Kingdom Rain - Wonderful!

Go here. Right now!

I have spent the last two Sundays listening to Don Williams preach, and I can completely recommend this wonderful resource. I am thankful that outstanding content like this is out on the Internet.

Minding your Peas and Qs

As I indicated the other day, I have been spending some time here, while in my car. So. Well. This has been an interesting experience for a 47-year old balding white guy from the suburbs. Listening to the top 20 songs of today's younger generation has been sobering, eye-opening, and interesting. This is a different world.

One of the most popular groups on the top 20 is (are?) the Black Eyed Peas. Without going into too much detail, I can say that I like some of their music. However, as a Dad, I also have some major problems with same. As evidence of my struggle, I submit to you the main following chorus from their recent hit, "My Humps".

What you gonna do with all that junk? All that junk inside your trunk? I'ma get, get, get, get, you drunk, get you love drunk off my hump. My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps. (Check it out).

So, there we have it. Deep and meaningful lyrics, describing the angst of our nation's youth? The yearning fofulfillmentnt and purposes to the teens of America? Concern for worthwhile social causes and a call for societal justice? Not quite.

Due to my severe white-ness, I needed to reference the Urban Dictionary to ascertain the meaning of this mysterious "hump". Could this tune be about the plight of the camel, or perhaps the illegality of speed bumps in urban traffic settings? Not quite. As it turns out, in the context of this song, hump is referring to the opposite of the front of the human anatomy, namely, the rear. Of a female, I should suppose.

I had a suspicion that something was amiss with this song; when my 14-year old abruptly changed the station when she heard/saw this song coming on. So, given this, what would YOU do, faithful reader? How do we raise our kids that they might know of God's grace and care for their lives, and of His calling of a different kind of life, in the midst of This New Evangelist?

Goodby Yankees, Hello White Sox

If I had my druthers, there would be only one season; summer. But, October makes the fall worth living for....

A Story of Determination

Go here, and be inspired. Donald & Colleen Bordelon have a great deal to teach me about determination. My favorite part - when asked if they didn't feel lonely in their home (being among the first to return to a devastated neighborhood), Colleen answers:

"Aw, but its peaceful, and you can see the stars, we come out and eat on the roof.....we have one light from the generator that shines on our American flag....."

Donald & Coleen - you are an example to me. May God speed your rebuilding, and bring peace and calm to your life.

And, there is more suffering in our world over the past several days......and we can care by giving. And pray.

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

I could never make something like this up, so I just submit it for your review. In response, I came across this article by The Internet Monk, which is what I will look up when (note, not if, but when) one of my daughters wants to get a tattoo.

My only comment: I wonder what the Assisted Living Facilities will look like in about 60 years, when they start filling up with tattooed 80-year olds. Ick.

The New Evangelist

Today....as I was dropping my daughter off at her public high school - I was struck by the number of kids heading into school with Ipods on. Onward they shuffled, oblivious to traffic, noise, other people, cocooned in an audio world. A world of their own design, with each morning's audio accompaniment sculpted individually by each student. And this world is millions of light years away from the world we adults live in. And for some odd reason, it struck me, watching these kids, that they are likely not listening to Mozart, or the Sound of Music sound track?

How do I know of this separation of worlds? My 14 year old daughter has introduced me to this channel, on XM satellite radio, which I have in my car. And, on the way to work, after dropping off the kids, I got to hear....this fellow (warning! - scary and completely unedifiing lyrics ahead).

This IPOD, my friends, is the New Evangelist, as I will call it. We need to talk about this a bit. And interestingly my friend KC Wahe had some very similar thoughts at the same time...today, about the digital age, and its effect on our kids.

I plan on spending more time on the "20 on 20" channel in the days to come. I want to learn more about this world - the world of today's kids. Maybe that is why I love the work of Young Life, and I pray for the work of good youth pastor's like KC.

What We Think....and What He Knows

Tonight, a dear old friend of nearly 80 years lies in a hospital bed, breathing on a ventilator.

We are not sure of his condition, not sure whether he will recover, survive, or whether he will be with us much longer. As I ponder this, my eyes move from the cold concrete at my feet, a feeling of depression, slowly heavenward to the cool Southern California night.

This is the time when we realize the difference between what we think and what He knows.

We think.....we are the masters of our lives. We are such silly and pompous people, trying daily to form lives that we can adjust, tweak, control. We carefully chose the right schools for our children, attempting to secure their future financial security. Shame on us.

He knows....that what really matters is the character of our lives, not the knowledge in our heads.

We think....we can shape our the world to fit our needs. We have 401K plans, and mutual funds, and exercise programs designed to minimize body fat, healthy foods full of fiber. We move on the freeway in climate controlled cabs. We insulate our relationships to minimize exposure to pain and suffering; keeping the hurting people at a distance.

He knows, that a life spent giving away is the life that really matters.

We think....we can make it on our own. We are Americans after all. We tamed the wilderness. Successful. Independent. Self reliant. Free.

And then, we face a friend lying in ICU, surrounded by machines. Powerless, both of us. Or we watch as someone we haved loved all our lives slowly fades into the fog of dementia, or Alzheimers. We watch a young mother of two children succumbs to a terrible battle with tumors that rage through her body. We think....

He knows......He knows it all. He is there in the midst of this. Present. Both here and on the other side of this life mystery. He walked this earth once, 2000 years ago. He was here, right with us. He felt the sun on his face, saw the suffering of his people. Touched the unclean. He felt the frustration, the longing, the pain and lonliness. He was surrounded by the cool air of a tomb. He knows. And in His knowing, He loves us, waits for us, longs to be with us.

He is with us still......even now, on this difficult night.

Heart of Darkness

Fouad Ajami is the Majid Khadduri Professor of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University, is director of the Middle East Studies Program and a 1982 recipient of a MacArthur Prize for his work on Middle East politics and culture. An author of several books, Dr. Ajami is a frequent contributor to leading periodicals of political thought, including Foreign Affairs, New Republic, and The New York Times Book Review. He has been a faculty member since 1980.

Mr. Ajami has written an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal, entitled "Heart of Darkness" that had me captivated the other day over lunch. Please, go read this. I find this the most well-thought-out, lucid, insightful and informative piece I have seen yet on the complex issues of the Middle East. You will need some time to read, but it is very well worth it. And then, pray.

He Kept His Promise....Twice

My two favorite college football teams are, 1) UCLA, and 2) whoever is playing against USC this week. However, over the years, I have become somewhat emotionally soured on college football. The low graduation rate of players, the influence of the pros, and then the scandals. And then, I hear of men like Charlie Weis, and I have hope.

This is Charlie Weis. Mr. Weis is the coach of the University of Notre Dame football team. He is also the owner of four Super Bowl championship rings as products of a stellar 15-season career as a National Football League assistant coach. Weis is in his first year at Notre Dame in 2005 (he was hired Dec. 12, 2004) - after spending the last five years as the highly-regarded offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. Weis becomes the first Notre Dame graduate to hold the football head coaching position at his alma mater since Hugh Devore (a '34 graduate).

But there is something more about Charlie Weis. He is a man of great character. He keeps his word. As told yesterday on ESPN, the Notre Dame coach met last week with 10-year old Montana Mazurkiewicz, who had been told by doctors weeks earlier that there was nothing more they could do to stop the spread of his inoperable brain tumor.

"He was a big Notre Dame fan in general, but football especially," said his mother, Cathy Mazurkiewicz. Weis showed up at the Mazurkiewicz home in Mishawaka, just east of South Bend, and talked with Montana about his tumor and about Weis' 10-year-old daughter, Hannah, who has global development delay, a rare disorder similar to autism. Weis said the meeting was touching. "He told me about his love for Notre Dame football and how he just wanted to make it through this game this week," Weis said. "He just wanted to be able to live through this game because he knew he wasn't going to live very much longer."

As Weis talked to the boy, Cathy Mazurkiewicz rubbed her son's shoulder trying to ease his pain. Weis said he could tell the boy was trying not to show he was in pain. His mother told Montana, who had just become paralyzed from the waist down a day earlier because of the tumor, to toss her a football Weis had given him. Montana tried to throw the football, put could barely lift it. So Weis climbed into the reclining chair with him and helped him complete the pass to his mother. Before leaving, Weis signed the football.

Weis asked Montana if there was something he could do for him. He agreed to let Montana call the first play against Washington on Saturday. He called "pass right." Montana never got to see the play. He died Friday at his home.

Weis heard about the death and called Cathy Mazurkiewicz on Friday night to assure her he would still call Montana's play. "He said, 'This game is for Montana, and the play still stands,'" she said. Weis said he told the team about the visit. He said it wasn't a "Win one for the Gipper" speech, because he doesn't believe in using individuals as inspiration. He just wanted the team to know people like Montana are out there. "That they represent a lot of people that they don't even realize they're representing," Weis said. When the Irish started on their own 1-yard-line following a fumble recovery, Cathy Mazurkiewicz wasn't sure Notre Dame would be able to throw a pass. Weis was concerned about that, too. So was quarterback Brady Quinn.

"He (Quinn) said 'What are we going to do?'" Weis said. "I said 'We have no choice. We're throwing it to the right.'" Weis called a play where most of the Irish went left, Quinn ran right and looked for tight end Anthony Fasano on the right.

Mazurkiewicz watched with her family. "I just closed my eyes. I thought, 'There's no way he's going to be able to make that pass. Not from where they're at. He's going to get sacked and the University of Washington's going to get two points,'" she said. Fasano caught the pass and leapt over a defender for a 13-yard gain. "It's almost like Montana was willing him to beat that defender and take it to the house," Weis said. Cathy Mazurkiewicz was happy.

"It was an amazing play. Montana would have been very pleased. I was very pleased," she said. "I was just so overwhelmed. I couldn't watch much more."

Weis called her again after the game, a 36-17 victory by the 13th-ranked Fighting Irish, and said he had a game ball signed by the team that he wanted to bring to the family on Sunday. "He's a very neat man. Very compassionate," she said. "I just thanked him for using that play, no matter the circumstances."

Cathy Mazurkiewicz commented, "Charlie Weis is a man who keeps his promises. First he promised to visit my son, and then he promised to call that first play for Montana. He kept his promise, twice"

I for one, am deeply thankful for men like Charlie Weis. Men with character, and compassion, and convictions. I am hopeful. I have always had a soft spot for the Irish. Now I think I know why.

Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame

Wake up the echoes cheering her name,

Send the volley cheer on high,

Shake down the thunder from the sky,

What tho the odds be great or small

Old Notre Dame will win over all,

While her loyal sons are marching Onward to Victory.

A Bit More on Work and Faith

So, what does it mean to be a person who believes, who has oriented one's life around the person of Christ, and who must be engaged each day in the secular culture?

Christianity Today recently ran this on the topic of work and faith. The final thought in this article is:

Third, work is part of the good creation that God blessed before the advent of sin. Genesis records two commands God gave to our first parents before the Fall: one concerns work (dress and keep the garden); the other concerns sex (be fruitful and multiply). The church has spent enormous energies on guiding our sexuality, but done little at the congregational level to give believers a developed understanding of the mandate to work. The distortions of work are as dangerous as the distortions of sex. Do we not owe the business people in our midst solid teaching about their calling?

I would substitute "little" above to "virtually nothing", in terms of the engagement of the church in the work culture. That is why ministries such as this have sprung forth. Thank God for them, and pray for these people.

Another useful resource besides InsideWork, is TheHighCalling. These are good starts, but there is much more work to be done. Oh to connect the dots between the insulated world of church and the world most of us must exist in each day! For additional starters, might I recommend this book - I just finished it, and it is a wonderful place to begin.

A Wonderful Resource

Recently, I began a short and disjointed rant about the disconnect between faith and work. No sooner had I done this, than I stumbled upon InsideWork.

InsideWork is remarkable! This is just what I have been alluding to in my complaining - establishing a connection between the world of work and faith. Can you see me jumping up and down here?!

To my few pastor buddies who look at my little blog, please, please, take a long look at InsideWork, this is the place you need to be spending more time finding out about the world many of your flock exist in - a place they dwell in, know of, and find far more familiar than the church. Interesting articles, great web links, solid content. Keep coming back, the site has been done in the form of Blog, so the content will be changing.

I can personally vouch for the people behind this effort. As fate would have it, the principal mind/visionary of InsideWork is a long-time business associate and friend of the utmost Christian character. Check this out, you will be so glad you did!

Proof that God Exists

My accountant called me today to report this:

A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol said the agency was continuing to investigate a truck accident on the San Mateo Bridge that ejected some 30,000 tax payments into the San Francisco Bay.

The truck - driven by an employee of a delivery company under contract with the IRS - was traveling eastbound on the bridge, going from the San Francisco post office to a Hayward IRS check-processing center, on Sept. 11 when the truck inexplicably crashed. The truck carried 45,000 tax payments at the time of the accident. CHP spokesman Christian Oliver said his agency, together with the IRS and state transportation officials, responded to the solo-vehicle accident. No other vehicles were involved, and the driver of the truck suffered only minor injuries, Oliver said.
IRS spokesman Jesse Weller said Saturday that the 30,000 documents - 1040-ES forms for filing quarterly taxes, plus the payments themselves - were deemed "not recoverable."

And people say there is no God................

Is It Reality, or Is It Make Believe

We live on a street where reality and fantasy blur. You see, our street has been used for years for filming all sorts of things, from commercials, to TV drama series, to sitcoms, to movies (all three Back to the Futures). So we live on this street that is very much like "Anywhere, USA". Tonight, the crews were out filming again.

The world these film crews create is make believe. This is the world as we would like it to be, not the world that we have to live in.

The challenge for us who believe - is to form lives that reflect a reality we know to be the Ultimate Truth, and yet to love those around us in a way that is real, genuine, down-to-earth, and exhibits the character of the One who changed the world forever. God help us to do this. Daily.

Avoid This Gentleman

In my mind, this photo has three potential captions.

1. "Hello, I have parked my space vehicle on your roof. May I borrow your magic moving-picture viewing box to communite with my Star Base? Oh, and please, vote for Hillary for President"
2. "Yes, hello. I am the candidate for the position of Pastor of Communication. What time is the interview again?"
3. "Duuude! Like, I'm here to totally take your daughter to the prom. Like my outfit?"

Update - Canal Street Church

This is the inside of the sanctuary of Canal Street Presbyterian Church in New Orleans. My old friend, Pastor Mike Hogg, has an update on the status of the church here. Mike relates the condition of the church buildings with his usual sense of humor, mentioning that a new hole in the roof of the church gym will likely improved the basketball game of a certain church member. In the midst of flood, damage, pain, and suffering, Mike and his flock retain their sense of humor - a sure sign of Kingdom people.

Mike closes his remarks on the condition of the church with this:

"Lots of work, but could have been a lot worse. If there was ever a time to relinquish control of the church, ministry, etc., it's now. God is able..., we will worship again at Canal and Hennessey when the Lord enables us to do so!"

Amen to that. And may those of us who love Pastor Mike, Christina, and indirectly his flock be a part of that day coming soon! I long to hear that once soggy, now repaired organ swell again, joined by the voices of the faithful of this good church. We can help bring about that day....even sooner!

Close Enough To Feel The Migration

I am in Dallas tonight for a business meeting. Today a local radio station indicated that the normal 4.5 hour drive from Houston to Dallas is 15-20 hours long, and not much gas at all along the way. At least living here, you have the chance to get out of the way, if you have the resources to do the getting quickly. Rita is scary!

Our hotel is nearly full tonight, with more people arriving as darkness falls. I just spoke with a fellow in the hotel lobby who decided on Tuesday to get his family (wife and three little girls) up here by today. He just sold his house in Houston, bought another one, and did not have time to board up the windows before he left. He thinks the house will be ok. He is in the oil business, and evacuated all his people out of the gulf region on Tuesday as well. Sounds like a good and smart boss to me. The Dallas Morning News is indicating that upwards of 1 million people are headed north. Good Lord!

I met a fellow in my meeting today who is from Tyler, Texas, and he said that his town is still full of evacuees from Katrina. These folks in Texas have big hearts.

We think we can control our lives, and something like, oh say, a hurricane or an earthquake comes along, and we are reminded how little we control.

Look Out Krispy Creme

In my travels today, I came across this lovely little donut shop in Los Angeles. Due to a tight schedule, I was unable to visit inside, in order to find out exactly what a sexy donut looks like, but I might stop in again soon. My curiosity is killing me. However, thanks to the miracle of the internet, if you really like this concept, you can make it a part of your fashion ensemble.

Also, I have never had an Ice Cream Croissant. It sounds like a total paradigm shift for the baking industry. Epic! Cataclysmic!

This is what you get reading my blog. Thoughts on the intersection of faith, culture, and everyday life, combined with tips on new frontiers in pastries. Could you possibly wish for more?

Off to Work We Go

As mentioned recently in Christianity Today,

"the calling of those who engage in business is as noble as those God calls to more "spiritual" pursuits. Luther dropped a bomb shell on the late medieval world when he wrote: "The works of monks and priests, however holy and arduous they be, do not differ one whit in the sight of God from the works of the rustic laborer in the field or the woman going about her household tasks, but that all works are measured before God by faith alone." That means that the office and the trading floor must be conceived of as arenas for service every bit as much as the church.

Can I ask why I have seldom heard Luther's wonderful ideas expounded in church? Why also is there so little discussion of workplace issues within the context of the church? Should not one of the jobs of the church be the equipping of its members to have a sense of relevance and dignity in their work?

All is not lost. There are some relatively good resources for beginning to make connections between faith and work - but most are on the web. I would love to hear if you know of more ......post a comment!