tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-112037682024-03-13T12:05:44.847-05:00I Don't Know Where the Angels SleepMy musings on a myriad of mattersIIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.comBlogger488125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-11427974487419880932017-04-17T09:27:00.001-05:002017-04-17T09:41:51.950-05:00Two Important MemoriesI don't write for pleasure much anymore. But Facebook reminded me this morning that the anniversary of my mother's death is coming up. And I had a couple of memories worth preserving. And I figure this space is as good as it gets.
Grief is not an easy thing to handle. And over the years I've learned that it's important to feel to heal. So I share this with that in mind. Also-- different IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-45598215999870050882014-12-09T15:53:00.000-06:002015-06-26T10:47:37.259-05:00I just wanna be your FriendThere are so many things that I wish I could change in the world. For example... I wish people waiting at a red light could all let their foot off the brake the moment a light changes from red to green, so that we would all get moving a little bit quicker, so that everyone waiting might not be forced to sit through a second red light. You know: the big things.
In all seriousness -- there are IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-30243078104643083432012-11-05T15:57:00.002-06:002012-11-05T15:58:27.768-06:00An ode to "The Rally in Death Valley"One of the greatest things about sports is that the experience isn't always great.
Sports reflect life. And life is often filled with mundane; so much of it characterized by anticlimax. That is what we are delivered most of the time. You stand in line at Wal-mart; you watch your favorite football team's offense go three-and-out. You stare at the horizon as you fill up your car with gas; you IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-90016575812629536382012-07-16T11:44:00.002-05:002012-07-16T12:17:25.025-05:00Joltin' Joe has left and gone awayIt's been awhile, but I've covered this ground before:
I asked Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?
After some feedback, I clarified some of those thoughts with More on the Eclipse of the Great American Hero.
And finally I found some satisfaction in getting to watch The Josh Hamilton Redemption begin to play out one night at old Yankee Stadium.
And if you don't want to go re-read all of that, IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-16693467640175390502012-07-13T08:28:00.000-05:002012-07-13T18:47:08.872-05:00On PaternoHow ironic can names be? Consider with me:
• A man who grows up to become the General Manager of George Steinbrenner's New York Yankees... named CASHMAN
• An already famous man who becomes infamous for tweeting out a picture of his manhood... named WEINER
• A guy who runs a multi-billion-dollar Ponzi Scheme for decades, defrauding thousands of people & living off their wealth… named MADOFF
IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-22883986907459882242012-01-23T09:08:00.000-06:002012-01-23T09:08:49.371-06:00Curiously Long Ramblings about a YouTube VideoIt didn't take too long in 2012 for Christians in social media to find a topic that stirs them into a frenzy. And, no, this time it isn't Rob Bell. A young man named Jefferson Bethke wrote & performed a poem. It was artfully produced, uploaded to YouTube, and went viral:
I can't count the number of reactions I've seen or responses I've read. I asked my good friend, Matt Dabbs, to IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-4848746677128496532012-01-16T08:16:00.000-06:002012-01-16T08:16:30.743-06:00What Am I Rooting For?I'm going to remember January 9th, 2012 as a great day. I'll remember it as the day that I enjoyed watching my team win the National Championship in New Orleans with my sister & other friends. The nervous anticipation all day of not knowing what Alabama and LSU would deliver that night. The maelstrom of complete joy that hit the French Quarter as running back Trent Richardson broke a run IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-10599043001440617022011-07-12T05:55:00.005-05:002011-07-12T07:21:26.022-05:00Unsocial MediaThe internet is a strange place.
That's a statement we can all unite around, isn't it? Whether we hate it or we love it, we can recognize that the virtual connections we forge on the internet produce different experiences than real-life connections. Sometimes they are plain unusual. And yet, where else can you connect ideas so freely? We tolerate the oddity of web-connected gnostic IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-43872424658577514572011-02-28T16:56:00.000-06:002011-02-28T16:56:27.980-06:00The Social PerformanceYou know that feeling you get when a story just gets flipped upside down on you? Maybe a key member of the supporting cast becomes the villain? And it throws you for a loop? That was my feeling after going on the internet to read more about the film The Social Network. Apologies in advance if you haven't seen the film. Perhaps you could bookmark this entry & just come back to it after you'veIIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-50918960651129208632011-01-31T16:12:00.000-06:002011-01-31T16:12:50.550-06:00Hype AversionI certainly chuckled when I saw the Urban Word (Phrase. Whatever.) of the Day this morning:
Hype Aversion
Rejection of an insanely popular idea, game, show, place etc. simply because it is so insanely popular.
"I'm enjoying season three of 'Lost'."
"Season three came out four or five years ago."
"I know, I suffer from hype aversion."
I'm pretty sure I did this about MySpace, Facebook, & IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-74877058967423741002010-11-30T14:18:00.002-06:002010-11-30T14:20:35.113-06:00The Hide of a RhinocerosI've been thinking about hurt feelings lately. Mainly because it was my feelings that were hurt. So here's what I've been wondering about.
There's this statement about ministers that they need to have the hide of a rhinoceros and the heart of a child. I don't know how true that is. It sounds pithy. And there's a good point behind it: you need to have a big heart and a thick skin. Which, IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-89972602184604317872010-09-30T21:25:00.000-05:002010-09-30T21:25:18.529-05:00Pet PeevesThis will be short & sweet, but here's a thought -- how selfish are pet peeves? You know: those social behaviors that there aren't written down rules for that make you flip out. I'm trying to cut down on mine.
Why? Because it's hard enough for people to keep up with Scripture and the laws of the land. We also expect people to hold to some arbitrary code of morality of our own making that IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-40010551732751969002010-07-29T14:28:00.000-05:002010-07-29T14:28:15.262-05:00Lamenting the 21st Century 5-star DivaFor those of you who enjoy my sporadic rantings and ravings, I feel guilty for depriving you. It may sound like a pathetic excuse, but sometimes I begin to feel like there is too much girth of opinion and writing on the web. And, when you can probably find half a dozen like it if you look hard enough, what does my opinion really mean? With so much noise, what is one more yell into the IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-12068907589621474162010-07-13T23:57:00.000-05:002010-07-13T23:57:40.896-05:00Social FruitfliesI had to chuckle at the sight of today's UrbanDictionary.com Word of the Day:
Social FruitflyLike a social butterfly, without any charm or beauty. An unwanted pest.
It brought to mind an old Randy Harris lesson. One of his points is that every church has a social fruitfly. He even cracked wise and said, "Now some of you think I'm lying, thinking, 'That's not true!... Some church is missing IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-18201345169976763932010-06-25T13:22:00.002-05:002010-06-25T13:23:35.292-05:00Annointing a SaintDon't call it a comeback. Call it a Revival.
Wrote a few words about the passing of a good athlete & great person over at a blog I do with a buddy that we call "Saints, Sinners, and Sports." You should check it out.
"Of Sinners & Saints"IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-72810761674559854072010-06-03T07:00:00.005-05:002010-06-03T09:59:24.079-05:00'Nobody's Perfect'No, I will not be exegeting the hit song by Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter.
They say that sports is a microcosm of life. That being the case, Armando Galarraga taught the world how life is supposed to be lived: with a smile on your face, and with no malice in your heart.
In case you're not a baseball fan, I should help you catch up. On Wednesday night, the young Galarraga was on the verge of IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-25569403447074004672010-05-13T12:09:00.005-05:002010-05-13T12:28:21.670-05:00When Pop-Culture Meets EpistemologyWARNING: spoilers lie ahead. If you aren't caught up on all the latest episodes of LOST, save this to read later
A great little piece of pop-culture is set to expire in just over a week. The ABC television series "LOST" comes to a close on May 23rd when it airs it's 2-and-a-half-hour finale.
Part of the show's great appeal has been how difficult it is to figure out what exactly is going on.IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-44605442259413770852010-05-07T15:46:00.012-05:002010-05-07T16:15:09.592-05:00My Friend, So Long -- Part 2I imagine what it must have been like.
The Church at Corinth meets together at their regular time on Sunday morning. There's a buzz before worship starts on this day, though. News is being passed around that can only be described as startling. It's being bandied about that one of the young adult guys actually is sleeping with his step-mother! Can you believe this? It is UNbelievable...
"IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-4894794038662171162010-04-30T14:20:00.009-05:002010-05-19T14:26:08.491-05:00My Friend, So Long -- Part 1News broke three weeks ago, in an interview, that celebrated Christian music artist Jennifer Knapp had come out. She announced that she'd been in a long-term same-sex relationship. The most conflicting element of this admission was that she still considers herself a follower of Jesus and a person of faith.
There have been all sorts of reactions. Mean-spirited comments have been broadcast IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-976339078605665302010-03-31T22:59:00.000-05:002012-06-14T07:26:24.063-05:00Why Everything (Stinks)One of the more awkward subjects (for me, at least) to bring up in Church is the Old Testament subject of idolatry. It's just weird. You melt all your collective jewelry together in the shape of an animal, and then you bow & pray to it? It makes the people of the days of yore sound like morons.
And so the first two of the Ten Commandments are designed to offset this apparently considerable IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-47659473445190767452010-02-23T14:58:00.005-06:002010-02-23T15:04:27.754-06:00My Favorite Prodigal Son StoryThe shame of a really great story or sermon illustration is that you only really get to use them once. This is maybe the best story I've ever run across. I can't take credit for it. I heard it presented by a preacher named Ronnie White from Midland, TX. It made an impression on me, as well as others when I've shared it in the past.
---
G.W. Ravensbury was an itinerant preacher back many IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-87910595370425427902010-01-23T19:38:00.002-06:002010-01-23T19:41:32.762-06:00mmmmm... That's Good StuffI've got a buddy who, when he has a rich experience (e.g. quality time with one of his sons, a perfect surprise for his wife, wonderful worship with the saints, etc.), he calls it "delicious." I love teasing him about that. But mainly I love him because of that -- how he savors rich moments in life.
When I read the following, I thought it was delicious. Not because it describes something IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-86716447877887662662010-01-08T12:02:00.000-06:002010-01-08T12:02:41.448-06:00Power 12: The Final Edition... Ever"What?? No more Power 12's?" That's right. This is the final one. The last one you'll ever see. Never again will you see a poll on this blog that ranks the 12 best teams. The Power 12 is OVER.
Because starting next season, this will become THE POWER 13. As I said in the original edition of the power 12, the number 12 came from the number of Alabama National Championships. That number is IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-73021577584125978952010-01-06T09:19:00.002-06:002010-01-06T09:25:43.077-06:00First Person FanhoodIt is a big game for "us" tomorrow.
Only I'm not part of the team.
It's a strange phenomenon in our culture that we can as fans identify so closely with the teams we favor that we speak of them and us together in the first person. It's not, "Alabama had a great season," but "We had a great season."
What is it? Is a measure of one's devotion and love to the great efforts of his favorite groupIIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11203768.post-32725548603882691172009-12-18T23:49:00.000-06:002009-12-18T23:49:46.275-06:00Just Trying to Be Better PeopleIt's never dull having conversations with folks who are interested in, or skeptical about, becoming part of your church family. The questions asked are usually pointed, and being the answer man means I'm under the microscope.
I had a fun one last week. This particular gentleman sounded like a regular viewer of FOX News. From the tone of his voice, it was easy to tell that he didn't harbor a IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16315227626348856638noreply@blogger.com5