Obama Interview

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?

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

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

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

Expelled: The Movie

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

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

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Top 25 Inspirational Poster Wish-List

(From the folks at www.StrangeCosmos.com)

TOP 25 SAYINGS WE'D LIKE TO SEE ON THOSE OFFICE INSPIRATIONAL POSTERS

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Doing a job RIGHT the first time gets the job done. Doing the job WRONG fourteen times gives you job security.

Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings, they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

We put the "k" in "kwality."

If something doesn't feel right, you're not feeling the right thing.

Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity.

A person who smiles in the face of adversity...probably has a scapegoat.

If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos...then you probably haven't completely understood the situation.

Plagiarism saves time.

If at first you don't succeed, try management.

Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.

TEAMWORK...means never having to take all the blame yourself.

The beatings will continue until morale improves.

Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups.

We waste time, so you don't have to.

Hang in there, retirement is only thirty years away!

Go the extra mile. It makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker.

A snooze button is a poor substitute for no alarm clock at all.

When the going gets tough, the tough take a coffee break.

INDECISION is the key to FLEXIBILITY.

Succeed in spite of management.

Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment.

We waste more time by 8:00 in the morning than other companies do all day.

You pretend to work, and we'll pretend to pay you.

Work: It isn't just for sleeping anymore.

Three Cups of Tea

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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?

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"

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

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.

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

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