February 26, 2013

 1. With colleges and universities emphasizing online courses more and more, I think my grandchildren will be much better writers than those of us educated in colleges and universities in the last half of the 20^th century. By definition, online courses require more writing from students. More writing means more practice writing. More practice writing means better writing. Better writing means better writers. And come to think of it, better writers means less cheesy repetition that the readers will be forced to endure.

2. Last Wednesday night, somebody in Bible class mentioned they had read that Saturday Night Live had a skit portraying Jesus in a sacrilegious way. People everywhere were talking about it, so I decided to check it out. The skit was filmed and depicted Jesus coming out of the tomb, with guns-a-blazing, shooting up the bad guys. It was sacrilegious. And unfortunately, it revealed the way many in the world view American Christians who claim to be followers of Jesus. Consequently, they view Jesus as being somewhat like those who claim to be his followers.

3. I think the cover story in this week’s Time magazine is worth reading. It is a detailed and understandable look at why health care in the United States is so expensive. To me, the two most eye popping sentences were these: “We may be shocked at the $60 billion price tag for cleaning up after Hurricane Sandy. We spent almost that much last week on health care.”

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/20/bitter-pill-why-medical-bills-are-killing-us/#ixzz2M3jhA4ea

4. I was surprised but not shocked that Lincoln lost best picture to Argo. Personally, I cannot imagine anyone doing a better job than Spielberg taking an essentially dry, factual story and making it compelling—not to mention coaxing academy award caliber performances from his cast. Then again, Hollywood seems to want to keep him in check.

5. Here are my sports thoughts for the week:

            A. I pray that like Manti Te’o, Oscar Pistorius is proven innocent. I heard that Te’o has impressed many NFL scouts at the NFL Combine with his character and personality. Some say that after interviewing him they understand why he was “catfished.” They found him to be one of the most trusting human beings they have ever met.

            B. Tom Brady may have solidified his legacy by agreeing to a contract extension for far less money than he is worth on the market. He wants to win, so he left $10 million per year (or more) on the table so the team can sign more players of excellence.

         C. Something I had forgotten, Alex Rodriguez was willing to walk away from his historic $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers and sign with the Boston Red Sox in an arranged trade, but the players’ union nullified the deal. A-Rod wanted to win and make less… and the union stopped him. That says a lot about baseball a decade ago.

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

February 19, 2013

1. NBA All-Star Game? I haven’t watched one since high school. I think it is as big a joke as the NFL Pro Bowl.

2. I have been using Office Depot for my printing needs and am very pleased. They do design, but I have chosen to devise my stuff myself.  Having said that, I let them help me with formatting. I also like their quality and their prices.

3. I recommend the movie RUNNING BRAVE to you. It is based on a true story about the great Olympic champion, Billy Mills. Mills was a native American who grew up on a reservation. He was orphaned at twelve. He has lived a very successful life and helped many people. You can find it on Netflix.

4. Tremendous quote from a corporate worker, found in the book A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America by Ian Mitroff and Elizabeth Denton (two business professors), “Organizations feel free to beat up on us 40 to 60 hours a week. Then they put the burden entirely on us to repair ourselves on our own time so we can come back for more!” That is one reason I have started a chaplaincy service to employees.

5. My junior year at ACU, I served in the student senate along with our class president, Jeff Boyd. A few years later, I helped lead a mission trip to Cordoba, Argentina that included Jeff’s future wife, Jackie Tubbs. Even though it has been years since I have seen or talked to either one of them, I think it is cool Jeff has begun serving on the Texas Supreme Court.

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

February 12, 2013

1. Listening to “Spotify”, I’ve been going back to the weekly Billboard charts, beginning in 1955, and selecting the unrecognized songs out of the top five. Right now, I’m in the year 1961. What strikes me is how many songs of that era lasted between 2 to 2 ½ minutes.

2. Good post that I’ve been seeing passed around is entitled, “Top 10 Reasons Our Kinds Leave Church.” It is written, I suppose, by an evangelical (judging by his content.) I believe many of his observations are spot on. Having said that, I warn against running too far into his direction of “catechesis.” I give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to balance; however, let the reader beware. Having grown up in the era with the kind of youth groups that he holds up—one that exclusively emphasizes substance, doctrine, teaching, and discipline—I can assure you young people will REALLY leave in droves when they grow up. Balance is the key.

            Here is what else I think: the breakdown of the family is the biggest contributing factor to young people growing up and leaving the church.

            Postmodernism challenges us, but some philosophies and worldviews  have always challenged the church. Ditto temptations to sin.

            The variable that is different now is the disintegrated family. People who grow up in broken homes NEVER get over it. They may cope with it, but it will give them pain until they take it to their grave.

            I’m not saying people who divorce cannot go to heaven. I will even say that sometimes a Christian needs to divorce—it is the better of two bad choices. (See God when he chose to divorce Israel.) However, the better of two bad choices does not mean that those involved escape pain-free.

            I predict that future worship services will be much more predictable and much less spontaneous. Not because the Bible says so, but because more and more of these adults who grew up in broken homes will crave structure. To them, it will be spiritually liberating to have at least one place each week they can count on receiving what they expect. The other “bedrock” areas of their lives will have been too unpredictable. 

            Here is a link to the post: http://marc5solas.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/top-10-reasons-our-kids-leave-church/

3. I saw that the Pope announced he was stepping down. Good for him, and I know that took courage.

4. Warning! If you think you are going to receive $1600 for a one ounce gold necklace, you have another dollar amount coming. I sold my old, gold necklace the other day. I figured, “Why not—prices will not get much higher and I’ll use the cash for my new workplace chaplaincy service.” Wrong—there are many factors involved with selling gold. Write me and I’ll explain.

5. I cannot even predict who will win the Oscars this week. I have not seen enough movies. I just wish ABC would stream the telecast online or even on a delayed basis.

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

February 5, 2013

1. Well, I got one right. I picked Baltimore to win. I was glad the Super Bowl was a good game.

2. I missed the halftime show with Beyonce and Destiny’s Child. I’ve heard many say they were responsible for the lights going out.

3. I have heard more talk on Drones this week than I have since the last Star Wars movie I saw.

4. I have finally opened up to using SPOTIFY. It’s free on Facebook, and it basically places the world’s entire library of music on your computer.

5. To help me understand innovation and organization better, I recently completed reading my second biography on coaching great Paul Brown—PAUL BROWN by Andrew O’Toole. For those of you who do not know or remember, Brown coached the Cleveland Browns from 1946-1962, and later, the Cincinnati Bengals. Basically, Brown founded both teams and owned the second (although the Cleveland Browns were named after him.)            

            So what about Paul Brown? Like many people who are extremely successful, Paul Brown's years of pro football success extended approximately ten years—and no more. The years before his coaching the Cleveland Browns demonstrated a coaching genius on the ascent. He coached a high school team to a state championship; he then won a national championship at Ohio State. Both were accomplished before he turned forty.

            The genius came to fruition in his first ten years with Cleveland from 1945 to 1955. There Brown was the most innovative and entrepreneurial coach in NFL history. Inventing the facemask, the playbook, filming practice, scheduling practice, practicing how to practice, Brown changed pro football forever. It was no secret that the championships (seven!) won during those years were due to his innovation. However, unlike many entrepreneurs who founded a company and moved on, Brown chose to remain with his “company.” That was his downfall and led to his firing at Cleveland.

            Later, he started a new franchise, the Cincinnati Bengals, from scratch. To a lesser degree, he enjoyed a great deal of success. No great innovation in Cincinnati, but they were a good franchise whose early years were, at times, remarkable.

            We remember Paul Brown primarily for what he did during a decade. Based on that evaluation, he was amazing.

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

January 29, 2013

1. Here’s all you need to know about Jerry Jones the GM—he announces he is replacing Jason Garrett as offensive play caller… and created an environment which led the press to Bill Callahan as the next play caller. He did this the same day Callahan was accused by some of his ex-players of sabotaging the 2003 Super Bowl—because his play calling had been so atrocious.

2. I was sorry to read that former Dallas Cowboy (and Cleveland Browns) quarterback Bernie Kosar has been suffering severely from head trauma due to numerous concussions during his playing career. The good news is he believes he has found a doctor who can helped him.

3. My head—no pun intended—tells me San Francisco wins the Super Bowl. My gut tells 

me Baltimore wins the Super Bowl. I’m going with my gut—Baltimore wins.

4. Abby middle daughter has been imploring me to see Les Miz since it came out. So far, it has 

been easy to resist.

5. I watched the first season of Downton Abbey on Netflix. I think I know now why it has been

 such a big hit, although I do think they could have easily edited out ten seconds of the first 

episode. Warning: skip over those ten seconds if you watch.

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

January 22, 2013

1. I think first lady Michelle Obama was correct in affirming Walmart’s decision to offer jobs to all veterans who receive honorable discharges, “We all believe that no one who serves our country should have to fight for a job once they return home.” Kudos to Walmart, and I hope more corporations and businesses follow their cue.

2. I read in this week’s Time that humans throw away 50% of the world’s total food production—about 1.2 billion tons of food. Wow! You would think we could figure out a way not to waste so much.

3. Today marks the 40^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I tweeted and Facebooked this morning about the irony of the national conversation concerning the ban of assault weapons, while legalizing them when it comes to the tiniest of human creatures. Having said that, I want to say something more positive. I am encouraged by the small but growing trend for the Pro-life cause. Technology has changed the national conversation. It is much more emotional to destroy a living person, whom you can see so clearly in the womb. I predict someday civilization will view abortion the same way it views slavery.

4. RIP Abigail Van Buren. I’ve collected various columns (“Dear Abby”) she has written through the years. I’ll add another thanks to SI’s Peter King. He noted, “Abby was a woman-empowerer and common-sense-maker. I remember one of her responses, when a woman bemoaned how old she would be if she went back to school in her late '30s to get a college degree, and Abby wrote: ‘Well, how old will you be in five years if you don't go back to school?’” Wise words.

5. RIP as well, Stan Musial. I did not have an affection for him as a boy like I did Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, or that I later had for Ted Williams. However, in my adult years, I’ve grown to admire and appreciate Musial more. He had great baseball numbers—especially his batting average—and and from all accounts he was an amazing human being.

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

January 15, 2013

1. E-cigs, anyone? I read this week in Time that electronic cigarettes are projected to generate $1 billion in sales this year. Targeting smokers who desire to quit, an E-cig works by using a sensor, microprocessor, battery, LED, heater, and nicotine cartridge to "atomize the cartridge’s liquid and produce a nicotine vapor." Wow! That is a sci-fi concept that even The Jetsons missed. So effective is the product, more and more smokers are dropping cigarettes and smoking E-cigs–without any intention to stop. Some marketers are forecasting a commercial success similar to the energy drink explosion. Still, I’ll pass on investing.

2. If you like business, can I recommend a book to you? I am not a Ted Turner fan, and I never have been. However, I found an unabridged audio version of his autobiography Call My Ted…

and loved it! It’s the story of his risk taking, adventurous, and visionary life. (Historian Harold 

Evans called Turner one of the most important innovators in American history.) What 

fascinated me was the fact that Turner spent the first 20 years of his adult life borrowing 

money for his new business endeavors. Every time his ideas came close to paying off, 

he would have a new vision, borrow more money, a place himself on the precipice of disaster. Finally, in the 90s when CNN and his other networks became financial and critical successes, 

he began to slow down. A few years later, he found deep disappointment in his merger with 

Time Warner and AOL. Turner reads the book himself, which lends itself to humor and 

authenticity. He also has associates, friends, and even enemies share stories along the way. 

Find yourself a copy of this book, and listen or read it.

3. I was saddened to read that two deaf brothers, living in Belgium, asked to be euthanized after discovering they were gradually growing blind. The brothers were only 45, yet doctors complied with their wish. Here is a link: http://news.yahoo.com/deaf-twins-going-blind-euthanized-165500992--abc-news-topstories.html;_ylt=ArESHGDvd538mN4GMaQDZW7yWed_;_ylu=X3oDMTUwYXZzYWZlBGNjb2RlA2N0LmMEbWl0A0FydGljbGUgTW9zdCBQb3B1bGFyBHBrZwMzNGRkMzA5Ni1jNjc1LTM0ZTgtYWRkZS1kN2IyOWQ1Y2Q3MDEEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQkxpc3RNaXhlZE1vc3RQb3B1bGFyQ0FUZW1wBHZlcgNkNzFiYmJjMy01ZTgwLTExZTItYmNmZi03MjRkYmRlNjBkNmQ-;_ylg=X3oDMTJ0ZDJucHEyBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDNDZmY2VhNTQtZTFhMC0zYTQ3LTgwZGMtMGIzNjI5ZjdkMzA5BHBzdGNhdAN3b3JsZHxhc2lhBHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--;_ylv=3

4. I was also saddened to read that ESPN veteran Stuart Scott’s cancer has returned. My prayers have gone out for him.

5. RG3, Russell Wilson, and Colin Kaepernick are living the life Tim Tebow dreamed of. Unfortunately for Tim, they all throw better than he does. I hope he takes solace knowing he helped pave the way for their success. We are seeing what experts said would never happen—pro offenses in the NFL dominated by running quarterbacks who can throw well. A new era in pro football has arrived.

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