Politics and Religion

You know the old saying…the two topics you can’t talk about in a crowd are religion and politics. Well, today, I want to put an end to that. And I’m proud to say that BLOGGER.COM, the company that hosts this blog, this piece of outstanding American journalism, has the courage to let me speak my religious and political mind. And, I feel that PC America can handle it.

Ready? Here we go!

First, I want to say, I love ***. I try to let *** in every area of my life. In fact, I don’t think I could get thru the day if I didn’t have *** to lean on. I like to start the day by reading the *****, and then I like to pray to ***. And I feel especially close to *** on sundays at ******. Wow, that felt good!

Now, secondly, I believe the candidate i’m going to vote for in the presidential election is ****. **** is the only one, I believe, that can continue the *** on ******. Also, he will keep the ******* ******** from crossing the border. He is strong, knows where he is going, and will not sell out to special interest groups. **** is definitely my man!

Wow! That was liberating! I’m glad that in this age of political correctness I was able to speak my religious and political mind. Thanks, America! And thanks Blogger.com for not censoring me! We’ve come a long way, baby!

6 Days of Nothin’

Sorry it’s been 6 days without a fresh post. It’s amazing how much the final week of the TV season will take out of you!

Actually, spent the past 2 days in Ohio visiting friends and family. Gotta tell ya…It’s been 19 months since we moved from Dayton (the “Paris” of the midwest). We moved for a couple of reasons, some personal and some church related (another story for another time). We were like the pioneers of the old west…the two of us, 2 large dogs, a cat and all the possessions we could fit in a 91 Caprice Classic, and headed west to Vegas. I remember that day well. It was cold. Raining. We were broke (not much has changed since then!). And we had so much stuff in the car, I couldn’t even see Shannon next to me in the passenger seat (no kidding!). And it felt like a relief to leave a town that wore me down for 39 years, a town with a collapsing economy and seemingly more bad memories than good.

But today, on the ride back from Dayton to Louisville, I realized one thing: I have always been surrounded by great people. Friends, family…everyone! The ways that the lives of these people, that I have known for 10, 20 and 30 years plus, are unfolding are incredible! And I love listening and watching every minute of it. It is amazing how a 2 1/2 hour drive can be so refreshing, relaxing and affirming. To me, a valuable lesson…it’s not the place, but the people. Louisville’s also a great place, but the people we are meeting are even greater. I have always had the itch to become a writer, but I could only dream of writing the stuff I see in front of me!

The Biography channel has a motto: “Every life has a story.” Well, I am thankful for the stories I have learned up until now, and I can’t wait for the stories I’m about to learn.

I realize this posting is a little more self-indulgent than usual, but in the words of my beautiful wife Shannon: “Deal with it!”

24

It’s the day after the big season finale of 24. If you’ve been living in Tibet for the past 6 years and aren’t familiar with the premise of 24, the entire season takes place over a 24 hour period, one hour every week. And, once again, Jack Bauer escaped kidnappers, saved the girl, killed the bad guys, stopped the bomb, killed more bad guys, disobeyed but was later pardoned by the President, escaped again, and killed more bad guys. What a cool ride!

But as I think of what Bauer does in that 24 hour period, I reflect on some of Jamey’s recent messages such as “Priorities”,” Identity” andthe upcoming “Committment.” What does my “24” look like?

The following takes place between 7am and 8am: I’m asleep.
The following takes place between 8am and 9am: Still sleeping.
The following takes place between 9am and 10am: Waking up, but still groggy.
The following takes place between 10am and 11am: Reading Ross’ blog while eating Cheerios
The following takes place between 11am and 12pm: Price is Right! C’mon Down!
The following takes place between 12pm and 1pm: Decide if I wear black or blue shorts today
The following takes place between 1pm and 2pm: See if Ross posted new article on Blog yet
The following takes place between 2pm and 3pm: Have staring contest with my dogs
The following takes place between 3pm and 4pm: Couch plus warm spring day equals nap!
The following takes place between 4pm and 5pm: You heard me say nap, didn’t you?
The following takes place between 5pm and 6pm: Waking up, but still groggy
The following takes place between 6pm and 7pm: Better do chores before Shannon gets home
The following takes place between 7pm and 8pm: Deciding what chores to do first
The following takes place between 8pm and 9pm: Only have time to vacuum before she gets home…she’s gonna be mad!

And you can pretty much see how the rest will go. You would think my reflections would lead me to ask the question, “Am I doing the most productive things with my time?” However, my only conclusion is, “How can I get more nap time in?”

"Bring a Friend" Thoughts

This week is a huge event at our church, Life Pointe. It’s “Bring a Friend Day” on sunday, and it should be a great day.

Once again, the upcoming service makes me think of days gone by…to a simpler time. A time when a young lad growing up on the “mean streets” of Dayton, Ohio spent his summer days chasing ice cream trucks and watching Star Trek re-runs (yes…it was me.) I think back to my best friend of that era, Scott. Scott and I spent many days making fun of other kids, getting punched, mouthing off to older kids, getting punched, and trying to get the neighborhood girls to kiss us (and then getting punched). I look at those days with fondness, and a sore jaw. Even though we were beat up an awful lot, what counted is that we were beat up together. And that’s what having a friend is all about: doing stuff together. And as I think back, I remember one more, very important thing: that son-of-a-gun Scott still owes me $2.00 and a pack of Pop Rocks!

Good times…good times.

Goodbye to Rev. Falwell

Mom’s Day

Wow! What a great day for Life Pointe Church! The message was inspiring, the worship music was awesome, and the graphics stole the show! (Okay…maybe stole the show is an exaggeration…just given myself some props!)

186 people in attendance…wow! Not bad for starting 4 1/2 months ago w/only 50 or 60!

Now, on to my favorite part of the day. Lunch. Not because of the tasty fajita burrito at Qdoba (maybe I can get a little endorsement cash for that), not because of the totally electric mood at the table from everyone regarding one of our best days as a church ever, and not because of the free refills on my diet soda (diet, because I’m trying to maintain my girlish figure). No, none of those are the reason for lunch being my favorite part.

It was my favorite part because Jeremy, one of our leaders, dazzled us with stories of his high school days as a Hoopeston Cornjerker. That’s right…you read right. Their mascott was a cornjerker. So that our minds dont digress to parts unknown, here is what the encyclopedia says about a cornjerker:

“In a time before modern machinery, when work was done by hand and horsepower was measured in mules, sweet corn was pulled or jerked from the stalk. The leaves were shucked off and the golden ears were thrown in a wooden wagon pulled by a team of mules. This was Cornjerking, In other parts of the United States, this harvesting process may have been known as corn snapping, corn shucking, or corn husking. The many laborers who walked the fields to harvest the crops were called Cornjerkers. “

All I know is this…the term cornjerker makes soda pop shoot out of my nose.

Mother’s Day Prep

Ahhh, Mom….the woman who was in labor for 312 hours with me (I’m not sure, but I think the time increases every time I hear the story).

As I prepare for this week’s special Moms Day Service, I think back to my own childhood with my Mom. All the sacrifices she made…the times she gave up her share of the apple pie when there wasn’t enough. The time she didn’t take seconds on the Chef Boy Ardee spaghetti night. The time she let me have the last piece of chicken out of the Colonels bucket.

Wait a minute…I sense a trend here. Is this why I’m 10 – 15 pounds overweight? (Awkward laughter inserted here).

Seriously, If there were tough times growing up, i don’t really remember them. When I think of Mom, I think of an awful lot of great times. The band aids on cuts. The kind words and soup when I was sick. The positive affirmations, even when life just handed me a bushel of lemons, and I lost the recipe for lemonade. And I hope that’s what every else thinks of this week. The great times.

Thanks Mom.

Derby Day Water Handout

Well, today is the day. The biggest day of the year in Louisville…The Kentucky Derby. And we thought it would be cool as a church (Life Pointe) to hand out water to people entering Churchill Downs. And it was…we handed out over 1200 bottles of water, and a lot of breakfast bars.

It was kind of tough, though. I can’t believe how many people looked at us like we were trying to sell them something! The old “If it’s too good to be true” syndrom.

My favorite moments of the day were at the end when Stephen was giving out his last few cereal bars, and I heard him say “I think they have protein”, and “It taste like meat!”

Ahhh, a natural born salesman.

Priorities

This week’s message at Life Pointe will be on “Priorities.” That’s cool, except I just don’t know where to begin. (That joke will never get old this week!)

It’s kind of cool getting a sneak peak at Jamey’s message 4 or 5 days before it’s delivered because it gives some extra time for self-reflection, which makes for perfect fodder for this blog!

It’s at this point of the week that I start thinking of relevant movie clips, audio and slides to throw up on the big screen. This is where my inner battle begins. I know I need to us things that have mass appeal and are contemporary, yet the Dork in me still thinks “Maybe there’s a relevant Star Trek scene I could use!” Don’t worry…I’ve know Jamey for 5 years, and he has always shot down my ideas for Bible-Star Trek connections. Although, he seems to be getting closer to letting me translate one of his messages into Klingon!

Anyway, if you’re reading this, take a few days before Sunday to reflect on your priorities. And if you’re not reading this…well, then you’re not reading this!