Flaws

So recently I have become much more aware of a couple of my character flaws. The first is that I have a strong tendency to be far too critical with my opinions. Last night someone mentioned the Nooma series, and I launched into my criticism of it based on the one episode I had seen. It was really unnecessary, unhelpful and unedifying. I need to learn humility and greater simplicity in my speech.

Which brings me to a conviction about simplicity in general. I recently finished reading Richard Foster's Freedom of Simplicity, and he identifies an early stage in the process towards simplicity that (at best) I think I am in.

This stage is one of great honesty and sincerity, but it is not yet true simplicity. 'Sincerity is a virtue below simplicity,' said Fenelon. The reason is easy to see. The sincere have a deep concern for honesty and truth. Rectitude, fidelity, conscientiousness, impeccability - these all mark the sincere. And although all of these are great virtues, they have a certain self-consciousness about them: a concern to do right, to be right, to look right. Of the sincere, Fenelon says, 'They are always studying themselves, going over all their words and all their thoughts, and going back over all they have done, afraid of having said or done too much.'

The sincere are not yet simple. They have a kind of artificial rigor that makes us feel uncomfortable, though we cannot fault the virtue. They put us on edge and make us feel ill at ease. This often concerns us because they seem so spiritual, so determined to know God. We wonder if our discomfort stems from a resistance to God and his way. In reality, however, it is due to the fact that these deeply committed folk are trying too hard. They lack the ease, freedom, and naturalness that mark true interior simplicity. We would prefer less perfect people who are more at ease with
themselves. - Richard Foster

So how do you get there from here?

Poverty

So yesterday I picked up Ending Poverty In America, edited by John Edwards, Marion Crain and Arne Kalleberg. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but from the first article it attempts to rise above the infinite loop of useless partisan bickering with a refreshing assessment that maybe both have parties have part of the answer.

The myth and the antimyth [of the American Dream] parallel the conservative Republican and the liberal Democratic sides of the debate over poverty. This is a sterile game of blame. Conservatives tend to see individuals and families as responsible for their own predicaments; liberals often fault the private sector and government alone. Conservatives have their pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, the internal individual and family dysfunctions, and liberals have theirs, the external failed institutions. Imagine if, in this age of political stalemate between the extremes, conservatives who care and liberals who dare to listen would each bring their pieces of the puzzle to the table and assemble them all together. Then they would have a full picture of the problems of poverty. You cannot solve a problem without defining it, and if you don't allow yourself a complete definition, you will never approach a thorough solution. Connect the dots. - David K. Shipler

I am still in the beginning, but I would invite everyone who wants to have a more informed understanding of the nature of and potential solutions for poverty in America to join me in the reading. It feels a bit like a domestic version of Jeffrey Sach's The End of Poverty.

I still have a number of questions and doubts as I begin to read the book. For one thing, I'm not so sure the American Dream with its materialistic center is really the ultimate goal we should all be striving for. There's also this dangerous element of yearning to go back to the way things used to be, but that can never be. We live in a different world today, and we better be prepared to adjust to these new realities. Also, I'm not sure if we have the personal and national will to make the kind of decisions and sacrifices we really need to make to ensure a brighter future.

By the way, I went to the Mustard Seed to kill some time yesterday evening. They were closing so I didn't get a chance to ask at the counter, but I did not see a single book on poverty in the store. How far have the interests of the church strayed from those of Paul?

All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. - Galatians 2:10

The Bible v the Koran

The Economist has another fascinating article, this time on the Bible and the Koran. I found the section on biblical literacy to be particularly interesting:

Americans buy more than 20m new Bibles every year to add to the four that the average American has at home. Yet the state of American biblical knowledge is abysmal. A Gallup survey found that less than half of Americans can name the first book of the Bible (Genesis), only a third know who delivered the Sermon on the Mount (Billy Graham is a popular answer) and a quarter do not know what is celebrated at Easter (the resurrection, the foundational event of Christianity). Sixty per cent cannot name half the ten commandments; 12% think Noah was married to Joan of Arc. George Gallup, a leading Evangelical as well as a premier pollster, describes America as “a nation of biblical illiterates”.

Christmas Song

I remember hearing this song several years ago on Y100 and found it to be rather intriguing. It may be the only DMB song I have ever liked.

Set Me Free

This Christmas, my small group raised enough funds to "help secure freedom and transportation to a Safe House and provide for one woman or child for one year" with Shared Hope International. It was wonderful to participate in this endeavor and follow in His steps.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. - Luke 4:18,19

High On The List Of Things I Don't Care About

So I was watching the news this morning with my parents and one of the top stories was that Brittney Spear's young teenage sister is pregnant.

Um, I don't care.

The fact that the teenage birth rate increased last year for the first time in 15 years is something I am concerned about. The fact that the percentage of all U.S. births to unmarried mothers increased to 38.5% is also a concern. You probably didn't hear those numbers on the news though did you? Because nothing in this country matters unless it happens to a celebrity.

We don't care about unwed mothers and teenage pregnancy unless it happens to someone famous. We don't care about relief work in Asia and Africa unless it's done by Angelina Jolie or Nicole Kidman.

I couldn't tell from watching the news this morning how millions of teenage girls in this country are coping with unexpected pregnancies, if there has been progress in Darfur or how many people in Iraq have electricity. But I know that Britney Spear's sister is pregnant.

"And judge you from the card-castle comfort of America." - Incubus

God help us.

I Hate Christmas Parties

The Chatham Holiday Party was very nice last night. But I still couldn't help thinking of this Relient K song from time to time.

Dominic The Donkey

What the . . . ? I have heard this song twice now on the radio over the last week. Fortunately, I have not been close to firearms in either instance. What is wrong with the world? I don't want to hear any songs about Italian Christmas donkeys.

More On Mike

It's true that Mike Huckabee is not experienced in foreign affairs. But, as he says, he did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

The United States' strategic interests as the world's most powerful country coincide with its moral obligations as the richest. If we do not do the right thing to improve life in the Muslim world, the terrorists will step in and do the wrong thing.

It is easy to be a peace lover; the challenging part is being a peacemaker.

I think I need to read through the article a few times to digest it, but he doesn't strike me as ignorant on international issues. And I appreciate his awareness of the value of humility in international diplomacy, something the strutting and staggering current President has not understood.

The United States, as the world's only superpower, is less vulnerable to military defeat. But it is more vulnerable to the animosity of other countries. Much like a top high school student, if it is modest about its abilities and achievements, if it is generous in helping others, it is loved. But if it attempts to dominate others, it is despised. American foreign policy needs to change its tone and attitude, open up, and reach out.

He also does not have an infantile fascination with the institution of democracy and rugged individualism.

Although we cannot export democracy as if it were Coca-Cola or KFC, we can nurture moderate forces in places where al Qaeda is seeking to replace modern evil with medieval evil. Such moderation may not look or function like our system -- it may be a benevolent oligarchy or more tribal than individualistic -- but both for us and for the peoples of those countries, it will be better than the dictatorships they have now or the theocracy they would have under radical Islamists.

I find it interesting that Mitt Romney now seems to be taking an angle that Huckabee isn't conservative enough. Hmmm. If the liberals don't like him because he's too conservative, and the conservatives don't like him because he's too liberal, that probably means he's right about where I want a candidate to be. I'm a little concerned though about his campaign hiring Reagan's former campaign advisor. Unlike many of my fellow Republicans, I do not share in the near idol worship of Reagan.

The Flaw of Electability

One of the things that really annoys me about the current mentality of politics is the sort of untouchable aura given to a candidate based on their "electability." So, if candidate A is inferior in nearly every way to candidate B but is currently more popular or better-known and thus "more electable" they are ahead in the polls and credited in the media as a nearly invincible winner. And people go along with this. They may really like candidate B or C, but the media says candidate A is going to win and they just go along with the self-fulfilling prophecy. What a joke! (It's like saying you have to be a Yankees fan just because they have the most money and are most likely to win the World Series.) WE, THE VOTERS WILL DECIDE WHO WILL WIN, NOT THE MEDIA WHO PROCLAIMS A WINNER TWO YEARS BEFORE THE ELECTION!

Fortunately, we are seeing cracks in this unsubstantiated early proclamation of a winner by the media. The cover story of Newsweek this week was "Holy, Huckabee!" who I believe is now second in national polls and is probably the candidate that would make Giuliani the most nervous. (I asked people at lunch a couple weeks ago about running mates. Someone suggested a Huckabee-McCain ticket. I think that could work.) Today, I went over to the Economist and they share that Hillary no longer looks invincible.

Wow, imagine that. I never knew she was invincible to begin with. I would laugh all the way to Washington if we get to next November and Hillary and Guiliani are both watching things at home while Obama and Huckabee are preparing for election night.

Delicious

Just your standard Sunday afternoon of made-from-scratch baking at the Chef Lamp Shack. Mmmmm. Tasty!

The World Was Not Worthy Of Them

My heart and prayers go out to the friends and families of the young YWAM missionaries who were murdered by a gunman in their training center near Denver.

Legends

Grrrrr!!!! I just missed the opportunity to meet "Wild Bill" Garnier and Edward "Babe" Heffron at Barnes and Noble today. In case you do not recognize the names, they were two members of the Easy Company, 101st Airborne in WWII as featured in the HBO documentary, Band of Brothers. When I got a call with a heads-up that they were going to be there, I was on my way to get my car serviced as my check engine light had mysteriously come on this morning. By the time I got out and got to B&N, they were gone. So disappointing. They do have a new book out Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends and there is a column of signed copies at the store.

The End of Cheap Food

There's a very interesting article in the Economist on "The End of Cheap Food." So, sort of like we should beware of unintended consequences?

The Glory of God

Okay, theologians, I need you to weigh in on something. Two quotations have been bouncing around my mind recently.

The glory of God is man fully alive. - Saint Ireneaus

and

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. - C.S. Lewis

So are these statements contradictory or are both true and need to beld in tension with each other? Can the glory of God ever be added to or diminished from? Or is it simply a matter of how fully or dimly we are aware of and appreciate it?

New Leader?

Huckabee's run continues. He is now polling in first place in Iowa.

Similarity

So, I have noticed a certain similarity in the forecasting abilities of meteorologists and economists. They have accurately predicted 9 out of the last 3 snowstorms and recessions, respectively. That's okay. I don't really want either.

Happy Birthday Clive

Today is the birth date of one of my great heroes of the faith, C.S. Lewis. So many of his books have had such a profound impact on my mind, heart and life. I am truly thankful for his life and work.

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. - C.S. Lewis

Cars

One of the things in life that I will never understand is high end luxury automobiles. I was flipping through my Newsweek and they did a road-test on the Mercedes-Benz S63. It's a rather unremarkable looking car that gets 11 mpg and costs $130,775. I mean, you could even buy four Cadillac CTS's, the Motor Trend Car of the Year, for that amount of money. Or like a dozen Saturns.

The End

The last chapter offered little of anything new and worthy of comment. By "inspiring men" she mainly means confronting, shaming and condemning:

I would often tell men I dated that because they were over thirty and still unmarried, they lacked biblical leadership that requires securing a wife.

Then why did you go on a date with them to start with and what on earth were you doing dating anyways?

One of her action steps was to get rid of singles ministries. I remember Pastor Karl stating that none of the marriages that have come out of his singles ministries have ended in divorce. I think I'll take my stand on that before I follow any suggestions she offers.

In some ways she reminds me a bit of authors like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins who militantly present that not only is their position the only reasonable and virtuous one, but the other position is the root of all evils.

The end.

Correction - I May Need More Than A Shovel

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Still More Shoveling

Hang with me friends. This gets even better.

Singleness is no gift. That's right. I'll say it again. Singleness is no gift. It is nowhere found in Scripture to be a gift. No other Christian culture considered it to be a gift. Celibacy, or the removal of sexual desire in a minority of people is and was considered a gift (see 1 Corinthians 7 and Matthew 19.) We have been taught in the modern church that cultural or circumstantial singleness and celibacy are the same thing, but they are not. The singleness position currently endorsed in the contemporary church is faulty and erroneous.

Maybe the use of a Bible and dictionary would here prove to be helpful.

"However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that. But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. But if the do not have self-control, let them marry." - 1 Cor. 7:7-9

"Celibate - 1. One who abstains from sexual intercourse, especially by reason of religious vows. 2. One who is unmarried. Usage Note: Historically, celibate means only "unmarried"; its use to mean "abstaining from sexual intercourse" is a 20th-century development. But the new sense of the word seems to have displaced the old, and the use of celibate to mean "unmarried" is now almost sure to invite misinterpretation in other than narrowly ecclesiastical contexts. Sixty-eight percent of the Usage Panel rejected the older use in the sentence He remained celibate [unmarried], although he engaged in sexual intercourse.

So, let me break that down. She says that singleness is not a gift but celibacy is. But, the definition of celibacy is, get this, singleness. And then she goes on to condemn the logic of others? Also, the passage in 1 Corinthians (and Matthew 19) does not indicate that sexual desire was removed for the "celibate." In this instance, Paul is permitting marriage for whom this desire can not be controlled.

As she goes on to command a robust "return to Biblical thinking" she starts to talk about theology and God's will. She says that in the way many people view things,

'God's will' becomes the blanket answer to any legitimate questioning of the way things are.

I found that to be incidentally amusing given the number of instances that a girl has denied a date request or broken up with a guy and when probed for a reason it was "because she just didn't think it was God's will." The irony continues in a more direct way.

Think about the controversy over homosexuality as a lifestyle. This kind of thinking argues that because people struggle with homosexuality, God must have made them that way on purpose. Because such desire exists, it must be God's will. Not!

And yet, that is the very same logic she applies to marriage. Since people struggle with loneliness and sexual desire, marriage must be God's will. I assume she would point to divine revelation to excuse her inconsistent logic.

Because of the inclination to find seemingly relevant Scripture and apply it out
of context, we have been reduced to equating singleness with celibacy.

Yeah, either that or we read a dictionary and are using the conventional meaning of a word. But even stepping aside from the language debate, just because you experience sexual desire does not mean you can not control it and therefore must immediately marry an available party. I wonder how flattered this author would feel if her husband told her, "I married you just because I really needed sex and couldn't control myself any longer."

More Shoveling

Okay, I clawed my way through chapters three and four. Two of the most important themes of this book are the spiritual superiority of marriage and the need to compel men towards marriage by the use of shame. For instance,

The older order of things held far more promise for women, for it saw women as vulnerable, had compassion for them and shamed men who abandoned their duty of timely marriage. Marriage was long believed to produce positive spiritual growth and development that singleness was simply incapable of accomplishing.

She has a whole segment praising how past cultures shamed singleness.

Past cultures shamed improper singleness. They considered married life 'as far more excellent than the condition of the single life.' Singles were required to live with established families, and they enforced laws against single men living alone. Take the case of John Littleale of Haverhill, Massachusetts, who was found to be living 'in a house by himself contrary to the laws of the country, whereby he is subject to much sin and iniquity, which ordinarily are the consequences of a solitary life.' He was told to find a real family to live with or the court would help him find one. And if he refused? They'd be only too happy to place him in a 'house of corrections.' That's right, jail! Early Americans did not think the single status or life anything to be glorified, but rather something that a 'real' family should absorb, so that no one would have to suffer the infirmities of singleness, nor its vices.

Is that really the golden era you want us all to try to return to? Also, one of the things that is disturbing to me is that she (and those she cites) assume that it is simply impossible to remain sexually pure as a single, and that if you are single then you are obviously spending your time in secret whoredom.

So, what is the cause for this grave condition of singleness that so many are enslaved by? Why, what else but the typical default answer to every problem church and society faces? The lack of male leadership. In fact that is the title of chapter three: "The Lack of Male Leadership: The True Cause of Protracted Singleness."

I had a hard time following her on this chapter. She tries to point away from feminism as a cause of singleness and focus squarely on the fault of men, but it seems like she must have been in such a flurry of anger when she wrote this that she came up swinging blindly at everything. I'm also not sure she knows what she means when she talks about feminism. She begins by framing a long, and what seems to me to be a very sensible, accurate and even prophetic, quote by none other than C.S. Lewis as the wrong way of analyzing the problem of the presence of a multitude of lonely and hurting single women. Lewis is expressing that a society that tolerates open sexual promiscuity is actually a society adverse to women. Although she earlier comments that men were helpfully forced into marriage because promiscuity was not tolerated in earlier societies, she here chastises Lewis for presenting this message because she thinks he is blaming feminism.

She then begins her attack on men in earnest.

Many men say they would love to be married, but the greater question is, should any woman have them? Most of them are lagging behind the women in this culture . . . we must call men on the carpet and ask them to be the leaders that God made them to be.

Oh, and it is actually in this chapter that she comments about women buying houses, but she is not saying they shouldn't. She is saying that women should not deserve to be single because they are going forward and being responsible with their own lives. But she is saying it in a completely sarcastic tone which may be why people thought she was against it. Her exact wording is,

"We think women today deserve to be single for choices they made, like attending college or buying a house. How dare they be successful and leave men behind?"

She goes on to say,

" Women often have no choice but to prepare themselves to be market competitors because they cannot rely upon men to marry them, or for that matter to stay married to them."

Notice the adversarial wording here? Women are not market participants (with all the opportunities that presents) but market competitors. Also, it seems that only men leave women in marriages and women never leave men.

She still finds a way to use the fact that women are working professionals and home-owners as a dig against men:

Men in general do not want women to be dependent. The social science research in this area shows that 'men expect women they date to be economically independent and able to take care of themselves.' This proves that women are not leaving hapless suitors in a dusty haze due to obsessive career development goals. This proves that most men today want a 'pay your own way' type of deal where the mantle of assuming the care of another is avoided and their personal autonomy remains unchecked. This allows men to keep jobs that resemble hobbies and to maintain hobbies as costly as their jobs. The convenient scapegoat of feminism obscures the discussion of leadership and accountability.

She then goes on to illustrate a few different stories and comments

What these stories prove is that men often do not think they have to live up to any realistic timetable in which they present themselves as marriage-ready - formal schooling completed and gainfully employed."

She also adds that

"The simple truth is that men (and women) could be marriageable candidates by the time they are twenty-two, as opposed to twenty-seven and twenty-nine, which is now the national average for first-time marriage by college-educated females and males respectively."

If she had done more research, she might have been surprised to learn that the divorce rate of people who marry between the ages of 25-29 is roughly half that of people who marry between the ages of 20-24. But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. And don't let the high divorce rates of this generation's parents be discussed as a possible consideration in explaining the later marriage ages we see now.

Of course, it is not just the lack of male leadership in general that is to blame. We really need to blame the lack of leadership in the church too.

"The church must get out of the way and stop being a stumbling block to the pursuit of marriage (italics are author's)."

And finally we arrive at the capstone comment of the chapter:

Until the church returns to preaching the superiority of marriage over singleness and the duty to marry, and until some of these singles (especially the men) start squirming in their seats and feel the shame that is rightfully theirs to bear if they are refusing to follow God's leading into marriage, there will be no substantive improvement in the number of Christian marriages.

That is a direct quote, including the parenthetical reference to men.

Give Hope A Second Chance?

It's interesting to see Mike Huckabee surging in the polls. He has a clever and humorous way of saying things. As this article in the Economist shares,

"Mr Huckabee's ideas on health care are considerably sounder, and he sells them deftly. He understands that costs are out of control. “We have to change a system that happily pays $30,000 for a diabetic to have his foot amputated, but won't pay for the shoes that would save his foot,” he says. He warns, wisely, of the looming budgetary calamity when baby-boomers start claiming Medicare (public health care for the elderly). Or as he puts it: when “all the old hippies find out that they get free drugs.” He touts the benefits of prevention, citing his own life-saving weight loss as an example."

I just hope he doesn't make Chuck Norris his running mate.

Hold On, I Need to Stop and Shovel

Well, I managed to stagger through chapter two of "Getting Serious About Getting Married". Before I go further, I think I need to stop and shovel out some of the crap that has been building up around me. I am teetering on a point where it is no longer infuriating but simply laughable.

• Okay, the whole Genesis 1 thing where "it is not good for man to be alone." I just want to point out that "not good" is not the same as wrong, bad or immoral. It was not in any way a moral defect as she goes on to describe singleness to be.
• "Without someone to work for, work is just a hollow exercise." No it isn't. Work is something of intrinsic value and provides purpose and meaning regardless of marital status. And I'm pretty sure there's something in the Bible about doing all things for the glory of God and doing your work heartily as for the Lord and not unto men.
• "The money we earn from work shouldn't be spent on self-centered consumerism or by people we don't even know. God designed work as a way for us to make an inheritance for our children." I'm sorry. I guess I should tell the children who are being fed by my UNICEF contributions and my Compassion child that my money belongs to MY FAMILY and God never meant for the fruit of my labors to be shared generously and sacrificially to strangers in need.
• "The reason singleness is disappointing, lets us down, and leaves us wanting more is because singleness isn't what God intended." That totally explains why married people are never disappointed, let down and left wanting more.
• "Singleness is unnatural." What, like Swamp-Thing and zombies?
• "I don't know about you, but for me, being single just got worse and worse." And maybe you're just a whiny ---- nevermind.
• "We want the fruit of our labors to benefit our own families as God intended." Again, God never intended the fruit of our labors to benefit other people, just ourselves. Spending all your money on yourself when you're single is abhorrent. But spending all your money on your own family when you're married is God's will for you.
• "Being single without meeting the necessary criteria set out in Matthew 19 [including my own narrow interpretation of "for the kingdom"] is just as unbiblical as sexual activity outside marriage." No. It isn't. Not by a long shot.
• "Matthew 19 teaches it is okay to be unhappy about being single." That's right folks. Your outward circumstances and situations are allowed to completely control your attitude and character. If things aren't the way you want them to be, then clearly that's not the way God intended them to be, and you don't have to like it one bit. Besides, men love it when women grumble, whine and complain about being single. It's irresistibly attractive and seductive.
• "Of course, if you're a single woman but are not called to singleness, it's usually not your fault." That's right. You shouldn't have to take personal responsibility for this at all. It's much easier to just blame men.

New Lifehouse - Whatever It Takes

Man, who hasn't been there?

Oh, and why are their songs so awesome and their videos, well, not so much?

Talk Shows On Mute

Great song. Strange video.



"And judge you from the card castle comfort of America." Great line.

GAO

Newsweek has an interesting interview with the head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO). It strikes me as a good snapshot of the fiscal challenges the country faces.

I Celebrate The Day

Okay, so I'm beginning the celebration 30 hours ahead of schedule. This is one of my very favorite Christmas songs.

Always Winter Never Christmas

Relient K and C.S. Lewis together in one song. Yahtzee.

President Pardons Turkeys; Gitmo Detainees Remain

President Bush pardoned three turkeys in Indiana today. Much like the detainees in Gitmo, it was unclear if they were being detained for specific crimes or simply held in imprisonment for five years because they appeared suspicious. Sources could not be confirmed but many hinted that the turkeys may have been waterboarded during questioning before being pardoned and released. The families of the turkeys could not be reached for immediate comment.

On the campaign trail, Senator Clinton responded to the news by indicating that education and health care for turkeys in New York has improved dramatically due to legislation she sponsored in the Senate. Barrack Obama berated the Bush administration for showboating as the turkeys were sent to Disney World after their release. Fred Thompson felt that lowering taxes would raise the standard of living for turkeys everywhere. Mitt Romney said, "Mmmm . . . turkey."

Infuriating

So I borrowed Sara's much balleyhooed book, Getting Serious About Getting Married by Debbie Maken. I have read all seven glamorous pages of chapter one and already I have learned an important lesson: I shouldn't read it before going to bed. My mind is racing with arguments and with nearly every sentence I find myself scribbling a rebuttal on my set of notes. This book is infuriating. It's sad because I suspect that I will agree with some of her opinions later in the book (i.e. the presence pf prolonged adolescence in our culture and the need to proactively pursue romantic interests rather than idly waiting by in some sort of romantic fatalism), but her writing feels a bit like having smoke blown constantly in your eyes. I'm not sure if this book will change my overall perspective on singleness and marriage, but one thing I can say is I'm thankful I'm not married to that woman.

Oh, and she also has a blog. This is amusing. After commenting about her own book that "Last year in January, the death knell for the so-called 'gift of singleness' began with the unleashing of Getting Serious About Getting Married: Rethinking the Gift of Singleness" she quickly adds that "I am humbled that these Christian organizations would think me worthy of delivering a message on singleness." Yeah, describing your own book is a "death knell" strikes me as a pretty humble statement too.

Hey, Look At Me

At the risk of being guilty of self-aggrandizement, I wanted to share this picture and give props to Tom who took it and shared it with me. I always find it fascinating when a picture can seem to capture something of a person's personality, and I think he pegged it when he pointed this one out as falling under that category.

"The Contemplative Steven"

Church Stuff - Willowcreek

I came across an interesting video from Willowcreek and how they are reviewing and reconsidering their approach to ministry. There is also part of Hybel's reaction and commentary.

Bubbly

I'll probably think this song is grossly nauseating in about a week, but for the moment I find it strangely endearing and charming.

Gideon Bibles

So Newsweek currently has an article describing a trend of hotels no longer allowing Bibles to be placed in their rooms. Certainly they have a right of providing or removing whatever objects they want into their guest rooms, but the whole story just seems somewhat bizarre to me. Like the question of why other religious materials aren't available, for example. I don't know, maybe because other religious organizations didn't want to spend whatever it costs to place a copy of their text into every hotel room in America? It's not like the Holiday Inn is the one buying these to proselytize their guests. It seems like such a skewed view of equality to think that "Providing Bibles would mean the hotel "would have to take care of every guest's belief."

From another angle, isn't it interesting what power a copy of the Bible has? Did it somehow irritate the conscience of these "wealthy, young, and trendy" people when they were confronted with a discretely placed religious text instead of an erotic game or neatly placed contraceptive?

Cumbersome

So, my vintage 1994 19" TV hasn't been doing so well lately. When I was attempting a game of MLB for the old Playstation, it would get some serious wavy line action. This wasn't a huge deal as I don't watch much TV, don't have cable, and it didn't seem to be a problem when I was playing movies. But, recently a co-worker let me know he wanted to get rid of his 32" TV that is just a few years old and wanted to know if I would be interested in buying it for $75. I wasn't sure how I felt about spending the money until I did a quick price check at Best Buy and realized I would be shelling out several hundred dollars more if my TV finally did fall off its last leg. So, with the gracious help of Aaron and his dad's work van, I took possession of the giant.

But as is so often the case in the curse of materialism, the story doesn't end there. Of course, this large and heavy TV does not fit onto my old, flimsy TV stand so I had to go to Wal-Mart today and drop another $50 to purchase a suitable stand. It should work, but now my two large Van Gogh's on the wall behind it are going to look out of whack. I am going to have to move them up the wall and hope that works, and my living room as a whole just looks a lot smaller than it did before. And basic cable becomes much more tempting.

I think I may have violated my standards for simplicity with this purchase. Although the initial cash outlay seemed like a wise purchase, the total cost and hassle is kind of bothersome. It's an interesting microcosm of materialism. The more stuff you buy, the more other stuff you have to buy to accommodate it, until it generates such a mass that it creates its own gravitational pull.

Isn't That Cute?

So on Thursday at Chatham, everyone who is enrolled for medical insurance had the option of receiving a free influenza vaccination. As I was waiting in line for the shot, an employee's spouse had come in with her children so that she could get the vaccine. As she sat down in the chair by the nurse, her little girl asked her father, "Is mommy getting her flea shot now?"

I'm not sure if she was just being a ham or if she really was confused, but it was pretty funny.

I Don't Have A Plan Either But I'm Not Hillary Clinton

Given what seems to be a rather luckluster crop of Republican candidates, I wonder if this is going to become the next general election theme.

I Don't Have A Plan But I'm Still Not George Bush

So, the frequently used Democratic line in the last election of "at least I'm not George Bush" seems to have notched up to the next level this year. Last night, I saw an ad for someone running for the mayor of Philadelphia, and his number 2 reason why people should vote for him was because "we need to let these two [pictures of Bush and Cheney pop up] know that they're accountable." Wow. I didn't realize that the President and Vice President of the United States actually had to report to the mayor of Philadelphia. That's fascinating considering they won't even listen to the UN.

Look, I disapprove of the current administration as much as the next guy, but I'm not going to vote for you for mayor simply because you don't like them either.

More Music

Committed to bringing you more music than MTV, this song has been going through my head the last few days.




Oh, and David previewed a song he is working on Saturday night. Sweet.

Congrats

Congrats to Red Sox fans everywhere in their World Series victory. Just think, there are some 3 year olds in Boston who had to wait their whole lives to see this.

Going Through The Valley

I want to give kudos to the one and only David Hynes who gave his first sermon message last night. He gave an excellent talk on going through the valley of the shadow of death but knowing that God is with you, has a direction for you and is guiding you there. I thought the message was an excellent balance of drawing on the authority of Scripture with the credibility of personal experience. Even a wayward microphone did not distract him and he spoke with a confidence and posture that made it seem like it was his 1ooth message and not his first. I found it to be a spiritually nourishing message for me personally. It was great to sit under the teaching of this gifted, mature and humble young man. Oh, and he also led the worship music and was rockin' out with that. Well done sir.

Sad Songs Say So Much

On the Falling Water trip, one of the questions from the question book was along the lines of "What song has the ability to move you to tears?" These are my two songs. What are yours?

Fascinating Verse

A little while back I came across this verse and it's been bouncing around my mind again the last few days:

"The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might . . . "

How do you think this verse ends? If you are not familiar with this particular passage, what would you guess it says? What is this focused purpose and intention of Christ?

And the answer is " . . . destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:5).

In the midst of this great story of love, grace, mercy and redemption is also the story of warfare. We would do well to not lose sight of this.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." (John 10:10-11)

"I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one." (1 John 2:14)

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses." (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)

The Least And Most Important Thing

A few weeks ago I was driving to church and dusted off an old school Skillet CD. For some reason, it was really speaking to me that morning and I was kind of tearing up. Then when I went into church a song was playing and, while I am sure it was a very nice song, it didn't resonate at all even though it may have been along a similar theme.

I was thinking about that and noticing how extremely different the styles of the songs were. I was kind of chastising myself because style should be the least important element of musical worship and it's so individualistic one should be very careful to not impose or demand their style preferences onto a corporate body. And yet, the style of music can allow the words to evade and penetrate the stubborn defenses of one's heart.

At any rate, on the drive that morning the angels sang a song over me.

How Hard Can It Be?

While my parents were visiting, my mom was perusing my bookshelves and commented on the large number of relationship and communication books in my possession. "Yeah, I've had to go back to the books a few times" was my sincere statement to which she empathetically replied along the lines of "It shouldn't have to be that difficult."

I have been mulling that over since then and have sort of settled on another great paradox of life. On the one hand, when you love someone there are times when you will have to fight for the relationship like you would fight for your own life, and there is always ample room for self improvement which will only aid the relationship with someone else. And on the other hand (as I recall my father once quoting), "If it don't come easy, you better let it go."

Ughh

It's 2:42 AM. I have a migraine. And Cleveland will not be going to the World Series. Good times.

Chillin' with the Folks

I have enjoyed a fantastic visit with my parents this past weekend and early this week. After a few directional challenges, they arrived late Saturday evening. On Sunday, we enjoyed a visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art followed by dinner with Jake and Rita. It was cool to connect my family with some of my great friends out here. Then on Monday, we went up to Valley Forge. It was a beautiful day to take in the history of the place.

We wrapped things up yesterday with lunch at Chatham followed by a trip to the Delaware Museum of Natural History.

Oh, and I also hit a hot streak and won 8 of the 11 games of shanghai. Sweet.

Great times! I can't wait for the next visit.

Fitness Challenge

The gauntlet has been thrown down. I am in a friendly competition with someone, and my goal is to gain 12 pounds (preferably of muscle and not gut). I am excited because I finally found some helpful training videos that clearly demonstrate proper form for exercises that are actually easy enough for me to do (and have been doing though perhaps with questionable form.)



Before you know it, I'll need to start playing this video.




I am a sexy beast.

Vote Them All Out

Wow, and for a minute there I thought Congress couldn't get worse. It's a good thing Congress is taking a break from irrelevant current issues facing Americans like the war, healthcare, social security reform, and resolving current global humanitarian crises, to comment on events that happened in Turkey nearly 100 years ago.

I hope this pushes their approval rating into the single digits.

What A Sad Mess

What on earth is it going to take to get things moving in the right direction in Darfur?

Game 4: Yankee, Go Home

After a game 3 loss, Cleveland rebounds to win the series! Grady Sizemore led off the game with a homerun for the Indians and they led the rest of the way. I was impressed that manager Eric Wedge went with pitcher Paul Byrd with the start instead of rushing ace C.C. Sabathia back on three days rest. He took a lot of heat and criticism for the decision, but if you look back at history, both Cleveland's own and throughout baseball, you see the averages are definitely against starting someone on short rest. Clearly, he didn't read the Mike Hargrove Guide to Postseason Management with forward by Bobby Cox and for this I am thankful. Plus, Cleveland now gets to match up their aces well against Boston.

I'm so happy! I hope Cleveland goes all the way to the World Series, but just knocking out the Yankees feels so good. In the epic words of Curt Schilling, "I can't think of a better way to make 60,000 New Yorkers shut up."

Rules of the Forward

I have a few simple rules I would like to recommend to everyone in the universe regarding e-mail forwards. Please consider the following.

1. Never send a forward. Yes, I know, you want to be the one who saves the world against people who want to take Touched By An Angel and all televised sermons off the air because they mention God, or you want to share an inspiring story of heroism to everyone you know. But if everyone followed this simple piece of advice, the world would be a better place.
2. If you refuse to follow rule #1, at least check the facts for accuracy before proceeding to hit send. Go to Snopes.com and filter it through their collection of urban legends and other myths. This little rule would probably cut out 90% of spam forwards.
3. Never send a forward to a mass distribution list, like say, the Kairos list. If you really want to tell the world about it, put it on your blog. If you don't have a blog, start one.

Game 2: The Cardiac Kids of the Cuyahoga

It's Game Two of the ALDS. Game tied 1-1 in the ninth inning. AL MVP Alex Rodriguez at the plate for the Yankees with a man on second and a 3-2 count . . . strike 3!!! Carmona gets out of the inning!

The most epic closer of all time, Mariano Rivera, takes the mound to face the bottom of the Indians line-up and quickly disposes of the struggling hitters. We go to the top of the tenth.

The Indians bullpen responds in kind and we go to the bottom of the tenth.

After a crazy at bat by Grady Sizemore, the Indians end up loading the bases only to strand them all and go into the top of the 11th.

Somehow the Bronx Bombers stay off the board and we go to the bottom of the 11th.

Kenny Lofton leads off with a walk then Franklin Guiterrez singles. Good execution with a sacrifice bunt puts two runners in scoring position with only one out. Grady Sizemore is intentionally walked to load the bases. With the game on the line, Cabrera steps up . . . and hits a weak fly (infield fly rule!) and is retired. This brings up slugger Travis "Pronk" Hafner. The count goes full. Bottom of the 11th, bases loaded, two outs, and a 3-2 count . . . base hit!! The Indians win!!!

They had no business winning this game after stranding 14 runners but with the help of some swarming nats the Indians come through and win against the Yankees and will head to New York needing one more win. And who will they face in game three? None other than the most dominant pitcher of his era, Roger Clemens.

What a game!

Game 1

Cleveland Indians: 12
New York Yankees: 3

Come on guys, keep it going! Tomorrow is a new day and you don't get to carry over any of those runs with you.

Another Cause For Celebration

I won an award for my speech (not the cow one) tonight in class! That makes me very happy. I wasn't quite as articulate in speaking as I had scripted it, but apparently I said it with conviction which was the theme of this week's lesson. That's two in a row! Next week's assignment is a two minute speech to teach the class about something I do at work. Since Chatham's business tends to be technically complex, I think I am going to break it down and talk about the simple but powerful underlying concept that underlies so many of our transactions: compound interest as illustrated by the Rule of 72.

Yeah, I'm not expecting a three-peat at the awards ceremony.

This Is A Story About A Cow

One of tomorrow night's stories for class has to be about a personal experience that is very animated and physically expressive. I think I am going to talk about a cow.

It was crisp, chilly autumn day so I donned my full orange hunting outfit and set out into the woods. It was a beautiful 250 acre farm, and I was enjoying my walk in nature. As I was walking towards my favorite spot I noticed a cow up on the hillside. I'm sure you've all seen a cow up-close before, just hanging out chewing the cud and being all docile. Don't let it fool you. They're just trying to draw you in with a false sense of security.

It seemed kind of odd that it was so far from the barn, but I just ignored it and kept walking. After awhile I looked back and noticed that it was following me. I kept going and still it was trailing behind me. Then all of a sudden, BOOM!, in the distance a shot was fired. At that very instant, without realizing it, my boot had gotten stuck in the mud, and I suddenly fell and hit the ground. I look down, thankfully realizing I fell because of my boot and not because I was shot, pulled myself out of the mud and kept walking. And still behind me is the cow, though perhaps now slightly agitated by the sound of the gun. I decide it's time to pick up the pace, but I look back and the cow is keeping in step. I go a little faster and look again and barreling towards me like I'm a human matador's cape is 1,000 pounds of Grade A beef. At the sight of this I take off in a full sprint and narrowly make my escape. I chance a look back over my shoulder and the cow is just standing there, looking at me with a smug look on its face. I walk back home with my tail between my legs, thankful I had survived the Running of the Bull.

For Those About To Rock

Monday's Lifehouse concert was awesome! When I last saw them at the House of Blues in Atlantic City they were much more mellow; Jason played a couple songs on the keyboard and as a whole they were somewhat low-key. This time however, Jason didn't play any songs on the keyboard and it was a much heavier, guitar driven, edgy rock sound. This pleases me greatly.

The only negatives were that their guest lead guitarist seemed like he was trying to steal the show a few times. I was like, dude, you're pretty good, but this isn't your band so just chill. The other is that they didn't play Everything which was a big let down. But, they did close with Broken which is my favorite song on their new album.

They played a good mix of old and new songs and did two cover songs including Beast of Burden by the Rolling Stones with Bryce on lead vocals.

Yet another fantastic Lifehouse concert.

Prediction

Okay, I need to get this in before games start:

Phillies over Rockies
Diamondbacks over Cubs

Indians over Yankees
Red Sox over Angels

then . . .

Phillies over Diamondbacks
Indians over Red Sox

then . . .

Indians over Phillies

We're Men. It's What We Do.

What's the first image that came to mind when you read that statement? What was the "It" in question that flashed before your imagination? Was it of something negative, perhaps belching, farting and scratching? Something more negative like going to Hooters and getting into a drunken fight? Possibly something worse?

Or was it something positive? Like having a door held open for you, your heavy groceries carried for you, or a seat offered in a crowded place? Perhaps having someone to defend you?

I am still reading through Elderidge's most recent book, and in it he recounts a scene form the Western Open Range:

Typical of westerns and their mythic simplicity, the town has been overtaken by bad guys, as John says the world lies under the power of the Evil One (1 John 5:19). The crooks have installed their own sheriff, and hired gunslingers to frighten the citizens into submission. Two cowboys come to town to get some justice for the murder of their comrade, and the near murder of a boy they have befriended. In the saloon, they try to rouse the men of the town into action. One of the local tradesmen says, "It's a shame what this town's come to," to which one of the cowboys replies, "You could do something about it." "What?" the frightened man replies. "We're freighters. Ralph's a shopkeeper." Then my favorite line: "You're men, ain't ya?" The assumption being that whatever else a man might be, he ought to be a fighter.

I was kind of wrestling with that statement, not completely convinced of its validity. And then, in curious timing, I read something on Paula's blog that really seemed to speak to this very question. She is retelling the story of a nightmare she had dreamed and notes:

When we drove up, Steve was parked outside in a white pick-up truck. This is especially odd since Steve drives a Saturn. I sent Melissa in to get fries and a table while I stayed out to talk to Steve. However, in my dream I didn't talk to Steve, there was like a total scene skip and then Steve wasn't in the dream anymore. (Despite the fact that I wish he had been because he's a good friend plus a man and this situation ended up getting scary.)

Fascinating, isn't it? Here is a serendipitous and uniquely personal validation of a concept I was wrestling with. Here my friend wanted me around because (a) I'm a friend (b) I'm a man and (c) things are about to get scary. Instinctively, I love it and could scarcely hope for a better compliment.

An interesting question could be raised at this point along the lines of "What should women be able to expect from men? " (And vice versa.) I would say that every woman should have the right to expect nobility, courage, and honest strength from a man. I would also add though, that while it should be expected, it should never be taken for granted when it is received or witnessed.

That's Baseball

What a fantastic season of baseball this was. My beloved Cleveland Indians have made the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and will strive for their first World Series title in almost 60 years.

Over on the senior circuit, the Philadelphia Phillies completed a historic comeback to win the NL East. They were in sole possession of first place for only 2 of 162 games, but they were the ones that mattered.

An Indians - Phillies World Series? That might be a sign of the apocalypse.

Too Excited To Sleep

Have you ever been so excited about something you couldn't get to sleep? That's where I'm at tonight. I learned that our assignment for the Dale Carnegie class next week is to give a speech on something we have a strong conviction about, but it has to be in a particular format and can only be two minutes. I'm thinking about this:

She's 16 years old. But sitting on the floor across form her, in her home in this remote village, I can't help but wonder that she isn't only 11 or 12. Maybe it was the sickness. She's fighting typhoid for the second time in her young life and is weak with a fever. But even this can not veil her radiant smile. Across the room from her is a 17 year old boy. His demeanor is different, and he has all the stoic toughness you might expect of a man that age. His threats are different too. Will he listen to the voices of violence that just a few weeks earlier forced the US embassy to close, that months earlier burned the businesses and homes of Chinese and Westerners and that a year earlier bombed a crowded nightclub in a city nearby? Or would he use the education he was receiving to provide for his future to the benefit of everyone in his community?

He faced some tough questions. So do we. Why not us? Why not here? Why not now? Why can't we be the ones that look into the face of poverty, that look into the face of sickness, that look into the face of violence, and say you will not take these lives from us! We will connect our greatest love with their greatest need.

And you know what? I see it in you. I hear it in your words of encouragement and the way you celebrate each other and rally behind each other and care for one another. And just a few weeks ago we were all strangers. But we're not the only ones who need this love and respect. So do they.

There are a thousand ways you can show it. I want to share just two. First, when you get home tonight, go to Compassion.com. For what you pay now each month for cable, you can provide a young child with all the food, clean water, clothing, shelter, education and most importantly, the hope and respect they need. Secondly, I want you to go to Kiva.org. There, for what you paid to fill up you car with gas this week, you can provide a business loan, not even a charitable donation but a business loan, to an entrepreneur in a developing nation. Recently I had the opportunity to help a dairy farmer in Azerbaijan to purchase an additional cow for his business, and it was as easy as buying a book from Amazon. Who wants to go into the agricultural industry with me?

We can do this. The need is great. But your love is even greater.

How Rude

Admittedly I have not seen the full dialogue that took place between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, but I found the whole thing to be rather rude and distasteful. If you have such a low opinion of someone, why on earth would you invite him to your campus, just so you could say so to his face? First, I doubt anyone at Columbia appreciated how incredibly inhospitable they were acting towards a guest. It is that sort of lack of appreciation for an important cultural sensitivity that is stunning to me in an age of such liberal "tolerance and diversity." How can you say you want to open and extend a dialogue with someone on important issues and then start the whole event by berating them in an unquestionably harsh manner?

Look, I have very little tolerance for anyone who questions the holocaust and who would love to see Israel and the US wiped off the face of the earth, but I at least have enough decency and common sense to not invite that person to have dinner with me under a guise of open, fair and public dialogue of substantive issues and then turn on them and denounce them before they even have an opportunity to speak. That was disgraceful.

Watching The News

I know I have commented on this topic before, but today was so over the top it bears revisiting. The major news services really do a disservice when it comes to presenting the issues. Today, I happened to catch a snippet of both FOX and CNN that left a bad taste in my mouth.

This morning started off with FOX on while I was doing laundry. They were covering the story of an individual, I think he was a Minute Man on the immigration front, complaining that he was "denied free speech" because Columbia University rescinded their invitation for him to speak. Okay, let me break this down for you. The right to free speech does NOT guarantee you the privilege of an invitation to speak in a particular forum! And the fact that you were able to air your concern to millions more people over national airways than ever would have heard you speak on your actual topic of interest at a college seminar is quite dramatic proof of just how much freedom you have. Freedom does not equal entitlement! Do people not see this?

Tonight, while I was eating dinner, CNN was on in the background. Sandwiched in between stories of how the federal government is not doing enough to provide healthcare to children, the federal government is not doing enough to protect us from dangerous imported Chinese food, and the federal government is not doing enough to enforce immigration law was a scathing report that the federal government was (and I'm not making this up) spending far too much money and will crush the middle tax with higher taxes when it finally comes time to pay up. Wow. Now, I recognize the caveat here that says is government was more efficient it could address all of these complaints at the same time, but I suspect most people did not recognize the rather mutually exclusive nature of these complaints. What do you want people? More and bigger government or a balanced budget with lower taxes? I think the moral of the story is you should always be dissatisfied with the government no matter what it does, and not realize that in actuality what you want are for incompatible goals to be reached simultaneously without any sacrifice of your own. Or, at least that's what CNN would have you believe.

Beautiful Paradox

Live as free men.

Live as servants of God.

I was reading through 1 Peter (2:16) this morning and was struck again by that beautiful paradox. Freedom and service. Liberty with responsibility.

It's a good nugget to chew on today.

Seeing What Isn't There

I love it when someone makes an observation that forces me to rethink my position or understanding of things, especially when it is something from Scripture. This came to mind last night when I was reading The Way of the Wild Heart. Elderidge makes a comment "Notice that in the tales told in Scripture, whenever God gets hold of a man, he takes that man into an adventure of the first order . . . Peter called out of the boat to Christ in a raging storm." Here's the thing though. Christ didn't exactly command Peter to come out of the boat; he acquiesced to Peter's request for a sign. (Matthew 14:27-31). Then, this morning it was pointed out to me that God's promise of a son to Abraham was not explicitly given to Sarah until after the birth of Ishmael. I could have sworn it was given to both of them initially, but there's no indication of that. Sarah is not explicitly promised a son until Ishmael is already 13 years old. (Genesis 17.)

Now, of course, all this does not necessarily mean that Elderidge's statement is wrong, and certainly we know from the rest of Scripture that Isaac is to be the son of the covenant. It's interesting though, isn't it, how we see things that aren't actually there? Many thanks to my friend who shared these observations with me.

"Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

And This Time With Feeling

So last night's Dale Carnegie speeches centered around two themes: enthusiasm and recognizing success. For the first part, you had to spend one minute demonstrating a task you do now without enthusiasm and then jump over a line and demonstrate, in an over the top manner, what it would like to do it with ten times more enthusiasm. I had to use the line, "We're going to make accounts payable exciting again!" Does anyone remember what that commercial was actually for? Anyway, it's good to know that all that time playing Moods is finally paying off.

I bet I could get 12% of people to like me

I had to laugh as I heard the news the other day that the approval rating of Congress currently rests at 11% according to a recent Reuters poll. Bush looks almost Reagan-esque compared to that number with a 29% approval rating of his own.

I should totally run for Congress. I'm pretty sure I could get 12% of people to approve of my work.

I wonder what Congress's number would drop to if friends, family and lobbyists were taken out?

Ode To Autumn, Volume Two

So my friend Becky posted a response to my Ode to Autumn list. This is my response to her response.

• The colors of the leaves are changing because the leaves are dying. See death and decay entry.
• The three apple entries only count as one.
• Football games and marching bands? Yeah, because I need another reminder of the excruciating agony that was my high school experience.
• Back to school. See above.
• Hayrides and bonfires. You only start the fire because it's frickin' freezing.
• S'mores. Overrated.
• I live alone. No snuggling.
• Food. Overrated.
• I'm 5'6". Basketball doesn't really do anything for me.
• Thanksgiving. Okay, I'll give you that one.
• Christmas is still 100 days away and should not be addressed until after Thanksgiving.

Thank you. And have a wonderful night.

Ode To Autumn

Many people I know love Autumn. For some, it's their favorite season of the year.

I am not one of those people.

Reasons not to love Autumn:

1. It means it's no longer summer.
2. Which means it's closer to winter.
3. There is a frequent smell of death and decay in the air.
4. You have to start adding layers and layers of uncomfortable clothes.
5. Fun things to do changes from "going to the beach" to "being pulled in a wagon in the frickin' cold and throwing hay at each other"
6. Colds, flu and sickness abound.
7. The baseball season is almost over.
8. You have to hear people talking constantly about the Eagles.
9. It gets dark early.
10. Did I mention it's already cold???

Thank you. And have a wonderful day.

Quotes From Giving

I went to B&N this evening and while I was there I started to peruse Clinton's book, Giving. These two quotes stood out to me.

My gift is nothing. I can have everything I need with less than one percent of my wealth. I was born in the right country at the right time, and my work is disproportionately rewarded compared to teachers and soldiers. I'm just giving back surplus cliams that have no value to me but can do a lot for others. The people I really admire are the small donors who give up a movie or a restaurant meal to help needy people. - Warren Buffet on giving $30 billion to the Gates Foundation.

Beyond a certain point, which we'd reached, money has no further value. It can't bring happiness, but it can save or tranform many lives. - Chris Hohn

Human-Animal Hybrids

If you are on the Rose and A Prayer distribution list, you probably saw the reference that "Having looked at all the evidence the [Human Fertilisation and Embryology] Authority has decided that there is no fundamental reason to prevent cytoplasmic hybrid research" and that "Individual research teams should be able to undertake research projects involving the creation of cytoplasmic hybrid embryos if they can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of an HFEA licence committee, that their planned research project is both necessary and desirable."

Human-animal hybrids? Maybe this would be a good time to pick up a copy of The Island of Doctor Moreau.

Sold!

So the final sale price on my previously dust collecting network camera? $202.50. Sweet.

President Clinton

Historically, I'm not much of a fan of the former President, but I'm really interested in reading his new book. It already seems to be having an impact as attested by the fact that he references Kiva, and they are now having trouble keeping up with demand by willing contributors. (Apparently Oprah also made mention of it so that created another channel of demand.) I'm in favor of whatever communicates the message to our country of the great need, our great resources and that offers some practical and helpful steps to bridge the two.

Positive Steps

As a little health update, I was able to enjoy some positive steps this week. On Monday, I went to the Y for the first time in ages and was able to do 30 minutes on the elliptical without problems. Tonight I went back and did 30 minutes of upper body weightlifting. That is a huge praise! I still have an occasional dry cough, my throat feels kind of sharp (if that makes sense), I need to regain some lost weight and my breathing might still not be 100%, but this was a very positive and exciting step for me. Praise God and please keep praying!

Fire Water

I don't know if anything of practical industrial use could ever come of this or not, but it sounds pretty neat.

Global Investment

Anyone want to get into the Cambodian agriculture industry with me?

One More Song

" . . . and helping white people dance . . . " Classic.

Song of the Day: Brad Paisely ~ Online

I heard this song for the first time when I was home last week. Brad Paisely cracks me up.

Also, at our weekly meeting on Wednesday, a fellow native West Virginian used the phrase "finer than frog hair." I think a little tear fell from my eye.

E-Bay

So I am experimenting with E-Bay for the first time. Thinking I was jumping on the communication wave of the future, a long while back I bought a camera for my PC when Chatham had an IT yardsale. But, being technologically challenged as I am, I never got around to installing it. So, I decided to see what I could get for it on E-Bay. The current bid is $152.50 which is fantastic and is substantially higher than the discount rate I paid for it. Now I just need to figure out how the payment system works, ship it out, and figure out what the tax consequences are of the transaction. I'm going to have to see if there's any other crap lying around my apartment I can get rid of.

Class Begins

My first Dale Carnegie Course on Effective Communication and Human Relations was tonight. I must say it was one of the fastest 3 1/2 hour classes I have ever attended. Much of the night was spent on learning methods of remembering names and beginning conversations with a little goal setting on the side. It wasn't nearly as cringe-worthy as I feared it might be in places. Even going in front of the class and sharing a gimmick for personal name association was tolerable. I am looking forward to the next 11 weeks.

One downside is that the class is up in Valley Forge so it's a bit of a hike, but on the drive home I discovered that 1100 AM covers Cleveland Indians games. I can't believe I hadn't discovered this before now. Reception is a bit shaky in my apartment but it's still pretty exciting.

Completely Normal

I received the results of my pulmonary function test yesterday. To my relief, they were "completely normal." That may be the first time in my life I have ever been certifiably diagnosed as completely normal. The plan now is basically to sit and wait until my appointment with a specialist at the end of September. I would appreciate your continued prayers.

In Memory

I am home in Ohio today for the funeral of my grandfather who passed away on Saturday evening. He was my last surviving grandparent. Sadly, the Greatest Generation is now gone for me.

My favorite grandpa story is that when he was being deployed to serve in the Aleutian Islands in World War II, he was told there would be a beautiful woman behind every tree. When he arrived, he understood the ruse. There weren't any trees.

Another Step In The Revolution

I am not sure when I first heard about Compassion International, but the organization was mentioned often by people during the 40 Day Fast. This morning a volunteer representative shared an excellent presentation with us during Kairos, and I decided to support Letocia Flavia. She is from Uganda and is 3 years old. My choice of Letocia was influenced be four factors. First, I was interested in supporting a girl because women typically face the greatest disadvantages in developing nations. Second, I wanted to support someone in an AIDS impacted area. Third, Karen from my small group served as a missionary at an AIDS orphanage in Uganda. And fourth, we have a Flavia machine at work, and I am hoping I will be reminded to pray for Letocia at least as often as I make myself a cup of tea.

when passion takes on a purpose
and searching ones embrace the light
when skeptics find themselves down on their knees
you'll know it's here

when you hear a sound as loud as thunder
and you hear a cry that shakes the ground beneath you
when you hear a shout that shatters the darkness
you'll know it's here

when the lost find a name worth believing in
and the fallen get back onto their feet
and the broken start to dream again
and the sound of hope fills these streets
you'll know it's here

revolution
can you feel it
revolution cry
revolution
can you hear it
revolution cry
and I believe it
and I believe it

how long do we have to wait
and how long will we stay silent
will this weeping generation dance again
oh God when will the truth be restored

when the lost find a name worth believing in
and the fallen get back onto their feet
and the broken start to dream again
and the sound of hope fills these streets
you'll know it's here

- Revoluton Cry, Lifehouse

Infield Fly Rule

This may be my most boring post I have ever made, but I had someone ask me about this last Sunday. In case you were losing sleep over it, this is the official Infield Fly Rule:

An INFIELD FLY is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule.When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an Infield Fly, the umpire shall immediately declare “Infield Fly” for the benefit of the runners. If the ball is near the baselines, the umpire shall declare “Infield Fly, if Fair.”The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught, or retouch and advance after the ball is touched, the same as on any fly ball. If the hit becomes a foul ball, it is treated the same as any foul. If a declared Infield Fly is allowed to fall untouched to the ground, and bounces foul before passing first or third base, it is a foul ball. If a declared Infield Fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an Infield Fly.

Rule 2.00 (Infield Fly) Comment: On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder—not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpire’s judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielder. The infield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play. The umpire’s judgment must govern, and the decision should be made immediately.When an infield fly rule is called, runners may advance at their own risk. If on an infield fly rule, the infielder intentionally drops a fair ball, the ball remains in play despite the provisions of Rule 6.05 (L). The infield fly rule takes precedence.

Is baseball great or what?

Why I Don't Have Cable

So, I was listening to the radio last night and heard about a new show debuting on FX called "4 Oz." It's just your typical story "about a married-dad gynecologist practicing with his father who undergoes a sex-change operation."

Why? Why does this need to be the framework of a television drama?

Garbage in, garbage out.

Struck Again By The Imitation

The Voice of the Beloved.

As I of Mine own will did offer up Myself unto God the Father for your sins, My hands stretched out on the cross, and My body stripped bare, so that nothing remained in Me that was not wholly turned into a sacrifice of divine propitiation; in like manner you ought also to offer yourself willingly unto Me every day in the Mass, as a pure and sacred oblation, with all your powers and affections , unto the utmost strength of your soul.

What do I require of you more, than that you study to resign yourself entirely unto Me? Whatsoever you give besides yourself, I regard not; for I seek not your gift, but you. As it would not suffice you to have all things whatsoever, besides Me; so neither can it please Me, whatsoever you give, if you do not offer yourself. Offer up yourself unto Me, and give yourself wholly for God, and your oblation shall be accepted. Behold, I offered up Myself wholly unto My Father for you; I gave also My whole Body and Blood for your food, that I might be wholly yours, and that you might continue Mine to the end. But if you stand upon yourself, and do not offer yourself freely unto My will, the oblation is not complete, neither will there be entire union between us.

Therefore a free-will oblation of yourself into the hands of God ought to go before all your works, if you desire to obtain liberty and grace. For this is the cause why so few become illuminated and inwardly free, because they know not how to wholly deny themselves.

My sentence stands sure, Unless a man forsake all, he cannot be My disciple. If you therefore desire to be My disciple, offer up yourself unto Me with all your affections.

~ Thomas A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

Don't Miss The Wonders That Surround You

Saturday was a beautiful day. The weather was as close to perfection as you could get so I sat outside for a fair portion of the day and read. I then had a late lunch with Jake and Rita at 5 Guys, and we went over to Hagley Museum. I had no idea there was so much to see at Hagley. The grounds are beautiful and the history of industry is fascinating. I strongly recommend visiting it if you have not yet done so. $1 Saturdays is an awesome promotion; that may be the best single dollar I have spent all year.

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards

There are some pearls and gems of wisdom on this list.

Can't Sleep

Well, it is now 1:30 AM, and I can't sleep. It is not that I am having more difficulty breathing; I am however worried sick about my condition. (Pardon the pun.)

As I have been contemplating things though, I think it is safe to say this. Even if I get hit by a bus on the way out the door tomorrow, I have enjoyed a great life. As I was lying in bed, I started to think of things "I always wish I had done but never got around to" and, to be honest, I couldn't think of any. The closest thing that just popped into my head is to travel to the U.K. But beyond that, I really have no life-goal type regrets. I have greatly enjoyed the travels I have been able to experience, I am happy that I was able to get my MBA and while mildly interested in another advanced degree I am very content with that. I have the best job ever and am so thankful for the opportunity to be part of Chatham. I have enjoyed some grand adventures with the best friends in the world. Just the day-to-day life I get to enjoy with my friends is something truly special. I love my family, and I think I have always appreciated the times we have spent together. I have been in love and know both how happy that can make you feel and how it can break your heart. And while God knows all of my abundant faults and sins, I have tried to serve and honor Him. I am especially thankful for BVBC, Kairos and my small group and all that has meant to me.

The Tim McGraw song "Live Like You Were Dying" has played through my mind often. While not glitzy or reckless, I really think I have tried to live that way. Or, as Jonathan Edwards would say, "Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live."

Further up and further in.

Health Concerns

Well, tomorrow is my last day on the juice and unfortunately it did not perform as hoped. I was actually back in the ER again Monday night; they did an EKG and chest X-ray which both appeared normal. I had some blood work done today and will be having a CT scan on Monday and pulmonary function test next Thursday. I would deeply appreciate your prayers. Thanks friends.

An Evening Out

On Saturday, part of my small group (and a former groupie) went up a wine-tasting and concert at the vineyard where one of our group members works. Jason walked us through the process that goes into making wine.





No, Joe, you can't help run the forklift.


It was interesting to learn how aging the wine in wood barrels adds to its distinctive flavoring.


The whole process is done by hand, including filling and labeling the bottles.


Until the finished product is complete!



After the tour, we went upstairs for the tasting.

Jesus was there.








Maybe one too many?


There was a funky soul blues band playing from Baltimore.



There was dancing and much rejoicing.