June 26, 2012

1. Judy and I have been checking up on our wills. I first got the idea when I changed my life insurance policy a couple of months ago.

            Then I began really thinking about it as I prepared to go on Wilderness Trek with my middle daughter, Abby, and her high school youth group. You never know when something might go wrong.

            (I’ve told some of the kids that if I die of a heart attack on the mountain, build a big bier of wood, put my body on top of it, and set the wood on fire–just like the Vikings used to do to honor their heroes. I don’t know if the kids would go for that, but it gives me great pleasure to think about the honor.)

            At any rate, our wills are in good shape. Are yours?

2. Bizarre story from SI’s Peter King: “Did you hear the one about the man in South Dakota who murdered a high-school classmate 55 years after the classmate pulled a jockstrap over his head as a practical joke? Carl Ericsson, of Watertown, S.D., walked to the front door of his ex-classmate, Norman Johnson, and shot him twice. According to the Associated Press, last month Ericsson told the judge in the case that he guesses he shot his former classmate ‘because of something that happened over 50 years ago. It was apparently in my subconscious.’”

            I think vengeance is best left to the Lord.

3. Could not resist checking out the other day the new book REAGAN AND THATCHER The Difficult Relationship by Richard Aldous. Like many friendships, this one was much more complicated and complex than appeared on the surface. Many times they frustrated each other and they experienced much conflict through the years. I’m still working on the book, but it is very engrossing so far.

4. Call me old fashioned, but I get a kick out of occasionally watching clips from the old Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts on YOUTUBE.

5. Okay, so I was wrong to pick Miami over Oklahoma City in six games. They won in five. Maybe this will get championships out of their system.

*Thanks to Peter King for the inspiration for this blog's title.

June 5, 2012

1. Last Sunday morning, I preached on temperance and particularly, how it impacts the management of our appetite for food. Consequently, it caught my attention to see a major story in Time magazine this week about “The Purpose Driven Life's,” Rick Warren, challenging his congregation to follow what he calls “The Daniel Plan”. The Daniel Plan addresses food, exercise, and spirituality from a Christian perspective. 

            I learned several things, including: Rick Warren, about a year ago, weighed close to 300 pounds; since then he has lost 55 pounds and his goal is to lose 35 more. Secondly, addressing the health concerns of our world and its diet, “by the end of this decade, there will be 50 million people per year dying worldwide from chronic, lifestyle related diseases, compared with 20 million dying from infectious diseases.”

            It's a good story, and here is the link: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2116130,00.html

2. I checked out the new book by Douglas Brinkley, Cronkite, from the public library last week. Friday night I sat down to skim through it, just to get idea about what it was about, but I became so engrossed in it that I read the book. It was marvelous.

            Part of it is probably because I am old enough to remember when Walter Cronkite was the premiere newscaster in the United States. On top of that, I enjoyed going through some of the major events in my childhood and youth through the eyes of Cronkite's reporting: the space program, the assassinations of the Kennedy brothers and Martin Luther King, Viet Nam, the energy crisis of the 70s, Watergate, the ascendance of Jimmy Carter and then Ronald Reagan. Fascinating perspective about a man who lived almost a century, and who was referred to as “the most trusted man in America.”

3. I have a new song that haunts me. Actually, it’s an old song, and I heard it again last week in a restaurant. The song is “Go Now” by the MOODY BLUES. That is one of those songs that you hear enough to recognize but have to get your iPhone to identify.

4. Last week I picked San Antonio to defeat Oklahoma City in 6 games. Now that OC leads the series 3-2, I am obviously skating on thin ice. On top of that, they play in Oklahoma City tomorrow night, where the Thunder have not lost all season. I am not going to bail out on the Spurs now. I’m sticking with my prediction.

            A. Congratulations Tiger Woods on winning THE MEMORIAL Sunday. Now, give us a great U. S. Open.

            B. I was disappointed to see Boston Bruin goalie Tim Thomas is taking a year off. He’s a great goalie and a man of faith. The NHL will miss him.

5. West Erwin, thanks for inviting me over tomorrow night. I look forward to us looking together at “The Greatest Commandment.”

*Thanks to Peter King for the inspiration for this blog's title.

May 29, 2012

1. It's not often that you go to vote and see your friend on the ballot for the United States Senate. I have to admit, it's pretty cool.

            I have known Glenn Addison since our college days at ACU. Today he is one of several Republicans running for the Senate.

            No matter what party they are involved in, I have a high respect for Glenn and other Christians who are willing to participate in the political process.

            Creation is fallen, and as the medical field and political field demonstrate, we will never see complete and everlasting healing. Yet, it is nice to know godly people who try to do the best they can to serve God in either one.

2. Last night, I was working on my bank statement, and I was seated behind my daughter Abby. Abby, herself, was seated at our family computer with her ear plugs in, and she was watching a TV program on an internet service.

            Hard as I tried to concentrate on the bank statement, I consistently found myself distracted by what was on the screen. I found out that the show was called ONCE UPON A TIME. The premise is that several fairytale characters such as Snow White, the evil queen, Cinderella, and Rumpelstiltskin are transported into the modern world to a small town in Maine.

            The show has aired this year on ABC. I am definitely toying with the idea of watching the show on DVD or Internet.

3. Here is an interesting find. Jay Hunter Morris has starred in productions of the famous Metropolitan Opera of New York City. Jay Hunter Morris grew up in Paris–Texas! That's a definite example of a small-town boy who make good in his chosen field.

4. I’m so glad school is out for our girls and me. Timothy, and my wife, Judy, will be out of school by the end of this week. I truly believe I enjoy summer now as much as I did when I was a kid. It's good to see the kids get a break; it is also good to get to spend more time with them. While I don't particularly enjoy hot weather, I realize you cannot have summer without it. I like summer. 

5. I’m picking San Antonio to defeat Oklahoma City in 6 games. There: I wrote it.

   

*Thanks to Peter King for the inspiration for this blog's title.

May 8, 2012

 1. I ran in this blog a couple of weeks ago a blurb about Salman Khan. He has created a website designed to help teenagers with their education. My interest was in the subjects of math and science, because that is where I am of little help to my kids.

            Khan came up with this idea trying to help his teenage cousin solve algebra problems. Since she lived far away, he attempted to help her online. He succeeded.

            I have found this site very helpful.

            If you have teenagers, it will be helpful to you as well. The site is free, and here is a link http://www.khanacademy.org/

2. I think the new DICK’S SPORTING GOODS commercial-“Untouchable”-is one of most inspirational of all time. It features music from the movie RUDY, and shows athletes in the state of preparation for their particular sports. The ad’s culmination features the athletes competing in their respective events. I showed the commercial on YouTube to my four kids. Four out of four kids surveyed said they found the commercial highly inspirational. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abd1OYiAcGQ

3. I'm glad to see vocational education is making a comeback. Guess where this quote came from:

            “Over time… public schools cultivated the theology that every child should go to college (a four year liberal arts college at that) and therefore every child should be required to pursue a college prep course in high school. The results have been awful. High school dropout rates continue to be a national embarrassment. In most high school graduates are not prepared for the world of work.”

Answer–TIME Magazine May 14, 2012 (Here’s a link to the article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2113794,00.html)

            I agree with TIME. Too many students are destroying the integrity of high schools because they are being pigeonholed into something that is so disconnected from their temperament and future lives, they are willing to sabotage all school activity around them—and potentially their own lives as well.

            I knew that we have a deficiency of welders in the U.S.; I did not realize we're also running out of qualified auto mechanics.

            I hope vocational education in schools is trending up.

4. I recently started a new series at Shiloh that I am calling “Seven Life-Affirming Virtues.” The genesis of this idea came as I thought of doing a series on the seven deadly sins. After some study and reflection, I moved the framework for the series toward a more positive direction.

            I chose seven fundamental virtues that describe the location where one can find God. I decided to address the sins and the flanking either side of each virtue. For example, last week we looked at humility, which is a spot one can find Jesus (See Phil. 2:1-7.)

            On one side of humility is thinking too high of oneself; on the other side of humility is thinking too low of oneself.

            It so happens that in each one of these sermons, one of the corresponding vices comes from the list of seven deadly sins. Consequently, I have read several books on the Seven Deadly Sins as conversation partners.

            One I have found helpful is an older book that you may have read. SEVEN DEADLY SINS was written by Tony Campolo back in the 1980s. In this book, Campolo is typically thought-provoking, occasionally outrageous, and often practical.

            Another book, for those who would enjoy a more scholarly and classical treatment, is THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS by Solomon Schimmel. His perspective is Jewish, and it was written when he was serving as a professor of Jewish education and psychology at Hebrew College in Brookline, Massachusetts. What intrigued me about this book is the way he draws from classical, Jewish, and Christian traditions.

5. I like San Antonio, but for my Mavs’ sake, I am pulling for Oklahoma City or Miami to win the NBA championship. Dallas wrote off this season before it began. OC and Miami is bound to win a championship; why not let them get it out of their system this year?

*Thanks to Peter King for the inspiration for this blog's title.