Sojourner's reports on the pilgrimmage this time of year to the town of Bethlehem:

Yet, reports Haaretz, "Israel's separation fence - which dips deep into the West Bank in some areas - cast a shadow over the celebrations." The barrier, which completely encircles Bethlehem, "prevented tourists from walking into town on the biblical-era route likely used by Jesus and Mary. Instead, they were forced to enter through an Israeli checkpoint. Shops, restaurants and businesses that once thrived remained shuttered, split off from the rest of the town by the barrier."

So its Israel's fault that they have to protect themselves in this way? If they didn't have to worry about suicide bombers every day, I'm sure this wouldn't be an issue.

MSN just listed "Crash" as one of the ten worst films of the year. Am I missing something, I thought it was one of the best all time!

I don't know the validity of the following story, but it seems pretty neat:

"Silent Night," by Stanley Weintraub, is the story of Christmas Eve 1914 on the World War I battlefield in Flanders. As the German, British, and French troops facing each other were settling in for the night, a young German soldier began to sing "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht." Others joined in. When they had finished, the British and French responded with other Christmas carols.

Eventually, the men from both sides left their trenches and met in the middle. They shook hands, exchanged gifts, and shared pictures of their families. Informal soccer games began in what had been "no-man's-land." And a joint service was held to bury the dead of both sides.
The generals, of course, were not pleased with these events. Men who have come to know each other's names and seen each other's families are much less likely to want to kill each other. War seems to require a nameless, faceless enemy.

So, following that magical night the men on both sides spent a few days simply firing aimlessly into the sky. Then the war was back in earnest and continued for three more bloody years. Yet the story of that Christmas Eve lingered - a night when the angels really did sing of peace on earth.

Folksinger John McCutcheon wrote a song about that night in Belgium, titled "Christmas in the Trenches," from the viewpoint of a young British solder. Several poignant verses are:
"The next they sang was "Stille Nacht," "Tis 'Silent Night'," says I. And in two tongues one song filled up that sky "There's someone coming towards us!" the front line sentry cried All sights were fixed on one lone figure coming from their side His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright As he bravely strode unarmed into the night.

Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's land With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell. We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home These sons and fathers far away from families of their own Young Sanders played his squeeze box and they had a violin This curious and unlikely band of men.

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more With sad farewells we each began to settle back to war But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?" 'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war Had been crumbled and were gone for evermore."

Tiger Woods and I are both turning 30 this week. Unfortunately, other than receding hairlines, that's about all that we share...

The Quickie addressed an issue that crossed my mind last week in regard to the NFL draft:

If the Texans beat the 49ers, it's simple: Houston gets the first pick of the NFL Draft. (Presumably, Reggie Bush -- or trading him for a pile of picks and players.)If the 49ers win and the other 3-12 teams (Jets, Packers, Saints) all lose, too, there will be a 5-way tie for last. Parity rules!

Apparently, they break that tie using strength of schedule. But, wait! Shouldn't they technically give it to the team that went 3-13 vs. the WORST schedule?

Wouldn't that more accurately (and fairly) indicate which team was the worst, which is the whole point of assigning No. 1 pick to begin with?

It seems that if that five-way tie happens, the team with the strongest strength of schedule gets the first pick, presumably to reward them for their tough luck. However, as the Quickie points out and I agree, the worst team is really the one with the worst record and EASIEST schedule, isn't it?

I just realized I've had my car for over five years. Never in my life did I imagine I'd drive the same car for that long. Here's to another five!

I was just checking out some odds and ends at Walgreens when in walked a young lady who looked very happy and excited. As I was leaving, I glanced at her and noticed she was purchasing what looked like a pregnancy test (don't ask me how I would know what one of those look like). I thought that made sense, then I went out to my car and saw was had to be her boyfriend/husband, he looked nervous as hell! I had to laugh.

I had this thought a few days ago. In the academic spheres, I think polarization of ideas is natural and good. However, my thought is that the more one enters the "real world," the more we put ideas to names and faces and individuals instead of groups, the more liberal a conservative becomes and the more conservative a liberal becomes. Am I off on this one?

Fellow blogger Jordon Cooper calls these "contextless links" on his site, I'll refer to them as interesting articles you may want to check out:

A Rant on Christian Exodus Inspired by GQ Magazine
http://www.theooze.com/articles/article.cfm?id=1284

This next one is kind of lame, but it deals with an issue close to my heart, illegal immigration. As I've written much in this space here, I am not for open borders, I don't like those coming to America illegally and putting pressure on our social systems to support them. Something must be done. However, on the other hand, each of these people represent more than an issue, they have names and faces and families and stories, they want to work, they want to make their lives better, they have no problem paying taxes, but they aren't allowed. I can only imagine if my family had been born in poverty in Tijuana or some other Mexican city, I know had the opportunity occurred, my father would have brought us across the border and made a life for himself. That's who he is, and there are countless like him. This issue is a major elephant in the room that neither side wants to confront, I just hope they balance the needs of our country with the mercy and grace that this country was founded on.
http://www.theooze.com/articles/article.cfm?id=1295

I survived!

The "Oozeletter" makes an interesting comment:

Also, we would Like to take this opportunity say thank you for you support of THEOOZE a we hope you have a great Christmas and consider contemplating this during the season: What if the incarnation was more than just a one-sided event? What if God learned as much about being human-one of us-as we learned about God's divinity when God journeyed to be with us?

Like I said, interesting thought, though I disagree. They don't add any qualification of this question, so I don't know if they are heading in a specific direction. The only Scripture reference I could think of would be Hebrews 4:15 where the author writes "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in any way, just as we are - yet was without sin." He was human, He did become one of us, but to think that God learned something that He didn't already know by Jesus' time on earth, I find that hard to swallow.

I think I've handled myself well thus far throughout the pre-holiday season. My as the next two days approach, I can't take it anymore, I feel like my head is going to explode! Do people realize what they are doing? Do they realize how shallow it all is? Do they realize the stress is all self-induced? What can I say though, it happens right in my own family, I am powerless to stop it.

Finally something worthwhile from Sojourners:

Some Christians this season are boycotting retailers that choose not to use the phrase "Merry Christmas" in advertising. I have been fired up for some time about Christmas commercialism. But the target of my concern is not how a clerk delivers holiday greetings at the check-out stand.

The spiritual foes that I resist this time of the year are materialism and greed. I note the corrosive impact of hypercommercialism on family life, and I don't like it one bit. You can order in wood or plastic the baby Jesus in a manger who had no place to lay his head. But can you find a place for this baby Jesus in your home this Christmas? It's hard to find time to deliver tidings of joy and peace on earth when we're stressed about getting our shopping done before Christmas Day.

My wife, Wendy, and I opted out of the American Christmas package the year our first child was born nearly 15 years ago. In the years ensuing, we brought three more children into our lives. The Christmas tradition we have developed instead is of course not the only proper way to celebrate. Perhaps, though, our effort may spark the imagination of other parents to craft a more spiritual way to remember the birth of Jesus.

For the past 15 years we have put a priority on passing time together as a family during the Christmas holidays. We use the money that other families might spend on gifts and take a trip together. In our experience, getting away from home makes it easier to focus on the family. Staying at home offers too many distractions - for mom and dad to do chores, and for kids to run off with their respective friends.

We do buy each of the children one gift, usually related to the site we visit. The year we went to Enseqada, for example, most of the kids received a boogie board for surfing the waves. The kids use their own money to buy a gift for each other as well as for Wendy and I. Often they make creative gifts with their own hands. Our Christmas morning exchange is pretty quick and simple.

Note that we aren't overly righteous. It would be better for us to pass Christmas week with Habitat for Humanity building houses for the homeless, or volunteering in an AIDS hospice. I would be gratified if my kids do opt for such a sacrificial project in the future. But I am cautious not to push my kids too hard. It is countercultural enough to prioritize family time above material goods. One step at a time is a motto I often use to temper myself.

By and large, our kids embrace our family Christmas tradition. Periodically, one or more of them will question why they have to miss out on the gift bonanza that most of their friends reap in this time of year. I don't argue, but simply respond, "Our family has decided to adopt different values." On the other side of the coin, it was gratifying to hear my 13-year-old son say to me last week, "Grandma wants to buy me a gift for Christmas, Dad, and I don't know what to tell her. I don't need anything."

And isn't that the spirit that we sorely need to exercise throughout the year? The dominant culture constantly sends us the message that GE, Apple, Nordstrom, Electronic Arts, and other companies bring good things into life. But Jesus taught that God fills us with all good things, and sends us treasures that moth and rust cannot destroy. It's the kind of conversation that I like to have with my kids when we are away together during the final week of the year. We can retreat and express gratitude for the moments and places we take note of Emmanuel - God with us.
Whatever your family tradition, I wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

I noticed that I lost by blogrolling on the side and can't get it back, I'll have to go back and code them in, but I forgot how, any help - in English?

Thumbs up or down on the new look?

A fellow blogger linked this article from the Economist:

Growth in religious organisations is proving just as addictive as it is in corporate ones, and successful churches are reaching deep into business theory to feed their habit. They use strategic planning and strategic “visions” to make sure they know where they are headed.

These pastorpreneurs are committed not just to applying good management techniques to their own organisations but also to spreading them to others. This is, after all, the world of evangelism. Willow Creek has a consulting arm, the Willow Creek Association, that has more than 11,500 member churches. It puts on leadership events for more than 100,000 people a year (guest speakers have included Jim Collins, a business guru, and Bill Clinton) and earns almost $20m a year.

In following with my mantra of not judging something until I'm met it, visited it, or read it, I cannot say anything bad about Willow Creek. What I know about their system I disagree with, but even that is limited. Saddleback on the other hand...that's a different story.

I really like this way of thinking:

When God appointed David and his heirs king, the Lord's priests or prophets anointed them with oil. Samuel, for example, anointed David (1 Samuel 16:13). Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon as David's successor (1 Kings 1:32-40).

This oil symbolized God's Holy Spirit, which empowered the Son of David to shepherd the nation. To illustrate: From the day of his anointing, "the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power" (1 Samuel 16:13, NIV; compare Psalm 51:11 and Isaiah 61:1).

Accordingly, the Jewish people referred to the davidic king as the Lord's "anointed one."

The Hebrew word translated "anointed one" is "messiah." The Greek equivalent is "christ." So all the davidic kings were "messiahs" or "christs" or "anointed ones" -- God's appointed servants, filled with His Spirit.

Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of David, is the ultimate Messiah.

The Holy Spirit did not come upon Jesus later in life. Instead, Jesus was conceived by God's Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary (see Luke 1:35).

At his baptism, the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove (see Luke 3:21-22). God publicly anointed His Son as Messiah and eternal King, giving him the throne of his father David (see Luke 1:32-33).

Jesus promptly began a public ministry, declaring:
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 for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Luke 4:18-19, quoting Isaiah 61:1-2).

His disciples later recalled that remarkable ministry:
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and...he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him (Acts 10:38; compare 4:27).

To Jesus God gave the Spirit "without limit" (see John 3:34). Jesus, the Son of David, is the ultimate Messiah, God's Spirit made flesh, the Christ, God's anointed King.

The anointing of Jesus marked both the end of one royal line and the beginning of another. While Jesus became the ultimate Messiah in the line of David, he also initiated the New Covenant under which all his followers become "anointed ones" -- little "christs."

The Apostle John reminds the churches:
You have an anointing from the Holy One, and...the anointing you received from him remains in you" (1 John 2:20, 27).

The implications are profound.
We tend to identify a stirring sermon, remarkable music, or powerful ministry as "anointed." At times, we may pray for God to anoint our lips or our efforts. In truth, however, the anointing of God does not come and go. It remains constant in the life of every Christ-follower.

The anointing of God is synonymous with the Presence of God. Luke tells us that Jesus was "anointed with the Holy Spirit and power," and he ministered powerfully "because God was with him." The same might be said for us.

Inasmuch as we too are "anointed ones" we experience the privilege of God's constant Presence
-- His intimate Presence, His transforming Presence, His comforting Presence, His empowering Presence.

Under the Old Covenant, anointed ones were favored. The experience was reserved for kings and prophets, and the ultimate Messiah. The prophet Joel anticipated a day when all sons and daughters, free and slave, young and old, might be anointed ones (see Joel 2:28-29; compare Acts 2). Such a radical outpouring of God's Spirit defied comprehension, but the Father has extended this very privilege to us.

Let's fulfil our favored status!

More proof that the word "Christian" has been watered down:

Germany, host of the 2006 World Cup, is getting a head start on an anticipated surge in the sex trade during the tournament. About 40,000 prostitutes are expected to visit the country come Cup time, and officials, concerned that current red light district housing won't contain the bulging population, are erecting wooden huts for the ladies and their customers.

"If hundreds of foreign women join the 380 prostitutes already on Dortmund's strips near the stadium we'll be bursting at the seams," said a Dortmund spokesman. "We have to prepare now, or it will turn into Sodom and Gomorrah."

Dirk Lamprecht, a Christian Democrat, came up with the idea, inspired by drive-in brothels in Cologne. "The boxes," he says, "would certainly be a better alternative to prostitutes offering their services on the streets, in parks or in local zoos."

I also just perused the latest copy of National Geographic today, it had a great article on the aid given to Iran, NO, the tsunamai, and a quick blurb on the civil war in Uganda, which I heard of first-hand when I was there. What I didn't really comprehend until this article was that the civil war is due to the Lord's Resistance Army (formerly known as the Uganda Peoples' Democratic Christian Army (UPDCA)) in Uganda seeking to rule the country in a Christian manner. Sounds good, but the way they do that is to kidnap women and use them as sex slaves and trade, and kidnap children and force them to fight for their cause. Something doesn't seem right there.

Lately I've been wondering when my two-year anniversary was, I checked it tonight and what do you know, today's the day. Happy Anniversary to me. I still don't have more than a few readers, but...

Only in WI, it was around 10 degrees here yesterday and with the wind it felt much colder, yet at my local grocer there was a brat fry. The onions were frozen in the container. How could I turn that down, little old ladies in a booth freezing, but raising money for families to be adopted this Christmas. Great cause, great time!

Great game on Friday night, we fell behind early, and I thought we had no chance of coming back. We cut it to two at the half and were up seven with a few minutes left, they came back to take a one point lead, we tied it, then stopped them and had the ball with ten seconds left. We set a screen for our point guard and they just plowed her over. Our ninth kid stepped to the line and nailed two FT's to win the game. They were supposed to be the second best team in the conference, we went there and beat them. Now it's the battle of undefeated's, Fondy comes into our place on Thursday night as one of the top three teams in the state, I think we can take them, it's been twenty conference home wins in a row. I'll update after the game.

I asked a few days ago what the government's Constitutional role in helping the poor was, thinking there was none. I haven't have time to research, but Chuck Missler adds some contrasting viewpoints to Sojourners. I interpret his reference to open mouths meaning the lobbyists and professional beaurocrats that make a living off of government's "support of the poor," much like those in Africa who make their living off of money to fight AIDS, it was chronicled this summer on my Kenya trip. Of course, I don't think the government should stand pat while people starve, but I also don't think they should be relied upon as an open checkbook for the poor.


SCROOGE, TINY TIM, AND THE BUDGET - (Print)
"Only in Washington is keeping your own money considered a handout." -Stephen Slivinski, director of budget studies at the Cato Institute The US Congress is attempting to get a budget worked out in a week and a half. The Senate version of the bill would cut taxes by about $60 billion and the House version would offer about $95 billion in tax relief over the next five years. The Republicans also want to cut taxes by 2 percent across the board. There is hope that Congress will reconcile the two budgets and have something workable by the Christmas break.

Those Evil Tax Cuts
Of course, liberals tend to seethe when tax cuts are brought up. The monotonous "tax cuts for the rich!" cry has already been sent up to the tops of Christmas trees around the country.

Robert Greenstein, top dog at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, believes the budget will favor "the Mister Scrooges" and knock out the crutches from the "the Tiny Tims of the world who could lose child support, health care coverage to a degree, food stamp benefits or the like."

Two Issues
Issue 1: The federal government was never intended to be the charity basket of the country. Never. Lobbyists and special interest groups swarm Washington like locusts on a pea field, seeking to pluck fifty-dollar bills from Uncle Sam's back pocket, and that's just not right. America has gotten too used to depending on the government pocketbook, and it needs to get weaned. Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, once wrote: "The multiplication of public offices, increase of expense beyond income, growth and entailment of a public debt, are indications soliciting the employment of the pruning knife (letter to Spencer Roane dated March 9, 1821)."

Issue 2: Tax cuts tend to bring in more revenue for the government in the long run anyway. Why? Because they stimulate the economy. They motivate investors to invest. Tax cuts encourage the people who are good at making money to work harder. These folks know that less of their hard-earned cash is going to get confiscated by Big Government, and that motivates people to work. So, while a smaller percentage of the working man's paycheck goes to the government, he's making more money, and therefore more money can end up in the government's hands at the end of the day.

The Bottom Line
The United States needs a balanced budget - one that will truly help America and not simply cater to the never-ending row of open mouths in Washington. Americans are a generous people. Millions of dollars head to charities every year to help out the Tiny Tims of the world. As a free people, they should continue to reach out to those less fortunate and find ways to help the hungry, the poor, the sick, the naked, the destitute. A wealthy nation should do no less. But, a free people should give out of the concern and love in their hearts, and not be forced to give to a wasteful government machine in the name of compassion.

From my professor:

"They all were looking for a king, To slay their foes and lift them high; Thou cam'st, a little baby-thing, That made a woman cry." (George Macdonald)

I Wonder ...
I wonder ... did the Bethlehem inn-keeper realize he was the first to deny hospitality to the Son of God? Rejection became the motif of Jesus' life.

I wonder ... did Mary imagine that the birth of her boy would mean the bloody deaths of the boys of Bethlehem? Her son would later die one of the bloodiest deaths of all.

I wonder ... did Joseph have any idea that the trip to Bethlehem was just his first step towards life as a refugee in Egypt? His son would be born and die as an outcast.

I wonder ... did the shepherds who received the angelic visitation ever anticipate such a privilege? The gospel has always been best news to those on the fringes.

I wonder ... did the magi from the east envisage that the baby King they honored would live in poverty and die as an itinerant pauper? His "reign" was not in courts but among the commoners - and still is.

I wonder ... do all our Christmas trees, colored lights, hanging ornaments, and brightly wrapped packages give us any sense of the spartan conditions of that special birth - unpleasant odors, unsanitary sleeping quarters, and undesirable vulnerability?

The birth of Christ - often presented in cozy fairy-tale proportions - actually addresses the harshest realities of human existence.

If we've ever wondered about the meaning of life, about the agony of pain and suffering, about the bite of rejection, about the anxiety of the unknown, about the discomfort of marginalization, about the distress of isolation, about danger, violence, corruption, oppression, and poverty ... the Christmas story is our story. At every level, it speaks a persistent word.

At Christmas ... Mary welcomed her child; some of us will bury family or friends. The shepherds left their fields to worship the babe; some of us will have to work shifts to support our families. The magi bore expensive gifts; some of us will not be able to afford gifts at all. A healthy child was born; some of us will wrestle with major illness.

And yet, despite the apparent contrasts, the stories (Advent, and our own) are remarkably parallel. The birth of Christ is not mere history, but the powerful reminder of "God (in the trenches) with us".
In HOPE -

Why do I keep reading Sojourners? Every week I get the email, every week I read, and every week I get mad. Two weeks ago they referenced the Scripture in Matthew to beware of false prophets, and they interpreted these false prophets to be Bush, Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, Rumsfeld, etc. I just don't think this is what Jesus was referring to...

Now this week I have to read that the true scandal of Christmas is not whether the clerks at stores say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" (which I agree with) but that our nation's budget is not moral and that we have to move further to one of overcoming poverty. Three things strike me, first I would be very interested to read the amount our nation spends on fighting poverty, both domestically and internationally. Second, as I have written previously, Sachs writes that extreme poverty does not exist in America, his book and solution in no way even mention America in a way other than how we can help. As far as he is concerned, no extreme poverty exists domestically. Finally, I have never claimed to be a political science genius, but I don't recall where the Consitution calls on the government as the primary provider for the poor. That needs to come from individuals and communities such as local churches, when the government gets involved, there is inevitably money wasted on beaurocracy and red tape.

I listened to a two-hour lecture today from a man who works for the WI Department of Justice in the specialty area of Internet crime/sexual predators. Let's just say this, when my daughters get older, we will have Internet filters, we will supervise all Internet activities, and pray hard every night that they are not getting into trouble. This guy poses as 13 and 14 year olds on the Internet, and within minutes he has propositions for sex, nude pictures, etc. It's crazy!

Last night I posted a few song lyrics that especially touched me, I wanted to talk a little about one in particular:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious mourn...

What I particularly appreciate about this is that it touches on the new day that was dawning with the birth of Christ. One of my favorite Scriptures comes from Hebrews 7:12, "For when there was a change of priesthood, there must also be a change of law." John (1:17) also hit it on the head when he wrote, "For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." I don't know that I'll ever understand fully this relationship between the old and new covenant, but I do know that a change took place when Jesus came to this earth, a new day was dawning, all now had access to the covenant through faith in Christ, and because of that I sit here tonight a saved man, one who reigns with Christ and will for all eternity, not by anything I did, but by the grace of God. That is what makes the weary world rejoice!

I've officially turned into a big wimp. I totally broke down in church again yesterday, the second time in three weeks. The grace of God and His characteristics of love and mercy and truth continue to be impressed on me, and I humble break apart. Yesterday it was a few Christmas songs that broke me, especially a few lines:

Silent Night, Holy Night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and child...

Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy Holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace...

Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious mourn...

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand...

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother
And in his name all oppression shall cease...

Took this off the blog of a friend of mine, how true, how true!

Dear Tech Support:
Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0. I soon noticed that the new program began unexpected child processing that took up a lot of space and valuable resources. In addition, Wife 1.0 installed itself into all other programs and now monitors all other system activity: applications such as Poker Night 10.3, Football 5.0, Hunting and Fishing 7.5, and Racing 3.6. I can't seem to keep Wife 1.0 in the background while attempting to run my favorite applications. I'm thinking about going back to Girlfriend 7.0, but the uninstall doesn't work on Wife 1.0. Please help!
Thanks,A Troubled User.

Dear Troubled User:
This is a very common problem that men complain about. Many people upgrade from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0, thinking that it is just a Utilities and Entertainment program. Wife 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and is designed by its Creator to run EVERYTHING!!! It is also impossible to delete Wife 1.0 and to return to Girlfriend 7.0. It is impossible to uninstall, or purge the program files from the system once installed. You cannot go back to Girlfriend 7.0 because Wife 1.0 is designed to not allow this. Look in your Wife 1.0 manual under Warnings-Alimony-Child Support. I recommend that you keep Wife1.0 and work on improving the situation. I suggest installing the background application "Yes Dear" to alleviate software augmentation.The best course of action is to enter the command C APOLOGIZE because ultimately you will have to give the APOLOGIZE command before the system will return to normal anyway. Wife 1.0 is a great program, but it tends to be very high maintenance. Wife 1.0 comes with several support programs, such as Clean and Sweep 3.0, Cook It 1.5 and Do Bills 4.2. However, be very careful how you use these programs. Improper use will cause the system to launch the program Nag Nag 9.5. Once this happens, the only way to improve the performance of Wife 1.0 is to purchase additional software. I recommend Flowers 2.1 and Diamonds 5.0 ! WARNING!!! DO NOT, under any circumstances, install Secretary With Short Skirt 3.3. This application is not supported by Wife 1.0 and will cause irreversible damage to the operating system.
Best of luck,Tech Support

Well, another reminder that the New Year is right around the corner, my tax bill came in the mail today.

Speaking of winter, I had two instances of my life flast before me in the past 24 hours. Last night I totally missed a red light, had I not caught it just in time I would have t-boned an old lady in a station wagon, leading to who knows what (the thought just crossed my mind, I could have hit her, killed her, and be facing jail time right now. How thankful I am for the Lord's providence). Thanks Lord! Then tonight, on my way home from practice, a semi stopped sharp in front of me, I caught it late, and had I not swerved into the oncoming lane (after checking that no cars were coming) I would have eaten his steel bumper. I need to be careful.

I have to laugh, I have this ultra-liberal, toe-the-DNC-party-line teacher friend whom I have had many a discussion with in the past few years, and I shared with him some of my thoughts on Sachs' book. Now, I thought this might be one area we might agree, Sachs is clearly liberal and some of the solutions he proposes fit in with DNC protocol, this guy is on the same side as my friend, although he is a little more balanced, not taking a political side but saying it how he sees it. Not good enough for my friend, he blasted some of my comments and quotes. It makes me laught, he is such a hack, unless NPR or Howard Dean or Bill Clinton does or says something, it's wrong. Furthermore, Sachs cites specific claims that neither H or W Bush nor Bill Clinton have been perfect when it comes to fighting poverty or disease, but he still claims that Clinton's policies were totally effective (even though he admits he was a slimeball for a person), and as soon as another Dem gets in there all will change, and if not, it'll be Bush's fault.

Now, I'm not a Bush fan, I voted for him basically out of disgust with Kerry, but had I to do it over again I would have voted Libertarian or not at all, his last few years have been a joke. I'm saying that I'm not a Republican, I'm too conservative for that party, I'm independent and can appreciate a work like Sachs' or other liberal and conserative materials who are open-minded and not simply a hack for their party. I hate Hannity, love Savage!

I ran across this very convicting quote, this speaks to my heart in a major way!

It is not love in the abstract that counts. Men have loved a cause as they have loved a woman. They have loved the brotherhood, the workers, the poor, the oppressed - but they have not loved [humanity]; they have not loved the least of these. They have not loved "personally." It is hard to love. It is the hardest thing in the world, naturally speaking. Have you ever read Tolstoy's Resurrection? He tells of political prisoners in a long prison train, enduring chains and persecution for the love of their brothers, ignoring those same brothers on the long trek to Siberia. It is never the brothers right next to us, but the brothers in the abstract that are easy to love.

I emailed a friend of mine today from Riverside and told him it was 1 degree as I drove to work, he was sitting outside in the sun, 50 degrees, but "freezing." He has no idea what it means to freeze.

I'm about ready to give up on the pop culture. I've been convicted of late that I am too tied into Hollywood, MTV, ESPN, etc. I don't know that I'll give up sports, but I've got to quit caring what happens in Hollywood, what pop artists are doing/creating, and wasting my time watching so much TV! It's going to be a gradual process, but there is so much better work to be done, I have to separate from this.

As mentioned, I'm reading "The End of Poverty" by Jeffrey Sachs. In his chapter on the growth of the Chinese economy, he gives a little history lesson and quotes Adam Smith who wrote about China in 1776 and said it was "rich but static." Sachs continues "China's dynamism was drained by its inward orientation and lack of interest in trade... China had relinquised world leadership by turning inward." Then another Smith qoute follows:

China seems to have been long stationary, and had probably long ago acquired that full complement of riches which is consistent with the nature of its laws and institutions. But this complement may be much inferior to what, with other laws and institutions, the nature of its soil, climate, and situation might admit it. A country which neglects or despises foreign commerce, and which admits the vessels of foreign nations into one or two of its ports only, cannot transact the same quanitity of business which is might do with different laws and institutions.

I couldn't help but see the analogy of what these two men write with the church of today. Although I'm not one who believes the early church was this utopian state (it sure had its problems too, as exposed by some of the writings of the Church Fathers) but I sure think things were better in the first and second century than today. They seemed much more outward focused, focused on loving others, were not as institutionally focused, etc. In today's church, one can catch glimpses of that here and there, but we have become so burdened with non-essentials and inward focus, concerning ourselves with mere numeric, butt in the seats growth, to the detriment of Kingdom expansion. This analogy may be a little far-fetched, but I do believe it has some validity.

Slate had an interesting article on abortion today. One paragraph that caught my eye:

Abortion is the most important issue in American politics. It shouldn't be. Others have as big an impact on the lives of individuals and a far bigger cumulative effect on society. No other nation obsesses about abortion the way we do. But many Americans believe that legalized abortion
is government-sanctioned murder or something close to it. And many others (including me) believe that forcing a woman to go through an unwanted pregnancy and childbirth is the most extreme unjustified government intrusion on personal freedom short of sanctioning murder. For many in these groups, abortion is almost by definition an issue that overwhelms all others, or comes close, when they are deciding how (and whether) to vote. It is also, on both sides, a reliable issue for opening wallets.

What I don't understand is this, how can "forcing a woman to go through an unwanted pregnancy" be the most "unjustified government intrusion on personal freedom"? This almost makes me sick! Except in the case of incest or rape, no one is forcing anyone to go through this, the choice was made at the time of the act. Of course, my moral and religious beliefs affect my view of this, I believe that life begins at conception,and even modern scientific evidence could hardly rebuke that a child is alive (although I'm sure there is debate on what it means to be
"alive") and has feeling while in the mother's womb. Abortion is murder in my mind.

One more interesting note, last summer I was paging through some second and third century Church articles in my Church History class and found some interesting statements against abortion. I didn't realize it was such a problem at that time. I know socially it can be more than a black and white issue with health of the mother, incest, rape, etc., but morally there can be no question that it is wrong and something the Lord abhors.

I didn't leave the house today, not even to take out the garbage or run into the garage, nothing. The closest I got was opening the door to get the mail, and with the temp. 15 degrees with the wind chill making it much colder, I don't think I'm missing out on anything.

I'm just finishing up my final paper for my Lectio Divina class, and in doing some research came across a cool quote from "Resident Aliens" by Hauerwas and Willimon:

In a way, although Jesus unburdened the disciples of so much of the baggage the world considers essential, he did not relieve them of all burdens. He relieved them of false baggage so he could lay upon them even more demanding burdens. For in laying upon them the necessity to trust not their possessions but only him, Jesus showed them that here was a journey which required the cultivation of certain virtues. One should not start out on a dangerous journey without being equipped for the dangers that one may face. So, in any good adventure story, we find a constant testing of the traveler's character and, during the testing, a transformation in the character of the advernturer. The quest requires the adventurer to rely upon and develop his or her own virtues in ever new ways.

I like that, we are relieved of our own burdens, but then put on the burdens of the Lord for the word of His Kingdom that He calls us to.

He continues, "To launch out on a journey is to move toward some goal. Of course, in the journey of faith, we have no clear idea of what our end will be except that is shall be, in some form, true and complete friendship with God." Thus, the idea of and need for faith.

Once again, doesn't Congress have anything better to do?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2245440

WOW! did my team suck tonight! We sleepwalked right through a game where we should have obliterated the opponent, only to find ourselves down by one with just over three minutes to go. We were lucky to hit a few shots and get a few calls (the only ones we got all night) and pull it out by seven. We are just not very good.

I'm a terrible assistant coach, I don't think we are coaching these kids very well right now. It may be a long three months.

I am in the early stages of planning a meeting in CA in March and hope to get a day in skiing at Big Bear. What a better three day trip than a morning ski, afternoon meeting, relaxation, and a full day meeting in the sun of Palm Springs, I'm almost kind of convicted, but it will be great to fellowship and pray with some fellow saints and work toward serving the children of Kenya.

By the way, I refust to discuss the debate in the media surrounding Christmas and whether stores should say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." I could care less, to me, the more Christmas is taken out of the mainstream the happier I am. I would prefer to remove the Christian element out of them entirely, since there is very little remaining anyway. Let's just call it what it is, a time to gather with friends and family, there's no shame in that.

I know it's been a while since I have written. Time is very precious right now, and I really don't have a lot to say.

As much as I enjoy coaching basketball, this is still my last year, just too much of a sacrifice on the family.

I'm almost feeling led to a different sort of career or at least a job change. But I am convicted of that since I have things so well here at KHS, I don't know if things could ever get better than here, at least in the marketplace.

Finally, I've begun this great book by Jeffrey Sachs, "The End of Poverty." In honesty, I began the book as a way to strengthen my rebuttal to those who are lobbying for the government to forgive all debts and up the enormous amount of aid we already provide to developing countries. I have written much over the past few months on this issue, noting how I see private investments and careful consideration of the governments of the countries we provide the aid to, questioning why the country got into debt in the first place, etc. Furthermore, I have cited several cases where it is shown that the aid does not go to the people, it simply fills the pockets of the corrupt government heads.

Anyway, I digress, this book has been phenomenal, I can't put it down! A few thoughts:

- I've believed for a while that part of the problem in the Church and government and social ideas of America is that deep down we are racist, we don't believe that the lives of these people are as important as ours. Bono makes the same point in the forward to the book, "Deep down, if we really accept that their lives-African lives-are equal to ours, we would all be doing more to put the fire out. It's an uncomfortable truth."

- He discusses a lot of the problems of the World Bank and IMF, some of them I understand, some I don't. Overall, though, he seems to lean toward the fact that we can't just tell the governments that they are wrong, which I agree with, we need to ask the right questions and provide a prescription for getting them out of their problems. He says that in the past Western governments have simply told the developing nations to privatize ownership of land and business and open up their markets. True, but there's more to it. Again, I have no qualms of what he is saying. My problem is that sometimes governments are the problem. Take, for instance, North Korea. There is no reason those people should be starving and that it is a developing country, with S. Korea attached and most profitable. That is the case where the government is the problem, and there are others. Much of Africa, I'm afraid, is in the same boat, with all of their natural resources and opportunities for tourism, yet their are corrupt and despotic and their people suffer.

- He cites John Maynard Keynes with another appropriate quote, "extreme poverty no longer exists in today's rich countries, and is disappearing in most of the world's middle income countries."

- Using India as an example, he defends the outsourcing of many American countries, "Some rich-country protestors have argued that Dhaka's apparel firms should either pay far higher wage rates or be closed, but closing such factories as a result of wages forced above worker productivity would be little more than a ticket for these women back to rural misery...Not only are Indian IT workers providing valuable goods and services to US consumers, but they are also sitting at terminals with Dell computers, using Microsoft and SAP software, Cisco routers, and dozens of other empowering pieces of technology importer from developing countries."

- the rural misery he refers to it extraordinary poverty, illerteracy and no education, chronic hunger and domineering, patriarchal society

- He is an advocator of microfinance, so am I, this past summer in Kenya I spent a day with a pastor in the Hrumba slums who offers small loans to people in his ministry, as low as Ksh500 (USD $.75), which allows them to start a business and change their lives. AMAZING!

- "Let me dispose of one idea right from the start. Many people assume that the rich have gotten rich because the poor have gotten poor...This interpretation of events would be plausible if gross world product had remained roughly constant, with a rising share going to the powerful
regions and a declining share going to the poorer regions...The key fact in modern times is not the transfer of income from one region to another, by force or otherwise, but rather the overall increase in world income, but at a different rate in different regions." AMEN!

- What causes a country to increase or decrease economic output? According to Sachs, saving or lack of saving, trade or lack of trade, tech advancement or reversal, resource boom or natural resource decline, adverse productivity shock (flood, heat wave, pest problem, etc.) or
population growth (which in rural areas means more family members sharing less land which cannot meet their needs)

- One question still remains, what is the duty of richer countries to help (or bail out) developing countries? Is it our obligation? Of course, as Christians, I believe we are obligated to help a brother in need, but this is the government, not the Kingdom, what should our part be?

Let me give you a few thoughts that have been passing through my head of late:

- I'm against "hate crime legislation," if someone commits a crime, it doesn't matter if it's against a man or woman, gay or straight, white or black, etc., justice needs to be done...

- I'm sick of the fact that everywhere I turn around I run into an article about the Dems complaining that the Reps aren't being fair to the poor, Sojourner even going so far to state that "Jesus wouldn't cut aid to poor." Of course, I'm not expert in this area, but for one Jesus wasn't a political figure (with due respect given to the stance taken by J.H. Yoder in "Politics of Jesus" when he argued that Jesus was a political figure in the sense that the established order had to get rid of them as he was a threat to them, what I mean is that he didn't go to Rome or even the Jewish authority and ask them to change the way they governed, he was more concerned with the governance of God in His Kingdom). And second, maybe Jesus wouldn't have cut aid to the poor, but I know what he would have done, he would have told you and me and everyone else to get off our butts and take some ownership in this problem. He would come into my house and say I probably had enough, that maybe I could do without some things. He would say the same to Bono and Jim Wallis, telling them to quit complaining about the government and get out and do some work.

- Another thing that really chapped me was an article I came across this morning about the trade of Carlos Delgado to the NY Mets. Supposedly, Delgado refuses to stand for the playing of "God Bless America," which I'm told is played occassionally at Met games (every 7th inning for the cross-town Yanks). What perturbs me is that whether his problem is that if his problem is with America (vs. God), he's got a lot of nerve. I hate it when people like him have no problem coming over to America and reaping the financial benefits of playing baseball (or whatever else their business is) but cut our country at every opportunity. You can always go back and play for $100 a month.

Well, just this morning I finished up the Sports Guy's "Now I Can Die in Peace." A great read, considering I had read all of the article before, the footnotes made the book, and reliving last year's Red Sox World Series run made it truly worthwhile. Let's just say that as I finished it this morning, it all of the sudden got a little dusty around me. Let me give a few of my favorite soundbites from the reading:

On the Derek Lowe face: "Remember when Troy Aikman would suffer a concussion, and TV cameras would catch him on the sidelines as the Dallas trainers would shove 10 pounds of smelling salts in front of his nose. And Aikman would continue to stare onto the field, undaunted, looking like he just saw Milton Berle naked? That was the Aikman face. Lowe's face freezed like Aikman did, only with considerably more anguish. Imagine someone take a dump and suddenly realizing that there's no toilet paper in the bathroom. Exactly...." (That's why I require a quarter roll minimum before sitting down to do business.)

After discussing the matchups of last season's ALCS vs. the Yanks and noting how announcers just refer to the body part when discussing an injury (Shilling went down with an ankle...): "Big break for the Sox with El Duque's tired arm, the exact same injury that sidelined me when I wsa 14 and we got HBO for the first time." (OUCH!)

I've made my Ben Affleck feelings known here before, but the Sports Guy tops me: "Another silver lining: This A-Rod fiasco made us realize that Ben Affleck needs to be stopped...Since when did Ben Affleck become The Voice of Red Sox Fans? Who nominated him? Would a true Sox fan ever propose to a chick with a big ass from the Bronx? In a million years?"

The following makes me wonder what planet Rueben Patterson is from:
In 2001, Patterson pleaded guilty in the state of Washington to an attempted rape charge for allegedly forcing his children's 24-year-old nanny to perform a sex act. Patterson had to register as a sex offender in Oregon and was suspended for the first five games of the following season by the NBA.

How is this guy allowed to continue?

Talk about the blogger doldrums! I can't believe its been almost two weeks. I've been busy with basketball and family stuff, nothing really to comment oneither. Oh well, in the meantime I've been on a hot streak for movie viewing. I mentioned a few weeks back "Crash" and I followed that up with "The Interpretor," another must-see in my mind. Then just this past week I've watched "Mystic River," an older flick I hadn't seen in a while and a movie I swore I'd never see, "Along Came Polly," but found it very funny and upped Jennifer Aniston to the near top of my "uberbabe list." Of course, in between there I saw one of the worse movies of all time, "The Terminal," I couldn't even finish it, it was so bad!

I heard today that China holds $711 billion US dollars, making them the second largest holder of our currency. Something inside of me tells me that's not a good thing.

This past weekend I was watching some NFL game, I can't remember which one, when all of the sudden they went down to the field and here was Tony Siragusa interviewing former President Jimmy Carter. Has there ever been an odder pair?

Finally, I have been in a major funk of late, spiritually, personally, professionally, etc. I feel the nudging of the Spirit that it may be time for changes in certain areas, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions. I think part of it is the wear and tear of the coaching season, all four months of it, six days a week, at least three hours per day. I'm just not into it emotionally, and it affects other areas of my life. I told Lisa, at least I couldn't be happier with her and the kids, that gives me an escape. I'm sure I'll get out of it, it just sucks being in it.

Don't police have anything better to do in CA? No one drives in these lanes anyway!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9923640/

I ran across the following quote in Thomas Kelly's book, it reminded me of two young people I know, quite an encouragement:

"George Fox as a youth was religious enough to meet all earthly standards and was even proposed as a student for the ministry. But the insatiable God-hunger in him drove him from such mediocrity into a passionate quest for the real whole-wheat Bread of Life. Sensible relatives told him to settle down and get married. Thinking him crazy, they took him to a doctor to have his blood let-the equivalent of being taken to a psychiatrist in these days, as are modern conscientious objectors to war in Belgium and France. Parents, if some of your children are seized with this imperative God-hunger, don't tell them to snap out of it and get a job, but carry them patiently in your love, or at least keep hands off and let the holy work of God proceed in their souls. Young people, you who have in you the stirrings of perfection, the sweet, sweet rapture of God Himself within you, be faithful to Him until the last lingering bit of self is surrendered and you are wholly God-possessed."

Two bits of info from the sports world:

TNT announced late last night that to build team unity and bridge the gap between the two men, Kevin Garnett invited teammate Wally Scerbiak to his private box at the US Open Tennis tournament this past summer. I don't know what's funnier, picturing Garnett at a tennis tournament or Scerbiak in the box with Garnett's posse. Remember, Garnett is the guy who bought a Hummer for each member of his posse after signing his big contract years ago. When they go out, they all drive separately, each their own Hummer.

Second, word is Tom Brady will appear on 60 Minutes tomorrow night and explain that all the fame, money, and three Super Bowl rings have not brought him the peace one would think. He says:

“Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there is something greater out there for me?” he asks Kroft. “A lot of people would say, ‘This is what it is. I reached my goal, my dream …’ Me, I think, 'God, it’s got to be more than this.' I mean, this isn’t … what it’s all cracked up to be."

Tom is finding out what we all find out, that we are created for relationship with God and nothing that the world gives us can replace that fellowship with Him. I'm just glad Tom is so honest and I feel he is on the right path in his life.

The following quote appeared in Thomas Kelly's "A Testament of Devotion," I ran across it last night:

Within the wider Fellowship emerges the special circle of a few on whom, for each of us, a particular emphasis of nearness has fallen... From each individual the bonds of special fellowship radiate near and far. The total effect, in a living Church, would be a significant intersection of these bonds to form a supporting, carrying network of a love for the whole of mankind.

What I get out of this is a further explanation of how the local church body needs to work. Through the gathering in the Spirit, relationships are formed, whether we call them small groups, cell groups, or just plain friendships, they are there. The key, as I hear from Kelly, is to take these groups (for lack of a better term) and integrate them throughout the fellowship. Not in any organized, programmatic way, but just seeking to build them up in community. For instance, what we are seeking to begin at our church is to just ask people to share their gifts. If people like to sing unto the Lord, and there is a group of people who like to play and lead this type of music, contact them, get together, and make it happen. Maybe there is a group of people feeding the hungry, and another group has a heart for that, get together and make it happen. For me, I lead the groups to Kenya, so anyone who wants to go will see me and we'll do it. There is one man who runs an organic farm, and others who like organic food, let's get them together. It's been called a Christian Co-op, where people share their gifts with the body. I think it'll take some time to get going, but I like the vision of it. This is what I see of what Kelly writes in his last sentence, "The total effect...would be a significant intersection of these bonds to form a supporting, carrying network of a love for all mankind."

It's been brought to my attention that if you tried to click on the links at the bottom right, they did not take you to the intended place. My apologies, the problem is now fixed, check out some of the cool sites and blogs.

I'll admit I was wrong about the oil prices, I never thought they would get this low again. But it seems this is about the furthest we will go. An OPEC rep today said that prices had leveled to a rate acceptable to consumers and producers. I read through the lines to say that this means the drop is over, get ready to pay this rate for fuel, give or take a dime or so. I guess I can live with it, but I sure miss the rate of just under $2 from last year.

Back to the BCS, another thought. Even a playoff system would not be perfect, as no matter how many teams you take, there will still be some who are arguing they should be in. If you take four, the fifth will be mad, if you take eight, number nine will complain, and so on. My number is eight, cut out some of the patsies, reduce the conference schedule by a game, every team plays 11 games, keep the bowl system, but the top eight teams enter a playoff. My reason is that it gives teams one slip, maybe two in some circumstances. I don't buy the argument that ESPN keeps giving me that the entire season is a playoff, lose and you are disqualified. My problem with that is a situation such as Georgia's today, they played without their QB and one of the best if not simply most valuable players in the country, and narrowly lost to a very good FL team. This should not disqualify them, but it will. The same with Miami, they lost an ugly game early to FSU, now they are out, even if they beat VT next week. Give every team one slip up, we'll know the top eight at the end of the year, and let them play it out. No classes would need to be missed as they could play the week after Christmas, the week of the New Year, and then a final playoff the first weekend of NFL playoffs, maybe that Friday night or something. Couldn't this be worked out? Imagine the ratings and payout for this, and the two teams remaining still play only 14 games. Most teams now play 13 anyway, what is one more game?

Interesting piece from Vox:

College is worthless

From The Wall Street Journal:
William Strauss and Neil Howe have recently argued in the Chronicle of Higher Education that with tuition and the resulting debt reaching surreal levels, and colleges and universities failing to reverse the post-1960s collapse of academic standards, parents and students are increasingly skeptical about the value of a college education.Parents born after 1961, Messrs. Strauss and Howe have found, experienced that collapse of standards in their own college educations and are determined not to tolerate another overpriced and underperforming disappointment for their own children. This is the generation that "propelled school choice, vouchers, charter schools, home-schooling and the standards-and-accountability movement."

These parents will be more likely to treat higher education as a market, in which smart buyers exercise discretion.If you're going to blow $100k, you'd do better to buy your 18 year-old a Ferrari and let him drive that to his next job interview. Chances are, he'll get a better job armed with an automotive marker of success than with a degree.

What the upset little college kiddies, whose angry missives show up here from time to time, don't understand is that their vaunted educations don't mean a damn thing anymore. So, you've got a 3.8 General Prize for Attendance, so what? I have spoken with individuals holding economics majors from major universities who have never heard of John Maynard Keynes, I have spoken with political science majors who have never read Plato's Republic or Marx's Communist Manifesto, much less Cato, Aristotle or the Federalist Papers. English majors who can neither read nor write effectively are as ubiquitous as Philosophy majors incapable of rational thought and foreign language majors who can't actually speak the language they have supposedly mastered.

An art director at a major game studio once complimented the art in our game and asked me how such a small development house had managed to acquire such a strong art team. Our answer was pretty simple. We gave the prospective artist a piece of paper, a pencil and told him to draw something. If he could do it well, we hired him. Most of the time, they couldn't and we didn't. I seldom bothered to look at resumes, much less diplomas or transcripts.

Colleges these days produce pieces of paper, not educated individuals. Unless you wish to work for a government or in a government-regulated profession - medicine, the law, hair-dressing - there is no longer any point to wasting four to seven years in a university system, and going into debt to do so.

Learning and education are tremendously important, but they have increasingly little to do with paying money to an "academic institution" for a piece of paper falsely claiming you know something that you demonstrably do not.

Staying with the BCS scam from earlier in the week, why do we always demand on saying one team is number one "because they won it last year and they'll stay number one until someone beats them." In our current system, that is simply ludicrous. With the stakes as high as they are, if a voter thinks one team (Texas or VT) is better than USC, they better vote that way, or the strand of integrity left in the system is gone. The best team is the best team, one is not better than the other due to last year's team. And let it be known that I do think USC would whip VT or Texas, as much as it hurts me to say that. But if you don't think they are the best team, you'd better not vote them there.

We started watching "The Terminal" tonight, very, very, very slow starting movie. At least we got a reprieve when Lisa had to go upstairs to feed Kendyl. It better start picking up soon! In the meantime, "The Truman Show" is one, good movie.

I just heard a great quote from Michael Reagan. It turns out that since passing the smoking ban in DC was so easy, a city councilwoman is going to propose that they ban drinking as well. He responded by saying that if we are going to expect people to pay for our health care, they are going to tell us how to live as well. Everyone thinks this is such a good idea, national health care, but it's going to set things off when it happens. Couldn't be a worse idea.

I hate the White Sox, but my hats off to Chicago for what is an inevitable World Series crown. I do happen to be an Ozzie Guillen fan and El Duque is simply amazing. Good work guys!

I'm taking the under on their number of wins next year, I'll say they'd be lucky to play .500 ball.

The schedule disparity in the NFL is simply absurd. Take a look at the following comparison:

Eagles - Record: 4-2
Opp. Record: 19-20 (record not that astounding, but take a look at the opponent, Atl,
SF, Oak, KC, Dallas, and SD, adn all teams gunning for them as
defending NFC champs along with TO saga - SF hurt them,
Oakland is an underrated 2-4, no gimme at all)
Chargers - Record:3-4
Opp. Record: 26-18 (only Oakland with a losing record, see above)

On the other hand:

Colts - Record: 7-0
Opp. Record: 14-30 (only J-ville has winning record)
Bengals - Record: 5-2
Opp. Record: 17-25 (only played Pitt with a winning record and lost)

The numbers don't lie, and yes, I am rooting for the evil Patriots next week Monday!

The last few nights as I've been flipping through the channels I've caught a few older Jennifer Lopez movies, "Enough," "Money Train," "Anaconda." It's kind of funny watching her pre-JLo and seeing that back then, she was really just "Jenny from the block," a far cry from what she has turned herself into now.

This from my professof, I kind of liked it:

Party Time

When we reduce God to a system of thought or, worse, to an honorable and serious version of ourselves, we violate Him.


The rationalism of our day - and the centuries preceding us - has turned the wildly free, flamboyant, and ebulient Creator into a sombre, intelligent, and generally manageable shotgun rider.

In our sedate theology, He fights off the bandits when our stagecoach comes under attack, but generally sits quietly, hands off the reins. We invite Him on board for the ride, precisely because we can trust Him to sit fairly still and cover our tail in case of trouble. He's good to have riding beside us, eyes peeled for the Bad Guy.

The thought that our heavenly Father might be an outrageous reveller or a wild artist who thrills to splash color across the universe like a painter with an endless canvas, is unsettling to say the least. Yes, He may call for the fattened calf to be killed for a celebration, but He is far too dignified to dance heartily. He would surely prefer to sit regally on a throne than make mud-pies and laugh with children.

As we create Him in our image, we restrain Him in the same ways that we ourselves feel restrained, and in so doing we lose wonder and freedom.
Catherine of Siena, a 14th century Italian mystic, sounds almost blasphemous to suggest that God is "pazzo d'amore, ebro d'amore " - crazed with love, drunk with love. God, crazy? God, giddy? Is not self-control and seriousness the ultimate goal of life? Isn't unbridled exuberance a sign of youthful immaturity? Can we really apply these terms to God and remain respectful?

The cosmic cop barely breaks a smile in our theology. Could He possibly enjoy football (or better, cricket)? He never relaxes. He is ever alert - and therefore, ever tense. His watchfulness denies his playfulness.

And so, our theology takes on moribund tones. Our intimacy with Him becomes measured by intensity not levity, by seriousness not celebration. Could it be that the artists and mystics, the playful children and the poets, the laughing and the light-hearted have more to teach us about God than the weary rationalist, burdened by the seriousness and stress of the world?

Bring on the color, the laughter, the dancing, the music, and the extravagant celebrations. Perhaps as we see the Father in this light, we'll find permission to revel in life a little more ourselves.
In HOPE -

What a terrible day of football. There's not much I don't like in the NFL, I don't have allegiances to any team except the Cowboys, I tend to like players over teams, etc. However, I absolutely hate the Manning Trinity and Mike Holmgren, while I love the Cowboys and have an appreciation for the Broncos. That's why I was so upset to see both the Boys and Denver winning late as I left my in-laws, only to come home and see both teams had lost, allowing crazy comebacks. I'm saying it right now, if both Mannings are in the Super Bowl I am not watching, and the only way I will watch one is if I like the other team and will root vigorously for that team. Go Boys!

I opened my big fat mouth last night in my online discussion and, in response to my reading and various posts of others, wrote that while the writer of Hebrews does encourage/command us to continue meeting in Christian community, "I don't think Christ or any of the apostles would be happy with our form of living out this command today." Of course I was called to the carpet, asked what aspects of Church Jesus would be least excited about today. Here is my response:

Not that I'm innocent of any of these, but...

How similar we are to the Pharisees;
How we exclude those who Jesus ministered to;
The amount of money we spend on buildings while "not having enough money in the general fund to meet a physical need";
Our lack of discipleship, preferring to go through the motions rather than truly follow Christ;
Our dualistic worldview;
Expecing people to come in rather than going out to get them;
Our focus on the Great Commission to the detriment of the Great Commandment;
How we bend Scipture to fit our needs;
How we have gone to bed with political parties (on both sides of the spectrum);

Those are just a few. Of course I do believe some of these are just a part of human nature, but many of these could be fixed if we would take a deep look inward and worry more about expanding the Kingdom than growing our churches.

A few thoughts while perusing some magazines last night:

I find it very interesting, as Time reports, that young Germans are all of the sudden becoming less interesetd or involved in social issues and beginning to look inward at their own country. Basically they are saying screw our idealism, we need jobs and things are just too regulated and too highly taxed! They are becoming much more conservative, even as it pertains to marriage. It seems the social welfare state just isn't what it's cracked up to be.

These words, also reported by Time, should scare every Westerner: "Daddy, I want to be a martyr. Can you get me an explosive belt?" Those words from the mouth of a nine year old son of a man who trains suicide bombers.

I'm probably late in reporting this, but "ubersexual" has taken over "metrosexual" as the ideal man. This man seems to be able to balance both worlds, talking literature one minute and breaking down sports the next. Some examples given are Bill Clinton, George Clooney, and Bono. Rush Limbaugh was left off the list and is not happy about it.

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I completely agree with the Sports Guy:

Yet another question: Is A.J. Pierzynski the most annoying professional athlete in recent memory? He's like the Rick Barry of this generation -- everything he does seems annoying for some reason, even his interviews. You can see why the Giants and Twins couldn't stand him. I don't even think he's a bad guy, he's just one of Those Guys. If you played at a $25 table in Vegas with him, he seems like the guy who would say stuff like "Wow, you're way up right now, huh?" and scream "Whammy!" every time he was dealt a blackjack. And he wouldn't even know he was being annoying, so his friends would think of convoluted ways to ditch him, stuff like, "Hey, A.J., I'm gonna go walk around, get some air, I'll be back in 10 minutes" ... and then they would scurry to another casino. That's A.J., right?

He and David Eckstein may by the two most loathed players in MLB. Have you seen Eckstein's arm, how does he get the ball to first?

The UPS guy delivered two prized possessions today, the Alicia Keys "Unplugged" DVD and "Now I Can Die in Peace" by the Sports Guy.

I mentioned last week how I participate in an online discussion weekly. Just today there was a post on some of our reading where the person quoted Lewis and Willard with some great quotes (albeit paraphrased). First, from Lewis:

...we try remain ourselves, and keep all of our self focused goals and yet also try to be the types of people Christ called us to be when in fact that is the very thing Christ warned us we could not do...

How convictingand true, one of my major problems of living in this culture while having my heart in the Kingdom. Now, from Willard:

...most problems in contemporary churches can be traced back to the fact that most of it's members have not yet decided to follow Christ...

What does that say to pastors and lay ministers about their ministry? It bette say something or they are ignoring a huge problem.

BTW - yesterday went great, a few meltdowns but nothing major, even went to the KHS vball game, both girls were angels. Don't I feel special...

I feel bad as I write this as I'm not one to take this issue lightly, but when Job wrote that he made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at a woman, do you think he had any idea what the pictures of Cameron Diaz look like in Entertainment Weekly?

On another note, I'm becoming accustomed to being a family man. I always turned on that idea, preferring the "rugged individualist" and the cosmo type male. However, after just a few months of being the father of two adorable girls and a few weeks of spending time at home with them, there's really no other place I'd be. Give me a few times a week for coffee with the friends, the occasional west coast or Africa trip, and I'm perfectly content playing at home with the gals. Oh, the surpises life brings you!

I'm reading Kempis' "Imitations of Christ" and finding it amazing on one hand and boring on the other. I just can't get into this classical lit other than the occasional soundbite. Here are a few from my reading last night:

The glory of a good man is the testimony of a good conscience. Therefore, keep your conscience good and you will always enjoy happiness... I've been using this one in coaching, it's crazy to think of pressure in high school sports, especially at the girls level, but it exists, for sure in the community. Therefore this proverbs take on additional meaning for me, work hard in all you do and whatever the outcome, your conscience is clean.

A man must fight long and bravely against himself before he learns to master himself fully and to direct all his affections toward God. I'm working on this one and have a long way to go.

Why do you look for rest when you were born to work? A friend of mine was explaining to me last year how everything we do in life is meant to make our lives easier, when that may not be the Kingdom way. How true!

Always take the lowest place, and the highest will be given to you, for the highest cannot exist apart from the lowest.

To many the saying, "Deny thyself, take up they cross and follow Me" seems hard, but it will be much harder to hear that final word: "Depart from me,ye cursed, into everlasting fire." WOW! I'm convicted and speechless.

It sucks when all your teams are eliminated early from the playoffs. Go Angels!

Well, I survived my first full day of daddy day care without incident. A few meltdowns here and there, but for the most part we had a great day. Pretty uneventful. I don't want to sound arrogant, but I think I've got it figured out, the key is to stay ahead of the game. For Kendyl, you have to feed her before she's hungry and put her to sleep before she's tired. It sounds weird, but that's how she works. If she starts getting fussy and you are not ready to feed or nap her, you are in TROUBLE! The same with Maiya, and I need to be more on the ball with her because so much of my time in the day is devoted to Kendyle, if she needs to eat or go to the bathroom, I need to be ready, and those can't be times when Kendyl is in need. It's quite a balancing act but I'm getting used to it. (Watch, now tomorrow it'll be a disaster of a day, I sure hope not!)

One last item, I watched "Crash" last night, and if you have not seen it, go out right now and rent it. I mean that. I don't know if I have seen a more powerful movie in my life, and I've seen "Hotel Rwanda" and I thought I'd never see a more powerful flick. I won't ruin it for you, but in toward the end I had to stop the movie and go upstairs to hug my daughter in my sleep, you'll understand when you watch it.

I'm in the beginning of my first full day of a stay at home dad. Things got off to a good start, Kendyl ate well and is ready for a little nap and Maiya is being a sweetheart and eating breakfast as I write. Let's hope the rest of the day goes so well. More updates as I get the time...

Now that I have started my next online class, each week I will be participating in an online discussion with 13 others plus the professor. This week's discussion is based on a quote from Thomas Merton in a required read for the course, "Contemplative Prayer." He writes:
…meditation and contemplative prayer, is not so much a way to find God as a way of resting in him whom we have found, who loves us, who is near to us, who comes to us to draw us to himself (p.29).

Our discussion is then based around our reaction and thoughts on this quote. Most of the posts have dealt with us finding God in prayer or, to the contrary, God making Himself available to us. It's kind of hard to explain, I've taken it as us finding God not through our work but by His grace. I've also chosen to respond in the following way:

I've believed for some time that in the evangelical world, we understand that we are saved by grace, but we practice Christian life to the contrary. We feel that if we don't act in a certain way, do things like the (Christian) culture does, don't go to church or become a member of every committee, that we lose God's favor, maybe even that we lose our salvation. For many years I lived like this and bought into this lifestyle. But just recently I am learning more and more about the love of God, who He is and who we are in Him. I know this analogy is probably overused, but its really shed some light on God for me. I have two daughters and love them more than I can speak. When they do wrong, do they cease to be my daughters? Of course not! Am I waiting for them to disobey me so I can punish them? Quite the contrary! How many times is God referred to in Scripture as our Father, this is who He is, this is His character. He is our Father, we are His children, heirs to the throne! It seems we've gotten the paradigm all mixed up and it has affected our relationship with Him, mine anyway.

How does that relate to prayer? I believe here Merton is introducing us to a way of thinking about prayer that fits along these same lines. I know that I tend to think about prayer as reading a laundry list of wants and needs, of what I do rather than who God is and how He desires relationship with us. Merton seems to be saying that prayer is more of resting in God's grace and love than what we do or what we say in our time of prayer. I kind of like it as it seems to speak more to the essence of God's character and the Christian truths and life rather than what I grew up to believe was true.

In any case, in light of all of this, one classmate questioned this, writing My first response was, "does this mean God could choose not to come to us?" That's a little scary when you think about it. We have heard God may wait to answer, but not come to us?

A lady posted the following response, It may seem scary, the idea of God being able to choose not to come to us . . . but why would he? If he chooses not to come to me (according to his definition of coming, not mine), then perhaps he is not the God I want to serve? and I agree, for the fact that, as I responded, You're right, God is not in the business of not wanting to come to us, it's not in His character of Who He is.

You're probably totally confused by now, but my point is that we must look at the character of God in these questions and circumstances. The Bible says that God is good, all the time. He loves us no matter what. Grace is available to all, where sin abounds, grace abounds even more. God is love. I could go on forever. In light of questions like these, we must first understand the God we serve and seek and answer the questions or at least base our discussion from this foundation.

I just had what may have been the best half hour of my life. I was playing around with my iTunes, downloading some music, transferring some songs from CD's, etc. when Maiya came and wanted to hang with me. She likes listening to music so I played a few songs and then we watched some Alicia Keys videos. Then I put some Hip Hop songs on and we danced. Lisa finished feeding Kendyl at that time so she joined us and we had a "dance party" according to Maiya in our basement. Then Maiya wanted to show Lisa how we cuddled watching the videos and then Maiya had to slow dance with me, I held on to her while she laid her head down on my shoulder. Precious! It was supposed to be a date night with Lisa and I but Kendyl didn't cooperate. I couldn't think of any better way of spending an evening with the family!

I'm really getting into some old school Pearl Jam, I can't stop listening to that song "Black."

Speaking of that, it's weird how certain songs and certain things I do remind me of specific events in my life. For instance, every time I hear "Black" I think of riding the bus to our junior year high school football game at Hilbert, the toughest game of the year, and we were instructed at the railroad tracks before the town, there was to be no talking. At that time "Black" came on the radio and set us off! It's a weird song to get fired up to, but we sure did! Likewise, whenever I hear "Oh Boy" by Cam'ron I think of being in Cali three years ago taking my first seminary block (I was listening to an R&B station and they played it over and over and over...). That annoying song "Barbie" reminds me of deejaying for the Mert Man and Lush Man's birthday party a while ago (speaking of the Mert Man, I flew with him on Saturday to Cincy, we reminisced and he talked about another bash, I'm in if he does it!). Two others, whenever I pour a glass of OJ I think back to when we went skiing to CO with two other couples. They came in at midnight and we left at 4:30am, I had OJ ready for the morning. Last, whenever I put clothes in the hamper I think of two friends from Madison who we met at our summer in CO, I have no idea why. There's more, but I'll spare you. I know, commit me to the psych ward!

Hockey?

Someone forgot to tell me hockey was back in season. I found out watching Sportscenter? Now I have to write and beg ESPN again to put a disclaimer at the bottom of their shows so I can plan to change channels:
WARNING, HOCKEY HIGHLIGHTS WILL RUN IN 5 MINUTES, PLAN ACCORDINGLY!

My prof wrote this in his weekly correspondence, I really like it:
When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman (Jn 4) or the leper (Mk 1) or the tax collector (Lk 19) or the adulteress (Jn 8), He focused on their future potential not their past failure. He encouraged them to new lifestyles rather than berated them for old ones. He offered forgiveness not judgement. He replaced shame with dignity, embarrassment with worth, and brokenness with hope. He still does!

WOW! What a week! Let me reflect on the past seven days:

Monday: My first day of paternity leave, began the day in Madison celebrating our anniversary, rushed home in the afternoon to attend the Powder Puff game (junior vs. senior girls in football, a Homecoming tradition) and tried to get some rest and love on my children.

Tuesday: Pretty uneventful day, had coffee in the afternoon, hung out with the kids.

Wednesday: back to school, came home after, picked up Maiya, went to Homecoming parade to collect candy in the wind and rain. Then we went over to a gathering for the church we are attending, I have never felt more out of place in my life. Did I write on this already?

Thursday: another day of school, weights with the athletes after, came home, held Kendyl while she slept, went to the volleyball game, interviewed the coaches after, then out to the bonfire to chaperone and organize. Got home, wrote the article for the game, out at around 11:30.

Friday: I'm not working Fridays until after Thanksgiving, but since I needed to be there for the pep rally I thought it wise to work the entire day. Spent most of the day organizing, pretty fun time. Came home after to prepare for the football game. I've never seen anything like this, with 4 minutes left Kimberly had the ball on the 40, running out the clock. They called a pass play on 3rd and long and the QB got hit, fumbled, and it was returned for a TD. The score went from 17-7 to 17-14. They went three and out, muffed the snap, and Fondy recovered on the 1. Two plays and they were down 21-17. They couldn't get past the 50 and rather than 5-1 and a guaranteed playoff spot, they are now 4-2 with two tough games left. Came home to hang with the family and pack for the weekend.

Saturday: Woke at 4 to get to the airport to catch my flight to SoCal. Great flight, I like Delta, I hadn't flown them in a long time. Got in at around 10:30, was heading to hang at the beach until my meeting in the afteroon, when I got a call that I should head right to Riverside to hang with my friends until the meeting. We had lunch (I ate way too much and got really groggy) before driving to the Tumaini dinner. Helped set up, had a wonderful evening, got back at 10pm, I don't think I've ever gotten to sleep so fast in my life.

Sunday: Woke this morning at 7:30, went to breakfast, all day Tumaini board meeting, then drove to Pasadena to check out Fuller (Dr. Mutunga is a graduate) and then to Mosaic for church. Pretty cool, I was really excited when I got in to see the people and the anticipation of worshipping God, but that soon waned when I heard McManus speak. I thought it was going to be good as we read the beginning of Phil 2 but then didn't talk about that passage again. He went on about ambition, the spirit of the message was good, he was funny, but his exegesis was terrible and I hate that! He was referring to examples in the Bible of people with ambition and listed Joseph (OT), Daniel, and Moses. He said Joseph was a slave but rose to be second in command in the Egyptian empire because of his ambition. Same with Daniel, a slave but rose to be second to Nebuchadnezzar because of his ambition. Finally, Moses was raised in a foster home but was third in the Egyptian kingdom because of his ambition. I don't know what Bible this guy is reading, but I don't see this as a result of their ambition. For goodness sake, Moses did everything he could not to lead the people, but by the power of God took Israel out of Egypt. These men may have been ambitious, but they relied on the power of God to do what they did, nothing else.

And now I sit at a Starbucks on Wilshire Avenue waiting for my flight and totally wiped out. I leave at 11:59 and hope I sleep the entire time!

I'm reading a book with my students called "Surviving Hitler" and with that, looking at other areas of the genocide, etc. We are watching the movie "Escape from Sobioborg" as I write. A few thoughts have been on my mind:

1) I don't think I could have survived one of these. I have read many accounts of the will it took to stay alive, I don't know if I have that fortitude. The labor, starvation, etc. would have been too much.

2) Elie Wiesel in "Night" says the eight hardest words for him to digest were "Women to the left, men to the right." That would have done me in right there. Being separated from my family, watching them die, I just love them too much to carry on with life after that.

3) I don't know, having survived something like this, how I could forgive the enemy. That is why forgiveness may be the highest level of humanity.

More to come...