March 12, 2013

1. It’s been eight months since I left preaching and, believe it or not, I don’t miss it.

2. I saw that Argo is out this week on DVD in Redbox; I want to watch it.

3. I think this is the coldest start to March I can remember.

4. I ordered the first few episodes of the old TV series THE WILD, WILD WEST from Netflix. I told Timothy I wanted him to watch, and he begrudgingly did so last night with the rest of the family. He loved it. I really enjoyed that show in my childhood. It gives me great satisfaction to know he does as well.

5. I think the Texas Rangers are going to surprise a lot of people this year: including me.

            *Thanks to Peter King for the inspiration for this title.

December 18, 2012

1. I was very pleased by the beginning of President Obama’s speech on Sunday to the people of Newtown, Conn. In the face of that horrific tragedy, the president referred to and quoted from Scripture extensively. In a time of unspeakable tragedy, it was significant that our president took us to our greatest potential source of comfort. One YouTube post cut that part out—a sure sign that the Judeo-Christian worldview came through.

2. Saturday night, Judy and I took in the Robert E. Lee production of the musical WHITE CHRISTMAS. As a chaser, we watched the Bing Crosby/Danny Kay movie last night. I was surprised that the stage version is so different than the movie version. For example, in the movie, General Waverly leaves the WWII European front because he is being demoted. In the stage version, he has to return to the states to receive an operation on his wounded leg. I liked both, but the movie version lasts only two hours, compared to the stage version’s duration of three hours. If I must vote, therefore, I vote for the stage version.

3. I think the Texas Rangers did the right thing in letting Josh Hamilton go. There is no way the team’s income can support signing him to a contract like the Angels. Having said that, I fear that we will look back on Hamilton’s time with the team as the golden years. I wish they would have won at least one World Series during that time—the window of opportunity has closed.

4. If you want to read a book to help you emotionally understand that beautiful actresses do not have it made, read Portia De Rossi’s book Unbearable Lightness. Tormented by her homosexual feelings and her physical self-loathing, she does a tremendously effective job of communicating her insecurity and fear. Those twin evils fueled her eating disorders and self-destruction. At one point, her weight dropped below 90lbs. (Photos from that time in her life break your heart.) I bet most females in the country reading the book think to themselves, “I’m glad I’m not her.” Remarkable.

5. I know I wrote on this yesterday (http://markedgeremarks.blogspot.com/), but the more I think about Lev. 25 and Deut. 15, the more I am challenged by those two passages.

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

October 9, 2012

1. I think that our United States federal education system is materialistic. Some of you maybe thinking, "Well, duh! It's about time you catch on." I was slow because before, whenever I thought of materialism, I thought of buying and accumulating a lot of things or a lot of money.

            However, a teacher at John Tyler High School said something to me a few weeks ago that made it all click. Federal mandates emphasize the material. For example, consider the federal government’s influence concerning testing.

            The emphasis no longer is on gathering knowledge in order to become a good citizen in a democratic society. Now it is on receiving high numbers (grades) as noted on ink and paper, or through pixels.

            Education from the federal government does not care about producing good citizens; it cares about producing good testers. That means schools often deliver neither.

            A major factor preventing students today from excelling in education is the complete elimination of the spiritual from the public schools. When I use the word “spiritual” in this context, I am using it in the broad sense, in full compliance with Supreme Court decisions of Church and State.

         Without the spiritual, you lose good education and good citizens.

2. I think Texas Ranger fans are going to rue the day that Josh Hamilton signed with another team. I fear these past few years will be known as the golden years of the Texas Rangers and that the Rangers will not win a World Series for many years to come. They will be competitive, but the window of opportunity has closed.

3. I am picking Baltimore and Washington to play in the World Series. I had picked the Giants, but they are now behind Cincy 2-0. Obviously, I made a mistake. Matt Cain looked awful Game 1.

4. I saw HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA last week. It was the first 3D movie that I have seen with the new technology (that was cool!) The movie started slow for a cartoon, but it picked up about ten to fifteen minutes in. Lots of laughs.

5. I finished the book THE LAST HEADBANGERS by sportswriter Kevin Cook last week. It is a celebration of the seventies in the NFL, before major rule changes in defensive football occurred, delivering the high scorer football we still witness today.

            It is not a heavily researched book along the lines of Michael MacCambridge’s AMERICA’S GAME, but the author did conduct a few interviews, which brought some originality to the table. (My favorite interview was Roger Staubach.)

            Two interesting facts that appeared at the end of the book:

             1) How popular is the NFL? According to the THE LAST HEADBANGERS, ESPN's coverage of the annual scouting combine in Indianapolis draws more viewers than the Masters or the Indy 500. In the year 2010, the top 19 rated programs in all of television were broadcasts of NFL games (likewise were 28 of the top 30 broadcasts.) During the NFL regular season, an NFL game was the number one show on television each week. In February 2010, Super Bowl XLIV became the highest rated television program of all time. The next year, Super Bowl XLV became number one. This year, 2012, Super Bowl XLVI became the most viewed TV program of all time.

            2) I knew Johnny Unitas paid a high price for his NFL career, but I did not realize that in the last few years of his life, he had to resort to this when he played golf: using the fingers of his left hand, he would plac the deadened fingers of his right hand around the grip of a golf club to then strap into place those deadened fingers with Velcro. This was because his right arm had been damaged so much during his career, he had no feeling in his hand and fingers.

May 22, 2012

1. I saw the final episode of HOUSE last night. My daughter, Haleigh, watched it along with me. I won't give away everything in case you got episode TiVo’d and have not seen it yet, but I will say that Haleigh was disappointed in the episode.

            I had more of a mediocre review. I think it could have been better, but I think it could have been worse.

            It has become so trendy to have amazing, closing episodes of TV shows that I believe the bar is set too high. Who knows, maybe the last episode of MASH is responsible as much as anything for that. That is still one of the highest-rated viewing events in United States television history.

            However, I personally believe the finest “final episode” was the old TV show NEWHART. When Bob Newhart wakes up in bed with his TV wife from his previous program–THE BOB NEWHART SHOW–the results were hysterical. Hard to top that!

2. Texas Rangers, you were starting to look normal again. Now with Nefteli Feliz on the D.L., you guys are really to be tested.

3. I almost halfway through THE PASSAGE TO POWER by Robert Caro. It is a spell binder so far.

4. I think I tweeted this, but it was great having Max Lucado speak at the ETCA fundraiser on Friday night, and at their senior graduation on Saturday. He did a great job and much was done to benefit the school. I had Max’s nephew, Taylor Preston, in my senior Bible class this year at the Academy. He is an extremely smart student and fun to have in class.

 5. Another book for the series that I am currently preaching, which includes a look at The Seven Deadly Sins, is THE 7 SINS OF HIGHLY DEFECTIVE PEOPLE by Rick Ezell. This is a smaller book, more practical, than most having to do with this subject.

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