brought in 291 million, plus another 450 million abroad. That's a lot of Turkish Delight. Compass, on the other hand, did 70 million in the US, and 301 abroad. But talk of sequels has gone away, and the New Line studio was recently folded into Warner Brothers. Pullman might want to stick to books. Did the Christian 'boycott' cause Compass to fail? Not sure, but having seen it, I assume the critics didn't like it. It just wasn't good.

(Interesting article about these two from Time Magazine, where I got my stats in the previous paragraph - here's the link)

Members of Russian cult trickle out of cave

2008-04-01T15:45:00.004-04:00

Never ceases to amaze me. Read the article here.

2008-03-24T11:09:00.001-04:00

Interesting thought from Anne Lamott, fantastic writer & one of my faves...

I think joy and sweetness and affection are a spiritual path. We're here to
know God, to love and serve God, and to be blown away by the beauty and miracle
of nature. You just have to get rid of so much baggage to be light enough to
dance, to sing, to play. You don't have time to carry grudges; you don't have
time to cling to the need to be right.
- author Anne Lamott, in a recent
interview. (Source: The Washington Times)

Shane Claiborne quote

2008-03-24T10:32:00.001-04:00

Came across this quote from Shane Claiborne, autor of Jesus for President and The Irresistible Revolution. The quote is from the latter...

"As my teacher Tony Campolo used to ask, 'Even if there were no heaven and
there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the
life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?' I am more and more convinced
each day that I would. Don't get me wrong. I'm excited about the afterlife. We
are going to party like there's no tomorrow (umm, and there won't be). And yet I
am convinced that Jesus came not just to prepare us to die but to teach us how
to live."

Showstoppers

2008-03-11T10:47:00.002-04:00

My son plays bass for the band that backs up both of the show choirs for our highschool. Both groups are very good, and its kind of a big deal. They head off to Florida for the big competition called Showstoppers, and they spend a few days at the Disney resort, get a park pass to all the parks, etc. Fun times. Before the groups leave for the trip, you're "strongly advised" to make a sign for your kid that shows your support. Most of them say stuff like "Ashley, You Go Girl! Knock 'em Dead @ Showstoppers!" That sort of thing. We've decided to be subsversively humorous in our approach to these departure tributes. So here is our sign. I predict it will be the favorite sign of the bunch.

What's Next for Mike Huckabee?

2008-03-06T15:31:00.003-05:00

I didn't think Huckabee had much of a chance, but there were some things about him I liked. This article from Soujouners and Jim Wallis was interesting. In many ways, he's more appealing that those who remain in the November race. Check out the article....

What's Next for Mike Huckabee?
Get a free issue of Sojourners
Tuesday evening, John McCain clinched the Republican nomination for president, and Mike Huckabee, the last remaining contender, conceded defeat. Huckabee's campaign, and the failure of the Religious Right to support him, has been one of the most interesting and puzzling stories of this primary season.

While Huckabee is certainly a social conservative, he refused to toe the line on a number of issues. And that is more evidence for why I say the monologue of the Religious Right has ended and the evangelical agenda has broadened.

In the Republican YouTube debate, the candidates were asked if they believed every word of the Bible. Huckabee said that while some of the Bible was allegorical, we needed to take much of it much more seriously than we do - such the words of Jesus that say, "As you have done to the least of these you have done to me." This is not the text that most conservatives quote when asked about the authority of the Bible.

In an interview with Reuters in January, Huckabee spoke about the broadening evangelical agenda:

Unquestionably there is a maturing that is going on within the evangelical
movement. It doesn't mean that evangelicals are any less concerned about
traditional families and the sanctity of life. It just means that they also
realize that we have real responsibility in areas like disease and hunger and
poverty and that these are issues that people of faith have to address.

And when conservative columnists such as Robert Novak attacked Huckabee for not being a "real conservative," this is precisely what they meant.

When Huckabee was governor of Arkansas, he advocated spending money on poor people - behavior that is offensive to the economically conservative wing of the Republican Party. While Huckabee is a consistent social conservative, he is considered suspect by the party's economic conservatives who, of course, don't support spending any money on overcoming poverty.

Huckabee disagrees with them.

On immigration, in that same debate, there was an all-out attack on "illegal aliens" who became the new scapegoat, the new "other," for many of the Republican candidates - and the preferred way to energize their primary base. Except for the acknowledgement from John McCain that "these are God's children too," every Republican candidate preceded to demagogue the issue, beating up on undocumented immigrants for crass political gain.

But then Mike Huckabee spoke. He agreed that our borders need to be protected and enforced (I do too), but then defended his support for a failed bill in Arkansas to give scholarships to exceptional students - including undocumented children. He said he didn't want to punish children for their parents' illegal actions because "that's not what we typically do in this country." This educational plan, he said, was intended to bring people from illegal to legal status. He continued, saying that he had received a good education; but if he hadn't, "I wouldn't be standing on this stage; I might be picking lettuce; I might be a person who needed government support." Then he said, "In all due respect, we're a better country than to punish children for what their parents did." Although he later moved more to the right in the heat of the primaries, that response remains.

Is that ultimately why the leaders of the Religious Right didn't support Mike Huckabee until late in the primary season? Is it because many on the Religious Right are really more committed to economic conservatism than social conservatism? Have religious conservatives gotten so used to their access to power that are they afraid to risk standing for principle over pragmatism?

Huckabee was the most consistent social conservative Republican in the race - he won a straw poll at the FRC Values Voters Summit this winter - yet most of the leaders of the Religious Right never rallied around him. But the evangelical base did, keeping him in the race until this week.

Now that he is out of the race, what's next for Huckabee? The conservative Washington Times said that Huckabee is at the forefront of an evangelical revival, and quoted his former communications director as saying

He has become the leader of a new generation of Christian conservative voters.
... There is nobody else you can identify outside of Mike Huckabee as a leading
person to take on that role, really in a new era where evangelicals care about a
lot of things like the environment and working with the poor.

And, as former Bush staffer David Kuo wrote in The Washington Post,

That there's now a pitched battle for the soul of the religious right is a
horrifying thought to Republican leaders long familiar with the old religious
right, a hierarchical group dominated by larger-than-life figures who'd anointed
themselves Jesus's political representatives. But that movement is withering at
the top and in revolt at the grass-roots. ...

What's new is how widespread social justice issues are in the evangelical world. Leading New Testament theologian N.T. Wright, a conservative, says that the greatest moral issue today is not abortion but the economic inequality between the U.S. and Europe and the developing world.
So, stay tuned. We haven't heard the last from Mike Huckabee.

NFL Allows Church Groups to show Super Bowl

2008-02-22T11:18:00.003-05:00

This just in from ESPN.com....

The NFL will allow church groups to show the Super Bowl on large-screen televisions, reversing a policy that drew criticism from elected officials.

In a letter to U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league will no longer object to "live showings -- regardless of screen size -- of the Super Bowl" by religious organizations, The Washington Post reported.

An earlier story in The Post about church groups canceling Super Bowl parties over fear of legal action by the NFL led to protest by some lawmakers and conservative leaders.

At the center of the issue is an NFL policy which holds that organizations showing public viewings of its games on televisions larger than 55 inches violate the league's copyright. Sports bars are exempt from the policy, but last year, the NFL sent letters to two church groups, advising them of the rule, according to The Post.

In its letter to Hatch, the NFL said it would not object to big-screen viewings in churches as long as they are free and held on premises that the church uses on a "routine and customary" basis, according to the report.

Hatch said in a prepared statement that he was grateful that the NFL made the exception.
"Many families want to enjoy the Super Bowl in a group atmosphere -- but obviously aren't going to take their kids to a sports bar," he said, according to The Post.

Steve Holley, executive pastor of Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, Va., which canceled its big-screen Super Bowl party this year over the policy, was also pleased by the change.

"[The NFL] decided to set aside profit for community spirit," Holley said, according to The Post. "I'm encouraged by that."

THIS IS COOL; HERE'S A FEW PICS FROM OUR PARTY THIS YEAR. WE HAD 75 OR SO FROM THE VARIOUS HOMELESS SHELTERS IN TOWN COME AND PARTICIPATE! OH, AND NOTICE THE TOM BRADY PINATA...ALSO KNOWN AS THE "TOMNATA"

Most Redeeming Films of 2007

2008-02-20T10:36:00.002-05:00

I like movies, I just don't go that often. Busy, its expensive, etc. But we do rent from time to time, and occassionally there is a good movie that comes along. Anyway, Christianity Today has a list of their Most Redeeming Films of 2007. I've seen one...the cartoon rat that cooks. The rest I'll get around to via rentals. If you're interested, click here to see their list and a short synopsis of each film.

Kelvin's New Job?

2008-02-19T10:05:00.001-05:00

2008-02-16T21:55:00.002-05:00

The writer's strike is finally over, and some of the most creative stuff happening in the entertainment industry can now resume production. I know everyone doesn't get the humor in The Office, but its one of my favorites, and I'm looking forward to the next episode (which isn't until April). Pretty clever stuff. If you're not into it, its worth giving it a chance for a few weeks...maybe it will grow on you. Or maybe not. As for me, I'm in withdrawal and can't wait!

Jeff Coffin with HS Jazz Honors Band

2008-02-14T12:08:00.004-05:00

OK, so this guy is awesome. Cool that the young Marshall lad is playing bass right behind him. Kid playing the alternate sax part is from the same school (this is an honors jazz band made up of kids from several schools; they only practiced a little Friday night and a little Saturday morning.) Coffin plays with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and has played sax with anyone who's anyone in music. Very, very cool. (try a youtube search for him and find some very cool clips - he's kinda famous for playing 2 saxes at a time...video coming soon)

If you have time, watch this video, with Bela Fleck and bassist extraordinaire Victor Wooten - Coffin does the double sax thing for a bit toward the end.

What if...

2008-02-06T19:12:00.000-05:00

Top ten ways the Bible would be different if it were written by
college students

1.Last Supper would have been eaten the next morning - cold.
2.The Ten Commandments are actually only five, double-spaced, and written in a large font.
3.New edition every two years in order to limit reselling.
4.Forbidden fruit would have been eaten because it wasn't cafeteria food.
5.Paul's letter to the Romans becomes Paul's e-mail to abuse@romans.gov.
6.Reason Cain killed Abel: They were roommates.
7.The place where the end of the world occurs: Finals, not Armageddon.
8.Out go the mules, in come the mountain bikes
9.Reason why Moses and followers walked in desert for 40 years: They didn't want to ask directions and look like freshers.
10.Instead of God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh, He would have put it off until the night before it was due and then pulled an all-nighter.

Free Hugs

2008-02-05T15:25:00.000-05:00

OK, so I'm a little behind. This has been around for a bit, but I just came across it. Made me smile. Hope it does you too...

Obama Interview

2008-01-31T15:23:00.000-05:00

Christianity Today has an interview with Democratic Presidential Candiate Barak Obama. I know for some of you, that is an oxymoron to have him or anyone with a (D) next to their name in Christianity anything. I know because I get the emails, particularly about Obama, extolling his so-called affiliation with Islam. I know because well-intentioned people who believe everything that's forwarded 57 times and lands in their inbox come strutting in to the church copier to mass distribute the email to everyone in their Sunday School class. (They also believe that Bill Gates is going to let them in on part of his fortune if they just forward that email to 29 of their closest friends, and some have probably given their bank account numbers to an exiled queen in Nigeria because she wanted to deposit 25 million into their bank account.) NEVER MIND THAT THE ENTIRE THING IS UNTRUE! Man, are we really that dumb to not look into things like that before taking them as gospel? In the mean time, here's a guy who seems to be a little plugged in the The Gospel, and he's thrown under the bus by most because a) there's a D next to his name, b) bogus emails say he's a Muslim, and c) we don't care much for his stance on abortion.

When is the last time we had someone in office whose stance on abortion was in line with "all things evangelical" and who, oh, I don't know.... managed to do something about it? I don't particularly agree with everything that any of these remaining candidates think or believe, but I think its time Christians start looking past the 2 pet issues we always put at the top of the list: abortion & gay marriage, and start looking at the scads & scads of Biblical mandates that we're ignoring and just voting for whomever Dobson or Schaffly or Wildmon tell us to vote for. Who knows, perhaps changing the culture in which we live might just change the mind of someone who is making a decision about the future of their unborn baby. (But that's another topic...Obama hits that indirectly in the Abortion question in the interview)

Having said that, I am in NO WAY endorsing Obama. Just thought the interview was worth passing along. Draw whatever conclusions you want to draw about him.

(Me? I'm writing in Jesus for president this time around!)

Cheese, anyone?

2008-01-31T14:46:00.000-05:00

OK, so you have to think a little to find the humor/irony/point in this cartoon. But its there, nonetheless. Not sure where I got this, but its a guy who comes up with daily/weekly cartoons that are kinda different. If I can remember his name, I'll post a link to his site. Just in case the above compilation of cheese makes you curious. The "Worship Music" above is in reference to the new, modern stuff coming out that may seem like, well, cheese. Interesting...whether you agree or not!

Traffic Buster

2008-01-31T14:41:00.000-05:00

Can you imagine seeing the cars get out of this guy's way??

Step 1: tie balloons to car
Step 2: drive eratically
Step 3: watch people freak out
Step 4: call Jack Baur

(thanks to www.ysmarko.com)

My Son, Wizard of Marimba

2008-01-27T20:25:00.001-05:00

From the recent solo & ensemble contest for JH kids....

Expelled: The Movie

2008-01-23T10:34:00.001-05:00

I've been hearing a bit about this upcoming movie, and just came across the video trailer after reading about the film on YS Marko's blog. Here's what he had to say about the film:

"I’m so intrigued by this movie coming out in the spring, called expelled (full title is expelled: no intelligence allowed). I’d heard something about it in passing from a co-worker, but didn’t really know anything about it. But I just clicked through on a banner ad on another site (wow, a banner ad click through!), and learned more about it. And now i’m fascinated.

The movie is a documentary about the bias and discrimination in the scientific community (and supported by media, education and other industries) against anyone who isn’t a die-hard 100% darwinian. And here’s where it gets interesting: ben stein is making the movie. Yes, Ben Stein as in “win Ben Stein’s money” and Ferris Buelier’s Day Off (”anyone? anyone? bueller?”) and a hundred other disparate contexts.
Try this: you hear there’s a documentary being made about credible scientists who want to ask questions and explore ideas about intelligent design, and how they’re being blacklisted by the scientific community. Who do you assume is making the movie?

Really, when i’d heard about it (with NO details at the time), I assumed it was a b-grade or c-grade Christian documentary, full of whininess, fear, martyr complex, hyperbole and shoddy fiat platitudes. but it’s Ben Stein! NOT focus on the family! Ha!
here’s the trailer — TOTALLY worth watching. And the home page (featuring Ben Stein in an angus young ac/dc school outfit).

Let’s all agree to watch this thing when it comes out!"

Butter Faith

2008-01-22T16:58:00.001-05:00

This made me laugh. If you've ever eaten any of that stuff, you may say to yourself "I can't believe people actually buy this stuff & ingest it!" But I couldn't put a picture of butter on here w/out mentioning my favorite butter related song....

Open Letter To the NFL

2008-01-21T10:23:00.001-05:00

In case you missed it, last year during the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, churches all across the country were hit with the realization that the Super Bowl parties we've been having for, well, as long as the Super Bowl has existed, were in violation of all sorts of NFL/Nielson/Copyright policies. It's no secret that the entire thing comes down to money. The very nice lady who did call me back from the NFL legal department suggests that it all comes down to those pesky Nielson numbers. They have no way of adequately accounting for the numbers of folks who watch their product in churches & other establishments around the country. Those final numbers are the carrot that allows them to get millions of $ per thirty second commercial each Super Bowl. It allows the NFL and the networks to keep their product free on TV while still making an enormous amount of jack from Frito Lay, Pepsi, Budwiser et al. (I guess they don't make nearly enough of those millions, since they created their own network and charge their customers even more to get to see those games...but that's a different arguement).

Well, we have a little "Big Game" party for the homeless. Oh, one of the many stipulations is you are NOT allowed to call it by its actual name. Really, I'm not making that up. We plan to play by the rules, including screen size, not charging (we weren't anyway...come on, they're homeless folks!), etc. But my hope is that the folks at the NFL, Nielson, and whoever else it takes would get together and find a simple way to manage this. Even though they don't want to look like the bad guy in all of this, they do. A couple of interesting articles from last season's fiasco worth reading are :
here
here
and here (this article gives some pretty reasonable solutions, too!)

Below is my letter (which incidently did get a follow-up phone call from a very nice lady from the NFL)

To whom it may concern at the National Football League,

We were met with a great deal of surprise regarding the story that hit the front page of the Indianapolis Star last season regarding church Super Bowl parties, along with a flurry of reports on all evening news telecasts in the Indianapolis area. We were equally surprised that there was any problem with getting people together to enjoy the big game, especially since for most of us in central Indiana, this was the first time we’ve ever had the thrill of "our team" making that game.
I certainly understand your efforts to protect your product and to also protect fans from ticket & merchandise fraud, etc. But I do hope you might reconsider your regulations regarding churches gathering to watch the game on a screen big enough to handle a group of people that might not fit into the average living room, as well as families that want to enjoy the game with a large group and aren’t interested in the bar scene that many enjoy.

For the third year in a row, we plan to invite the homeless from our community to our facility for their evening meal (the shelters are planning to give their kitchen crews the night off), and the chance to enjoy the game and all of the snacks and fun that go with the typical big game gathering. In the last two years, we averaged over 70 homeless men, women & children that climbed in our vans and came out to participate. Last year, to fit within the guidelines that emerged about a week prior to the game, we were forced to 'punt' and have 2 parties at 2 locations so that screen size would be appropriate. It turned out fine, but was an enormous adjustment and not the event we hoped it would be.

I’m sure you are aware that these parties have gone on since the big game was started. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever watched the game at home. For those of us (most Americans) who can never afford to get to one of these games in person, getting together with others and rooting for a team is the next best thing. I know that in youth groups & churches all across America, plans are being made for families of all ages to get together and cheer on their team and enjoy the spectacle that is the commercial breaks.

For the homeless folks we want to serve, their options are even less, as you would probably expect. Most may have a marginal interest in the game, but many do not. These aren't folks who are going to show up in Nielson ratings at any level. They are, however, looking for something to do, a place that’s warm, and food to eat. Our intent isn’t to preach, charge admission, or violate any of the NFL’s policy. We just want to offer food & football to the 80 or so homeless in our community. I’m asking for you to please consider these suggestions:

We would like to continue with our plans to host our local homeless community. There will be approx. 30 or so volunteers here, mixing in with the 70-80 homeless guests, having conversation, popcorn, pizza, etc. We would like to project the game onto a larger screen, since 100 or so people couldn’t possibly gather around the 27-inch TVs we have. So I’m seeking permission to do our party as planned.
I’m also asking that you consider working together with some churches to develop a fully-sanctioned church/NFL event. We’re all well-intentioned, have every desire to be law abiding, and many churches are in a quandry at the moment about how to proceed.
I would also hope you would sit down with a few of us, find out what really goes on at these parties and how we do them, and see that we’re not hurting your product. In fact, most parties are decked out in NFL merchandise, team jerseys, etc. I would even like to invite someone to join us for our event and see how tastefully it is done.
Have other options been explored? Perhaps a downloadable form to give details about a gathering, with numbers & ages of people present? Might that somehow satisfy the Nielson component? How about selling a licensing fee? We’ve done this before with certain movies, like The Passion of the Christ for instance, where they made available a fairly inexpensive license that allowed us a one-time large screen showing of the film. I believe the cost was a sliding scale, based on audience size.

Again, we have every desire to do what’s right, and we hope that you will find a way to partner with the many, many churches that have the ability and desire to pull their people together to celebrate & enjoy this terrific annual event. The entire thing was disappointing last year to many of us; of course it did help that our local team became Super Bowl champions.

Please consider these suggestions along with the many I'm sure you're received from countless other churches & non-profit groups just looking to enjoy your product and enjoy one another.

Three Cups of Tea

2008-01-10T11:43:00.000-05:00

First of all, this is not the normal type of book I normally choose to read. Not that I'm against reading outside of my normal genre of interest, I just don't have (or make) the time. But I read a review somewhere about this book called Three Cups of Tea, and when I stumbled across it at the bookstore, decided to take a chance on it. To say I'm glad I did is an understatement.

There's a lot to say about the book, but perhaps checking out the co-writer's take from the book introduction is best. Greg Mortenson is an amazing guy, and what he's accomplished in Pakistan and Afghanistan is remarkable. I HIGHLY recommend this book. I didn't realize it had been out for over a year, and is apparently one of those word-of-mouth wonders. Currently, its #3 on the New York Times. You'll learn a lot, and be inspired. One person really can change the world. Read the short intro found here, and watch the video interview from the Today show. And get the book (currently, Waldenbooks/Borders has it in the Buy 1, get 1 half price section).

Fear Not The Compass

2007-12-06T16:16:00.000-05:00

Once again, the Christian community has jumped on the bandwagon of encouraging you and I to avoid a movie. I find it rather annoying when we do this sort of thing. Somehow, we equate movie boycotts with changing the world for the better. But what really irks me is need to bash something that we haven't even seen for ourselves. Many did that with DaVinci Code, lots of far-right wingers do it with all things Harry Potter. And now The Golden Compass. You've probably gotten the emails warning and urging Christians to "run for the hills...there's a movie coming." So its probably not a new topic for most.

I won't get into the controversy, mostly because I haven't seen the movie and have little input to give (there's a novel idea). Yes, the author of the book is a very outspoken critic of Christianity and an equally outspoken Athiest. And apparently the later books in the series have some blatant attacks on the Christian faith.

But come on, is our God that we serve so small that we're scared of a little fantasy film? God is much bigger than that. Sure, we should use some caution. How about talking to our kids, if we see the movie with them, and highlighting some of the thinking that's there that might be contrary to our faith (those who have seen it have said this movie has little of that sort of thing in there....its just a movie). And yes, I'm aware that the movie might just get kids interested in the books. I hoped that might happen with the Narnia film, so I guess it works both ways.

Just sayin', perhaps we should catch it on video or at the cheap theater, see for ourselves, and then decide. Regardless, Christianity Today had a bit to add to the conversation, so check it out. The "Fear Not The Compass" tag is actually from them...not my original creation. Read the article and see the film for yourself (or not...)

Funny T-shirts

2007-12-06T15:57:00.000-05:00

I admit, I'm a fan of funny T's. Not vulgar, objectionable, nasty, or Indiana University T's. But funny ones. Here are a couple I've come across of late. Granted, I'm too cheap to actually buy these, and they're a little much to begin with. But they're kinda funny nonetheless. This one on top is from the despair.com folks where you'll find lots of funny stuff.

Not sure where I got that one, but it provided a chuckle. Not everyone would get it...or find it funny. But hey, this is my blog to tell you what I think, right?

Really like this one a lot. The theme for this one was "Diversity." There is a website called Woot. No idea what it means, but once a day at woot.com they sell an item. Same item all day, until they run out. Shipping always $5. Kinda fun. But they started a woot.shirt deal, and the shirts are limited run, and designed by woot users as sort of a contest. Go there, look at the selections, and enjoy. Some are more "concept" designs that might leave you scratching your head. OK, so some do for me. But this one made me laugh, and I sorta wish I had it.....hint...I wear a 2X for comfort....

Last but not least, another Woot offering. This one is called "Nobody's Perfect." Wish I had thought of that as the title of this blog and used a logo like that. Well done....well, almost.

This Made Me Laugh

2007-12-03T15:59:00.000-05:00

I guess there's a whole series of these blender-guy ads out there. The glow-stick one is pretty cool, too....

Derek Bell song on Grey's Anatomy

2007-11-12T12:15:00.001-05:00

I've become quite a Derek Bell fan. He was one of the original members of a group called Caedmon's Call, but he's sort of been on his own for some time now. His music tends to fall more in the category of art than just catchy pop tunes. But its his lyrics that really set him apart. His album Mockingbird was just terrific, and I'm enjoying his new CD entitled The Ringing Bell. Apparently, one of his tunes made it onto last week's Grey's Anatomy, a show I have seen before but have sort of steered away from. But they play some good music from time to time. Click here to go to his myspace page and listen to a couple of songs. The song "Name" is the one in the TV show. Not sure if you can find it or not, but A Savior on Capital Hill is one of my current favorites. He has a way of cutting to the chase with his lyrics, and with this song, he pulls no punches (and probably doesn't win a lot of fans in certain circles). Check him out. Here's the lyrics to one of my favorite, to-the-point songs from Mockingbird, entitled "King & A Kingdom"

who's your brother, who's your sister
you just walked passed him
i think you missed her
as we're all migrating to the place where our father lives
'cause we married in to a family of immigrants

(chorus)my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it's to a king & a kingdom

(vs. 2)there are two great lies that i’ve heard:
“the day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die”
and that Jesus Christ was a white, middle-class republican
and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like Him
(chorus)

(bridge)but nothing unifies like a common enemy
and we’ve got one, sure as hell
but he may be living in your house
he may be raising up your kids
he may be sleeping with your wife
oh no, he may not look like you think

Another Robertson for Rudy take

2007-11-09T14:15:00.000-05:00

Jim Wallis from Soujourners had these thoughts on the Robertson for Rudy endorsement. My previous post eluded to this 'endorsement':

"Pat Robertson's endorsement of Rudy Giuliani for president is simply astonishing. Robertson - the television preacher who founded the 700 Club and once ran for president himself - has made opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage his political north star and has been a relentless champion of traditional marriage and family values.

Remember Robertson's merciless attacks on President Bill Clinton's lapses of sexual morality with Monica Lewinsky? Or his comments about how the 9/11 attacks were the result of America's tolerance for homosexuals and abortion? Now Robertson isfor Rudy, a thrice-married adulterous husband, who is estranged from his own childrenand is both pro-choice and pro-gay rights. According to Robertson's twisted moral logic, forgiving the social conservative shortcomings of Republicans is a Christian virtue, so long as the same virtue is never applied to Democrats. But Pat thinks Rudy can beat Hillary, and Pat really cares about winning for the Republicans.

What exactly goes on in Pat Robertson's head has puzzled many of us for a long time. This endorsement ranks as one of the most unprincipled in recent political memory. Maybe principles never mattered much to Pat Robertson after all. Perhaps the pro-business economic conservatism of the Republican Party was always more important to the televangelist than saving unborn lives. Robertson's long-standing support of murderous Liberian dictator Charles Taylor, and his diamond investments thanks to Zairian dictator Mobutu Sese Seko speak louder than words when it comes to Robertson's ethic of life. And that's not to mention the more than $400 million Robertson's empire made when he sold his International Family Network to Rupert Murdoch, after building it on tax-deductible contributions of thousands of CBN donors, many of modest means. He has been putting profits over principles for years.

Richard Land, spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention, has taken a more consistent position. Land has clearly said that he won't support Giuliani if he becomes the Republican nominee, explaining in a recent Newsweek interview, "I'm not willing or able to violate my moral conscience. It would be like asking an African American to choose between Strom Thurmond and George Wallace, or asking Abe Lincoln to vote for a pro-slavery candidate. I personally can't do it." Land predicts that many social conservatives will just sit out this election if the Republicans decide to run Rudy. That's called standing for principle.

Pat Robertson clearly has taken another position. His endorsement of Rudy Giuliani will seem to many to be unprincipled hypocrisy."

Elections & Endorsements Oh My!

2007-11-09T13:46:00.000-05:00

Got an email the other day from a good friend that directed me to a piece regarding the Robertson 'endorsement' of Rudy Guilliani. A portion of my reply below:

I guess it begs the question, why does anybody need to endorse anybody? If there are people out there (and there are) who are just sitting around waiting anxiously for who Robertson et al or any Christian talking head is going to “endorse,” aren’t we in more trouble than its worth? Who really cares who Robertson is endorsing, anyway? Looks to me like there’s no clear cut “perfect” candidate – they all have some baggage or something that someone isn’t going to like (some of these aforementioned 'Christian talking heads' aren't going to like ANY candidate, or at least can find something wrong with them all).

BTW, I’m still a believer that Jesus isn’t coming back on Air Force One. It’s not that I don’t care who the President is – in fact, I found myself “post-city election” caring a great deal that we’ve run off the mayor in the local election this week that actually made a difference in this town and elected some guy whose only obvious qualification is the "D" next to his name. What does he, or any candidate for US President, think about abortion? As I’ve said before, not sure it matters. (the only people that do seem to want it to matter are on the far right wing.... seems they tend to overlook all of the other injustices in our nation/world that the Bible speaks very clearly about and we focus on only this one issue.) We’ve enjoyed more Republican pro-life presidents in my lifetime than Democrats, and nothing has changed. Nothing. Sure, we fight for the right to put our token supreme court people in place. But nothing has changed. Instead, if we were focusing our efforts not on a) bashing candidates and/or other Christians, b) using the funds we spend to get Candidate X elected on something important and God ordained like, oh, maybe EVANGELISM, and c) getting about the business of actually making a difference in the country we live in and not just relying on government to always find the solutions that the Church already knows but isn’t doing…….then we might be onto something!

As always, just some random thoughts. I speak for no one but myself, so the views expressed here may or may not represent the views of management…

An Ethical Dillemma?

2007-11-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

Are You Honest?

This test only has one question, but it's a very important one. By giving an honest answer, you will discover where you stand morally.

The test features an unlikely, completely fictional situation in which you will have to make a decision. Remember that your answer needs to be honest, yet spontaneous. Please
scroll down slowly and give due consideration to each line.

THE SITUATION:
You are in Florida , Miami to be specific. There is chaos all around you caused by a hurricane with severe flooding. This is a flood of biblical proportions.

You are a photojournalist working for a major newspaper, and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster. The situation is nearly hopeless. You're trying to shoot career-making photos. There are houses and people swirling around you, some disappearing under the water. Nature is unleashing all of its destructive furor.

THE TEST: Suddenly you see a woman in the water. She is fighting for her life, trying not to be taken down with the debris. You move closer. Somehow the woman looks familiar. You suddenly realize who it is. It's Hillary Clinton! At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take her under forever.

You have two options: You can save the life of Hillary Clinton or you can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning photo, documenting the death of one of the world's most powerful and brilliant women.

THE QUESTION: Here's the question, and please give an honest answer....Would you select high contrast color film, or would you go with the classic simplicity of black and white?

(OK, so its kinda mean....but I admit I chuckled at the ending. Doesn't mean I wouldn't attempt to save. Just that the conclusion went somewhere I wasn't expecting...)

Relient K Does "The Office"

2007-11-06T15:49:00.000-05:00

Audio isn't great, probably from a camera phone. But very cool. Relient K is a lot of fun, and they came up with a song about one of my fave shows....

Here are the lyrics since it's kinda hard to hear

Michael Scott, Pam & Jim
You've got me glued to my television
Angela, you're way to cute
To be messing around with someone like Dwight Schrute
Relient K and the Football Hall of Fame are in Canton
Won't someone please, transfer us to Scranton

We just wasted....one minute and 57 seconds...of the show...

Touchdown Jesus Can't Even Watch

2007-11-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

Apparently, at the end of the stadium complex at the mighty Notre Dame, there is a giant image of Jesus looking out over the stadium, and many have come to refer to it as Touchdown Jesus. The folks over at ESPN The Magazine have a couple of photoshop wizards on staff, and the last page of each issue always has a clever picture or artwork that summarizes some sort of "pop sports culture." In case you're not really following football all that much, Notre Dame is having an abysmal season, much to the delight of many fans who detest teams like ND, The Yankees, Carolina basketball, etc. So they altered the pic a bit, and it made me chuckle. So I humbly submit it to you for your own amusement and joy.

2007-11-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

Woman leaves Wall Street to teach convicts

Had a chance to hear Catherine Rohr at the Catalyst conference in early October. Was very impressed with her story, and this short MSNBC clip sums it up well. You can find out more about her unique approach to prison ministry at http://www.prisonentrepreneurship.org/

Yoda stamp the post office does release today

2007-10-25T23:04:00.000-04:00

Catchy headline from the MSN homepage. Expensive, stamps are. Free, email is. If it is the postage you seek, mail it you will.

J.K. and the Gay Character

2007-10-25T10:25:00.000-04:00

I've never been one to bash the whole Harry Potter thing. Not planning to anytime soon. I know a few people who think its evil, yada yada yada. But I know a lot of folks who have read the entire series, and enjoyed the fantasy & adventure of a well-told story.

Recently, JK Rowling, the billionaire genius who wrote these books and is riding her broom all the way to the bank, told an audience somewhere that one of the main characters in the books (and movies) is gay. This never came out in any of the stories, but is only a concoction in her literary mind.

Well, its her story, and she can make the characters look, sound, and behave however she wants. That's what authors do. But isn't it odd that some 4 months or so after the release of the last book, she comes out with this little nugget of info that a casual reading of the books doesn't expose? Just seems a little pointless to bring it up anyway, but the timing is what strikes me most. Funny, she didn't bother to point that out earlier, like between, oh, say, books 3 and 4. When people are standing in line to buy each new book as it comes out and kids are pulling all-nighters to read & find out what happens next. No, lets keep that nugget a secret. After all, no need to discourage anyone from buying, right? No need to give those way out on the Christian right even more fuel for their fire, right?

Don't get me wrong. It wouldn't change the story line (and didn't), and she and the publishers would still be billionaires (they are). But why let the cat out of the bag now (or the Dumbledore out of the closet). Just odd, pointless, and a bit shady, me thinks.

Jackhammers

2007-10-25T10:24:00.001-04:00

Nothing else to say...

Despair Wear

2007-10-24T22:17:00.000-04:00

These guys really make me laugh. I get regular emails with their new shirts and Demotivators designs. I particularly like this one that is pictured. See more of their odd type of humor here - make sure you check out some of the Demotivators posters. My favorites are Hope, Idiocy, Potential, Wishes, and Tradition. Fun stuff!

Steve Carrell on Monday Night Football

2007-10-24T11:28:00.001-04:00

Junky Car Club

2007-10-24T10:06:00.001-04:00

Heard about these guys recently, and think its a neat thing. Almost anyone can enter, depending upon what level you qualify. Basic free membership (it's all free) is the following:

1. You are wanting to live with less so you can give more and looking for ways to be more generous to those in need.

2. You care about the issues of poverty and social justice and want to bring awareness to these important issues.

There are other levels, which is where the older, paid-for car comes into play. I'm a member, though my car isn't exactly "junky" yet (it will be....I always get them there). It is at least 10 years old, etc. Check it out.....good guys and a good thing.

Make your own Office Desktop!

2007-10-22T11:19:00.000-04:00

Fun little thing. Just put the cursor on any of The Office characters, and you get a nice "motivational" poster to print or use as your desktop. Check it out here.

How 'Bout Them Buckeyes?

2007-10-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

OK, so there are a lot of Buckeye faithful types in my family. Which is why this joke made me laugh that much harder.

Did you hear? Ohio State can make history this year! First team ever to win both the Big 10 and the MAC!

Who Dey?

2007-10-16T12:59:00.000-04:00

Saw this today...made me laugh...from Fox Sports.

OK, so maybe the Bengals don't make the playoffs. Look at the bright side: they can get those community service obligations out of the way a month early.

Deadly Viper Character Assassins

2007-10-15T15:28:00.000-04:00

Seems like a weekly occurance that we hear about another leader who has blown it. Affairs, addictions, missteps. Truth is, most of us have the support systems & resources in place to help us avoid those pitfalls. But too few take full advantage of them. And when we least expect it, the Deadly Viper Character Assassins emerge from the shadows and take full advantage of us.

I started reading this little book and couldn't put it down. It's a little edgy (not your typical Christian Book fare) and gets to the heart of the issue of integrity, how to protect it, and what happens when we don't. Would be great to work through it with a partner or a group. Highly recommend you check it out. Written by Jud Wilhite, a pastor out in Vegas, and Mike Foster, founder of XXXChurch, a ministry that helps those struggling with addiction to pornography. Check them out at http://www.deadlyviper.org/

How 'Bout Those Wildcats??

2007-10-15T15:09:00.000-04:00

Really enjoying the college football season this year. Mostly because the Kentucky Wildcats are for real! Second time this season they're ranked in the top 10. Not sure if they've been in the top 10 in my lifetime, much less twice in a year! Very cool. Hoping to get tix and take the sons to a game, but thusfar they are out of my reach, and my network of connections to freebies seems to be non existent. At least the TV networks are showing the games. Watched the entire LSU game (almost 5 hours!), and plan to see the Florida game this Saturday....although, if tickets came my way, I would be heading to Lexington!!

Been A While...

2007-10-15T15:00:00.000-04:00

OK, so I haven't been all that successful at getting to this wonderful medium since, oh, July or something. But I'm back! Here's a rundown of the past several months of things that matter...

Had a blast speaking for a week called Know Sweat, hosted by CIY on the campus of Milligan College in Johnson City, TN. Beautiful place, and met some nifty folks.
Had 2 separate weeks of vacation; one at a lake in north-central Indiana, one smack dab on the ocean on Emerald Isle, NC.
Enjoyed my son's marching band season.....they were the 2007 Indiana State Fair Band Day champions out of 50 bands. Very cool...actually, it was very hot - over 100 degrees that day...
Fortunate to get to attend one of my favorite events of the year called Catalyst just last week down in Atlanta, GA. Unbelievable music, challenge, worship, and fun. Good to reconnect with some old friends, too.
OK, so a lot more happened in between. But that is a recap. Its been busy, and I hope to wax eloquent more often.....

Chris Lizotte

2007-07-25T13:14:00.000-04:00

A number of years ago, I had the privilege to take HS students to a summer conference in Kentucky, a yearly trek for our group for many years. It was and I'm sure still is a premier event that many kids look forward to each year (OK, and the lucky adults that get to go, too). One year, we were introduced to a new worship leader from California. Not only was he a little different from what we were used to, but so was his style of worship. I vaguely remember scratching my head for the first couple of days, wondering why this guy was invited. But then Wednesday came. Suddenly, something clicked, and for me and most of our group, we found ourselves in a somewhat mystical environment of worship. Up to that point, much of our "worship" during the morning sessions was happy-go-lucky, "If You're Happy And You Know It Bang Your Head" rock-band stuff. But this laid-back, ultra cool, I-don't-really-care-what-you-think-of-me guy named Chris just led us in a way that was unfamiliar. And it was good. In fact, it was revolutionary for my own personal growth, and I am glad to have intersected with Chris and his ministry.

It's been awhile since I've seen or heard much about Chris Lizotte. We still do several of his songs, as well as several that he introduced us to back in the day. I recently came across his webpage, and was glad to know that you can listen to a lot of his songs. His song "Brighter Day" is especially good. He's been hanging out and discipling a guy named Marc Ford, former guitar wizard for the Black Crows. Kinda cool story. So check out Chris, and listen to a coupla songs. He's unique, genuine, and talented. (And I don't think he fixes NBA games, sponsors dogfights, or uses steroids.) That's him with the beard; his wife (Christy, I think) in the pic. If you listen to "Brighter Day," Crystal Lewis is singing with Chris. Very cool (I believe they're brother & sister-in-laws).

Compare Bible Verses

2007-07-24T09:16:00.000-04:00

Came across a site that allows you to see a particular verse or passage of Scripture in many different translations. Thought it was worth sharing. It's a Zondervan service, and you can access it yourself at www.zondervanbiblesearch.com Good for just looking up a verse that you're having trouble finding, or comparing the translation to multiple versions. Nice resource.

Where Would Jesus Live?

2007-07-12T15:33:00.001-04:00

Came across this short article today and thought it worth spreading around. Here's a coupla quotes from the intro.....read the rest by clicking here.

Prompted by the ubiquitous bracelets and bumper stickers, many Christians are asking (or being annoyed by) the question, “What Would Jesus Do?” Thanks to the creative folks at the Evangelical Environmental Network, we’ve also been encouraged to ask, “What Would Jesus Drive?”

So here’s another pithy iteration to ponder: “Where Would Jesus Live?”

If you’re like most Christians concerned about justice and peace, “the suburbs” would probably not appear in your answer. You might say the city, where Jesus could minister to the poor and the oppressed and walk downtown to preach to corrupt politicians. Or perhaps you think of the country, where he and his disciples could raise organic tomatoes and share their free-range chickens with the hungry. But Jesus in a split-level, mowing his lawn on Saturdays and waving to the neighbor kids on their trampoline? Hmmmmmm....

Check out the rest of the article. I found it rather insightful.

Faith is Always Personal, Never Private

2007-06-25T21:13:00.000-04:00

Had the opportunity to hear Jim Wallis today in person. He did a workshop and spoke at the evening session of a conference in town today. In case you're unfamiliar with Wallis, he is the founder of Soujourners/Call to Renewal, and lives in the inner city of Washington DC. I've been interested in him for some time. He hearkens back to another era in the history of our country, when Christians made a difference in the world. For instance, the lead that evangelicals took in the abolishment of slavery in our country. Little stuff like that.

Today, however, he's a controversial lightening rod. Partly because he highlights the hard truths of Scripture. He isn't afraid to take on the likes of Dobson et al and their "take" that there are only 2 key moral issues facing us today: abortion & homosexuality. Not that those aren't key issues, but come on, the only issues? What about the thousands of references in scripture about the poor? What about the epidemic of slavery in our world, which is a bigger problem today than in the history of the world? There are a plethora of other concerns that Wallis brings to the front, including the environment, the AIDS pandemic in Africa, the genocide that's happening in places like Darfur (go ahead...quiz the typical Christian - where's Darfur, and what's going on there, anyway?). Wallis isn't afraid to say "hey, the Bible has a lot to say about these things too...maybe even more than the couple of issues that we somehow weave into every major political campaign.

Here are a couple of quotes from the day...

Transformation is not just a turning from, but a turning to

What does it mean to be different from the world and still transform it?

Our evangelism often answers a question that nobody else is asking.

Does the way you and I live raise questions?

The Hebrew mindset - truth isn't really truth until it affects the way we live

For most of us, we have to LIVE our way to a new way of THINKING. We assume we can THINK our way to a new kind of LIVING, and that seldom works.

Jim's book spent some time on the New York Times Best-Seller list. It's entitled "God's Politics - Why The Right Gets It Wrong & The Left Doesn't Get It" I plan to read it before the summer is over (I need to slow down reading for a bit...need to digest a little first!)

He also spoke at the large evening session, which you can find here. Scroll through some of the preliminary stuff to get to his talk.

A Few More Books Under My Belt

2007-06-23T22:52:00.000-04:00

It's been a flurry of reading activity. In fact, maybe too much to digest in so little time. Demolished 3 more in the past two weeks. Here's a brief glimpse of the three. PLEASE NOTE: Just because I read them does NOT mean I recommend you or anyone else rush out and read it too. I like to read a lot of variety at times, and my author choices are not for everyone. So....

This was an interesting read...I couldn't put it down. What does an outsider, particularly in this case an athiest, think about "church" as we know it? We spend so much time & energy hoping non-believers will come to our churches & check us out. But what do they walk away with when they come? Here's the description from Books-A-Million:

Is this what Jesus told you guys to do?

Light shows, fog machines, worship bands, and offering plates - is this what Jesus intended?

Atheist Matt Casper wants to know.

In 2006, Jim Henderson, veteran Christian and director of Off The Map, hired Casper to join him in visiting twelve of Americas best- and least-known churches, including Rick Warrens Saddleback and Joel Osteens Lakewood. Week after week, this spiritual odd couple attended services at churches all over the country and documented their experiences at and reactions to each one. Along the way, they found the real value of their journey in the open and authentic friendship that developed as
they talked, questioned, joked, and most importantlylistened.

Follow along with Jim and Casper on their visits, and eavesdrop as they discuss what they found. Jim and Caspers articulate, sometimes humorous, and always
insightful dialogue offers Christians a new view of an environment in which weve
become overly comfortable: the church. And it models an important transition
from defending the faith to defending the space"relational" space for authentic,
respectful dialogue and friendship with nonbelievers.

Another author that I've read before is Anne Lamott. Her Traveling Mercies - Some Thoughts On Faith is a favorite of mine. She's known for her honest approach to life and faith. The book I read is called Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith. Anne is NOT for everyone. Her language is often salty, and that may very well keep many readers from catching the meaning of her articles. She also isn't a big fan of W, and she doesn't hide that at all. I don't like everything she says, but she has a unique perspective.

Lastly, I've been trying to get to Steve Saint's End of the Spear for some time. I finally dove in, and it was also very good. Steve's dad Nate was one of the 5 missionaries killed by Aucas in the Ecuadorean rain forest over 50 years ago. I heard Steve speak a couple of months ago, and got to speak with him briefly. Very much enjoyed the book, and if you're looking for a challenging book that really makes you think about the world, God's love for all of us, and our answer to God's call on our lives, this one is worth your time. I mentioned Steve in a post awhile back, and you can find it easily by scrolling back to April or May...

Books From Last Week

2007-06-11T11:51:00.001-04:00

Spent the week at the beach last week (Emerald Isle, NC). Beautiful place. Managed to plow through a couple of books, all of which were good reads. All for very different reasons! Books I read include:

In The Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham. Martin & Gracia Burnham were missionaries in the Philippines. They were abducted along with several others while enjoying their anniversary at a resort. Their captors were the Abu Sayef, a branch of Al Quieda that has training camps & wrecks havoc in the Philippine jungle. Gracia survived the one year of captivity; Martin was killed during the rescue attempt. Amazing story, highly recommendable!

Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels. Actually heard this message a couple of years ago, and I think the audio message might be just as good if not better than the book (certainly shorter!) The whole notion of the book centers on the defining moment that spurs people to do something. We all have that Popeye moment - "I've had alls I can stands and I can't stands no more." But do we act? How do we identify our personal areas of holy discontent, feed it, fight it & follow it? Very good stuff. I think you can get the audio message, too. If you do, the following session with Rick Warren is sort of a follow-up to Hybels message, and a terrific one-two punch. You should be able to get these two sessions here. Good book, though!

100 People Who Are Screwing Up America (And Al Franken is # 37) by Bernard Goldberg. OK, so this is sort of off the charts for my usual reading. I remember looking at this when it came out, and thought it was funny. Was ordering something from Amazon a few weeks back, and needed a bargain book for a couple of bucks to get me over the threshhold for free shipping. This showed up, and it was kinda fun. Didn't know a lot of the names, but understand why they're listed. Here's a quote from the intro of the book: "And it won't take you long to notice that there are a lot of liberals on the list, which, of course, is just how it ought to be. If I were compining the list years ago, say, when I was in college, there'd be a lot of conservatives on it. But this isn't years ago, and besides, I'm smarter now than I was back then..." So you can see a little tongue in cheek, but it was interesting.

Minister's Death Hits Close To Home

2007-06-05T20:31:00.000-04:00

I only met Mark Angel a couple of times. We bumped into each other at a couple of youth conference type events. We didn't know each other well, and I'm not sure he would have remembered my name. But I knew at least who he was. So when I heard of his tragic death, I was immediately saddened. For him, his family, and his church.

Mark was swimming in the Gulf of Mexico on a mission trip, just south of Brownsville Texas in Mexico. He and two others got caught in an undertow, and Mark didn't make it. I can't imagine the heartache the church and family is experiencing. I think of all the many adventures, crazy stuff, et al that I've been involved in (not to mention the many things situations I've put many, many people in), and the good fortune we've had that little has gone wrong. Nothing more than a minor trip to the doc-in-the-box or the ER. Nothing serious. And nothing like Mark's group of college kids on a mission trip to Mexico.

What I do know of Mark, he was a tremendous servant of God, and he will be missed. A short article from the Ashland, KY newspaper can be read here.

Virgie Skinner 1911-2007

2007-05-14T21:10:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, my mom called to update me on the status of my grandmother. She has lived in an apartment attached to my parent's home (part of her apartment was my old bedroom growing up) for the past 10 or so years. For the past several years, her health slowly deteriorating, my parents (and sister and bro-in-law) did an amazing job of taking care of her. In the last little bit, that had become almost a 24-7 task for my mother. Anyway, two weeks ago, after a stint in the hospital, it was determined that she probably had liver cancer. Perhaps for some time. The prospect of any significant recovery for anyone wasn't good, much less for a 96-year old. Deep down, we knew what was inevitable.

My Mom seemed to know even more. Her phone call on Sunday was to let me know that if I wanted to have one last moment with my grandma, I should consider coming home soon. I was already planning a surprise Mother's Day trip, but after hanging up the phone, felt compelled to gather some clothes and go right then.

I can't tell you how glad I am that I did. I had the blessing of chatting with my grandma Skinner that evening and off an on Monday. But without a lot of detail, suffice it to say that things happened quickly. We called the ambulance at around noon Monday, and she passed away Tuesday morning at around 1:30 am.

My grandma's mind was sharp all along. While being wheeled out of the house by the ambulance crew, while gasping for oxygen, she had the wherewithall to remind my mom to grab a sweater, reminding her that she was cold last time in the hospital. She was a model mother right up to the end.

While in the ER, during a moment when she was quiet and still, she looked right at me and asked out of the blue if "that girl of mine was still sewing" (grandma was quite the seamstress and made tons of quilts, afghans, and the like - they had purchased my 10-year old daughter a sewing machine for Christmas, and had helped her create an outfit, purse, etc). A little later, as though she was building up the energy for another sentence, she looked at me and said "let's make sure she learns to crochet." I didn't understand much more of what she had to say, though looking back some of her efforts to communicate make perfect sense.

I have many memories of my Mammaw Skinner. Going to her house was always an adventure. As a kid, when we missed school because of snow (often a week at a time in KY), I spent enough time there to get hooked on soap operas, and get my fair share of Bob Barker and other daytime shows. I remember the hours I spent mowing her lawn, always for a fair wage. I always appreciated the simplicity of her life. Not that it wasn't complicated. But she lived simply. Family was her most important possession, and I am blessed to have been a part of that. (One of my favorite stories was from the early 90's when my wife and I lived in Ohio. They were visiting with us, and we were having lunch at a Red Lobster. She opened her napkin to get the silverware out, and said "Law, they gave me two forks." She didn't get out much to places like that, and it was one of the things about her that I found so endearing. That stuff didn't seem to matter much to her.) Her deep concern for family is perhaps the best lesson I could have possibly learned. It's part of her legacy. It's part of who I am. And for that I'll be forever grateful.

Steve Saint Seminar

2007-04-17T16:29:00.000-04:00

Last Wednesday, I took advantage of a day-long seminar with Steve Saint. Steve is the son of Nate Saint, one of the missionaries that lost their lives some 50 years ago in the jungle of Ecuador to the Auca Indians. If you don't know Steve's story, how he essentially grew up there and befriended, along with his family, the same people that took his father's life - it's a remarkable story. There are plenty of summaries online, or you can check out the book "End of the Spear", which was also a major motion picture a few months back. Picture at the left is Steve working at i-tec, the company he founded that helps indigenous people build airplanes, dental equipment, etc. Some to be used in indigenous areas, some to help stimulate an economy in places where there is none. Rather fascinating.....

It was falso ascinating to listen to Steve's stories and insights. A few that he shared:

"Christ gave the Great Commission to the church - that's our purpose. The purpose of missions is to establish churches where there are none, so the church can continue to do the Great Commission.

"If you don't have kids, they probably won't either...."

"The Church may not be perfect, but nonetheless its the organism through which Christ has chosen to reach the world."
"Evangelism is a relay race, not a marathon" (nor is it a sprint...) "Unless the baton is handed off, the relay ends" (Steve compared this to what has happened in England, the very country from whom the Gospel was exported to us...the baton ceased to be passed, and now only 4% claim to be evangelical Christians in Great Britain)

Pancreas

2007-04-17T11:19:00.001-04:00

A classic from Heywood Banks. Best tribute song ever!

Imus Suspension

2007-04-10T10:12:00.000-04:00

I'm not much a follower of Don Imus. Couldn't find him on my radio if I tried. One of the monitors at the YMCA sometimes has his MSNBC show, which is essentially his radio show being shown live on TV. Anyway, he said some stupid things. And he has apologized. There are those who are protesting, demanding he be fired. Though I do think the comments he made were wrong and way over the top, he has gone out of his way to apologize and repent of his words.

I've always sort of been a "benefit of the doubt" kinda guy. Right or wrong, its where I land. I tend to give anyone who's acting out or saying something rude or unkind that benefit of the doubt. Sometimes you just don't think before you speak. Sometimes, you're just moody or cranky and you inadvertantly say something you shouldn't or don't normally say, or you say it with a certain tone that just changes the whole meaning. I also believe second chances are good things. We've all had them. Truth be told, we've all had many more than just 2, haven't we?

This is radio "shock jock." (he's been called that....I just thought he was a folksy kinda guy who happened to have one of those radio voices and made a career out of it...) He doesn't have a track record of racism or bigotry, and I don't think this one circumstance should make him a card-carrying member of that group. So if he needs to be suspended, fine. I'm not sure that's necessary either, but fine. But the guy has learned a valuable lesson. Let him back on the air to help the many who apparently do listen to his show come to learn those lessons from him.

In the mean time, what can we do to get Sharpton & Jackson off the air? And BTW, what little I've heard from Howard Stern...how can THAT guy not be suspended??

A New Era Begins

2007-04-06T22:34:00.000-04:00

The Kentucky Wildcats have had 6 coaches since the 1930's. They don't put just anybody on that sideline. Today, they added another in that small fraternity. Billy Gillespie, who just had a ton of success at both UTEP (more on that irony in a minute) and Texas A & M. Some of us were hoping for the "other Billy," but after watching the press conference, seems like a pretty sharp guy. His record speaks for itself. Hey, as long as he can beat Louisville & IU each year, its all good!

As for irony, UTEP was once Texas Western. The movie "Glory Road" depicted the true story of their basketball team, all of whom were black, who went on to beat the Adolph Rupp-coached Wildcats, all of whom were very white, in the national championship game. That was an imporant game in the history of sports, in a Jackie Robinson kind of way. Fast forward a bunch of years later, and you've got a coach who has had the reigns at both programs. Just interesting, that's all.

As for Big Blue Nation, just an amazing amount of passion for all things Kentucky Basketball. This guy flys in last night from Texas, has a marathon interview session late into the night, and in a matter of hours there is a huge pep rally, with the band & everything, just to announce that he's the next head coach! Memorial Colisseum was full! Look at the size of the crowd in this picture! The press conference that followed was attended by many former players, and even former coach Joe B Hall was in the crowd! That kind of thing doesn't happen anywhere else in America. Very cool...you can see the pep rally here. You can also listen to or watch the press conference, too. Just unbelievable. A week after the NCAA tourney, where your team bows out early and you later see the departure of your coach and basketball should start moving to the back of your mind, and just like that - a pep rally just to introduce your new coach! (Oh, and you can already get the Billy Gillespie wallpaper for your computer). Now that's passion.

Global Warming?

2007-04-04T22:43:00.000-04:00

I'll admit to knowing very little about the whole Global Warming thing. I'll also admit that those you listen to most in the media will very much slant your opinion. For instance, listen to conservative talk radio, and you will be convinced that all of this to-do about the environment is a bunch of hooey. I've also noticed that the more conservative you are, the nastier you become with the name calling and pious discrediting of anyone speaking out about the environment (all sorts of Al Gore slams, tree hugger references, etc.) If you're outspoken about the environment, you're automatically labeled as an aforementioned tree hugger, and somewhere the label "liberal commie" us undoubtedly used.

Well, can't we all get along? Seems to me there is a happy medium here somewhere. I am tired of Christians simply following the "loud" voices out there of Rush and other blowhards who are misquoting and taking Scripture out of context to suit their "the sky certainly isn't falling" theories, while ignoring the Biblical evidence that this earth is ours to steward appropriately.

Here are a few quotes and soundbites that I came across today that I thought were thought-provoking and somewhat humorous...on both sides of the ozone (so to speak).

conservative radio host from Cincy named Bill Cunningham in a promo for his afternoon show, commenting on the drastic cold snap that has swept into the region - "Today we'll talk about whether this 50-degree drop in temperature is even more evidence of global warming." He, of course, is in the "hooey" camp.

"71% of the population believes in global warming while the other 29% are still trying to resolve the 'earth is flat' debate" - ad in Outside magazine for a company called simpleshoes, who make shoes out of recycled tires (the April issue is the Green Issue, with lots of environment stuff)...

Chip Giller of www.grist.org quoted in Outside mag...I think this quote is also on a Starbucks cup..."So-called 'global warming' is just a secret plot by wacko tree huggers to make America energy independent, clean our air and water, improve the fuel efficiency of our vehicles, kick-start 21st-century industries, and make our cities safer and more livable. Don't let them get away with it!" Very funny!

Post # 200

2007-04-04T21:53:00.000-04:00

I thought that an occasion this momentous deserved a fresh start. So for the ever diminishing handful of you who happen by, you'll notice a new look. I'm not smart enough to design some cool look, so I'm captive to the free templates that the fine folks at Blogger have to offer. But I liked the look here, it seems to give more space to some of the "frills" with which I am experimenting, and its fresh. At least to me! So enjoy the blueness.

David Crowder Video

2007-04-04T14:08:00.000-04:00

This week, the David Crowder Band video is featured over on MSN. Check out the video and be sure to vote for Crowder. No idea what the voting thing means, and its obvious that hords of Crowder fans (or is it a pack of rabid squirrels?) (NOTE: Voting is over, but you can still watch the video.) have frequented and given lots of love. In fact, the tag on the picture says 2006 Artist of the Year. If you've followed Crowder much, you may 'get' some of the video images. If not, its a cool song with animated video featuring some squirrels who seemingly become Crowder fans! Its fun...he's absolutely the best thing going in Christian music right now. Check it out! (Go there, click on the band's photo, and it will start soon thereafter).

Passion Featured on Christianity Today

2007-04-04T09:41:00.000-04:00

Passion is the cover feature for the April Christianity Today. Very good article highlighting "the most influential annual gathering of young evangelicals" and its plans to go global.

In case you're unfamiliar, a brief overview of the Passion movement. Louie Giglio founded it a number of years ago to mainly focus toward Christian students on college campuses and mobilize them to influence their campus and their world. In the process, several cutting-edge worship leaders emerged from the group, including Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Charlie Hall, and others who have associated themselves with Passion, including Matt Redman, Shane & Shane and others. Not to mention a number of powerhouse teachers including John Piper, Beth Moore and others. You can find out more info at the Passion website. Read the very interesting CT article; there are a ton of links at the end of the article for some terrific resources you can check out, too.

I love the heart of these folks, and their desire to "make God famous", based on their foundational verse Isaiah 26:8 "Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."

Easter Quotes

2007-04-04T09:34:00.000-04:00

Several thought-stirring quotes regarding Easter week at Christianity Today. Check them out. Here are a couple that struck a chord with me - read more here.

"FOLLOWING JESUS doesn't get us where we want to go. It gets us to where Jesus goes, where we meet him in Resurrection surprise: "My Lord and my God!"
-Eugene H. Peterson, The Jesus Way

"SOCRATES mastered the art of dying; Christ overcame death as "the last enemy" (1 Cor. 15:26). There is a real difference between the two things; the one is within the scope of human possibilities, the other means resurrection. It is not from ars moriendi, the art of dying, but from the resurrection of Christ that a new and purifying wind can blow through our present world. … If a few people really believed that and acted on it in their daily lives, a great deal would be changed. To live in the light of the Resurrection—that is what Easter means."
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison

Big Butter Jesus by Heywood Banks

2007-04-03T22:59:00.001-04:00

Song by Heywood about this giant statue of Jesus that looks like its made from butter (some locals say it looks like cheese...they call it Cheesus) IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED, first of all, life is too short, so lighten up. But don't watch this if even the title of the song bugs you...this is awfully funny!

Flipant Prayer?

2007-03-28T10:10:00.000-04:00

Every wonder if our prayers can be too casual or flipant? Does God care? Does he listen to the honest casual prayer just like he listens to the carefully thought out prayer? Tony Jones has an interesting article in Christianity Today entitled "Prayer Beyond Father Weejus." It's worth a look...

"Father, weejus come to you today....."